What’s been your musical highlight of the year thus far? Perhaps it was the release of Bitte Orca, Dirty Projectors Radiohead-worthy collection of sublime, abstract pop songs. Or maybe you preferred Balcony TV’s hilarious interview with The Eagles of Death Metal. Or (heaven forbid!) the emergence and ensuing exploitation of Susan Boyle at the hands of Simon Cowell, among other callous opportunists.
But none of these were on a par with my personal favourite moment encompassing the music of the not-too-distant past. In fact, the said moment was not even solely shaped by music. It owed a considerable debt to cinema also. Moreover, against all the odds, it took an unpromising concept and managed to subsequently capture the essence of pop in just over four minutes.
I am speaking of course about the YouTube fan-made amalgamation of Phoenix’s wonderful, pure pop song – “Lisztomania” – combined with an array of clips from John Hughes’ movies (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink etc) in a self professed “Brat Pack Mashup”. The imagery illustrates his young protagonists’ customary exuberance, as they seamlessly dance in synch with the song.
All of which sounds terribly cheesy and contrived. And don’t get me wrong, I usually despise fan-made music-related videos. Generally, they tend to irrevocably tarnish great tunes, by forever associating the songs with a dodgy film of some pretentious, forty-year old cretin, dancing moronically in his Mum’s basement.
For instance, “First Date” by The Hold Steady was an eminently listenable and thrillingly quixotic composition. Its lyrics were captivating, yet non-specific enough to allow the listener to relate his/her own romantic memories with the song’s sentiments.
At least, it met all of the aforementioned criteria until some mindless soul decided to unleash his own interpretation of what the song meant, via the installation of his personal thoughts in accompaniment with The Hold Steady’s music on YouTube. Now, I can no longer listen to the song without thinking of this idiotic attention-seeker.
However, the Phoenix/John Hughes clip proves to be an exception to the general rule. It has already garnered numerous admirers, from Alan McGee (former head of Creation records and current Guardian blogger) to the French band themselves. And most importantly of all, jkim809 thinks that it is “pretty fantastic”.
Furthermore, its unexpected success acquired added poignancy in light of Hughes’ recent passing. In movies such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the director succeeded in depicting the zeitgeist of 1980s America. The video amounts to the equivalent of a filmic greatest hits collection which naturally centres on the primary themes of Hughes’ work: the perils of adolescence and the solace which can be sought from pop music.
Hughes was evidently somewhat of a pop aficionado himself, as his movies’ use of countless classic songs from the likes of The Smiths and Simple Minds attests. Furthermore, Phoenix – with their cool, slightly off-kilter musicianship – represents the heir apparent to this type of music.
Therefore, given the uncontested excellence of the video (perhaps for the first time ever on YouTube, the user comments are, without exception, positive); it seems justifiable to forecast the emergence of a new art form. Namely – whatever elaborate term can be conceived for the visual equivalent of music sampling.
And while the sampling technique was initially dismissed by most commentators, it has now become embraced by the mainstream and is utilised by a range of musicians, from Bright Eyes to Kanye West.
Perhaps in ten years time, the majority of the industry will follow the lead of electro pioneer M83 and devise competitions whereby the most accomplished video will consequently secure its status as the official music clip for an artist’s single. In the instance in question, M83 received a spellbinding video (for the song “We Own the Sky”) at minimal cost, while an obscure, aspiring filmmaker gained widespread exposure.
Accordingly, the recent efforts produced by Phoenix and M83 constitute part of an admittedly small, but growing percentage of internet music videos that are actually worth viewing (in addition to every clip ever shown on Balcony TV obviously).
Consequently, as in every other art form, a degree of talent exists in this format, amid the excess mediocrity.- PAUL FENNESSY
