Current Video Reviews
Whole Wheat Bread - “Old Man Sampson”
Matisyahu - "King Without A Crown"
Artist: Whole Wheat Bread
Video: “Old Man Sampson“
Director: Mike Marshall
It would be possible, at first viewing, to write off Whole Wheat Bread's “Old Man Sampson” as just another performance clip in a vast sea of performance clips. Possible, but the utter incongruity of the band's look and their sound practically compels the viewer to pay close attention. The jocular observation that they “look like NWA, sound like Green Day” is actually not far from the mark. The band consists of Trinidad native Aaron Abraham on guitar and lead vocals and Florida brothers Nicholas and Joseph Largen on bass and drums, respectively.
“Old Man Sampson” opens with an almost Irish-folkie guitar line (repeated later in the bridge), but quickly and raucously jumps into an exemplary punk-pop verse and chorus. Although ostensibly an account of a tragedy – the title character has “wrapped his car around a pole”—it's really more of a celebration of a gloriously uninhibited if somewhat inebriated life.
Mike Marshall's video for “Old Man Sampson” is set, where else, in a bar; a friendly, dim, smoky kind of place where all the denizens are slightly off kilter in one way or another but where rowdy good times are the norm. Marshall's framing scenes include the old man himself, but the attention is focused primarily on Abraham. His energetic delivery and wild-eyed expression steal the visual show here.
Check it out for yourself at: http://video.mpegnation.com/a001306022967033005184845134.html
Artist: Matisyahu
Video: "King Without A Crown"
Director:
This is probably the most incongruous video we've seen in a very long time. Matisyahu is a deeply spiritual young man, thoroughly immersed in the Lubavitch philosophy and lifestyle. Quite a transformation from a former Deadhead and Phish follower. His youth was anything but misspent, however. The musical ideas he absorbed then are now resurfacing in a most intriguing way.
This video captures him in live performance, where he excels. The real kicker, however, is the style he adapts. It's pure reggae. Never mind the cross cultural and cross theological implications of that, though. Just watch and listen and be amazed at the purity of his voice, the precision of his phrasing, the power of his performance, and his passionate energy.
Artist: Copeland
Video: "Pin Your Wings"
Director:
With the success of Copeland?s 2003 debut LP, Beneath Medicine Tree, the Atlanta quartet found themselves faced with huge expectations for their sophomore effort. In Motion, released by The Militia Group, blends urgent lyrics with lush soundscapes framed by great chord changes and unexpected, yet the most pleasant of melody lines. All in all; a post-emo homerun.
The video for their lead off single, "Pin Your Wings", one of the more straight forward rockers on In Motion, features our heroes isolated and mired in an uneasy insomnia. As the night grows older, Copeland comes together in a suburban living room; all the while, the lullaby-like melody stumbles over the hookier than hell guitar part. As the song crescendos out of the bridge, the room floods with light from the inevitably rising sun. "Pin Your Wings" is a subdued performance and video indeed, but for this often subtle and nonchalant band, it's a perfect fit.