MOTHER JONES BY E-MAIL

«--Previous Post | Blog Index | Next Post--»

(Not So) Neato Viddys on the Intertubes

UK electro duo Simian Mobile Disco are pretty darn good, and their now-oldish track "Hustler" is one of the best songs on their new album, Attack Decay Sustain Release. Its dark breakbeat backing is combined with a repetitive, stream-of-consciousness rap about being too broke to buy records and stealing them instead. It already had a pretty good (if eyebrow-raising) video featuring a circle of hipster girls whose game of "secret" turns into a makeout session, but for some reason the band (or their label) decided that wasn't exploitative enough. Now we get a new video featuring dancing models who, er, binge and purge, in Technicolor:


Send-up of cheesecake videos, blistering indictment of the modeling industry, or crap? It brings to mind a couple other electronic artists whose tracks apparently needed attention-grabbing and ultimately exploitative clips: first, The Prodigy's already-controversial "Smack My Bitch Up" featured a typical laddish night out of booze, fighting and sex (along with similar amounts of vomiting), until the perspective switcheroo at the end. (NSFW).

While nobody saw the Shyamalan-style twist coming, it's still dumb, and feels like a tacked-on way to make the other 99% of the video acceptable.

Don't forget the clip for UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights," a dull ballad with Radiohead's Thom Yorke on vocals. The video uses special effects to create what's basically an ultraviolent snuff film where a mentally disturbed man is repeatedly run over by cars until, again, a kind of surprise ending, I guess:

That one ends up on lots of "best video ever" lists, but it just makes me feel kind of ill. Perhaps the lesson with these clips that it's a slippery slope between ironic, winking exploitation and actual, grody exploitation?






Comments

Must be something to be dead and still making money:)

Posted by: mam on 10/30/07 at 2:49 PM  Respond

Post a comment





 

RECENT COMMENTS

Top Five: ABBA Songs (2)
Monika Bauerlein wrote: I have a soft spot for Nina, Pretty Ballerina. Maybe becau... [more]

New Snickers Ad Encourages Drive-By Shootings of Unmanly Men (9)
simon wrote: Awesome ad!... [more]

Meeting in the Ladies' Room (6)
Tom Kat wrote: When are you going to get rid of this HO...we know you lad... [more]

New Music from Around the Blogs: Machines Don't Care, Kid Cudi, Santogold, Lykke Li (3)
Sheena Beaston wrote: Thanks for the link!... [more]

The Dark Knight Turns Out to Be a Dick Cheney Fantasy (9)
Party Ben wrote: Thanks for the comments. To those who argue the film was a... [more]

Yearning for Better Coverage of Polygamists (3)
GeorgeSalt wrote: Apparently, polygamists are America's new n*ggers - the on... [more]

Diverse List of Mercury Prize Nominees Revealed (2)
Party Ben wrote: @sra: Roops, I knew that. Thanks for catching. "House of... [more]

Music: Million DJ March to Unite Annoying, Headphone-Wearing Dorks (2)
Laura wrote: I know i'm late commenting this post but I can not agree w... [more]

Ten Silliest Digg.com Headlines About The Dark Knight (2)
Justin wrote: You mentioned "this reporter?" Did CNN buy TMZ? hehe... [more]

Hancock: Racist, a Metaphor for Racism, or Just Dumb? (9)
Jason wrote: We snuck into see this lame movie, and oh my, it sure is o... [more]

XML RSS Feed

Powered by
Movable Type 3.33

Jail.org - Inmate Search
Criminal records, instant public records & people search & current court records. www.jail.org

U.S. Public Records Search
Search County & State Court Records, Criminal records, Vital and Adoption Records www.PublicRecordsInfo.com

Records.com - People Search
Public Records and Background Checks. Instantly Search Criminal Records, Addresses and Court Records www.Records.com

Court Records & County Records
Find Instant Public Records, Criminal Records as Well as County Property Records Search. www.PublicRecordsIndex.com

















bookIN PRINT

CLICK HERE
for more great reading

headphones IN TUNE
New music every issue

CLICK TO LISTEN


This article has been made possible by the Foundation for National Progress, the Investigative Fund of Mother Jones, and gifts from generous readers like you.

© 2008 The Foundation for National Progress

About Us   Support Us   Advertise   Ad Policy   Privacy Policy   Contact Us   Subscribe   RSS