Hi there - your Subterranean blogger hasn't deserted you. We got knocked loopy with a really bad cold last week and then today we got roped into attending a corporate training siminar on how to blog to you. We'd totally be controlling your minds with our new found knowldege if we didn't fall asleep halfway through. We did, however, wake up long enough to hear the seminar director refer to our blog as "Subterrarium" and then have everyone turn around and snicker at us.
Anyway, we have two points. First, watch last night's episode of Subterranean on MTV.com and enjoy a bonus playlist from us of "Don't Tell Us to Do the Math" songs. It *almost* makes sense.
Second, we had this great idea while snoozing through the seminar today. For the April 27 episode of Subterranean we want you to pick the videos. So go to our MySpace and post us a message of what video you want us to play. Keep it current people, we all want to see a Replacements video but you can watch VH1 Classic for that. With your video (hey, link to/embed the video too cos it'll be fun for us) include a little something about why you want us to play it and we'll toss up a graphic on-air about you and your request.
If we were requesting videos we'd want us to play Los Campesinos! because it's quickly become our favorite album this year.
Hey, remember Melrose Place? Where everyone was perfect and annoying and perfectly annoying? American Music Club made a video in the 90s making fun of that, those "buy the world a Coke" commericals, Beverly Hills 90210 and capitolist culture/the movement of corporations selling music in general.
We were just thinking of how different aesthetics in 1994 vs. 2008 are. Oh wait, no - it's just moderately different haircuts and swimsuits. We're pretty sure Mark Eitzel hates Soulja Boy just like we do.
Canadian indie rockers/folk collective The Acorn released Glory Hope Mountain earlier this March in the U.S. and "Flood Pt. 1" is is their first video from this wild ride of a work in narrative storytelling.
The video is helmed by Christopher Mills, who we haven't seen on the music video scene since his early '00s work with bands like Broken Social Scene, Modest Mouse & Interpol. His beautiful aesthetics make an interesting match for this almost tribal sounding song and detail an epic journey, almost in the style of filmmaker Terrence Malick - very grandiose and with heavy focus on the landscape, almost to the point of it being a character in the narrative.
This is certainly one of the most well matched song and video combinations we've seen in 2008.
MTV News turn in a giant, four part RAW interview with the college rock pioneers.
Is anyone outside of us liking "Supernatural Superserious"? Are you guys skeptical or sold?
We're obsessed with this song lately. Video is live performance, whatever. The song makes us feel joy.
If we made a list of crap we'd done a cause des garcons then you'd know exactly how boy crazy we are. Hey, another fun thing we learned this week (via Disco Workout) is that Yelle's "A Cause Des Garcons" is a cover of a song from '87 by a band of the same name and it sounds very similar to the original.
At any rate, you can see the cute little French girl of the moment cavorting all over MTV all this week, proving you can never be too cute or too French.
Coming right on the heels of Dizzee Rascal's trip to Houston is Lupe Fiasco's apperance in the 5th Ward. We find it interesting how these two videos have similar backdrops/vibes but the Dizzee version seems to grimey while Lupe's version seems a little "don't step on my sneakers, mmkay?".
Lupe's vid is directed by Dr. Teeth, who's also ran sets for T.I. and Juvenile, but on this one he maintains a certain Lupe vibe that stops it from being in any way street. The video tells a story of a bad boy gone good and winning a few battles.
Hey, did you notice something about last night's Subterranean? Like, how it was all new videos, save one? That was our Spankin' New show. We've got a bonus playlist along with the full show for you on MTV.com of more new videos we got and want to play but haven't gotten to just yet.
One of our favorites is the new Justice video. It's like spot the logo you remember from watching VHS tapes.
Our final contribution to MTV2's Spankin' New Music Week is off of Cassettes Won't Listen's new, and in our opinion best, album comes the video for "Paper Float". This video is depressing to us because it's like we get to watch all the mundane parts of our own day flash before our eyes. It kind of makes us want to walk around the office and flip everyone off. Rob Graydon directs and a NYC office plays backdrop to Jason Drake's work-a-day fantasy life that resembles a warped version of The Office.
The Black Keys always make the video you least expect them to make. "Strange Times" is no exception. This time they've partnered with indie darling Lance Bangs to bring you a long, hard look at Laser Tag.
And our favorite genius at WBR new media commissioned an online game of Laser Tag for you as well.
