Only 4 videos this week? FNMTV is really dropping the ball. Well, I don’t have a ton of time this weekend anyway, so our quickies will have to be even quicker.
Danity Kane - Bad Girl
Diddy’s girls make a mockery and tries to cash in on the comic book movie trend. Missy Elliot drops a verse too. Oh, and there are some costume changes that go by too fast to appreciate. Mannequins have more personality than these ladies.
Bow Wow - Marco Polo
Wow. I have way too much to say about this - so I’ll save it for this week’s full length music video review. Watch out for that early next week. short version: trite unrepentant tween garbage.
Chromeo - Momma’s Boy
This is a 2008 update of A-Ha’s Take on Me with a vocoder and without the falsetto) Not sure I dig the thematic content though. Seems a bit too Elektra/Odepius.
Tokyo Police Club - Graves (Live)
Hey TPC has anyone ever told you that you’re like a really shitty version of The Shins combined with The Strokes?
Chromeo wins the award for least terrible video this week.
It’s time for another round of FNMTV bashing - courtesy of yours truly. In case you missed last week’s post, MTV recently added a new segment called Friday Night MTV as a venue for video premiers and live performances. This salvo of music television begs to be discussed - because it is so clearly bottom of the barrel - but not in a formal video review manner. Consider these video review ‘quickies’.
Old skool rope chains, T-Pain sans vocoder channeling the pied piper, and Missy Elliot style antics make for a pretty kid-friendly video. I wouldn’t hesitate to show this to an 8 year old.
The band members all have similar haircuts to other bands, they sing slow and deep at first and then jump up an octave to belt out the chorus. Flashback / performance videos like this are boring. If I want to relive getting drunk in high school and doing dumb townie shit… I’ll look out my window at the douchebag highschoolers on summer vacation.
DJ Khaled has never been on a decent track, so this was doomed from the beginning. Morever, what self respecting rapper wears a beater when he has a gut - and for that matter CAPRIS? I’m not even watching the rest of this video. 39 seconds in and I am over it. I won’t even mention that Baby, AKA The Birdman, drops a vocoder verse.
This actually did not suck. The whole thing reminded of a Wes Anderson movie- but one that didn’t suck. In fact, if all of Wes Anderson’s stuff was this short and pithy - Nick and I might like the guy a lot more.
I don’t know much about Duffy, but her voice is definitely an acquired taste. I can get into the track, but I’d like it more if it were by another vocalist. ZING! Other than that, this ain’t much to write home about. Here is the original video.
It’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of Lil Wayne’s recent records - but apparently he gets crowds hype. And really, how can I disagree with that? If you can rock ‘em right, you must be doing something right. He did race through the song though - he was def in a hurry to get out of there.
That’s it ladies and gents. You don’t have to go home - you can stay and comment here!
Attention Hip Hop artists: This 2 video in one thing has gotta go. Seriously, cut that shit out. Missy is particularly fond of this tactic which focuses on pushing a crappy single and then teasing you with a much hotter but shorter track at the end. Ginuwine is also a noted offender. Juelz Santana did this with Postman / Clockwork. The 25 seconds of Clockwork at the end of Postman were so savage they immediately erased my memory of the 3 previous minutes.
Missy’s new combo Ching-A-Ling / Shake Your PomPom just hit, and since I’m feeling prolific this week, I’ll give you the breakdown for both videos.
Ching-A-Ling
The Beat: The beat doesn’t do it for me. I am not a fan at all. It is not worth explaining further.
The Video: I was a little concerned at first. The video starts off looking like a hip-hop Gap Ad: dancers wearing bright colors in a white room. However, the choreography does not disappoint. The spider/shoe thing is something you don’t see everyday and is reminiscent of Labyrinth. Missy keeps it fresh.
The Content: Has Missy made a track that didn’t revolve around her ass or shaking it? I don’t think so, and that is fine with me. ‘So fresh and clean you can call me Irish Spring,” is a pretty campy line. Missy is all about cheesy punchlines.
The Vocals: The chorus is annoyingly catchy. Additionally, the whole thing sounds muddy. The punchlines get lost in the delivery - not her best.
Shake Your Pom Pom
The Beat: This beat is so hot I can’t handle it. I’m a sucker for the drums. I immediately started thinking of Naughty by Nature.
The Video: F I R E. Booty dancers doing it right. I want to be at this house party right now. Seriously, where is it? I will turn that shit out.
The Content: Another song about dancing and booty? Why not? The song doesn’t describe a specific dance like Walk it Out, Flap Your Wings, or Crank Dat. Instead, Missy focuses on getting down. This is an important distinction and Missy doesn’t drop any new slang (besides the title itself) or innovative rhymes.
The Vocals: The vocals are really loud on the track and Missy’s voice is assertive but not overpowering. I really dig Missy’s delivery here. She uses a kinetic flow that almost no one even attempts that these days. It sounds kind of like Lipstick by Lil Mama. My only issue is the weak chorus.
The Bottom Line: While Ching-A-Ling has a decent video, it does not have the appeal of Shake Your Pom Pom. Ching-A-Ling is for serious Missy fans. Shake Your Pom Pom is much more accessible and would make an excellent -if short- addition to your workout mix.
Quantum of Solace, All I Want, "One More Drink" by Ludacris, Uncanny X-Men #165 thru #175, Chris Claremont, and Paul Smith.
On The Next Podcast...
Neal watched David Hasselhoff in the Nick Fury movie just for Podcast Episode 057 on Tuesday, November 25, 2008. See the pain we endure for you to talk about media every week?
And Then...
On Tuesday, December 2, 2008, we've got an interview with comic creator Ross Campbell about his new Wet Moon 4: Drowned in Evil graphic novel from Oni Press in Podcast Episode 058!
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