There is fucking amazing music being created at the moment, anyone who tells you otherwise has no idea what the hell they’re talking about and you probably shouldn’t hang out with them anymore.
“But where do I find all this cool music Papa Slick?†I hear you ask in desperation. Well, I have my methods but they involve a shit-ton of sifting through music sites and listening to rubbish before I strike gold.
Good news is when that happens, I put all my best finds together into badass playlists like the one that follows below and all you have to do is kick back, click “play†and let the good times roll muthufukkah!
You will find some old favourites with new shit in this list like my buddies The Hives, QOTSA, Nine Inch Nails, Vampire Weekend and Franz Ferdinand but then I’ve thrown some nice fresh stuff in here you’ve never heard before – killer tracks from CHVRCHES, Daughn Gibson, Lord Huron, Howler and a bit of local flavour with PHFAT.
Remember when I posted a music video by the band Kodaline? The track was called “All I Want†and I’m not ashamed to admit the first time I watched I may have gotten a little choked up.
I mean shit guys, I’m only human. That video was brilliant, it was like watching an entire feature film in 3 minutes. Also, I miss music videos like that one and the ones that came out in the 90s and early 2000s.
Remember Radiohead’s “Just� Or Coldplay’s “The Scientist� Those were great videos that told a story, which is why I thought that Kodaline video and the one I’m about to show you are both so brilliant.
I guess I also miss this style of music. Sure, it’s been done to death and a lot of bands have really fucked it up and made it unbearably shit and oversentimental, but once in awhile a band comes around that strips everything back down to the basics and focuses on getting them right, which is what Kodaline does so well.
Here. This is what I’m talking about.
Powerful stuff hey? Really loved that. But I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “Damn, I wish Slick had posted the other video right here for me to watch.â€
Let it be. Here’s “All I Wantâ€.
Sho. Emotional stuff. Must be getting soft now that I’m going to be a dad
Speaking of which, as you read this I’ll be going to our 33 week scan to see how our little cub is coming along. You’ll be happy to know that so far all our scans have been really healthy, everything is happening as it should and on the 12th August I will hold my little girl for the first time.
Five months ago, MK launched the MK Music Video Project whereby local bands were invited to team up with SA production companies and submit a creative pitch to MK for a music video.
From there, MK chose the 12 best pitches and commissioned those videos to be produced, resulting in some of the videos I’m about to show you.
If you want to watch all 12, check them out here. Otherwise I’m posting my top five right here, right now. I’ve chosen these videos according to two broad criteria – not only do the videos have to be sick, but the songs must be rad as well.
Let’s start with my number 5. Here’s aKing with “Jezebelâ€.
I really, really dig that song. It’s got a bit of a Thin Lizzy vibe going and from a songwriting perspective it’s really complex, a lot of moving parts all fitted perfectly together.
The video itself was well shot, but when you boil it down to it’s essence, it’s just the band jamming in a room which we’ve all seen at least a couple hundred times before and is the reason why this isn’t higher on my list.
The next vid from Shortstraw however tells an entire flippin story with schweet underwater shots and everything!
Great track as well, the way they match the pace of the track with the video is pretty much flawless. It’s a lot harder to get that shit right than it looks and that last shot is powerful as a punch right to the gut.
Moving on we have the Gazelle track “Val Van Die Ryk†which I must be honest I chose 40% because the video is cool and 60% because the track itself is pretty goddamn sick.
Classic! I’d love to see them do that song live, I reckon it would definitely get the crowd jumping. Great cameo from ol’ Francois as well.
This next track and video are both pretty fucking phenomenal. It’s P.H. Fat with “Business Business Crashâ€.
We makin’ love bitches! Hahahahaha! Too awesome. That one was directed, produced, flippin ART DIRECTED even by my man @thefilmo.
Big up to him and the P.H. Fat crew, I thought that video was incredibly well-shot – the editing is fucking tight as a drum and the whole enchilada, the video and the song itself, are both fucking cool without trying hard.
Which brings us to number ONE on my list. You might have heard this one before…
You guys should have been there in the cinema to see this one on the big screen, people were loving it, great concept, awesome track and an ending that packs a helluva punch.
So all in all, I was really impressed at the standard of videos we watched last night. SA has a shiteload of artistic and musical talent in this country, such a pity there isn’t the proper infrastructure to support and develop that talent but it’s pretty plain to see we’ve come a long way.
At the risk of looking like a total douche though, there’s one last video I want to share with you guys.
It’ isn’t South African but I honestly think we aren’t far off from conceptualising and producing music videos of this calibre.
WARNING: Keep a box of tissues handy. Not that I needed any, but I know how sensitive you guys are, so yeah, I just don’t want you breaking down in front of your co-workers and stuff…
It’s Kodaline with “All I Wantâ€.
Have a killer weekend party people.
Here’s to finding that someone if you haven’t already
There is fucking amazing music being created at the moment, anyone who tells you otherwise has no idea what the hell they’re talking about and you probably shouldn’t hang out with them anymore.
