Yes, there were actually music videos this week other than the crammed-full-of-crazy video for “Telephone” that Lady Gaga finally released last night after weeks of anticipation. (And if you haven’t already seen it, follow along with our in-depth coverage here). While “Telephone” might rival “Thriller” in terms of fanfare, there were plenty of other music videos released this week that deserve your attention. After the jump, you can go graveyard-dancing with Morrissey, stumble through the gravity-defying world of Kid Cudi, and discover how much better flying would be if the airlines all employed Kate Nash. It might even make you forget about that telephone currently ringing off the hook.
Kid Cudi feat. MGMT and Ratatat – “Pursuit of Happiness”
Gravity doesn’t apply to Kid Cudi. He stumbles incoherently through this stoner freakout, anchored only by the synth filigrees and his sticky, lazy droll. Some big-haired river guides paddle Cudi to what looks like the masquerade party of all the lonely stoners, with a stone-faced girl swinging by in a frantically-patterned sweater. Even Cudi constantly returning to comfy-looking couches doesn’t keep this video from stomach-churning status. Hold on to your seats.
She & Him – “In The Sun”
Zooey Deschanel’s doe-eyed looks are cuter than all of the puppies and fluffy LOLCats in the world combined, and the new She & Him video takes full advantage of that fact. Deschanel hula-hoops, has synchronized dance sequences in the hallways, and generally makes a strong case for why people need to make High School Musical 4: Indie High. M. Ward does his part by working his best Saturday Night Fever strut and bringing the song to new heights with a lonely, isolated guitar solo hemmed in by long rows of lockers. Cute and a bit treacly, but what else were you expecting?
Kate Nash – “Do Wah Doo”
This video evokes a time when flight attendants could still be called stewardesses with no sense of shame. Flying on the squeaky-clean British Air Ferries, Nash sings with an acid tongue about jealously competing with a blonde co-worker to land the man of her dreams. Of course, this rival is so cute she can apparently convince pilots to take a mid-flight martini break. Nash’s rejection is a little sad but tempered by more airplane aisle dance routines. Even though the jangly music rivals She & Him for sheer smile-inducing power, stay tuned for the end to see the tragic conclusion of all that cutesiness.
Big Boi feat. George Clinton and Too $hort- “Fo Yo Sorrows”
George Clinton is at his most homeless-looking on this track from Big Boi’s oft-delayed upcoming album, rasping in head-nodding conjunction with Big Boi’s machine gun flow. Combined with Clinton’s hype-man tactics and general weirdness is a short guest verse by Too $hort, extolling the virtues of dope-smoking in front of some curious-looking children. Big Boi himself bounces from park bench to shiny LED screens, dropping rhymes about how his raps rival the Bible. He ends by walking into a sunset, but after whetting appetites with this funk jam he better be back soon.
Morrissey – “Ganglord”
Why would Morrissey make a video supporting a song from a B-side compilation he once called a “disaster?” Because he’s Morrissey, that’s why, and if he feels like being macabre and ballroom dancing in a deserted graveyard with a much younger man, then he’ll find a way to make that happen. Random people walk among dilapidated houses and crumbling headstones, eventually joined by Morrissey as he generally looks contemplative while leaning against brick walls. The music has anti-police lyrics and the guitar delay and rumble of “How Soon Is Now,” along with the added humor of trying to imagine just what hardcore gang Morrissey would ever be a part of.