Next up in my series of memorable 2012 videos is a clip from British indie rock band Arctic Monkeys.
The band has been on the back burner for several years after blowing up in 2006 with one of the fastest-selling independent rock albums in history. They were pointed to as poster children for a new era in which a major label wasn’t necessary for major success.
One of my favorite theme weeks last year was a series I did on some of the best videos from the previous year. I discovered a slew of fascinating clips, mostly from artists I’d never listened to before.
Even when the music wasn’t anything special, the videos were alternately fun and thought-provoking. It seems that the ease and relative affordability of digital filmmaking has given a whole new generation of artists the chance to express themselves with images as well as sounds.
Christina Aguilera has had a strange career. She started out hot, riding the same Mickey Mouse Club teen starlet wave that gave us Britney Spears, but then cooled off quickly. Her sexed-up sophomore album, Stripped, came across as dirty rather than provocative.
She rebounded well with Back to Basics, an excellent double album that showcased her amazing voice and earned both critical raves and strong sales. But then she disappeared for a few years before appearing in the 2010 bomb Burlesque and releasing Bionic, a weak collection that sounded like an attempt to become Lady Gaga.
I knew this was a Frank Sinatra song about three seconds in, though I didn’t know which one. I don’t have many albums from this era in my collection, so the sound of a big band orchestra generally means just one thing: Ol’ Blue Eyes is back.
I’m not at all familiar with this particular song, though it’s instantly great in the way all of these old songs are great.
I never thought I could milk a week’s worth of blog posts out of the Schooner Bar on the Liberty of the Seas, but here we are.
One night, Paul O’Shea played the first few notes of ‘Summer Nights’ from the Grease soundtrack and then looked to the audience for a Sandy to sing alongside him.
No, I’m not going to tell you that Alex (or I) volunteered. This isn’t that good a story.
Meet Me In Montauk 