As I've discussed many times, I have a deep love of music videos. I believe that they are an art form unto themselves, though unappreciated and now without their former cultural impact. In their first 20 years (1982-2002) they were a dramatic influence on our culture, and their release dates were true events, as large as single releases or album debuts. You would stay up until the late hours to watch a new video (and if it was significant enough it would be played every hour on the hour - like every Guns N Roses video released from the now 20 year old Use Your Illusion albums), you might even stay home from school to be there for this event.
Now of course music videos are kind of a novelty, a mostly non-essential entity shot to specifically appease interested band members, with the decidedly disposable outlet of YouTube or Vimeo. And with the proliferation of inexpensive video equipment and editing software, virtually anyone can make a music video at any time.
That being said, I still love them. To me they hold a power unlike any other art form. As I've discussed previously, they hit me at a very young age and their magic continues to inspire me. And the odd thing is that while the "golden age" of the music video has cleared passed, some interesting and strong work has continued to be produced.
With that in mind, I bring you the Music Video of the Week: Lions In Cages by Wolf Gang. This video is a classic example of taking a song that is solid/good, and elevating it through the unique power of the visual. And it's brilliant, and beautiful, and hits you in the chest, and you don't even really know why. And that is why the music video is an art form, one that will continue to resonate.
Enjoy.
