Videodrone: Johnny Marr, Azealia Banks, Bjork & Beach House

Strapped into a chair, and with our eyes clamped open just like that bit in a Clockwork Orange. This week on Videodrone we have Johnny Marr, Azealia Banks, Bjork & Beach House

As the former Smiths fret fondler Johnny Marr finally releases his new solo album ‘The Messenger’ on 25th Feb 2013, Videodrone became rather excited to hear Mr Marr’s vocal for the first time and imagined something gruff, husky and manly, a bit like Mark Lanegan…
Johnny has chosen crisp monochrome visuals for ‘The Messenger’s promo clip, which sees our beloved guitar hero strolling through the woods.
At times the black & White visuals are a bit too shady and it is often difficult to make out what Johnny looks like (a Gallagher brother FYI) but let’s return to what he sounds like! I’m slightly dismayed to report that he sounds exactly like Tim bloody Burgess.
This is a pleasant enough indie track that incorporates a laid back groove to it’s typical ‘Madchester’ vibes but don’t we expect more from Marr? As he strolls onto a beach we do get a nifty guitar solo, but if you gave Liam Gallagher a green tea and a lovely Veggie burger then he could easily have written this song.
We also get hand claps ffs and if I am entirely honest I wanted more from such a well respected musician…
The Messenger

Azealia Banks returns with some eye popping retro visuals for ‘Atlantis’. However this is Ms Banks on autopilot. Azealia’s trademark rap/sing style over hyper hypnotic beats saw her transcend music genre divides as she bewitched indie hipsters as well as R&B kids.
Where ‘212’ featured a slick sharpness to back those attention grabbing potty mouth lyrics, ‘Atlantis’ suffers with a laid-back seemingly can’t be arsed vibe. With a video to match comprising of lazy old school visual graphics and Azealia riding sea horses and dancing with dolphins. A green haired Azealia even pops up in the mouth of a shark at one point, I guess that kunt’s getting eaten..
Atlantis

Bjork lovely Bjork I would never say a bad word about Bjork, well have you seen that footage where she beats the crap out of the reporter who just said hello?!
‘Mutual Core’ has a video so stylish & creative that I actually haven’t got a clue what it is about, musically reminiscent of the songs from her Lars Von Trier directed film ‘Dancer In The Dark’ ‘Mutual Core’ is soothing & sinister all at the same time.
Waist high in the sand, Bjork who is sporting a rather great blue wig appears to be rubbing rocks on her tits. This appears to awaken strange ball of wool type objects that fly out of the sand and whizz around in the air, as the song erupts we see lava spewing forth over everything.
These woollen monster’s start to grow faces and as Bjork sings about ‘having it in her’ the video starts to resemble Hellraiser with Muppets. Innovative genius or pretentious artiste? I am going with genius just in case I ever bump into her.

mutual co

Seeing as we have had a bit of a beach theme going this week, with sand & sea it was enough of a tenuous link to include the new video by Beach House.
‘Wild’ is a nice jangly indie guitar track with a very interesting promo clip.
A woman smokes a fag, looking out the window at a city skyline. A fucked up looking dude sits fully clothed in the bath.. Two young guys argue in a corridor and a pale couple fight on the sofa. Who knows what is going on, but everyone here is seemingly a bit messed up. A skinny lad smokes on a mattress as a whippet struts around the room probably to highlight just how skinny all these people are, indeed you can tell Grunge is on it’s way back as these malnourished models all have that Heroin Chic look, the whippet is the fattest thing on screen.
We know this video is arty by the inclusion of an ‘acting’ scene, as the two lads arguing begin to fight, they actually get to speak – sample dialogue “don’t fucking touch me” and throw punches. Indeed everyone appears to be fighting now apart from the couple who are getting it on, the whippet just stares in disbelief I know exactly how it feels.
Wild