Tool - Sober

For this weeks music video, I have chosen Sober by Tool.  

http://youtu.be/hglVqACd1C8

Humanoid twitching

The song, released in 1991, is very dark and creepy just like the music video.  It begins with a shutter effect which leads into the way the rest of the video will be filmed: in stop-motion animation.  The only time we actually see the band members is when the camera focuses on their instrument, otherwise we are accompanied by a humanoid.

We are introduced to a humanoid at the beginning of the video, where we follow his journey through the contents of his box (which remain a mystery).  After opening the box, events turn for the worst as we watch the main character suffer through whatever he may have unleashed.

Humanoid opening box

At the end of the video, we are left with an empty box.  It seems that this is a good way to encourage and allow the viewer to interpret their own meaning for the video.  To me, the empty box represents exactly what the title suggests: being sober.  It seems that when the box is full, it represents him as being full of the vices he uses in his life.  When it is empty, it represents what he feels when he's sober.

Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box

Again, my video that should have been posted last week is late.  I promise this will not become a habit as I will shortly be posting my video for this week after I have finished with Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana.

http://youtu.be/n6P0SitRwy8

"Heart Shaped Box", released in 1993, had originally been dubbed "Coffin Shaped Box" after a heart shaped box he had received from then girlfriend, Courtney Love.  Although the song itself was a number one on the billboard in the US and number five in the UK, the music video received much criticism.

Obese organ woman with wings

The video begins and ends with the same scene; the members of Nirvana, crowded around the bed of a dying old man in the hospital, hooked up to IV's, with a shadow of a cross across the floor.  Throughout the rest of the video we are introduced to almost hideous characters: a small girl dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb while trying to reach fetuses posted up in a tree, an obese woman with organs painted on the outside of her body and equipped with angel wings, and the bed-ridden old man climbing onto a cross with crows perched on it.

Heart-Shaped Box

It isn't until the end of the video that we actually see a heart shaped box, which is performed on and tossed around by the band members.  Once we have been introduced to all of the characters, the rest of the video focuses on the band playing in an outdoor, trippy setting.  The thing I always notice most is Cobain's eyes; their hue of blue against the colors in the background are something I will never forget.

Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People

 First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay in the posting of last weeks blog.  I had attempted to post one numerous times but struggled finding a video I actually wanted to discuss with the time that I had.
So, without further ado, I give you my music video choice for last week: "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson.

Manson in Beautiful People

http://youtu.be/Ypkv0HeUvTc

Released in 1999, the video and the music both begin in the same manner: dark, cryptic, and intense.  The first time I heard the song, I found it hard to not keep listening to find out how the song was going to progress; I had the same initial reaction with the video.  The darkness Manson involves in this video and song is present in almost all of his art, which I think is part of the reason he stands out in the musical world.

Manson close-up

As Manson's gravely voice reverberates over the minor chords and instruments he is accompanied by, the video flashes between grotesque images and Manson himself.  Honestly, I think he is talented in what he does, but he is a very creepy individual to see and I think he emphasizes this characteristic in his music videos.  The colors are muted and the images are often distorted, flashing and pulsing with the screaming beat of The Beautiful People.