There are 3 weeks left in 2015. THREE. 49 have already come and gone and we don’t want to let this one slip by without our weekly dose of music video reviews. In an interesting stroke of coincidence, this is an all male revue as there were no MVs by the fairer sex to cross our Youtube subs within the past week. But regardless, I think there are at least a couple videos here that you’ll find enjoyable – no matter your expectation.
Andrew Huang – “Air on the G String”
When’s the last time you saw lingerie featured in a classy music video? Scratch that, make that a classical music video. AH has one goofy, creative mind and while this may not go down in history as the most groundbreaking of musical discoveries, it’s good enough to get me to chuckle in the name of acoustical science. This guy can make music out of anything.
Lions Ambition x Marcus D – “Bullet”
One thing I’ve noticed over the course of the past year or so is that LA’s sound has become increasingly polished. Everything just seems to be executed just a little bit cleaner. This is a good thing as I think the scene could use more of the eclectic mix of pop, rock, and rap. Now who wants to start a gofundme campaign to get these guys the fundage to hire a decent videographer so they can produce the MV their music deserves?
Jae Jin – “Amen”
Serving as the lead video off of Jae’s Kairos album, “Amen” marks an interesting choice for a visual. It’s not the catchiest or flashiest song on the album, but it is delicate, earnest, and beautiful and the video tries to portray that too. Unfortunately, although technically sound, it fails to hit the same emotional tone as the song; in other words, it’s pretty… but dull and flat. However, there are far worse MVs out there, so this is ain’t a bad way to listen to the track if you so choose.
Yung Koconut x Mike B – “CircleZ”
YK has to be one of the hardest working artists out of SoCal right now. The past couple months have brought us a constant stream of songs, leaks, and MVs. It should be noted that a lot of his material, both audio and visual wise, tend to cater better to a certain recreational community – we’ll call them arborists. So everything is chill and laid-back, but just skewed enough that a square like me can’t quite relate. I guess I’m just not in the right state of mind.
The Slants – “Sakura, Sakura”
I love how The Slants are never resigned to try and play it safe with their videos. Does it always work perfectly? No, but there are times where it comes out much better than others. This augmented reality concept is refreshing and one of the more intriguing videos I’ve come across in a while. It doesn’t quite live up to the potential of it’s premise, but I’ll take it, especially considering the dearth of rock music in comparison with other genres by Asian-American artists.
Justin Nozuka – “By Your Side”
As a fan of Justin Nozuka, I have to admit I was excited to see he had a new video and album in the works. Unfortunately, this video throttled my expectations a little bit. There’s something I appreciate about the sparse, simplicity of the MV – but the footage may have better served as the backdrop to a lyric video to promote the song. The tune itself is classic Justin; singer-writer music with a touch of blues. It may not be the most engaging single he’s released, but it’s piqued my interest for the rest of the album. Let’s just hope the next video gives us a little something more.
a-Tunes 