In this week’s top music video picks, we get high and troll for a booty call, work a children’s birthday party and collapse in a dancefloor orgy of blood and tunes! From hip-hop to electronic and indie rock, with artists like Cold War Kids and Meltdown, see which music videos are going viral.
Why'd You Only Call Me When You’re High? —Arctic Monkeys
This question you may have posed to friends (or that may have been posed to you) is now the subject of a new Arctic Monkeys song and video. A clearly altered Alex Turner starts his night out in a bar and, after downing a few shots of liquid courage, goes wandering toward the house of a potential booty call, but hallucinations impede his progress. A warning: The video is mildly NSFW. The singer's delusions include a girl having sex with various street men. The band's new album, AM, is due September 10th.
Meltdown—Love and Death
Even people who aren’t into the hard-rocking metal of Love and Death will enjoy the video for their latest single, "Meltdown." Frankly put, it’s hilarious. Screaming metal vocals and heavy guitars are juxtaposed with the band having to work at a Chuck E. Cheese-type kid’s arcade. It’s difficult to keep a straight face when the “meltdown” in question belongs to mopey, heavily tattooed guys wearing teddy-bear hats, being poked by children who want birthday cake.
This Is Gospel – Panic! at the Disco
The band has all but broken up. It’s possible that Urie, alone here on a table being operated on and thrown into a coffin while still alive, has something to do with his new status as Panic! at the Disco’s sole member. Though not as busy as the previous single, "This is Gospel," from the upcoming album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, is still artistic, interesting, and odd.
Happy—Robert DeLong
Los Angeles local favorite Robert DeLong released this video for the first single off his debut album, Just Movement. In the vid, DeLong spins happy, bouncy synth rock while strange people dressed all in white listen, dance, start bleeding, and eventually end up in a bloody, happy heap on the dancefloor. Have fun listening, but not that much fun.
Oh God—Luke James featuring Hit-Boy
This cinematic mini story of love, betrayal, and murder is backed by the smooth R&B of Luke James. The costumes and settings are worthy of a full-length feature, and the creepy possessiveness of the song adds to the vignette. The video co-stars model and musician Maad Moiselle, as the deadly woman who captures more than one man’s eye.
Water and Power—Cold War Kids
The album Dear Miss Lonelyhearts has been out since April, but that hasn’t stopped Cold War Kids from putting together a simple, but interesting music video for their song "Water and Power." Predictably the video includes a lot of water, but also has a DIY charm. The band is pretty busy these days: 50 minutes after this video was released, they announced a new EP, called Tuxedos, will be released this fall.
Youth—Foxes
What’s more youthful than sparklers, arson, and random vandalism? That’s what makes up the bulk of this Foxes video, "Youth," of the Youth EP. It’s fair to say that it takes a certain amount of youth to rock Mickey Mouse ears out in public and wake up in a tree full of streamers.
