Fistful of Fives: Videos

OK, so the Fab Five Friday for today involves music videos. Always hard to narrow it down to just five great ones, but I've tried to avoid the most obvious and oft-mentioned and celebrated and notoriously batshit insane candidates in order to bring to light some that you may not have seen before. Keep an eye on Half Deserted Streets and Your Beard is Good for more on this topic. 

Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope)

Like Roots, I wasn't too good at sports as a youngster. Unlike Roots, I have never - yet - showed up to my old school in an expensive car and won all the events at sports day. Great video, really funny, low budget, and the song is STILL unimpeachable.



Royksopp - Remind Me

OK, some people might think that this is just a glorified Microsoft Access demo, but it's more fun than that. A series of presentation graphics undercut by the old Geico commercials music. Haven't given the new Royksopp the attention it deserves. Soon!



Bjork - Bachelorette

I figured, I could get away with one Michel Godrey video in here. There's a trillion to choose from. (Close runners up: Come into my World and Star Guitar. Obviously the well-choreographed, meticulously arranged ones do it for me). Bachelorette is just so ingenious that Stephen Hawking watched it and got jealous. (This may not have happened). One day, Bjork found a book in the woods, and then shit got real.




Pulp - This is Hardcore

Some days, you wake up and think, "I've gotta shoot a seven minute film noir with fantasy dance sequences, lots of shadows, screaming, plaintive glances towards something off-camera, and at least one murder routine, all to accompany a song about men that are addicted to pornography." This was one of those days.



P.J. Harvey - Good Fortune

Maybe this video isn't too remarkable to anyone else, but I really love it. Something about Polly walking around east London singing directly to camera and being really carefree.. It's sexy as hell. And the song, from her career-best 'Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea' album, isn't bad either. Even though it's about New York, and not London. Pfft.

Watch these enzymes react

Truth be told, I’m not too bothered about Roots Manuva’s upcoming fourth album ‘Slime and Reason’. Despite having some great, great songs in his back catalogue – not to mention some great guest appearances – I’m still yet to be really impressed by a full-length of his. The last one, ‘Awfully Deep’, was particularly forgettable, and had a song called ‘Toothbrush’ on it, which cost him many cool points.

What’s more, I saw him live at Reading one year, and his show was a shining example of why rap shows are often terrible. Too many hype-men, good songs cut off after a verse, bad sound quality, etc. It was a profound disappointment.

All that being said, the guardian’s just gone and given ‘Slime and Reason’ a five-star review. So my interest has been rekindled. I really hope he’s got it all together. Here’s a classic from an earlier record.

[download Roots Manuva - Juggle Tings Proper]

Contending with this cheese on toast

Two things we already know:

• 'Witness' by Roots Manuva is the mothertruckin' JAM, and it should henceforth replace the national anthem at the beginning of sporting events.
  
• This year, reworking recent songs with full-on big band arrangements is the new black.

What if the two combined, eh? Step forward The New Mastersounds, about whom I know nothing, who've thrown in a lot of brass. Their song is funky and indeed fresh, and doesn't recall the original too much. Maybe only Ronson could've afforded the actual Roots to appear on the song. Check it out nonetheless!

[download The New Mastersounds - Witness][buy '102%']

4play: Roots Manuva guest spots

New feature! New feature! Ring the bells and flash some lights! For trivia fans, rejected titles for this feature were "4real", "4pack", "4songs", "4way" and "Gimme 5". I decided that, if I wanted to sustain this, though, I should limit it to four and not five tunes. The premise is: four songs that I like, united by some arbitrary theme. Questions?

To begin with, four songs that feature London's Rodney Smith, better known as Roots Manuva in a cameo. He's had a variable career - a handful of genius moments (if you've never seen the video for 'Witness', go go go go) but lots and lots of mediocre output. When I saw him live at Reading 2001, it was a weak show and he cut off 'Witness' after one verse. He may proclaim to be a vision of splendid splendidness, but he's frustratingly uneven.

But these guest appearances are all ace. The Cinematic Orchestra track is long and brooding and has some reference to a Tardis, and the line about his best friend dying always gets me. Meanwhile, 'Dusted' was a great taster for the disappointing 'Rhythm and Stealth'. Get up!

He only drops a verse on the other two tracks. Exodus 77 is a huge dude who you may have heard on 'Won' by the Beta Band, and the Bhangra mix of the TY track is ace. Enjoy! The tune with Exodus isn't even listed on Wikipedia, so consider that an exclusive?

[download The Cinematic Orchestra - All Things To All Men]
[download TY - So You Want More (Refix)]
[download Leftfield - Dusted]
[download Exodus 77 - 3D Reconstruction]