Caws Radio

Videos (and Momus too)

Just so everyone knows, Momus's new album "Oskar Tennis Champion" will be released in the U.S. February 11. Furthermore, you will most likely not find it anywhere in the state of Oregon. But you know I will look anyway.

Speaking of the tender pervert, he was recently featured in a song by the neato Canadian band Bran Van 3000, and you can even see him in the video for it at this site. Shame, Momus never made any videos for his own songs. I suppose maybe he just didn't have the time or money or connections to produce any, or maybe videos just aren't his cup of tea. artandleisure.com produced some great Flash videos for songs from the "Folktronic" album.

It seems the practice of making music videos has almost been ruined by institutions like MTV and VH1. The videos commonly aired on these channels have become more like commercials than visual-musical expressions. I remember when my brother and I would stay up until 1a.m. to watch "120 Minutes" on MTV. During the day you were assaulted with Master Ps and Goo Goo Dolls showing off their designer clothes their instruments, but late at night you could catch a glimpse of what the more obscure bands had been up to in the video department. I remember seeing video's like "Fender Bender" by Kid Koala and "Common People" by Pulp, and how I felt like I'd just seen a really good movie. They weren't just random displays of sets and band members. They were something to watch, something to laugh at, think about, marvel at, or make you just sit back and say "shit" (I have to say that was my initial response to Radiohead's "Knives Out" video).

Anyhoo, I gotta go. I want you all to think about the greatest videos you've ever seen, and say "yeah...that was pretty good."