This week, we found out that the U.K. is considering giving ratings to music videos which might ban some clips. This is horrible news! How else would I have watched Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin But A G Thang” or Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” when I was a kid? We need that desensitization. Thankfully, kids are always smarter than their parents about the internet, so they’ll probably find a loophole anyway.
In terms of actual videos, we got some pretty great clips from Courtney Barnett, Rick Ross, and more. But that wasn’t all that came out this week, here’s the songs and music videos you may have missed.
Deerhunter – “Snakeskin”
While 2013’s Monomania adopted the garage rock stylings of the 1970s, Deerhunter has returned but with almost a David Bowie-esque sensibility this time around. “Snakeskin” truly has the slither and groove of our sexy reptilian friends. (Barry White’s definition of sexy, not necessarily Uproxx’s.)
Still, as our first taste of the band’s new album Fading Frontier, due out in October, the video is equally entrancing. Initially, it’s just Bradford Cox singing the tune to the audience gleefully, but as you might imagine, things get very trippy very quickly. Thank you, Deerhunter, for coming back into our lives.
Nick Jonas – “Levels”
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Last year’s self-titled album from Nick Jonas caught a lot of people off guard with… how it was actually pretty great. “Jealous” was one of those songs you couldn’t get out of your head, and the rest of the album’s tracks like “Chains” and “Teacher” were pretty incredible standouts as well. Now, if he plans to make that full Justin Timberlake transition from boy band to solo star, he’s gotta follow it up with something even better.
Thankfully, “Levels” arrives almost entirely in that same vein, sounding like a mid ’00s Timbaland track that could have been on FutureSex/LoveSounds. Clearly, he’s been studying the proven path.
New Order – “Restless”
It’s only fitting that one of originators and kings of synthpop, New Order, would have a royal video for their new single “Restless.” As they return to their throne with their first album in nearly a decade, “Restless” provides some of the darkwave influenced alt-rock that New Order is not only known for, but helped found.
While the clip flashes between the present and a Game Of Thrones-esque past (perhaps as a reference to the band’s recent infighting), we’re reminded why New Order’s name has been cemented into the annals of alt-rock. Yes, they are going on without bassist Peter Hook, which hurts a lot of longtime fans, but this unit can still get you to move.
Duran Duran – “What Are The Chances”
Speaking of bands from the ’80s who still are keeping it going, Duran Duran continue to surprise with great material from their forthcoming album Paper Gods. “What Are The Chances” is a slow electro-pop ballad with some other great flourishes that you wouldn’t think to gel like strings and trap beats.
What’s really to be taken away here is that in any decade, if Duran Duran are allowed to bathe in melodrama, the results will be pretty spectacular.
Beirut – “Gibraltar”
The summer is winding down and there are fewer and fewer opportunities to head to the beach. Luckily, if you can’t make it, Beirut have journeyed down to a pretty polluted one for you in their newest clip for “Gibraltar.” Tracking the guys in several walking shots, this Wes Andersonian clip for the No No No single sincerely recalls something out of Moonrise Kingdom, well, without the sadness and kids in love. But the homemade drums and whimsy are totally there!
