My VMA Predictions and Hopes-BEST ROCK VIDEO

Hello, all! I figured today would be an opportune time to try some critique, and with the VMAs rolling around, I figure that'd be a good place to start.

If a music video's good, I'll know it, and I'll treasure it and its song that much more. Music videos are the opportune way to tell a succint story through your music, making it that much better when you have visuals behind it. And the VMAs are therefore a celebration show I actually like to watch, especially coupled with unforgettable performances.

I'm going to tackle a few notable awards today and not the nitpickier ones, so don't expect the technical reviews.

Let's start with one of my favorites- rock and roll!

BEST ROCK VIDEO
The Black Keys-Howlin' For You
Foo Fighters-Walk
Foster The People-Pumped Up Kicks
Cage the Elephant-Shake Me Down
Mumford and Sons-The Cave

Now let me just say, these are all excellent videos. They all are true art, in one form or another. I'll quickly tackle these one by one.

The Black Keys- this is probably the most entertaining video. It consists of a mock trailer for a movie with the same name as the title. It's humorous and intriguing, albeit pretty... how to say... spicy. However, there is a large weakness in this one and that is that it does not give the song a spotlight. In fact, the music is simply background music- if this were a real trailer, I'd maybe look the music up later. It should make you notice the song, and that's what hinders it. But, overall, it feels like a real movie, and it's cool to see.

Foo Fighters- Those who have been cinema fans through the nineties (read-my parents) will figure out that this video is recreating the 1993 Michael Douglass movie Falling Down. Starring lead singer Dave Grohl as an angry working class man who leaves his car in the middle of a jammed freeway and lashes out at the normal elements of his boring life, this video is all at once humorous, empowering, and in good heart. Grohl does a genuinely good job at acting, and the story is its strength- during the section where the song belts out "I NEVER WANNA DIE!" it truly is empowering despite the goofy scene it takes place in. And that's a point in itself- it promotes the song, and I've grown to love Walk because of the video, and that's an accomplishment. The idea is, obviously, not an original, but it is well done and quite a step up from their previous video from their album Rope.

Foster the People- I absolutely love this song. It's sparse, chilling and twistedly upbeat, and casually tells a story of teen gun violence. With all that in mind, you'd think that there'd be plenty of material for a video. Unfortunately, they don't take advantage of the song's material, and instead they go with a common 'band touring' video, which has been done many times. Now don't get me wrong, the cinematography is great, but it's opportunity missed. It goes well with the upbeat nature, but I can't possibly be the only one who thinks it unfitting that a teen violence warning song goes with shots of the band chilling. All in all, though, it's a likable showcase of a great new band.

Cage the Elephant I have heard this song on occasions but was never hooked to it, but watching it with the video made me love it, and that's what a music video should do. While the video doesn't stand out as much as some of the bombastic videos of the bunch, it's a calm, emotional trip of a worn man in his fifties traveling back to his childhood in one way or another. To be honest, it's a bit trippy and the story's hard to follow, but the cinematography is great, the silent emotion is there, and you truly feel the song and the video, they just mesh together as if that was the way it's supposed to be. And that's quite magical.

Mumford and Sons Mumford and Sons deserve every ounce of love they get- they truly are the best at what they do. And the music video is retrospective and it does fit with the song quite well, although is a step down from Cage in that manner. What really makes this video is the cinematography- it's a catching video with many gorgeous, scenic shots that do help the song and keep your attention. The story is simple and interesting- the members of Mumford and Sons give their instruments to uniformed soldiers on the Eastern side of the world [don't quote me on that], and the soldiers 'sing' for the video as the band rides motorbikes through the nearby area. It's simple, fresh, and quite beautiful.

Who will probably win: To take into account the viewers of the videos and show, you have to get into their minds. Videos like Howlin' For You instantly register in the viewers' minds, and the video Walk has a memorable storyline and memorable moments. Take into account the simplicity of Pumped Up Kicks, and that could be an advantage- however, there isn't much to the video to give it an advantage over the rest. Music is a large part of the video, and with The Cave being the most identifiable, that could give it a huge boost. And Shake Me Down will pull on your heartstrings subtly, with a great song to boot.

I'm going to say, however, that The Cave will probably take the prize. Not only does it have a well known and critically acclaimed song, it has a stunning video to boot, and that will draw viewers in.

My Pick: Now, that's not to say that is my pick. In my opinion, taking my reviews to account, I have a different video in mind. I came into here ready to pick Walk, and even with tough competition, I still think that Foo Fighters' Walk is my pick to win. The story is entertaining, the song compliments it, and every time it comes on, I willingly watch it. That's exactly what a video should do.

In short

Predicted to win: Mumford and Sons-The Cave
My pick to win: Foo Fighters-Walk

Tomorrow, I will tackle Best Female Video, and will close out the seven categories with the customary BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR review. Stay tuned!

MoD