Thirteen Music Videos featuring Umbrellas

Here's the link to all the Umbrella music videos on a YouTube playlist. #YouTubeNchill

I just finished a book (Un Lun Dun by China Mieville) in which magical broken umbrellas (called uNbrellas) are used to protect (?) the citizens of the city under/above London from their biggest enemy yet, smog. Then, I saw this uNbrella today while walking in London and decided to resurrect this post from the depths of procrastination. You may not think you give a shit about music videos with umbrellas but I didn't know I was into Salt Beef on a Beigel (Corned Beef on a Bagel) until today; learning stuff about yourself is good. As if you needed convincing beyond the whole epic bagel thing, umbrellas have been chique since before Charlie Chaplin rocked one.

1. Main Source - "Looking At The Front Door" 1990  This umbrella's silhouette game is on point. I would have loved to hear the conversation about adding the umbrella as a prop to the video. Were they like "it needs something...shit, I got this umbrella, how bout this?...She could be like dating the umbrella or something?"



2. Cut Chemist - "My First Big Break" 2008  It's kind of awesome how much this umbrella adds to the video; since I find them almost useless in the real world (weird Seattle quirk). Since most rainstorms come with wind, umbrellas tend to make walking in a rainstorm a more stressful experience. I already knew I'd be down to go to any party in which Cut Chemist is the DJ but this video cements it; these people know how to have a good time.




3. Grimes - "Flesh without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream" 2015  Grimes with a budget for music videos is one of the best things about life. Stay weird Grimes, I think you're great and loved that eight of the eleven people on your team were women when I worked my only stagehand shift for your show at The Showbox in Seattle in October 2015. #props




4. Bjork - "It's Oh So Quiet" 1995  My sister Ingrid made me a journal mod-podged with Bjork (as seen on the "Post" cover) on it in the mid 90s, it's filled with all sorts of teen angsty/crush/music lyric stuff since I was 16 when the album came out. Bjork has been inspiring me for decades and continues to do so with her new Bjork Digital Exhibition. I had an eight hour layover at the Reykjavik airport recently and they had this quote from "Joga" from the Homogenic album on a window that I had forgotten about, "I feel emotional landscapes they puzzle me." I've been trying to figure out what the hell that means for two weeks now but I still think it's rad she's achieved airport quote status. 





5.  Gifted Gab - "Dead Wrong" 2013  SEATTLE MUSIC  The musical journey of Gifted Gab will be the stuff of legends, she is one of the best rappers in Seattle...period. Gifted Gab was a perfect choice for the Swisher Sweets Convenience Store Sessions.



Gifted released "Gab The Most High" back in May 2016, this is what the Seattle Weekly thought about it.




6. L'Orange - "The Quiet Room" 2013  L'Orange has been steady grinding for years and makes the kind of music I love the most. He has excellent taste in both samples and in collaborators; Jeremiah Jae, Kool Keith, Stik Figa, Mr. Lif, and Homeboy Sandman. He's got a damn good squad behind him at Mello Music Group.




7. K.Flay - "Rawks" 2013  Hairless cat, mustard in reverse, big messes, slow motion scenes, flower head, AND an umbrella; this video totally rawks. She's headed out on tour in February, you should probably go see her.





8. Kool A.D. feat. Toro Y Moi + Amaze 88 - "The Front" 2014  The vibe is so right with this one; likely due to the supreme chillness of Toro Y Moi. That said, I can't recall any Kool A.D. music that I didn't like (but why would I want to remember that?).

9. Milosh - "This Time" 2013  Milosh flew onto my radar as a producer for Rhye when "The Fall" was released. This video is great because watching two people in love (the couple is Milosh himself and his wife, actress Alexa Nikolas) having a fabulous time together is a beautiful thing.




10. Tuxedo - "Number One" 2015  ReignCity hosted a sold out Tuxedo show at The Crocodile back in July 2015 and it couldn't have been more perfect. One of my favorite things about this video is that it is a really awesome commercial for Lacoste and New Amsterdam Vodka. I love the idea of sponsors for music videos because I hardly know any artists who actually have a budget to create visuals of this caliber.




11. Raven Matthews - "This Is Cinema" 2015  SEATTLE MUSIC  Raven Matthews life really is cinema, he is way ahead of the rest of the world in the game of self-awareness and embracing the weird and you should pay more attention. His Disco Christ album was released in July 2016 and it was so unique that no one knew which box to put it in... which is actually a really good thing. Peep an interview with him here.




12. ABRA - "Closet HD" 2016  I kinda think this song is a hot mess but I still fux with ABRA, she coo.


13. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z - "Umbrella" 2007  It's a no brainer. Get it Rihanna, you're a boss lady supreme. Thanks for being you.

Ten Music Videos All About The Dance Moves

1. Flying Lotus - "Parisian Goldfish/Dance Floor Dale" 2014  This video would also qualify for the green screen compilation alongside 3rd Bass, The Streets, M.I.A., Monie Love and six more..




2. FKA Twigs - "Wet Wipez" 2014  FKA Twigs is definitely interesting and unique but her music is kind of boring...which may be why she needs to have such rad music videos.




3. Paul White - "Where You Gonna Go?" 2014  I would probably like this song more if he was head nodding instead of head dancing, there's a huge difference.




4. Mr. T. - "Treat Your Mother Right" 1984  Mr. T's makes his stance on yo mama jokes in this PSA of sorts.




5. Diogenes - "Drunken Mastery" 2014 (SEATTLE MUSIC)  All hail Filthy Fingers United. This song appeared on their At The Drive-In compilation from August 2014.




6. Les Sins - "Bother" 2014  Les Sins is a Toro Y Moi side project. If you watch this old Band Crush video from 2010 you too will love Toro Y Moi.




7. Adam Grabowski + Mike Ditka - "The Grabowski Shuffle" 1986  It's hard to know what to think about this one.




8. Reggie Watts - "Sunshine" 2014  I would love to see someone walking down the street like this.




9. Tuxedo - "Do It" 2014  Tuxedo was a mysterious group of the Clutchy Hopkins variety. They have come out of hiding and announced that Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One are the genius behind the project.




10. Blood Orange - "It Is What It Is" 2014  This is a long Gap commercial.

Ten Music Videos with Steps

1. Cris Prolific feat. Phat Kat - "To My Man J Dilla" 2011  *Another ode to Dilla.



You may remember Phat Kat from this song; I know I do.




2. Lil Kim feat. Lil Cease and The Notorious B.I.G. - "Crush On You" 1997  *In this video, we're talking about dance steps. Hardcore was definitely the best Lil Kim album.




3. Pusha T feat. Kendrick Lamar - "Nosetalgia" 2013  *Somebody should count how many steps they take, I'm not gonna do it, but, someone should. Kendrick has the smoothest and most nonchalant entrance ever. Still not a big Pusha T fan.




4. RJD2 - "Her Majesty's Socialist Request" 2013  *Whoa. This video is intense.




5. Step Brothers - "Step Masters" 2013  *I really hope there is a Step Brothers tour. I want to get them to sign this poster.

Alchemist and Evidence are f**king awesome. They both win.




6. Tricky feat. Nneka - "Nothing Matters" 2013  *The False Idols album is incredible.




7. Mic Flont, Gabriel Teodros, Ka.lil, and Jillthy - "Just Another Day" 2103  *Seattle music.




8. MF Doom - "Doomsday" 1999  *I had to get the Doom Ring.

9. Chromeo feat. Toro Y Moi - "Come Alive" 2014  *Yes! It's Mannequin, the 2014 version.




10. Del The Funky Homosapien - "Wrong Place" 1993  *More than 20 years of great music.



A photo I took of Deltron 3030 at The Showbox on November 17, 2013.

Eight Music Videos featuring Fierce Solo Dancing

1. MC Lyte - "Ice Cream Dream" 1992  *This is from the Mo' Money Soundtrack, I have this on cassette. I had no idea what this song was about in 1992.

2. The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy" 2011  *He is the new school iconic solo dancer.

3. Karyn White - "Secret Rendezvous" 1988  *I'm pretty sure she does the Roger Rabbit and the Running Man in this video starting @ 1:19.

4. Tears For Fears - "Mad World" 1983  *The guy dancing outside by himself is the inspiration for this category.

5. Mayer Hawthorne - "A Long Time" 2011  *1980s Detroit dance show footage pairs nicely with this song.

6. Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge - "White Noise" 2013  *It's pretty dancey/dancy but I still like it.

7. Johnny Gill - "Rub You The Right Way" 1990  *I like the part @ 3:11 when he is dancing really hard and making eye contact with the camera.

8. Toro Y Moi - "Never Matter" 2013  *I'm not in love with this song by any means, but the video is pretty funny. I do feel like Chaz Bundick (Toro and Moi) would be a great person to hang out with. There is a great video interview with him on my 2011 Toro Y Moi post.

Ten Music Videos featuring Restaurants

1. The Pretenders - "Brass In Pocket" 1979  *This is the video that inspired me to start a restaurant compilation.

2. Lykke Li - "Sadness Is A Blessing" 2011  *This is one of those songs that I didn't realize how dramatic it was until I found myself singing it out loud. "Sadness is my boyfriend" is a funny lyric to be heard singing. Lyrics have been secondary for me, possibly because I have been listening to offensive, uninspiring, and unrelatable lyrics in songs with incredible instrumentals for so long, that I tuned them out. This beautiful song starts around 1:51.
 

3. Toro Y Moi - "Low Shoulder" 2010  *I wouldn't recommend eating in this restaurant.

4. Wiz Khalifa feat. The Weeknd - "Remember You" 2012  *I'm not a huge Wiz Khalifa fan but The Weeknd's presence makes the song more interesting.  This song doesn't really do it for me but there is a lot going on in this video.

 

5. Radiohead - "High and Dry" 1995  *I'd like to see Radiohead in a restaurant someday, I'd probably react like the kid in the bathroom. This video takes place at Dick's Restaurant which should not be confused with the Dick's Drive-In's of Seattle.

6. Brotherhood Creed - "Helluva" 1992  *I'm going to start using "helluva" as the go-to term for hotties.

7. Lily Allen - "Smile" 2006  *Lily Allen is pretty mean in this video but I still like her.

8. Brothers From Another - "Neon Nights" 2012  *Young and blossoming Seattle talent.

9. Homeboy Sandman - "Whatchu Want From Me" 2012  *What a great question.

10. Czarface (Inspectah Deck, 7L and Esoteric) - "Air 'Em Out" 2013  *I like that these guys made an album together but for me it is only meh.

Ten More Music Videos Featuring Cars or Driving

Here's a link to a whole bunch more videos for people who love cars and driving on my YouTube channel.


1. Radiohead - "Karma Police" 1997



2. The Roots - "Don't Say Nuthin'" 2004



3. Queens of the Stone Age - "No One Knows" 2002



4. UNKLE feat. Thom Yorke - "Rabbit In Your Headlights" 1998



5. Smashing Pumpkins - "1979" 1996



6. Toro Y Moi - "New Beat" 2011



7. Special Ed - "Think About It" 1989



8. George Michael - "Father Figure" 1987



9. Blackstar - "Definition" 1998



10. The Cardigans - "My Favourite Game" 1998

Ten Music Videos featuring Nature Scenes

1. Little Dragon - "Sunshine" 2012  *I love Little Dragon but this song is definitely not one of my favorites (My Favorite Little Dragon song). It surprised me that the video was actually a vodka commercial.

2. Bon Iver - " Towers" 2012  *The video "Towers" is, naturally, about a guy on the way to his towers.

3. Belly - "Feed The Tree" 1993  *This early 90s video has a lot of circling and shaking of the camera, and the drummer has a Kurt Cobain thing going.

4. Head Like A Kite - "No Ordinary Caveman" 2008  *Not your ordinary walk in the woods.

5. Darktime Sunshine feat. Reva DeVito - "Never Cry Wolf" 2012  *This video receives high marks in the still-developing music video rating system.

6. Wilson Phillips - "Hold On" 1990  *Nobody wants to like this song.

7. Souls Of Mischief - "93 Til Infinity" 1993  *I love that they chill in the woods.

8. Depeche Mode - "Enjoy The Silence" 1990  *King Dave goes for a walk with his favorite chair.

9. Bonnie Tyler - "I Need A Hero" 1984   *This video has glowing whips, fire, epic helicopter nature shots, synchronized 80s dancing, and horses. It's a must see.

10. Toro Y Moi - "Say That" 2013  *He seems like he is relaxed all the time.

Ten Music Videos featuring Bathtub Scenes

1. George Michael - "Freedom 90" 1990  *This is some iconic bathtub scene shit. The video also qualifies for Music Videos featuring Supermodels.

2. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Featuring Fences - "Otherside Remix" 2001  *I have a hard time driving by the lake just past Snoqualmie ski resort on I-90 without mentioning this video. I am totally into lakes with tree stumps in them. Macklemore deserves to be famous (for much more than the stumps).

3. Atmosphere - "Shoulda Known" 2008  *This video leaves me with that "I'm not sure how much I really like Atmosphere" feeling. Plus, it's weird watching people freak out on drugs.

4. The Cars - "You Might Think" 1984  *This is one of the most memorable 1980s videos. I like when the band is floating on the soap in the bathtub, however, Ric Ocasek's invasive bathtub actions could probably be classified as stalking in 2013.

5. Fiona Apple - "Criminal" 1997  *It's funny that this is a song called "Criminal" and that the second scene is of a stuffed animal. Maybe its there to remind us that she was barely legal when this video was shot.

6. Beach House - "Wild" 2012  *Warning, this is not a sexy bathtub scene.

7. Morrissey - "Suedehead" 1988  *Morrissey does intellectual stuff when he is in the bathtub.

8. Toro Y Moi - "So Many Details" 2012  *One can't help but wonder if this is an ironic turtleneck scene or if he is actually into turtlenecks. I love this guy yet I slacked on buying tickets for his sold out February 27 show at the Crocodile.

9. The B52's - Love Shack" 1989  *There is a lot of quirky stuff going on in this video but the bathtub scene is around 1:55. I always thought this video had a Flintstones thing going.

10. Radiohead - "Just" 1995  *Dang, this guys bath made him really depressed.

Ten Music Videos featuring Fire

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Gold Lion" 2006

2. Hole - "Malibu" 1998

3. Das EFX - "They Want EFX" 1992

4. Toto - "Africa" 1982

5. Bananarama - "Venus" 1986

6. Talking Heads - "Burning Down The House" 1983

7. Toro Y Moi - "Talamak" 2010

8. Lovage - "Book Of The Month" 2001

9. Heart - "What About Love?" 1985

10. Sting & Eric Clapton - "It's Probably Me" 1992

Toro Y Moi & Tyler, The Creator; Grimes in Questionable Company

Toro Y Moi and Tyler, The Creator complement each other well in the track "Hey You":

I am not a Kreayshawn fan by any means, but, I like that she and Grimes came together to create this track called "Don't Smoke My Blunt Bitch". I enjoyed it enough to watch it twice:

Toro Y Moi

I love the first minute of this song, then it gets a little too frazzled for me.





This whole Band Crush idea really worked, he's pretty crushable.