Sunday, December 28, 2008

New Pornographers videos, but no porno videos!


I'm a bit hesitant to post about the great Canadian rock band The New Pornographers, because of the reach of Google and my almost complete lack of interest in the perversions of other people or in attracting those perversions to my little spot o' blog.

Not that this point needs confirmation, but one does learn about human perversity when you start a blog and track your visitors with a stat counter. This summer I posted a detailed piece of personal cultural archaeology on the source of a song I had written, which is based on a poetic sparring contest between two Tlingit Indian men, which I characterized (in the interest of a snappy title) as "a pissing match."

And that is how I came to know something that I really didn't want to know, that I don't want to know, and that I would like to forget: that someone, somewhere (usually, but not always, in India), Googles the phrase "Indian pissing" - every single day of the year.

And they find me talking about putting poetry to music! I'd say, "Serves them right," but I don't even care enough about this peculiar taste to wish a comeuppance for the people who are into it. I just don't want to know or be reminded about it.

So, anyway, The New Pornographers are a rock band, not a group of pornographers (of, if they are also pornographers, I don't know about that and don't want to know). I like their music an awful lot, and I spent a few hours over the holiday looking them up on YouTube. Let me save you some search time and point you toward some cool videos.

Music, not pornographic, videos.

My Rights Versus Yours. Live on the Letterman Show. Jealousy alert, for gigging musicians: Never in your life will your live harmony vocals sound anywhere near as good as this. Lots of Neko Case leg action here. Maybe showing one of my own personal perversions there (sorry).

Sing Me Spanish Techno - A bona fide narrative video, directed by Michael Palmieri. It's a gender-bending narrative video; I think I know a little something about that.

Letter from an Occupant - Cool conceptual video. Can't find the name of the director. You must hear this song if you like power pop and have not yet heard it.

The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism - Far and away the most hilarious in a trend of goofy New Pornographer videos, this one is directed by Michael Dowse and features the two characters from his film FUBAR. A must-hear quirky rock song for fans thereof.

Challengers - Yikes, what a gorgeous song by Neko Case. Director Darren Pasemko seems to have seized on the line from the lyric "we are the challengers of the unknown" with his concept; matter of taste whether or not he was up to the challenge.

Myriad Harbour - An animated cartoon in which director Mark Lomond has endless fun with the curly hair of songwriter Daniel Bejar.

The Laws Have Changed - Directed by bandmember Blaine Thurier, this starts like a narrative video but becomes pretty girls dancing in the club. I like the pretty girls dancing in the club.

Bleeding Heart Show. Goofy, but funny fan video.

Snow Party. Goofy. Funny. Video. Directed by? Video directors getting no repect on Tube of You.

Use It. Goofy. Funny. Video. By Thurier.

And, just so the perverts that find this page via Google get something for their clicking and their patience, here is a picture of SARAH TRUCKEY IN UNDERWEAR. Men's longjohns. But, still. Truckey. Underwear. From her own Flickr site, so blame her, not me. All I did was notice.

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Photo of Neko Case by Amanda Hatfield from a band fansite.

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