[ greyweed ] -- and the bored shall inherit the earth...

Since not everyone does this, aside from the fact that I have not seen any films lately (yes, I am culturally deprived), I have decided to review music videos instead. And while I'm at it, I'll also put in some random thoughts about the songs and the artists themselves.

Metallica - St. Anger

Filmed entiresly in jail, the concept was having a gig in the middle of recess with cut scenes of inmates engaged in a riot. The feel may not be new, but at least it's not criminally derivative; and the intro - of the warden instructing the band - was a clever touch.

On thing that annoys me about the band, of which I am savagely envious of, is their fashion sense. Of course, it's no longer the 80s, and the odds of them being mistaken for a hair band are remote, if not impossible, only Kirk Hammet and Rob Trujillo insist on carrying the log hair bit. And then there are also the present-day rocker gear - James' bonnet and shirt, for instance - that gives the band the rockstar essence without them even trying.

Though, I enjoy the music, every time I would be reminded that it's Metallica sure as hell beats the crap out of me. It certainly isn't what I'd expect from them, and that isn't always a good thing. Had it been from the newer, younger bands such as 12 Stones, Papa Roach, System of a Down or even Disturbed, I wouldn't be so obscenely shocked, and alarming.

I have no idea in hell what Metallica was thinking when they wrote St. Anger, but I'm also sure it's Rob's presence and influence that's to be blamed. Or maybe Jason should share the blame, for leaving.

Maybe Rob's arrival may have opened a few doors in terms of their music, since I would love to see them grow and progress, but at the price of losing their signature Metallica sound? Their soul?

Maybe I'm just not used to the abrupt change.


Jewel - Intuition

A blond girl danced across the street, wearing skimpy clothes that bordered more on the kinkiness than sexiness, I thought it was Anna Kournekova. A tennis player, who never really made it to the majors with an album? Well, she did become a model for sports bra, and with a tag line for the ad, which says something like "Because only the ball should bounce…" it may not seem so far off. And besides the horrendous music seemed to confim it.

A few more scenes and I gawked and gaped in disbelief - it's JEWEL!

To be fair, the video was witty enough, showing several pieces of parodied advertisements. This video may be an outcry in her efforts to finally sell out, but to prance around in her undies in true Britney/Cristina fashion?

A change in her sound would have been welcome, but she chose a rather unlikable direction to grow into, somewhere her fans would hate to see her go. And her falsetto-win-an-identity-crisis type of voice didn't really settle in with the changes and most importantly, the very annoying chorus (…you intuiiiiiitiooooon…!). She not only deviated from her folksy-poetic roots but having lost her soulfulness is utterly unforgivable. I only hope it's only for this one song.

Her newly acquired allergy to cloth is very disturbing.

Michelle Branch - Are you Happy Now

The intro was half bad, a terrible tune apparently from a phonogragh and a blurry, grainy close-up shot of her face.

But the opening chords were nice, warm and simple and a welcome start with an equally simple scene - Michelle sitting alone in a bench - which complements the entire gloomy concept for the video.

From her first tracks to this one, we can see that she has indeed developed as a musician. I have always liked her subtle sense of wit and thankfully it's still present in her songwriting. And as for her vocals, even that has slightly changed; because she now sound like…ta-dah…ALANIS MORISSETTE! Yes folks, I couldn't quite believe it myself when I heard her fire up her vocal chords in the chorus.

However, since she same way - not edging towards the dark side - and since this song is particularly too angst-ridden, she may have had difficulty expressing it. And so the entire song it showered with lines like "And you don't care about me…" and But I don't care…, making the song a little dry, sounding more like a whining girl who needed to be bitch-slapped than a bitch hoping to slap a girl as she whined.

I do hope she works this out because I can see a lot of potentials from her. Here's hoping she won't go the M2M way.

Beyoncé Knowles - Crazy In Love

I could watch this video all day - just let me press the MUTE button after the fourth repeat.

Beyoncé is one hot, black chick. But unlike other hot, black chicks out there, she has some sophistication up her sleeves, no matter how slutty her wardrobe is. There are some mouth-watering dance sequences, and boy is her body flexible. And she has the butt that could give Jlo a run for her money.

The music itself is noteworthy, with a healthy interplay of retro sensibilities and a lot of damn catchy beats (that went well with that damn bouncy body).

'Nuff said! YUM!

Deftones - Minerva

This band absolutely rocks! I've been listening to them since high school, pretty good taste doncha think???

Minerva is the first single off their newest, self-titled album. As tradition, the proverbial Deftones videos are laced with the beauty of the simplicity of gloom (remember the warehouse video for Be Quiet and Drive and the shark-infested tranquility of My Own Summer). With this video, they chose a desert, or what apparently looked like one, as a background for the band.

One thing I noticed about vocalist Chino Moreno is that he seems to grow ever so corpulent with each video. He started slender in Be Quiet…, gained some mass in Street Carp, seemed to have ingested a boulder in Back to School (where he barely moves, because of his bulk, I suspect) and in Minerva, he's just pure flab packed in a jacket (as if I, myself, am not…LOL). It is in this video that I noticed that he, with the goatee, thick eyebrows and very evident Chicano roots, completely resembles Dicta License's Kelley Mangahas, minus the reversed cap, the usual white shirt and black shorts.

The song is simply great. The crunchy guitars crash in with the raunchy bass, the drumbeats threaten to mutilate the entire sound, while the vocal work (God bless you all…) smoothens out the carcass. And that, ladies and gentlemen, makes it sound as much as soothing as it is torturous.

New mantra: MUST-GET-ALBUM! NOW!