Our regular series of The VidList captures the best music videos (and tracks!) released over the past few weeks. Below we have new music videos across varied styles, from rap, indie and alternative rock.
1) Jafaris - 'Invisible'
"Invisible is me entertaining my ego with no filter," explains Jafaris. "I’m shouting about my accolades, my gifts and my work ethic. I wanted this video to be the first time people see the darker side of me". Casting himself as the kingpin in an organised crime epic, the 'Invisible' video sees Jafaris on the wrong side of the law. Directed by Nathan Barlow, the cinematic visual follows Jafaris as he leads boxing matches, gambles and reconciles himself with therapy.
In the video for 'Invisible', the latest single from his excellent debut album Stride, Jafaris takes a satirical pop at both himself, and the tropes of music videos from the past decade or so by artists such as Sisqo and 50 cent for example (from my perspective). Bling, wannabe gangsters and amour propre. References to the screen may also be taken in the shape of the likes of Goodfellas (discarding of corpses), Carlito's Way (the club) and The Sopranos (therapy). It's a culturally interesting and entertaining synopsis of the glory that ultimately consumes in the end.
2) OTHERKIN - 'All That Remains Won't Be The Same'
Of the new song, front man Luke Reilly says: The lyrics to 'All That Remains Won't be the Same' were written at the end of 2017 as the horror stories emerged of everyday abuse and sexism perpetrated by men of power in all walks of life. The song is a rejection of anyone who feels they can behave that way and the title itself is a declaration for change, a statement that these vile actions have no place in society today."
On a micro-level there may be part-inspiration from an appalling incident that occurred at an OTHERKIN show in London in late 2017 where a young girl was sexually assaulted in the mosh-pit during their live show at Camden Assembly. OTHERKIN released an immediate and stern rebuke of that incident, heart-broken that the young victim was in tears and felt the need to apologise to the band for 'ruining' their show, the band fully aware these types of incidents are not infrequent in all walks of life.
3) CFIT - 'End This Year'
Noël Duplaa, aka CFIT releases the first single from forthcoming album CFIT vs. Gravity. In summary; "The track is a poppy upbeat number about how, upon review, having given it a few months, maybe we should just wrap up 2019 altogether." The global political and social turmoil that has been unravelling since 2016 is reaching peak-Black Mirror right now, infantile populist world leaders, mass movements based on untruths and hyper-paranoia, where facts are made out to be lies, and lies made out to be facts.
Footage comes courtesy of director Cecile B. DeMilles' original silent version of The Ten Commandments (1923) which he later rebooted in technicolor in 1956 with a then whopping budget of $13m in 1956 with one Charlton Heston playing Moses. The colourful bop of the perky guitar riffs and upbeat percussion backdrop a despondent vocal, a self-reflective monologue to the self that has been shared with the rest of us, but it's not all doom and gloom, with the message placed in a spinning capsule that we could actually "end this year on a high", here's hoping! All you have to decide is whose team you're on, Rameses or Moses!
Check out our previous VidList, No. 14, here https://thebestofmusicandfilm.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-vidlist-014-jamie-adam-grainne-cotter-fat-pablo.html
