Welcome to a brand new weekly segment called Weekly Video Recap. The whole point of the segment is pretty clear: recapping this week's top video premieres. So which new videos sizzled the internet this past week? Find out below!
Ella Henderson - "Glow"
While her previous release, "Ghost", got a good review from me, it wasn't until the release of "Glow" that I really became impressed. It's no instant hit like "Ghost", but it's powerful, filled with exquisite vocals and just absolutely breathtaking. While it definitely reminds me of Ellie Goulding's #8 peaking "Burn", it feels a lot more original and a lot less overproduced -- which in this case, is a good thing.
With that being said, do I think "Glow" will become a top 10 hit on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50? Shockingly, yes. It'll be a tough accomplishment for a number of reasons (including lack of US Airplay and Ella's still underdeveloped fan base), but I could ultimately see it becoming an eventual hit and one of the this year's late bloomers.
The music video for the track, which dropped just a few days ago, is much like her previous video for "Ghost", but it feels more full of energy. Documenting the events of a group of friends that party all night, "Glow" embraces the feelings of togetherness and friendship. Just like the rising sun in the music video, Henderson is one of the brightest burning stars (in the music business)... hopefully she'll 'glow' for years to come.
Ariana Grande - "Break Free (feat. Zedd)"
While the rest of Ariana Grande's music videos are far from perfect, the music video for "Break Free" borders on the edge of utter ridiculousness -- her worst video to date. The inspirations behind it -- original Star Trek episodes, space dominatrixes, Katy Perry's "E.T." video, Star Wars, etc. -- would normally all work together to create a strong final product, but the lack of originality and an interesting story line, combined with the fact that nearly everything in the entire video was developed on a green screen, make for a really uncomfortable and downright stupid video.
I understand that you can't actually shoot a project in space, but it feels like they spent too much time on Grande's appearance rather than the sets and plot itself. Okay, yes, she looks cute but then again when has she not?
Despite critical opinions popping up all across the internet, most of America has embraced the video for "Break Free" with open arms -- Ariantors have made sure of it. Once again, a terrible video will help propel a decent song to success. We needed another one of those.
Iggy Azalea - "Black Widow (feat. Rita Ora)"
Long before the release of the official music video for "Black Widow", we already suspected a Kill Bill themed clip. What was really surprising was that the Quentin Tarantino inspired video featured Michael Madden and Paul Sorvino, who appeared in actual Tarantino films Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs respectively.
The video, which was shot around Los Angeles, California is pretty straight forward and follows the basic plot of Kill Bill: a former female assassin that takes revenge on those who've deeply hurt her.
Read more about Kill Bill and its intense story line, read here (Note: highly recommended movie). While the story seems a little drastic in this situation, given that the whole revenge plot was formulated in Iggy Azalea's character's head after another character was rude to her at the diner she worked at.
Either way, it's still a decent attempt at recreating a small piece of one of the greatest movies of all time. As for the song itself, it's already making its way up the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, which of course indicates that I like it.
Bebe Rexha - "I Can't Stop Drinking About You"
While you may have never heard of Bebe Rexha, you've definitely heard her both lyrically and vocally. That's right, Bebe Rexha was the original writer of Eminem's smash #1 single "The Monster (feat. Rihanna)", and she can also be heard on the dance hit "Take Me Home" by Cash Cash, which bubbled under the Hot 50 for several weeks. She was also a co-writer for "Glowing" by Nikki Williams, which peaked at #11 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50.
Other than her writing one of the most successful songs in Eminem's career (both on the CDS Music Chart and around the world), what makes Bebe Rexha so interesting? Her diversity.
As a singer and songwriter, she's gone from pure pop to electronic pop and has even been behind more urban offerings.
On her debut single (which has received rave reviews from critics), Rexha experiments by combining her experienced, soothing vocals with an heavy dose of electro beats and of course relatable lyrics.
As the song progresses it gets even better, transforming from a moderately paced pop song into a absolute club anthem, all the while keeping it classy. It's also extremely catchy, without overdoing it.
The music video sees the artist reliving the pain her cheating lover has caused her, all the while knowing she'll never stop loving him. Congratulations on creating a video that actually has something to do with the song (thank you! It makes the whole experience better). Few artists can.
Röyksopp & Robyn - "Monument"
I honestly though that "Monument", a ten minute long hazy adventure, would never be chosen as the next single from the Do It Again. "Sayit" would have been my choice, but with that being said, "Monument" really is a great, under-appreciated track. See the video below and my original comments from the Do It Again EP review.
"This dark and scattered mix of cloudy and feverish vocals is a haunting track that clocks just past the 10 minute marker. The first solid minute feels like a whisk into a darkened space reminiscent of both heaven and hell. Robyn chimes in with chanting vocals for the next two minutes. Throughout this time, special effects layer over her vocals, and knives chop the whispering backbeats in uneven patterns. The vocals fade away until they are replaced with jazz instruments and sounds of drowning words. Robyn returns once more to mutter the chorus for several seconds. Sounds of drums and other related tribal instruments encompass the final 2-3 minutes of the track, until a fire extinguishes all sound in the final moments of the track. It's a melancholy affair that is both intriguing and spooky...
...Among the highlights (it's hard to pick when there's only 5) are "Monument" and "Do It Again"."
Vote for your favorite new music video below, share this with others and comeback next weekend for a new edition of Weekly Video Recap.
Coming next week: Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off", Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" and more! Stay tuned.
Röyksopp & Robyn - "Monument"
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