By Anne-Marie Jones
Radiohead - Anima
Is it cheating to call this a music video? This is mini-musical, compiling a few of Thom Yorke's songs from his E.P 'Anima' (it's debatable whether it's a 'Radiohead' release, I feel like they've put the band name on it to make it more sellable).
While it's quite different to O.K Computer in terms of it's musical style and tone, it could be seen maybe as a 'spiritual sequel'. Set in a dystopian urban environment (not unlike O.K Computer), Anima features themes of modern alienation, the quest for human connection, and the surreal nature of dreams.
This was a Netflix-only release so no link to Youtube.
Radiohead - Daydreaming
This song is .... dare I say .... on the more 'boring' end of Radiohead's music. Actually, maybe I'm being too harsh. It's got a very introspective, 'film soundtrack' feel, it's dreamy and slow, and the long shots which PTA does so well really fit with the tone of the piece.
I love when Thom Yorke stars in his own videos, he's not an actor but he's ideal to tell his own stories. Essentially, the video is six minutes following Thom going through different doors, which is shot so effectively and has a surreal and dreamy feel, to match the audio.
Fiona Apple - Across The Universe
As a Beatles fan, I love this fresh take on the song. Fiona's voice is just so sweet and contrasts perfectly with the background of the video.
While Fiona, in headphones, calmly sings the gentle lyrics of the song
("Nothing's going to change my world, nothing's going to change my world...")
She remains completely oblivious to the chaos going on around her, while she sings in a diner being vandalised and destroyed around her.
Fiona Apple - Hot Knife
This song is so simple but the video works, Paul Thomas Anderson collaborates so well with Fiona (this marks their fifth collab), and she is such a luminous presence on screen.
Hot Knife combines layers of vocals (Fiona collaborated with her sister, singer Maude Maggart for this), with a piano and a drum, giving it almost an a capella style. The video is a mix of black and white and colour shots, which is so effective with the duality of the vocals.
Fiona Apple - Fast As You Can
This is another PTA/Fiona Apple collab, and is pretty similar in style to the others - the use of black/white and colour, contrasts in the music between slow and fast with visuals to match, lots of closeup shots of Fiona Apple singing (she has such a 'present' face that's so perfect for film, in my opinion).
Joanna Newsom - Divers
This video feels so cinematic, apparently it was actually played in cinemas at one stage. It feels a bit like a painting come to life, thanks to the work of artist Kim Keever, who designed the backdrops and scenery.
While not much really 'happens', it's a stunning visual piece of film!
HAIM - Man In The Magazine
I felt like you absolutely MUST include HAIM in a list of PTA videos, he has collaborated with the sisters on many music videos, and also included them (and their parents) in his recent film 'Licorice Pizza'.
I watched quite a few of their videos, trying to 'get them'. I found them uninteresting (not without talent, but just not appealing), then I suddenly had a breakthrough when I watched 'Man From The Magazine'.
The music of HAIM is beautifully, and deceptively simple. an unpretentious and unglamorous slice of their lives, and PTA gets that, and matches it perfectly with a video that fits that.
I didn't like it at first, as the videos lack the showmanship of Michel Gondry, or the aesthetic of Floria Sigismondi (another fave of mine, I'll get to her videos in another article soon!), but they grew on me once I realised they are just perfect little films that tell their own small story, like an early Greta Gerwig/Noah Baumbach film.
So, HAIM fans, do you agree, or do you want to fight me?
Is Fiona Apple queen?
Which Paul Thomas Anderson music vids (or movies) are your fave? Let us know in the comments!
