Rating: NNNN
After seeing the first five ingeniously constructed cliché-free videos by the Shins, Ugly Cassanova, Iron & Wine, the Postal Service and Hot Hot Heat on Sub Pop’s Acquired Taste collection of 25 recent promo clips, it occurred to me that if I ever caught a glimpse of any one of them on MuchMusic, my reaction would be well beyond “Holy shit, did you just see that?” Someone might need to call a paramedic. It’s not that these are wildly elaborate productions involving huge casts, helicopters, yachts, celebrity cameos or exotic locales – hey, this is Sub Pop. What you see are inventive low-budget vignettes in which creative thinking and artful craftsmanship make for compelling images. But other than perhaps Sleater Kinney’s Entertain and Jumpers, you’ve probably never encountered most of these clips, simply because they’re too darn unconventional for television and might interrupt the regular flow of bling, boobs and booty. Pick this up and find out what you’ve been missing.
