Pillow Talk

   When is Zayn not completely killing it? His latest single and music video, "Pillow Talk", was an inevitable, dramatic, outcome of his solo career and it's beautiful in every possible aspect. First thing I noticed how unlike One Direction, Zayn isn't playing to his old career and really building something up for himself. He creates a synth-pop aura and large lead up to an extremely powerful and building chorus line. He plays with his vocal range immensely during the song, going fairly high up on the refrain yet keeping a vaguely husky tone throughout the verses.

   "Pillow Talk" illustrates an intense relationship with both highs ("paradise") and lows ("war zone"), both people are extremely different ("light and dark") but have incredible passion. The song is very much obviously about sex but less of the physical aspect and more on an emotional and mental level. They both are figuring feelings and dynamic out and find out more about each other through intimacy. There's discomfort at certain points but both parties trust each other and share power. I found it extremely impressive how eloquently Zayn went through this. 

   The music video is just as gorgeous with constant visual stimulation. Though some of it was kind of ridiculous (I'm looking at you, weird triangle effect), the artwork of it was incredible. The backdrops and shots told the story perfectly and didn't take away from the ultimate purpose of the song. 

   I'm amazed at how well Zayn has fit into the solo job and am unsurprised at the same time, we all knew Zayn could hold himself up without any doubt. His vocals are not only strong but the entire imagery is breathtaking. 

(I promise my next post won't be One Direction related)

Why One Direction's "History" Music Video Matters

 

   Only a few hours ago, One Direction dropped their final music video off of Made in the AM for "History". Though every single thing One Direction does is obviously extremely important in my heart, this video really emphasized something to me; One Direction was, like many other people's, first band I got into. And when I say "got into", I mean full on knew every song, everything about the members, and loved everything about this band. One Direction was a gateway into my intense love for music and though I definitely have distanced myself from that genre, I still give credit for being the first musicians that really truly meant something to me.
   "History" was one of the first releases off of the band's latest, and rumor has it, last album and an already emotional one at that. Though I hadn't even looked close enough to think of it as a song to the fans, and more a relationship in the stages of a breakup, with the recent hiatus, it makes perfect sense. The song promises to never forget the memories and moments they've shared along with the ending line of "we can live forever", a note of no matter where the band goes, they'll never burn out. The video centers around the highlights of each of the boy's careers, the high points, the sold out shows, the funny times on the road, One Direction illustrates their own history. Getting their start on The X-Factor, you see your favorite five boys grow up in black and white with color shots of the present day and honestly, the comparison is quite emotional to watch. There's one less member than the past videos along with the fact that they no longer are teenagers, the ever so lovable boy band resembles well, adults.

   The "History" music video takes you through the memories you've created with the boys, the day they were signed, auditioning for the X-Factor, the various music video clips, and all the stupid backstage moments you can't help but forget. There's a tragic nostalgia to it when you realize you've grown up alongside these boys and looking at how far they've come. You see the various hairstyles and fashions and eras of the band, there's that connection of the jokes and moments and songs that come along with it. There's also the huge elephant in the room: Zayn. Ever since leaving the band, One Direction has been fairly quiet about the past member and I really appreciated how they didn't try to erase him from their history. Malik is pictured in multiple different scenes and valued as a member who brought quite a ton to the dynamic. 

   The last scene of the video is probably the most emotional; starting with their first performance, the last black and white scene is taken from their last time onstage before going on hiatus. The shot shows how far they've come along with how little they've changed. They started out as your classic boyband and since then, the personalities, writing styles, and dynamics have changed. They've grown but still honor their beginning and everything that came with it; "History" is a tribute to five albums, countless sold out shows, more than dedicated fans, and the boys themselves, growing up along with it. The song and video illustrate the unknown future and where the hiatus and band will go from here and where they'll all end up, with the last present day bit of them all walking in separate directions and waving goodbye to each other, there's high ambiguity as to what it means and an overall worry with it. I'm not nearly ready for the ending of One Direction but this video was definitely an incredible tribute to the band as they begin a new chapter, band or not. 

Lets Talk the "This Is Gospel" Piano Version

  On May 14, Fueled By Ramen surprised us with the rather ambiguous video of Panic At The Disco's Brendan Urie performing a piano cover of "This Is Gospel". The first time I clicked on the video I was unsure how to react. Like what was going on? For those of you who haven't seen it, (it's at the bottom of this post-I would highly recommend watching it) it begins like any other solo piano cover would. Brendan walks into what looks like an empty alley with a large, gorgeous, white piano in the middle. Before I go on, I'd just like to mention how beautiful the vocals are in this video. Don't get me wrong, I love how fun Panic's techno feel is but hearing this lead singer's pure voice was pretty magical and the piano made everything more authentic.
   As we reach the chorus though, things begin to get a little more exciting. Confetti, fruit loops, and puff balls begin to fall out of nowhere to make a more Panic At The Disco vibe to it and everything is just really pretty and fun to look at but I think the part where I, myself questioned the video was around the second chorus line where a glass bottle breaks. Brendan's sunglasses fly off and there are eggs and milk flooding all over the once clean piano. Fried chicken is now falling from the sky too and purple paint is everywhere. Spaghetti tops it all off in the end and we can barely see the white from the piano. Brendan's fancy suit is covered in bits of food and his hair has come out of the nice quiff that must have taken forever to style. As the song comes to a close, Brendan walks off while getting blue and purple paint to finish off the job of ruining the suit.

    Yeah the entire thing is pretty ridiculous and terribly funny to watch but when I really looked into it, this representation fit the song perfectly and got me thinking what "This Is Gospel" is really about. The hit has a theme of falling apart and deteriorating. I mean it pretty obvious (they say "the fear of falling apart" about eight times). And as the video goes on, not only does the set begin to get grosser and grosser but Brendan himself begins to almost fall apart. His movements are much quicker and less carefully planned out and his psychical appearance changes drastically too. The clean suit and hairstyle he had when he walked in is gone by the end and covered in bits of what was thrown on him. Everything gets weirder as Brendan's mind begins to deteriorate and he just seems to want to hold onto some of his sanity as he bangs on the piano keys.

   And then there is the end. As Brendan walks off, he begins to fix the cuffs of his jacket as if to just try and stop what has already happened and the final strike hits as he it covered in paint.
    I found the entire video to be so beautiful and well done and I would recommend watching it 100%.