Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I Say This Only Because I Love Them So Much

I am so thrilled for Imagine Dragons. They are one of my favorite bands. It looks like they've got a recording contract and I hope they make a billion dollars.  Their video for It's Time (a great song) debuted on MTV today and I don't like it at all. Watch it. Now pretend I'm a person of consequence in the world of rock and roll instead of an aging mom blogging in her jammies. Doesn't that video just completely subvert everything good about Imagine Dragons and the song It's Time? Show them singing. Don't make them maudlin. I get the coolness of gray post-apocalyptic despondency--believe me, I'm a fan. But why would you take a very dynamic song and make is so static? Why would you ever show the lead singer not singing? Seeing him sing is the best thing about him. Isn't it interesting that a professional with more money made a worse video?

Here's one they uploaded themselves last year. I think it's so much better because it has movement that matches the song and a bit of quirk factor with the animated frog:


But I think this is the best:

Why wouldn't you show the knee-slap clapping intro? It's so good. They even do it in concert and it's a big treat. There are brooding lads I want to see staring into the camera at me. This guy isn't one of them. I want to at first feel uncomfortable watching him sing really hard with his eyes closed until I'm singing really hard with my eyes closed too--which I'm doing now while I type.

All their songs are good. You should buy their album. (Continued Silence EP)
I don't blame them for this new video. I even "like" it on Facebook. But watch all three videos and tell me I'm wrong.

9 comments:

  1. I completely agree. The new video looks like someone had an idea for a video and slapped it onto the first band that showed up.

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  2. I second that. Love their original one with the knee-slapping intro. Best one by far.

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  3. So true, The Occidental Saloon is my favourite video too.

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  4. I made them into a Pandora station. Score.

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  5. Huh. I just watched the MTV video and it was really disappointing. I don't think the post-apocalyptic theme fits the song at all. And how about the irony of singing, "I'm never changing who I am" while filming a video that is a complete re-make of the original? I'm not criticizing them -- I'd change who I was for a deal with a record company, but it's still ironic. Still love these guys.

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  6. Alohamora9:27 AM

    When you're right, you're right.

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  7. I sort of knew one of the founding members in high school. Apparently he got kicked out with a few other members right before they went big. Kinda sad but kinda makes you wonder...

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  8. also, any song with a mandolin as it's main riff should probably steer clear of anything dark and explosive in a video. #doesntmatchatall

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