I think I mentioned briefly a few posts back in reference to Flying Lotus, that it was refreshing to see a video with a bit of an impact, and that I felt those genuinely cutting edge videos were a thing of the past. Well its definitely true I think. The music video was at the height of its power in the nineties, and of course, messrs Jonze, Gondry and Cunningham were the architects of the masterpieces. Weezer’s Buddy Holly, Daft Punk’s Da Funk, Aphex Twin’s Windowlicker and The White Stripes’ Fell In Love With A Girl (admittedly early noughties) all spring to mind as standouts of audiovisual works of art.

All classic tracks in their own right, perfectly married to a fitting visual piece of stunning originality, these promo video/track combos ended up having the most resonant of impacts. There doesn’t seem to be that emphasis or effort (or maybe just sheer quality) on producing a brilliant marriage of promo and song anymore, and its probably something acutely to do with how the music industry has changed immeasurably/progressed into download territory, ya da ya da etc. I suppose its made me appreciate these classic videos that bit more.

One of my particular favourites is Massive Attack’s Protection, a video directed by Michel Gondry. It is never referenced in the same breath as his more renowned works, and Protection is a song that emerged from an album that was ultimately disappointing given that it followed on the heels of the genre spanning, universally acclaimed Blue Lines. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore this either. Both song and video are incredibly underrated, and together, they do form that perfect synergy of a Da Funk or Windowlicker.

Gondry seems to go for an Orwellian style(ahead of its time, before we got all obsessed with such stuff) surveillance theme, but turned on its head, in a more sympathetic, endearing and attempting to ‘take care and protect’ manner. Coursing through a high rise council block, we get a glimpse of all sorts of vulnerable types, the bottom rung of society. All utterly different, yet all similarly down at heel. The track is a perfect companion, with Tracey Thorn’s incredible voice lending the right emotive feel to the protective sentiments echoed in the lyrics. Together, its pretty powerful stuff. Great song, great video. But as I say, criminally underrated. If you’re unfamiliar, check it out and see for yourself.