Showing posts with label WW2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WW2. Show all posts

Saturday, December 3, 2011

MusicDishTV Presents "By The End Of" by Dead Smiling Pirates


Denmark natives Dead Smiling Pirates went for a more meaningful message this time around with their video for their new single, "By The End Of". The band has forgone any screen time to try and send a message about the pain of war and the trials of a soldier. Which at the moment is timely for so many people around the world.



Sounding very much like one of their influences, Blink 182, it could be said that Dead Smiling Pirates finds a way to sound like nineties pop-punk while staying current with vocal harmonies and interesting riffs from their other influence, Muse.



One of the more impressive sections of the video is a ten second sequence within the footage, where the cuts are in time with the music. The segment is probably the most hard hitting and resonant of the video. The video is mostly longer lingering clips showing war and injury, with Iwo Jima footage giving a gritty portrayal with a somewhat eerie feeling of anticipation building. Towards something else, towards a bigger conflict, a more graphic or dramatic scene, and as the video goes on it get slightly darker, showing a few of the dead men on the beach the music then goes in "for the kill" to drive home the message.



The band has a very connected sound, they make sense together, cleverly pairings of influences and chords, results in a solid sound, and the visuals are interesting, it seems that the viewer may want more from the band by the end.


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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Mercy And Sorrow Place Third In MusicDish*China MV Competition







The video "1945" by China-based band Mercy And Sorrow (大悲) directs our attention to the year 1945, when World War II (in which 50-70 million lives were lost) ended. "1945" begins slowly, solemnly, with Albert Einstein's quote, "I do not know what weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." A long corridor through which one must pass is shown, and then the video shifts to scenes of everyday life progressing normally, followed by scenes of soldiers and war.



As a lone plane drops a bomb, the song changes pace, becoming more of a rock track with a hard edge and the vocals transitioning from the soft beginning to a much louder and grittier tone. The pace of "1945" quickens once again and seems to have a sense of urgency to it as the bomb drops in slow motion to the ground while the people below are completely unaware of the impending doom. Scenes of destruction and the blinding light of the explosion are gripping and sobering, as we see that no one is spared.



As we see the mushroom cloud appearing, the plane that dropped the bomb returns to its origin, giving the impression that while the pilot did his job and it ended there for him, many died on the ground as a result of his "labor." The song then changes pace back to its original slow tempo, amidst pictures of devastation beyond belief. "1945" is a reminder of what we shouldn't have to remember, but what we must never forget.


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