There can be considerable shock or at least novelty value still in incorporating elements from a contrasting genre; in this example the prog-metal band
Mastodon. In their video for
The Motherload they incorporate ... twerking!
So, we get some fairly standard, though well-executed (nicely lit, and some effective focus pull), sepia-coloured footage of vaguely demonic figures ... counterpointed with a range of very modern dancers twerking, often in slo-mo and fairly uncomfortable close-up. The point (the 'reading') is debatable, and may simply come down to the shock value, or may be a critique of what the likes of Sinead O'Connor has attacked as exemplifying male industry control over female artists, with Lily Allen's attempted critique itself attacked for allegedly racist undertones.
(skip to the end to view the actual video)
Either way, it was notable enough to be framed as
a story in Loudwire which I noticed and read - don't think I'd ever previously chosen to view a Mastodon vid!
I've picked up on this previously - Rammstein being an act that have taken this path; see
this post.
 |
| Women depicted in a fairly typical goth/doom fashion... |
|
 |
| Incorporating twerking dancers into performance footage; exploitative, sexist imagery was common in 80s 'hair metal' vids (eg Motley Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls, which was set in a strip club), but more associated today with so-called 'R&B' videos |
 |
| Not exactly titillating?! Is the band's use of twerking dancers a social critique of sexist representations within pop, or merely an attempt to disguise plain old fashioned sexism |
Here's the actual video:
No comments:
Post a Comment