For mainstream artists, the music video doesn’t really have the impact that it used to, but for local and independent artist, it can really help their music capture attention and find an audience. In recent years, New England musicians have used the medium to great effect, bringing local artists to the fore on both the local and national stages. Here are a few of my favorites from 2017:
“Gemini,” by the Blue Janes: Sure, this collaboration by Boston-turned-Nashville singer-songwriter Kristen Ford and Texas rapper Genesis Blu is a smart and forthright meditation on gender roles, but it’s also fun, funky, saucy and ridiculously catchy, and the video itself reflects all of the song’s polarities with high spirits and vibrancy. You can watch the video here.
“1 a.m.,” by Eddie Japan: This haunting video, equal parts wistful and celebratory, was the opening salvo in the Boston-Northampton band’s masterpiece journey into darkness, “Golden Age,” and as such, it sets up all the album’s themes nicely: That there is life outside, beyond your living room, and that the night is both terrifying and filled with treasures.
“I’m Not Racist,” by Joyner Lucas: Worcester rapper Joyner Lucas stirred up some controversy with this viral hit video, spurring nationwide discussions on racism which were revelatory to some, and too rudimentary for others. But with more than 33 million views, it’s clear there was something in that deep cultural wound that needed to be heard, and Lucas managed to capture that need with blunt and unapologetic style. You can watch the video here.
"Dark Matter,” by Glass Mannequins: With rich vocals, haunting violin and electropop verve, the Boston trio Glass Mannequins creates a breathless, seductive sound. The video itself is simple, but the visuals are as crisp and captivating as the music, giving the song a sort of immediacy and intimacy that makes it all the more powerful.
“Never Meant to Be,” by Eye Witness: This one was a good example of a video actually transforming a song. On its own, the Worcester indie-rock duo’s heart-wrenching breakup song is searing and compelling on a visceral level, but the video expands the lens and turns the song into a brooding contemplation of striving and failing, with characters within the video taking a nightmarish dive into dreams of music, writing and art turned to ashes. It’s disturbing and extremely compelling.
“Rainbow Suffragette,” by Ruby Rose Fox: Written in the wake of the 2017 Women’s March and almost prescient of the #MeToo movement that would soon shake the culture to its core, Boston singer-songwriter Ruby Rose Fox has created here an anthem that radiates soulfulness and hope: “I want to hold your hand till the end of the world,” she sings, and implicit in that idea is that even if the world is ending, no one needs to face it alone.
“Color of the Skin,” by Pamela Means: Former Boston singer-songwriter Pamela Means’ “Color of the Skin” is a portrait of restraint and simmering anger. The video alternates footage from a #BlackLivesMatter protest and tight shots of Means’ face, and the juxtaposition brings a sort of intimacy to the song, which lends a charge to lines such as “Seen the Rodney King riots in 1992/Black president, I seen that too/Ain’t a damn thing changed from my point of view.”
“Chainsaw,” by Jewelz Montalvo, Ft. DNICE: In the tradition of the recent film “Get Out,” Worcester rapper Jewelz Montalvo transforms his song “Chainsaw” into a horror film, with the effects of racism and discrimination being played out as hooded figures attacking the rapper in his new home. It’s not for the squeamish, but Montalvo raps with a sinister intensity, selling the slasher-flick vibe and creating something that’s both startling and captivating. You can watch the video here.
“The Man Who Killed Reality,” by the Prefab Messiahs: Fake news? Alternative facts? Worcester rockers the Prefab Messiahs hold nothing back with their scathing indictment of President Donald Trump with “The Man Who Killed Reality,” a bright bit of psychedelic rock bolstered by a satirical cartoon of the president on a rampage of mass destruction. Not subtle, no, but it’s a great bit of protest rock that captures the defiance of an earlier era and recasts it for a modern audience. You can watch the video here.
“Water is Life (Boots are on the Ground),” by Sean Ryder: Worcester singer-songwriter Sean Ryder’s “Water is Life (Boots are on the Ground),” ventured into some perilous territory with this song about protests at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, but by using footage from the protests and a small bit of guitar crunch, Ryder as deftly avoided the pitfalls of protest folk music and created something that’s smart and human.
Honorable Mentions: "Everybody's Drunk," by Jon Bonner and His Dad; "Satan's Stone," by Devil’s Twins ft. Slaine; “Idealism,” by Kristen Ford; “Dirty Dog,” by Ruby Rose Fox; “It’s All You Do,” by Marko and the Bruisers; “Burrito Baby,” by PowerSlut; “Caravan,” by the Psychedelic Drugs; “Opus Dei,” by the River Neva; “New American Dream,” by SeePeopleS; “Baby You're My Only,” by Glenn Stewart; and “Diamond Necklace,” by William Wallace.
Email Victor D. Infante at Victor.Infante@Telegram.com and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor.