I just came across two great Web-only music video series:
Black Cab Sessions: They get artists to do a song in the back of a London black cab, often after they've just played a gig. It's great to see artists like Lykke Li and The Walkmen in such a stripped down form. I like the touch of having the cabbie do the intro.
The Takeaway Shows: In a similar vein to the Black Cab Sessions, and in their own words: "Every week, we invite an artist or a band to play in the streets, in a bar, a park, or even in a flat or in an elevator, and we film the whole session. Of course, what makes the beauty of it is all the little incidents, hesitations, and crazy stuff happening unexpectingly. Besides, we do not edit the videos so they look perfectly flawless, instead we keep the raw sound of the surroundings. Our goal is to try and capture instants, film the music just like it happens, without preparation, without tricks. Spontaneity is the keyword.
The Take away shows exist since April 2006. There was Chryde, who wanted to shake things up and find another way to share music, and there was Vincent Moon, who wanted to film music differently. Chryde offered Moon to go and film musicians in the city, Moon seized the idea and glorified it. Since then, other directors across the world joined this project, and we plan to extend it worldwide."
I love seeing bands up close and stripped down. In the case of the latter, I like the story behind the shoot that accompanies every post and the unguarded moments - like Zach Condon of Beirut walking the streets of Paris. The Sigur Ros performance in the Paris cafe is surreal and spectacular. This is what the Internet video is all about.
[Hat tip to my gigmate Lisa for pointing these out to me.]
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