Costume Drama

I’ve been watching music videos again between researching for work and other projects. I’m glad that video is still a medium where musicians can express themselves artistically. Madonna, Bjork, and other women have a number of visually striking ones; lately, it’s Lady Gaga’s videos that have been inspiring repeat views.

It’s great that she’s not a boring artist, and that her videos showcase hypnotic choreography, flashy imagery and offbeat costumes. I find her rifle-bra (below) cool. Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” vid, which appeared a few months later, has the wacky singer attaching whipped cream-blasting cans to her bra. Not as cool, but still attention-grabbing.

Anyway, pictured below Gaga are Florence Welch from Florence the Machine (an incredible artist with a strong, Sinead O’Connor-ish voice), and Natalie Merchant, formerly of 10,000 Maniacs. Welch gets to look outlandish in “The Dog Days are Over” 2010 video, while Merchant, no stranger to costumes since she created and portrayed characters for her “Ophelia” album, sports an Asia-inspired look in “The King of China’s Daughter” video. Nice to see these women enjoying themselves by looking different.