Korn "Freak On a Leash"

Korn rides a peculiar line between being quite mainstream while still being fun and weird.

The band's third album was an overnight commercial success, ushering in the age of nu metal, a blend of rap and metal., which would include bands like Limp Bizkit and Slipknot.

"Freak On a Leash" would see extremely high rotation on MTV, which helped fashion the pseudo-genre by elevating bands that otherwise languished on college radio.

The video got art direction from Todd McFarlane, who was best known for drawing comic series like Spider-Man, Spawn, and Incredible Hulk. It also won a Grammy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

David Bowie "Young Americans" (from "The Dick Cavett Show" Dec. 4, 1974)

Image
One of rock 'n roll's greatest oddities and most talented performers, England's David Bowie used his 1975 album, Young Americans , to explore American soul and R&B. The eponymous first single is a wall-to-wall powerhouse that mixes blue-eyed soul with elements of jazz and island rhythms mixed with politically-tinged lyrics, which include a not-so-veiled reference to The Beatles . This performance from The Dick Cavett Show  shows Bowie in his element -- probably coked up and letting it all hang out for a national audience. If you look closely, you'll even recognize a young Luther Vandross singing backup. Both the record and album have found new life as each generation has championed them as underappreciated accomplishments in the medium.
Read more

The White Stripes "Icky Thump" (from "Later with Jools Holland" June 1, 2007)

Image
The White Stripes' live shows were widely deemed must-see performances, and if this is any indication, there's merit to that statement. Meg White provides a steady wave of rhythm for Jack White to ride upon, acting as a multi-instrumental, one-man band. Using an assortment of pedals and filters to adjust the sound of his guitar, Jack seamlessly shifts from keys (both physical and tonal) to chords and back in split seconds. The "Later with Jools Holland" audience usually gets into songs as they're played. However, it mostly fixates on how two people sound like a three- or four-piece band until the song ends, and it erupts in enthusiastic applause. "Icky Thump" was not as commercially successful as some of the band's other songs, but it's hard to not get lost in the magical artistry that came to life on that British soundstage.
Read more

Duran Duran "Hungry Like the Wolf"

Image
It's difficult to explain how popular Duran Duran was at its height in the 1980s. At one point, it had three different songs at No. 1 on three different continents. One of those songs was "Hungry Like the Wolf," a guitar-driven lust-fest that makes the intercontinental success of the band rather interesting because part of it was banned in some places for being too risqué. Simon Le Bon's unmistakable vocals go between soft and tender to forceful and wanting throughout the song with terrific effect. Le Bon once said the lyrics were meant to be Indiana Jones on a crusade for sex. As part of the British Second Wave, it was nearly obligated to use some sort of synthesizer and/or drum machine to make sure American audiences knew it was an import (of some sort). Making the song's international success even less likely, the music video was taboo in some places as it showed an interracial love connection 15 years after Captain Kirk and Uhura kissed .
Read more