Lyrical Analysis: Some believe that the song is about drug addiction, specifically Methamphetamine or Crystal Meth. This shows the link to the title and it can also be seen in the lyrics: "I've done things in small doses" and references to "paradise" and being "paralyzed". However, one theory is it being about global warming and the impacts it has: "Glaciers have melted to the sea, I wish the tide would take me over". I believe this to be the more credible theory and it is backed up the images of the sea, the sky and the sun that are shown in the video.
Video Analysis: The music video is entirely performance-based and includes the 4 origonal members. (second guitarist and keyboardist Baria Qureshi left the group in late 2009). The whole video is shots of the band performing with a projector shining images of nature onto them and the wall behind them. The camera shots are nearly always moving and are mostly short pans from one band member to the next.
There are many close-ups of all the band members and there instruments but the singers are the main focus as with most music videos. When the rhythm of the music increases, it is noticable that the shots become shorter and are all straight cuts. However, when the music slows down, the shots linger a little longer and there are more fade outs/ fade in's. Here we can see directors Alex Flick and Masato Riesser trying to increase the continuity of the film and to try and make it flow together.
The band members in the video move away from the stereotypes of their genre, through there black simplistic clothing they try to make it about the music and not about the image, which is not usually an idea an indie band would incorperate. However, the mannerisms of the band do very much fit with there genre; moody faces, apathetic attitude etc.
Overall, I enjoyed the video. It gives the watcher a chance to see what the band look like and how they use different instruments than that normally be used ( drum machine/beat pad instead of a drum kit) Though I suspect that The xx did not have a huge budget for this video, I believe it has been executed very well and is a great example of a performance-based music video.
I agree that it was probably done on a small buget but it does show you that you don't need lots of money and that a simple idea can work! Make sure that your ideas is not too complex!
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