Task Five:
Clean Bandit – Dust Clears
Clean Bandit is a British group who are best known for their singles "Mozart's
House" which debuted at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and
"A+E" that reached number 100. The band was founded in 2009.
Members
•
Jack Patterson: bass, sax, deck
•
Luke Patterson: drums
•
Grace Chatto: strings
•
Milan Neil Amin-Smith: strings
•
Dust Clears was
released on 29th June 2013.
Lyrics
Imagine if the life that you thought you
shared wasn't really there
It was made up in your mind, could be anyone,
anywhere
Cause you'd be living in a world of your own
design, undermined
In another place, other space and time
As the dust clears and it all starts to
disappear
It may get harder, cause you just restarted
And wherever you are, land on another star
It may get harder, cause you just restarted
You better get real, real, real and realize
that the situation is going nowhere
Because you act so tough, I totally lost
control
So please try to understand that if I could,
I'd call and I would be there
And if I didn't hurt so much, you know I'd
give you it all
You know I'd give you it all
Imagine if the friend that you thought you
knew wasn't really true
It just existed in your head, the reflection
used wasn't you
Completely unaware, could be anywhere,
anytime
Cause there was a shift in the paradigm
As the dust clears and it all starts to
disappear
It may get harder, cause you just restarted
And wherever you are, land on another star
It may get harder, cause you just restarted
You better get real, real, real and realize
that the situation is going nowhere
Because you act so tough, I totally lost
control
So please, try to understand that if I could,
I'd call and I would be there
And if I didn't hurt so much, you know I'd
give you it all
You know I'd give you it all.
Why
did you choose the text you are analyzing?
The video is interesting to watch, mostly
from the imaginative ideas – from ice-skating in Sweden on a frozen lake to the
amusing electro voice the older man is lip-syncing to.
In
what context did you encounter it?
I came across the song as it was recommended
on Spotify, I loved the song so I decided to search the video on YouTube and
also enjoyed watching the video.
What
influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation
of the text?
As I watched the video having already heard
it on Spotify before, the serious but comical context made me enjoy it even
more, I found it very amusing.
Which
conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?
I’d say the genre is Indie/Electronic there
for, from my research above the similarities would be:
- Tends
to be black and white. This connotes the angry and depressed mood. – In
this clip it starts of mostly black/grey in the workshop and then bright
when shot in Sweden, however the man is still in dark clothing.
- The
artist/band is shown throughout the video – the band is seen playing and lip-syncing
in the video.
- Use
of extreme close ups and long shots are popular
- Dark
locations/Isolated Room – When the band are lip syncing around the kitchen
table they seem very close together and slightly isolated. However dark
locations aren’t particularly seen in this video.
- Face
paced – Ice-skating
- Some
use of special effects – very few
- Hats
– yes the man ice-skating is wearing a hat.
- Dark
Clothing – yes.
To
what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?
The text is quite deep and has a meaning;
with an imaginative video this is very much like most indie/electro/pop genres.
Where
and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?
This video is unique because it has some
reversed shots for example at 2:53 the violin is sanded but reversed in the
editing to make it look like its coming out of the sander.
What
sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how
typical was this of the genre/style of music)?
The band aren’t hugely famous at the moment
but they are known for there imaginative videos already – “And as we've come to expect, the video for Dust Clears is as
imaginative as ever” – thegizzlereview.com
What
sort of person does it assume you are?
It assumes that we could be imagining the
life we’re living, and suggesting we make things up in our minds.
What
assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and
ethnicity?
From the younger people in the video and
their acting, it suggests that the younger generation make things up, are more
imaginative and free minded.
From the older man, this suggests that he may
be a bit crazy/delusional as you don’t usually see someone of that age
ice-skating on an ice lake.
What
interests does it assume you have?
The video suggests we’d rather be out and
free rather than stuck at work for the two age groups that are shown in the
video (teenagers and elderly).
What
relevance does the text actually have for you?
The clothes and setting when the band is
around the table in the kitchen are similar to my day life as they are both
casual and normal. However the lyrics don’t mean anything towards me I just
enjoy the music all together.
What
knowledge does it take for granted?
The video has taken advantage of the need to
be interesting, introducing an interesting combination of scenes (ice lake and
a workshop).
To
what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the video seeks
to position you as?
The fact that the song was recommended for my
taste of music on Spotify from previous music I have listened to makes me the
intended audience; however overall I think this music video is aimed for teenagers.
Are
there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if so, what do they involve)?
The music pace picks up around 3:42 however
the video remains consistent. There
for no shifts in style.
What
responses does the video seem to expect from you?
I think the audience should be intrigues
throughout the video as their objective was clearly to make it interesting.
How
open to negotiation is your response (are you invited, instructed or
coerced to respond in particular ways)?
The video shows them working at the beginning
and then having fun at the end, suggesting they should be freer. I think the
videos aim is for us to be more real and wake up from a daze “You
better get real, real, real and realize that the situation is going nowhere”.
Is
there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways?
No penalty is shown in this video.
To
what extent do you find yourself 'reading against the grain' of the text
and the genre?
When I watch it I see the fun they’re having
and enjoy watching it for the unusual scenery and ideas in the footage.
How
typical do you think this video is of Music Videos?
I think because the lyrics are clearly shown
throughout the video via the band’s roles, this makes it a lot like music
videos because in most genres this convention is followed.
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