One. Genre characteristics:
The music video demonstrates genre characteristics from the indie music genre. It has the codes and conventions that would come from an indie genre music video, as it has a slow pace to it. It has comical edges such as quirky little stunts. Shows they are an independent label as they have a low budget set, with an exterior setting in the setting. The little stunts that they have pulled connote a low budget and little effort which connotes an independent record label and band. Their clothes are bright and casual, their connoting a sense of individuality and being vibrant also.
Two. Lyrics and visuals:
Their are a lot of obvious yet small relationships between lyrics and visuals. Here the technique of using fast montage and fast cuts is used so that the viewer would have to watch the video multiple times to get all of the lyric and visual relationships. There is a particular lyric in which states "his was a shoe maker", and a pair of brown boots appear on the screen in the lead singer Ezra Koenig hands. The next line that makes a lyrics and visual relationship is "greatest hits 2006" in which a record sleeve appears with greatest hits imprinted on the front. Ezra Koenig then sings the lyrics "little list maker", in which a cardboard list appears in his hands and he opens up to divulge his lyric and visual relationship further. The next visuals is a drum in which Ezra Koenig starts to play after the lyrics "you were born with them fingers and your gonna use them all" are sung. The reference to his musical talents are down to his own physical abilities. The lyrics "it's a line that's always running" are featured alongside the whole Vampire Weekend band in which the camera on the dolly runs backwards, thus showing the dolly tracks ahead leading to the band . Connoting their journey as a band and how it is continual and that they are far from finishing yet.
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Three. Music and visuals
Primarily all of the music does match the visuals as it generally matches up with a simple action or image. When something is thrown and falls it matches the tempo to the song. When a new prop appears it matches the guitar riffs. When the band mates switch places it matches the sharp guitar riffs and drumming. Particular scenes the band mates are shown strumming on their guitars during guitar solos in the song. Also lead singer Ezra pretends to play a cardboard drum, whilst the music heightens the sound of the drums in the song. Continually the visuals are matching the up tempo and strong sounded music, as they unmask all of their jokes and tricks it seems to match perfectly to the songs beat and rhythm.
Four. Demands of the record label
The band are the main focus of the music video, yet their never seem to be any particular close and relatable camera shots or angles. Such as their are no close-up shots of any of the band mates, so the record company do not want people to get too close. As if to connote they are the new interesting thing to look at, yet you can't yet reach them, they are still a bit of a mystery. This song is also from their second album, so the wide-shots, long-shots, 3/4-shots and mid-shots all connote a sense of longing perhaps for this new and highly awaited album. The band being a distance away is used by the record label to make them all that more desirable.
Five. Notions of looking/voyeurism
Although the band are constantly looking in to the camera towards the audience, this is the main piece of voyeurism in the entire music video. However their truly is not anything else, besides lead singer Ezra putting on a pair of goggles and looking straight at the audience.
Six. Intertextual references
The first intertextual reference which is deemed as possible the main reference is the infamous "morphing" sequence in Michael Jackson's "Black or White" music video. In Vampire Weekends video they used a series of black turtle necks and some paper masks. The next intertextual reference is to James Bond when the lead singer Ezra Koenig dresses in a tuxedo and holds out a martini to the camera. It is also a reference to the generalized spy and mysterious man within Hollywood films.
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