Research - IF YOU TOLERATE THIS YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE NEXT

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Music video 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next' by the Manic Street Performers.

Very much like other alternative-rock bands such as Muse and Linkin Park, the song is clearly very political - this is demonstrated visually as the drum kit is coated in plastic, and across the metal wall is a group of faceless people, restrained. Blood also makes a visually striking appearance. Through vocals, political messages are still aparent for example the use of lyrics such as 'fascists'. 

Andrew Goodwin raises the point that music videos are not at all original art forms, but like films and television programs, follow a list of codes and conventions. Taking this into account, I took another look at video; like most alternative-rock band music videos the majority of the shots are of the band performing in an unusual location. This could been seen to be part of the genre of a music video - band performance. 

Political themes emerge through hints of violence and faceless characters - a similar music video would be Muse's Plug In Baby, which features women with entire body parts missing as opposed to faces. Intertextual references link this video and an episode from the revived TV series Doctor Who - named "The Idiot's Lantern" features victims who loose their faces. In this music video by the Manics, it is hinted that the faceless children are victims due to their age and innocence and huge physical disorder.

Research - THEODORE ADORNO

Paula Shutkever, 2003, writes

 'Theodore Adorno, who claimed that popular music could never effectively challenge dominant meanings and values (ideologies)'. 

Pn the topic of the Manic Street Preachers...

'Theodore Adorno would be shaking his head. He believed that unless you were outside what he called the "Culture Industry", any voice of disagreement with dominant beliefs and values (dissent) could not possibly be realised'. 

'Yet, through Sony, the band have released music which has spanned a huge variety of issues'.

Research - MUSIC THROUGH THE DECADES

Using the information recorded onto my electronic keycard at the O2 British Music Experience, I was able to put together this powerpoint and upload it through Slideshare.

Muisc through the decades

View more presentations from venturay.

Research - ANALYSING MUSIC VIDEO

The List of the videos we watched:

Perfect Drug - Nine inch nails
Can't Stop - Red Hot Chile Peppers
Human Behaviour - Björk
99 Problems - Jay Z

For Perfect Drug and Can't Stop our media group also watched a behind-the-scenes (BTS) feature, which took form as a commentary by band members of the video.

A list of music videos I have previously watched, and now taken inspiration from, include:

Bliss - Muse

Undisclosed Desires - Muse

What Have I done - Linkin Park

The Captain - Biffy Clyro

Research - O2 BRITISH MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

Tuesday last week I visited the O2 British Music experience. 

Spending several hours there, I was abel to use a new type of technology which allows me to record data and information about the history of music (recorded by a scanner near various parts of the experience, such as the dance booth) onto a smartcard which has the shape and design of a modern hotel room key.

I also attended a workshop summarising the look and feel of music in each decade from the 1940s all the way to 2011.

The experience was highly interactive, featuring large screens full of thumbnails highlighting key points in musical history, rows of instruments and video tutorials for how to play them - a dancing booth, and a vocal singing studio.