We're breaking down some of our favorite videos in this new series. Every Monday, we'll be taking a look at 3 videos from one band/artist. And in this inaugural post, we're looking at New Years Day's impressive backlog of work. Always a pleasure to watch their videos. Just be sure to watch with the lights on.
Click this (link) to purchase the band's latest album, "Malevolence" on iTunes.
New Years Day didn't always have an affinity for the spooky and bizarre. They started out doing some pretty tame stuff with their debut album, "My Dear". And then 2010 rolled around and the band released, "Two in the Head, One in the Chest".
That pretty much started their descent into the macabre and creepy. The band have collaborated multiple times with one director. Robyn August, who directed NYD's videos for "Defame Me", "Kill or Be Killed", and most recently, "I'm About to Break You". With NYD, August tends to open his videos with solo shots of the band. Low lighting, and cutting away to creepier images (i.e. mouth overflowing with black liquid, or Ash being wheeled down a dark corridor in a straight jacket).
It suits the band's new darker edge perfectly. During the choruses the videos cut to the group performances, though you don't usually see the band playing together. The video cuts from one member to another, so it gives the illusion of a group performance. In "I'm About to Break You", the video starts with a spoke word piece. It's a little on the cheesy side, but still sends a shiver or two up the spine.
The band's most viewed video, also their signature song, is "Angel Eyes". With Chris Motionless of Motionless in White adding his vocals and making an appearance in this video, it's easy to see why it's a favorite. The chemistry he and Ash have comes so naturally, and reads well. Of course in reality they're just good friends. Ash even made a cameo in MIW's video for "A.M.E.R.I.C.A", another gem for fans of the dark and spooky.
Conclusion - Be afraid, be very afraid