With apologies to Arcade Fire, Cee-Lo, Hot Chip and Kanye, Nick Cave and Grinderman get my vote for best music video of 2010, for the glorious “Heathen Child.” And here they go, just before the year ends, following it up with another one that feels like it was taken right out of my subconscious. Like, is there anything I could possibly like watching anywhere near as much as aging rock stars dressed in gladiator gear and leopard-print underpants, dancing in space, conjuring society’s nightmares with the magical power of their laser beam eyes? Oh, yes, maybe. How about a canary having heart palpitations and doing pelvic thrusts atop its bamboo perch, while a vampire squid swims through inky darkness — its huge, cataract eyes seemingly seeing nothing and everything at the same time? Yup. That’ll do it. These guys have got my number all right.
Here’s “Heathen Child,” in case you haven’t seen it since this summer. But remember, it still might not be entirely safe to watch at work.
