gorillaz music video analysis

Gorillaz- Feel good inc.

This music video is a performance video showing the members of the band playing the song while going through an almost fantasy like location in the form of a floating island with a windmill or lighthouse in the middle which has possible connotations of freedom, imagination, and possibly light.

The performance is shown mostly through a montage of closeups of the lead singer and individual band members sort of going through daily life or playing the song which has connotations of being up close and personal with the band members which if we use the male gaze theory of media is exactly what we the audience want to happen when we buy a cd or watch a music video. It is also shown through a few mid-shots of the lead singer walking through the windmill/apartment, dancing, or looking out the window of it at a kid version of himself or someone similar playing a guitar.

what adds more of an eyecatching effect to the video is the fact that all of the band members are dressed in black which is typical of the genre of music they are playing which is the punk rock genre, and are cartoons which seems to be the bands symbol of sorts. Another eye catching effect in this video is the shot of another music video in the background of the scene where the lead singer of the band is dancing.

This can be compared to another cartooned video by a one off band called simon and milo which is called get a clue. Though that video is a narrative instead of a performance, and that band plays an almost pop like version of rock and roll or something similar in a hybrid style. Also the video by Simon and Milo seems less realistic than the cartoon video by the Gorillaz. Which has some representations of probably childishness on the part of the video producers. That or we can take into account that the video by Simon and Milo is from the nineties which means that animation technology was not as advanced as it is now.

If I had to really think about a theory to apply to this video it would have to be the feminist marxism theory which would say that this video shows women as either good for nothing but sex or seducers. As shown by the fact that throughout the video the shots of the guitarist also show him being stroked or tickled by two girls lying by his side while he plays the guitar. Though this is something that is typical of this genre of music in that women serve no important role in the video or are portrayed this way.