Foals - "Cassius"

To compare conventions with the ideas we have for our music video, I picked a youtube video with the same sort of indie feel to it. The video I have chosen is Foals "Cassius". The video is fast paced, with random yet quirky moments in it. These include the meat hanging from the ceiling on a string, the white aeroplane that one of the band members are playing with and one of the boys using a bunch of flowers as drumsticks.
The boys are all wearing skinny trousers with the same sort of look, whether its the big fringes or the shirts the main 3 boys are wearing.
The video itself is rather strange but is also edgy and unique. The white background means there is all focus on the band and there are no distractions. The random objects in the video, for example the flowers and the hanging meat, all show that the band wanted to be different with their video and wanted it to stand out. There isnt a connection between the narrative and the video, and this is blatent as the video is quite plain.
The props they used are minimal too. There are a few instruments on set but they are in the background and arent being played. This shows the band dont want too much credit of the fact that they play instruments. The only props used were the flowers, the meat, the aeroplans, the instruments (for show) and the string that the boys are fixing the aeroplanes on. None of these props have any relevance to eachother or the narrative/lyrics.
No effects have been in the video; the boys have kept it very much minimalist. This works well as it shows the rawness of the band and what they wanted their video to look like.
The band is an all male band but this does not stereotypically mean that there will be a dance routine, a love interest or sex symbol. The band have made sure they are shown to be different from the usual boy bands of today by not using any of the above boy band conventions. They have shown that although they are a boy band, the music means more than the image.
There are a few close ups but the boys aren't posing for the camera, they are just being casual. This shows they are relaxed about doing the video and are used to it, showing they are cool, and in this day and age, to teenagers, this is a massive factor of a band.
The album cover has been attached to this blog. The complicated design shows the complexity of the track, and the fact it has been drawn makes it look as if the band aren't into making it look all technical but have gone for a more personal approach. The colours are simple, not so much that it fades into the background unnoticed, but it makes the cover seem calming.