Monday, March 4, 2013

Black Cab Sessions

Some really interesting short music videos shot in a black cab … not always the same one I think, but an interesting theme. Here’s what they write on the page header:

Presenting the best bands performing in one of the worlds most iconic vehicles! Chris@blackcabsessions.com
London + New York · http://www.blackcabsessions.com

The audio quality is pretty good, although I would like to see them do a bit better. The video quality is really spotty … with the exposures jumping around badly. A decent cam like the GH2 would allow a fixed exposure, but of course pointing the camera outside would not work then … the way I would handle that is to run a second camera facing the window and fixed with a suction cup of some sort … then when you pan over, you see the camera and fade its track in … maybe even one on each side and split screen the view (that would be pretty cool I think :-)

Anyway, no big deal … they’re the ones filming the artists Smile

I’ve only watched a few, starting with Daniel Johnston … but here is my favorite so far with Paul Murphy, lead singer of Wintersleep playing and singing an acoustic version of Weighty Ghosts. Loel Campbell, Wintersleep’s drummer, is also present with a snare drum with the soft brushes, and he’s really good. The bass line is his foot, but I don’t know if he has a small bass drum setup or is just pounding his foot on the floor. It’s too precise for the latter in my opinion. (Update: I watched it again and I think he’s just banging his heel into the floor … I told you he was good :-)

Wintersleep

 

 

Update 2: Other good ones …

Rufus Wainwright

Grizzly Bear

Feist (This is called undiscovered first … and it’s really brilliant with the best audio quality I’ve yet seen.)

The National (An early one with mediocre audio and grainy video shot at night.)

The National from Black Cab Sessions on VimeoLooks like it does not embed properly, so click here.