Spotting Genius and Personality.

I was in a shop the other day and heard a song which reminded me of something The Borg posted to her Tumblr recently (and her blog some months before, if I’m not mistaken. Is that cheating? Probably not – different media. OK. To continue…)

‘This is much better quality than the usual mindless drivel they serve up in shops,’ I thought. ‘I’ll see whether anybody knows what it is.’

I found two young women assistants who looked like they might know about such things.

‘Excuse me. Are you into modern rock and pop music?’

They shrugged, but I persevered.

‘Do you know what this music is? It reminds me of an Icelandic rock band whose name escapes me.’

‘No,’ they both answered without so much as an apology.

‘You’re hopeless,’ I concluded (and said) and went off to buy some instant noodles (25p a pack: cheap lunch.)

So last night I did some detecting and found the name of the band, and then I set about searching YouTube. I didn’t find the track I was after, but I did find this rather splendid video to another one:

Unfortunately, the YouTube (by Google) search in the Blogger (by Google) system doesn't pick up this video. Do click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAI5GSyXMjA. It's worth it. 

In my opinion, this is close to genius; and what makes it so – also in my opinion – is its very simplicity. Two young women, obviously twin sisters, lip synching to the lyrics and occasionally breaking into a frantic yet co-ordinated dance. And all in monochrome. What could be simpler? But it works brilliantly, because (again in my opinion… pft…) the combination of energy, expression, compatibility with the music, and simplicity of image makes it utterly compelling. And it’s fascinating to watch the two girls’ eyes and assess the difference in their natures. It is. Believe me. Look at the final scene.