Motion Theory: Modest Mouse “Dashboard”

I’m not a huge fan of music videos. I know, I know—what kind of motion graphics fiend doesn’t enjoy music videos? It’s just rare that one sustains my attention for the full three or four minutes of a song, probably because they often revolve around eye candy and/or shots of the band rocking out with the appropriate level of enthusiasm.

While Motion Theory’s new video for Modest Mouse definitely has some “rocking out” shots, it’s much more than a typical video. It’s really more like a comedic short film cleverly interwoven into the fabric of the song—or vice versa. The characters pop in and out of lip-syncing as the parallel storylines of the lyrics and the on-screen action converge and diverge.

Visually, it’s full of great moments: Isaac Brock’s fingers turning into tentacles, the eery red-eyed stare of guitarist Dann Gallucci and pretty much all the shots of the old dudes in the tavern. (Excellent casting there.) Fantastic directing from Mathew Cullen and Grady Hall of Motion Theory.

More info on the Motion Theory site.