Video Hangover: "Drinking In L.A." / "Steal My Sunshine"
Every week, we dig in the archives for videos that we find noteworthy, memorable, or just unbelievably stupid. And then, Jon McMillan breaks 'em down for you. Why Video Hangover? Because when you watch as many videos as we do, you're going to feel it afterwards.
"Drinking in L.A."
Bran Van 3000, 1997
"Steal My Sunshine"
Len, 1999
Completing the New Radicals, Bran Van 3000, Len late-90s trifecta.
Bran Van 3000 - "Drinking In L.A."
Before there was Broken Social Scene, there was Bran Van 3000, the original Canadian super-collective. There appear to be between 3 and 52 people in the band, but it's difficult to tell (from the song or the video) how many of them are actually performing. Sounds to me like they only need one diva, one stupid-ironic "rapper" and a guy to turn the drum machine on, but they also brought along two backup divas, half of Devo, a black guy, a guitar player, a housekeeper, the other half of Devo, and some dude with short hair. You'd think that with all of those people around they wouldn't have had to jack lyrics from both Snoop Dogg and a Pringles Commercial. As far as visuals go, it doesn't help that at 2:44 they pull one of my least favorite video moves of all time, the cut from contrived set-up to live concert (like, here's proof that we all do stuff!), and then cap it off at 3:29 with my second least-favorite move: the guys smashing synthesizers like they were guitars. Because synthesizers are the new guitar! And rock stars smash things! And -- well, you get the idea.
Len - "Steal My Sunshine"
What is it with Canadians and California? I know Len was on their one-hit wonder tour, but did they have to blow their whole budget on tank tops and scooters? For some reason I thought Len was a brother-sister combo (or at least I thought it until I saw them getting frisky at 3:11), but apparently they travel with a whole hockey team. From the opening montage, it's clear that things are not going to go well. Guy hilariously climbing pole in airport (:10)? Sure! Fake karate kick (:14)? Sounds fun! Everybody keeps acting all "pimp" and "gangsta," but it comes off like Limp Bizkit fan club convention (see: pugil stick challenge tackle at 1:38 and plaid shorts convertible guy at 3:08). But hey, the song's pretty catchy.
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Posted at 3:13 PM in Video, Video Hangover
Tags: Bran Van 3000 | Len
steal my sunshine is a great song
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Steal My Sunshine is rumored to have helped Brendan Canning pay for Broken Social Scene's first album "Feel Good Lost" to be put out. I can't hate on it.
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I friggin' love both those songs!
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Video hangover sucks these days. I mean, didn't you used to write funny stuff about the video? Nothing about how the dude from Len looks like A.C. Slater? I'm not even sure these videos suck all that bad. BLAH BLAH BLAH I NEED A NEW JOB.
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l-a-t-e-r that week
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This segment has always sucked. What the fuck is the point of showing old videos and then telling us what happens in them? Karate kick at 14 seconds? I can't wait for that!
And what the fuck giving shit to perfectly serviceable videos by bands with no money who at least had the decency to make one decent song and then go away?
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Len are brother and sister. Creepily affecionate brother and sister, but bro and sis nonetheless.
I thought that song was used pretty well in the movie "Go."
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Man that BV 3000 song is annoying. I haven't thought of that in years. Weren't they signed to Grand Royal at some point?? Thank God they disappeared.
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Did anybody notice the obvious Moka Only cameo(formerly of Swollen Members) in the Len video. I also want to recommend that people take a listen to the albums these songs are from. Both are very unique and innovative in their own right.
And Bran Van just put out a new album. They actually have not disappeared.
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Steal my Sunshine.Nice song
if not listened go 4 it.
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Steal my sunshine is a nice song.If not listened the go thru it soon.
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Drinking in L.A. is classic. I still listen to it. Stupid post 'Gum. You guys are negative and shitty lately. Who comes up with this?
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Both of these songs still get heavy play on mixtapes I make.
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From Wikipedia:
"Len's early material was reminiscent of artists such as My Bloody Valentine, Mystery Machine and the Descendents. When they were dubbed as a 'hip-hop Human League', Marc and Shar were flattered and admitted to being 'weaned' on the Human League."
The first line made me chuckle.
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Well we just love this tune. It just has a la la land feel about it.
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Yes! I completely forgot about drinkin in LA but I was diggin that song pretty hard for a while there in 97-98, it should have been a bigger hit than steal my sunshine. Didn't the BV 3000 album cover with that song have a little rabbit looking up a deer's ass or something like that?....Classic.
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len's albums were all pretty good, but on "can't stop the bum rush" they experimented freely with hip hop, scratch-up/mash-up, electro, freestyle, soul, gospel, krautrock, etc, in a very good and honest way. ignore their 2nd single (feeling alright) which reeks of major label execs pushing the band to pen a radio single, and listen to the amazingness of tracks like Man of the Year, The Hard Disk Approach, Hot Rod Monster Jam, Beautiful Day, Junebug, or Crazy Cause I Believe. you cannot possibly hate on those tracks. Len proves that canadians are definately ahead of the game.
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