It may actually be a sort of ad for Doc Martens (for their 50th anniversary) but whoever is picking up the tab has really great taste in music – and Buraka chose one of the best songs of the 1980’s. I love the fact they kept the 12″ intro and adapted it (the original says ‘here comes the tambourine!’ changed here to congas LOL).
Spot the less than subtle DM product placements especially in the Noisettes video (setting fire to the Docs? That would’ve given the brand manager a heart attack. Was that the director being subversive? Or going for the Hicksian anti-demographic? LOL) but compared to the likes of Lady Gaga, the queen of product placement it’s mild – interestingly the dividing line between music video and advert is getting less and less.
I suspect it’s as the budgets for music video plummets but the expectation of a slick product goes up then the advertisers and sponsors step in. The Rap world has been doing this for years (Pass the Courvoisier – no thanks I like real proper ‘ardcore Brandy – anyone?) but it’s becoming very common for new bands to partner with brands and strangely acceptable for ‘cred’ bands to license their music to ads – something that was the kiss of death in the 1980s. It seems sadly inevitable, as record labels crunch their marketing budgets. Dangerous though because unlike the relatively safe world of tried and tested covers and well known bands like this, with newer bands the sponsor could change or influence the songs and messages from the band. Hearing bands talk about ‘The Brand’ as I have in interviews is scary, they should be making kick-ass music and fuck the consequences, not worrying about what their label/sponsor/audience will think – that way Keane lies (or sadly the new Faithless album by all accounts and the song I heard – Radio 2 Rave anyone? I can’t imagine Sarah Kennedy with glowsticks can you?).
Closest to an ad you’ll get on this blog, I have to say – but what can I say I’m a whore for free music 😉 And I don’t mind Docs – although other boots that don’t turn your feet square are available – I wear Raichle Swiss walking boots myself. Oh the brand managers fainted again…
And you can download it over at the Dr Martens site, along with other tracks by Noisettes, The Duke Spirit and D?M-FunK for exchange for your deets which seems fair enuff. Schweet.
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