Utah Saints - Something Good ‘08
The Big Dumb Electro Bosh sub-genre of pop has been reliant on tits-and-arse fancy dress videos for some time now, so full marks to Utah Saints (along with Wiley and most surprisingly, Eric Prydz) for trying something a little different in 2008. But while Eric Prydz sucked out all the momentum of his brilliant hands-in-the-air feelgood track ‘Pjanoo’ with a baffling Borrowers-meets-Pocahontas effort, the ‘Saints have outdone themselves.
There’s nothing technically fancy here - this video could just as easily have been made in 1989 - on the surface it’s just some dudes dancing with a daft gag at the end. But the looks on the dancers’ faces (esp the girl at 2.13) wins me over every time: the absolute joy of dancing together in unison to a brilliant track at the best club night you’ve ever been to. Infectious, life affirming and slightly sped up but not enough that you notice at first. When the blonde girl nods at 2.06 to cue the rest of them in on the off-beat I just want to give them all a round of applause and a big hug, like I am the sixth former responsible for a group of hitherto untameable Year 7 kids who have finally got the hang of the dance moves to Steps’ ‘Tragedy’ in the dress rehearsal, just in time for the House Music competition that I’m not even supposed to be helping with. It’s a pleasure to watch.
