Music Insights
Video Views by JC: Blood Cultures – Hard to Explain
It becomes clear very quickly that “Blood Cultures” might not be a great band name.
Lost in the Google hits among walk-in clinics and medical jargon, it takes a few more keywords to come up with the band’s most recent release – a Strokes Cover of Hard to Explain. Unlike other famous faceless icons, the band isn’t represented in their videos at all, so they have no recognizable presence to new fans. If a video falls in the forest without a familiar face, does it make a sound? Depicted in formless black execution hoods and matching business wear, a more genuine attempt at anonymity while maintaining a media presence has rarely been made. Describing themselves as the product of Mark Zuckerberg’s blood ritual, the band hides in plain sight, obscured by intentionally absurd obscurity.
Music videos are the only real clue as to the band’s aesthetic, which for all of their tactics to remain out of the limelight, makes for visually pleasing content. From Indian street style to Japanese slasher movies, each video features a new subset of characters, expressing themselves from unique cultural perspectives and narratives. In Hard to Explain, the band delves into Wes Anderson Existentialism with heartfelt effects. If that sounds a little self-indulgent but great, you’d be right on both counts. Believing that music should speak for itself, Blood Cultures intend to keep all of their creative options open.