Opinion on ‘Hole to feed’

Anja — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 10:52:56 +0000

Okay, I have to join in the fan-ranks of disappointed people, who dislike the new Depeche Mode Music Video for their song ‘Hole to feed’. It got released last evening and since then, the negative comments massively spread over the web. No wonder with a video like this that just makes one wonder what the Band thought of releasing something like this creation. What is the purpose, what is the aim? Maybe piss us off until there is no interest or expectations left? Or align the Band to the Zeitgeist so much until there is nothing left but aggressive scenery and pictures sans purpose?

Plot

Depeche Mode don´t appear in this video for even one single moment. Instead, we see a Teenage Combo on stage, dressed in excessively colourful crazy fashion. Gender seems to be of no importance here. The frontman/woman starts to move their mouth to Dave´s singing and stares into the watching club-crowd below without any emotion. The emotionless crowd simply stares back.

With the camera moving around the location, it catches a couple that almost swallows themselves by very heavy french kissing. The man is covered in Tattoos. While the crowd watches them dumbly, more and more couples turn to each other – mindless it seems – and start to french-kiss animalistically.

The Teenage Band just watches, as if there was no brain-activity or realization of what happens around them. One Band-Member wears heavy fake eyelashes and braces. She looks like a 15-year-old girl.

We leave the club and enter the streets where hetero couples only play with each other´s tongues like animals. Their faces are covered in Spit and Food. The camera doesn´t leave out weird couples either. We only see heteros, though.
Sad Top of the scenery would be the couple by the Hot Dog stand, where the guy stuffs the woman´s mouth with a Hot Dog with lots of mustard. They keep smearing the stuff into each other´s faces.

People keep tongue-playing until the song stops. Then they simply separate and go their own ways like Zombies.
Back in the club and on stage, the Teenage Band stops playing/singing and weirdly look at each other. The crowd stares back…

Screencaps

My opinion

I can understand the band management´s immense efforts to try and fit into today´s zeitgeist: They obviously try to reach the young MTV-audience with intense colours and seemingly shocking actions. While showing the zombie-like behaviour of everyone in the video, they obviously want to mirror today´s society, where people are mainly watching things happen without any action.

For another band with another style and message (and past!!) it´d be a fitting work – but for Depeche Mode?! I´d rather have a simple video with the Band performing or no video at all to let the mind wander than a bad video-creation like this.

Why did they choose this video?

To get attention, any attention, no matter if positive or negative?
To extremely adjust to today´s young and flippant audience to be cool?
To show the old fans and critics that they are in constant change?
Not to be in the video at all and show they don´t really care anymore?
To completely exchange the old fans with new, fresh 18- people?

I have no idea. I´m extremely disappointed and confused.

Official ‘Hole to feed’ Video

Anja — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:04:22 +0000

The official Music Video to ‘Hole to feed’ is now online and viewable here.
It´s not what you expect.
Opinions and reviews spread around the web.
Now, I am very curious about your opinion, what you expected and what you think of this video´s (possible) message, scenery and style.

Please post away.

All SotU Webclips so far

Anja — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 10:01:21 +0000

A list of all current Webclips with snippets from ‘Songs of the Universe’:

Dave sings for ‘Mirror’

Anja — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:53:24 +0000

Dave is guest singer for the band ‘Mirror’ and their song ‘Nostalgia’. There also is a video featuring Dave. Have a look.

Saw Something Music Video

Anja — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:51:11 +0000

The music video to Dave´s ‘Saw Something’ has already been published on youtube. View it here.

Radio NRJ Interview

Anja — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:33:34 +0000

Before the MTV Music Awards, Dave found some time for a pretty long interview at Radio NRJ in Munich. You can view the 17 minutes at their website. Click.

Kingdom Video

Anja — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:11:26 +0000

Check the following page to view Dave´s video for “Kingdom”.

compositionofsound.com | a little devoted to depeche mode » Video