Music Video Review: Pop Noir "Don't Fool Yourself"

"Don't Fool Yourself" is a song from a band called Pop Noir and it has a sound that falls somewhere between that of Franz Ferdinand and Duran Duran.    In other words, I might have just described a bit of Modest Mouse as well, but it's just an energetic sort of fun song that has fast paced lyrics in the verses as the chorus (which is the title) is seemingly shouted.  

The video takes place as two men drive around in a car, the passenger singing and the driver singing the background parts.   You know how a lot of videos seem to be green-screened and all of that?  If you pay close attention to the driver in this video his facial expressions suggest he really is driving.  Watch it through once with your eyes on the passenger, as that will be where they want to go, but then watch it again with eyes on the driver this time.

Something about the verses also makes me think of Joy Division, but it isn't the "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" part.   The two men in this look similar, like perhaps they are brothers, but they are also just sort of dressed the same and have similar haircuts so it's kind of fun to imagine this as being the same person in both seats, driving and singing, which plays into another dimension of trippiness.  

One of the biggest things you will see in this video are the shadows and reflections on the car windshield.   This is the opposite of what you typically see when you drive because you are usually looking through the windshield in the other direction.    It gives you that outside-looking-in perspective that does add a bit of something extra to this video, even though I did just enjoy watching them drive around.

This song just feels like a good time and if you were going to hear it on the radio or on your car stereo then I feel like you would want to turn it up and sing along.   So it is in that way that this video is actually rather brilliant and should be viewed for added levels of an already wonderful song.