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The Shins- Phantom Limb
In the spirit of the holiday season, this new Shins video reminds the populace of how easy life is now in comparison to yesteryear. Remarkably similar to the Jib Jab Year in Review, the Shins use the context of a school play to explore a vivid and public history. With children acting out graphic historic events, there are moments that you forget that A) these events actually happened and B) these are children playing with swords and dying in horrific ways.
The video is visually stunning, but I found myself unable to fully appreciate the weight of these images when combined with the harmlessly melodic track. Why? The song in itself isn’t bad, though with more subtle bands like the Shins, you love the song either the first time you hear it or the tenth. I think the problem with "Phantom Limb" is that the video is almost too good. The sharp, well-composed narrative is almost lessened by the lyrics that accompany it. It needs a song that can keep up to the relevance and tone of its murderous plot.
