I don't always write about music videos, but when I do, you can bet that they are fucking badass. When my attention was directed towards the latest video from Portland grunge/stoner rock band Red Fang for their song "Wires," I was initially skeptical. For one thing, the video was simply described as "hands down one of the best videos of the year" -- simple hyperbole that I don't often subscribe to. However, my latent boredom got the best of me, and I clicked the link, exposing me to the utterly brilliant minds of the members of Red Fang. Nothing could properly have prepared me for the video, so I'll shut the fuck up for the time being and let you watch for yourself:
This is Red Fang's second time working with former Jackass producer Rob "Whitney" McConnaughy, the first being on their just as enjoyable video for their song "Prehistoric Dog" from their 2009 self-titled debut album. It's not very hard to see McConnaughy's influence throughout the video, what with all the glorious vehicular carnage -- with just the slightest hint of sophomoric nut punches and other general buffoonery. However, that same buffoonery translated into rather lucrative careers for McConnaughy and his peers -- there's some sort of reason smashing into shit with a 1979 Impala Station Wagon on an airstrip is appealing.
It just so happens that Red Fang is a pretty kickass band, too. Their stoner rock/metal has just enough elements of sludge and/or grunge to help transform their music into some sort of bastard child of Mastodon.
Yeah, so the guys in the band live in Portland, wear scraggly beards, and pound cans of PBR like total bros, playing into the all-too-familiar stereotype of Portlanders in their mid-to-late 20s. Why must there always be a propensity towards mocking that aesthetic and lifestyle? Guess fucking what? Dudes play stoner rock and drink PBR in Portland -- deal with it. Those same fucking guys have created what I believe to be the best video of 2011, hands down. Yeah, I said it -- hyperbole and all.
The second album from Red Fang, Murder the Mountains, is out now via Relapse. The band is set to play the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at the Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion on 7/15.
UPDATE: It looks like I need to give some credit to Reddit user EmperorGonzo for first bringing this video to my attention.