Friday, July 4, 2014

Friday Night Local: Shihad, 'Sport and Religion'

Sometimes this blog writes itself (not literally, that would be TOO useful). Sometimes it's a bit trickier.

Last week Shihad launched their new single Think You're So Free - yay! I really like it. Today the NZ Herald got the exclusive rights to the official video, but I don't like the NZ Herald. My job requires me to scan it every day, and you know what they say about familiarity. Plus, y'know - crap journalism, but I digress.

 Let's show a video! A Shihad video. Not the new one - it'll make it onto YouTube sometime, it's okay. An old one. Now, Shihad have a lot of good videos to go with their songs, and in honour of the new single (did I mention I really like it?) here's one of my favourites from one of my favourite singles of theirs.

So is it Stations? It's twenty-one years old, man! Deb's Night Out? Did it already! Home Again? Jamas did it already! Comfort Me? Well it's no Run, and Run's not a single. All the Young Fascists? Love it! And the album, but no, not that one. Beautiful Machine? No, that's Jet Junior's favourite song, which he used to call "Having a Cuddle" and rightly so. Ignite? Yeah, it's okay, but thta's not it. No, this one is off probably their biggest and best album, 1999's definitive The General Electric. Some very cool videos from that - the Matrix-esque title track, Wait and See, the Clockwork Orange-esque Pacifier... it's none of those. It's Sport and Religion, shot live in Wellington Town Hall in early 2000 during the triumphant General Electric Tour. It's a great, addictive singalong song, has an exciting video, and I love it. Because I'm in it, somewhere...

 

4 comments:

  1. "Run" is too a single!
    Good choice though :-)

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  2. G-G-Garthdammit, you're right, Morgue! I blame
    the internet for not letting me see it outside foreign video places on their players! And, well, that Pacifier album - it is my Everest. I don't think I've ever made it through the whole thing paying attention or staying in the room.

    On the other hand, I can load this video, which isn't a video and it's not the single version, but boy is it a nice version of the song.

    http://youtu.be/PZoJztOLwz8

    Also: 'Run' got co-opted into being an official song of the All Bakcs at the 2003 Wolrd Cup, didn't it? No good would have come of that!

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  3. Gah. I can't load that video at all!

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  4. I loved "Run" when I heard the album through the Kiwis-abroad network - it really stood out. I wasn't in NZ for the 2003 WC so missed out on how songs were used at the time!

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