Heavy Metal Be Bop Part 1

August 22, 2014 7:03 AM

In the imagination of a young Parisian named Pablo Padovani there’s a land called Moo. It’s a fantastical place that celebrates nature, the elements, romanticism and sweets [NSFW]. “I think you may like it if you like childhood, sex, dreams and surrealism,” Padovani [says]. “It’s a pornographic episode of Teletubbies mixed with Lord of the Rings.[...]The disc (Le Monde Möö by MOODOÏD) is a walk in the world Möö. This is a soft world made of cream hills and Turkish delight mountains. There are also Camembert mattresses and waterfalls of wine. This is a great, epic adventure."
posted by Potomac Avenue (9 comments total)

description: chilling enticing, as if it could be a modern version of Fantastic Planet.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:42 AM on August 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

afraid to click link. description: chilling.

the (second) video is young parisians vamping it up in ethnic costumes from the golden age of hollywood to a song based around a thai inspired guitar riff... the american equivalent of a garage band from williamsburg performing in blackface: see French colonial history in southeast asia and north africa.
posted by ennui.bz at 7:43 AM on August 22, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ugh, that second video was pretty disappointing after I watched first the last one of the guy playing a tune by himself (which was lovely and made me want to click on more, as well as made me fall in love with him a little by the end), and then the weird first video with all sorts of hallucinogenic factory and shopping and food imagery, which I also enjoyed.

While that second video has some nice imagery, and the tune is catchy, it's hard to shake the lazy Orientalism that's going on there. Disappointing, the rest of it is pretty fun.
posted by dubitable at 8:37 AM on August 22, 2014

“I think you may like it if you like childhood, sex,

Feeling uncomfortable with this juxtaposition
posted by clockzero at 8:54 AM on August 22, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm inclined to agree about the Thai costumes video. Didn't really delve into that video before posting, and actually it's been removed from the bands homepage, I only found it searching YouTube. I'd hope they were going for Homage rather than ironic racism, but either way I don't think it's representative of best parts of their vision. Wish I'd left that out.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:00 AM on August 22, 2014

The La Lune video was directed and animated by Marion Dupas. Her work strikes me as more original than the music.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:41 AM on August 22, 2014

Huh, I thought the problematic orientalism was the best part of this post, and it's obviously produced in thorough self awareness, which doesn't excuse it of course, and they're aware of that too, and that's why it's gooderer than badderer? I dunno its french lol
posted by fleetmouse at 9:42 AM on August 22, 2014

Is Alley Oop aware of this?
posted by TDavis at 2:40 PM on August 22, 2014

I'm not sure I saw any of the racist stuff but there sure was a lot of respectful homage to the stunning animation featured in Yellow Submarine. And the music wasn't bad, either! Consider me won over (and I'm so disillusioned about the state of French art, that's really saying something!).
posted by Mooseli at 3:43 PM on August 22, 2014