Video Round-Up: Find Your Own Tree Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

As much as possible, I try to include videos from the present and also the past. That way I strike a balance between videos that were meant to be viral, or Youtube-funny, or Gen-Y, and others that we're just plain fortunate to have at our fingertips. I have decently succeeded this week, staying in the 21st century, but also providing a nice breadth. Jazz, hipsters, Japanese, dubbed Scott Pilgrim. Go!



One of the innumerable ironies in my life is that I make fun of hipsters while adapting more than a smidgen of "what is in" these days. It is indeed the case now among my age group that "being a dickhead is cool," albeit only a certain type of dickhead. It is this pretentiousness that I speak out against. Not wearing insane clothing (as long as it is insane without ulterior motives), or wearing cool glasses (prescription only), or blogging (I have to say this).

On the other hand, I have to recognize that, while I like this music video, it is as equally "in" to make fun of hipsters as it is to be a hipster. So, anti-hipsterism is hip. Discuss.



Good thing he stayed in character. Bad thing nobody in the room seemed to think his jokes were funny.



Scott Pilgrim is a great movie. Scott Pilgrim in German is a great movie that introduces English-speaking viewers to the cross-cultural round table. I found this video enjoyable for the same reason I find English-dubbed anime weird.



I'll end with a story. This is a live performance of a song by Japanese singer Ayaka called "Okaeri." I learned to like this song for two reasons: Ayaka is one of the only Japanese singers with serious talent that isn't in the typical, more subtle and straightforward Japanese style, and I heard it at the end of every episode of J-Drama "Zettai Kareshi," so it grew on me.

After watching this performance, though, I noticed something: the sit-in pianist was--how do you say?--not playing around. She kicked ass and took names, and I couldn't understand how a backup band member for a pop singer was so damn good.



It turns out, the pianist in question, Hiromi Uehara, actually is that good. And she mostly plays jazz (an obvious fact). And she plays with the best. I've never heard a Japanese jazz pianist as skilled as Uehara, nor seen such effortless skill from anyone. I mean, she barely looks at the piano, and jumps in and out of Chick Corea's lead, all the while giving listeners an awesome improvisation.