Popscreen: Yellowcard

Yellowcard

“Rough Landing, Holly”

Dir. Marc Webb

Three years ago, Yellowcard became famous when MTV decided to rotate heavily the video for their single “Ocean Avenue.” With their infectious pop hooks, pint-size bleached-blond frontman, and kooky rock violinist (isn’t that just so original?), the song and the band became bona fide emo gods to legions of equally pint-sized girls.

The band’s new video, “Rough Landing, Holly,” is kind of like the “Ocean Avenue” video—but on crack. Director Marc Webb intended for a lot to be going on at once…but it’s a little too much.

The opening is simple enough: frontman Eric Key is discovered in bed with a woman by her husband. Scandalous! In response to this, Key does what we all know he does best: runs. But instead of jumping out of windows and almost getting run over by cars, he proceeds to fall through beds and climb out of sinks. (Huh?)

The video strives to cover all the bases: performing in front of a crowd wearing suits a la The Killers; an underwater montage, on an operating table, etc. Towards the end, there’s even a segment reminiscent of “Clueless” where they play Suck and Blow, except without a card to put in between their lips. But, by the end, it’s so hard to remember what happened that all the viewer gains—visually, at least—is Key’s spiky blond hair reverberating in their head.

Director Marc Webb takes influence from all of his previous work—including “Helena” by My Chemical Romance, “Move Along” by the All-American Rejects, and “Wake Up” by Hilaray Duff—and welds it together to create a kaleidoscopic, Wonderland-esque adventure that makes no sense whatsoever, as befits the equally nonsensical song title. By the end, though, you’ll find yourself unable to forget the incredibly catchy chorus.

—Christopher C. Baker