New Music Tuesday: Video Beast want to kill your TV

Don't ask the gimp about his TV viewing habits. — Don’t ask the gimp about his TV viewing habits.

TV is a huge part of every day life for a lot of people. Since the invention of the boob tube, it’s been that way, and it’s especially so now what with the rise in co-dependence between the majority of society and Netflix, Apple TV, Roku, etc. Binge watching Netflix is a viable Saturday night plan now. And who cares? Well, Brooklyn band Video Beast cares. Big time.

Video Beast are releasing their debut album, Gooch today which, according to a press release I received about it, addresses the band’s feelings towards mass media, war, religion, and capitalism. Unfortunately for me I didn’t read the press release all the way through before firing off my question to them for this post, which was “Describe the last time you binge watched a show. And if you don’t do that at all, describe why,” and so I got my “Gooch” ripped off. Here’s what lead singer/guitarist Fabian had to say:

“To be honest, I don’t watch much TV, because I have a hard time finding anything that I think is worth watching. I find it to be the same repetitive formula over and over again. It’s a distraction. It’s kind of hard to believe that millions of watchers buy into it. The reality is that we’re living in a dystopia. Like our band name, “Video Beast,” which refers to the videos that the media feeds society. It’s the ultimate brainwashing tool, and it works.”

I have to admit, I do question whether or not my repeated viewings of the entire Gilmore Girls series are what causes me to feel like I NEED to drink no less than an entire pot of coffee a day. Maybe Video Beast are onto something here.

Let’s see what else we can learn from the teachings of this wise band. Here is the track “Chimp Strength” off their brand new album.

It’s nice to be reminded that we have options. The energetic, almost joyously obnoxious (in a good way) sound of Video Beast prods listeners to un-peel from the sofa and explore weirder options. One thing I just thought of that I could personally focus on instead of a flat screen is the scientific exploration of the percentage of TV haters and how that same percentage of folks match up with people who hate air conditioning. I bet there’s a lot of intersecting there. Think about it.

Keep track of Video Beast HERE.

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