Gentleman Reg goes black, Digits gets violent and Rich Aucoin wins Prism: this week’s videos

The spring sun may be shining, but there's a darkly artful undertone to many of this week's new videos – that is, until you hit the hula hoops and the cheerful, and now major award-winning, Brian Wilson bio-vid by Rich Aucoin.

Gentleman Reg, “Waiting Around for Gold”
A black cloak and gold-painted bodies figure prominently in “Waiting Around for Gold,” the first video from Gentleman Reg’s latest LP, Leisure Life. Directed by Jeff Scheven (TV On The Radio/Death From Above 1979), the video is at once slick and simple.

Digits, “Street Violence”
"The old way is over,” reads the scrolling script at the start of the new video by Toronto/Berlin electronic artist Digits. “With the economica organizations failing and judicial systems crumbling, the populace has turned to self-regulation. Ruthless street gangs control districts through intimidation and violence.” So what happens to those who oppose the new order?

Snowblink, "Inner Mini-Mississippi"
Think you can hula hoop? You might decide you need a little more practice after watching this new video by Snowblink, one of Arts & Crafts’ more recent additions. As Daniela Gesundheit and Dan Goldman sing, two women in white show us how it’s done.

Stars, "Hold on When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It" (lyric video)
Canadian indie faves Stars are currently criss-crossing North America on tour, but they’re also offering a cosmic-themed, sage advice-offering lyric video for "Hold on When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It."

Notes to Self, "Used to Be Dark"
A listless young woman cleans, smokes, drinks beer, walks the streets, rides the subway, shops, drinks coffee, rides a bike, and cries – but little brings solace, except maybe the sound coming through her guitar and a purple evening sky, in this reflective clip by Toronto hip-hop crew Notes to Self.

Catlow, “Pinkly Things”
Highway and street scenes get a vintage treatment in this latest clip by Vancouver’s Catlow, which was shot in Vancouver and Squamish, as well as in Paulsbo, WA and Chicago, IL. As the sound builds, the video mixes nature scenes with urban landscapes, then jets into outer space – and gazes into a human eye.

Rich Aucoin, "Brian Wilson is A.L.i.V.E."
Ok, so this Rich Aucoin video was already featured in an earlier roundup, but it just won the inaugural Prism Prize– the equivalent to the Polaris Music Prize, but for videos – so it’s worth a replay. In an amazing four minutes, Aucoin visually recounts the storied life of music legend Brian Wilson.