Video Of The Week: Sabrina Carpenter

So the biggest video this week is Sabrina Carpenter's Why, a faux-clever take on how opposites attract featuring a song with just about zero instruments and no melody or rhymes. It was directed by Jay Martin, who has directed three videos for Shawn Mendes and one apiece for Nas (featuring Amy Winehouse), Daughtry, and Christina Perri:

The kid's 18 and used to be on a Disney Channel show, so I'll let her grow up and live a bit before passing too mean a judgement on her songwriting skills, but suffice it to say I do not understand how millions of people have tuned into this song so far. Apart from the fact that she likely had a fan base from Girl Meets World and the fact that she's a pretty little blonde girl.

Martin has to be criticized for how cheesy the video is, too. Most of the tropes used belong in the 1980s. Then again, so does keyboard-based music that contains no music, so maybe he was just making a point.

Oh, and I just want to point out that this was released on Hollywood Records. Hollywood is a subsidiary of Disney (of course), but it used to be the "adult" and "edgy" branch, the one that released L.A. Guns' sleaze-rock albums, punk-funk pioneers Fishbone, metalcore band Atreyu, Butthole Surfers, Danzig, The Dead Milkmen, neo-swing/alternative rock band Fastball, gay icons Indigo Girls, Insane Clown Posse, Stryper (a cheaper, Christian, less-prone-to-extensive-solos Winger, if you will), The Polyphonic Spree, The Suicide Machines and trip-hop genius Tricky. They have seemingly lost their soul somewhere in the last decade.

Chester Bennington Suicide

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington committed suicide by hanging a few hours ago... on his idol Chris Cornell's birthday, making his death go from "sad" to "tragic".

I was never a fan of his art, and mostly snubbed those who were. LP's collaboration with Jay-Z is probably the only recordings of the rap mogul's that I never listen to.

Still, may he Rest In Peace.