song & music video perfection: Blur - Coffee & TV

"Do you feel like a chain-store, practically floored"

When a song starts with that perfect of an opening line, I know I'm going to like it. When it has a video featuring the milk carton pictured above, well...then I know I've hit upon something ingenious. Blur has made a lot of great music over the years, and I think it's pretty unfortunate that they often get dismissed as the British band that feuded with Oasis in the late 90's (which, I suppose, they were). This song is a highlight, if not their peak.

"Coffee & TV" combines four elements that I hold dear to my heart:
1) witty lyrics
2) simple, yet unique instrumentation
3) insane, creative music video
4) an ampersand in the song title

Hammer & Tongs, the credited directors of this video, have actually made a few of my favorite videos (R.E.M.'s "Imitation of Life," Supergrass' "Pumping on Your Stereo," to name a few) and directed the film adaptation of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which I still have yet to see)." Definitely head over to their site and check out some of their work (http://www.tongsville.com).

Video: Blur - Coffee & TV
Mp3: Blur - Coffee & TV