Raven Black – Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars: A Video Breakdown
The spiritual successor to “Row Row Row Your Boat (Of Death).”
Every band needs a gimmick. Sometimes it’s masks and jumpsuits. Other times it’s face paint and weird facial hair extensions that thankfully never caught on. Whether it’s dressing up like space monsters or secondary characters from cartoons, a good gimmick is a good gimmick. When it works it works.
Some of you might be thinking “Hey, all the bands I like don’t have gimmicks. They just wear t-shirts and jeans.” True, but that is kind of a gimmick too. Songs about war? Gimmick. Songs about death. Gimmick. Songs about freedom and America and liberty and the Constitution? Mega gimmick. You see what I mean?
All this gimmick talk brings us to Raven Black, a Los Angeles-based alternative/nu-metal band. They very much embrace their gimmick which is…um…being clowns? Hot Topic employees? Carnival cosplayers? Let’s take a look at their new video and try to figure it out.
0:02: Jason Voorhees’s younger brother Jeyden Voorhees on guitar.
0:07: Stranger danger!
0:12: SOMEONE really likes Harley Quinn.
0:14: SOMEONE really likes having bad hair.
0:19: We already have the Manic Pixie Girl trope so we might as well go with Murderous Clown Girl too.
0:22: This is just a typical night staying at a Motel 6.
0:25: Holy shit, is that Papa Shango on bass?!
0:30: Day One of Trumpcare.
0:34: I call him Hackeysack The Clown.
0:41: It’s like an evil hoe-down and an evil carnival got together and had an evil hoe-car baby.
0:47: Worst. Ambien. Commercial. Ever.
0:52: Someone uses one of those voodoo dolls on me whenever I have White Castle.
0:58: It IS Papa Shango. So glad to see he’s still getting work after leaving the WWF.
1:02: Top hats and metal never work. It’s like oil and water.
1:08: Now is a good time to mention that Juggalo porn is a real thing.
1:12: Someone’s got fruit punch mouth.
1:19: Loving the Kool-Aid Man is dirty business.
1:28: Appropriate reaction to everything that’s been going on so far.
1:32: M’lady.
1:39: This could easily be an ad campaign for a new dating app.
1:43: What did that doll ever do to you?
1:50: Man, you can buy anything off Etsy.
1:58: Collection agencies don’t mess around, do they?
2:05: She’s going to twist up your junk like a little balloon doggie.
2:11: That’s how you spread lice.
2:20: “We’re here to collect your co-pay!”
2:24: She was filled with blackberries this entire time.
2:29: “I’m coming for you, Ultimate Warrior!”
2:36: These guys would be perfect opening up for a band like Mushroomhead.
2:40: So perfect that it actually happened already.
2:46: The Ham Slice Removal procedure is a delicate one.
2:54: Welcome to Pizza Hut!
3:02: Now she just looks like your average Burlington Coat Factory shopper.
Raven Black’s EP Seven Sins is available now via WURM Group.
