Analysing a music video - The Avalanches 'Frontier Psychiatrist'

In groups, we were given a music video to analyse. We were split into 3 groups so each group can analyse either a Conceptual, Narrative or performance video.
In my group, we were given 'The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist' video to analyseand take notes on.
We watched this particular video more that three times in order to write down as many notes as we could to write up about. First of all, we agreed that the video was 'Conceptual because there was a relationship between the concept of the film and the music. However, there were some aspects of lip-synching and performing which can be related to a Performance video.
First of all, we realised that there was a link between the title of the song 'Frontier Psychiatrist' to the video, as if we are looking into the patients mind. The music video is opened up as if it's a play as the curtains reveal a stage of the various people on stage. The sound of clapping as the curtains are pulled open make it more convincing that it's like a play or performance.
There are many examples in this music video of a link between the characters to the parts of the song:
- The drumming Grandma - Very abnormal and obscure, which is probably the reason why such a character would be used in the video.
- German Horn Players - Playing the wind instruments in the song
- 'Ghosts' - connecting to the sound of the choir 'ooooo' sounds
- The wrapping Grandads - Same principle as the drumming grandma, very different and obscure. 'That boy needs therapy''psychosomatic'
- Therapist and Client 'Lie on the couch'
- Old Turtle Man - 'What does that mean!?' (Very humorous and very weird!! - goes well with the strange imagery theme within the video. Hyper-reality)
- Coconut puppet 'Your crazy in the coconut'
- Cowboys 'Im gonna kill you' 'Grab a kazoo let's have a duel. Now when I count three'
- Ghost granny 'he was white as a sheet' (Relating to the ghosts / people under a sheet)
- Dentures 'and he also made false teeth'
- Avalanche image - Artist: The Avalaches - 'Avalanches is above, business continues below'
- Native American Indian 'Cowboys'
- Cowboy 'Indians'
- Patient dribbling 'I felt strangely hypnotised'
- Baby 'Milk'
- Woman holding rectangles 'Rectangles'
- Skull with golden eyeball 'the man with the golden eyeball'
- Gymnast 'Tighten your buttocks'
- Drinks saleswoman 'Pour juice on your chin'
- Violinists - playing the 'Violin'
- Old teacher and little girl 'Can you think of anything else that talks, other than a person? a bird? Yeah! Sometimes a parrot talks.' (Person dressed up as a parrot comes into the shot)
- Little girl 'Record' - Giant record rolls onto the stage
- Mexican musicians - play music when guitar/instrumental music comes in

Many of the images seen in the video have a definite relationship with the lyrics and most are very surreal, which is what make the video so different and interesting to watch!