I am a sucker for a good David and Goliath story.

I’m sure plenty of you are, too. As nerds, I think it’s within our nature to identify with, or at least admire, the scrappy, noble underdog who disregards self preservation and stands up against the tyrannical playground bullies of the world. Like many of you, I’m also a sucker for ’80s pop-culture nostalgia, cheesy sci-fi, and coming-of-age stories of young love (a la Freaks And Geeks, The Wonder Years, My So-Called Life). So imagine my pleasant surprise discovering the music video for Total Giovanni’s electro-funk dance track, “Can’t Control My Love”, which exists within the Venn Diagram of interests where all those circles overlap.

The video tells the story of a listless and underwhelming pre-teen, who’s fallen in with a gang of older, rough-and-tumble, S. E. Hinton-types. His days are spent tagging along as they roam the neighborhood, his evenings spent playing video games alone, as he fantasizes about his crush. Always, he avoids conflict, carefully keeping out of everyone’s way. That all changes, though, when the bully at the top of the pecking order turns his antagonistic attention towards the boy’s crush, and the boy must decide to either make a stand for what is right, or shamefully ignore it.

The video, directed by Sherwin Akbarzadeh, playfully tells the story from the kid’s perspective, with a respect for these seemingly inconsequential moments that all add up in a coming-of-age loss of innocence. A passing glance is infused with weighty significance. A mundane backlot feels like an epic battlefield. We dip into the surreal as the boy plays Metroid, and imagines Samus Aran’s head replaced by the smiling face of his crush. All the while, the guys of Total Giovanni urge him on, dressed in over-the-top space-robes; his intergalactic spirit guides.

It’s a fun, little video with a groovy soundtrack, and it’s our Music Geek Track of the Day.

Total Giovanni – Can’t Control My Love from Sherwin Akbarzadeh on Vimeo.

[source: Fringe Music Fix]