Video of the Week: Iska Dhaaf “Everybody Knows”

Apocalypse Now has been rereleased so many times and filled with so much rediscovered “lost” footage that it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Iska Dhaaf’s video for “Everybody Knows” found it way into a future release as a “remastered” version of the bleakly comic USO scene. Apart from it not having the graininess of ’70s film stock and the jarring appearance of Macklemore as a creepy announcer, “Everybody Knows” is a pitch perfect riff on the dangerous primal hunger that enabled that section of Apocalypse Now to so efficiently communicate the way war brings man down to base instincts even in its peaceful moments. Director Tristan Seniuk compresses the setting, moving the action directly onto the ground, which in a way raises the stakes– there’s no jingoistic platform or Playboy bunny helicopter to offer a barricade and an escape this time out. Seniuk also focuses more on Iska Dhaaf’s confusion and bewilderment at the gig they’re in the middle of, whereas Coppola’s original stuck to the perspective of the Playboy bunnies-turned-go-go-dancers, and that works to the advantage of Iska Dhaaf’s chaotic, stripped down sound. The video is suitably dark, offering up a visual fog of war to complement the sonic one created by the swirling attack of Iska Dhaaf’s guitar and drums combo. Iska Dhaaf are getting attention for their brand of nervous garage rock, and Seniuk’s work on “Everybody Knows” does a solid job of translating that wiry energy into a great visual, from the sweat on the band’s faces to the expanding black pupils of the GIs taking acid in the crowd. All that’s missing is a cameo from Martin Sheen.
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Nick Hanover got his degree from Disneyland, but he’s the last of the secret agents and he’s your man. Which is to say you can find his particular style of espionage here at Loser City as well as Ovrld, where he contributes music reviews and writes a column on undiscovered Austin bands.  You can also flip through his archives at  Comics Bulletin, which he is formerly the Co-Managing Editor of, and Spectrum Culture, where he contributed literally hundreds of pieces for a few years. Or if you feel particularly adventurous, you can always witness his odd .gif battles with Dylan Garsee on twitter: @Nick_Hanover