Retro Video Unit (10/28/11)

I'm jumping ahead of the usual time frame for these selections, to 1991. As Nirvana roared to prominence and Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and others followed, there were people like me who weren't all that interested in that particular sound. And there were bands like Chicago's Material Issue who understood, and offered a power-pop antidote to grunge.

This video, for the song "Diane," is not anything special (arriving a decade into the MTV era, you could argue that all the good ideas for music videos had already been used, plus it was obviously made on the cheap), but it serves the song well, and the song is what's key here. Bright, bouncy, and infectious, with just a hint of darker emotion lurking around the edges, "Diane" encapsulates everything that was great about these guys.