The Strokes - 12_51

What this video is

Released October 6, 2003 as the lead single from Room on Fire, 'twelve fifty-one' arrived at the peak of the post-punk revival moment The Strokes had helped ignite with Is This It (2001). The video's Tron-inspired retrofuturist aesthetic visually mirrors the song's central creative tension: a raw, garage-rock band filtering their sound through an unabashedly synthetic, '80s-keyboard-driven sonic palette. Roman…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of the early-2000s indie rock revival, '12:51' is significant for its synthesis of post-punk guitar energy with synthesized keyboard textures. The video is equally notable as a high-concept auteur work within the music video medium, with Roman Coppola deploying retro-sci-fi…

The director

Roman François Coppola (b. April 22, 1965, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is an American filmmaker, music video director, screenwriter, and producer. Son of Francis Ford Coppola, he founded The Directors Bureau production company. His music video work earned 3…