There are times when words aren’t even necessary to describe the elegance and grace of something that finds its way in front of you. This is one such occasion. I was looking for something beautiful, something to break through the grey and dim of my world. Lo and behold, Van Hunt manages to crawl into the dark spaces inside me and bring about the most incredible light I’ve ever felt.
His performance for WBEZ 91.5′s Sound Opinions is a revelation, a simple performance and space that is drastically transformed into something ferocious and beautiful. Really, there’s not much I can say that would do this session justice. Just allow the smooth caramel of this man’s voice to spread it’s spicy sweetness into your body and hold you.
These past two days have been emotionally charged for me. Not because something particularly terrible or wonderful has happened to me. Well, that’s not completely true. Something wonderful did happen to me. I finally listened to this young lady’s debut album after teasing myself with two of her songs, and my senses were suddenly bombarded wiht unrecognisable emotions.
Indeed, it was Kimbra’s debut Vows that had me suddenly awash in a torrential flood of feelings I couldn’t quite describe. But it was by chance that I even came to know this woman and her unconscionable vocal power. I don’t really watch a lot of television, but taking a break from the computer I found myself searching my usual cable haunts: Tennis Channel and Boomerang (yeah… I’m old, what can I say?). When neither a match nor a show I was particularly interested in presented itself, I started scrolling through some precautionary favourites, one of which is the MTVu Channel. I caught a glimpse of the video in the small picture-in-picture feature and thought to myself, “What the hell is THIS?!” The video was dark humour at its finest, smart, edgy. Then… that VOICE! As soon as the song was over I had to go back to my computer and find out where the hell a voice like that actually comes from. Apparently, New Zealand. Seems the country is doing big things bigger than anyone else, because I swear on everything I own this girl’s voice is a piece of grandness I’d not heard in someone her age before.
Then we get to the video itself. This pixie of a female with ruby red lips and a penchant for emotional largeness takes over a mental hospital and gives the doctor and his orderlies something to gawk at. Director Guy Franklin captures the quirk and queer of this Kiwi princess. Am I ever glad there was nothing to watch on telly that evening.
Anyone who’s been paying attention can guess why this video had to be posted today. As my last Favourite MV of the year, I wanted to showcase a video accompanied by one of my favourite albums of the year. Per my list of the most incredible sounds of 2012 at YAM Magazine [1], SingerSen shows up as my runner-up. Her album The World In My Eyes is a masterpiece, a glorious interpretation of sound and music that literally had me close to tears.
Lead single “Cables” is a cooing, sighing bit of magic that showcased just how brilliant SingerSen actually is. Her voice is forever vibrant and alive. The video itself is a work of art. Directed by production company SeenVision, it’s a stop-motion marvel, allowing the images to interpret the lyrics as SingerSen interprets music. There aren’t any words that could do this beautiful MV justice. I will say this, however. SingerSen continues to bring brilliance and nuance to music, lifting it from something simple to an intricate means of expression. And I absolutely love her for it.
