There have been a lot of great music videos coming out lately, and today we're featuring the new one from one our favorites, Carlos Lopez Estrada, who gave us his signature blend of realism and fantasy. (Check out "Summertime" by Clipping and "Break Yourself" by Hook N Sling.) This funky jazzy track by electro-bass favorite Thundercat features a short glimpse into the plight of an unlucky samurai, having his arms chopped off, and getting put into some kind of purgatory with no arms and his family keeping the TV off. Its unclear if he dies, but its pretty clear that his situation changes for the worst, and has his mind returning to his former existence.
The setting really make this video awesome. Production designer (and costumer) Tyler Jensen is an old collaborator, working with Estrada as far back as 2010 for the extremely entertaining stop motion masterpiece "Chocolate" by Jessie and Joy. The costumes really sold the scene, complete with full-on samurai gear; and the art direction made the house location look especially depressing, with old school television and sad suburban elements scattered about. The lighting was also incredible, using candy lighting to achieve a surreal effect, and giving it the feel of a makeshift dojo inside a garage.
The song really seemed to fit the video as well, using lyrics like Now I'm sitting here with a black hole in my chest, A heartless, broken mess and it must've fell when I lost my mind, Deep in the cut, drowning in a pain." It seems that the lyrics must have evoked some imagery for the song, because the parallels seem pretty apparent to me. Overall, it felt like a good combination, and a very personally focused experience, while putting some over the top action. It was also cool to see Thundercat on an infomercial for a second.
