You can witness a lot of weird things staring out your office window. For example, this editor witnessed two elderly gentlemen engage in what appeared to be a poking war on the street. Not like the Facebook poke, but as in a real life pointy finger jab. Like I said, weird stuff.
Perhaps the world is filled with boring people confined to a desk and the more exuberant in the fresh air. Or perhaps whilst one is trapped within realities of a full time job the bizarre becomes so much more possible. Like say, a viking long-ship sailing past your office window through the clouds.
Want to see a Viking longship sail through the sky without dropping acid? Then take a look at the Throw That Witch In The Water clip from Delsinki Records.
Delsinki Records (not a record shop in case you’re wondering) is the artistic endeavor of Craig Johnston, a singer/ songwriter based in Melbourne. He’s collaborated a with a variety of artists on his own music and with others, including forming the rock band Gretchen Lewis.
His work is characterised by his deep, earthy vocals and knack for weaving everyday stories with elements of fantasy thrown in for good measure. It gives his work a hyper-realistic quality. Craig is not alone, teaming with Cameron McKenzie to help tease out the more intimate moments in his songwriting. Earlier this year Delsinki Records released their latest EP Monkey, and Throw That Witch In The Water is the latest taste from it.
There have been hundreds* of music videos that are situated around the unsatisfied office worker breaking free from their meandering job in order to fully realise their creative potential. Even Pixar tried their hand at it (which they did very well I might add).
We all know how these narratives go; a man in a white shirt and black tie is forced to trudge his way to a cubicle to have an endless stack of paperwork piled on his desk by a balding superior with a perpetual frown on his face. There is only so much he can take until he loses his shit and breaks free. There is an air of familiarity to these clips; the need to tell your boss where to stick it, unbutton that top button and be the man you want.
The clip was directed by Mike Foxall who Craig met after seeing his work with Melbourne band Sheriff. “I loved the video he did for one of their tracks” says Craig on their meeting. “I called him up and this is the fourth video he has animated with me. He is a ripper bloke to work with as he plays a lot of music himself and really understands where moments are visually, when he sends me his first cut I pretty much don’t change anything”.
As for the concept for this video, it surprisingly came from a Monty Python skit. As Craig explains “Steve Pigram from the Pigram Brothers based in Broome WA voices the video as the representation of a free nomad (in this case a Viking) sailing the high seas as he pleases and not trapped by the never ending monster that can be our lives in the big city“.
Delsinki Records are heading out on tour this month, and you can get your tickets here.
Sunday June 7 – The Adventure Bay Blues and Roots Festival
Thursday June 18 – DC Laundry, Sydney
Wednesday June 24 – The Cellar Bar, Melbourne
*When we say hundreds that is a very rough guesstimate.
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