The best music videos are ones that know how to elevate the music they are serving. There are way too many bland videos pumped out everyday when you consider how simple it is to get it right. There are the one’s with angry punk bands playing angry songs in a dilapidated room that also seems angry.
There are the pop stars who seem to only get “Shake ass more” as a note from the director. Am I painting in incredibly broad strokes? Yes, but then again so are artists such as these who make clips that simply reaffirm their brand. So when a subtle, thoughtful clip like Ninety Six from The Harry Heart Chrysalis comes along it is a much welcomed breath of fresh air.
The Harry Heart Chrysalis premieres his lonely video for his stellar song Ninety Six. Be sure to catch Harry as he sets out on his first Australian headline tour in March.
Harry released Ninety Six as a single late last year and it remains a beautifully striking song. One of the most intriguing things about this young Sydney songwriter is his ability to mesh together warm melodies with darker subject matter. The triumphantly bright guitars on Ninety Six supposedly tell a happy tale. Even Harry’s dynamic voice seems to indicate this, yet it is a ruse that conceals within lyrics of a far more darker tone. It’s tense and dramatic, and quite frankly proves Harry Heart is one hell of a songwriter.
The video itself was shot at night at Sydney’s Pyrmont Harbour. After supposedly polishing off a bottle of red and a frantic call to frequent collaborator Matt Chow Harry managed to shoot the clip for Ninety Six in one take. Opening with the old battleships moored in the harbour cloaked in darkness behind him, a slow motion Harry sombrely walks into frame. The bright lights of the CBD on the other side of the harbour seem to mock him as he continues his long walk home. Or is he going elsewhere to confront his demons?
The frustration and the pain glimpsed within the song comes to the surface here, as he walks he runs his hands through his hair and bends his body the wrenching, dramatic nature of the song finding a suitable visual to compliment it. The ambiguity of his destination is essential. It doesn’t really matter where he is going or where is coming from. This is a clip that hones in on the feelings of someone caught between, for lack of a more clever metaphor, a rock and a hard place. Bravo to Mr Heart and Mr Chow, their ability to capture the essence of the song in a single take is an admirable one, and quite frankly puts a lot of big budget music videos to shame.
To celebrate the release of the Ninety Six video The Harry Heart Chrysalis will embark on his first Aussie tour for 2015, visiting most major cities.
SAT 07 March – Hope & Anchor Tavern, Hobart
TUE 10 March – The Republic Bar, Hobart
THU 26 March – The Defector, MT Lawley
FRI 27 March – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
SAT 28 March – White Star Hotel, Albany
SUN 29 March – Hyperfest, Perth
THU 16 April – Revolver Upstairs, Melbourne
FRI 17 April – 24 Moons, Melbourne
SAT 18 April – Rendezvous, Melbourne
FRI 24 April – World Bar, Sydney
FIND OUT MORE ON
