Hats off once again to Brock Tyler.
The Edmontonian has been a friend of this blog and a friend of a friend for the last several years. Last time we checked in he had just issued an absolutely wonderful EP called You Can’t Keep The Sun Down. In the ensuing years he has released a great single and another EP (all available on his Bandcamp page, many for zero dollars if you so choose). He’s also had a few strokes of luck, having a couple of his songs chosen to be featured in MTV shows. I’m not sure which ones; I’ve forgotten the titles and I never knew the shows in the first place.
But now, and I mean right now — it debuts in just a couple of hours — he’s recorded and released a wonderful video for the sort-of title track to the latest EP, Lights. The song is called “City Lights.”
Brock explained that the video was recorded with a five-piece backing band in the same church that he recorded the previous EP. It’s not surprising — he’s right when he says it has the same “reverberant vibe going on,” a generous warmth of sound and tone that was a big part of making You Can’t Keep The Sun Down stand out. He’s fleshed out the track beautifully here; each instrument in this performance was performed live from the floor and there isn’t a note out of place, each element put on top of and beside Tyler and his guitar is perfectly complementary without getting in his way or overshadowing him.
The video is also striking in its simplicity. The bulk of it is comprised of one long tracking take, starting with the church lights above Tyler’s head as the song opens, panning down to reveal the singer and eventually dollying out to introduce the rest of the players. There are some rudimentary cuts in the middle that are paced nicely with the fuller sections of the song before the softer closing reverses the camera’s initial motion, pushing back in on Tyler and, eventually, back up to the lights where it all began.
The black and white clip is also dramatic in its starkness. The blacks are a thick, rich hue that creates a lot of deep contrast (put stops short of the grim silliness of a video like Moist’s “Push,” a seemingly-odd reference point, I know, but a black and white video that has always kept a place in my brain). It matches the simplicity of the camera motions as well, but it also recalls the stark reflection of the luminous phosphorescence one sees when pulling into a city after a long night of driving in the rain. It’s a great fit.
As I said, Tyler’s music is mostly available for free on his Bandcamp but he’s a stand-up dude. You should do the right thing and throw him some dollars.
Brock Tyler’s Bandcamp page is land of magical and wondrous tunesmithery. Make him your favourite.