Nervous Heartbeat: a homemade pop video

[imomus]

Back in February I offered you the first taste of the forthcoming Momus album Ocky Milk in the form of Frilly Military: a homemade pop video. Today I'm delighted to offer you another -- my own video for the song "Nervous Heartbeat". Click the picture to watch it on YouTube.



The song's lyrics are based on Japanese onomatopoeia, the colourful Japanese phrases which express something like an emotion by copying its "sound" -- even if it doesn't technically have one. (What's the sound of a painful condition? Zuki zuki. A glittering spakle? Why, pika pika of course!). You could see the song as an ultra-emotional way of learning a language.

The video shows a sequence of people I happened to meet in New York in April. I asked them to look sad, but the atmosphere of the song is perhaps best described as sensual, full of mono no aware (the "sigh-ness" of things) and natsukashii, nostalgia, or the longing for that which has never been. Nostalgia for an absent person, perhaps, or one you haven't met yet.

Speaking of love and couples, the article you helped me with last week, The Kinsey of Clicking, is now up on Wired News. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Comments

[rwillmsen.livejournal.com]

I heart it. There is a split second there where you look a bit like Robert Wyatt.

Alexandre

[(Anonymous)]

I thought "saudade" was an exclusive portuguese feeling. Doesn't come as a surprise mind the fraternal relations.
Aww Gawd, LOVED the shitty iMovie sparkle!!

[unluckymonkey.livejournal.com]

Frilly Military makes me immesurably happy. I've not bumped into any new music that tripped my trigger in many days. I'm not a looker either so it makes it that much more difficult to find. thanks for pointing the way.

[larameau.livejournal.com]

a graceful, touching poem in music and images... in the close-ups of these people's faces you manage to look so deep inside them that i felt a bit embarrassed for them. i very much liked the "changing weather effect" on the faces. it adds to the emotional nuancing of the portraits

[imomus.livejournal.com]

You know, many of those people were in a state of turbulence when I filmed them. One, Ethan, I met on the street. I more or less dragged him to a doorway. "You want me to look sad? That'll be easy," he said. Another, Paolo, the first sparkle, was angry and frustrated when I filmed him, and his gaze, slowed down, is like a bull's just before it charges. And my ex-wife expresses so much, in a few seconds, about our marriage...

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Here's another lovely video, quite different: The Little Girl Giant (http://www.devilducky.com/media/46655/).

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

WOAH. that looks amazing.

that's how i feel at work, too.

[insomnia.livejournal.com]

I saw this one the other day. It was brilliant, though I found it odd that it was described as "the world's largest Bjork".

strings

[(Anonymous)]

was it in an Ozu or a Naruse movie where i heard these strings ? Ozu sounds more like it, but which one ? equinox flower (higanbana)? early spring (soshu)?
beautiful song.
lanjingling

[fishwithissues.livejournal.com]

this was very pleasant and enjoyable, plus the concept is neat--getting to see how the people chose to externalize an emotion.

Might Ocky Milk bring with it another music video contest?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I might just hog them all to myself, it's so much fun!

[(Anonymous)]

I really like it. The strings are lovely, and overall it has a gentle sweetness that creates a nice buzz.

I like that someone pointed out nostalgia in Japanese does not have the "homeSICKNESS" connotation.

Also, I love that description of the "sigh-ness" of things and nostalgia for a person you haven't even met yet!

Monique

[bopscotch.livejournal.com]

I love it, it's so slow and peaceful and reflective (like Air's Moon Safari, only without the outer space and the Frenchiness).

I also love the tree and the lights! It's as if someone put them there, to celebrate the existence of the tree.