I wrote a little while back about Bombadil, the project of Daniel Michalak, Bryan Rahija, and James Phillips. Since the moment I first heard their albums, I have been completely perplexed and amazed. Their songs are a confusing mix of every sort of emotion…I can’t listen to one of their songs without wondering whether I should feel happy or sad, encouraged or depressed…and this always leaves me wanting more. One song in particular struck me when I first started listening to Bombadil, the song “So Many Ways to Die.” Like I said before, this song somehow manages to depress, enliven, and energize all at once…a stunning and painful mix that makes the song irresistible. Well, Bombadil has just released a video for “So Many Ways to Die” (their first music video ever), and it is absolutely stunning.
Bombadil – “So Many Ways to Die”
Just like the song itself, this video is a complete contradiction…it jumps between the stupid and the dangerous, between the absurd and the terrifying. One moment we are shown the silliness of man roller-skating across a narrow ledge (a nod to human ridiculousness and adventurism), and the next, we are facing nuclear destruction and the terror of human invention. I’m not sure which we are supposed to embrace, which we are supposed to shun, and which we are simply supposed to enjoy…but each time I watch this video, I am left more confused, and more eager to hit replay.
Posted by the Needle
