Real-life live music might be off the table for the next year or so, but Porter Robinson may have found a solution: just use ghosts. Sure, that might not be "based in reality," but I'm willing to try anything at this point. Besides, the ghosts in the band for the "Look At The Sky" video are as charming as they can be for tortured spirits that refuse to pass on due to some unresolved grievance. Each ghost resembles No-Face from Spirited Away, and helps Porter create each part to his fantastic new song (selected as one of our favorites from a couple of weeks ago).
Watch the video above, directed by Chris Muir and choreographed by Matty Peacock. Below, read Robinson's statement on the song and video:
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sometimes when making music or art, we can think of ourselves as working alone. But that isn't ever really the case -- if I think about it, if I was raised in total isolation without exposure to culture, I would never have come up with any of the concepts of harmony, rhythm, twelve notes in a scale, the idea of chords, the idea of melody, the concept of a 'chorus' or 'verse' or 'drum' -- much less would I be able to physically build an instrument, build a computer, or write music production software. Everything we create is, in essence, a collaboration with millions of strangers. And by creating and sharing our ideas, we're afforded the gift of being able to contribute to this legacy. I think of the story of human creativity as this beautiful tapestry that each of us is given the very very brief opportunity to sew our own patch onto.
the "Look at the Sky" video is about the beauty I find in this cycle. where the meaning of the song is more directly about the value of hope and resilience in the face of despair, with the video, i wanted to extend the idea of 'being alive next year' from being literal into being a metaphor about the things we can contribute to this world that will outlast us.
Robinson's new album Nurture is out April 23.
