In January this year, Tompkins Square released Kissing Rosie in the Rain, a deceptively intricate recording by Mason Lindahl, which we reviewed here. Reviewer Glenn Kimpton, himself a fingerstyle guitarist, concludes:
Every note that Mason plays on here counts and can be heard; there is no fat or filler, but instead a quiet strength and boldness to the music that makes it so effective. Kissing Rosy in the Rain is fantastic – Lindahl has explored the limitations and boundaries of instrumental guitar music and created something fresh and vital.
Glenn also took the opportunity to interview Lindahl who provided an insight into the album’s creation:
“There wasn’t really any concept for this…I had been wanting to do a record for a really long time, but wanted it to sound a very specific way. I had an idea and didn’t want to just sit in my bedroom and record it and have it come out as this half-assed thing. I wanted it to be exactly what it was, so I sat on these songs for about four years, waiting to record them.”
Taken from that album, we have the pleasure of sharing the accompanying video for ‘Outside Laughing‘, which is Directed and edited by filmmaker and writer Michael Roberson (http://www.robersonfilm.com/). Despite the title, as Kimpton noted in his review, this track has an “ominous melody with reverb effects on the guitar to contradict its title and wash us with a sense of menace and unease.” Roberson, who talks about his work and the video below capture this brilliantly
Michael Roberson on Outside Laughing
I was heavily drawn to Mason’s music after discovering his album Kissing Rosy in the Rain. I gravitate toward atmospheric music — songs with emotional depth that don’t succumb easily to sentimentality. Mason’s music does this. It immediately conjured a wave of cinematic possibilities, so I reached out to him and told him I wanted to make him a music video. He liked my short films, so we had a few conversations before I brainstormed some concepts. This video for “Outside Laughing” actually began as a sketch for Mason. I was trying to convey the tone of an idea I’d hoped to shoot, so I began cutting together archival footage. But as I pulled in more footage and weaved it with the music, something clicked. It just felt right. I sent a cut to Mason, and he loved it. So I edited a bit more, cleaned it up, and locked the video for “Outside Laughing”.
Much of my work as a filmmaker centres on tone and atmosphere. In my short films, I like to flirt with genre in order to explore narratives because it gives me the freedom to really dig into atmospheric depth. Genre can be interesting in that way. I think I’m especially suited to exploring music videos because they’re really just fueled by tone, at least the best ones are. I’m presently developing my first feature film, Geist, and although I’m excited about the story and its characters, I’m most eager to jump in and start playing with atmosphere. That’s when things really come alive.
Michael Roberson is an award-winning filmmaker and writer based in Los Angeles. He is recognized for his short films and music videos, and he is currently developing his first feature film, Geist, which will go into production next year. You can find him at www.robersonfilm.com.
You can order Kissing Rosy in the Rain: https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/kissing-rosy-in-the-rain