credit: Nicholas Anania
by Niccolo Dante Porcello (@chromechompsky)
Rhode Island quartet Edgar Clinks often blend odd song structures with distinctive affability, and the video for “Algal Bloom,” off of their most recent full length i live in a tree these days, reinforces this idea with gusto. The video is a pastiche of playful imagery and tongue in cheek references to lesser works shrouded in genuine local all-access TV sheen. There is a running gag featuring a hapless interview with the nom de plume of Chuck Tulip, several moments of general chicanery, a regrettable amount of vomiting, and a bathtub filled with suspiciously verdant liquid. Edgar Clinks have done an excellent job of visually matching the tonal insouciance of “Algal Bloom;” the wandering bass line and surfish guitar line feel directly in line with (what looks to be) shots of Providence’s urban sprawl and Rhode Island’s inhabited coastline.
As Joe Gaudiana drawls “all morning at the sawmill/ slicing cigarettes in half” the emotional geography of the video immediately makes more sense. Ian Faria’s video manages to refrain from feeling contrived at any point, perhaps because of the merits of “Algal Bloom,” but also because it seems refreshingly uninterested being anything other than an enjoyably memeified version of the ‘silly band vid’ trope. It hits its mark, and serves as excellent accompaniment for some of Clink’s best work to date.