Angela Robins

On Monday October 19th, I was lucky enough to see the band the Decemberists unveil Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized. The project was a collaboration with four filmmakers to bring motion to their acclaimed album The Hazards of Love. As a bonus it also benefited a good cause, GRAMMY Foundation’s Grammy In The Schools music education programs for high school students. Each of the filmmakers, Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka and Santa Maria, created animation to accompany a section of the music. The innovative graphics enhanced the music and made it both a stimulating auditory and visual experience. While there was no narrative each of the filmmakers seemed synched to the song lyrics and musical accompaniment. After a break over midway through, the band continued to play without the screenings, and while the music was still wonderful I missed the visual component which so greatly added to the overall experience. The four shorts intensified the communal concert experience at UCLA’s Royce Hall, much like watching a movie in a packed theater. Here Come the Waves will be released by Capitol Records on iTunes in December and screen internationally. I look forward to more events from Flux, who curated it and Hornet Inc., the producers.

Pictures courtesy Marla Aufmuth.