A melancholic melody is translated into a breathtaking piece of cinema in Blue Wilson’s new music video for the song “Big Rock.” Unlike similarly stylized singles released this year, the insular tonality of the original mix is preserved exquisitely in the video for “Big Rock” and matches the surreal imagery that it’s accompanied by exceptionally well. Under the moniker of Blue Wilson, songwriter Michael Stevenson dispenses soothing vocals juxtaposed with dreamlike harmonies that are as fleeting as they are memorable, and though this video sports a fantastic production quality, its content is anything but typical mainstream pop fodder.
“Big Rock” presents us with the unspoken story of an old man who we first meet broken down on the side of the road and eventually follow to an ice rink, where he and his beau share a sublime, noir-esque skate under the spotlight. All the while, Stevenson croons from a distance, his words echoing off of the walls and into the ethers for what could only be an eternity. The symbolism in the ascending grooves acting as a soundtrack to the skating resonates with the catharsis of recapturing one’s youth, but the larger enigma here exists with the video’s two primary figures.
The relationship between Stevenson and the old man is never really explored, leaving us to wonder whether this the latter is an imagined version of the former or if this is perhaps how Stevenson himself sees humanity as a whole. At any rate, the accessibility of the prose and open-ended narrative allow us to decide for ourselves. The concept is steeped in postmodernity, but it isn’t the least bit pretentious or egomaniacal by nature. This video is designed to be thought-provoking, as much if not more so that “Big Rock” is on its own, and from where I sit it accomplishes everything that it was aesthetically meant to.
As previously stated, what we find in this dazzling collection of visuals theatrically strung together is as wonderfully produced as the original single for the song is. None of the rich texture within these angelic instrumental parts is lost in the process of reformatting the music, and actually I think that the vocals are a little more pronounced in this master mix. The film isn’t grainy and the cinematography is more akin to a Hollywood movie than it is a music video for one of indie rock’s most talented young solo performers.
BANDCAMP: https://bluewilson.bandcamp.com/track/big-rock
Stylish, brooding and poignantly constructed as to really deliver the magic of its source material, Blue Wilson’s “Big Rock” video evokes strong emotions and challenges us to dig deeper within ourselves to understand what those emotions really mean. Michael Stevenson unquestionably hits it out of the park here, cratering us with his trademark vocal and leaving a lasting impression with his patient style of attack. If you haven’t already made a point to do so, I highly recommend checking out Blue Wilson’s debut extended play, Younger. If this is merely a sample of what his rookie full-length is going to sound like, I can confidently predict that Blue Wilson has got a long – and successful – road ahead.
Gwen Waggoner
