Vancouver songwriter Christopher Smith has premiered the first video off his new album, Earning Keep, for the single, “Pillars and Pyre” – watch it here. The video is the directorial debut by Smith, who began his career as a visual artist. Equally matching the stunning song, the video features the slowed down bashing of drums by a shirtless rocker god – as Smith’s gorgeous vocals float through your ears, the drummer’s sweaty hair caresses your eyes.
The follow up to Smith’s 2010 debut, The Beckon Call, Earning Keep finds Smith expanding upon his musical palette with more diverse instrumentation and expansive atmospherics. Smith wanted a cohesive sound built off not only simple pop idioms, but as well, a more band-oriented sound. The songs contrast those lush, texture-based pieces with sparse, minimal pianos ballads and harsher, stark noise. Smith worked on Earning Keep with producer Todd Simko (Pure) at Todd’s own studio and in Mushroom Studio in Vancouver.
