Boston songwriter Aaron Perrino (The Sheila Divine, Dear Leader and No Hope/No Harm) and Steven Lord (The Dirty Bangs) have joined forces as Aaron and The Lord with a haunting new song…literally. Lilydale, the first track from the band’s forthcoming album “We are the Darkness. We are the Light,” weaves a tale of the famous Spiritualist hamlet in southwestern New York State.
Lily Dale, founded in 1879 as Cassadaga Lake Free Association to explore the science, philosophy, and religion of Spiritualism, originated as a camp and meeting place for Spiritualists and Freethinkers. They changed the name to The City of Light in 1903, and finally to Lily Dale Assembly in 1906. To this day, it is a haven for those wishing to connect with the spirit world…or simply their own spirits. It has also been a hub for notable guest speakers, from suffragettes Elizabeth Lowe Watson and Susan B. Anthony, to Deepak Chopra.
Sounding like a cross between REM and the Dandy Warhols, this gothic, shoegaze-tinged track is beautifully illustrated by footage shot on digital and Super-8 on location at Medford State Hospital in Massachusetts, where Scorsese filmed Shutter Island. Guitarist Will Claflin directed the clip, deftly intertwining and overlaying stock footage and old photographs with the band performing at Lee Chapel, which is part of Bellforge Arts Center’s long-term revitalization efforts).
“The eerie and atmospheric setting of the institution adds another layer of complexity to the video’s themes of exploring spirit mediums and the occult,” says Claflin. “I am proud to have directed and edited this video and to have been part of such a meaningful and transformative project.”
One feels like the video is a channeling of the dead itself. Watch below:
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