Image
Bands

Jackson VanHorn Croons a Ballad of Hopelessness in his Surreal Video for “Common Era”

“You can be optimistic, and totally without hope.” – Francis Bacon

After the disbanding of his previous bands TV Ghost and Phases, Jackson VanHorn embarked on a solo musical venture. After a slew of demos, self-recorded singles, a mini-LP, and touring, Jackson VanHorn’s musical craft came into its own with the release of last year’s debut EP, After The Rehearsal, followed by the Reworked EP, a digital collection of reworked songs made by the artist.

The latest track and video, “Common Era”, is a ballad to dissociation, detachment, and processing grief. The loss of time, the confusion, and the muddling of emotion take centre stage here. Channeling Nick Cave, Richard Hawley, Peter Murphy, and Jarvis Cocker, this is a track that oozes a hopeless emotion, welling up with melancholy but putting on a brave mask.

The video clip is a beautifully-conceived surrealist romp, evoking the imagery of isolation and defeat by echoing artists like the mirror reflections of Rene Magritte, the boxed figures of Francis Bacon, the melted humans of Dalí, the silent waiting of Marina Abramović, and the never-ending stairs of MC Escher. Use of projections and drawings take us through the labyrinthine psyche of engulfing grief and nightmares.

Watch the video for “Common Era” below:

A Silent Understanding explores the collapse of the individual within the context of a contemporary capitalist society, capturing the despondency and darkness felt by its widespread effects. A Silent Understanding merges literary and cinematic influences with philosophical attentiveness, peeling back the veiled facade of society and holding a mirror to the self. Both contemporary and timeless in its commentary, this record views the world through a critical lens. It acknowledges historical parallels (particularly in times of plague), while harbouring frustration and disappointment. The world hurts both environmentally and socio-economically… leaving one acutely aware whilst crushed in deafening silence.

“Despite the tenebrosity, this new record is not completely devoid of light,” VanHorn concludes.

Listen below and preorder here.

Follow Jackson VanHorn:

Alice Teeple

Alice Teeple is a photographer, multidisciplinary artist, and writer. She is not in Tin Machine.

Recent Posts

  • Bands

Toronto Shoegazers Rituals Debut Hazy Post-Punk Single “Illusions”

Toronto shoegaze outfit Rituals first stirred to life in 2009, a quiet experiment in Adam Seward’s small, dim room, where…

18 hours ago
  • Bands

Filled with Fire — Swiss Cold Wavers Future Faces Unveil Video for “Neon Outlines”

Filled with fire Come to me Suspended with so much pleasure No matter how scared we may be To live…

19 hours ago
  • Bands

Starlight Star Bright — Icelandic Trio Kælan Mikla Pull Down the Veil of Night in Their Video for “Stjörnuljós”

Be a starlight once more that guides me in the dead of night and when your fire weakens I shall…

2 days ago
  • Bands

Qual Unleashes Sci-Fi Apocalyptic Video for Primal EBM Jam “Funeral Fashion”

Sarcophagus golden carcass Sarcophagus rigor mortis Drenched in cataclysm and curled in dystopian dread, Qual—William Maybelline’s fierce alter ego—seizes the…

3 days ago
  • Bands

Los Angeles Duo Faith In Flesh Inject Chilling EBM and Darkwave into Their Unsettling Video for “Psychodermatology”

Skin sloughed off Exposed rot Sickness spied Wet, weak eyes Lacerated soul Psychodermatology is a medical field that studies the…

4 days ago
  • Bands

Philadelphia’s Cigarettes for Breakfast Prescribe Heartrending Shoegaze Panacea “Numb the Pain”

Loving something you shouldn’t is like clutching a live wire—painful, charged, and impossible to release. You know it’s wrong, yet…

4 days ago
Sticky Footer Banner with Close Button