Here’s the latest video from Berlin-based Australian singer-songwriter Ned Collette. Commandeered Parade is an atmospheric song that builds slowly and subtly with layers of synths, drums from Joe Talia, Marina Cyrino’s flute and piano from Dan Luscombe. The understated musicianship and gentle swelling of sound are absorbing and compelling. Over this dreamy instrumentation, Collette’s voice follows an engaging, twisting melodic path, his words tumbling out like streams of thought and lifted by gorgeous backing from Leah Senior. It sounds beautiful, but there’s a lyrical darkness hiding behind the music: “…and now I get the sharpest predictions of new horror from old books on the shelf.”
Directed by Maximilian Robert Schneider, the video was filmed in and around Breisach, Freiburg and Colmar, along the French-German border, where we find a dishevelled detective walking alone through wintry landscapes; lost in thought and surrounded by everyday life. It’s an intriguing and artistic accompaniment to the song.
This is the second single to be released from the forthcoming album Mixed Light, which features guest vocals from folk artist Leah Senior throughout the album and a duet with Bonnie “Prince” Billy on the song In The Kitchen. Over more than twenty years, Collette has explored a range of styles and genres, including experimental jazz, progressive folk, indie pop and post-rock, and traces of all his influences can be found in these songs. Above all, these are intricate songs that are carefully crafted into beautifully absorbing music. The new album is due on 28th August, and with its mix of warmth, delicate dreaminess and darker melancholy, it’s a perfect soundtrack for the end of your summer.
