Here is the absorbingly atmospheric animated video for ‘Icicles’ from indie-folk duo Beekeeper Spaceman. Musically, the song swirls in melodic and dreamy layers over truly warm, deep bass. The intriguing words, such as, “Walk away. I’m lonely by design,” fit well with the lush, spacious, ethereal sounds that rise up and grow through the song. The main songwriter, singer and guitarist Greg Browderville says: “‘Icicles’ is a demented Christmas song that ambles like a bummed-out, beat-driven Beach Boys tune as the song’s main character explores the tug-of-war between the freedom of youth and the domesticity of adult relationships.”
Brownderville told AUK about the making of the video: “I’ve been a fan of the animation work of artist Claire Krüeger for a while, so when I started thinking about a video for ‘Icicles,’ she came to mind. Claire and I talked a lot about the themes and images of the song. I told her it’s like a bizarro Christmas carol: in the first verse, for example, ‘Silent Night’ becomes ‘silent fight.’ The icicles associated with images of a winter wonderland are darkly reimagined: ‘Our house grew fangs.’ I love how Claire brings that image to life. She gives visual life to the tension in the song between wanting a stable domestic life and needing endless freedom and adventure.” Indeed, the animation captures perfectly the song’s lyrical intent and sense of internal conflict. It’s no surprise that Brownderville’s words are so effective as he’s published three books of poetry and is the editor of the literary magazine Southwest Review.
Beekeeper Spaceman was created as a result of an online multi-media project called Fire Bones (find out more here) when Brownderville joined forces with producer and multi-instrumentalist Spencer Kenney, who explains: “We connected through a mutual friend and I started working on music for Fire Bones. I don’t know how we decided to make an album. I don’t know that we really did. It just kind of started happening.” The band name is taken from a character in a fictional town in the Arkansas Delta that features in an epic story created by Fire Bones and told through visual art, podcasts, poetry and video. Brownderville and Kenney are incredibly inventive and their work is full of imagination.
Look out for the duo’s self-titled debut album, which will be released on 3rd November 2023. Enjoy.
