Art is hard. There’s just no way around that fact. Sometimes you’re going to encounter something challenging and odd to your sensibilities and ask “What is that?”
The forthcoming split/collab between B|_ank and R. Stevie Moore is certain to stir up those feelings. “RSM Take One (Hum)” is a collage of Moore’s non-sequitors and meandering keyboards that turns into a berating reminder to call your mom.
The video is an equally entrancing and baffling undertaking. The nude, slithering character moves about to the track in an improvisational manner that waffles between eloquent and graceful to something out of a horror movie.
I can’t confess to understanding it – either the song or the video. There’s a press release that accompanies it that states that the piece is “a stark reaction to the passivity of contemporary culture” as well as pointing out that the entire thing is “ridiculous, impulsive, and jarring.” It likely doesn’t mean anything but serves as a strange entryway into the world of B|_ank. You decide if that’s journey intriguing.
Both acts will play The East Room on Jan 27th. Here’s the details.