The eponymous project of Martin Craft – long time touring partner of Jarvis Cocker – M. Craft is set to release his third full album, Blood Moon, next month: an impressive and uniquely thoughtful record, in part no doubt, because Craft spent time living, isolated, in a cabin at the edge of the Mojave desert while writing and recording Blood Moon. Like so many artists before him, he found that kind of solitude deeply conducive to creativity. It changed his aural perceptions, allowing him to notice details like the “little flecks of sound, which would have gone unheard on a city street corner, become like splashes of neon.”
That insight and sensitivity is in full flourish in the video for one of the album’s best cuts “Chemical Trails”. The visuals, premiering exclusively on Wonderland today, are directed by George Byrne and seek to capture the track’s softly haunting quality on screen. Byrne said of the process: “Being my first real film project, shooting/directing the music video for “Chemical Trails” was a really interesting and rewarding experience…I’ve always been interested in film but it was only really since smartphone video that I’ve had a chance to experiment with it. The fluid, story-telling element of moving images (as opposed to still photography) is fascinating and something I’m really keen to explore. I’m a huge fan of Wim Wenders and the way his still and video work complimented each other so I’m very much inspired by how the two disciplines can intersect and overlap. It’s early days but I’m looking forward to doing more.” If “more” looks anything like this, you can sign us up again.
