NYC post-punk experimentalists LIVE SKULL have just dropped a video from their latest album.
'In A Perfect World' is taken from the album Dangerous Visions, which was released in December through Bronson Recordings.
Says guitarist/singer Mark C, who made the video, "I shot the opening footage on lower Broadway in Manhattan, where I live and remained during lockdown. The occasion was several nights of vibrant Black Lives Matter demonstrations, which were marred by hooded counter demonstrators who smashed storefront windows and committed other acts of vandalism. The twin pandemics, the spread of Covid 19 and the growing empowerment of violent far right groups, provided the backdrop for our writing 'In A Perfect World'. The siren at the start of the song was recorded from my fire escape. Reflecting the isolation experienced under lockdown, the video is limited to the four band members and their partners. As a contrast to the heaviness of the times, we opted for some simple role playing, while poking fun at themes of identity, fear, and our own mortality; and noting that our time spent alone/together has altered us in ways we might not be aware of."
Contemporaries of the likes of Swans and Sonic Youth, Live Skull formed in Manhattan in the early 80s out of the tail-end of the No Wave scene. The band released four albums for the Homestead and What Goes On labels before splitting in 1990. Mark C and drummer Richard Hutchins returned in 2016 and with new members Kent Heine (bass) and Dave Hollinghurst (guitar) released the acclaimed Saturday Night Massacre for Bronson in 2019.
Dangerous Visions comprises as side of recent recordings joined by four previously unreleased tracks from a 1989 Peel Session. It's available to buy here.
Pic by Michael Jung