Sunday, July 19, 2009

Jams of '09: Vivre Sans Temps Mort



The merits "Vivre Sans Temps Mort" are actually pretty well-reflected in the music video: There's a progression through a three (arguably four) episodes that all tie together nicely, yet remain discrete enough to justify distinction: boy buys model car; boy builds model car; model car reappears in milieu of destruction and chaos (and by the apparent volition of its creator, no less). I'm particularly keen on the middle section of the song (2:00-4:02), which somehow transforms a series of one-note jabs into the catchiest idea this side of early Q and Not U. Between the amble of the contemplative introduction and the swift, exciting conclusion, the middle passage brings a palpable sense of tension to a song that's already about everyone's favorite subject ("Spent my whole life just thinking about dying," in case you didn't catch it before).

And here comes the overblown image/music/lyric connection: like the largely stylized ending of the video (a car crash that has been, oooh, constructed), the music can only ever be a lurid, unreal representation of that terminal anticipation. We can watch the boy buy the kit and use the kit, but it's still just a model. In essence: we don't see an actual car crash because that's not what the song is about--it's about the imagination.

If there's any validity to that point though, credit goes to director Cat Solen, not necessarily Double Dagger. Killer song though, right?

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