Even if you don't know the name Chris Milk, you've seen his work, as he's directed music videos for Kanye West, U2, Green Day and Modest Mouse as well as that Google Chrome enabled "We Used To Wait" for Arcade Fire. Like so many other music video and commercials helmers, Milk is making the leap to feature filmmakering, lining up two projects last year: an adaptation of Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi's album Rome (itself a tribute to spaghetti westerns and movie music) and the contemporary western of sorts "Bitterroot." Both projects come courtesy of the backing of Megan Ellison, and while we wait for those to get moving, Milk has knocked out another video.
A trippy, animated spot for "Two Against One" has arrived from the Rome album, featuring the guest vocals of Jack White, and it's certainly memorable. In black-and-white and color, we probably need another spin through to get everything that's going on, but Milk presents a world here as wondrous as it is dangerous. When the Rome movie adaptation was first announced it was hinted that it would be part of a larger project that would criss-cross music, animation, live performance, film, web, literature, music videos and graphic novels. Could this be a small part of that concept?
Guess we'll soon see, but for now, the video below is definitely worth a spin. Rome is in stores now. [Pitchfork]
The music doesn't match the animation one bit. But it is cool animation.
it'll teach you to shoot a damn dear