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Roscoe James Irwin has a lonely and gentle quality to his music. It’s a surprising sound to stumble across for those familiar with his involvement with bands like The Cat Empire and The Bamboos. The Melburnian multi-instrumentalist has a knack for tender arrangements that not only sound pretty but can pack a hefty emotional punch as well. Such is the case for his latest single Angels in New York and its accompanying video.
Directed by James Base, the Roscoe James Irwin clip Angels in New York is a beautiful exploration of trying to find a home in a strange place.
Angels in New York was directed by videographer James Base. If that name sounds familiar it’s because his father is Graeme Base, a celebrated children’s author and illustrator. Says Irwin of their meeting “(Graeme) had recently done the artwork for The Cat Empire’s “Steal The Light” album. Through that connection, James and I ended up touring the world for the better part of a year together while he was working as videographer and documentarian for The Cat Empire.We had lots of great times talking about art and music over many a beer in the tour bus. He has a great, unique eye and works really instinctively, which i love. He’s also a musician which gives him extra insight into the world he captures“.
The relationship between the two becomes a tangible element in the video for Angels in New York, the intimacy created through the close ups and use of warm light is very apparent. Which definitely suits the themes of the track, ones of melancholy and liberation at the feeling that life on the road is more of a home than the home you once knew. The tenderness of the vocals and warmth of the music is echoed perfectly through Base’s capture of a live performance.
Capturing such elements was the result of a simple and fruitful collaborative process between Irwin and Base. “I really wanted to do a “live” style clip, but with really interesting angles and depths, the rest i left to James” says Irwin. “James great talent for capturing colour and texture that connects with the emotional feel of a song. It was really great to have my oldest musical friends Danny Farrugia and Ben Edgar (who both also played on the EP) in the clip“.
Angels in New York is off Irwin’s latest EP The Wild. For those lucky souls in Europe you can currently catch him on tour with The Cat Empire.
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