Sometimes the best art is reactionary, and certain places tend to trigger strong artistic reactions more than others. New York City is most definitely one of those places. Brooklyn band Spirit Plate set out to create an album that would be both a reaction and tribute to New York City, presented through a rock and roll lens. The result is their fantastic new album Youth Moose, which was released in August. To make the album, the group found inspiration in New York City’s rapid pace of change, decay and rebirth, and the dichotomy NYC presents of arriving at tranquility though chaos and clutter. Fittingly, the album is a complex collage of sound, delivered through gritty, succinct songs. Ultimately, they wanted the album to pay homage to a multi-generational range of visionary NYC artists, from The Velvet Underground and Talking Heads to Swans.
Today Glide is premiering the new video for “All Day Long”, a song that captures the laid back spirit of Spirit Plate alongside some playful trippy imagery. A delightful combination of organ and bouncy percussion, not to mention a feisty guitar solo, gives the song a loose raucous energy. The band’s harmonies bring to mind Dr. Dog and make the song feel like the perfect upbeat soundtrack for a night out at the bar with some close pals.
Spirit Plate founder, singer and guitarist Brian Russ shares some insight on the making of the video and inspiration behind the song:
“Completely shot on an iPhone 5, the ‘All Day Long’ video features my son, Simon, who was about 3 at the time and super into the textures of paint and playdough. He could sit there for hours (‘all day long’) and mash up the playdough and make interesting weird sculptures or blend colors of paint in his own unique haphazard way. Even though the song itself really has nothing to do with toddler art projects, I started thinking about the lyrics in terms of raising little babies and kids. The days are long and you’re really with them ‘all day long’ so you have no choice but to be creative, constantly thinking of activities that aren’t boring for you or them. You’ll see my daughter Bernadette in there too, who just turned 1. Hanging out with these guys I sometimes realize, the best art comes from just sitting there and messing around with your materials, or instruments for a while with no real plan or pressure to accomplish anything in particular.”
WATCH:
Youth Moose is out now on Campers Rule Records. For more music and info visit facebook.com/spiritplate.
