VIDEO OF THE WEEK – SSION / MY LOVE GROWS IN THE DARK

by: Diego Martínez

What could we say about Cody Critcheloe that we haven’t said already in this blog? From his colorful show at MoMa’s PS1 to his head-bopping and glitter-poaring album “Bent” (the third as art-funk one-man show SSION) and his collaborations with other fellow musicians, this thunder of a man and WILD regular never ceases to bedazzle us and his faithful fanbase with an unique style. Therefore, every move he makes is worthy of a discussion.

One thing that is always endearing about Critcheloe is his ability to come up with a cool concept with real talent and skill, hence his credit as a video director for the likes of Peaches, Gossip and Santigold. Recently he created a concept for his own musical venture, in the shape of the clip for”My Love Grows In The Dark,” a song set around a sex club where “everything is dark” and you’re forced to “feel your way around.”

The tune’s topic is tackled as the singer walks through the multiple rooms of a seemingly ordinary house, surrounded by a group of indifferent, self-absorbed individuals: ladies making bread, androgynous dancers and even pouty girls smoking next to a snow-covered body. At the same time, the use of several scenarios evoke different sensations (be it heat, humidity or cold) and bold statements about attachment, sensuality and intimacy. Imagewise, Cody’s look as a hybrid between Boy George, Andrew WK and Snoop Dogg finds a definitive and quite understandable explanation: “The video is supposed to be a backhanded version of a pop star… That’s why my face is blown out until the very end of the video. I wanted to do it so extreme that the only thing left were my eyes, moustache and mouth — iconic. Then at the end is the reveal: bald, tons of make-up, daylight… basically, I’m a WITCH.”

Our Video of the Week holds the promise that it will part of a larger narrative of audiovisual pieces for “Bent” (which will see a physical re-release on Dovecote Records in the next few months). Both inspiring and captivating, “My Love Grows In The Dark” should be one of those special pieces of pop perfection this Spring has to offer.