Our Picks: Dream R by Pedro Oliveira / Maria Chiara Argirò
Music video for Maria Chiara Argirò’s track Dream R
There’s collapsing dreams, there’s destruction, there’s confusion, there’s anger, there’s violence, there’s fragility. But at the end, you stand up and hope that things will eventually get better.
Directors Notes
Maria found inspiration for the song in her home city of Rome, but this came from frustration rather than comfort. “The song is about a dream, a nightmare. What started out being just about Rome became a cry to many other places and people who, especially this year, seem to have lost all sense of humanity”, yet she still believes there’s hope. Written about the current political situation in Italy’s capital city and its bureaucratic bungling, Maria’s discontent is embodied by the chilling scat vocal of Leïla Martial. The drums bite and sooth, the piano follows suit, and before you know it you’re entirely tangled in the ever-changing narrative.
Noting the shared roots of My Elastic Brain’s creativity, Maria describes how each unique drawing “captures his different moods, emotions and imperfections. Almost like jazz improvisation.” The animation translates their shared feelings into art, heightening the story and truly involving the listener in each and every facet of the composition.
