Thom Yorke: “Harrowdown Hill”
After that look to the past, let’s jump back to 2006 for one of the year’s best, the first Thom Yorke video off of his incredible solo, er, not solo debut, The Eraser. Directed by Chel White, the video employs groundbreaking Smallgantics technology to create breathtaking contiuously-tracking aerial shots, which are set up from the point of view of a bald eagle flying over the land below. Greedy hands grab at and try to compromise the eagle’s flight (thereby compromising it’s freedom), as it flies over a desperate man lying on top of a skyscraper and a protest below. Before too long White cuts to eerily dark and blurred stock footage of violent riot footage, further enhancing the dark and unsettling overtones of the clip. In the final minute, all of a sudden the stock footage abruptly transitions in time with the music to footage of Thom drowning as he meets the camera with a stoic gaze. Here’s to drowning in the icy throes of capitalism!
Video: “Harrowdown Hill” - Thom Yorke
Director: Chel White
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime] [iPod]