Minneapolis-based act Little Man premiered their first ever music video for their latest single, “BLVD“. It’s been 18 years since their debut album, and this video was well worth the wait.

Eric Kassel directed and animated the pop art/glam rock inspired music video and Ally Jaye starred alongside Chris Perricelli telling the story of the song. Overall, it’s very well put together.

 

Review:

The music video is bookended with a ringing phone. Ally Jaye picks up the phone and they figure out a plan to meet up. Chris suggests that they meet on the BLVD. The song begins and it’s accompanied with beautiful 70s-esque graphics and some of the memorable lyrics appearing on the screen with the musicians playing, reminding me of a comic book. The outfits Chris and Ally are wearing are very vintage looking and fit the mood of the music.

One of my favourite parts of the music video was the Peter Max inspired animated scene on the way to downtown and you see Little Man playing there. Looks like my kind of town! Colourful, psychedelic, and retro. Stars, roses, clouds, lightning, and planets are a big part of the overall aesthetic.

There are some visual easter eggs too in the video that you may not notice on the first watch, like you can see the lyrics of the song on the floor in some scenes where the band are playing. The other easter egg is one placed by director/animator Eric Kassel. In the end scene, there is a record sleeve from a label called Eric Records, sneaking in a nod to his name.

The video ends with Ally lying down on a rug wearing Chris’s star patterned bell bottoms and fur coat (a totally on point outfit by the way), with records by The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and T Rex surrounding her. She is holding a copy of BLVD and listening to it. The phone rings and it’s a missed call from Little Man.

All in all, the video has a very realised concept and story and the aesthetics are perfect, this is what a music video is all about, selling the single and showing us another side of it.

Q&A with Chris Perricelli:

Angie Moon: What was recording “BLVD” like?

Chris Perricelli: We recorded this with producer John Fields who’s worked with a ton of super huge music stars. This was our first go together working on a song. He works very quickly and is full of creative ideas which I love and we talked a lot about classic rock and pulling this one off.

A: What inspired “BLVD?”

C: I like to take walks around the neighbourhood and the line “Meet me on the BLVD” popped into my head with my stride.

A: How was recording the music video? 

C: We recorded this mostly in a green screen studio and it was HOT in there. I was wearing my fur coat too! A full day shooting. Lot’s of fun. A lot of work. My knees killed me for a week from jumping around for 12 hours….worth it!

A: What inspired the music video?

C: Old 70’s glam rock magazines, pop-art, old MTV videos. I wanted something fun, sexy and rockin’. Directer Eric Kassel nailed it.

A: Why haven’t you recorded an official music video sooner? 

C: Money! And also finding the right person to trust with my music.

A: Do you think music videos are as appreciated today as they were in the MTV generation?

C: Well now they’re all over the place and anybody can make one, so I’d say not as much as back in the 80’s like when you’d get excited for MTV world premieres and such but people do love the visual with the music.

A: What plans do you have for the future music wise? 

C: We’re still recording with John so we’ll be putting out singles and then wrapping them up for an album.

A: What do you think was the best song you’ve released?

C: As far as favourite Little Man songs go, I guess some of these are tops, “Come Undone,” “Gorilla Fighter,” “Don’t Pray To Fantasy,” and “Face.”

A: What keeps you motivated?

C: Classic Rock, Angie!

A: How did you get interested in vinyl?

C: Vinyl sounds so great. I love the wider stereo spectrum. We did our last album, Original Face, on vinyl and it sounds really good on a nice sound system. Not sure if these new songs will be pressed or not. Expensive.

A: What are your favourite things about vinyl vs CDs and MP3s?

C: Vinyl – the packaging, the artwork, and the wide warm stereo sound. CD’s – still have to put them in a player, I like that. I like the ownership of it too physically. MP3’s – convenience, quick access.

A: What is a piece of advice you have for young musicians?

C: Dig in. Follow your passions and put the work in. Play everyday, just to play. Practice your creativity!