Dolphins and ride into the surreal
Erin Birgy, who performs as Mega Bog, relocated to L.A. about a year ago, and her new record seems to revel in that. She eases into the 37-minute album with a tangle of electric guitar notes and chimes. Then it all locks into place, and an intricately structured, fully formed jazz-folk-rock song comes into view.
A sci-fi concept album, “Dolphine” was inspired by a myth, according to release notes, that “as humankind evolved from sea creatures, some individuals chose not to leave the water and walk the earth but, rather, to stay in the ocean and explore the darkness as dolphins.”
Luckily, there are no dolphin screeches. Rather, Birgy harnesses her voice, a breathy, elastic instrument, in service of songs in which no two measures are alike. Like Joni Mitchell, Caetano Veloso or Tim Buckley, she phrases her lines with the ear of an actor, conveying emotional info and drama with each oblong couplet.
Those who don’t mind falling into a YouTube wormhole would be advised to carve out a few hours before checking out the new video by the synth-driven electro artist and illustrator Zane Reynolds, who performs as SFV Acid.
The clip was directed by a video artist, Gustavtime, who employs train simulation software to create mesmerizing fictional incidents. For this music video, a MetroLink train has been renamed AcidLink, painted yellow and tagged by an SFV Acid-repping graffiti artist.
We watch as two men board different cars. The train departs Union Station, rolls slowly north until the downtown skyline vanishes. All is well in the simulation as SFV Acid’s new track scores the ride, which turns suburban before the buildings give way to a barren landscape. An uptempo, highly synthetic rhythm drives the movement, while a plonked-out keyboard melody adds fuel.
Then the fire starts. How, no one knows, but as the locomotive pushes into high gear, rear cars become enveloped in flames. What of the two men? Have they jumped off? Are they trying to put out the fire? No answers are given. We watch as the train derails, an event that receives no reaction in the music, which still dances along joyously.
Mega Bog “Dolphine” (Paradise of Bachelors)
SFV Acid “WestField Topanga” video (Gustavtime)