In the midst of the band’s For Those Who Know Tour, Brasstracks released a live music video of its original song “Opposite Ways.” The video was filmed during the band’s live recording of the song at Studio G in New York City. Featured on the song are fellow musicians S’natra and Fatherdude.
The video begins as the 17 musicians in the recording prepare for the song. The camera cuts around the room. A hand tunes an electric guitar, another tightens a drum kit, a group stands in front of a wall of recording equipment chatting and laughing, amps are plugged in, and everyone gears up for the drummer’s cue.
After a quick count, the song begins with an exultant and resounding set of notes from the horn section. The notes are crisp and clear and, along with the quick drum beats, lend a jazzy percussive quality to the intro. “Opposite ways again / Opposite ways again / Wandering out there, no direction / We’re going opposite ways” comprises the intro vocals. Multiple voices join as the lyrics progress, as Brasstracks builds the song and gets into a groove. Rapper S’natra is quick to jump in with smooth and quick verses, showing off a great flow that blends perfectly with the band’s jazzy jam.
“Opposite Ways” continues, reaching a musical and vocal crescendo, as everyone in the recording studio appears to be throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the music.
The camera work in the video does a great job at mirroring the artistic quality on display in the song. The video is cut into quick glimpses around the room. Viewers see the horns at the same time as the brassy notes take center stage in the track. The camera cuts to the vocalists as they belt out the velvety lyrics of the song. At times, “Opposite Ways” switches to a fisheye lens, which allows the viewers to put themselves in the position of a pseudo-audience, pretending as if Brasstracks, S’natra, and Fatherdude were performing on a stage in front of them and they were watching from the orchestra section. As the instrumentation turns to fuzzed-out guitar chords, the camera loses focus on the strumming hand, paralleling and highlighting this effect.
The lighting that the band has placed in the studio casts the performance in mellow shadows of neon purple and blue. These visuals showcase the artistry of the song. In the same way that the camera work gives the video a stage-like presence, the colored lights let “Opposite Ways” look like an intimate performance in a small club.
“Opposite Ways” is, at once, intimate in its appearance and remote—as if performed on a big stage—in its elevated sonic quality. If this is the sort of stellar performance that Brasstracks releases casually during a concert tour, fans should be dying to see what the band does when it is focusing its whole attention on a project.
Featured Image by Brasstracks
