Thollem McDonas released his Greatest Hits Vol 1 this past December. The 12-track collection of solo arrangements reworks material from his collaborations with Tsigoti, the Italian agit-punk band, as well as Thollem’s extraordinary Andy Kaufman channeling record, Always Put On Your Sincere Face (Personal Archives Records).
This week the musician/composer returns with a new video for the Greatest Hits Vol 1 lead track, “Everything Appears To Be.” The visuals are directed by Peter Sparling, who was once a principal member of Martha Graham‘s dance company before leaving in 1979 to form his own. The prolific choreographer would also go on to teach at the University of Michigan, and his new video features dancers from the school’s class of 2021.
Bustling with kinetic energy, Sparling’s visuals create a lively tableau of interacting bodies. Shot from above presumably on “green screen,” the effect gives the imagery a two dimensional quality with the constantly changing arrangement of dancers seeming to defy gravity. Meanwhile, Thollem knots together philosophical koans about the nature of existence as gnarly bass tones and darkly struck chords bubble in the Void.
