No Divide Analysis
DRAFT REVIEW: Sticky Fingers ‘No Divide’ music video, released March 8.
Finian McGrath.
In the wake of their sadly unsurprising and indefinite hiatus, Sticky Fingers have re-entered the scene – albeit briefly – to grace listeners with a cathartic goodbye. This takes the form of a visual accompaniment to the closing track of Westway (The Glitter and the Slums): ‘No Divide.’
In its very essence, this song is a graceful and poignant valediction. Penned, no doubt, to draw Westway softly to conclusion, ‘No Divide’ combines a curiously fast tempo with soft and distinctive instrumentation. To supplement this, the song begins with the gentle sound of rain and the resemblant tinkling of Freddy Crabs’ keyboard. The melancholic, yet strangely reassuring …show more content…
When this music subsides, Seamus is filmed walking, alone and in silence, from the studio. Footage then shifts to Paddy Cornwall, as he opens the screen door of a modest house, likely in Sydney’s inner-west, and walks into the rain. The sound of this rain heralds the imminent beginning of the song. The clip for the music begins in earnest with an allegorical representation of what is presumably the band’s front man, Dylan Frost. Specifically, the clip features a flaming hooded figure who is seemingly the subject of scorn and contempt from all that pass him. This perhaps alludes to the recently publicised criticism of his behaviour. This rather foreboding theme is intersected intermittently by clips of the band engaging in the type of blithe revelry for which they have come to be …show more content…
On close examination certain themes do undeniably emerge, however these are not necessarily compatible with my interpretation of the film clip as a whole. In my experience, the film clip for ‘No Divide’ did not seem like a goodbye—nor did it strike me as having the intention of pursuing any one theme in particular. The incongruity of each section, when combined, seemed to instil in me a cautious sense of optimism. This is what tethered the clip so closely to the song, which had a similar effect. The subject of the clip – in of itself – did not overtly echo the subject of the song, as so many film clips do. Instead, it sought to echo the feeling that the song ‘No Divide’ inspires. As far as I am concerned, this was a distinguishing feature and a testament to the creativity of the film clip’s director Rhys Day. Rather than seeking to interpret the song literally through film, he left it subject to the interpretation of viewers; he conveyed the circumstances under which the song was conceived and left the rest up to
Finian McGrath.
In the wake of their sadly unsurprising and indefinite hiatus, Sticky Fingers have re-entered the scene – albeit briefly – to grace listeners with a cathartic goodbye. This takes the form of a visual accompaniment to the closing track of Westway (The Glitter and the Slums): ‘No Divide.’
In its very essence, this song is a graceful and poignant valediction. Penned, no doubt, to draw Westway softly to conclusion, ‘No Divide’ combines a curiously fast tempo with soft and distinctive instrumentation. To supplement this, the song begins with the gentle sound of rain and the resemblant tinkling of Freddy Crabs’ keyboard. The melancholic, yet strangely reassuring …show more content…
When this music subsides, Seamus is filmed walking, alone and in silence, from the studio. Footage then shifts to Paddy Cornwall, as he opens the screen door of a modest house, likely in Sydney’s inner-west, and walks into the rain. The sound of this rain heralds the imminent beginning of the song. The clip for the music begins in earnest with an allegorical representation of what is presumably the band’s front man, Dylan Frost. Specifically, the clip features a flaming hooded figure who is seemingly the subject of scorn and contempt from all that pass him. This perhaps alludes to the recently publicised criticism of his behaviour. This rather foreboding theme is intersected intermittently by clips of the band engaging in the type of blithe revelry for which they have come to be …show more content…
On close examination certain themes do undeniably emerge, however these are not necessarily compatible with my interpretation of the film clip as a whole. In my experience, the film clip for ‘No Divide’ did not seem like a goodbye—nor did it strike me as having the intention of pursuing any one theme in particular. The incongruity of each section, when combined, seemed to instil in me a cautious sense of optimism. This is what tethered the clip so closely to the song, which had a similar effect. The subject of the clip – in of itself – did not overtly echo the subject of the song, as so many film clips do. Instead, it sought to echo the feeling that the song ‘No Divide’ inspires. As far as I am concerned, this was a distinguishing feature and a testament to the creativity of the film clip’s director Rhys Day. Rather than seeking to interpret the song literally through film, he left it subject to the interpretation of viewers; he conveyed the circumstances under which the song was conceived and left the rest up to