Perhaps the most entrancing element of “The Dead,” the latest video by New York songwriter Lila Blue, is the way in which it maintains a mellifluous air despite its various dark parks. Pervasive drone dominates the background as images of the artist somberly half-submerged in water inform the track’s visual component, yet Lila Blue’s lilting vocal performance, and lyrical defiance of looming death, endow the production with a celebratory energy.“If we don’t wake up in the morn, we’ll know that we passed boldly, fearless… rather than life whittling us down until we’re worn,” she sings, embracing both the end’s inevitably yet stressing the importance of a life well-lived. In this sense, “The Dead” resonates as a triumphant indie folk release, one that proposes a counterargument to the somewhat depressing conclusion to James Joyce’s novella of the same name, while maintaining a cooled atmosphere few within the genre can replicate. Watch it below, and stream the rest of Lila Blue’s recently released LP Leave Me Be, out now.
