Junip’s video for the song ‘Always’ directed by Andreas Nilsson (known for his work with The Knife, MGMT, Goldfrapp, Moby and Bright Eyes) is an unexpected little tale about air guitar, a mean old man who seems to have some kind of magic powers, and three musicians losing their instruments.
Junip is brilliant guitarist José González’s Swedish band also featuring Tobias Winterkorn on keyboards and Elias Araya on drums, and they have just released their first LP ‘Fields’, despite the fact they have been playing together for some time.
I said unexpected because ‘Always’ is an atmospheric song which puts you in a nostalgic but nevertheless comfortable place, and I did not expect an almost comic video showing this crawling bald creepy man making Junip’s instruments disappear and parading the three men at an Air Guitar Championship in Finland, after some serious Nazi-style training. Is it a weird tale about the music industry? Is it some kind of metaphor about the music business which has become the triumph of the lip-synchers and fakers?
I don’t know if we have to take it too seriously, art does not have to be necessarily serious, and even when Junip just pretends playing, it is magnificent.