Scene and Heard – CCXV: Let The Sun Shine – Kung Fu Jesus

Music videos can be hit and miss affairs. Some are so low budget as to actually detract from the aural experience whilst others just reek of someone throwing money at the promotion of a record without having any clear idea of what the artist is trying to say here. It is rare that a song and a video seem perfectly in synch bit Let The Sun Shine is one of those rare moments. If it is drawn in lush, vibrant colours, paints fantastic images yet still has a wonderfully confident, narrative that you can’t but help follow to its conclusion, it is only because it is a visual extension of the song.

Whilst a rich fantasy animation becomes a feast for the eyes, the ears are treated to just as rich an experience. Hazy, reverb washed vocals, intriguing lyrics and wealth of cinematic sounds are held together by a strong sense of melody and a pop infectiousness. It ticks nineties synth-pop, 80’s post-punk and 60’s psychedelic boxes simultaneously but is far too deft to be a mere nostalgic re-run or pastiche of pop past. There is a futuristic feel and a esoteric, eastern vibe running through the song which balances wonderfully with the solid, more familiar internal structures.

In short it is great, a vibrant pop vision, prophetic, poetic and perfect pairing of sound and vision. And if you can’t can wait to here more of the same then a whole album under the name The Kantele Tapes has just been released, make this the next thing on your musical shopping list.