Before hardcore and grunge invaded the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, weirdos like bedroom artist K. Leimer had free reign over the still parochial hinterlands. Using DIY recording methods and an overabundance of loops, Leimer and electronic artists like him presaged many of the conventions of modern electronic music, exploring every kind of bleep and bloop imaginable in the process. Now, some 30 odd years after the fact, the prolific electronic pioneer has a new video for his song “Lonely Boy”, which comes from his new compilation of previously unreleased tracks, A Period of Review (Original Recordings: 1975-1983). The “new” song is little more than a looped synth pad and piano with a sung-spoken vocal track, but Leimer’s skill lies in stretching these elements as far as they’ll go, which is surprisingly far.
The video features MGMT drummer Will Berman (who bears more than a passing resemblance to a young Leimer) eating disgusting-looking blue eggs, fluorescent red sausage, and beans on toast as he sings about his loneliness in a sad, kitschy kitchen. The video, which was directed by Ben Schecter and Tony Lowe, has a decidedly off-beat tone, complete with superimposed shots of Berman over food cooking and leaking colors, and lines up perfectly with the song. Check out the video above and look for A Period of Review on RVNG Intl.
