John Grant 'Pale Green Ghosts' by Alex Southam

John Grant, author of the wonderful and amazing Queen Of Denmark album a couple of years ago (that produced a couple of great videos by Casey and Ewan), is back with a new record for 2013. And, evidently a new bigger, cinematic sound, if lead-off single Pale Green Ghosts is anything to go by. It has certainly inspired a suitably cinematic, and enigmatic video by Alex Southam. Grant is a compelling, brooding presence throughout, and entirely in keeping with his largely autobiographical songwriting, appears racked by inner demons, as he drives onto Dartmoor, and starts digging – apparently to dispose of the object in the boot of the car... But a distinct storyline remains tantalisingly out of reach...

"The idea behind the video I suppose was to create a deconstructed/abstracted narrative which was very much left open to interpretation by the viewer," says Alex Southam. "I wanted to use longer edits, lingering on John's performance plus repetition to underpin a sense of autophobia and self-loathing - which if you know anything about John Grant could be interpreted as pretty close to the bone."

John Grant Pale Green Ghosts (Bella Union) Director: Alex Southam Producer: Imogen Rigby DP: Paul Newton Commissioner: Simon Raymonde Special Thanks: Hello Media Representation: OBmanagement