As trendy as psych-rock revivalism has been throughout this century, Immaterial Possession is among the few bands among their contemporaries who never waver into gimmickry or empty homage. The Athens, Georgia–based collective’s sophomore album Mercy of the Crane Folk feels authentically removed from its modern setting both in the music’s rough textures (they have ties to the Elephant 6 collective) and in the visual accompaniments rolled out alongside the record.
The latest of which comes paired with the LP’s title track, a vintage-hued epic central to the album’s broader narrative. “‘Mercy of the Crane Folk’ is a Sisyphean tale of feeding a persuasive ghost that never gets full,” the band cryptically shares of the ramshackle track. “The song takes you on an apocalyptic, spiraling journey with a moment of relief by a great old tree.”
This journey gets illustrated with a playful visual which recalls the experimental film movement of the 1970s as its narrative devolves into a bad trip. Elucidates the band: “Up in a tower, high above the sea, a hungry sorcerer and his sprucely dressed understudy engage in a magical ritual…gone awry.”
Watch it all unfold below.
