Just because a music project is on a humble budget and still flying under the radar, that doesn’t mean it can’t be ambitious. Just look at this album cycle from Boston’s Palehound, the music project from Ellen Kempner that is hardly a household name. But, her lack of exposure hasn’t kept her from reaching far with her music videos, which included the marijuana and wrestling-inspired clip for “Flowing Over” and the more artistic, contemplative visuals for “If You Met Her.”
Now, nearly a year after her album’s release, she’s back with another bold music video, this time for the track “Carnations.” In the clip, Kempner is flanked by a ton of dancers, all dressed in the same garb as the singer. Kempner avoids doing the moves herself, instead letting the choreography sprawl out like a sort of alter ego, making its biggest movements when the song explodes to a guitar-blasting hook. Directed by Robert Kolodny, this Palehound video feels like the culmination of extravagant visuals, practically begging someone to just bankroll Kempner’s ideas and see what kind of visual magic she can create.
Check out the video for Palehound’s “Carnations” above and look for her album, A Place I’ll Always Go, out now.
