You can use White Chalk to mark up a wall, but an equally enjoyable obsessive-compulsive art project is making collages from porno magazines. The latter's the focus of the Maria Mochnacz video for PJ Harvey's "The Piano," the second single from that amazing new record. The song has the claustrophobia of the first single "When Under Ether," but amps it to a flurry. The video fits that frantic mood perfectly: Naked bodies -- black strips covering the naughty parts -- form hearts and landslides, while words to the song "oh, god I miss you," "skeleton, "fingers," "limbs" flit over top. The fans at YouTube don't seem to like it much, but the high-school animation seems to be the point, right? This is something a lonesome kid makes in her room, banging out D.I.Y. therapy. Heavy! Recognize any of those faces?
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Thanks Teco Apple for the tip. It's a little fuzzy, but you can take a slightly crisper Windows Media look over at Harvey's site. In either version, note that shadowy figure to the left of the action ... it provides a kinda separate narrative. Or, you can watch the song live.
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White Chalk is out now on Island.
