The 5:34 minutes it takes to watch the video for ‘Their love…’, the latest from accomplished Nova Scotia producer Joshua Van Tassel, are a worthwhile investment in humanity.
The video largely consists of footage of a woman and a man, sitting opposite one another on a white sofa, lovingly staring into each other’s eyes. It’s beautiful. It’s real. Whether by feat of acting or the exact capture of true emotion. The intention is clear to anyone with a pulse, and it would still be so without an established context, or even music. Fifteen seconds in he offers her his hand, and she takes it, and they never let go because honestly why would you.
Do your soul a favour and watch it.
The music itself starts with a simple motif in a two-chord sequence, minor fourth to major root. It’s played on a piano, rich in echo and recorded with plenty of the mechanical sounds intact, making for a rich, intimate setting.
The first chord offers a sense of tension, loneliness, the unknown. The second is warm and grounded, sprinkled with wonder in the form of a playful raised fifth. These motifs are built upon throughout the track, using clever harmonization techniques and bringing in more voices, most of them strings. As the song progresses the tension part becomes more and more infused with hope, eventually gaining a stepping tone towards the calm resolution. The final resolution is grand and fades into a collapsing echo and a ghostly imprint of the original motif. A look onto the beyond, perhaps.
The video opens with the following text:
“Every day we are exposed to scenes of despair, ugliness, and struggle. Our minds and hearts need some replenishment, and what better way to get it that to look into the eyes of someone we love?”
I kind of wish it wasn’t there, chiefly because as I mentioned the scene is powerful enough to stand on its own. You could also argue that while yes, every day we are exposed to a lot of misfortune, we are also exposed to the type of kindness and wonder the video represents so well. In fact it made me think of those precious times in life when you catch moments of love out in The World, either in observing others or by the best fortune of participating yourself.
But that’s a minor complaint (and an easy edit, wink). Seriously, stop what you’re doing and go watch “Their Love Was Alive Before They Were Dead.”