Alice the G00n’s single “CYA” has enjoyed considerable chart success, and she’s poised it for even greater heights with the recent release of its accompanying music video. Directed and conceptualized by Alice, the action-packed clip reflects a full-on effort to capture realistic physical action balanced with her artistic ambitions in footage that has no clear equal. The video for “CYA” fleshes out the song’s story of one tough ass-kicker dispensing with corporate evil-doers who dehumanize Alice and bemoan her bad attitude. The eye-popping array of visuals she calls upon to dramatize this story is rife with symbols and an abundance of color that will please nearly any viewer.
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Much of the responsibility for that falls in Alice’s lap. She worked, however, with a first-class team of collaborators to pull this off. Her work with Stunt Coordinator Frank Trigg and Assistant Stunt Coordinator Samantha Epstein proved crucial to the video’s success. Alice and Trigg worked to ensure the fight sequences come off right, and they are nothing less than convincing. Alice’s innate talent for executing the action due to her martial arts training makes the movements second nature. However, Trigg and Epstein’s input helped steer her toward performing them safely, and Alice adapted wonderfully.
She likewise shows herself to be a natural director. Familiar techniques are powering this video, knowledgeable viewers will see jump cuts galore, but the clip moves at a confident and steady pace that does not betray even a hint of amateurism. A further indication of her confidence as a director comes from her deft insertion of imagery at well-timed moments during the video. These brief additions to the clip are not high-flown or difficult to understand. They add a great deal to the viewing experience without ever drawing undue attention to their presence.
Alice the G00n wisely tailors the clip and its edits to the movement of the music. This helps put the video and song across as a collected work rather than two mediums ramrodded together, and the fluid interplay unfolds naturally. Nothing ever looks or feels forced. Even the lulls in the track find reflection in the visual accompaniment with short breaks in the action that serve as “bridges” between individual set pieces. She ties everything together without any visible “holes”.
There is nothing that screams “indie” about the song or video. “CYA” and its promo clip revel in the same high-gloss polish we’d expect from any mainline act, and the special effects never smack of low-budget considerations. Alice the G00n’s “CYA” video will rejuvenate the staying power of a track that’s already more than several cuts above your typical electronic pop fare and stands on its own as an aggressive and entertaining visual work worthy of repeat viewing. It bodes well for Alice’s future as well; it is impossible to imagine we won’t enjoy similar creativity with “CYA”’s successors for many years to come. She is more than a musical force to reckon with now, and “CYA” serves notice of that in a way you cannot and will not ignore.
Kim Muncie