Recently announced Harvest headliners Sigur Rós, have unveiled anther short in their new ‘mystery film experiment’ featuring Hollywood actor, Shia LeBeouf going all arty (re: naked) for the very not safe for work clip.
NME reports today that the Transformers and Disturbia star performs in the video for the Icelandic quartet’s “Fjögur píanó” (Four Pianos), the near-eight-minute closing track from the group’s latest and seventh studio album, Valtari.
Directed by Award-winning documentarian, Alma Har’el, the video depicts LeBeouf (along with an elfin beauty) in various states of emotional distress, physical duress and – most controversially – undress. Har’el’s interpretation of “Fjögur píanó” follows an impressionistic narrative of “a man and woman locked in a never-ending cycle of addiction and desire.”
The video is the third in what the celestial Icelandic group have dubbed ‘The Valtari Mystery Film Experiment” which, according to the band’s website, gives several filmmakers “the same modest budget and asked them to create whatever comes into their head when they listen to songs from the band’s new album valtari.”Adding that the idea behind the project is “to bypass the usual artistic approval process and allow people utmost creative freedom.”
Bassist Georg Holm spoke to NME about the latest, Shia LeBeouf-starring entrant into their visual campaign, noting that originally Alma Har’el had planned on filming a standard performance video “on super 8 in Iceland… playing the piano lines from the song,” says Holm. Eventually after meeting the Hollywood actor, plans were changed “and that was the last we heard of the concept and she told us nothing about what was going on,” recalls the bassist.
“At first I didn’t know what to make of the video,” continued Holm, “because it is so full of ideas and confusion. But now I completely love it. It seems to have no beginning and no end, and just makes you think about what might and might not be going on. It’s a puzzle and I think it’s absolutely amazing.”
Alma Har’el’s visual take on “Fjögur píanó” follows on from Inga Birgisdóttir’s film for “Varúð” and Ragnar Kjartansson’s clip for “ég Anda” in May. The rest of the remaining eleven films in the ‘mystery film experiment’ are scheduled to be released directly, complete with director’s notes, through Sigur Rós’ website throughout the rest of the year.
Right through to November 19th, which handily coincides with the ethereal musicians’ appearance at Harvest Festival 2012, which unfortunately will be without fellow bandmate Kjartan Svensson – following reports that he’s retiring from touring commitments for the time being.
You can watch the “Fjögur píanó” video starring Shia Le-In-The-Buff below:
