Theophilius London Pays Homage

Brooklyn-based songwriter/rapper/producer Theophilius London certainly isn’t shy when it comes to paying respect to artists that have influenced him. Prior to his debut LP ‘Timez Are Weird These Days’, London released ‘This Charming Mixtape’ (a play off The Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’), the cover of which is an exact likeness of Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model.

The video for I Stand Alone is no different. This time around, London pays homage to 1986′s True Stories, written, directed and starred in by David Byrne (of Talking Heads and general David Byrne fame). For most of the video, he actually is alone, posing in front of a green screen while decked out in quasi-cowboy garb similar to the styles worn in the aforementioned film. Later on, he is joined by a female accomplice, who questions his motives and ultimately ends up spewing arbitrary phrases— slightly uncomfortable Byrne-ian humor at it’s finest.

The song itself is bouncy, with the call of “I stand alone” emphatically and repeatedly chanted over a cranking synth that’s sure to be blaring out of the rooms of newly-single sorority girls near you this fall. The song finds a good match in the obscure-pop-culture-reference-laden video; the easily-accessible tune is balanced out by the eccentric, yet subtle, humor of the video. They work well together to produce a result that leaves you feeling amused, although you’re probably not too sure why you’re laughing.

Details

• Directed by

  Harrison Boyce, Nathaniel Brown

• Band

  Theophilius London