My bubba – “Charm” Video (Stereogum Premiere)
My bubba comprises a pair of Scandinavian women named My (pronounced “me,” from Sweden) and Bubba (pronounced “bubba,” from Iceland). Will Oldham collaborator Shahzad Ismaily recorded their forthcoming album Big Bad Good at his Brooklyn studio on the spot as the songs were written. They’re selling it via PledgeMusic, with bonus perks including handwritten lyric sheets, a personal concert via Skype, and authentic bacteria from My and Bubba sampled during the recording sessions (for real).
The album includes the wonderfully intimate ballad “Charm,” an ABBA-referencing beauty that today gets an appropriately placid and minimal video. A sunlight beach plays host to a carnival, a prancing deer, and a helicopter hovering over the water, but all the noise you’d expect to hear is stripped away in favor of gentle cooing and gorgeous guitar work. It’s as if you’re wandering through the world with headphones on, blocking out the chaos in favor of serenity. Here’s some background on the song from My:
The lyrics are the CliffsNotes of my unauthorized autobiography. We shot the video on Bubba’s birthday. We wanted to make a dance piece filmed as a documentary and blockbuster at the same time. Bubba plays herself on her birthday and the deer plays me and the helicopter plays the part of Napoleon Bonaparte at the battle of Waterloo.
“Charm” is available now at iTunes. Big Bad Good is out 4/15. Pre-order it at PledgeMusic.