The bell tolls and we're there: At three o'clock. Over and over and over and over again. That minute hand is stuck. It just won't click over. It's the afternoon, and we're working. And we are frozen in time. And though the clock's gone cold, we're still wiping the sweat off our brows. It's summer, the heat is on, and the air conditioning doesn't work in our office. And also we forgot to pack a lunch so we're kind of hungry…
To me, Inez Lightfoot's “Tooth and Nail” is all about the being-used-to of a mundane and uncomfortable life. Not that it's boring. But the track (and it's video accompaniment, really) spins a haunted drift, manifesting minutes of idle thought in tones of sepia-sameness that channel the ancient and wise. It also brings to mind the writings of William Morris, which might be a stretch, though in my collegiate days of yore I may have been able to argue the shit out of that one. But it's got something to do with artistic utility and how each and every fabricated object we produce as humans should have or strive towards concepts of beauty. Inez Lightfoot takes objects of mechanical fabrication—bells, an heirloom tube radio, and her proper instruments too (guitar, electronic keyboard, etc.)—and reconfigures their preset uses by channeling them through repetitious melodies and a ghostly aural space. Industry reduced to Earthly crumbs, dots of green sprouting from the mulch and the whole thing wallowing in a desperately stagnant emotional state.
Though I would very much like to believe that “Inez Lightfoot” is Ms. Lightfoot's real name.. it's just not. Ms. Lightfoot's name is actually Mrs. Jackie McDowell, and she's also in a project with her husband Mr. Matt McDowell called Sun Cycles. This is McDowell's first LP under the Inez Lightfoot guise, and Digitalis Industries gave us the drop on this debut video presentation from the forthcoming release of Familiars, which is part of the label's new series of super-limited (all in editions of 100-150 tops) vinyl offerings. “Tooth and Nail” is also streamable on Digitalis' Bandcamp, and check the label's snazzy new website for ordering details.
….And then at the end, there's those birds…
Can you hear them?
It's finally 3:01.
Inez Lightfoot – “Tooth and Nail” from Inez Lightfoot on Vimeo.
