If you think back to the heyday of music videos, when you didn’t have to go up to MTV 4 to watch a block of them, you’ll remember a certain genre: the sort of “band on the run” montage. It’s been employed by all of the rock greats, usually with a hazy finish, giving viewers a dreamy, nostalgic version of their gritty yet glamorous lives. That video formula got a little tired by the late nineties, but its disappearance has made its resurgence through The Ludlow Thieves all the more welcome.
This throwback to simpler times when a video focused on the music and the band, period, is the perfect match for The Ludlow Thieves and their song “World Completely.” The Ludlow Thieves are good old fashioned, folksy rock and roll, with sing-along melodies, driving choruses, masterful harmonies and soulful guitar solos. The band, themselves, say that their sound is “equally at home in Brooklyn and Nashville.” It’s that sort of timeless rock that could never be in or out of style; it exists for the people who will always want something simultaneously catchy and powerful, with lyrics they can turn to and relate to.
The “World Completely” video, directed by Chase Gilbertson, has a retro, home-video feel to it, as it bounces from performance footage to shots of the band just hanging out backstage, on the street and on the beach. It depicts the lives of these band members as being intertwined and revolving around their music, something that rings true for The Ludlow Thieves. The authenticity makes the video feel like a demonstration of their dedication rather than a cheesy homage to ambition they don’t fully have. It romanticizes the bohemian life of a band rising in New York, which complements the inspiring chorus of the song. Raspy-voiced lead singer Danny Musengo sings “Come on and raise your head up, every little lost child, holding onto stars, at the Chinatown bus stop.” You feel like the band is trying to reach out to every kid dreaming of moving to New York and starting a band with this song and video, a powerful one-two punch in “give your life to music” motivation. It’s hard to listen to that anthemic hook while watching shots of The Ludlow Thieves killing it onstage or having fun together offstage and not want to walk out of your home/office/school right now and start a band.
Article by: Courtney Iseman
