One of my favorite modern artists is Scott Listfield, who’s work consists of a wandering astronaut viewing many of the wild and absurd parts of our country and culture. In her own way, power-pop songwriter Tamar Berk captures the spirit of Listfield’s art in the video for her latest single “Permanent Vacation”.
“I try to connect from the inside. I try to say I’m all right” Berk sings while dressed in an astronaut outfit, strumming a guitar on a crescent moon. The imagery calls to mind everything from George Melies’ A Trip to the Moon to the classic Dreamworks logo, while the lyrics evoke a sense of disconnection and alienation that we all certainly feel from time to time. One might expect a song like this to be drenched in melancholy.
Thankfully the bright, sunny track is a pop rock gem that flutters dreamily by over Berk’s blue sky vocals. Mariachi horns add a festive pomp to the track, as Berk shops and explores in her astronaut outfit, dancing for joy even as she sticks out in her location like a white human dot against the blackness of space.
You can stream the track from her album Tiny Injuries here, and watch the video at the top of the page!