Emily Haines (Metric, and Broken Social Scene) has been ramping up the release of her first album in ten years with her third single and new video "Statuette" under her solo project Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. Justin Broadbent, who designed all the visuals related to the album, also collaborated with Haines on the "Statuette" video. "Statuette", with its laid back bossa nova beat, is a glimmering, gossamer track that brings something new to her solo sound. The album, entitled Choir of the Mind is due for release on September 15th via Last Gang Records.
The interplay between Haines' chords and melodies is just as soul crushing as ever, but here she takes it up a notch by riding that infectious rhythm through the whole song and bringing an added airiness to her vocals (you probably didn't think it was possible, but it was). Things get even dreamier in the bridge with a glittery chain of cascading notes that descend over everything like a cluster of diamonds slipping out of a hand. In the video we see ultra wavy VHS footage of Haines at some sort of uncomfortable and demeaning audition, intercut with her jamming out to her song in the studio, which may suggest some kind of dialogue between herself in varying positions of power, or between herself and others in positions of power, or both. Halfway through, the music stops abruptly to reveal the scene's dialogue, in which the man behind the camera explains that they want to see "how her body moves…for the role". Later on, images of Haines removing her shirt are superimposed with her, shirt-on, continuing her dance.
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