Music Blues - “The Great Depression” (Official Video)

Music Blues is the solo project of Stephen Tanner, bassist for sludge metal stalwarts Harvey Milk. His debut album, Things Haven’t Gone Well — written after the death of a longtime friend, drummer Jerry Fuchs — is coming next month. We’ve already heard first single “91771,” and “The Great Depression” is another slab of ominous heaviness. The song begins with a high drone that descends into portentous guitar noise, builds to a crushing crescendo, and then abruptly drops out, riding a slow, uneasy groove to its conclusion. The split-screen video appropriates and juxtaposes seemingly disconnected clips of entertainment and violence, crafting a disturbing collage of cultural detritus. Nothing about this looks or sounds happy.