Algiers - “Blood” (Official Video)

Algiers are a Georgia gospel-spook trio who wield a double-edged sword of religion and politics to slice through the pasty, vapid mess of pop culture in America right now. In the video for “Blood” — only their second song ever — frontman Franklin James Fisher sits, barely restrained as he belts out the song’s dirge-like condemnations. Interspersed with Fisher’s coiled form are countless flashes of international violence and protest against racism, musicians in critical, dramatic moments of their career, and historical context that heavily concentrates on the tribulations that African Americans have faced in the US. The refrain of the song echoes over and over against a humming bassline, spartan drums, and throaty backing harmonies: “All my blood’s in vain.” It sounds less like a song and more like a living, breathing condemnation from God that crawled out of a swamp somewhere in the South to force America to face down its hideous past and pathetic political present.