Guy Blakeslee - “Smile On” (Official Video)

Guy Blakeslee is best known for fronting LA psych-rock trio the Entrance Band (formerly Entrance), but he released his first solo album in a decade, Ophelia Slowly, last summer. Today, he shares a Vice Cooler-directed video for the churning, midtempo track “Smile On.” Offering a markedly rawer, more stripped-down sound than the dense rock soundscapes of the Entrance Band, on “Smile On” Blakeslee yelps over twangy acoustic and electric guitar lines with a simple drum and shaker scheme low in the mix. The visuals are somewhat haunting early, but they end on a brighter note that matches the triumphant feel of the song. In black-and-white rewind, the video opens at Blakeslee’s fictional funeral with dark, black imagery, and progressively brightens, concluding with Blakeslee in a white suit and shirt basking in bright light, comfortable with his impending death.