The opening shot of David Ramos’ new clip for “Still There” is an intimate one: an old music box projects its tinny melodies, opening to reveal a jewel-studded cross, hidden away as if for years. When we finally see Ramos, sitting on an old rocking chair in a state of introspective desolation, that intimacy morphs to sadness. Ramos, whose grandmother passed away two years ago, sits alone in what appears to be his grandmother’s home, surrounded by trinkets, photographs, and above all, the growing gravity of loss. “All of your things are still here,” he deadpans. “All of your clothes are still here, along with your hair in your comb.” It’s a trip into that strange space between presence and absence, where seemingly meaningless objects — music boxes, half-empty medicine bottles — morph into relics that help us to heal and remember. The track is upbeat, with a driving, 8-bit undercurrent, but it’s clear that this cathartic track was born out of a sense of loss many of us know all too well. The former Busdriver drummer is in pain, sure: but his sorrow is our own, and this heartfelt little video is proof of music’s ability to help us make sense of the unsensible — to look at that music box, through the brain fog and the tears, and smile.
David Ramos’ Sento La Tua Mancanza is out May 29 on Fake Four.
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