With a damning critique of art exploitation in a capitalist world, Vanderwolf is new to our blog with his single, Twice in a Lifetime.
By Graeme Smith
Pairing passionate vocals with a gradually building indie rock instrumental, Twice in a Lifetime instantly grabs one’s attention and doesn’t let go. There’s a brightness to it that hides its serious, poetic story of the mythologisation and exploitation of musicians and artists in capitalist culture, paying tribute to the likes of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
The track comes complete with a video made by filmmaker George Panagakos.
“I decided to approach this video more literally than I would normally consider, but it felt like the best way to put this tale on screen,” Vanderwolf explains. “I reached out to New York filmmaker George Panagakos and asked if he could interpret the narrative through animation. He did not disappoint. Scorsese had Last Temptation of Christ, Terry Jones had Life of Brian, and we’ve got Twice in a Lifetime.”
I’ve been talking a lot about glam rock recently and there are elements of it in this single too. In that regard, Vanderwolf seem to be on the vanguard of the revival.
Twice in a Lifetime is out now and you can give it a listen below.