English trip-hop stalwarts Massive Attack just released three new songs to tide fans over until the full-length follow-up to 2010’s Heligoland: “Dear Friend,” “The Spoils,” which features Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval, and the Ghostpoet collaboration “Come Near Me,” which was introduced along with a gorgeous video. According to Pitchfork, the clip, directed by Ed Morris, features Kosovan actress Arta Dobroshi and British actor Jonathan Aris as a couple navigating some pretty extreme intimacy issues. It’s the latest sure-shot music video from a band famous for them, having been one of the first artists to work with video visionary Michel Gondry.
In an inversion of the song’s title, Morris’ clip finds the two actors standing some distance apart, with her taking a huge step back each time he takes one forward as they wind through the city. It’s either a symbol of a woman’s trouble growing emotionally attached to her beau, or Dobroshi’s character is going out of her way to follow the letter of the restraining order against her while disregarding the spirit of it. In any case, it’s a beautiful clip, the kind they don’t make as much as they used to. The songs and video are all available on Fantom, the iPhone app Massive Attack used to distribute January’s Ritual Spirit EP.
