It's not every day that a video enriches a song. But Mexican artist Chetes' video for his new single "Arena" goes above and beyond to be the exception. A Monterrey-native, indie pop/rock musician Gerardo Garza (Chetes is his stage name) is not just a rising star of the Mexican alternative rock scene. He's worked with Ken Coomer, former drummer for Wilco and Uncle Tupelo, on his debut solo album "Bianco Facil" in Nashville in 2005. Additionally, he played with two Mexican bands, Zurdok and Vaquero before embarking on his solo journey.
The son of the founder of Mexican rock group Los Rockers, Garza has honed his musical ear well enough to mix and produce his third solo album, "Hipnosis," on his independent music label MUM. The artist's premier album released in the U.S., this is the third component of Garza's musical portfolio, which also includes "Bianco Facil" (2006) and "Effecto Domino" (2008).
"Arena"
Chetes' single "Arena" has an enticing video with a mysterious story. The image of the three-chapter piece was adjusted to trick the mind into thinking it was shot a few decades ago. Not only does it mimic a silent film for roughly seven minutes, through the grainy image, antiquated colors, the wide screen yielded by the 8 MM film it was shot on and the sound of the film reel playing in the background. It begins with a striking image of words on a black screen, "Somos la luz y la oscuridad, pintados en el cielo y enterrados en el suelo para siempre" ("We are the light and the darkness, painted on the sky and buried in the earth forever").
The first section of the video, "La Carretera" ("the Road") begins with a blue sky that meets the earth at the horizon and a young woman wearing the feminine version of John Lennon's shades who looks back at the road, hair blowing in the air. She's sitting on the passenger's seat of a convertible car speeding on a desert highway, next to a young man whom she occasionally teases with touches and kisses. Meanwhile, Chetes' song plays in the background, like the soundtrack of an old love story, which gives the video an old movie feel.
There's a certain distance between the two people, reinforced in Chetes' lyrics. For instance, although he is driving on an open desert road, the man doesn't always respond to the woman's affections, as if he were an Atlas with shoulders weighed down by a world of worries. The telltale sign that the passion between the two people is fading is the body language conveyed in the images that end this section of the video. You can almost hear the woman's silent pleas, trying to convince him not to let their love go, as he looks somberly at the road.
A red-orange screen reminiscent of the color of a burning, mid-afternoon desert sun, the sound of the film reel and the words "El Deserto" ("The Desert"), announce the second chapter. On top of a mound of stones, the woman, with her blond hair and flowery dress fluttering in the desert wind, stands with her arms crossed, looking down at him. He sits, his head facing the ground. There are no words, but one can almost hear her admonishing him for letting the love slip away, while the sound of the desert wind blowing provides the background noise.
Chetes continues to provide the soundtrack for this story, as the couple battle with their feelings and try to reach a compromise in an arena of emotions. They stop the car, sit separately, try to escape each other, and by the end of this section of the video, they kiss and make up.
As the second chapter ends, the sound becomes dissonant, while a black screen announces the final part of the video "La Noche" ("The Night"). Soon, the painful disharmony becomes a loud, ominous tune reminiscent of the melodies that signal danger in old movies. Then, a James Bond-like theme overhauls the sound, while the white convertible rolls along the desert road, submerging in the crepuscular sunset.
There are no words in this last part of the video depicted in psychedelic lights created by artificial lighting, distorting the night. It's a sight reminiscent of a witches' midnight dance. One bares witness to the lovers' passion, as they kiss with gusto, she runs, he's shirtless, they wonder aimlessly into the night. Meanwhile, the Bond-like theme plays on repeat, punctuated by a synthetic sound, signaling danger. Where are they going? Why are they there? Watch the video and find out.
Chetes - "Arena"
Hipnósis
Release Date: May 2010
Label: EMI Mexico
The son of the founder of Mexican rock group Los Rockers, Garza has honed his musical ear well enough to mix and produce his third solo album, "Hipnosis," on his independent music label MUM. The artist's premier album released in the U.S., this is the third component of Garza's musical portfolio, which also includes "Bianco Facil" (2006) and "Effecto Domino" (2008).
"Arena"
Chetes' single "Arena" has an enticing video with a mysterious story. The image of the three-chapter piece was adjusted to trick the mind into thinking it was shot a few decades ago. Not only does it mimic a silent film for roughly seven minutes, through the grainy image, antiquated colors, the wide screen yielded by the 8 MM film it was shot on and the sound of the film reel playing in the background. It begins with a striking image of words on a black screen, "Somos la luz y la oscuridad, pintados en el cielo y enterrados en el suelo para siempre" ("We are the light and the darkness, painted on the sky and buried in the earth forever").
The first section of the video, "La Carretera" ("the Road") begins with a blue sky that meets the earth at the horizon and a young woman wearing the feminine version of John Lennon's shades who looks back at the road, hair blowing in the air. She's sitting on the passenger's seat of a convertible car speeding on a desert highway, next to a young man whom she occasionally teases with touches and kisses. Meanwhile, Chetes' song plays in the background, like the soundtrack of an old love story, which gives the video an old movie feel.
There's a certain distance between the two people, reinforced in Chetes' lyrics. For instance, although he is driving on an open desert road, the man doesn't always respond to the woman's affections, as if he were an Atlas with shoulders weighed down by a world of worries. The telltale sign that the passion between the two people is fading is the body language conveyed in the images that end this section of the video. You can almost hear the woman's silent pleas, trying to convince him not to let their love go, as he looks somberly at the road.
A red-orange screen reminiscent of the color of a burning, mid-afternoon desert sun, the sound of the film reel and the words "El Deserto" ("The Desert"), announce the second chapter. On top of a mound of stones, the woman, with her blond hair and flowery dress fluttering in the desert wind, stands with her arms crossed, looking down at him. He sits, his head facing the ground. There are no words, but one can almost hear her admonishing him for letting the love slip away, while the sound of the desert wind blowing provides the background noise.
Chetes continues to provide the soundtrack for this story, as the couple battle with their feelings and try to reach a compromise in an arena of emotions. They stop the car, sit separately, try to escape each other, and by the end of this section of the video, they kiss and make up.
As the second chapter ends, the sound becomes dissonant, while a black screen announces the final part of the video "La Noche" ("The Night"). Soon, the painful disharmony becomes a loud, ominous tune reminiscent of the melodies that signal danger in old movies. Then, a James Bond-like theme overhauls the sound, while the white convertible rolls along the desert road, submerging in the crepuscular sunset.
There are no words in this last part of the video depicted in psychedelic lights created by artificial lighting, distorting the night. It's a sight reminiscent of a witches' midnight dance. One bares witness to the lovers' passion, as they kiss with gusto, she runs, he's shirtless, they wonder aimlessly into the night. Meanwhile, the Bond-like theme plays on repeat, punctuated by a synthetic sound, signaling danger. Where are they going? Why are they there? Watch the video and find out.
Chetes - "Arena"Hipnósis
Release Date: May 2010
Label: EMI Mexico
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