Kapland is a two-person band compromising of Koldo Uriarte and Alexandra Piñeiro Tew. The music producer and the actress/ singer met while touring with different musicians and recorded their first EP in 2011. Since that time they have released a few albums and have toured well regularly. A live action-animation hybrid music video accompanies their song Up In The Sky.
Before the review gets underway, the big question is this—is the band any good? Yeah, Kapland is fun. This one song, which, full disclosure, is the only one I’ve heard from them, is upbeat and catchy; not necessarily something I would listen to a lot, but far better than certain pop contemporaries currently charting in the USA. However, I say this knowing full well how extremely subjective music tastes are and expect to find folks who love them and those that tune it out as disposable bubblegum in equal measure.
Now, onto Up In The Sky proper. The animated music video comes from Cabeza Voladora Animation, specifically Arly Jones and Sami Natsheh. The short form story starts with the camera looking down over a modern city a rainy night. The muted, almost black and white coloring of the sky and urban landscape are interrupted by a girl in red boots and a red rain slicker walking the streets. The buildings are watching this girl on a trek to help a pigeon friend of hers.
“The buildings are watching this girl on a trek to help a pigeon…”
Meanwhile, electronic billboards scattered throughout showcase a live-action Alexandra Piñeiro Tew’s singing. Up in the sky, on a funky looking flying machine both band members are zipping about the air, keeping an eye on the young lass, ensuring her safety and showing her where to go via rainbow power. As this is a music video that is about all there as far as the plot is concerned.
No matter how one feels about Kapland as a band, I expect all can agree that this video is extraordinarily well animated. The girl has no dialogue, nor is she ever the one singing any of the lyrics, but her emotions come through her facial expressions and body language quite well. The city looks neat, especially the eyes on the buildings, which gives everything a slightly menacing vibe. The use of electronic billboards as a means of highlighting the band when on the ground is quite the clever use of such an iconic form of advertising.
The live-action elements are integrated well with the splendid animation and the story here, as much as it has one, is effectively heartwarming. Kapland is a good band and Up In The Sky is an excellent, gorgeously animated music video. That is enough, and it is absolutely worth the five minutes of your time.
Up In The Sky (2019) Directed by Arly Jones, Sami Natsheh. Written by Kapland. Starring Koldo Uriartel, Alexandra Piñeiro Tew.
9 out of 10 Rainbows
