Seamus Fogarty – “Van Gogh’s Ear” (Singles Going Steady)

Tristan Kneschke: Seamus Fogarty is assailed with dreams of Van Gogh, which reads as a parable for the frustrating artistic process.

The quirky music video features a unique animation style and jittery speed to convey the style of our subconscious, but also Fogarty’s anxieties. That is underscored at the beginning of the video, where he lacks ideas. Seamus is dumbfounded by the circus, a passive spectator in a bizarre Felliniesque procession. Characters with long Pinocchio noses flit in and out of the scenes as he dreams, and Fogarty seems to wonder: is an artist a liar if they’re never found out? Ideas as muses and tricksters alike taunt him, and by the end, Fogarty realizes it’s just a matter of doing the work or succumbing to the madness as a certain painter did. [8/10]

Ian Rushbury: Tremendous. Just the right amount of whimsy to make it sweet but not sickening. Fiddles and banjos may be so 2012, but Seamus Fogarty is bringing them back. The lyrics are great — funny and weird, which is generally a great combination. A very laconic vocal delivery is the glace cherry on this cupcake. Oh, and the video is brilliant. [8/10]

Adriane Pontecorvo: Thoughtfully surreal imagery gives Seamus Fogarty’s earthy folk music an airy touch in the whimsy-tinged video for “Van Gogh’s Ear”. Throughout the track, Fogarty always has the hint of a sigh in his voice, and that makes the stories he tells sound all the more sincere. This is perfect music for warm, sleepless nights when all you can do is wander. [7/10]

William Nesbitt: I suspect this is one of those videos that we are supposed to think has a bunch of deep symbolism with fencers, food sitting inside of an oversized ear — yeah, I know, it’s supposed to be Van Gogh’s — along with a guy with a long nose playing a tiny violin and, later, a massive violin. It gets one’s attention, I suppose, but I don’t think there’s much more to it than what we see. And why do we get what look like Picasso ripoffs in a video about Van Gogh? This is a poor man’s Primus video. Oh, and I’m not really into the music or vocals either, both of which ride the middle of the line. It’s Van Gogh, damn it; I want something that sounds tragic and brings on the vapors. [5/10]

SCORE: 7.00