Mirror (multimedia project)
Encyclopedia
MIRROR
MIRROR is a music and video performance project created by Thomas AnselmiThomas Anselmi
Thomas Anselmi was the lead singer with Canadian bands Slow and Copyright . He is currently the creative force behind the multi-media project MIRROR.-Slow:...
. Formed in 2003, the project is based in Los Angeles, California and Vancouver, Canada.
The project was created by Thomas Anselmi
Thomas Anselmi
Thomas Anselmi was the lead singer with Canadian bands Slow and Copyright . He is currently the creative force behind the multi-media project MIRROR.-Slow:...
, former singer for Copyright
Copyright (band)
Copyright was a Canadian alternative rock band, active in the 1990s. The band was launched by vocalist Thomas Anselmi and guitarist Christian Thorvaldson, former members of the short-lived and controversial punk rock band Slow, with new bassist Eric Marxsen and drummer Pete Bourne.Initially, the...
and Slow
Slow (band)
Slow is a Canadian punk rock band that started in the mid-1980's. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the band consisted of vocalist Thomas Anselmi, guitarist Christian Thorvaldson, bassist Stephen Hamm and drummer Terry Russell...
. Anselmi spent three years creating MIRROR's self titled debut album, which was produced without record-company involvement. While working on the album, Anselmi worked in tandem on a stage show that incorporated live video production and multiple cameras.
Album
The MIRROR album was released in 2009. It differs from Anselmi's prior punk and alt rock styles, containing semi-orchestral and cinematic elements. Anselmi says he was influenced by the soundtracks of David LynchDavid Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
films and by the aesthetics of pop music and television variety shows, particularly German Schlager.
The album was produced by former Grapes of Wrath band member Vincent Jones
Vincent Jones
Vincent Jones is a Canadian musician. He was a member of The Grapes of Wrath and Ginger, and a frequent collaborator with Lava Hay, a band which included Jones' former wife, Michele Gould....
. Anselmi and Jones were able to secure Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
singer Gahan for the lead track, "Nostalgia.". Additional performers and collaborators include singer Laure-Elaine, actress Frances Lawson, actor Joe Dallesandro
Joe Dallesandro
Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro , better known as Joe Dallesandro, is an American actor, and Warhol superstar. Although he never became a mainstream film star, Dallesandro is generally considered to be the most famous male sex symbol of American underground films of the 20th century, as well as a sex...
, painter/actor Ronan Boyle, synthesist Phil Western
Phil Western
Phil Western is a Vancouver-based musician who is a founding member of the bands Download, PlatEAU, Frozen Rabbit, and Off And Gone....
, pianist Mike Garson
Mike Garson
Mike Garson is an American pianist, most notable for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Free Flight, and The Smashing Pumpkins.- Early career :...
, guitarist Knox Chandler
Knox Chandler
Knox Chandler is mostly known as a session guitarist and cellist, he has worked with such acts as Depeche Mode , Lori Carson, The Golden Palominos, The Psychedelic Furs, Ultra Vivid Scene, The Creatures and R.E.M....
, media artist and musician Haig Armen, and film director Sean Starke.
Video
A video for the lead track, “Nostalgia” was released. It was filmed on location in Poland and the Czech Republic. It combines archival footage with a live action performance. The video was directed by Sean Starke.The second video is "Greetings From Nowhere". It stars Frances Lawson performing the album's second song, "Nowhere". It was directed by Thomas Anselmi and Sean Starke, and filmed at the Salton Sea, California. The video contains a monologue not available on the album.