Will Shenton
Like the music itself, Michael Hix's new video for "Nomad" is one that slowly resolves itself out of an abstract haze. Pairing beautifully with the vaguely retrofuturist synths and nostalgic ambience of his debut LP, Pneuma, Linfa Ologramma's visuals are transportive. Beginning with an array of heavily distorted black and white patterns (perhaps a tunnel, perhaps a road, perhaps the surface of a lake), it's nearly a minute before we see something recognizable: the artist's face, his hand somewhat theatrically holding a small object in front of one eye.
Upon returning to those earlier pointillist kaleidoscopes, we see that they're more tangible than at first glance. A flock of birds, deer frolicking in a meadow, and silhouettes of mountains against the sky paint a bucolic scene with dated but nonetheless technological brushstrokes. There are only a few, brief moments of color in the video, and even then they are muted and seemingly struggle to assert themselves against the monochrome. The effect is haunting and melancholy.
"Nomad" seems at its most complete in this audiovisual format. What may have blended seamlessly with the other tracks on the album is granted a narrative—however ambiguous it may be—of movement and transformation. It expands the scope of an already captivating song, and leaves the viewer hoping for more of these multimedia forays.