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Apr 26, 2018 FAN By Christopher Roberts

Meric Long, longtime frontman for the duo The Dodos, is releasing Barton’s Den, a new solo album as FAN, his first full-length under that name, on May 4 via Polyvinyl. Now he has shared a video for another new song from the album, “What a Mistake.” Charles Villyard directed the video, which features Long singing the song on various TV and laptop screens, many in public places. At one point Long is walking down a street at night and is followed by a man with a pixilated face, perhaps his digital copy? Watch it below.

Long had this to say about the video and song in a press release: “The song is about communicating with someone after they’re gone, through the imprint they’ve left on some object that they once owned.”

The press release says the video was inspired by The Little Screens, “an art installation of photographs of 1960’s TV sets by Lee Friedlander.”

Previously Long shared the album’s first single and opening track, “Bob1.” Last September “Fire” was one of our Songs of the Week and that song is also featured on the album. Then there was another song from the album, “Velour,” shared via a video featuring lots of roller skating.

Following the death of his father and the birth of his first child, Long had decided to put The Dodos and his music career on hold, but couldn’t resist the calling of music. One motivation was the two synthesizers (a Yamaha AX60 and a Realistic Concertmate MG-1) he inherited from his dad that he began playing just for fun, which eventually led to FAN.

“I’ve had a lot of regret about not overcoming the space that existed between us,” said Long about his father, in a previous press release. “I would have liked to get to know him more. I think working with the synths he passed on was a way to continue the conversation.”

The album sessions began in Galicia, Spain, where he spent two weeks alone at his mother-in-law’s cottage in the woods. Then during a blizzard in Portland he spent a week holed up in a basement recording. Finally the album was recorded at night after his daughter had been put to bed, in a soundproofed Oakland garage dubbed Barton’s Den after Long’s middle name, hence the album title.

Long also had this to say about the album: “I have such a specific approach to guitar, and have been doing it for so long that breaking away from that felt like a huge, scary leap.”

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