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Jul 17, 2018 By Christopher Roberts The Decemberists

The Decemberists released a new album, I’ll Be Your Girl, back in March via Capitol. Now they have shared a video for one of the album’s highlights, “Once In My Life.” Autumn de Wilde directed the video, which stars her seven-foot-two-inches tall brother Jacob de Wilde as a guardian angel of sorts. He dances around Los Angeles at night and along the way helps some people in emotional distress. Watch the affecting video below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

The Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy had this to say about the video in a press release:

“We were searching for a video idea for ‘Once In My Life’ that would somehow capture the spirit of the song. In my mind, the song is a meditation, a plea to the cosmos that I imagine everyone, at some point or another, has made. We asked our old friend and collaborator Autumn de Wilde to pitch an idea and she came to us with a simple but powerful story: a depiction of her brother Jacob, a man who has lived with physical and intellectual differences his entire life, dancing in the streets of Los Angeles. The song, in this light, becomes more than just a ‘celebration of sadness,’ (which I have sometimes called it) but suddenly a longing holler to the universe against one’s perceived otherness.

“This idea is particularly close to me as I’ve witnessed how the world sees my son Hank, who is autistic. When I’m out in public with Hank, I’m acutely aware of the world’s attachment to social and behavioral norms; in these situations, Hank’s otherness can suddenly be put in stark relief. Through the lens of Jacob’s joyful and defiant movement in Autumn’s video, we see a man shrugging off the constraints of an unaccommodating and judgmental world and truly reveling in his body and mind.”

Autumn de Wilde (who shot Elliott Smith’s iconic Figure 8 album cover, among many other things), issued this statement about the video:

“My brother Jacob is 7’2”.
His feet are size 22.
He has Auditory Processing Disorder.
He likes to dress up as Chewbacca.
He is not a basketball player.
This video is my love letter to him.

“My mother said to me recently when we were talking about the way the people tend to react to Jacob, someone who looks and sounds extraordinarily different from their opinion of what normal is: ‘When we see someone new or different, we have to stop thinking about ourselves for a moment in order to really experience them. As humans, we tend to want to put our fingerprints all over other people.’

“The Decemberists’ song ‘Once In My Life’ is the song I needed when I was young…. when I felt stared at, mocked or unseen for my heart and mind. Jacob also had an immediate emotional reaction to the song when I played it for him the first time. I had been wanting to explore a creative collaboration with my brother for a while, and this was the perfect song.

“I have a very strong connection to Hank Meloy, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’ son, who is autistic. He has very much inspired my mind and imagination as an artist and a thinker. Although Jacob and Hank’s bodies and diagnosis are very different, Jacob, Hank, and all of us who look different, sound different, or think different have a connection in our experience of otherness. There are many of us who feel sometimes like we live in a sort of dollhouse for the wrong doll, but our perspective can shift dramatically when we realize, in fact, that our difference has simply redefined the space we are in. My brother is in his 40s and his long journey to achieve the comfort and understanding in how he moves, communicates, and connects to others is inspiring to me. Self-love and acceptance are the real superpowers waiting for all of us.

“Everyone featured in the video and working on the crew is a friend who gave 100% to this project. I wanted Jacob to be surrounded by friends who were committed to helping him tell this story, but also create a safe space for Jacob, which changed our pace and usual process for filmmaking. It was thrilling as a director and a sister to challenge Jacob and myself. I am honored to have put the spotlight on him, watched my brother flourish as an artistic human onscreen and show us how gorgeous different is.”

Previously The Decemberists shared I’ll Be Your Girl‘s first single, “Severed” (it was one of our Songs of the Week) and album opener “Once In My Life” (which was also one of our Songs of the Week). John Congleton produced the album, which is being touted as a change of direction for the band as they embrace synth-pop.

The Decemberists Tour Dates:

July 26 - Les Schwab Amphitheater - Bend, OR +
July 27 - The Fox Theater - Oakland, CA +
July 28 - Montbleu Resort & Casino - Stateline, NV +
July 30 - Humphrey’s - San Diego, CA +
July 31 - Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA +
August 1 - House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV +
August 2 - Snow Park Amphitheater - Park City, UT +
August 4-5 - Travelers’ Rest - Missoula, MT
August 9 - Edmonton Folk Festival - Edmonton, AB
August 11 - Belly Up Aspen - Aspen, CO *
August 12 - Bohemian Nights at Newwestfest - Fort Collins, CO
August 14 - BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at Prospect Park Bandshell - Brooklyn, NY ^
September 16 - Cityfolk - Ottawa, ON
September 17 - FirstOntario Concert Hall - Hamilton, ON #
September 18 - Express Live! - Columbus, OH #
September 20 - Taft Theatre - Cincinnati, OH #
September 21 - Iron City Birmingham - Birmingham, AL #
September 22 - Sing Out Loud: A City of St. Augustine Celebration of Music - St. Augustine, FL
September 23 - House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista, FL #
September 25 - White Oak Music Hall - Houston, TX #
September 26 - Civic Theatre - New Orleans, LA #
September 27 - Majestic Theater - Dallas, TX #
September 29 - Bass Concert Gall - Austin, TX #
September 30 - Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, OK #
October 1 - Holland Performing Arts Center - Omaha, NE #
October 2 - The Sylvee - Madison, WI #
October 4 - MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA ~
October 5 - Orpheum Theater - Boston, MA ~
October 8 - Murat Theatre at Old National Centre - Indianapolis, IN ~
November 4 - Vicar Street - Dublin, Ireland %
November 5 - O2 Academy - Glasgow, UK %
November 7 - Eventim Apollo - London, UK %
November 8 - O2 Academy - Bristol, UK %
November 10 - O2 Academy - Leeds, UK %
November 11 - Rock City - Nottingham, UK %
November 12 - Albert Hall - Manchester, UK %
November 14 - Grote Zaal TiVre - Utrecht, Netherlands %
November 15 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands %
November 16 - Astra - Berlin, Germany %
November 17 - Rolling Stone Park @ Europa-Park - Rust, Germany

+ with Whitney
^ with Hamilton Leithauser
* Givers
# Kacy & Clayton
~ Marissa Nadler
% Hop Along

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