In a redefining shift for his work, Ian Jones (formerly Parisian) announced at the end of November that he will be going by a new artist name: Shinra Knives. The electronic artist who has been quietly active in St. Louis music for over ten years, will release his first full album as Shinra Knives, “In Grief”, on December 22nd.
Building up our anticipation for the album’s release, Shinra Knives put out two singles and subsequent videos throughout December, “Posture” and “Girl Missing.” Both videos are experiences of collaged performance with visuals by Ian, documented and edited by Chad Eivins and Bryan Demattei of Foveal Media.
As “Posture” pulses through synth and beat textures, the video weaves around Ian’s masterful electronic shifts, using imagery of empty winter fields with bubbling glitches, like bodily fluid under a microscope. “Posture”s emotional intensity is so subtle, it creeps inside you like a long contemplative night. “Girl Missing” feels more obviously throbbing and yearning, switching through different distorted energies, detailed tones and sampled voices. The video editing of “Girl Missing” shows Ian performing the song in the same form as “Posture” through different overlain visuals: flowers blooming and wilting, bone diagrams, geometric lines, and film stills of French cinema — maybe a nod to the old Parisian name.
Most strikingly, the videos feature Ian’s personal writing as a subtitle to the instrumental work — lyrical realizations on grief, an antithesis on closure. The songs of Shinra Knives’ “In Grief” were written during a time when Ian was dealing with his father’s death and a difficult relationship with a partner. He defines: “Not all loss ends in restoration; not all grieving concludes with healing.”
Follow Shinra Knives on Instagram here.
Watch the music videos for “Posture” and “Girl Missing” below:
The St Louis Music Report 