Rendezvous are an electro duo from Israel consisting of Itali Simon and Hagai Izenberg. The duo mix live instruments such as bass and drums with analog synths, creating a mix that blends classic rock elements with electronica. Their new album entitled Another Round Please is out now and was mixed by Dave Bascombe who has also worked with Depeche Mode, Kylie Minogue and Tears for Fears. The recording of the album took place during the ‘second Lebanon war’ meaning the duo were recording in an environment where bombs were being dropped and cities being fired at by Hezbollah missiles. It looks as though this kind of conflict could have been an influencing factor in the creation of the video for The Murf.

The video for The Murf is a quirky animation created by Pittsburgh native Scott Benson that time travels through our existence; past, present and future. The video has a throbbing pulse that drives forward the consistently progressing images. This pulse is made all the more prominent by the interchangeable rhythms on the track, created not only by the drums, but also by the bass line and synth, these independent rhythms and melodies manage to coexist and complement each other blissfully. The same cannot be said for the animated creatures; as dinosaurs die, cave men discover and opposing beliefs develop, the human characters propel themselves into an increasingly paranoid future of almost simultaneous creation and destruction.

Despite the destruction in the animation, it seems altogether light-hearted, with some genuinely funny moments of delighted discovery amongst the bewildered human characters. We follow this sped up evolution from an objective viewpoint, as though viewing ourselves through a test tube. What comes across is that these human characters are so driven by advancement and progression that they have little thought for its consequences, only the intrigue and wonderment it ignites within them.

The music has a wandering enthusiasm which likens itself to the central characters of the animation. The synthesized melody alternates between a high pitched, catchy, positive riff and a lower pitched somewhat darker theme, which is aptly associated with the visual theme of the two created “religions” in the video. It then launches into a more extended, propulsive section of music before fading out. The music gives the sense that it has its own drive and force which is interesting given the thematic content of the video. Together, music and images create an environment that we can see and hear, but cannot grasp due to its own propelling nature.

Although the video displays a worrying, all too familiar concept to us in the form of the long awaited, elusive, apocalypse, it is by no means a bleak video, an aspect which is refreshing. It does nothing to condemn us or to plea to us to change, it merely highlights the obscurity and often humour of our “developed” nature. The music acts in a similar way, it is explorative, and it travels along with the video without reaching a conclusion.

The images and music work very well together but also independently. This is a video that does more than subserviently aid the music; it makes a statement that would not be implied through the music alone, especially since the music has no lyrics. It seems then that should Rendezvous wish to continue to make statements or explore ideas through their music in the future, video will be a great
medium for them to make use of.