[review includes two photos from video, not shown here]
What happens: Filmed entirely in black and white, this video is a montage of short, arty clips of singer Maxi Jazz and urban city scenes. It opens with the anonymous faces of a young family and street kids, all seen at a wonky angle. Maxi stands in the middle of a pavement, peering through binoculars as pedestrians are speeded up in the background. Then close-ups of faces and wasteland scenes are layered on top of each other. Maxi stands with his hands in front of his eyes, before the picture becomes blurred and fades to black. In the straightest scene, the singer walks down the dark alley towards the camera, carrying a radio. Lots of images are transposed on top of each other, before the screen starts to flicker. The video ends with Maxi turning his back on the camera and walking into the crowd of pedestrians.
Behind the scenes: The video was directed by Lindy Heymann, who made the promo for Faithless' last huge hit, 'Insomnia', and has also worked with the Charlatans and Leftfield. 'Salva Mea' is a re-released single and this is a re-edited version of the song's former video, which was filmed in East London 18 months ago. The storyboard was conceived by Rollo (the main man behind Faithless) and Lindy, who is Rollo's ex-girlfriend. Both thought the black and white, grainy visual effects looked cool because it reminded them of 1960s movies, while the action closely follows the lyrics. "Salva Mea" means "Save Me" and the idea is that singer Maxi is taking time out from the world to examine his life. Why is he listening to a radio halfway through the video? So he could catch up on the latest football scores, apparently.
Does it suit the song? The speed and intensity of the video closely follows the momentum of the music. When the song speeds up, the images layer and become confusing; when Maxi sings, the action is slow to suit his laid-back, reggae vocals. Best of all, the video reflects the anonymous, House-derived Faithless sound.
Lisa Verrico