Grand Archives - Oslo Novelist

What this video is

Released December 2009 in support of Grand Archives' Sub Pop sophomore album 'Keep In Mind Frankenstein,' the 'Oslo Novelist' video arrived at the height of blog-era indie music culture, when platforms like Pitchfork, Hype Machine, and MP3 blogs served as primary tastemaking channels. The song itself, as explained by frontman Mat Brooke, is a meditation on writer's block and the lifetime struggle of artistic…

Why it matters

A key artifact of Sub Pop's late-2000s indie folk catalog, 'Oslo Novelist' demonstrates how chamber folk and country-tinged Americana could be rendered visually through artisan animation rather than performance footage. The video's surrealist paper-craft aesthetic prefigures the broader indie…

The director

Seattle-based filmmaker, animator, and producer. Studied art and animation at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then earned a degree in Film & Video Production from Seattle Central College. Works across music videos, documentaries, and short…