Last fall, Jeremy Bolm went to Norfolk, Neb., to take his mother's story home. Touché Amoré's mature and moving Stage Four deals with the 2014 death of the singer's mother with the kind of rage, questioning and wisdom that grief provides. While its title suggests an ending, "Benediction" is the centerpiece of the album, where Bolm works out that grief less with the raspy scream for which he's known and more with a somber voice over cascading, Hum-like guitars.

In this video, Bolm goes to his mother's hometown, where, against corn fields and long buildings and even longer grey skies, he contemplates the place that inspired her to leave.

"'Benediction' tells the story of my brother and I driving to Norfolk, Neb., to bury my mother's ashes," Bolm writes. "It's a small farm town north of Omaha. Touché Amoré started our last tour in Nebraska, so I flew out early and made this with Chris Willmore filming and Sean Stout editing. [That duo also made the video for 'Skyscraper.']

"For our final video for Stage Four, I wanted to bring her story home. 'Palm Dreams' represents California and where she raised a family, 'Skyscraper' represented her admiration for New York City and now 'Benediction' gives you an understanding of why she had big city eyes."

Stage Four is out via Epitaph.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

300x250 Ad

300x250 Ad

Support quality journalism, like the story above, with your gift right now.

Donate