Minnesota songwriter Anni Rossi spent a most of her years in the hub of Brooklyn, New York, but, just as she’s never settled on one single style over the course of her career, neither has she ever felt like she’s irreversibly tethered to NYC. Now, with her new audio-visual project Wild West, she’s getting back in touch with the grand American landscapes that raised her, and using them as a guide to exploring her own interior life.
Working with cinematographer Sarah Tricker, Rossi has co-directed four videos for four new songs that comprise Wild West. The first to be shared is the title track, an atmospheric folk song that captures both the beauty and the harshness of the American landscape.
Rossi has no trouble placing us in the scenery, as “Wild West” opens with a moody guitar plucked over the quiet but powerful sound of a gale blowing outside; “wild winds / I’m sending you a kiss,” she begins, her voice as carnal as a wolf on the hunt. Even as a choral backing flutters in, bringing a chilling beauty to the song as they seem to give voice to the very wind whipping its way around her, the glint in her eye remains as she looks out across her land; “I’m no settler / I can’t leave my land behind.” With minimal words, Rossi ensures that each line holds weight and wonder, asking to be turned over in order to shake out a new personal truth. Overall, “Wild West” is a song that comprises very few elements, but they are arranged and implemented with such precision that we see a whole landscape and a life within the song’s five minutes; a beautiful and stirring achievement.
The video for “Wild West” shows Rossi moving into the wilderness to work on the land and become one with her environment. Take a look below, or find the song on streaming platforms.
We’ll have more news about Anni Rossi’s Wild West project soon. For now you can find her on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
