Alexis Taylor and Mike Simonetti Reimagine Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s “I See a Darkness,” Featuring Jarvis Cocker

Hot Chip ‘s Alexis Taylor and Mike Simonetti (Troubleman Unlimited / Italians Do It Better”) have a collab 12″ that’s out this Friday, June 12 via Smugglers Way. The A-side is a cover of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy ‘s “I See a Darkness” that gets a chilled-out dancefloor arrangement with bubbling synth arpeggiations.

The video, directed by Ben Crook , features Taylor plus Jarvis Cocker, Sian Ahern , and German actor David Bredin . Says Alexis:

> Sat in the dark in a hotel room on my own on tour, and after 3 aborted attempts to work with different film makers to get something made for ‘I See A Darkness,’ I came up with a very simple idea myself, to accompany the music and to try to get to the emotion and the narrative at the core of Will Oldham’s beautiful song. I saw the room that we see in the film — the scene, the two men facing each other and getting closer in their armchairs as the intensity of what they sing to each other increases. I saw the lady at the centre and back of the same space, illuminated by lamp light for the choruses, and the red balloon hovering over the 4 people in the scene. I wanted this to be like a televised Samuel Beckett play, and to be surreal, simple, and emotionally direct. Ben Crook helped me massively, understanding my vision, directing beautifully and bringing the whole thing to life. I cast David Bredin after meeting him in Rostock, Germany, and believing he would be right for the role. I’m glad I trusted my gut. He delivers an incredibly moving performance and somehow exceeded my expectations of what we could achieve emotionally in this short film. He clearly feels what he is conveying through the lyrics and you can’t miss that. Jarvis Cocker and Sian Ahern are both composed and brilliant in their supporting roles, and they were there to represent Mike Simonetti and Elizabeth Wight’s musical roles in the track. Bonnie himself is there in spirit, all ‘busted up’, to quote another of his songs; the sculpture was made as a surprise for me, by Ben. It was a joy to conceive this and to work on it with Ben Crook and the whole team on the day. The best experience I have had on a video shoot. I hope people connect with it!

Watch the video below.

Alexis Taylor released great new solo album Paris in the Spring back in March, and Hot Chip are reissuing three of their most-loved albums on vinyl this July.

_Originally reported by [Brooklyn Vegan](https://www.brooklynvegan.com/alexis-taylor-mike-simonetti-cover-bonnie-prince-billys-i-see-a-darkness-tap-jarvis-cocker-for-the-video/)._