Video premiere: Sincere Gifts, ‘David’

Kevin Bronson on May 8th, 2019

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Sincere Gifts are a bicoastal art-rock/chamber-pop project helmed by Nick Byron Campbell and Ben Wigler, who were once mates in the Brooklyn indie-rock band Arizona. Wigler went on to make music in New Beard, while Campbell headed to Los Angeles to front the art-rock band Wages.

Their mantra is to create experiences that “exist outside of the normal realm of music as commerce.” So their approach might be a little bit … well, off-center. In June, they will give a concert in a New York City church. On Saturday, they will do a show at downtown L.A.’s Ham & Eggs Tavern. Could be interesting.

Anyway, the band members all have interesting nicknames. Besides Wigler (Spirit-Hobbit) and Campbell (Multi-Instrumental Squirrel), there are “Resident Sorceress of Strings,” “Squeezer of Air/Rider of Petunia,” “Tuba of Doom,” “Stroker of Vibes” and “Surf Metal Guitar.” Which makes us wonder what they order out for at band meetings.

Sincere Gifts’ first song “David” seems worth a trip to a tavern and a house of worship. It’s a beautifully orchestrated tune that sounds as if your favorite freak-folkie crashed a symphony hall. It’s a song, the band says, “about a pet bird, a hawk, who is by nature a vicious bird of prey and also very, very sweet.”

Did we mention that Wigler is also an animator? Follow his creations through the flight of fancy that is “David.”

||| Watch: The video for “David”