Over the past few months, Mind Field kind of crept up on us. With only glimpses of what the video would be like via print advertisements, 30 second film fragments, and a pretty epic trailer, it's not like there was constant hype for this like for other videos. Instead, it lingered in the back of our minds. We knew it was coming, and when it would finally land, it would blow us away. Well, Alien Workshop did just that with their latest offering, Mind Field.
Within the first couple seconds of watching your screen, you realize just how amazing this video is going to be. A bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace" catches you off guard, and by the end of the intro, is blaring though the speakers. (We highly suggest you turn up the volume for this video, by the way. The soundtrack is one of the best in years). The classic images of Alien Workshop riders, infused with shots of nature, buildings, animals, and other random shots make you realize that this is definitely a Workshop video, and they haven't changed one bit.
After the intro, the same song from the beginning of Memory Screen (listen at 1:25) is heard, only this time it's an updated version by J. Mascis himself. Serving as a nod to both the history of Alien Workshop, as well as Dinosaur Jr.'s front man, a sense of nostalgia is definitely felt. Not really in the sense of "Aw, this is nice", but it's more of a "This is f-ing awesome". Given the history of AWS/Dinosaur Jr., this was really sick to see. During shots of J. Mascis playing the guitar, are shots of Omar Salazar killing it and you think, "Oh, this must be Omar's part." Then about two minutes later, the song dies down, and Omar's name comes on the screen -- now his part starts. Mind Field is full of little surprises like this, so you better get used to asking yourself "Why do they have to be so awesome all the time?" It happens quite often. Not gonna lie, when he first got on the team along with the other new wave of riders I was a little skeptical, but the AWS/Omar combo definitely works. A perfect start to the video.
The video is pretty much split down the middle of new dudes and veteran Alien Workshop guys. New am, Jake Johnson provides fresh blood to the Alien camp, and does his job at keeping the east coast feel with the company. Greg Hunt made a masterpiece out of Jakes part, set to the tune of "My Girls", by Animal Collective. Jake seriously put the hurt on plenty of NYC spots, and it's refreshing to see him skating so hard. Tyler Bledsoe and Grant Taylor both come through with ridiculous parts as well. Tyler showed that he can literally flip or spin his board out of any trick, and with style to boot. His song seemed a little odd at first, but it grows on you and is a perfect fit. Plain and simple, Grant Taylor can skate anything you put in front of him. His ender is classic, and not sure why, bit it's very reminiscent of Pappalardo's switch ollie on that bump to bar in Moasaic. Without a doubt, the ams of Alien Workshop are the future of skateboarding.
New pros in the mix, such as Dylan Rieder, Mike Taylor keep the video moving along smoothly. At first glance, Dylan's part isn't really anything special, but after the second and third watch you realize that he's got one of the best parts in the video. Smooth, no-push lines, and an ender that will literally make you drop your jaw will help you realize this. Plus, you can't go wrong with an Elliot Smith song. Mikey Taylor comes through with what is becoming classic Mike Taylor. Long grinds and well thought out lines are the standout moments in his part.
Arto Saari's part was one that was highly anticipated, and with all of his recent injuries we were curious of what kind of skating would be in his part. Not to mention how curious everyone was as to how he would fit in with Alien Workshop as a whole. Well, very fittingly, the use of wind-up toys ala Timecode make an appearance in the intro and outro of his part, and that alone makes you feel like he's been on the team forever. Arto has changed up his style a little bit, but definitely not for the worst. He does some of the best tricks of the video in his part, and while at first listen you might not think the song is fitting ("Atlas", by Battles) by the end you realize how awesome it is.
Veterans such as Josh Kalis, AVE, and Jason Dill come through with what you would expect. Kalis' ledge skills are on point, and proves that he just might have the best tre flip in the game -- still. Skating to the only hip hop track in the video, it's classic Kalis and he hasn't changed one bit. Get that remote ready because his last tricks are definitely re-wind worthy. AVE charges at everything at Mach 10 speed, and even has a few tech tricks that'll make Fully Flared fans drop their jaws. He quite possibly could have the best part in the video. Dill is still quirky, and has a grip of rad NYC footage. Set to another Animal Collective tune, it's clear at this point that AWS and Animal Collective make a perfect match. Both visually and audibly on the same wavelengths, it's a big surprise that this combination hasn't been used sooner. While Dill's part might not be banger after banger, his ender comes out of left field and is super innovative. He also bluntslides through a bench that is literally almost at a 90-degeree angle. -- definitely some next level stuff in here.
Steve Berra and Rob Dyrdek are two dudes who should've had more footage, and would've been better off sharing a part as opposed to having two separate ones. That being said, Dyrdek showed that he's still got it, and re-assures you with a few lines that are sick by 2009 standards. Berra is still going big, and half cab flip/backside flip line at the end is sick, but leaves you wanting more.
Closing off the video is Heath Kirchart. Heath went above and beyond what people thought his part was going to be (keep in mind that everyone thought it was going to be one of the highlights of 2009) and he basically one-upped every ad that he's had in the past few years. The rail that he back-lipped and gapped over the sidewalk -- he did backlip shove. And his last ad of him kickflipping that bump to double street gap? Well, just as you think his part is over, there's an image of him being towed in by a motorcycle, full speed at the bump, and the rest is history.
Paying homage to earlier Workshop videos (Memory Screen, and Time Code) while at the same time showing what the new Alien Workshop has to offer was genius. Greg Hunt, Mike Hill, and Chad Bowers truly out did themselves and went above and beyond what they had to do. The visual effects in this video let AWS take on a whole new dimension of what the company is, and it's looking pretty sweet. We're only one month into 2009, and I can truly say that this will most likely be video of the year.