Honestly, I’m not much of a Josh Ritter fan. If for no other reason than the Adult Alternative focus-grouped title So Runs the World Away, there’s little chance I’ll buy his new album. But just about any video in claymation or puppeteering is candidate for my instant seal of approval. Ritter’s elegant, waltzing “The Curse” is the touching memoir of a mummy who falls in love with the paleontologist who discovers him.
The lyrics alone are precious enough to reanimate the dead:
What beautiful lines
Heart full of life
After thousands of years, what a face to wake up to
Add to that the lovingly-produced video and you have yourself a heartwarming classic. Last month, National Public Radio profiled how Ritter’s drummer Liam Hurley created the video.