The Last Tycoon releases his music video for “Oppenheimer Blues,” exclusively with C&I.
Musician and film producer John Gladwin focuses on his moody, baritone vocals for his latest project, The Last Tycoon.
Inspired by the rugged mountains and cinematic landscape of Albuquerque, New Mexico, The Last Tycoon’s debut album, Oppenheimer Blues, was drafted during the production of a CBS sci-fi pilot. After learning more about Albuquerque’s mystifying culture and cryptic history, particularly the Atomic Age of the 1960s, frontman Gladwin crafted 11 captivating outlaw alt-country tracks to mirror the city’s quirky charm.
An album highlight includes the bluesy, outcast title track.
“‘Oppenheimer Blues’ is written from the perspective of a Los Alamos employee who falls in love while he’s a part of the building of the bomb,” Gladwin says. “I’m fascinated by the intersection of a world-changing event and the mundane, everyday lives of its architects. While out West, I worked with some artists interviewing and filming elderly Native New Mexicans who were part of the Manhattan Project. They were the cooks, truck drivers, and laborers whose stories were never shared before. It was extraordinary how they mixed details of this top-secret, world-changing mission with their normal lives. Stories of driving nuclear weapons down the hill in the backs of trucks mixed seamlessly with stories of driving their kids to school. Life doesn't stop just because you’re building the end of the world.”
Set with steel guitar, low guitar picks, steady beats, and Gladwin’s deep vocals, the song is sonically engaging, but its disconsolate and enigmatic lyrics make for an interesting and intriguing overall tune.
Recently, The Last Tycoon created a music video for the song, providing picturesque scenery of New Mexico’s peculiar desolate and historical backdrop. Together, the music video brings a gratifying layer.
Get an exclusive first look at The Last Tycoon’s music video for “Oppenheimer Blues” below.
For more information on The Last Tycoon, upcoming tour dates, and their latest album Oppenheimer Blues, visit their website.