Sitting down to write a review of an AI-generated video, let me open with the fact that I am not a fan of AI-generated videos. For many artists they're a debatably better alternative on YouTube than just an image of an album cover. But more isn't always better, especially in music. Then every now and again, I come across an AI video that fuckin' nails it--so much so that I've decided to break out a review of the song itself to a whole other venture. What's a good AI video, then? Similar to regular videos, it's about the concept, storyline, and relevance. If your song is about robots but your video is random scenery of the Midwestern plains, what you even doing? So when Allen Brooks sent me "Mirrors In My Mind" I took a deep breath before I hit Play. Then I didn't take another breath for what seemed like the next 4:05. Holy Hell! 

Sailing on the sea of cheese
just like the Primus did
Turpentine and honeybees
is what the Giraffe said

He describes the video as "A surreal music video that plunges into the fractured inner world of a restless mind, where psychedelic visions and symbolic creatures reveal the thin line between chaos, imagination, and the search for emotional connection." Yeah, it's a lot! Owl pajamas, fiery tympanis, giant serpents, and even a claymation homage to Primus' Sailing the Seas Of Cheese and Steam Powered Giraffe's "Honeybee."

And making it extremely relevant in this case is that our protagonist throughout these surreal scenes is actually Brooks himself! Sure, an AI-version of him, but it looks like him down to his long gray locks & beard, cowboy hats, boots and chains. Then the overarching theme--amidst the visualizations, chaos, and fractured reality, Brooks hammers home "a single message repeated like a heartbeat: love and connection are the only anchor in the storm."

There's no need to take my word for it that this a badass, well-produced video. He's produced a series of AI-videos for his latest string of singles, which have taken the film festival circuit by storm! The East Village Film Festival named his songs "Caviar and Cigarettes" the Best Music Video and gave "Tragically Twisted" Honorable Mention. The Beyond Border International Film Festival deemed "Caviar" another Honorable Mention for Best Music Video. He's also got a submission at the world famous Cannes Film Festival, so I'm excited to see how that pans out.

In the meantime, Allen's got a gift for every reader today. He's made all 4 of his new singles available as free downloads at allenbrooks.net. "I want my listeners to have access to the actual original audio files that have not been squashed by a few of the platforms now using AI to manipulate volumes," he shares. "This is not a limited time thang! It's a forever thang! All ya got to do is visit my website and click away!" So get on over there and watch each of 'em. While you're there, take a listen to his haunting cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes."