For Brooks John Martin, a song can begin with a guitar part and end up somewhere entirely unexpected. On his new single, “Ocean Breathes Salty“, the wave-like arpeggios of Mark Kozelek’s interpretation of the Modest Mouse original sparked an image of a windswept beach and an ash spreading ceremony, a scene that would eventually become the inspiration for the song’s accompanying video. Featuring Nashville singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt, Martin’s version adds drums, bass and strings to create a melancholic, cinematic duet that honours the spirit of Kozelek’s arrangement.

The single offers a glimpse into the imaginative world of War All The Time, Martin’s forthcoming album and the first release to emerge from an extraordinary burst of songwriting that followed a period when he thought his musical journey might be over.

Blending the rootsy warmth of 1970s Laurel Canyon with orchestral arrangements, alternative rock and his own richly expressive baritone, Martin has created a collection shaped by musical curiosity and a gift for turning sounds into stories. We caught up with him to discuss the influence behind “Ocean Breathes Salty”, the making of its North Carolina beach video, and the creative resurgence that brought War All The Time into being.

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize the song specifically in this way? 

The song was originally written by Modest Mouse and Mark Kozalek reimagined the song with Sun Kil Moon.  I always loved his arrangement and wanted to put my own spin on it.  I added drums, bass, strings and sung it as a duet.  I imagined the imagery of the song being on a beach at an ash spreading ceremony and the video made that a reality.

What was the inspiration behind this video? (visual, storyline, etc.)? 

The inspiration for the song imagery was the guitar arpeggios Mark Kozalek came up with.  They felt wave like to me and made me feel the sad beach vibe.  The lyrics fit the imagery perfectly.

What was the process of making this video?

I had a preproduction meeting with Scotty Felix and we had to choose California or North Carolina to shoot.  We decided on NC because it would be less crowded and I liked the dunes scenery.  We flew everyone down and filmed it in one day on Oak Island. Had some great food and met some great people.  Very nice part of the country.

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