One silver lining of COVID for our community: a huge uptick in music videos, largely driven by virtual competition submissions. Capillary/Remember the Time was NYU Vocollision's 2021 ICCA entry, and like other submissions we've seen, watching the group's music video adds a dimension and group identity that Spotify simply can't give us.

In the case of Capillary/Remember the Time, I'd argue that the music video is necessary to appreciate the intricacies of Marwan Ramen's clever mashup. On-screen, it is a classic boy meets girl/young love story that unfolds. The music, however, is deftly presenting two sides, inticrately weaving together the two original artists (Human Bloom and Michael Jackson) to create new perspectives before eerily rewinding the actors' romance. A cappella mashups can easily tip into trite territory; this one does not.

Musically, everyone's holding their own just fine, but we could certainly hit the outer edges with more tenacity. The backs are pretty soft and warm until the sonic shift near the end; as for Christa Ciesil's lead, she's certainly lovely but leaves plenty of space to create more impact with her notes.

This is solid work from Vocollision. I hope Ramen continues to push arrangement boundaries, because there's a unique skill on display here.