Breathe

Music in advertising is an incredibly powerful medium. In 2000 Volkswagen ran a commercial featuring four young people driving around in a convertible Cabriolet staring at the full moon while Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" played in the background. Although the album Pink Moon was resealed in 1972, it was a commercial failure in the UK. Drake was severely mentally ill, and committed suicide in 1974. The Volkswagen commercial revived Drake's memory, and at one point in 2000 Pink Moon was in the top five albums on Amazon's best sellers list.

Nick Drake - Pink Moon.mp3
Buy: Pink Moon (1972, reissued 2003)



A few weeks ago I heard one of my favorite songs emanating from the television. I turned around to see a Nissan truck "raising" the sun, implying that the truck is so strong that it can pull up a celestial object. The song in the background is "Breathe" by Alexi Murdoch. Murdoch is originally from Scotland, but settled in Los Angeles in the last 90s. The young artist released his first full length album Time Without Consequence in 2006. Here's to hoping that Nissan can propel the career of this talented musician.

I can't find the Nissan commercial on YouTube, but watch any sporting event on TV and you will see it.

Alexi Murdoch - Breathe.mp3
From: Live at KEXP Vol. 1 (2005, out of print)

For the last four years KEXP has put out a wonderful CD of live performances from their studios in Seattle. They usually release it with their fall pledge drive. You can still purchase Volume 4 (2008) digitally, on CD, and on vinyl from Insound, an online music store based in New York. Look for Volume 5 in the fall of 2009.

"Breathe" is also available on Time Without Consequence (2006).