Ellery James Roberts, “Kerou’s Lament”

Ellery James Roberts, the former frontman of a Manchester band called WU LYF that put out one incredible album and then split up, has put out a debut solo single called “Kerou’s Lament” that’s more interesting than almost any rock release I’ve heard recently. Over an unauthorized Lil B beat and a Clams Casino instrumental sample, Roberts layers his gravelly, feral-Springsteen roar over a wash of brave-sounding, vulnerable strings and synth; the result is almost as intense as the video, which shows a beautiful tiny child in the early stages of self-immolation, interspersed with footage of static and Earth and pentagrams and Jenny Holzer-y posters shouting “What does it mean to be free?”