Markham, ON – May 2025 – Award-winning Canadian indie artist Ed Roman has unveiled his newest visual triumph: the short animated music video for his track “Pawnshop Ghettoblaster”. A kaleidoscopic blend of genre-bending sound and psychedelic visuals, the video is a collaboration with celebrated digital illustrator Paul Ribera of Raincloud Stories, whose recent work with Pearl Jam has stirred international acclaim.
“Pawnshop Ghettoblaster” is far from your average radio fare. Originally birthed from a reunion session at Sweetwater Farms with Ed’s longtime collaborators in the group The Water Lillies (Bain Arnold, Tobias Tinker, Chris Roberts), the song’s roots are as organic as they are chaotic. It was later reimagined by Ed’s Toronto-based band Special Ed and The Musically Challenged, featuring Mike Freedman, Rich Pell, and Dave Patel, for their genre-defying LP Are You OK? This 2nd version was mixed and mastered by renowned Canadian engineer, Michael Jack.
The animated short, now available on all major streaming platforms, amplifies the track’s off-kilter rhythms and rebellious poetry with Ribera’s signature visual language—equal parts graphic novel, fever dream, and social critique. Ribera’s work, described by Roman as “fractals evolving within themselves,” taps into the deeper themes of the song: artistic compromise, societal control, and the sacrifice of soul for survival.
“I’m so happy to be working with Paul Ribera from Raincloud Stories once again,” says Ed Roman. “His illustrations bring music to a whole other category of visual experience. They encapsulate a bigger part of the idea in the lyrics—resonating with a strange kind of beauty and truth.”
Musically, “Pawnshop Ghettoblaster” is a hybrid oddity with purpose. Driven by a funk-infused groove in 5/4 time—a rare rhythmic move recalling jazz icon Dave Brubeck—it’s a sardonic protest anthem that mixes absurdity with clarity. From its opening verse, “Pawnshop Ghettoblaster is gonna trade my soul for four string master,” to the raucous chorus chant of “Now, now, now now now now,” the track brims with subversive commentary on commercialism, obedience, and the uneasy balance between art and survival.
The video follows Ed Roman’s previous animated collaboration with Ribera on the track “Tomorrow Is Today”, and according to Roman, this is just the beginning. “There are plans for another full-length video with Paul. I believe we’re just starting to tap into what this blend of music and visual storytelling can do.”
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