So once upon a time, this guy named John Cale met with this other guy named Lou Reed in the magical land of New York City. Then they formed a little group named Velvet Underground that went on to become one of the most influential (and generally badass) groups of the 60s. Sure, that was a long time ago, but Cale’s been keeping busy with a long list of solo projects that have solidified his reputation as a proficient producer, experimental musician and one of freakiest rockers alive (Remember that beheaded chicken bit in’77? …Yeah, neither do we).

Now Cale is back with another album, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood. He just premiered his music video for “Face to the Sky,” directed by Tom Schloefield (a.k.a Kon Om Pax). Sticking to the literalness of the lyrics, “Dizzy as a top on the chessboard,” the video is stylized in black and white to match the chessboard on the floor. A dancer spins and contorts on the chessboard while Cale sings to the camera, looking a bit confused and dizzied himself. And then there’s that creepy computer-animated spinning head with plasma bits floating around. Not really sure what that’s about, but we go with it because it’s John Cale, and we might have fallen down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. But then again, with Cale, we might have been there all along. Shiftly Adventures in Nookie Wood comes out October 2^nd.