New Pornographers Revisit Hurricane Katrina, BP Oil Spill Disaster in New Video

The New Pornographers know their day job consists of making bright indie-pop, but that doesn't mean it's all sunshine. On Wednesday, Matador released a clip for the group's 'Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk' that finds them collaborating with Oxfam to remind viewers about the horrific aftermath of both Hurricane Katrina and BP's Gulf Coast oil spill. While mostly a stark reminder of destruction, the video also highlights the stoic humanity of Gulf residents as they work their way through the clean-up and rebuilding process.

"I feel honored that we've been asked to do this," band member Kathryn Calder says in the introduction. "Along with a lot of people, I was one of those people watching when Katrina happened and watching when the oil spill happened. It was pretty hard to watch those things."

For Oxfam music director Bob Ferguson, the song, which is featured on the band's latest album 'Together,' was the perfect vehicle to remind fans about a situation in the Gulf Coast that will continue long after media coverage has died down.

"When the New Pornographers and I first connected, they were concerned about the fact that media coverage of the oil spill appeared to be waning, and wanted to know if Oxfam America wanted to partner on creating a video that might remind music fans and others that the situation there was not going away any time soon," Ferguson said on the Oxfam website. "So naturally, we jumped at the chance to work with the band to create something that would be meaningful, emotional and memorable."