2014 | Heartbreaking Bravery

August 6, 2014

Mannequin Pussy – Kiss (Stream)

Kiss Me Tender is the impending EP full of scorchers from the quickly-ascending Mannequin Pussy. While it’s already available digitally, the UK-based Crumb Cabin Records will be releasing a bundle package that pairs it with an EP from Dog Legs and comes with an accompanying zine (this package is limited to 50 copies and costs around $17 to ship to the US). So, now the big question: why should anyone care? “Kiss”, the opening track from Mannequin Pussy’s side, answers that question with no shortage of immediacy.

“Kiss” is a blistering shot of hardcore-leaning noise-punk. It’s delivered with a startling amount of conviction and self-awareness, cementing Mannequin Pussy as an act to watch. While the song’s over in 70 seconds, not a moment of it is wasted. One of the most visceral songs to emerge out of 2014, “Kiss” has no qualms about coming out swinging. Backing up the musical intensity is the directness of the incredibly arresting lyrics (that last stanza, especially, is a killer). Most importantly, it does everything an opening song’s supposed to do- and Kiss Me Tender doesn’t allow its pace to let it up once “Kiss” has set the tone for what’s to come. Stunningly unhinged, it also works as the perfect mid-release switch-over blast following Dog Legs’ excellent side (as a fun bonus, both bands cover a song from each other’s catalogs that aren’t included on the split) of the bundle package.

One of 2014’s most outstanding DIY releases, either with the bundle or without, this is a necessary item for any serious record collection.

Listen to “Kiss” below and make sure to keep both eyes peeled on Mannequin Pussy, it’s a name that should be appearing in a lot more places in a very short amount of time.

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July 30, 2014

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Warning (Stream)

Cymbals Eat Guitars are gearing up towards the release of something special. This has been evident since the band unveiled “Jackson“, an absolutely stunning manifestation of personal loss and anguish so sincere that it’s still difficult to listen to. Since that first look at the band’s upcoming record, LOSE, the band’s released another miniature triumph by way of the decidedly more laid-back 80’s-indebted “Chambers” and, most recently, the absolutely incendiary “Warning”. Foregoing their usual restraint for something much more visceral, Joseph D’Agostino leads his band through a spiky post-punk blitz that eschews a lot of their past psychedelic influence in favor of a previously unheard immediacy. It’s a new look for the band and it suits them extraordinarily well. “Warning” is, far and away, the most direct song the band’s released and stands alongside “Jackson” as one of their very best. A million and a half things would need to go wrong to change what seems to be inevitable; LOSE being not only the band’s personal best- but one of the very best of 2014.

Listen to “Warning” below and pre-order LOSE from Barsuk Records here.

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July 30, 2014

LVL UP – Soft Power (Stream)

LVL UP’s Hoodwink’d is suddenly all just about anyone can talk about. There’s a very simple reason for this, too- and it’s name is “Soft Power”. Following a few outstanding lo-fi releases for the increasingly influential Double Double Whammy label, the song takes all of the band’s best qualities and pushes them to their absolute limit. From the lilting vocal melody to the shards of gritty lo-fi punk riffs that slice the song wide open, all of their hallmarks are present. What differentiates this from their past work is the way it’s presented. Jangling guitar work’s married with a more confident, drawn-out structure. Explosive sections are no longer brief, they’re played for maximum impact and build momentum instead of abruptly cutting it off at the head (a trick they used expertly on songs like “*_*“). All told, the New York band’s truly emerged with what’s likely to stand as one of the year’s best songs by the time it draws to a close- and, at this point, it’d be a shock if Hoodwink’d didn’t live up to that promise as well.

Listen to “Soft Power” over at the band’s bandcamp and pre-order Hoodwink’d from Double Double Whammy here.

8 Comments

June 6, 2014

Green Dreams – Rich Man/Poor Man (Review, Stream)

Let’s start this off by getting unconventional: Green Dreams were the first band to send this site music for review/feature consideration. After being told to keep in touch following that initial exchange, they lived up to their promise of doing so. That led to subsequent coverage of a music video, an incendiary song, and that song’s inclusion on an early best-of playlist. Now, the 7″ that the song “Eye Contact” had been teased from is available for streaming in full- and it sees the band absolutely annihilating their previous high-water mark.

Each of the four tracks on Rich Man/Poor Man feature the band playing with a renewed sense of vigor, a tighter focus, and indulging their heavier hardcore tendencies. With pinpoint precision, the band bludgeons the unwitting into submission by virtue of the high-impact punishment they unleash here. From the opening duo of songs that gives this 7″ its name, the level of confidence on display is almost staggering- but that confidence is earned in full. “Rich Man” sets the bar high with a furious hybrid of sludge, hardcore, and post-punk. Guitarist and vocalist Jesse Amesmith has never been in finer form, spitting each new lyric out with an astonishing sense of purpose. Equally impressive is the furious rhythm section interplay between drummer Trevor Amesmith and bassist Ben Kruger- something that comes into even sharper focus during the explosive final minute of “Poor Man”.

While the only essential additional thing to be said about Rich Man/Poor Man‘s excellent closing track is that it provides a great end cap to an extraordinary release, it’s probably worth noting that it’s still among the best songs to have been released this year. Even with that being the case, it’s certainly possible that one of the small handful of songs to top it is “Country Mouse”, the one that immediately precedes it. More than any other song on Rich Man/Poor Man “Country Mouse” radiates Green Dreams’ newly sharpened fierceness. Blasts of noise-punk that threaten to verge into the realm of total chaos and tear the song into multiple shreds keep intruding in on the verse while the chorus sounds like it’s fighting to hold itself together. Shards of feedback lash out at the high-intensity guitarwork and the whole thing winds up being an absolutely essential listen (a major tip of the hat is also due to Shaun Sutkus, who worked his usual recording room magic to help give this a subtle, extra kick).

All suspicions of this 7″ being a must-own have been confirmed. What will easily stand as one of 2014’s best at the end of the year is now available for purchase through Cherish Records or Green Dreams’ bandcamp. Don’t miss out on this. Grab a copy while they’re still available.

Listen to Rich Man/Poor Man below and pick it up by following the hyperlink above.

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June 1, 2014

Swearin’ – Live at Memorial Union Terrace – 5/30/14 (Pictorial Review, Video)

There are very few bands that will warrant the subversion of this site’s manifest. One of the rules that this place tends to hold sacred is that the music in question is more important than an individual reaction to it (this eliminates the assumptions involved in writing from a first person perspective). That said, there are a few bands that have managed to flip that script based on the sheer reverence their music has earned. Perfect Pussy and Tenement are the most notable to have it done it so far but today Swearin’ joins their ranks. There’s just something about the band that resonates with me on a really intense personal level. It’s at the point where it’s impossible to distance or separate myself from that reaction. Taking myself out of the equation would, in some way, feel more dishonest than just trying to get across how this band affects me personally- because any time that happens it’s worth dissolving barriers for.

Some exposition: What A Dump, the band’s first demo cassette, is one of my favorite releases of all time. There’s literally nothing in my fairly expansive library that comes even remotely close to matching it for number of plays at this point. Swearin’, the band’s first full-length, is in the top ten of that particular list as well. Despite this being the case, up until last Friday night, I’d never seen the band play live. So, when the opportunity to see the band play for free on a terrace overlooking Lake Mendota came, I dropped everything and jumped at the chance. By the end of that night my enthusiasm and affection for the band and its members had only grown more emphatic. An additional bonus was the fact that the show gave me a chance to finally catch Pretty Pretty live as well, who lived up to their strong early reputation.

Both bands played shortly after the sun finally set on Madison with Pretty Pretty giving a commanding performance that emphasized their strengths as a live act. The Columbus trio”s punk-tinged powerpop never got tiresome and their set only got more impassioned as it went on, gaining a startling momentum until it finally got to a place where the only thing left to do was call it quits for the evening and let Swearin’ take over. Swearin’, for their part, commanded the hell out of their sizeable audience (it’s nice to see free music outdoors on a perfect night proving to be as big of a draw as it’s ever been) and lived up to every ridiculous, lofty expectation I’d been forming for years. A lot of their songs are practically sacred to me at this point and they only grew more vital in the live setting. When their discography spanning set came to a close, strings had been broken, feelings had been poured out, notes had been missed, beer had flowed frrely, an infinite amount of mosquitoes had been swatted, and everyone was all smiles. From “Here to Hear” to “Crashing” to “Dust in the Gold Sack” to “What A Dump” to “Kill ‘Em With Kindness” there was never a moment that felt less than incendiary. My friend Justin summed the whole thing up aptly and admiringly with a simple “Fuckin’ Swearin'”. How right he is.

A video of Swearin’ kicking off their set with “Here to Hear” can be seen below. Below that video is an extensive image gallery of the show. Take a look at both, then make sure to catch them in person whenever they’re in town. It’ll be worth it.

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May 14, 2014

Fucked Up – Sun Glass (Music Video)

The more that’s revealed about Fucked Up’s Glass Boys, the more interesting it gets. From the sunnier disposition to the fact the deluxe version will come packaged with a second LP that features the drums in half-time, it seems all but destined to wind up a thrilling, enigmatic anomaly in the band’s impressive catalog. “Sun Glass”, in both song and video (the second to be released in advance of the album), continue to support this theory by featuring a band mostly known for their anxiety sounding relatively unburdened and, more than that, having fun. It’s a drastic change of pace that suits them surprisingly well; the big questions get scaled back to make way for some small self-examination and guess what? As fucked up as some things can get, overall everything’s pretty alright. Appropriately, the video’s as sun-splashed as possible, with all involved parties looking like they’ve just gone through a small hell and come out completely rejuvenated; able to appreciate the small joys of life more readily instead of taking them for granted.

Watch the improbably feel-good video for “Sun Glass” below and let it be a necessary reminder to stop and feel the sun every once in a while.

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May 6, 2014

5 to See at NXNE 2014: Vol. 2

The 5 to See series continues from where it left off since Vol. 1. Now that the cases to see METZ, Swearin’, PS I Love You, Greys, and Perfect Pussy have been made, it’s time to lean in to Volume 2. A brief description of the featured band will be provided and accompanied by a video. All of this will lead up to the festival itself, which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in style. Keep tabs on all of this and make the necessary adjustments when faced with schedule conflicts. Now that the exposition’s out of the way, let’s get to the bands.

1. Mac DeMarco

What to Know: Mac DeMarco’s Salad Days is his best work to date and his live shows continuing to earn raves. He’s a living archetype: the slacker sleazeball personified. It’s part of what makes him and his music so effortlessly endearing. Take the normal manic pace of a festival into account and DeMarco’s set may easily be the most enjoyable bit of escapism that NXNE has to offer.

What to Watch:

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2. Pet Sun

What to Know: At this point, there isn’t much to know about Pet Sun other than that the Hamilton-based band has released an incredibly promising demo and that decent live footage of the band is hard to come by. That said, as lo-fi as recent clips of the band have been, they’ve indicated that the band’s capitalizing on their early promise- possibly exceeding it- and that it’s pretty clear they put on one hell of a live show.

What to Watch:

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3. Speedy Ortiz

What to Know: Whether they liked it or not, the band was positioned at the forefront of a 90’s revival on the backs of 2013’s incredible Major Arcana. Since then, they’ve been anything but quiet, capitalizing on opportunities to create new music and demonstrate a knack for trustworthy politics. Oh, it also helps that somewhere along the way they became a tenacious live band. Expect their set to be as much of a force as they’ve proven themselves to be.

What to Watch:

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4. Beliefs

What to Know: Beliefs, like Vol. 1 features METZ, will have the advantage of playing to a hometown crowd. Coincidentally, the band also put out an incendiary split 7″ with Greys (another Vol. 1 feature). Their sound lands between the most industry-conscious no-wave of the 80’s and the most incandescent shoegaze of the 90’s. Put all of that together and it’s very clear things are going their way- which always makes for good sets. Don’t miss theirs.

What to Watch:

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5. Swans

What to Know: What hasn’t been said already? There’s a very real possibility that Swans are the darkest and most nightmarish band going right now. Micahel Gira & co. have been mining utterly intense levels of dread for so long that it’s difficult to imagine any one of their members exposed to sunlight. Their past two records, The Seer and To Be Kind, may just be their two finest. Nothing at NXNE will come to being even remotely close to this ominous (has anyone ever created music this terrifyingly apocalyptic before?)- and it’s very possible that nothing will come close to being this oddly beautiful as well. Swans’ music forces the listener into self-examinations, self-actualization, and total transcendence. Make sure to be wherever they are when they play. This is just about guaranteed to be the most bruising, massive set of the entire festival.

What to Watch:

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May 6, 2014

Cloud Nothings at the High Noon Saloon – 5/2/14 (Pictorial Review)

On Friday Night, the High Noon Saloon played host to Fire Retarded, Protomartyr, and Cloud Nothings for one hell of a show. Fire Retarded were as spastic as anyone could ask for, flexing some serious punk muscle, while Protomartyr found their footing in smoldering intensity. Cloud Nothings more than proved they’d earned their headlining slot; their set played out like a constant highlight reel. These thoughts will be expanded more later elsewhere- but for now, take a look at the first set of official Heartbreaking Bravery photography (and expect a lot more of this to be featured on the site in the upcoming months). Enjoy.

4 Comments

February 20, 2014

Cheap Girls – Knock Me Over (Stream)

Cheap Girls have been one of the more intriguing touring acts since their debut, Find Me A Drink Home. While their deeply-indebted 90’s powerpop sound has proved surprisingly divisive, it’s always been hard to label them as revivalists. Theirs has been a sound that’s felt, more than any other act treading those waters, genuinely timeless. Even with 2012’s extraordinary Giant Orange, the band earned comparisons to bands as varied as Big Star, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, and the Gin Blossoms. They’ve always put exquisite care into their songcraft, no matter what the release (“Pure Hate” off of a split 7″ with Lemuria deserves to be considered a classic) and the upcoming Famous Graves looks to continue that trend.

Famous Graves will be the band’s first effort for new label Xtra Mile Recordings, after jumping off of Rise- a metal label that’s core audience frequently reacted very negatively to the band. Xtra Mile looks to be a much better (and much more beneficial) fit for the band, especially considering the levels of early enthusiasm for a record that has ample time for a pre-release run (Famous Graves is out officially on May 13th). Kicking off that pre-release run is “Knock Me Over”, which finds the band in typically outstanding form. Lead personality Ian Graham infuses the hard-driving powerpop song with characteristically weary lyrics that don’t lack in wit or memorable lines. It’s this quality, matched with the band’s increasing ambition, that makes them a perfect fit for their upcoming tour alongside literary-minded Midwest (via Brooklyn) music staples The Hold Steady.

Really, the closest cousin that “Knock Me Over” seems to have are the songs The Hold Steady have slowly been unveiling in advance of Teeth Dreams. Both bands draw a lot of influence from classic rock archetypes and both instill a sense of youthful exuberance into their work, no matter how battered the core topics are. There’s a sense of a kind of beautiful acceptance in both bands’ Us vs. the World mentality, as both realize that the world’s always going to win just by virtue of being bigger. Cheap Girls summarize this acceptance best in the chorus of “Knock Me Over”, lacing it with a subtle pang of regret that makes their lesson feel hard-won. Listen to “Knock Me Over” below and take a trip through a selection of the band’s discography here.

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February 19, 2014

Mozes and the Firstborn – Bloodsucker (Music Video)

Mozes and the Firstborn quietly released one of the best debut records of last year on Burger as a cassette and few people noticed. Now, though, on the brink of releasing that same record in all major audio formats (and in the midst of a tour with together PANGEA), lots of people’s heads are turning. All it takes is one listen to just about any song off of Mozes and the Firstborn to know that this quartet of kids from the Netherlands has tapped into something special. Serious songwriting chops paired with enviable pop sensibilities and enough dirtied up grit to make any Ty Segall acolyte blush. All of this is why this site’s already spent a fair amount of words on the band. They’re a band worth celebrating and undoubtedly deserve the praise and affection that will be coming their way.

Today, the band outdid themselves. Already prone to sneaking in nods to film (their name is a reference to the animated religious film The Prince of Egypt), they elevated their filmic tendencies by releasing a music video for “Bloodsucker” that’s a loving ode to The Big Shave, the 1967 short film that launched Martin Scorsese’s career. Only this time, instead of the principle subject shaving the bottom half of his face off, the band and director, Jeroen Dankers, give the stark story a blackly comic twist that prompts as much laughter as it does disgust. It’s an audacious move and may even become an iconic clip in certain circles. While the video’s dedication to a faithful aesthetic recreation of its source material is impressive, it’s the song that pushes this over the edge. “Bloodsucker” is the kind of vintage powerpop that’s incredibly difficult to get successful without sounding strained but is a style Mozes and the Firstborn manage to pull off effortlessly. With “Bloodsucker” backing the increasingly garish imagery that accompanies it, they create an incredibly memorable piece of art that deserves to be seen. Watch “Bloodsucker” below, pre-order Mozes and the Firstborn from Burger, and don’t take any brushes with fate for granted.

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Tag: 2014