Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: All Saints Day

June 15, 2014

La Sera – Fall In Place (Music Video)

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La Sera’s Hour of the Dawn asounds like summer. It’s also the best album Katy Goodman (ex-Vivan Girls, All Saints Day) has ever crafted. A big part of this is thanks to the explosive fretwork that comes courtesy of new guitarist Todd Wisenbaker, which helps lend the record quite a bit of an explosiveness. Every track on the record is a vibrant little triumph that stays just understated enough to avoid tipping over into grandiosity. One of the best examples of this is “Fall In Place”, a song that boasts an incredibly sweet chorus and keeps itself grounded with some astoundingly warm verses. Actually, come to think of it, warmth may be the record’s defining characteristic; the tones, the atmosphere, the arrangements, and the delivery- all of it feels welcoming and familiar. In that respect, “Fall In Place” may be Hour of the Dawn‘s defining song and the video matches it perfectly. The Michael Erik Nikolla-directed clip consists of nothing more than Goodman and Wisenbaker walking down a closed-off street with their dog and a crew that consistently switches out Wisenbaker’s guitar(s), it’s decidedly more slice-of-life than Big Moment- and it’s all the better for it.

Watch “Fall In Place” below and take a long walk in the sun at the next available opportunity.

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March 5, 2014

La Sera – Losing to the Dark (Stream)

Well, it happened. Vivian Girls called it quits and each respective member now has the freedom to throw themselves into their other projects to a more complete extent than they could have while the band was still active. Of all those projects, Katy Goodman’s solo venture, La Sera, has been the most consistently captivating over the past few years. La Sera’s last record, 2011’s Sees the Light, hinted at a darker sound with contained noir-punk moments like “Drive On”- but nothing provided full preparation for something like “Losing to the Dark”.

Goodman’s lyrical stock and trade leading up to this point has largely relied on either joy or apathy, “Losing to the Dark” shifts that focus to unbridled anger. In accordance with that anger, in the Hour of the Dawn lead-off single she’s crafted a song that winds up being a perfect combination of all her previous works strongest elements. There’s recklessness, restlessness, and a humanizing touch of lightness to be found in both the melody and overall composition. A guitar cuts in and out of a frantic solo, as if the hands of whoever was controlling it were lit on fire. All of it comes together in the most immediate way imaginable, stopping the listener dead in their tracks. There couldn’t have been a more perfect time for the arrival of “Losing to the Dark”, as it does really feel as if Goodman’s clawing her way out of Vivian Girls’ graves and setting a path for vengeance. If all of Hour of the Dawn winds up being this good, there may be a surprise album of the year contender in the works.

Listen to “Losing to the Dark” below.

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