BBQ | Heartbreaking Bravery

December 1, 2016

Nothing Stops In November: The Month’s Full Streams

A lot changed over the course of November, on national, global, and intimate scales. The results of the latter category led to a near-absence of posts over the past 30 days on this space. No matter how much the personal landscape changed, the tracking of new releases remained a constant. While the last post documented some of the best music videos to emerge over the course of that run, the attention here falls to the full streams that were unveiled in that same interim.

As is typically the case with these types of roundups, everything here deserves more praise than it can possibly receive here and is likely best sifted through at a leisurely pace. Feel free to bookmark the page and make return visits to hear some outstanding music because these aren’t releases that people will want to miss. Dive in and enjoy.

Permit, Lawn, Swampmeat, Minihorse, Deerhoof, Retail, The Momotarōs, Spelling Reform, Very Fresh, Dark Blue, Skin Lies, Nine of Swords, Harmony Tividad, Miracle Sweepstakes, Monomyth, Pure Moods, if i die in mississippi, Mustardmind, Frank Weysos, Tuffy, Dr. Dog, Jess Williamson, Pastel Felt, Floating Room, Mark Sultan, Landing, Psychic Love, His Clancyness, Blank Range, Dogs At Large, Mr. Universe, Carroll, Warm Ouroboros, NGHTCRWLRS, Ava Mendoza/Maxime Petit/Will Guthrie, You Blew It.

Burial, Justin Carter, Cold Country, Gloria, Brave Timbers, Split Single, Amp, Deadaires, Cameron AG, Estrons, The Superweaks, My Education, Genders, Elle, Perfect Human, Fujiya & Miyagi, The Immoderate Past, Holy Golden, and Quit + Wuss. An outstanding GoldFlakePaint compilation and an exceptional Z Tapes compilation rounded things out in memorable fashion.

May 24, 2015

Molly – People (Music Video)

Going forward with last week’s coverage, there will be a trio of posts with a music video taking up residence in the headline accompanied by a few auxiliary items. Starting that run off is Molly’s incendiary basement pop number “People” and its montage-heavy video. Before diving further into that clip, though, the attention will be refocused on two great songs and one great record. For the songs, Sea Ghost unveiled the hazy indie pop of “BBQ” while Gnarwhal unleashed the intimidatingly feral “Anal Riffage“. For the full streams, there was Little Wings’ deeply felt and winningly shambolic outsider folk record Explains.

Molly get the featured spot thanks to the complementary rapid-fire pace of both “People” and their new clip for the song. Constructed to create what essentially amounts to an immersive people-watching experience may have been a bit on-the-nose if it wasn’t executed with such stunning panache. Mixing in some minimal artistic renderings to overlay what appears to be stock crowd footage, the Julian Nielsen-directed clip finds its rhythm (and it’s charm) on a commendable commitment to simplicity. As the track surges forward, growing more intense, the animations follow suit. By the time it winds down to a close, footage slowing in reverse, it’s left a considerable mark. With Peach Melba already streaming in its entirety, it’s safe to say that the band’s potential isn’t falsified by a pairing this strong. Molly are most definitely a band worth keeping both eyes on.

Watch “People” below and pre-order Peach Melba directly from the band here.

1 Comment

December 24, 2014

Watch This: Vol. 64

Normally Watch This gets posted on Sunday, which is when Vol. 64 was intended to run. Persisting technical problems and a commitment to an upcoming week of year-end coverage delayed this post, though it’s still structured the same as a standard Watch This feature. The five clips below were some of the best to emerge from the week preceding the current one. A few site favorites, a living legend, and a new name all earned mention’s for standing out in last week’s particularly great haul. King Tuff, Generationals, The Soil & The Sun, and Jenny Lewis were all featured in great performance clips but were just edged by the efforts below (which, looking at that company, should say something). So, as always, sit back, turn the volume up, calm down, and Watch This.

1. King Khan and BBQ Show (KEXP)

King Khan and BBQ Show have been raising hell for years now, always stuck in an exhilarating acceleration. Here, the duo don their masks and take to KEXP’s studio to deliver a frantic four-song performance, trading vocal leads and exuding a sense of personal freedom. We Are The Champion is the band’s upcoming record and- as demonstrated by this performance- it’s going to be one worth owning.

–

2. Las Rosas (BreakThruRadio)

Much like King Khan and BBQ Show, Las Rosas excel in mining previous decades’ most popular rock n’ roll touch points and integrating them into something unflinchingly modern. They recently stopped by BreakThruRadio for a memorable run through a few of their best songs. Doo-wop, soul, and punk all factor prominently into their sound and that particular sound only gets better in a live setting.

–

3. Mumblr – Masturbation (Space Jam Sessions)

A few months back, Mumblr routed their tour up to Stevens Point, WI and took part in this site’s 1-year anniversary party. 2014’s had a lot of really memorable moments and the band’s set’s right up there with the very best. Unsurprisingly, the band’s delicate acoustic-driven take on “Masturbation” for Space Jam Sessions proved to be one of last week’s more arresting clips. Get to know this band and then go catch one of their shows; it’ll be memorable.

–

4. Screaming Females – Ripe (Don Giovanni)

Next year Screaming Females– one of the best live acts currently going- will release Rose Mountain, an album that already seems like it’s shaping up to be a career-best effort. One of the already-unveiled songs, “Ripe“, recently got a Lance Bangs-directed live clip as a welcoming accompaniment. Does anything else really need to be said?

–

5. Thurston Moore (KEXP)

With Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore became one of the most influential guitarists of the past 50 years. Even though that band’s split up, Moore’s live music continues to impress both on record and in the live department. KEXP recently hosted the band (which includes Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley) for a session that featured songs from Moore’s most recent effort, The Best Day. Every member of the band’s in fine form as they make their way through a set that demonstrates Moore hasn’t lost any of his magic.