After a large handful of extended posts, Watch This will be back to its weekly schedule following this collection. Watch This has been an essential part of Heartbreaking Bravery since its first era as its very foundations are rooted in a philosophy that complements this space’s mission statement. They’re frequently ignored despite their astonishing level of artistry and are rarely featured in any meaningful way on any other forum. Live documentation is deeply important as it creates an immediate visual aid for a multifaceted chapter of history (and specifically the intersections that occur between venues/locations and artists).
Once again, 25 bands are featured in the below packet. Among these videos are performances that run the gamut from explosive covers (Meat Wave tackling Elliott Smith, Tacocat taking on Katy Perry), head-turning solo performances (Declan McKenna), confident experimentation (Operators, Fresh Snow, Blasteroid), and adrenaline-fueled thrill rides (Audacity, PWR BTTM, Mike Krol), among several other performance modes. Everything on display in this collection is worth studying, whether it’s the fillmmaking aspect or the performances themselves. There’s a lot to ingest so, as always, sit up straight, adjust the volume, get settled, and Watch This.
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1. Audacity – Dirty Boy (BreakThruRadio) 2. PWR BTTM – Ugly Cherries (Radio K) 3. Meat Wave – Speed Trials (SideOneDummy) 4. Stephen Steinbrink – Absent Mind (Little Elephant) 5. Moving Panoramas – Radar (BreakThruRadio) 6. David Bazan – Both Hands (KEXP) 7. The Zolas – Swooner (Light Organ) 8. Chris Bathgate – Nicosia (Radio K) 9. Hype – Last Man On Earth (DZ Records) 10. Operators – Space Needle (WFUV) 11. DIIE – Miracles & Magic Are Real (Radio K) 12. The So So Glos – Dancing Industry (Little Elephant) 13. Declan McKenna – Brazil (Conan) 14. Fresh Snow – Your Thirst For Magic Has Been Quenched By Death! (Exclaim!) 15. Mike Krol – This Is The News (KINK) 16. Tacocat – Roar (The AV Club) 17. The Kills – Tape Song (KCRW) 18. Guerilla Toss – Eraser Stargazer Forever (BreakThruRadio) 19. Blasteroid – Triple D (VHS Sessions) 20. GoGoPenguin – Branches Break (WFUV) 21. Saintseneca – How Many Blankets Are In The World (WXPN) 22. Murder By Death – Foxglove (Paste) 23. Nada Surf – Friend Hospital (World Cafe) 24. Furnsss – Roll With It (VHS Sessions) 25. Lee Fields – Don’t Leave Me This Way (KDHX)
Two Watch This posts will run tonight, bringing the series back up to the current release cycle. After more than 100 entries and several long-form packages, Watch Thishas only managed to expand in both scope and range. The underlying principle remains steadfast: this is a project to celebrate the very best in live performance video, one of the most under-recognized and under-appreciated multimedia art forms in the music and film world. An intense amount of craft is required to make a live video memorable (or, failing that craft, a formidable level of personality) and some of the people who are brave enough to make entries turn in unforgettable work.
Below are 25 great performances from 25 artists who are worth exploring. Whether it’s PUP tearing through the strongest opening 1-2 punch any record’s boasted this year, Courtney Barnett putting her heart into a gentle solo rendition of “Depreston“, Midnight Reruns unveiling a new song, or Small Houses putting a warm spin on a Weakerthans classic, there are a lot of moments to appreciate embedded into this compilation. Old favorites and emerging acts found themselves posited as the centerpiece(s) of artful documentation and this installment of Watch This is a presentation of those documents. So, as always, turn up the volume, calm down, lean in, and Watch This.
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1. Summer Cannibals – Go Home (KEXP) 2. Sunflower Bean – Easier Said (The Current) 3. Meat Wave – Delusion Moon (Ratio Beerworks) 4. Small Houses – Watermark (Onder Ivloed) 5. PUP – If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will + DVP (Stiegl) 6. Bird Laww – In My Sleep (Public Radio /\) 7. The Black Angels – Better Off Alone (Jam in the Van) 8. Mise En Scene – Show Me You’re Real (BreakThruRadio) 9. Wolf Solent – Countless Minds (Sea Records) 10. Courtney Barnett – Depreston (The Current) 11. The Coathangers – Make It Right (Paste) 12. Midnight Reruns – Warm Days (Set List) 13. Kevin Morby – Singing Saw + Doroth (The Daily Indie) 14. Katie Von Schleicher (Jenn Harrington) 15. Emily Yacina – Soft Stuff (This Has Got To Stop) 16. Bob Mould – Voices In My Head (Sound Opinions) 17. Palehound – Healthier Folk (Radio K) 18. Hemming – All I Want (Weathervane) 19. Odio Paris – En Junio (BalconyTV) 20. Mike Krol – Neighborhood Watch (Radio K) 21. Journalism – Watching & Waiting (BreakThruRadio) 22. David Bazan – Oblivion (Little Elephant) 23. Murder By Death – Shiola (Paste) 24. Lucy Dacus – Green Eyes, Red Face (BreakThruRadio) 25. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Clean Slate (3RRR)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the fourth collection of those videos below.
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1. Saintseneca (KJHK) 2. American Wrestlers (Audiotree) 3. Try the Pie – Thomas 4. The So So Glos – A.D.D. Life (Little Elephant) 5. Courtney Barnett – Dead Fox (Austin City Limits) 6. Pop & Obachan – Elora’s (This Has Got To Stop) 7. Mothers – Mother and Wife (Paste) 8. The Nudes – Pretty (Ithaca Underground) 9. Sleater-Kinney – Fangless (Austin City Limits) 10. Three Man Cannon – Patiently (Little Elephant) 11. Lever – Nickels & Dimes (DZ Records) 12. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – Nobody Dies (The Current) 13. Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle (Paste) 14. Torres – The Harshest Light (Audiotree) 15. Menacerno – Johnny Cas’ (DZ Records) 16. Kamasi Washington – Fair As Equal (Paste) 17. Human Music – Sending Messages (Exclaim!) 18. Hellrazor (BreakThruRadio) 19. Palehound – Holiest (Public Radio /\ Sessions) 20. The Thermals – My Heart Went Cold (Jam in the Van) 21. Soul Low – Frenemies (Little Elephant) 22. PWR BTTM – Dairy Queen (WFUV) 23. Ancient Whales – To Be (Public Radio /\ Sessions) 24. Des Ark – French Fries Are Magical (Do512) 25. Frigs – Trashyard
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the second collection of those videos below.
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1. Julien Baker (Audiotree) 2. The Dirty Nil – Zombie Eyed (Little Elephant) 3. Amber Arcades (3voor12) 4. Big Ups (Do512) 5. Brooke Waggoner – Fresh Pair of Eyes (OurVinyl) 6. Quarterbacks (WSPN) 7. Natalie Prass – Tell Me (OurVinyl) 8. gobbinjr – bb gurl (Play Too Much) 9. Sweet Spirit – Breakthru Radio 10. Operators (KEXP) 11. Bill Ryder Jones – Wild Roses + Put It Down Before You Break It (La Blogotheque) 12. Two Gallants – My Love Won’t Wait (OurVinyl) 13. El Pino & The Volunteers (3voor12) 14. Mulligrub – Homo Milk + Man in the Moon 15. All Dogs – Skin (Little Elephant) 16. Gaelynn Lea – Submission 17. Ride (KEXP) 18. Glen Hansard – When Your Mind’s Made Up (NPR) 19. Justin Townes Earle – Mama’s Eyes (OurVinyl) 20. Posse – Cassandra B (Band In Seattle) 21. TUFT – Sheep (Jam in the Van) 22. The Nudes – Your Eyes (Ithaca Underground) 23. Wildhoney – Soft Bats (Audiotree) 24. Cayetana – Freedom 1313 (Little Elephant) 25. Daughter (BBC)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the first collection of those videos below.
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1. Charly Bliss (Audiotree) 2. Julien Baker (NPR) 3. Happyness (KEXP) 4. Car Seat Headrest (NPR) 5. PWR BTTM (KEXP) 6. Kal Marks – Coffee (Allston Pudding) 7. Fern Mayo (BreakThruRadio) 8. Wolf Alice (NPR) 9. Coke Weed (WKNC) 10. Frankie Cosmos – Outside With the Cuties (Pitchfork) 11. All Dogs – Sunday Morning (Little Elephant) 12. Eskimeaux (BreakThruRadio) 13. Sóley (KEXP) 14. Ty Segall & The Muggers – Candy Sam (Conan) 15. Pinegrove – Need 2 (Little Elephant) 16. Beach House – Irene (Pitchfork) 17. Petal – Sooner (WXPN) 18. Ratboys – Collected (DZ Records) 19. together PANGEA – Blue Mirror (Consequence of Sound) 20. VANT – Parking Lot + Do You Know Me (3voor12) 21. Long Beard (BreakThruRadio) 22. Courtney Barnett – Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party (Colbert) 23. Michael Rault – Nothing Means Nothing (Out of Town Films) 24. Sleater-Kinney – Modern Girl (Austin City Limits) 25. Bo Ningen (KEXP)
When Watch This was conceived it was done with the intent to not only critically examine the balance of filmmaking and live performance but celebrate the art of the live video, a format which seems to have fallen to the wayside despite being more fruitful than it’s been since it was introduced. There’s real power behind the clips that manage to seamlessly merge the best qualities of everything that goes into the best live performance videos and they can yield genuinely unforgettable moments (when everything kicks back in on “Waitress”, the held falsetto in “A Proper Polish Welcome”, and a whole host of other chill-inducing moments are scattered throughout this compilation). Those moments are the beating heart behind this series construction and they’re what sustains the project as it presses forward.
Well over 300 live clips were covered on this site in 2015 and this is a collection of 25 that genuinely stood out for one reason or another, whether it was the sheer joy in a performance (Diet Cig), the performer’s ability to freeze blood (Julien Baker, Dilly Dally, SOAK), the trio of artists who appeared on Watch This the most throughout this year (Courtney Barnett, Girlpool, and Torres), an electrifying presentation and performance (July Talk), or a clip that’s a fully functional masterclass in every category that elevates a clip from astonishing to transcendental (Glen Hansard). All of those and more have been plugged into this packet, which culminates in a tour de force reminder of the overwhelming power of what can be achieved on a live platform from the resurgent Sleater-Kinney as one final exclamation point for a truly extraordinary year. So, as always, sit up, focus, adjust the volume, and Watch This.
Watch the 2015 edition of the best-of compilation for Heartbreaking Bravery’s definitive recurring series, Watch This, below. The track list is available under the embed.
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1. Hop Along – Waitress (World Cafe) 2. July Talk – Paper Girl (Audiotree) 3. Ronny – Why Do You Have Kids (Gems On VHS) 4. Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle (BreakThruRadio) 5. Mikal Cronin – Say (WFUV) 6. Molly Parden – Weather (GemsOnVHS) 7. Eskimeaux – Folly (This Has Got To Stop) 8. Waxahatchee – Under A Rock (Pitchfork) 9. METZ – Spit You Out (3voor12) 10. Ought – Beautiful Blue Sky (KEXP) 11. Saintseneca – How Many Blankets Are In the World? (ANTI-) 12. Diet Cig – Harvard (In the Attic) 13. SOAK – B a Nobody Blud (La Blogotheque) 14. Dilly Dally – Burned by the Cold (Strombo Sessions) 15. Alex G + Girlpool – Brite Boy (SPIN) 16. Footings (Jenn Harrington) 17. Mike Krol – Suburban Wasteland + Neighborhood Watch (KEXP) 18. Beach Slang – Get Lost (Cozy Couch Sessions) 19. Public Service Broadcasting – Go! (WNYC) 20. Christopher Paul Stelling – Dear Beast (ANTI-) 21. Courtney Barnett – Depreston (La Blogotheque) 22. Algiers – Blood (WFUV) 23. Torres – A Proper Polish Welcome (NPR) 24. Glen Hansard – McCormack’s Wall (ANTI-) 25. Sleater-Kinney (NPR)
Car Seat Headrest was another band from 2015 that had gained previous traction and capitalized in blinding fashion, showing a complete disregard for the thought of looking back. Understandably, KEXP invited them into their studio for a session and the band delivered one of 2015’s most towering sets in recent memory. At a monstrous running time that exceeds most full-length efforts, it’s actually a fairly intimidating ask- or, it would be if the music (and performance) wasn’t so immediately likable. Will Toledo’s got an enviable gift for pop songwriting and for subverting expectations, leading the charge in a session that more than justifies the swirling interest surrounding the band.
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2. Dilly Dally (BreakThruRadio)
If this site’s love for Dilly Dally hasn’t been made abundantly clear by now, this very sentence will probably at least give you a small indication. After torching the stages of Santos Party House and Baby’s All Right during CMJ, the band’s kept pace with their music and maintained a deliriously frantic touring schedule. All of that time playing out is paying off, tightening the screws on their already-formidable live show. It’s evident in every live clip that surfaces, including this revealing session with BreakThruRadio that includes some endearing interview segments. Turn it up and fall in love.
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3. The Lumes – Nervous + Satan (The Daily Indie)
Every so often, a relatively unknown band crops up on my radar and blows me away with how complete they seem and The Lumes definitely qualifies as one of those bands. A lightly menacing post-punk trio that excels in atmospheric work, they’ve managed to carve out a thoughtful identity that feels more singular than it should just two releases into their career. Here, they perform vicious takes on “Nervous” and “Satan”, the tracks that bookend their outstanding LustEP. The trio gives their all in both performances and ultimately secures a spot on this installment of Watch This thanks to their overwhelming strength.
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4. Woozy – Hush (Little Elephant)
It’s been a while since Little Elephant’s hosted a session as strong as the one Woozy’s provided, committing another jewel to that particular crown with this committed take on “Hush”. Marrying genres with ease and integrating surprisingly explosive moments in fits and starts, “Hush” may actually be one of the band’s most definitive songs. Leaning heavily into their post-punk and grunge angles, they still find ways to surprise in territory that’s generally far more straightforward. Ultimately, it’s another extremely impressive showing from a band that seems surprisingly determined to top themselves with each successive outing.
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5. Bandit – The Drive Home + Dragon (Audiotree)
Closing out this run of Watch This is a performance that feels like a genuine finale, courtesy of Bandit’s beautiful renditions of two Of Life‘s highlights: “The Drive Home” and “Dragon”. The former of those two songs received one of the most gorgeous music videos of the year and has the capacity to overwhelm listeners with genuine feeling, amplifying atmospheric currents as it progresses. “Dragon” is a track that operates in a similar vein and, packaged together, they manage to elevate each other’s best qualities, which is why- in spite of a deeply impressive full session– this performance is being highlighted individually. Exemplifying all of Bandit’s finest qualities as both a band and as a live act, Audiotree struck gold with the band’s turn-in of these two songs, leaving behind something that the studio might be talking about for quite some time.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the nature of these upcoming posts, a truncated version of this introductory paragraph will be appearing over the next several installments of this series.] It’s been quite some time since the 100th edition of Watch This went up on this site. There have been a lot of factors going into the extended interim but, as usual, a focal point of that absence was to make sure the preparation work was kept up to date. Full sessions, single song performances, DIY videos, and impressive turn-ins from radio stations abound. So, as always, sit back, adjust the setting, crank the volume, focus up, and Watch This.
1. Eskimeaux (Ithaca Underground)
Another full session from Eskimeaux as they continue to play out in support of the brilliant O.K., this particular session also stands as what may very well be Ithaca Underground’s finest capture. A DIY presentation, it catches a much less manufactured look at Eskimeaux’s tantalizing live show with their strongest lineup. Songs like “Folly” remain as breathtaking as ever, while the viewer has the added benefit of an actual spectator vantage point, making the experience a touch more immersive. As everything comes together, this quickly becomes a vital document of an important part of Eskimeaux’s history. It’s not just worth watching, it’s worth all of the inevitable return visits as well.
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2. Wet Nurse (BreakThruRadio)
Scrappy basement pop is the lifeblood of this site and that occasionally can bleed over into the realm of pop-punk. Wet Nurse manage to find a compelling middle ground that makes them a fascinating variable whenever they’re lumped in with either category. “Belly Hurts” might be the best example of that middle ground and this BreakThruRadio session captures it– and the band’s general identity– with characteristic verve.
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3. Courtney Barnett (Austin City Limits)
In addition to Torres and Girlpool, the only other artist to become a permanent fixture of this series’s coverage throughout 2015 has been Courtney Barnett. An unlikely mega-success, Barnett’s been racking up acclaim, sales, and new fans with abandon. One of the biggest aspects of the songwriter’s draw are live performances and this two song effort for her Austin City Limits session is a formidable example of that particular strength.
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4. Mall Walk (KEXP)
Weird, dissonant post-punk with garage trappings has popped up more than a few times on this site and will continue to pop up anytime it’s done as well as Mall Walk does it here. One of KEXP’s spikier sessions in recent memory, it’s a five song onslaught that finds the trio firing on all cylinders. Aggressively bleak, a little unwieldy, and unreasonably propulsive, it catches the trio at a crucial point of momentum building. Expect to be hearing their name a lot more sometime soon.
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5. Braids (3voor12)
Sometimes a performance comes along and reminds you why you ever started caring about music. This is one of those performances. Anchored by the band’s unconventional approach to composition, the band commits to this three song performance and winds up with a session that feels essential. Wildly impressive and strangely moving, this isn’t a session to be missed.
No record in 2015 has hit me as hard and as consistently as O.K., a deeply felt masterpiece from Eskimeaux. A record I’d liked upon first listen and warmed to progressively over time, it wasn’t until I saw those songs played live that everything seemed to click. Audiotree was fortunate enough to have the band in for a recent session and wound up with what may come to be regarded as the definitive live recording of this era of the band. The performances are uniformly strong and the songs remain spectacular. Simply put: this is unmissable.
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2. Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle (BreakThruRadio)
Likely the only 2015 record to rival O.K.‘s emotional impact is Julien Baker‘s arresting breakout effort SprainedAnkle. With a title track that easily ranks among the year’s finest songs, Baker’s latched onto something genuinely captivating. It’s myriad strengths were emphasized with a gorgeous music video and are once again brought to the fore with this painfully gorgeous live performance. It’s a triumph for one of music’s most promising emerging talents.
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3. Slothrust (Jam in the Van)
In a manner not too dissimilar from Eskimeaux, Slothrust was another band that sold me further on material I’d already liked via the strength of their live show, It’s not surprising, then, that their session for Jam in the Van winds up being one of that series’s strongest entries in months. Topping everything off is a typically strong take on “Crockpot”, which continues to stand as one of the strongest songs of recent memory.
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4. Torres – Strange Hellos (Hooke Audio)
Has anyone appeared more times on Watch This throughout the course of 2015 than Torres? Mackenzie Scott’s project continues to turn in spellbinding performances at an alarming rate but, even with that being the case, this version of “Strange Hellos” manages to stand out. Shot as part of Hooke Audio’s live sessions series that challenges artist to re-interpret their material, “Strange Hellos” gets transformed into a jaw-dropping ambient number that may wield even more of a punch than the studio version. It’s a startling reminder of Sprinter‘s most powerful moments.
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5. Girlpool (Pressure Drop)
If anyone’s appeared on the 2015 run of Watch This as many (or more) times than Torres, it’s site favorites Girlpool. Harmony Lebel-Tividad and Cleo Tucker put together one hell of a run this year, highlighted by their extraordinary full-length debut Before The World Was Big. In a nine-song session, the duo makes their way through the majority of that record and “Soup”, one of the new numbers they’ve been road-testing on their last few tours. As ever, the performances are assured and showcase the near telepathic connection the band’s developed over the past few years. They’re an act that seems poised to get stronger as they go, which is more than a little impressive considering they’re already one of the best bands currently making music- and this Pressure Drop session serves as proof.
Last week was another particularly strong week for live clips, with two of KEXP’s most memorable sessions of 2015 acting as bookends for this installment of the series. Since the majority of the previous posts introductions had been overflowing with content, this entry seemed like a reasonable time to allow the five featured clips to be the sole focus of the series. For roughly 100 weeks, Watch This has focused on the best live clips to emerge in a given week, so it feels appropriate that this particular volume features one of the most entertaining sets the series has run to date, a new name to the site, and a band that’s a series regular. All of it’s worthy of investment and serves as a testament of how good of a time it is for live videos. So, as always, sit back, adjust the volume, relax, focus up, and Watch This.
1. Mike Krol (KEXP)
At the end of last month Mike Krol threw down one of the best sets I’ve seen all year at Baby’s All Right and brought a lot of the same manic energy to this KEXP session, which features the live renditions of more than half of his latest album. While KEXP’s camera setup required a reduction of the intensity of their lights show, the band still showed up in full costume with an excess of razor wire. Fast, dirty, chaotic, and injected with a childlike glee, this is a KEXP session that the station members will probably be talking about for a long time to come.
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2. Mothers – No Crying In Baseball (Audiotree)
Every so often, Audiotree unearths an incredibly promising emerging act that make the most out of their session time. This time around, that band’s Mothers, whose “No Crying In Baseball” is a remarkably accessible brand of post-punk that comes loaded with enough pop sensibility to have a tremendously wide-reaching appeal. While the song border the virtuosic at times, the quartet plays it with the exact right blend of commitment and detachment up until its explosive, passionate finale.
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3. Worriers (BreakThruRadio)
ImaginaryLife, Worriers’latest effort, has managed to stand out in an astonishingly overcrowded 2015. The band recently stopped by BreakThruRadio’s studios for an interview and to perform a few songs from the album, providing an effective reminder of its strength. The live sections are spirited and the interview’s illuminating, cementing this clip’s essential viewing status.
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4. Screaming Females – Triumph (Radio K)
It’s been stated before that Screaming Females have been appearing on Watch This for around as long as the series has existed. Nearly every piece of praise that can be directed towards their live performance has already been directed at their live performance but they still don’t seem content and are continuously topping themselves. Every time this band is on any kind of stage, it’s a signal to buckle up and brace for impact. Radio K invited the band in to their studios for a recent performance and the band obliged with a characteristically exceptional performance of “Triumph”.
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5. Wimps (KEXP)
Wimps have slowly been racking up interest for the past few years and that interest seems to be nearing a fever pitch. Releasing records at a startling rate tends to be an attention-getting tactic but, outside of Robert Pollard and a very small handful of others, it’s rare that kind of over-saturation has much artistic merit. Wimps belong to the small handful that are the exception to that rule. Every single one of their releases has been ridiculously enjoyable and they’ve only sharpened their craft as they’ve progressed. That maturation’s very evident in this entertaining KEXP session that already seems to be earning the band a few converts. This is the kind of party that people kick themselves for missing.
Heartbreaking Bravery 