Over the course of the past two weeks, an impressive slew of music videos have fought their way out into the world. While a very select few will be highlighted in the very near-future, it’d be inexcusable to dismiss the titles below without any recognition whatsoever. Provided that time wasn’t such a restrictive issue, each and every one of these would be receiving a feature write-up dedicated to analyzing what makes them great. Truly, each one of these clips is more than worth several viewings, so stop reading and start clicking. Who knows? This pool might just contain a few new favorites. Enjoy.
As the year-end list slate of material approaches, this publication (and many others) have a tendency to get backed up. Being run by a single person puts Heartbreaking Bravery at a greater disadvantage in those terms. Other mitigating life factors have proven to be fairly significant in terms of time allotment. However, no matter how many things there wind up being to balance, keeping up with the latest releases never gets neglected. While there are a handful of tracks, music videos, and full streams that will be receiving (likely brief) individual features, there are many others that have recently emerged which deserve celebration. Those can all be accessed below, split into each respective category. Enjoy.
1. Margaret Glaspy – You & I + Emotions and Math (Skype)
A biting wit, a commanding performance style, and tremendous songwriting have made Margaret Glaspy one of the most featured artists on this series over the past few months. While the selections here — “You & I” and “Emotions and Math” may be familiar, they’re still at the root of powerful performances. Week in and week out, Glaspy has proven to be a formidable talent. This abbreviated session’s no exception.
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2. Lucy Dacus (La Blogotheque)
Lucy Dacus, another artist who made a habit of appearing on this series over the past several months, gets the La Blogotheque treatment in this characteristically gorgeous clip. Performing a trio of songs — including 2015 standout “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” — Dacus is never anything less than mesmerizing. Framed by a series of lived-in Manhattan locations, the entire affair breathes effortlessly and casts a tantalizing spell all of its own.
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3. Rhea – 3am (Boxfish Sessions)
As Cuttlefish Collective’s Boxfish Sessions project continues, their offerings seem to get more impressive. While their gold standard remains Long Neck‘s breathtaking showcase that was featured in Watch This: Vol. 143, this entry from Rhea’s not far behind. An entrancing performance of a brilliant song from an intriguing emerging artist, “3am” is comprised of a little bit of everything that this site was built to celebrate. Don’t let lack of familiarity prevent a look; this is exceptional work.
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4. Angel Olsen – Give It Up (BBC)
My Woman will likely be showing up a lot as year-end lists start rolling out but that level of excessive praise is deserved. Angel Olsen delivered one hell of an album just last month and has been riding a wave of critical and commercial success in the wake of that release. Instead of just coasting, the songwriter’s turning in incredibly committed performances that not only retain but elevate the impressive bite that informed Burn Your Fire For No Witness. BBC’s Radio 6 studio was recently lit up by a charged performance of one of My Woman‘s many highlights, “Give It Up”, and finds the band sounding locked in and ready for anything.
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5. Glen Hansard – Stay the Road (Nooks & Crannies)
Last year Glen Hansard delivered one of the most beautiful clips to ever be featured on this series in the painfully gorgeous “McCormack’s Wall” and has finally come through with what feels like a natural successor in “Stay the Road”. Shot in, around, and outside of the legendary Sydney Opera House, the tenderly-shot black-and-white clip tracks Hansard making the most of the venues architecture and delivering a heartfelt rendition of “Stay the Road”. A beautifully constructed clip, it’s a very capable demonstration of what can be accomplished while working within the confines of a very niche medium. It’s a masterful piece of multimedia artistry and it more than deserves a spot on this list.
Occasionally there are days when the floodgates open and all that you’ve managed to miss over the past few weeks swarms its way into the surging current. Today was one of those days. More than 30 great items materialized, spread across all of the usual formats (although the vast majority were single stream entries). Full streams found life via great records from Crosss (LO), Pinecones (Sings For You Now), Porcelain Raft (Half Awake), Hex Dispensers (III), and Flesh World (The Wild Animals In My Life). Music videos had a strong year sustained with a fascinating crop of new clips that ranged from tongue-in-cheek (Mikal Cronin’s “Say“) to the epic sprawl found in Yak’s “Smile/Distortion“. The list of stunners in between included the following: Django Django’s “Shake and Tremble“, Elacampane’s “Out of Control“, Swiftumz’s “Take The Gray“, Toby Goodshank’s “Baby I Feel Like I Just Got Cut In Half“, Blue Smiley’s “Warn“, and Karen Meat & The Computer’s “Pizza & Beer“.
For the full songs, things picked up considerably and produced a particularly fierce onslaught of new material. That being the case, they’ll simply be listed and linked. All of these deserve so much more than just those direct mentions but this time around, there are simply too many. If anything, that should serve as strong evidence of 2015’s continued kindness. To wit: Daddy Issue’s “The Bruise“, Dead Stars’ “Calm Punk“, C-Duncan’s “Garden“, Little Racer’s “Jack Knife“, Mammut’s “Blood Burst“, Kid Wave’s “Honey“, Wing Dam’s “House Boat“, The Good Life’s “Everybody“, PINS’ “Molly“, Girlpool’s “Cherry Picking“, Angelo De Augustine “If I Could Fly“, Two Inch Astronaut’s cover of Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen“, Zachary Cale’s “Sundowner“, Dog Party’s “Sapphires“, Ecstatic Visions’ “Astral Plane“, Oberhofer’s “Memory Remains“, Sorority Noise’s “Nolsey“, No Joy’s “Hollywood Teeth“, The Cairo Gang’s “Ice Fishing“, and EZTV’s “Trampoline“. There was also the return of Radioactivity that took the shape in the form of the fiery “I Know”.
One of the first posts to ever run on this site was a review of Radioactivity’s incredible self-titled debut, which was easily one of 2013’s best records. Radioactivity felt like a continuation of The Marked Men’s Fix My Brain, an indisputable genre classic from The Marked Men, the band that mostly comprises Radioactivity. Two years later, the band’s back in full swing and has “I Know” to lead their charge. Much like Fix My Brain and Radioactivity, “I Know” is a snarling burst of pop-inflected basement punk. Guitarist/vocalist Jeff Burke continues to operate at an exceedingly high peak, offering one infectious melody after another. By the time “I Know” careens towards its finish, it’s almost as if Radioactivity never took their foot off the pedal after their debut, creating something as memorably urgent and accessible as each members’ finest outings. With June 30 only just around the corner, we’ve got some time to brace for impact- and it’s a recommended strategy- because Silent Kill is coming at full force and it’s not slowing down for anybody.
Listen to “I Know” over at Billboard, who premiered the track, and pre-order Silent Kill from Dirtnap here.
Heartbreaking Bravery 