Detroit | Heartbreaking Bravery

March 19, 2015

First Quarter Clips, Pt. 4 (Video Mixtape)

Ever sine the 2014 edition of A Year’s Worth of Memories came to its standard close (there may still be a forthcoming epilogue), this site’s been in constant catch-up mode. It’s not a mode that’s going to be entirely evaded- as there is still quite a bit of ground to cover along the single stream battle lines- but, as of this post, Heartbreaking Bravery’s all caught up on 2015 music videos. Having run approximately 1110 music videos from the year thus far, it’s astonishing that there are still enough to carry through a regular video mixtape set of 25 selections. For the first time, these will be presented jukebox style. Music’s always evolving, always rotating, and there are so many different sounds that deserve appreciation- but the best music (and the best clips) all exist alongside each other in enviably creative territories. Acting as complements to each other while simultaneously forming a much larger picture, the 25 music videos below are among the young year’s finest. From Pussy Riot’s breathtaking protest video to Flying Lotus’ continuous visual mastery to Ephrata’s barn-burning tiff, these clips represent some of the finest work being done in their given medium. Coverage on music videos will continue at regular pace form this point forward but it’s definitely worth setting aside an hour or two to explore some of today’s great art. Click play below and get swept up in the spree.

COLLECTION V

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1. Nightmare Boy – Chivalry Is Alive and Well in Glasgow
2. SEAZOO – Panda Pains
3. Spirit Club – Duster
4. Matthew E. White – Rock & Roll Is Cold
5. Pompeii – Blueprint
6. Pussy Riot – I Can’t Breathe
7. Gaz Coombes – Detroit
8. William Ryan Fritch (feat. Esme Patterson) – Still
9. Hundred Waters – Show Me Love
10. The Amazing – Picture You
11. Woman’s Hour – Devotion
12. Weyes Blood – Bad Magic
13. Flying Lotus – Corronus, The Terminator
14. The Afghan Whigs – The Lottery
15. Big Noble – Atlantic Din
16. Only You – Let Me Burn
17. Ephrata – Say A Prayer
18. The Green Seed – Gotchoo
19. The Cush – Orange Like Water
20. Secret Space – Stay For A While
21. Dazed Pilots – Sinner
22. Boxed In – Mystery
23. Grounders – Pull It Over Me
24. ANAMAI – Lucia
25. Annalibera – Blooms

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October 5, 2014

Watch This: Vol. 48

The 48th installment of Watch This reads like a laundry list of this site’s favorite places to cull videos from; Allston Pudding, The Chris Gethard Show, and Little Elephant among them. Live versions of songs that have previously been fawned over resurface with new levels of urgency and old treasures prove their longevity. Every performance that gets featured here is impassioned and clearly illustrates the respective band’s obvious connections to their own music (with a strain of apathy-fueled music growing steadily prominent, this is- unfortunately- more of a rarity than common occurrence). Trying to wax poetic about most of these videos in this paragraph would most likely just wind up doing them a disservice, so: sit back, turn the volume up, ignore the time, lean in, and Watch This.

1. Little Big League – Property Line (Little Elephant)

There hasn’t been a band in quite a while to pull off what Little Big League achieves by virtue of this placement; this is their third consecutive video to appear in this series- in as many weeks- and they’re all from the same Little Elephant session. So, some straight talk: “Property Line” is one of the year’s best songs and the band’s current career-best effort. Even though the live version doesn’t have the benefit of those chill-inducing horns, it retains its formidable pull. As always, the band reveals themselves to be an excellent live act and provides several reasons to get excited about their upcoming LP, Tropical Jinx.

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2. Sweet John Bloom – Aging In Place (Allston Pudding)

Allston Pudding’s made a habit of making impressive live videos- this outstrips all of their previous work with an assured ease and a new level of confidence that suits them well. An extraordinary live-edit that features a stunning performance from emerging act Sweet John Bloom to promote their upcoming full-length, Weird Prayer. Expertly marrying high-energy basement pop with deliriously frantic post-punk, it’s inclusion would have been an easy decision as an isolated standalone- the additional edits towards the video’s close put it way over the top and render it one of the more artistically inclined live videos to ever appear in this series. Don’t skip out on this one.

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3. Protomartyr (La Blogotheque)

Protomartyr’s Under Color of Official Right was one of the highlights of 2014’s first quarter and it’s held its ground ever since its release. Here, the band teams up with La Blogotheque to film stripped-back live performances of “What the Well Said” and “Scum, Rise!” in the moats of Saint-Malo, a port city in France. It’s a fitting backdrop for the band’s take on post-punk, something that bears the influence of their Detroit home. Unsurprisingly, it’s spectacularly shot and bizarrely compelling, continuing La Blogotheque’s unique penchant for producing live footage that excels on those levels.

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4. Jeff Rosentstock & Friends – Hey Allison! (TCGS)

Don Giovanni comedy darling Chris Gethard hosts a show. These shows host live acts. It seems that nearly every time a video of these performances surfaces, it earns a spot in this series. Jeff Rosenstock‘s “Hey Allison!” has already emerged as one of the more relentless earworms of the past few weeks and the live version is an all-out blitz. Anytime anyone puts this much heart into music this good, it’s going to earn a write-up. The Chris Gethard Show also has the unique advantage of utilizing a crowd of misfits being encouraged to be as weird as possible, turning single song performances into outright events. There are few things more encouraging than watching a band and an audience enjoy each other’s company in equal measure at an absurdly high degree. This is can’t-miss entertainment.

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5. METZ – Get Off! (Pitchfork)

METZ was one of the more unforgettable debuts of the past few years and the band’s live show, easily one of the best around, pushes those songs to exhilarating heights. Employing humanism and sonic annihilation at roughly the same pace, anytime the band takes the stage it’s a small victory for everyone involved. Here, they tear through a fired-up version of “Get Off” and incite some fierce reactions from an adoring crowd. METZ themselves remain as entertaining as ever, putting just about everything they have on the line every time they take the stage- and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.

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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.

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January 10, 2014

Protomartyr – Scum, Rise! (Stream)

Protomartyr album cover

First, the facts: Protomartyr are an incredible post-punk band from Detroit, MI. They recently announced they’d officially signed to Hardly Art. “Scum, Rise!” is the first look at their sophomore effort due out on April 8th, entitled Under Color of Official Right. “Scum, Rise!” itself finds the band working with an expanded production budget without sacrificing too many of their tonal qualities that made them a natural fit for their previously lo-fi recordings. Landing somewhere between the rhythmic pull of Thee Oh Sees and the goth-punk tendencies of Nervosas, “Scum, Rise!” is reason enough to get really excited about the band’s upcoming record. It’s a two-and-a-half minute blast of rhythm-propelling riffs and miniature explosions. Easily the most energetic preview track to have surfaced in this very young new year, “Scum, Rise!” sounds like a band truly announcing itself. This could be huge. Hear “Scum, Rise!” below (and check out the record’s killer artwork above).

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