EP Review | Heartbreaking Bravery

May 13, 2016

Major Leagues – Dream States (EP Review)

major leagues

Editor’s Note: There’s been a month-long gap in coverage, thanks to near-incessant travel and other extenuating circumstances. The following run of posts that contain this note will be posts that should have appeared sometime within the past several weeks. Use these posts as an opportunity to catch up to the present release cycle or to simply discover some new music. Either way, enjoy.

Major Leagues have been quietly perfecting their own distinct take on jangly basement pop for a few years now and Dream States stands as their most definitive statement to date. After a certain amount of time playing together, great bands begin to develop the kind of chemistry that sets them apart from both their peers and the bands who have only just begun emerging. Dream States sees that chemistry in full bloom as one near-perfect song gives way to another, leaving behind a realistic possibility that Dream States may come to be regarded as a minor classic.

Every individual piece that’s on display throughout the EP’s all-too-brief run registers as a standout, teasing potential flawlessness until the very last seconds (and then leaving you wondering if that it was something the band actually achieved). Each of the six songs that comprise Dream States are intelligently composed, dynamic, accessible, and immediate. None of them fall apart when placed under heavy scrutiny and they each make enough impact to leave a lasting impression and linger long after they’ve ended.

Dream States is an astonishing release that should go a long ways in ensuring Major Leagues experience a (well-deserved) growth in terms of name recognition. It’s a listen that’s unlikely to grow stale anytime soon and one that all but guarantees return trips. The EP rewards investment but doesn’t necessitate it, which will likely leave the entire affair as a remarkably agreeable release among a very large section of people. Bright, charming, and brilliant, Dream States is the kind of release that should still be receiving praise well into the next few years.

Listen to Dream States below and pick it up from the band here.

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May 13, 2016

Nano Kino – Surfing On the Void (EP Review)

nano kino

Editor’s Note: There’s been a month-long gap in coverage, thanks to near-incessant travel and other extenuating circumstances. The following run of posts that contain this note will be posts that should have appeared sometime within the past several weeks. Use these posts as an opportunity to catch up to the present release cycle or to simply discover some new music. Either way, enjoy.

Nano Kino, a project led by Duncan Lloyd (Maximo Park, Decade In Exile) and Sarah Suri, have been of interest to this site since their very first recordings. The project has been capitalizing on their promise for well over a year now, with each successive release standing as a new career high. Surfing On the Void continues that trend with no shortage of finesse.

From the opening seconds of the title track alone, it’s clear that the band’s managed to find a new level of confidence and have fully committed to making something genuinely memorable. Falling even closer to the current field of extraordinary powerpop that’s currently emerging from Sweden, “Surfing On the Void” — the band’s finest track to date — also finds Nano Kino embracing their sunniest pop sensibilities to startling effect.

While the band hasn’t completely abandoned the stormy atmospherics that informed decent stretches of their past output, they’ve managed to integrate their formidable penchant for enthralling dynamics into what appears to be a new era of the band with an astonishing amount of natural ease. Everything in Surfing On the Void fits together neatly and is capped off intriguingly by the short acoustic closer, “New Love”, which seems to be pointing towards a very fascinating future for the project. Whatever’s on the horizon is shaping up to be well worth our attention.

Listen to Surfing on the Void below and pick up a digital copy here.

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April 13, 2016

Eskimeaux – Year of the Rabbit (EP Review)

eskimeaux

For the night’s second full stream, the attention gets turned to Eskimeaux‘s Year of the Rabbit EP, which has the unenviable task of following up O.K. last year’s Album of the Year. Before covering why Year of the Rabbit pulls this off with ease, a few more full streams appeared over the past few days that deserve mention: S-21’s absolutely vicious Demo, Closed Mouths’ rollicking 3 Songs, and a very tantalizing three song sampler from All People, appropriately titled First 3 Songs. While all of those releases were quite short, they all proved very adept at capturing attention.

Another release that not only captured attention but actively enthralled came courtesy of Eskimeaux, a band that’s been making all sorts of power moves lately. While the project’s early output had been consistent, thanks to project mastermind Gabrielle Smith’s unique artistic vision, it wasn’t until Eskimeaux became a full band that the songs started approaching the transcendent. In short order now, Eskimeaux’s issued one of the best records of the decade and an EP that’s all but guaranteed to be on this site’s list (and many others) come December.

Year of the Rabbit opens with one of Smith’s most effective production tracks, layering her voice into a sweet chorus that entices and soothes in equal measure. Slowly, the rest of the band kicks in, crescendos to a stop and strikes up a mid-tempo jaunt that serves as the bed for a characteristically nostalgic, human narrative. Less than a minute into Year of the Rabbit and Eskimeaux’s already concocted the foundation for an impressive composition with relatable angles.

After the airy rush of the title track, the EP devotes most of its time to songs that have been released in some capacity or another throughout the past year, including early 2016 highlights “WTF” (which was an easy inclusion for the 50 Best Songs of 2016’s First Quarter list), “Power“, “Drunk“, and “Sleeping Bear” (the latter of which was previously titled “Sleepy Bear”). While all of those songs carry an air of familiarity, they’re elevated by both the context of Year of the Rabbit and the natural flow of its sequencing.

“Bulldog”, the EP’s penultimate song, feels completely new and scans as the record’s most personal moment as well as its most riveting. It finds Smith operating solo, revisiting the roots of the project, and fearlessly embracing the band’s most definitive trait — vulnerability — on a staggering level. The song also offers up the EP’s most breathtaking moment in its hard isolation of the phrase “is it hard losing?”, which takes on a significant magnitude as the song reaches its conclusion.

More than ever, it feels like Smith is addressing herself rather than her audience as she tears into difficult questions about her own constitution. Each one of the EP’s seven songs is a gripping run through the songwriter’s psyche, the band’s ambition, and the dynamic that allows both of those elements to take on a symbiotic relationship. For that reason and — as is increasingly the case with Eskimeaux — so many other deeply ingrained reasons that reveal themselves over time and a certain level of investment, Year of the Rabbit stands out as one of 2016’s strongest releases. Get on board now and save yourselves the regret of showing up late to the party.

Listen to Year of the Rabbit below and pre-order a copy from Double Double Whammy here.

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December 23, 2015

Milk Crimes – Milk Crimes (EP Review, Stream)

[EDITOR’S NOTE: With the site now entering emergency year-end catch-up mode thanks to the cruel, mocking nature of time, tonight’s trio of posts will simply be short reviews of the album(s) in the headline(s) and an accompanying list of records that deserve to be heard.]

Every so often, a band explodes onto my radar by virtue of a simple email message and thoroughly captures my attention. Milk Crimes are one of these bands and their explosive self-titled EP, which recalls a number of acts from the impeccable Reeks of Effort roster at their most manic (while still clinging to the frantic pop sensibility that serves as one of their more defining elements).

Milk Crimes is comprised of five vicious punk-tinged basement pop numbers, each one barreling headfirst towards some unplanned destination. The trio trades vocals at will and are unified in their determinedly scrappy approach as individual musicians, conjuring up something that feels exhilarating because of the constant looming threat that it’ll all fall apart at any minute (yet never does). Wildly energetic and abrasively confrontational, it’s one of 2015’s finest hidden gems and deserves a lot more discussion than it’s getting. Get on board.

Listen to Milk Crimes below and pick it up here. Below the embed, explore a collection of some of the best full streams to surface over the past several months.

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Sevdaliza – Children of Silk
Rubber Bang Gun – Making A Fool of Myself
Fórn + Yautja – Split 7″
Nervous Trend – Shattered
Val Hollie – Val Hollie
Total Abuse – Excluded
Ashland – Ashland
Bethlehem Steel – Docking
Lysol – Demo
Correatown – Embrace the Fuzzy Unknown
Jacobus – Jacobus
Goldmund – Sometimes
100% – Incantation
The Empty Gestures – Total Collapse
Z Tapes’ Christmas Benefit Compilation
Emily Yacina – Soft Stuff
The Just Luckies – Same Kids, Same Things
PC Worship – Basement Hysteria
Petal – Raspberry Cough
Skaters – Advent Calendar
Marvelous Mark – Crushin’

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December 7, 2014

Watch This: Best of 2014 (Video Mixtape)

Live music videos never seem to get the emphasis they deserve. It’s part of why Watch This was created; to celebrate stunning documents of equally stunning performances. A good band can make a great record but a truly great band usually excels in the live setting. With 2014 winding to a close (and with another 100 posts in the past), it seemed appropriate to start reflecting on some of the year’s best offerings. Lists of LP’s, EP’s, 7″ releases, and more will be forthcoming but today the focus will fall on live clips. And, yes, 2014’s not quite over yet and there will be a few weeks worth of live clips to consider (in addition to the past few weeks, which will be focused on in the posts immediately following this one) and “best” is still subjective- but the videos contained in this mix were simply too good to just feature once. If there’s enough material, an appendix will be added around the start of next year.

To be eligible for this video mixtape, the videos involved had to have been previously featured in Watch This and not contain an interview sequence. Full sets were ruled out as well (with a lone exception being made for one of 2014’s best videos in any capacity to provide a sense of closure to the proceedings). These videos were pulled in from as many places as possible with only Chart Attack, La Blogotheque, and Little Elephant making repeat entries (with two each). From the painfully gorgeous (Mutual Benefit, Angel Olsen) to sublime perfection (Radiator Hospital, Little Big League) to the absurdly impressive (Kishi Bashi) to the most electric late night performance of 2014 (Ty Segall), there’s a little something for everyone. 25 clips are included and listed below, with a hyperlink provided to their respective installments in Watch This‘ always expanding catalog. Since this brings the site to another 100 post mark, hyperlinks will be provided to posts 300-399 for anyone interested in checking out past material. With all of this exposition out of the way, there’s really only one thing left to do: sit back, focus up, and Watch This.

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1. Audacity – Counting the Days (Jam in the Van) — vol. 24
2. Greys – Guy Picciotto (Chart Attack) — vol. 24
3. Radiator Hospital – Fireworks (BNTYK) — vol. 51
4. Ovlov – Where’s My Dini? (Little Elephant) — vol. 23
5. Frankie Cosmos – Embody (Radio K) — vol. 55
6. Mean Creek – My Madeline (Wondering Sound) — vol. 19
7. Joanna Gruesome – Anti-Parent Cowboy Killers (BTR) — vol. 51
8. Sweet John Bloom – Aging In Place (Allston Pudding) — vol. 48
9. Emilyn Brodsky – Someone Belongs Here (TCGS) — vol. 28
10. Mitski – First Love // Late Spring (bandwidth) — vol. 43
11. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street (ACL) — vol. 54
12. Sharon Van Etten – Serpents (Pitchfork) — vol. 40
13. Mutual Benefit – C.L. Rosarian (Bruxelles Ma Belle) — vol. 19
14. Angel Olsen – Enemy (La Blogotheque) — Vol. 11
15. Kishi Bashi – Philosophize In It! Chemicalize In It! (WNYC) — vol. 29
16. Little Big League – Year of the Sunhouse (Little Elephant) — vol. 45
17. Screaming Females – It All Means Nothing (Audiotree) — vol. 27
18. Ty Segall – Feel (Conan) — vol. 40
19. Dilly Dally – Candy Mountain (Chart Attack) — vol. 51
20. Cloud Nothings – Now Hear In (Amoeba) — vol. 57
21. MOURN – Otits (Captured Tracks) — vol. 53
22. Courtney Barnett – History Eraser (KEXP) — vol. 34
23. Lee Fields – Don’t Leave Me This Way (La Blogotheque) — vol. 54
24. Jenny Lewis – Slippery Slopes (KCRW) — vol. 52
25. Saintseneca (NPR) — vol. 38

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November 10, 2013

Midwives – EP (Review)

Milwaukee’s Midnight Reruns are set to unveil their debut LP next week and it’s likely to be one of the year’s best. Don’t let that serve as a distraction from Rerun’s frontman Graham Hunt’s other project, the equally attention-deserving hardcore act Midwives. After releasing a self-titled five song EP digitally through Bandcamp only a little over a month ago, Direct Current records will be pressing 7″ copies as their very first release. It’s one hell of a first release for both parties, occupying a space that falls somewhere between OFF! and Pissed Jeans.
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Hunt’s vicious guitar work here is matched in intensity by his bandmates’ respective performances. Blood is shed. The whole thing’s over in seven exhilarating minutes. With each track coming in at an average of only slightly over a minute, there’s no time to breathe. Midwives manage to execute on each of these tracks, going 5-for-5 on their first outing.

Midwives’ unfiltered frustration may be their most defining characteristic, coming to a head in “Twinkie” at the EP’s midway point amid repeated cries of “I can’t take this.” Their most valuable asset, however, surfaces in the inventive final minute of “Debonair”, which finds the band slowing down and descending into a gently chaotic pattern that’s somewhat reminiscent of the expansive instrumental pieces on Fucked Up’s The Chemistry of Common Life. “Debonair” giving way to new stylistic elements as the EP bows out suggests new and exciting possibilities for Midwives’ sound, which sets them up nicely and elevates anticipation for what they’ll manage with any follow-up’s.

From the pummeling “White Whine” through to those final quietly unnerving moments, there’s never a dull section. Midwives’ introduction piece should be an equally strong start to Direct Current’s operations. Both the band and the label seem well worth keeping tabs on. Add this to Perfect Pussy’s I have lost all desire for feeling, Pharmakon’s Abandon, and LVL Up’s Extra Worlds as one of the year’s best EP’s. Keep an eye out for the physical release and stream it below.

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November 4, 2013

Perfect Pussy – I have lost all desire for feeling (EP Review)

Syracuse’s Sswampzz released an EP last year full of snarling lo-fi punk tracks. This EP, Sleeper, is chaotic and has more than a touch of menace. Sleeper also holds up on repeat listens and acts as a nice companion piece to another record to come out of Syracuse a year before that, Shoppers’ Silver Year, which boasted a similar formula; barely-contained chaos, a menacing atmosphere, and, importantly, a sense of unadulterated passion.

With those two releases being as close as they were, it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise when members of each band came together to form a new one. What is a little surprising (but entirely welcome) is how many people have latched on to this new project. Even though I have lost all desire for feeling came out in April, a recent run of eye-catching live performances has dramatically upped their profile and, suddenly, all everyone seems to want to talk about is Perfect Pussy.

I have lost all desire for feeling combines all the best attributes of the best releases from both Sswampzz and Shoppers (who are now sadly defunct). Perfect Pussy have also managed to incorporate other elements into their presentation as well, including the method for naming song titles. Continuing on vocalist Meredith Graves’ insistence in providing Roman numerals (something that dates back to her days in Shoppers) as song titles could prove problematic for listeners in the future but for now remains as intriguing as it is endearing. That intrigue acts as an important aspect of Perfect Pussy and could be a large part in what’s providing the band the levels of attention it’s currently receiving.

Graves’ intensity nicely complements the almost maniacal wall of noise that propels her forward. There’s a gleeful acceptance of being in her unintelligibly shouted lyrics that adds a certain depth of mystery to what would otherwise come across as a very bleak and frustrated record. One of the most effecting moments of I have lost all desire for feeling comes early on at the end of “I” when Graves spits out “I am full of light. I am filled with joy. I am full of peace. I had this dream that I forgave my enemies.” Each line comes across like a buried mantra that Graves is desperate to share with the world. That sense of desperation is one of I have lost all desire for feeling‘s most palpable elements. All four of these tracks seem scrappy and on edge, either looking for a fight or containing a fierce internal one.

By the time “IV” winds down and the dust clears, all that’s left is smoldering ash. Perfect Pussy never puts the brakes on and choose to careen out of control towards an inevitable impact. I have lost all desire for feeling easily stands as one of the most thrilling releases of 2013, EP or otherwise. Seemingly every move the band makes at this point will be subject to some sort of scrutiny after a few reportedly insane CMJ sets even furthered their profile (a glimpse at their unofficial Pitchfork CMJ showcase can be seen below). There’ll be a fight brewing with the mounting attention but, clearly, that’s not something Perfect Pussy seems too afraid of.

You can hear and purchase I have lost all desire for feeling here.

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Tag: EP Review