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October 26, 2015

Young Jesus – Holy Ghost (Music Video Premiere)

Several months ago, this site offered up the premiere of the album teaser for Young Jesus’ outstanding Grow/Decompose, which remains one of this year’s finest releases. Now that the record’s out in the world and the band’s about to go on tour in support of Grow/Decompose, they’ve sent another item through the pipeline: the compelling animated video for “Holy Ghost”.

Once again, the direction and art comes courtesy of Young Jesus’ guitarist/vocalist (and principal songwriter) John Rossiter, who continues to impress with an ever-evolving collage of artistic mediums, all held within one frame as the irrepressible energy of “Holy Ghost” pushes the art to its furthest corners. It’s a staggering reminder of the band’s formidable talent, which remains largely overlooked. However, the band’s ready to combat that with some additional firepower that’s arrived in the form of their new label, Gigantic Noise, which will be reissuing Grow/Decompose on vinyl in early 2016.

With the impending reissue, approaching year-end lists, and the band’s gripping live show all factoring into the mix, Young Jesus seems set for a very promising year. They’re fully capable of infusing every facet of their band with the artistry that permeates “Holy Ghost”, making them one of music’s best-kept secrets. Don’t miss out on the reissue, this video, or any of the band’s upcoming tour dates, which can be found below the video.

Watch “Holy Ghost” below and pick up a copy of Grow/Decompose here.

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June 23, 2015

2015: Halfway Home (Mixtape)

Only a little past its halfway point, 2015’s already been an absurdly strong year for music. Numerically staggering, it’s yielded a handful of classics across a variety of genres and a plethora of outstanding small releases. While this mix skews more towards the latter than, say, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, it’s still worth noting how kind this year’s release schedule has been across the board. To reflect on some of this year’s best offerings so far- and to celebrate this site’s 550th post- a mixtape’s been curated for your enjoyment. Nearly all of these songs and artists have been featured on the site previously, lending this particular mix a more retrospective feel than a few of the past entries in the mixtape series, but they’re all worth celebrating as much as possible. Ranging from folk and ambient flourishes to heavy 90’s influences to thoroughly modern post-punk to spritely basement pop, there’s an entry for just about every genre marker that receives regular coverage on the site.

So, without further ado, here’s a mixtape of some of 2015’s strongest highlights (at least so far, there are still quite a few promising items for the year’s latter half). The tracklist for 2015: Halfway Home can be found beneath the embed. Enjoy.

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1. Girlpool – Before The World Was Big
2. Waxahatchee – Under A Rock
3. Mean Creek – Forgotten Streets
4. Royal Headache – Hgih
5. Radioactivity – Pretty Girl
6. Diet Cig – Breathless
7. Washer – Joe
8. Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best
9. Mikal Cronin – Made My Mind Up
10. Torres – Sprinter
11. Jason Isbell – 24 Frames (Live)
12. theweaselmartenfisher – Empty Bucket List
13. Pupppy – Puking (Merry Christmas!)
14. Christopher Paul Stelling – Dear Beast
15. Fraser A. Gorman – Shiny Gun
16. Young Jesus – Milo
17. Girls Names – Reticence
18. Institute – Cheerlessness
19. Happy Diving – So Bunted
20. Downies – Widow
21. Meat Wave – Erased
22. Connor La Mue – Stargazer
23. Bruising – Think About Death
24. Meredith Graves – Took The Ghost to the Movies
25. Yowler – The Offer

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May 12, 2015

Young Jesus – Milo (Stream)

If it wasn’t fairly clear that Grow/Decompose was one of this site’s favorite records of 2015, allow me to clarify: Grow/Decompose easily ranks among the best things I’ve heard over the past two years and this post won’t be the last time it sees coverage here. Premiering the record’s teaser trailer was an honor and the trailer itself was a great indication of the band’s growing ambition. Hellhole Supermarker will be releasing the record on May 13 but “Milo” definitely warrants a closer look before the rest of the songs are revealed. Before exploring that song, though, there are several other brilliant tracks from this past week that deserve to be heard. Those songs? Whitewash’s “Member“, Seacycles’ “Commando“, Pale Honey’s “Lonesome“, Everything Everything’s “Regret“, Communions’ “Summer Oath“, Daughn Gibson’s “It Was Everything“, Sea of Bees’ “Dad“, Prurient’s “Frozen Niagra Falls (Portion One)“, and Oscar’s “Beautiful Words“. All of them are linked for a reason; they’re compelling pieces of art that deserve to be celebrated as much as possible. Another one of those pieces, of course, is Young Jesus’ “Milo”.

As Grow/Decompose‘s penultimate track, “Milo” already occupied traditionally fertile ground for emotive slow-burners- especially ones that reach breathtakingly climactic moments. As signal-bearers go, that’s a strange mark but “Milo” comfortably occupies a space with the most exemplary tracks to fall into that niche category. Grow/Decompose, much like Home– the band’s previous masterpiece, is a record that makes no qualms about being emotionally-driven. While Home certainly felt personal, “Milo” takes that sense of voyeurism to new heights in the quiet, arresting opening. “He sees your daughter in a sundress/eating oranges alone. He feels the love of a father/a love his brother ignored. But he is fumbling with a bottle/because it makes sense just to hold. But don’t you worry while he’s using/it just makes everything slow.” is about as devastating as introductory scene-setters can possibly manage to be. John Rossiter, the band’s guitarist/vocalist, delivers those opening lines in a broken, vulnerable tone that makes them feel uncomfortably realistic, haunted, and lived-in. The instrumental break that follows feels near-euphoric but is tethered to a sense of weariness that prevents it from feeling too celebratory. It’s an extraordinary track that acts as Grow/Decompose‘s narrative endpoint before “Dirt“, the record’s sprawling epilogue, closes things out. Even though “Dirt” is strong enough in its own right, it allows space for “Milo” to resonate and for the listener to recollect themselves after the severe gut-punch of “Milo”, one of the band’s best tracks in an already astounding catalog of stunners.

Listen to “Milo” below and pre-order Grow/Decompose ahead of its release from Hellhole Supermarket here.

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March 24, 2015

Young Jesus – Grow/Decompose (Album Teaser Premiere)

Back in September, the newly-relocated Young Jesus teased their forthcoming record with a punchy tune called “G”, which earned quite a few kind words from this site. It was a riveting look at what the band had in store after their last full-length, which is one of the finest records to have come out of the upper Midwest in the last several years (and a record I have no problem calling a masterpiece). Home was Young Jesus’ first major statement and it wound up doubling as a victory lap for their time in Chicago. Now based in Los Angeles, the band’s fine-tuned their sound and there’s a staggering maturity that’s present in Grow/Decompose, which is due out May 13 via Hellhole Supermarket. A few days ago, the band uncovered a little more of Grow/Decompose by unveiling the record’s opening track, a fragile acoustic-driven number that builds in intensity entitled “E.M.P.“. It’s a telling glimpse at what will undoubtedly stand as one of this year’s many great releases.

Today, it’s my honor to present the album teaser for Grow/Decompose, which stays in keeping with the band’s DIY ethos while simultaneously emphasizing their growing ambitions. Set to the melancholic instrumental “Father Son”, the teaser was animated and shot by guitarist/vocalist John Rossiter, whose unique artistic vision is on full display. As calming landscapes and swirls of colors fly by, a message begins to appear: WE ALL DISSOLVE TO THICKER DIRT THAN WE HAVE EVER KNOWN AND IN THE DIRT THERE GROWS A VINE GOD LABELED HOLY GHOST. It’s an arresting message that comes with a twinge of a more foreboding nature as “Father Son” begins to dissolve into an increasingly atonal warning. Mesmerizing, surreal, and deeply intriguing, the teaser’s a fine match for the record it’s promoting. Unyielding in its artistry and set in its convictions, it’s everything that makes Young Jesus one of the most exciting bands out there- and it’s just part of what will make Grow/Decompose a record that will be remembered fondly for years to come.

Watch the teaser for Grow/Decompose below and keep an eye on this site for more updates on the record.

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