I Remember | Heartbreaking Bravery

May 13, 2015

Casting A Glance (Video Mixtape)

Well, here we are, 500 posts down the line from the Audacity music video feature post that kicked everything off. A lot of things have happened in the course of this site’s existence and its changed my life for the better, introducing me to wonderful people behind bands I genuinely love. Watch This has ran for more than 70 installments, thousands of records and songs have been mentioned (and thousands of photos have been taken), and the site even hosted a showcase in the middle of nowhere. Writers, musicians, directors, artists, publicists, and label executives who help make or promote incredible art all came together and contributed an incredible collection of pieces at the end of last year to celebrate some important things that happened in their life. Somehow, over the course of the preceding 499 posts, people began expressing care for what essentially remains a place for me to share the art I love and give it a sharper focus. Included in that spectrum are the following 25 music videos. None of them have appeared on the site before and all of them have only recently surfaced (please skip over the Inheaven clip if you’re seizure-prone, which is a type of video I do my best to avoid posting here but was so fascinated by that one I thought it warranted a rare exception). From bleary-eyed foxes to murderous teens to gorgeous animation to slasher film homages to stunning cinematography (that Bandit clip is particularly breathtaking), there’s a lot of ground to cover in this list- and, as always, an abundance of art to appreciate.

In keeping with tradition, this being a post that falls on an increment of 100, underneath the tracklist below the embed, there will be hyperlinks to the preceding 100 posts for anyone who’d like to revisit past articles (and as a helpful archival tool). Click play on the embed, peruse articles past, and, most importantly, enjoy. Thanks to everyone who’s helped keep this site alive; your encouragement’s more appreciated than you know.

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1. Courtney Barnett – Dead Fox
2. Mikal Cronin – Turn Around
3. Bully – I Remember
4. Downtown Boys – Wave of History
5. Chastity Belt – Joke
6. PINS – Young Girls
7. Surfer Blood – I Can’t Explain
8. Inheaven – Regeneration (Alternate Version)
9. Nic Hessler – I Feel Again
10. Hop Along – Powerful Man
11. Hurry – Oozing Positivity
12. Kopecky – Quarterback
13. Michael Rault – Too Bad So Sad
14. Landshapes – Ader
15. Arborist – Twisted Arrow
16. Soley – Halloween
17. Brian Lopez – Modern Man
18. Tiny Fingers – The Fall
19. Empty Heads – Deceiver
20. Speedy Ortiz – Raising the Skate
21. Los Angeles Police Department – Insecurity
22. Giant Sand – Transponder
23. The Underground Railroad to Candyland – Yer Not The Only One
24. Winter – Crazy
25. Bandit – The Drive Home

HB400: Watch This: Best of 2014 (Video Mixtape)
HB401: 2014: A Pictorial Review, Pt. 1
HB402: Elephants – The Turtles Were Right (Song Premiere)
HB403: 2014: A Pictorial Review, Pt. 2
HB404: Watch This: Vol. 59
HB405: Watch This: Vol. 60
HB406: Watch This: Vol. 61
HB407: Watch This: Vol. 62
HB408: Watch This: Vol. 63
HB409: 2014: A Pictorial Review, Pt. 3
HB410: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – Billions of Eyes (Music Video)
HB411: Laughing Fingers – Crutches (Stream)
HB412: Quarterbacks – Center (Stream)
HB413: Even Hand – Drifting (Album Review, Stream)
HB414: Male Bonding – A Kick to the Face (Stream)
HB415: All Dogs – Georgia (Stream)
HB416: La Dispute – Woman (Reading) (Music Video)
HB417: 2014: A Pictorial Review, Pt. 4
HB418: Watch This: Vol. 64
HB419: Mulligrub – Sprite Zero (Music Video)
HB420: 2014: A Pictorial Review, Pt. 5
HB421: 14 of ’14: The Best Music Videos of 2014
HB422: 14 of ’14: The Best Splits of 2014
HB423: 14 of ’14: The Best Online Singles and Other Assorted Oddities of 2014
HB424: 14 of ’14: The Best 7″ Records of 2014
HB425: 14 of ’14: The Best Songs of 2014
HB426: 14 of ’14: The Best EP’s of 2014
HB427: 14 of ’14: The Best LP’s of 2014
HB428: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 1
HB429: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 2
HB430: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 3
HB431: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 4
HB432: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 5
HB433: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 6
HB434: 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories, Pt. 7
HB435: Mikal Cronin – Made My Mind Up (Stream)
HB436: Pile – Mr. Fish (Stream)
HB437: Diet Cig – Over Easy (EP Review, Stream)
HB438: Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best (Music Video)
HB439: Ben Seretan – Ben Seretan (Album Review, Stream)
HB440: Girlpool: Things Are OK (Documentary Review, Stream)
HB441: Tenement – Morning Mouth (Stream)
HB442: Music Frozen Dancing at The Empty Bottle – 2/28/15 (Pictorial Review)
HB443: Kodakrome (Demo Review, Stream)
HB444: Yowler – The Offer (Stream)
HB445: First Quarter Songs, Pt. 1 (Mixtape)
HB446: First Quarter Clips, Pt. 1
HB447: First Quarter Full Streams, Pt. 1
HB448: First Quarter Full Streams, Pt. 2
HB449: Death Grips – On GP (Music Video)
HB450: First Quarter Clips, Pt. 2 (Video Mixtape)
HB451: Tica Douglas – Joey (Album Review, Stream)
HB452: Avid Dancer – All Your Words Are Gone (Music Video)
HB453: Denai Moore – Blame (Music Video)
HB454: Screaming Females (Documentary Review, Stream)
HB455: First Quarter Clips, Pt. 3 (Video Mixtape)
HB456: First Quarter Clips, Pt. 4 (Video Mixtape)
HB457: Young Jesus – Grow/Decompose (Album Teaser Premiere)
HB458: Geronimo! – Buzz Yr Girlfriend: Vol. 4 – Why Did You Leave Me? (EP Review, Live Videos)
HB459: Fred Thomas – Every Song Sung To A Dog (Stream)
HB460: Run the Jewels – Close Your Eyes (and Count to Fuck) (Music Video)
HB461: Downies – Widow (Stream)
HB462: Waxahatchee – Under A Rock (Music Video)
HB463: Sheer Mag – Button Up (Stream)
HB464: Dilly Dally – Gender Role (Stream)
HB465: 2015: First Quarter Highlights (Mixtape)
HB466: Meat Wave – Sham King (Music Video)
HB467: METZ – Spit You Out (Stream)
HB468: Fake Palms – Sun Drips (Stream)
HB469: White Reaper – Make Me Wanna Die (Stream)
HB470: Liam Betson – Rapture In Heat (Music Video)
HB471: Watch This: 2015, Vol. 1
HB472: Watch This: 2015, Vol. 2
HB473: Watch This: 2015, Vol. 3
HB474: Watch This: Vol. 68
HB475: Tenement – Dull Joy (Stream)
HB476: Hop Along – Texas Funeral (Stream)
HB477: Washer – Joe (Stream)
HB478: Bruising – Think About Death (Stream)
HB479: Connor La Mue – Stargazer (Stream)
HB480: Pleistocene – Liberteen (Stream)
HB481: Dogbreth – Hoarder House (Stream)
HB482: Watch This: Vol. 69
HB483: Courtney Barnett – Kim’s Caravan (Music Video)
HB484: Left & Right – 5 Year Plan (Music Video)
HB485: Speedy Ortiz – The Graduates (Music Video)
HB486: Bent Denim – Good Night’s Sleep (Music Video)
HB487: Meat Wave – Erased (Stream, Live Video)
HB488: Titus Andronicus – Dimed Out (Lyric Video)
HB489: Midnight Reruns – Ain’t Gonna Find (Stream)
HB490: Watch This: Vol. 70
HB491: Meredith Graves – Took the Ghost to the Movies (Stream, Photos)
HB492: A Third of the Way: Full Streams, 2015
HB493: Joanna Gruesome – Peanut Butter (Album Review, Stream)
HB494: Watch This: Vol. 71
HB495: White Reaper – I Don’t Think She Cares (Stream)
HB496: Mean Creek – Forgotten Streets (Stream)
HB497: Young Jesus – Milo (Stream)
HB498: T. Hardy Morris – My Me (Stream)
HB499: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Line On You (Stream)

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April 13, 2015

Watch This: 2015, Vol. 2

Just like yesterday, and just like tomorrow, there will be a video mixtape compiling some of the most electrifying live performance clips of this past year in an effort to breathe some much-needed life back into the Watch This series that was once a regular staple. In the absolute blur that has been the past four months, this site held onto every scrap of notable material that came swinging through the winter breezes, even if they weren’t always posted about immediately. Watch This once stood as this place’s pulse, a heartbeat that directly emphasized a too-frequently overlooked part of musical culture: stunning live clips. Each week, five from that week would be compiled, written about, and strongly admired. Winsome performances and genuinely stunning a/v are the regular driving forces behind some of the very best the series has ever had to offer- and several of the 25 clips presented here (all selected because they represent the very best of what 2015’s had to offer) certainly fit that mold. Since that’s about as strong of a lead-in as I can manage, I’ll go ahead and leave off- once again- with the tag: sit back, turn the volume up, zero in, and Watch This.

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1. Will Butler – Take My Side (Late Show with David Letterman)
2. Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love (Sound Opinions)
3. Tenement – Cage That Keeps You In (Don Giovanni Records)
4. Light FM – Pointless (3FM)
5. Parquet Courts – Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth (Coachella)
6. Twerps – Simple Feelings (Pitchfork)
7. NE-HI – Sunbleed (Radio K)
8. Torres – Sprinter (WNYC)
9. Nude Beach (KEXP)
10. Ride – Seagull (KCRW)
11. Unlikely Friends – Wasted It & Sunken Eyes (KEXP)
12. Cherry Glazerr – Had Ten Dollaz (KEXP)
13. Glen Hansard – Being In Love (Late Show with David Letterman)
14. Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me (KEXP)
15. The Staves – Black & White + Teeth White (La Blogotheque)
16. Saintseneca – Fed Up With Hunger (Exclaim)
17. Kevin Morby – All My Life (Bandwith.fm)
18. Laura Marling – Walk Alone (NPR)
19. Avers – Harvest (Bandwith.fm)
20. Sand Creeps – No Idea Laughter (Radio K)
21. Creepoid (unARTigNYC)
22. Bully – I Remember (Pitchfork)
23. Toro Y Moi – Empty Nesters (KCRW)
24. Kevin Devine – Go Haunt Someone Else (Little Elephant)
25. Courtney Barnett (NPR)

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April 3, 2015

Waxahatchee – Under A Rock (Music Video)

After the Downies review and accompanying round-up ran yesterday, the plan that was laid out in the introductory paragraphs was set in stone. Then today happened. Over the past few months, the sources where I turn to for material increased- as did the amount of emails I’ve been receiving. Every day, I’m finding roughly twenty things I wish I could dwell on for paragraphs. Contesting that desire is the harsh reality of time- so a few adjustments are going to be made. I currently have more than 250 songs from 2015 to link on the site so I’ll be providing lists of 75 (and one of 25) until that number’s brought to 0. It’ll be an additional part of what- as of tonight- will be regular daily coverage of new content. By the end of next week, things should be back to their normal pace. It’s been a difficult, transitional time but it killed me to force the site into relative inactivity over the months following the 2014: A Year’s Worth of Memories project (and once again, I’d like to take the time out to sincerely thank all of that series’ incredible contributors- I’m sincerely grateful for your work).

Getting back to what matters, the material to have surfaced today has only reaffirmed the fact 2015 has been an absurdly strong time for music. For full-lengths, there was a powerful self-titled from American Wrestlers and a feral 7″ from recent Don Giovanni act Pinkwash. Music videos had even more to offer with Kopecky unveiling a charming lyric clip for “Quarterback“, Crushed Beak’s astonishingly lovely “History“, TOPS’ unnerving animated adventure in “Driverless Passenger“, BETS’ artful black-and-white tryst in “Jenny“, and Froth’s blistering “Postcard Radio” (which very nearly earned today’s feature spot). Most of all, though, there were songs. Site favorites Speedy Ortiz raised expectations for their forthcoming record even higher with the gnarled “Puffer“, Total Babes (who feature Jason Gercyz of Cloud Nothings) unleashed the spiky “Heydays“, and Slonk Donkerson reveled in a heavy sludge influence on “Painted From Memory“. Death Valley Girls looked forward to warmer weather with “Summertime“, Hip Hatchet wove a delicate folk tapestry with “David’s Wolves“, while Meg Baird followed a similar pattern with “Counterfeiters“. Wave & Rome demonstrated an increasingly tired genre’s potential with “Across the Map” while The National demonstrated their propensity for an elegant consistency via the Sharon Van Etten-assisted “Sunshine On My Back“. Rounding everything off was Yazan’s rousing “Tell Me Baby” and Creative Adult’s hypnotically bleak “Ring Around the Room“.

While every single one of those is worth some level of investment, there’s just something about seeing your friends having a good time that elicits an inexplicably great feeling that’s impossible to sideline. Which is precisely why Waxahatchee‘s new video for “Under A Rock” is falling under tonight’s most meticulous level of scrutiny (and most thorough level of affection). I’ve long held a fondness for videos that celebrate lo-fi, VHS home video aesthetics. There’s a certain sense of time and place that accompanies the aesthetic, which winds up being a perfect match for the subtle sense of nostalgia that permeates all of Katie Crutchfield’s work as Waxahatchee. As one of Merge Records’ newest artists, Crutchfield and her collaborators have started off- predictably- on an extended series of grace notes. Now that NPR has verified Ivy Tripp is as incredible as its previews suggested. It’s fitting then, that the footage that comprises “Under A Rock” feels like a hard-won victory lap. From the lineup that performs the song in the video (it’s difficult to see Allison Crutchfield join her twin and not be reminded of Bad Banana or PS Eliot, two bands that meant a lot to me as I started exploring DIY punk’s fabric nearly a decade ago) to the faces in the crowd (Radiator Hospital‘s Sam Cook-Parrott and Cynthia Schemmer are always a welcome sight- as are the innumerable other familiar faces to appear throughout the clip), “Under A Rock” feels like a homecoming celebration built on mutual fondness and respect- which is a trait that this site will always support.

Watch “Under A Rock” below and pre-order Ivy Tripp from Merge here. Below that, explore 75 great songs from 2015’s first quarter that caught my ears (a few of them are on records that are already out but they’re definitely worth revisiting). Enjoy.