Kanine Records | Heartbreaking Bravery

August 2, 2014

Songs in Screens: A Look Back (Music Video Mixtape)

We’ve hit the approximate 2/3’s mark of the year 2014 and this very post is the 250th to run on this site. Over the course of its duration Heartbreaking Bravery has included a fairly strong emphasis on the music video and this year’s offerings made that commitment a complete non-issue by virtue of their excellence. Songs in Screens: A Look Back is a visual-based “mixtape” and serves as a reminder of a lot of the videos that earned acclaimed here- and a few that, whether due to time or an overabundance of other predetermined material, were egregiously overlooked. For all of the videos that have been featured, there will be a hyperlink leading to their respective write-ups. Those that didn’t receive a write-up will get a very brief one below the mix itself. All of these videos came out in 2014 and made an impression- and they all deserve to be remembered. Let’s give them the recognition that they deserve.

–

1. Perfect Pussy – I
2. Bleeding Rainbow – Images
3. Creepoid – Baptism

4. Thee Oh Sees – Drop

While Thee Oh Sees’ “The Lens” did land itself a nice write-up, “Drop” was unfairly pushed to the side during its release. Arguably the better of the two videos (and songs), it gets the most out of its constantly evolving, simplistically animated black-and-white presentation and felt like a more appropriate inclusion for this list.

5. together PANGEA – Offer
6. Diarrhea Planet – Babyhead
7. Potty Mouth – Black & Studs
8. Dead Stars – Summer Bummer

9. The Coasts – I Just Wanna Be A Star

It’s almost cruel that both this song and this video were overlooked due to festival coverage. Both are either perfect or near-perfect and embody just about everything this site loves most. “I Just Wanna Be A Star” is a joyous celebration on record and the video gets one hell of a performance out of its unlikely lead. Make sure to not skip this one.

10. PUP – Guilt Trip

11. Anna Calvi & David Byrne – Strange Weather

This spot was always intended to feature an anomaly- an act or style that doesn’t regularly earn a feature spot on this site. clipping. came a hair’s breadth away from claiming it with their mercilessly arresting video for “Work Work” but Anna Calvi & David Byrne made something so staggeringly beautiful and emotive with their video for their “Strange Weather” cover that it would’ve been criminal to ignore it. No video this year had cinematography this stunning- or a mood this anxious. A genuine work of art.

12. Beverly – Honey Do
13. Mean Creek – My Madeline
14. Fucked Up – Sun Glass
15. Mozes & the Firstborn – Bloodsucker
16. Tweens – Forever
17. PAWS – Owls Talons Clenching My Heart
18. Iceage – The Lord’s Favorite
19. The So So Glos – Speakeasy
20. Marvelous Mark – Bite Me
21. Savages – Fuckers

22. Lower – Soft Option

No video from 2014 had this amount of unrelenting tension. From its bare-bones premise to the engaging execution, it’s something with the potential to be permanently embedded into the brain of anyone lucky enough to come across it.

23. Greys – Guy Picciotto

24. Cloud Nothings – Psychic Trauma

At this point, it’s fairly evident that Here and Nowhere Else will stand as one of 2014’s best records. The video for “Psychic Trauma” comes as a welcome reminder of that fact and features some basic (albeit eye-catching) visual effects. That combination’s enough to land it a spot in this list.

25. White Lung – In Your Home

Of all the 2014 music videos to be released so far, very few approach the levels of insanity attained by White Lung’s fiery “In Your Home”. Mixing a lot of the items featured prominently throughout this list (unexpected psychedelic imagery, contained animation, and the black-and-white aesthetic, especially) with something that’s uniquely their own, “In Your Home” stands tall as a testament to the fact that being weird is way more fun than being standard. And it offers up a perfect wrap for this mix. Roll credits.

2 Comments

July 29, 2014

Watch This: Vol. 36

While today’s Watch This marathon still won’t be over with this installment, it is drawing to a close. Several of the very best performance clips were reserved for both the 36th and 37th installments of the series. A lot of site favorites are included, giving performances that completely validate their status as such. Everything from Marissa Paternoster’s outstanding solo project to Lydia Loveless’ first spot to PUP delivering a blistering take on the song that drives the best music video of the year-so-far, it’s a lot to celebrate. So sit back, refocus, and Watch This.

1. Noun – I Don’t Love Anybody (Don Giovanni)

Marissa Paternoster’s experienced no shortage of success with her main project, Screaming Females, but her finest album to date may very well be the debut full-length for her solo project, Noun. While that record, Holy Hell, isn’t as revered as Screaming Females’ most popular works, it stands up right alongside them as a full-bodied work. Here Paternoster strips back and takes an all-acoustic attic run through “Make Me”, solidifying her status as one of the most magnetic performers out there today.

–

2. Beverly (BreakThruRadioTV)

Ex-Vivian Girls/Dum Dum Girls member Frankie Rose and Drew Citron teamed up earlier this year under the name Beverly and surprised just about everyone with one of the more definitive summer records, Careers. In this performance for BreakThruRadio, the pair have a full band backing them and prove to be much more than just a great studio act. Careers highlights “You Can’t Get It Right” and “Honey Do” (which also has a lovely music video) are featured here and sound as perfect as ever.

–

3. Radical Dads – Know-It-All (TCGS)

Riff-happy trio Radical Dads were one of the last bands to earn a spot on The Chris Gethard Show and it’s easy to see how they wound up there; this is boldly aggressive and intriguing work along the lines of Sonic Youth while doing away with their particular strain of detached NYC cool. Bananas dance, rimshots ring out, guitars get thrashed on, and everyone gets into it- it’s just about impossible not to.

–

4. Lydia Loveless (NPR)

Lydia Loveless has been making quite a name for herself these past few years and has continuously lived up to the attention she’s been given. Possessed with a gift of a voice and genre sensibilities that rival and recall both Neko Case and Gillian Welch, the young songwriter’s well on her way to leaving behind a legendary discography of her own. Loveless and her band recently took over NPR’s Tiny Desk Session and, more than likely, converted a whole lot of people while doing so.

–

5. PUP – Guilt Trip (KEXP)

“Guilt Trip” already stands out for having one of the most stunning music videos to come out of this decade but, as great as that video was, the song really comes to life in a live setting. While the rest of the band’s KEXP session was admittedly outstanding, “Guilt Trip” was just a few levels above the rest of the batch. This is one of the best performances the station’s seen since Cloud Nothings’ towering Attack On Memory session (which still stands as KEXP’s high-water mark) and, just like the video, deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

1 Comment

June 6, 2014

Beverly – Honey Do (Music Video)

Beverly’s introductory single, “Honey Do”, was one of 2014’s early highlights. Recently, the band (a duo consisting of Frankie Rose and Drew Citron) released an elegant black and white video to amplify the already considerable amount of anticipation for their upcoming debut, Careers (due out on July 1 via Kanine, who also included the song on their extraordinary Non Violent Femmes compilation for Record Store Day). In the gorgeous new Hanly Banks-directed music video, though, the song takes on new life.

There’s a simple concept at the center of the video for “Honey Do” and it’s one that’s artfully realized: the celebration of youth. An inexplicably moving collage of lovingly composed black-and-white shots tell stories of adolescence, specific culture(s), and unbridled yearning. Beverly incorporates a revolving cast of people in a transitory state, engaging in activities that should resonate universally. By the time the song’s final fuzzed-out note hits, it’s as if they’ve given a definitive abbreviated tour through the first few steps of coming-of-age. As a whole package, the result’s pretty extraordinary.

Watch “Honey Do” below and spend some time visiting local establishments.

3 Comments

March 20, 2014

Bleeding Rainbow – Images (Music Video)

Bleeding Rainbow keep adding onto what’s already one of the year’s more impressive lead-up campaigns for their upcoming Kanine debut, Interrupt. A trio of tracks from the record have already been released into the world and “Images” is now the second to get a music video (“So You Know” was the first). “Images”, like “Paper the House“, is another performance clip video- only this is a much more involved variant. That the band decides to emphasize their visuals for “Images” isn’t surprising considering the title- what is surprising is how well the video suits the song. There’s a definite sense of unease that permeates a lot of Bleeding Rainbow’s work (something that seems to get amplified in accordance with how frenetic they get) but paired with color-tinted hallucinatory visuals, that unease quickly elevates to a focal point. All of the overlays, superimposed moving one shots, and sly delays combine to make “Images” a surprisingly memorable experience. Watch it below and give in to its tricks; it’s one hell of a ride.

2 Comments

February 10, 2014

Beverly – Honey Do (Stream)

Honey Do

Frankie Rose has been making music that makes people pay attention for a while now and her latest project, a duo group with Drew Citron called Beverly, is no exception. In fact, Rose hasn’t sounded this impassioned since Interstellar. Riding a dark-hued noir-scape for all its worth, “Honey Do” effortlessly evokes decades worth of genre evolution. Lately, there’s been a growing number of acts who are able to articulately pinpoint the exact center of the triangular pillar points made up of new wave, no wave, and shoegaze. Add Beverly to that list. Immediately. “Honey Do” floats by for a sublime three minutes, landing virtually all of its punches for a knockout performance. Every element that Beverly introduces in “Honey Do” is used to its fullest potential, from the twinkling riffs that offer a moment of reprieve from the atmospheric darkness to the surging distortion that restores it. Chekhov would be proud.

“Honey Do” will be on both Beverly’s upcoming debut, projected for a summer release, and on Kanine Records’ RSD Comp, out April 19th. Hear “Honey Do” below.

3 Comments

February 10, 2014

Bleeding Rainbow – Tell Me (Stream)

Bleeding Rainbow have slowly been leaking songs out from their forthcoming Kanine Records full-length, Interrupt. With each successive track they’ve revealed, the anticipation for Interrupt has risen in incremental accordance. “Tell Me” is the best of the lot thus far, which is actually saying quite a bit considering “Images” and “So You Know” have been two of 2014’s strongest tracks in its early goings. “Tell Me” plays up the bands sugary powerpop bombast to the fullest effect imaginable, letting razor sharp riffing cut the melody to shreds. For an exhilarating three-and-a-half minutes, Bleeding Rainbow conjure up a battle ground where every musical aspect seems to be fighting for an upper hand but held together for the sake of creating a scorched whole. If all of 2014 winds up being as good as Bleeding Rainbow make it seem like it might, then it’s going to be a hell of a year. Listen to “Tell Me” below.

2 Comments

Tag: Kanine Records