Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: live footage

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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September 28, 2014

Watch This: Vol. 47

Welcome to the 47th installment of Watch This, the weekly series that celebrates five of the best live videos to emerge from the past seven days. These videos can be pulled from anywhere but need to have one unifying factor; they need to feature great performances. In the last full week of September, things were no different. This week’s entries cover a unique spread that reaches to the furthest corners of the genres that usually get covered on this site. From KEXP sessions to another outstanding take for Little Elephant, this week had quite a bit of material that warranted quite a bit of attention. Mining both the mainstays and the furthest reaches of various resources resulted in an eclectic mix of bands- and live videos- well worth the time. So, sit back, unwind, turn the volume up, lean in, and Watch This.

1. Cymbals Eat Guitars (KEXP)

2014 may not see a record more personal than Cymbals Eat Guitars’ LOSE. Their third full-length was directly informed by the loss of a close friend, something that’s heavily referenced throughout the course of the album. While it’s strange to say a record’s life-affirming in the face of such heavy subject matter, it’s equally difficult to argue against with songs like “Jackson” (easily one of the year’s best songs) and “Warning“. As exhilarating as those songs are on LOSE, they’re given new life in a live setting- with the emotional resonance firmly in tact.

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2. Little Big League – Deer Head (Little Elephant)

Over the past week, no band has earned more feature spots that Little Big League. After last week’s Watch This segment, they went ahead and released the stunning “Property Line” in advance of their upcoming record, Tropical Jinx. “Deer Head” is another take from their Little Elephant session and shows the band in fine form, navigating their way through the song’s transitions with no shortage of verve. Put simply, this is just another strong example of why Little Big League are one of today’s most exciting young bands.

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3. Free Cake For Every Creature (WKNC)

Skewed outsider pop can be a beautiful thing that brings out the best of the people that lend it any amount of investment. Free Cake For Every Creature have experienced an outpouring of support from people that have the power to bring them a staggering amount of recognition. It’s easy to see why; the band crafts music that’s relatable, endearingly fractured and absurdly catchy. Everyday problems ground the lyrics while a jittery nervousness propels the off-kilter arrangements. Packaged together, it becomes endlessly fascinating and rewards investment with a surprisingly assured ease. Their WKNC session confirms what an increasing number of people already know: this is music worth celebrating.

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4. Tycho (KEXP)

Tycho are an anomaly. They defy an easy convention, are defined by their no-wave and post-punk influences as much as they are by their tendencies towards electro and dance-punk. Here, KEXP invites them in for a session and the band quickly finds their way into impenetrable grooves, aided by the backdrop of a projection display of what appears to be random archival footage. While most bands operating in similar territories could easily coast on impressive music ability alone, what makes Tycho stand out is their music’s penchant for being engaging so instantaneously. This is a masterclass in compelling song dynamics, innate ability, and genre defiance.

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5. Earth (unARTigNYC)

Nearly everything that can be said about Earth has already been spoken, shouted, whispered, or printed. The doom-y ambient overlords have staked out a reputation as one of the most influential acts in music by virtue of an immensely impressive discography that touches on a variety of increasingly prominent genres. As mesmerizing as ever and more accessible than any point in their career, the trio recently stopped by St. Vitus to deliver a characteristically foreboding set as part of the David Lynch Foundation benefit. As always, t’s a fascinating exercise in tension and restraint, steadily building towards a climactic moment that never seems to come.

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