Over the first course of the year, I’ve made several major life decisions with the largest being a move to Brooklyn. Saving up for that paired with a work schedule that at one point had me logging roughly 75 hours a week meant sacrificing a lot of the things I love. None of those things hurt more than the severely limited number of shows I was able to attend. However, it was likely that same scarcity that made the shows included in this piece so memorable. From conducting an artist profile on Johanna Warren for Consequence of Sound (where a few of these photographs were first printed and where you can also find auxiliary video of Warren performing) to finally seeing a few site favorites- like Saintseneca, Krill, and Vacation- for the first time after years of waiting.
While it may not be much, this is still a collection that has deeply personal value. It’s a reflection of a region I called home for the entirety of my life and it’s a place I will miss when I leave it in just over a week. I’ll always be grateful that I was provided the opportunities to attend the shows contained in the multimedia portion of this post- and for the friends I made who were connected to those shows in literally any way. Writers, bands, editors, promoters, venue owners, label execs, or even just fans, they helped make some of these places feel like home. So, take a trip below with shots (and some videos) of: NE-HI, Oozing Wound, Protomartyr, Perfect Pussy, TRITA, Disasteratti, Buildings, Adron, Johanna Warren, Mutts, Two Inch Astronaut, Krill, Speedy Ortiz, Fox Face, The Midwest Beat, Mexican Knives, Vacation, FIDLAR, METZ, Saintseneca, and Murder By Death. The regional focal post of Heartbreaking Bravery may be shifting drastically in the months to come but a large part of its heart will always be lodged in the Upper Midwest.
Three months in and a handful of arresting, tragic songs have already crept out of 2015. None of them have been as emotionally devastating as the title track to The Offer, the debut of All Dogs and Saintesenca‘s Maryn Jones’ solo moniker, Yowler. Few moments last year gave me chills as fierce as when Jones revisited “Leading Me Back to You” as an epilogue to an interview I had the good fortune of conducting for The Media. In some ways, that performance was a slight betrayal of the icier, more ambient-laden terrain that Jones would be visiting with Yowler. As a glimpse ahead, it was enough to freeze blood. “7 Towers” and “Water” both indicated a natural progression of Gift., the last record Jones would release while using her own name as a moniker.
Even with the startling clarity of “7 Towers” and “Water”, it’s difficult to be fully prepared for “The Offer”- and easy to see why the first official Yowler release would take on the song’s name. Gently picked acoustic guitar, an unbelievably gorgeous piano figure, and eerie, layered vocals transform this song into something genuinely haunting. It’s a song that opens with a shadow, closes with stillness, and reverberates long after its hushed close, bringing to mind the dynamics of Elliott Smith and the raw emotion of Marketa Irglova’s most melancholic moments. Spellbinding beyond reason and crippling in its wounded vulnerability, “The Offer” is less of an actual offer and more of a warning: tread lightly, there’s broken glass here that’s yearning to reach out and cut.
Listen to “The Offer” below and pre-order the release from the increasingly formidable Double Double Whammy here.
One thing that this site has strived to maintain is its own visual aesthetic. While it’d be impossible to find a photo in the archives for every given band that headlines a post, an original photo will be posted anytime the opportunity presents itself. Upgrading cameras halfway through the year provided a bevvy of new opportunities and the subsequent implementation of a more photo-centric presence. That’s not by mistake. Photography (especially event photography) has always been an important crux of multimedia journalism. It can be a way to implicitly (or explicitly) convey some of the more minute details of a singular moment to a reader- or it can simply act as an intriguing supplement.
Those were just a few of reasons that went into the decision behind a headfirst dive into photography investment (on both a personal and public level) and factored into why one camera or another was brought along to every show this site covered in the past year. Now, with 2015 just around the corner, seemed like as good a time as any to showcase a few photographs from the past 12 months that stood out as personal favorites. Since there are a few too many to go up all at once, they’ll be posted at random as part of installments that will run from now to the start of January. Most of these shots have been published on the site before (or on The Media), though there are a few that will be appearing for the first time.
Pt. 5 will be the final installment of this series and the preceding galleries can be accessed via the links directly below. Enjoy!
After a long list of posts dedicated to the best material to have surfaced over the course of the past two weeks, everything’s back on track. The contents of this post will focus solely on some of the best content to have emerged yesterday- and the results are fairly minimal (though the included pieces are wonderful). Victoria+Jean debuted their nightmarish fever dream of a music video for their jaunty (and undeniably weird) “Holly“, which offered more than enough visual stimuli to make up the entire music video list for the day. As for single streams, there was Pink Mountaintops’ slow-burning basement pop number “Asleep With An Angel” and Sur Back’s hypnotically delicate (and unfailingly gorgeous) “Occam’s Razor“. Then, of course, there was the new track from site favorites All Dogs.
In 2013, this site had their debut 7″ ranked very highly on a best-of list. In 2014, it captured All Dogs up close and personal while they made their way through one of the best shows Wisconsin hosted this year. There’s no reason to think that their forthcoming LP (due out on Salinas in 2015) won’t become another instant favorite. Apart from the new songs captured in live settings, there haven’t been too many instances of new All Dogs music appearing (even the live clips are severely limited) so anytime something like “Georgia” happens, it’s worth putting everything else on hold to let it play uninterrupted. Intended as part of The Le Sigh Vol. II compilation tape, it finds the band adding even more nuance into their sound. From the light slide guitars to the muted transitional bridge, it’s abundantly clear there’s a startling new depth to the band’s grasp on dynamics (likely a result of them creating as a full band rather than on their own individually).
Bandleader Maryn Jones’ melodic sensibilities are still the focal part of the band’s appeal and the rest of the bands plays off of those sensibilities beautifully. Everything’s complemented in increasingly subtle ways, from Amanda Bartley’s half-hidden atmospheric bass lines to Jesse Withers’ intuitive, feel-heavy drumming. Jones’ lyrics remain as sharp as ever, continuing a constant grapple with self-doubt, self-discovery, and combining them with a constant search for greater meaning. It’s a perfect reminder of why the love for All Dogs is so fervent and it’s an impossibly tantalizing look towards what the band has in store for the future.
Listen to “Georgia” below and give The Le Sigh as much undivided attention as possible.
With another week of predictably great live outings behind us, it’s time to look back on some of the best videos to surface in that stretch. It’s also another week were limiting the selections to five can be frustrating, as it means excluding things like S’ gorgeous KEXP session and an equally stunning set from She Keeps Bees for bandwidth. That said, the fact that those aren’t in the featured five is a particularly strong indicator for this week’s overwhelming strength. Full sets made a sizable impression and secured three spots in this series’ 54 installment while Watch This returns to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ Austin City Limits session and pays a visit to a soul legend. There’s a lot of memorable material on display, all of it worthy of a serious amount of admiration. So, as always, sit back, mute the world, let all of the distractions dissolve, adjust the volume to appropriately blistering levels, relax, and Watch This.
1. PUJOL (KEXP)
PUJOL’s The United States of Being was the kind of quiet career-making record that had the potential to push the band onto the radar’s of some influential people. However, any time that happens it also heavily increases the levels of expectation for a follow-up. A contract with Saddle Creek and one excellent record later, PUJOL’s doing their best to put those doubts to rest. One thing that’s never been in doubt? The band’s ability to deliver a killer live performance, which is exactly what they turn in via this blistering (and absurdly fun) four-song set for the unfailingly great KEXP.
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2. Lee Fields – Don’t Leave Me This Way (La Blogotheque)
There are few things more reassuring to see than a person being celebrated for doing something they both excel at and clearly love. In their most recent video for their acclaimed Take Away series, La Blogotheque turned their lenses on soul legend Lee Cooks delivering a powerful performance of “Don’t Leave Me This Way” to a group of appreciative bystanders, accompanied only by a guitarist. It’s a staggeringly beautiful reminder of Fields’ natural prowess as a performer and an incredible moment that was lovingly captured for everyone to visit (and revisit) for years to come.
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3. Ex Hex (WNYC)
Rips was one of 2014’s best reminders of classic rock’s curious longevity. The Mary Timony-led Ex Hex specializes in creating the kind of timeless earworms that aren’t tied down to any particular scene or movement, just the band’s commitment to the project. Here, they confidently make their way through three songs from one the year’s most carefree records for WNYC, seeming as poised as ever. Timony’s a naturally gifted leader and a charismatic vocalist, all of which ensures that no Ex Hex performance is worth overlooking.
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4. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (Austin City Limits)
“Jubilee Street” was one of the most mesmerizing moments on Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ latest career highlight, Push the Sky Away. Live, it takes on new life and breathes a new kind of fire with a surging outro that progressively increases the tempo. Easily one of the band’s most impressively massive live songs, the performance they delivered for Austin City Limits was predictably inspired, with Cave flying from the mic to the piano, becoming as frantic as the song itself over repeated cries of “I’m transforming; I’m flying; I’m vibrating; look at me now!”- directions that become impossible to ignore as one of the greatest bandleaders in the history of music sheds all traces of inhibition as his band urges him forward and lets him sink his teeth into yet another transcendental performance.
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5. Saintseneca (KEXP)
Watch This‘ 38th entry included one of the most beautiful videos this series has ever had the pleasure of featuring; Saintseneca’s Tiny Desk Session. Unsurprisingly, the band hasn’t lost an ounce of their touch and deliver yet another brilliant performance for KEXP. Easily one of the most intriguing bands to carve out a name for themselves in 2014, their brand of subtly punk-influenced Appalachian folk helped turn Dark Arc into a very real candidate for Album of the Year. Here, the band runs through four songs and hit a series of impressive grace notes, making room for standout takes of the painfully gorgeous “Fed Up With Hunger” and the driving “Happy Alone”. All told, it’s a perfectly timed reminder of a band and record worth their acclaim.
[AUTHOR’S NOTE: First off, just to get this out of the way at the top, this post probably would not have been possible without The Media, a site whose praises deserve to be sung as loudly- and frequently- as possible. Being able to be a part of that place, even just for an issue, was an honor. The fact that I got to spotlight was All Dogs, a band that put out a 7″ last year that I felt very strongly about, ensured that it won’t be an experience I’ll be forgetting anytime soon. All that said, I wound up with an over-abundance of content that, for obvious reasons, couldn’t all be worked into The Media piece. It’d be criminal to let a lot of the material that didn’t run go to waste, so it’ll be running here today. Enjoy.]
All Dogs put out one of this site’s favorite 7″ records of last year, so when word came that they’d be stopping at Bremen Cafe in Milwaukee, not going wasn’t an option. As time progressed and more things got worked out, excitement and anticipation for the show grew incrementally. After the band agreed to an interview (hyperlinked towards the end of the Author’s Note) and guitarist/vocalist Maryn Jones was gracious enough to agree to a small set of acoustic performances, All Dogs’ self-titled 7″ was back to being in near-constant rotation- and wound up being the go-to soundtrack for every editing session this site went through for a few weeks.
During that time, a press email came out detailing an upcoming release from a project called Yowler, which turned out to be a solo vehicle for Jones- and a likely continuation of her excellent early solo material. Somehow, this all came to light during a time that also saw the emergence of Saintseneca’s Tiny Desk Session for NPR (easily one of this year’s finest offerings), all of which pointing to Jones being one of the busiest- and best- songwriters/musicians that we currently have. All of that combined prompted a trip through her discography, which included some absolute gems like the tape from the now-defunct Wolfs (which All Dogs’ bassist, Ama,nda Bartley was also in). As a result of the culmination of all of this, expectations couldn’t have possibly been higher for the band’s live show.
After taking up temporary residence in Ground Zero (one of Milwaukee’s best basement venues) for the interview session, it was into the band’s van and off to Bremen Cafe. While there wasn’t too much time to spend doing anything other than helping clear out space and running out to get food before the show kicked off, it didn’t seem to matter. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits and a lot of old friends were able to exchange a few words before the show kicked off with a ferocious set from Failed Mutation– who proved to be next to impossible to photograph thanks to their incessant levels of energy. From their live show alone, it wasn’t very difficult to see why they’ve earned a reputation as being one of Milwaukee’s best hardcore bands in an increasingly over-crowded scene (it also probably doesn’t hurt to have members of Tenement and Holy Shit! in your band). Failed Mutation wound up packing an absurd amount of spastic energy into a set that probably only ran 15 minutes, all of which was expertly controlled- likely thanks to each individual members discipline and experience. It was a hell of a way to jump-start what would prove to be a surprisingly formidable bill.
Next up was Sin Bad, a relatively new band that features members of both Night Animals and Rich People. Having never heard Sin Bad, it was difficult to gauge whether trepidation or excitement was winning out as Failed Mutation loaded out. Any notions of disappointment were immediately dispelled following the first few seconds of their first song. Boasting a sound not too dissimilar from All Dogs (with maybe just a few dashes more of a sound found pretty frequently on Don Giovanni Records) and an energy that was relatively comparable to Failed Mutation meant their second slot was a perfect transition between the opener and the headliner, while also simultaneously allowing them a more unfettered interest from the sizable and appreciative crowd. By the time Sin Bad’s set was over, it was very clear they’d left an impression and made converts out of several of the previously unaware.
When Sin Bad had packed up and left the stage open for All Dogs, a strange nervousness crept back in- as it usually does prior to seeing a band (especially for the first time) that’s come to mean something on a personal level. Again, it didn’t take very long for that anxiety to abate. It took All Dogs (in a now-cemented four person lineup that includes NONA guitarist Nick Harris and, as always, Delay‘s Jesse Withers) less than three songs to inspire chills. Starting strongly with both “Farm” (from their outstanding split tape with Slouch) and the shortest song from the 7″, “Snow Fences”, they’d guaranteed the investment of everyone watching. Then on the third song, they offered up the first look at their new material, which they’d previously promised sounded like a much fuller and more fleshed-out version of themselves. Not only did that promise hold up, the expectations that came with it were annihilated as that song, currently written down on the setlist as “Skin”, showcased a heavier side of the band that had been previously been hinted at with their current career-best effort, “Say”.
From that point forward, the band tore through a set with a practiced confidence and relative ease, never once seeming anything less than completely genuine and extremely impassioned. Everything clicked, sounding fantastic in the notoriously loud Bremen Cafe. Making the performance even more memorable was the fact that the crowd was reciprocating virtually all of All Dogs’ energy, creating this back-and-forth that pushed both sides to near-perfect places. A few more songs from the split, the 7″, and (hopefully) the upcoming record, and the band had already nearly obliterated every lofty expectation- and then the band switched into high gear for an unforgettable 1-2 gut punch of an ending. That “Say” became the second song of their set to warrant chills and total immobility probably isn’t too surprising, as the studio version of the song is nearly capable of the same effect- but the band’s closing number, a song so recent that they still haven’t given it a title, went a long way in indicating that their upcoming work will be their best material to date. Both, combined, provided an unpredictably intense (even considering the members’ inability to contain their smiles) ending to an extraordinary set from a band who will almost certainly produce a discography of material worth owning on every possible format.
Below, watch a stunning solo acoustic performance of Wolfs’ “Leading Me Back to You” and All Dogs rip through their currently untitled set closer. A photo gallery of both the interview/performance session and the late show can be viewed beneath the videos.
Keep an eye out for all of the emerging details on All Dogs’ upcoming debut LP, which will be released on the always-extraordinary Salinas Records.
Well, another week has come and gone, leaving a great set of live sets in its wake. From a pair of performance pairs courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel Live, another extraordinary edition to the Exploding in Sound takeover of BreakThruRadio’s excellent Serious Business series, a newly-surfaced trio of beautifully-lensed performance clips from Pitchfork, and a typically incendiary blast to the gut from one of Canada’s finest emerging artists, it was a great week for the long-form. There were, of course, a few other excellent videos that surfaced over the course of the past seven days- ranging from an excellent KEXP session from The Fresh & Onlys to performances that had personal stakes at hand (more on this tomorrow). There was a lot more to take in than usual but the five sets below earned their spots by virtue of approaching the transcendental. So, kick back, don’t dare turn the volume down, focus up, and Watch This.
1. Greys (Radio K)
Greys tore it up everytime they took the stage during the whirlwind week that was NXNE. They’ve earned a fair amount of words from this site by not just making great music but by putting on great performances- and, in both cases, revealing a visible passion for what they’re doing- an increasing rarity. Here, they stop by the University of Minnesota’s student-run radio station, Radio K, to deliver a non-stop barrage of a performance. Turn the volume up and hold on to yr lid.
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2. Sharon Van Etten (Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Are We There has proven to be one of the year’s most engaging quieter records and has firmly established Van Etten at the forefront of her contemporaries. It’s a welcome development that feels as if it’s been justifiably earned. Van Etten was a force to be reckoned with right out of the gate, delivering performances like this attention-ensuring take of “Give Out” for BaebleMusic or lending even more emotional gravity to one of the most emotionally charged records of all time. So, after keeping an eye on Van Etten’s progress for the past six years or so, it’s thrilling to see her commanding as much attention and acclaim as she over the past few years. With more performances like these two stunning takes on “Tarifa” and “Break Me”, that critical and commercial ascension’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
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3. Slowdive (Pitchfork)
Slowdive was one of the more quietly celebrated shoegaze bands before their recent revival, allowing others to catch up on what many had known all along; this is a band worth holding onto. When Pitchfork announced that the band would be playing on US soil for the first time in over 20 years, there was reason for nonsensical levels of excitement. Not only did Slowdive meet those ridiculous levels of expectations, they temporarily turned the festival grounds into something completely undefinable. There wasn’t a set that weekend that inspired more looks of sheer awe. Fortunately, Pitchfork has their cameras rolling and lovingly documented a moment that’s not likely to be forgotten by anyone lucky enough to take part in it anytime soon.
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4. Bob Mould (Jimmy Kimmel Live)
That Bob Mould is still cranking out masterful records probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his enviable track record of all-time classics (Zen Arcade, New Day Rising, Copper Blue, etc.). What does come as a welcome surprise is the commercial success he continues to maintain throughout what’s proving to be one of the more inspired solo resurgences since Dinosaur Jr.’s. Jimmy Kimmel recently invited Mould onto his show and received a masterclass in how to deliver great performances in return. With the serviceable Taylor Hawkins standing in for the inimitable Jon Wurster, Mould more than proves it only takes one revered elder statesman to carry the hell out of a live show.
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5. Pile (BreakThruRadio)
The Exploding in Sound takeover of BreakThruRadio’s Serious Business has yielded some of the series’ best entries. Pile continuing this trend shouldn’t be that shocking- the band’s currently boasting one of the most impressively consistent discographies in music. Special Snowflakes was one of the year’s best releases in any format, Drippingand Magic Isn’t Realboth deserve to be considered classics, and somehow the band’s live show manages to blow the studio versions of those songs out of the water. “Tin Foil Hat” is the featured song here while both “Special Snowflakes” and “Fear of Drunk With” are intercut with some humorous banter about their long-standing issues with one specific city. Packaged together, this becomes absolutely essential viewing material.
Well, it’s been a long battle but it seems like the impossible has finally arrived and Watch This has been brought back up to speed. To celebrate, the 38th installment will feature no single performance but rather small (or full) sets from a set of five. All of the artists that appear in this list could rightfully be considered site favorites (and, hell, one of them has essentially become Heartbreaking Bravery’s flagship band) and will undoubtedly be featured more in the future. In the case of Courtney Barnett, an isolated performance from her included set has already been given a spot in a past Watch This– but packaged together with the rest of an extraordinary performance, it proved too tantalizing to pass up (this may very well be the only repeat performance Watch This ever runs). All of that being the case, this is quite a lot to take in- so, lean back, settle in, turn the speakers up, and Watch This.
1. Bleeding Rainbow (KEXP)
Kicking off a trio of KEXP sets is a band who recently earned a spot towards the top of the Music Video Mixtape, Bleeding Rainbow. Bringing four of their best songs out for the occasion, the shoegaze-leaning quartet drives home just how forceful these songs are capable of being. It’s a startling performance from a band that continues to pick up momentum. Don’t get caught in their way.
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2. Fear of Men (KEXP)
Fear of Men’s Loom was an important step for a band that had long been deserving of a push forward. In the live setting, the songs get an even airier texture than they do on record, lending it a wide-open feel that propels them to greater heights. All four songs deserve repeat viewings in their own right but are even better when played as a set. A very welcome reminder of a record worth more discussion that it’s received.
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3. Courtney Barnett (KEXP)
As stated in the video’s introduction, A Sea of Split Peas was one of 2014’s great surprises; a star-making effort from a relative unknown. Here, KEXP celebrates it as fully as possible, turning their lenses (and audio equipment) onto this massive eight-song set from The Triple Door as part of their VIP Club concert series. As it progresses, Barnett grows more comfortable and more confident, eventually bringing everything home with the can’t-fail 1-2 combination of “Avant Gardener” and “History Eraser”. Don’t miss it.
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4. Saintseneca (NPR)
Dark Arc, Saintseneca‘s ANTI- debut, made a lot of people (finally) sit up and take notice of them- and even lent the members other respective projects (All Dogs and The Sidekicks, especially) some well-deserved exposure. For a band built from that background, something like this- an NPR Tiny Desk Session feature- feels like nothing short of a major triumph. There are very few things that feel more right than a band worthy of a major break actually catches one. To top everything off, this particular session is an absolute stunner and stands as one of NPR’s best sessions in recent memory.
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5. Perfect Pussy (Pitchfork)
Close to everything that could be said about Perfect Pussy’s set at Pitchfork has already been covered– but, if the opportunity to write even more about this band presents itself, I’ll jump at it. While live footage capture can never come close to doing the experience of actually seeing a band like Perfect Pussy justice, it’s difficult to argue against when its presented so beautifully. The more I watch these videos, the more I come back to a recurring thought: music and musicians, at large, are split into two groups- the technicians vs. the feelers. In the former category, bands will often sacrifice energy to present their music with as much polished precision as possible, whereas in the latter category, perfect technique is an acceptable casualty because it stands in the way of unfiltered passion. I will always stand on- and stand up for- the side of the latter. It’s a position that Perfect Pussy fully embodies and it makes their sets that much more thrilling (there’s a reason I’ve gone well out of my way to see them no less than eight times this year-so-far). So, while Meredith Graves‘ voice is noticeably raw (she’d been on a 12+ hour sabbatical from speaking the night before after noticing it was shot and fearing she might lose it completely), it’s also a small testament to courage. Ultimately, it’s exactly the kind of thing that gives a performance like this an incredible amount of character- and it has the potential to inspire legions of aspiring musicians to get behind a microphone so they can pour their hearts out.
Finally. After months of delays, a few weeks worth of setbacks preceding that, and a day of furiously campaigning this series, it’s right back to the position where it should be. As was the case with the preceding installment, a lot of the best material to surface during the past month was reserved for this 37th installment. From legendary bands to devastatingly quiet songwriters to a band responsible for what’s become one of the most anticipated records of the year, there’s a lot to chew on. So sit down, take a drink, prepare for the best, and Watch This.
1. Teenage Fanclub – Start Again (unARTigNYC)
Teenage Fanclub recently swung through River Rocks at Pier 84 in New York City and unARTigNYC, unsurprisingly, was on hand to capture the beloved band striding their way through the classic “Start Again”. Gently lensed and confidently presented, it goes a long way in showing that the iconic powerpop band hasn’t lost any of their charm.
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2. Sinai Vessel – Cats (Little Elephant)
Little Elephant hasn’t had any videos featured on here in a while despite some relatively strong entries- though none were stronger than their recent Sinai Vessel feature. The genre that the channel specializes in is at its absolute best when it’s being subverted by virtue of unexpected outside influences, something that Sinai Vessel excels in. Delivering a powerhouse version of “Cats”, the band falls into a comfortable groove while maintaining an aggressive approach. It’s a fascinating watch and an even better listen.
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3. Sharon Van Etten (KEXP)
One of the only songwriters in recent memory to have her first three solo efforts be universally acclaimed, Sharon Van Etten has become something of a wunderkind. Her most recent album, Are We There has been her most positively received to date. Here, she takes to KEXP to deliver a stunning session featuring songs from that record. It’s remarkable how easy it is to be swept away by this session.
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4. Saintseneca – Bloodbath (Allston Pudding)
Dark Arc being released on ANTI- Records felt like nothing short of a triumph for all of the scenes that Saintseneca was actively involved in and connected to. That record’s resounding success was a reason to celebrate Saintseneca, The Sidekicks, and All Dogs all at once- but when the band switches into their live act, that celebration fades. Everything fades. They inhabit an almost mythical space where everything goes right and occupies something completely intangible that demands full, unwavering attention.
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5. LVL UP (BreakThruRadioTV)
LVL UP’s “Soft Power” made a gigantic impression after its recent unveiling (more on that very soon), giving the New York band the attention they’ve deserved for so long. This isn’t the first time they’ve landed a Watch This spot and it’s not likely that this will be their last appearance here, either. Hoodwink’d, the band’s forthcoming record, has suddenly made an easy transfer from an insider’s potential goldmine to one of the most hotly-anticipated records of the rest of the year. Judging from the performances of a few of those songs they give here, that anticipation is more warranted than anyone could have predicted. “Big Snow” tops the session off and proves to be just as rousing as anything the band’s released so far (“Soft Power” included). Watch out for this band- and Watch This.
It was an unusually active on the streams-and-music videos front for a Friday and today saw the releases of several great entries in both categories. There was the Stereogum premiere of a new Geronimo! rager, the first glimpse of the forthcoming Swans record, and another promising glimpse at Dark Arc– Saintseneca’s upcoming Anti- debut, courtesy of Clash Music. Additionally, there were some noteworthy music videos, including both the NSFW blood-hued nightmare dreamed up for WTCHS’ “Over Kilmer” and the welcoming psychedelic haze of Night Beats’ “Hidden Circle“. While all of that is definitely worth looking into, today belonged to one thing and one thing only: Diarrhea Planet’s gloriously inspired video for I Am Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams standout “Babyhead”.
Really, sometimes there just aren’t words to do justice to an experience. All that can really be said at this point is that everyone else attempting to make ‘The Year’s Best Video’ should probably just call it quits now and wait until January rolls around. Confused? Good. Not confused, just intrigued? Even better. Watch it below and become the most enlightened person on the face of the planet. And people say rock n’ roll is dead.
Heartbreaking Bravery 