Just a few years ago, Krol put out the incredible Turkey, a record teeming with blistering basement pop strong enough to land it a spot as Heartbreaking Bravery’s pick as one of 2015’s best albums. Krol hasn’t released much of anything in the interim that’s followed but did see a spike in popularity after an unexpected, joyous appearance as an in-show character on Steven Universe. Rebecca Sugar’s show — and the fervent fan base its amassed — seems in perfect keeping with Krol’s sensibilities, which manage to simultaneously suggest immediacy and thoughtfulness.
Which brings us to “An Ambulance”, a characteristically scintillating surge of punk-tinted basement pop from an artist that’s built a career out of mastering that exact genre. From the jump, “An Ambulance” flaunts its blown-out giddiness, exploding in an adrenaline rush of melodic aggression. A catchy-as-hell guitar riff forms the foundation for one of the summer’s best hooks, accelerating the song from a controlled cruise to reckless abandonment. The song’s vintage Krol, suffusing the past with credible meaning and blowing the doors to the future wide open.
Listen to “An Ambulance” below and pre-order An Ambulance b/w Never Know from Merge here.
Over the course of 2017’s opening three months, a lot of great material was released. Naturally, the most abundantly rich category wasn’t simply songs, music videos, or full releases, it was live videos. It’s been quite some time since the last Watch This ran on this site, an oversight being amended tonight, and in that time scores of great clips have surfaced. Below is an extensive list of some of the finest to have emerged over that time and all of which are more than worth the their runtimes. Of course, it’d be impossible to watch all of these in one sitting, so feel free to bookmark the page and sift through the selections whenever the feeling takes
Looking through all of those, it’s impossible to say that this is a bad time for live music (and for the documentation of live music). The overwhelming strength of that above list should indicate that this installment of Watch This will have some extraordinarily strong features. There’s some astonishing talent on display throughout the three full sessions and two individual clips listed below, which include one of the bands that was essential to the site’s foundation and a few fresh faces that have been turning all sorts of heads with their recent work. So, as always, push all the distractions aside, relax, lean in, and Watch This.
1. Tenement – Feral Cat Tribe + Lost Love Star Lust (Set List)
Anyone that’s frequented this site over the time of its existence has seen an unprecedented amount of praise granted to Tenement, a band that was instrumental in providing the building blocks for this site. Over nearly 10 years, I’ve had the surreal privilege of watching the trio develop to the point they’re at today (Rolling Stone recently named them one of the 10 great modern punk bands and the New York Times dedicated an entire podcast installment to the band last year). Here, the band gets to flash their live chops in a session for Wisconsin Public Radio’s Set List series, offering up an impressively powerful pair of tracks that only hint at the band’s astonishing scope.
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2. Car Seat Headrest – Fill In The Blank (The Current)
After 2015’s Teens of Style generated quite a bit of momentum for Car Seat Headrest, the solo-project-turned-full-band capitalized on that surge of recognition emphatically with this year’s Teens of Denial. Landing several high-profile festival appearances as a result, the band’s grown gradually tighter over their past few tours. This performance of “Fill In The Blank” for The Current demonstrates that growth and nicely captures the band’s irrepressible drive.
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3. PWR BTTM – West Texas + Serving Goffman (WFUV)
Like Tenement, PWR BTTM have become a towering presence in terms of this site’s coverage tendencies, something that came as a direct result of the band’s fiery live show. Here, the band turn in characteristically bold performances of both “West Texas” and “Serving Goffman” for WFUV, perfectly summarized by the half-shocked, half-elated smile that Benjamin Hopkins throws the camera after some errant headphones threaten to momentarily overtake the song. There’s a genuine joy that exists in that moment which the duo have consistently brought to their shows, making them one of the finest live acts on the circuit.
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4. Weaves – Human (Low Four)
Weaves have made a habit out of appearing on the Watch This series this year, thanks in large part to the release of their monumental self-titled debut. The quartet recently stopped by the Old Granada Studios to unleash a sharp burst of their hyper-spastic strain of punk-tinged basement pop by way of this inspired run through “Human”, offering a revealing glimpse at their members formidable chops. As fascinating as it is exhilarating, it’s a perfect example of what can be accomplished by thinking a little outside of the typical boundaries.
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5. And The Kids – Kick Rocks + Picture (WFUV)
One of the bands that really started to make a push over the past year has been And The Kids, who have seized every opportunity they’ve been given with a startling amount of poise. WFUV recently had the band into their studio and the trio delivered in full, tearing through “Kick Rocks” and “Picture” in a way that likely left several of the studio members jaws agape. Complex and nuanced, the band flawlessly executes a series of hairpin turns, layered harmonies, and language shifts while throwing in a few sly smiles for good measure. It’s an unbelievably impressive performance and more than deserves to close out this edition of Watch This.
The featured track belongs to A Year’s Worth of Memories alum Isabel Reidy’s project, Izzy True. After a dazzling EP, the project’s readying their debut full-length, Nope. Leading off the rollout campaign is the record’s brilliant lead-off single “Total Body Erasure”. Tapping into the swamp-punk, roots, Americana, folk, blues, and dirtied up rock n’ roll influences that made the Troll EP one of last year’s most compelling listens, “Total Body Erasure” also achieves the impressive feat of heightening the level of lyricism attached to the band by tackling a subject that manages to feel both intimate and political without one aspect ever outweighing the other.
It’s an astonishing piece of songwriting that suggests Reidy’s quickly becoming one of this generation’s finest young lyricists. If the rest of Nope can live up to the level set by its introductory piece, Izzy True has a legitimate shot at being one of 2016’s most notable breakout successes. All that’s left is to wait, see, and hit repeat on “Total Body Erasure” until that moment, during that moment, and well past that moment. Whichever way it shakes out ultimately won’t matter. What does matter is the strength of Reidy, Troll, and “Total Body Erasure”, which is more than enough to prove that we should all keep listening.
Listen to “Total Body Erasure” below and keep an eye on Don Giovanni for the pre-orders of Nope.
After gifting the world with the chill-inducing “Low Hymnal” — still a very strong candidate for 2016’s best song — and the warm “Tsunami”, the Felix Walworth-led project has returned to provided another glimpse at their forthcoming Going By. Of the two songs that have been released, “High Dirge” falls more in line with the somber nature of “Low Hymnal” than the more celebratory sensibilities of “Tsunami”, embracing an otherworldly melancholy that goes a long way in making the song feel endearingly human.
From the startlingly realized scene that opens the track, “High Dirge” never once veers away from the small, every day moments that confirm we’re alive. Whether it’s freshening up in the bathroom or prying yourself open, there’s enough time for a host of questions to emerge. Some of them get tackled, some get ignored, pushed to the wayside out of either fear or despondence.
Walworth addresses, confronts, and reassures those moments with the simple refrain of “It’s a long life, it’s hard to get it right” towards the song’s close, a surprisingly hopeful upgrade from “It’s a long life, I can’t get it right.” “High Dirge” is the third song from Going By to thrive on Walworth’s naked openness, bravely laying everything bare for a clinical dissection that’s as unforgiving as it is insightful.
Yet, the song never nears a feeling of total loss or hopelessness, offering just enough positivity to keep “High Dirge” courageously stretching forward towards something better. While there’s an inherent heartbreak to that glimmer of hope, that same lightness also allows the song to stay grounded and painfully relatable. As usual, the stakes of the narrative are heightened by incredibly tasteful and deeply intuitive instrumental work (the banjo figures of Going By have been nothing short of perfect) that provides “High Dirge” with an impressive dramatic flair.
Ultimately, “High Dirge” feels representative for Told Slant’s current era and marks a high point for Walworth’s songwriting, which may very well be why it also claims the line that gives Going By its title: High dirge for the way that I am going by. That line arrives in the song’s gentle outro section, which underlines the steady uncertainty that serves as the crux of “High Dirge”.
It’s a beautiful tactic that strengthens one of the song’s most important unifying threads before everything fades into silence. One last moment of transcendence in a song that’s destined to be remembered.
Listen to “High Dirge” below and pre-order Going By from Double Double Whammyhere.
Last year, Mothers had me on the verge of tears with the unveiling of the devastatingly gorgeous “Too Small For Eyes“. I’d seen them a few months prior to that release but the restrictions CMJ presents essentially ensured that I wouldn’t be adequately prepared for the band’s astounding debut full-length, When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired. NPR recently hosted the band for an exquisite Tiny Desk session that does an intensely moving record justice.
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2. Sunflower Bean – Easier Said (World Cafe)
One of the more intriguing bands to watch develop and fine-tune over the past few years has been Sunflower Bean, whose insane work ethic has begun to translate to widespread success (and no shortage of burgeoning acclaim). While it may be easy to become fixated on the band’s backstory, in the face of their music — a lovely blend of powerpop and psych-pop — it simply doesn’t matter. The band’s recent World Cafe session sees them on steady, assured footing, ready to meet whatever may come their way.
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3. Kal Marks – Mankind (Allston Pudding)
Kal Marks is a name that’s appeared on this site multiple times over and the band keeps providing reasons to keep that name in heavy rotation on these pages. Case in point: an intense, scorched-earth single song performance for Allston Pudding. The band holds absolutely nothing back in this run through “Mankind”, which finds the trio elevating their no-holds-barred take on a blend of vicious basement grunge and snarling post-punk. It’s a thing to behold.
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4. Long Beard – Moths (VHS Sessions)
VHS Sessions has been crafting excellent live performance videos throughout 2016 but their current crown jewel came in the form of this humble run through “Moths” from Long Beard, who continue to set an exceedingly high bar for themselves and their peers. The trio constantly tap into an ineffable magic that renders songs that sound simple on paper transcendent in practice. This performance may very well be the most definitive example of their most intangible — and compelling — aspect.
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5. Daughter (KEXP)
One of the most unexpected shows I managed to luck my way into last year was Daughter‘s secret set at Baby’s All Right. I’d admired the band previously but was completely enraptured with their live set, even to a point where I was incapacitated by severe chills during a breathtaking run through “Doing The Right Thing”. While it’s impossible for what the band achieves onstage to translate to a filmed studio session, this KEXP run is as close as anyone’s likely to get for the foreseeable future.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the seventh and final collection of those videos below.
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1. Two Inch Astronaut – At Risk Student (bandwidth.fm) 2. Bob Mould – You Say You (WFUV) 3. The Intelligence (KEXP) 4. Lever – The Task (DZ Records) 5. The Thermals – Always Never Be (Jam in the Van) 6. Saintseneca – Bad Ideas (KUTX) 7. Young Jesus – Oranges (Slanted Manor) 8. Eleventh Dream Day – Go Tell It (Sound Opinions) 9. Julia Holter – Betsy on the Roof (Strombo Sessions) 10. Mothers – It Hurts Until It Doesn’t (Do512) 11. Lucy Dacus – Strange Torpedo (Radio K) 12. Blah Blah Blah – Crying (DZ Records) 13. The Frights – Kids (Allston Pudding) 14. Caveman – Never Going Back (Jam in the Van) 15. Dan San (3voor12) 16. Test Apes (KEXP) 17. All Dogs – Farm (Slanted Manor) 18. Kitten Forever – Brainstorm (Radio K) 19. Bully – Milkman (KUTX) 20. Tancred (Audiotree) 21. PWR BTTM (NPR) 22. Pinegrove – Waveform (BrooklynVegan) 23. Mansfield.Tya – Le dictionnaire Larousse (Faits Divers) 24. Cross Record – Steady Waves (KUTX) 25. Charles Bradley (NPR)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the sixth collection of those videos below.
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1. Lady Lamb – Dear Arkansas Daughter (Audiotree) 2. Lithuania – God In Two Persons (WXPN) 3. Jason Isbell – Something More Than Free (The Current) 4. Lever – The Nerve (DZ Records) 5. Mothers – Burden of Proof (Paste) 6. Kississippi – Googly Eyes (WXPN) 7. Savages – Adore (Colbert) 8. The Dirty Blondes – Because (VHS Sessions) 9. Saintseneca – Sleeper Hold (KUTX) 10. Lucy Dacus – I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore (Radio K) 11. ARNO – Dance Like A Goose (Bruxelles Ma Belle) 12. Devon Goods – Michigan (VHS Sessions) 13. Little Yellow Dog – Time Machine (DZ Records) 14. Two Inch Astronaut – Personal Life (bandwidth.fm) 15. Tangerine (KEXP) 16. Kitten Forever – Cannon (The Current) 17. Eleventh Dream Day – Cheap Gasoline (Sound Opinions) 18. Catbath – Jellyfish (Radio K) 19. Andy Shauf – The Worst In You (La Blogotheque) 20. Choir Vandals – Ghostly (Little Elephant) 21. New Ruin – Disappearances + Del Rosa + Negative Dialectics (Razorcake) 22. Left & Right – Sleep Show (Do512) 23. The Thermals – Thinking of You (Jam in the Van) 24. Blah Blah Blah – Soon as I Get Home Tonight (DZ Records) 25. Julia Holter – Sea Calls Me Home (Strombo Sessions)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the fifth collection of those videos below.
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1. Mothers – Grateful For It (Paste) 2. Bully – Trying (KUTX) 3. Sports – Saturday (This Has Got To Stop) 4. Parquet Courts (KEXP) 5. Pinegrove – Old Friends (VHS Sessions) 6. Jason Isbell – Flagship (The Current) 7. Three Man Cannon – Mood (Little Elephant) 8. Jake Morley – Falter (BalconyTV) 9. Lady Lamb – Billions of Eyes (Audiotree) 10. Riothorse Royale – Crash and Glow (Do512) 11. Låpsley – Hurt Me (WFUV) 12. Diet Cig (WKNC) 13. Saintseneca – Such Things (KUTX) 14. Human Music – Dark Zone (Exclaim!) 15. Nectar – Change Your Mind (DZ Records) 16. Bantam Lyons (Faits Divers) 17. Cherry Cola – Bring Me to the Ground (Radio K) 18. Mass Gothic (KEXP) 19. Lithuania – 2009 (WXPN) 20. Low – Murderer (Pitchfork) 21. Soul Low – Spooky Times (Little Elephant) 22. Lucy Dacus – Direct Address (Radio K) 23. Otherkin (3voor12) 24. Soft Fangs – The Light (Fitz Ross) 25. Torres – Son, You Are No Island (Audiotree)
Now that both the songs and the full streams have received the massive overhaul treatment in an effort to get this site caught up to the current releases, it’s time to turn to music videos. A few key videos will be featured over the next few days but that shouldn’t take away from the merits of the clips listed below, which number near 200. Whether it was an outstanding song, concept, or visual presentation, something made the below videos stand out from the endless array of clips that I saw since the turn of the year. Like the previous two posts, there’s absolutely no way that these can be consumed in one sitting. The best course of action would be to simply bookmark this page and explore it at random. Go cra
Heartbreaking Bravery 