Julia and Mike McCoy have brought about a breathtakingly singular vision in their astonishing animated clip for Kishi Bashi‘s “Violin Tsunami”. Gorgeously crafted and delivered with no reservation in conviction or sincerity, “Violin Tsunami” is achingly beautiful throughout its runtime, using some reserved and extraordinarily powerful imagery to undercut the tragic reality of the clip’s conclusion. Every frame of “Violin Tsunami” is mesmerizing and bristling with raw feeling, drawing from the well of humanity itself to serve an arc worthy of that stature. Pained, haunting, and concealing more than a glimmer of hope, “Violin Tsunami” stands firmly in its message and winds up as one of the strongest pieces of animation, let alone music videos, 2019’s had to offer.
Watch “Violin Tsunami” below and pick up a copy of Omoiyari from Joyful Noise here.
Florist have crafted a career out of sweetly meditative indie folk, allowing occasional bursts of energy to spike their material. “Shadow Bloom”, one of the band’s most recent tracks, finds the project drawing further inward and embracing their most restrained sensibilities, leaning into an arrangement that’s focused entirely on a fingerpicked acoustic pattern and Emily Sprague’s tender vocals. It’s a beautiful track that’s been an equally beautiful, and strangely moving, music video.
Directed and edited by Carley Solether and shot by Joanna Nguyen, “Shadow Bloom” follows Sprague around everyday life, fixating in on the quieter moments. Slicing food, writing, a stroll outside, elevating those moments to something that comes across as nearly sacred. It’s easy to become immersed in the imagery, tracing over each shot with the delicacy Sprague’s afforded the song. A gentle whisper of an offering, “Shadow Bloom” is Florist at its finest.
Watch “Shadow Bloom” below and pre-order Emily Alone from Double Double Whammy here.
Penelope Isles craft something uniquely charming on “Leipzig”, a track that carries influences like Deerhoof proudly on its sleeve while providing the band a distinct claim on their own territory. Warped slacker pop that crackles with warmth, fuzz, and syrupy synth tones, the track’s been afforded a magical clip, awash and faded in soft saturation. Subsisting of nothing more than footage of the band making their way through the song in the woods, cut through with a few shots of individual members miming along to the track in city streets, “Leipzig” comes off as immediately affable and endlessly welcoming. It’s a strong showing from a band that’s more than prepared to win over a small army of hearts as they take flight.
Watch “Leipzig” below and pre-order Until The Tide Creeps In from Bella Union here.
Jarod Taber crafts a wry clip for B Boys‘ “I Want” that’s impulsively watchable. Once the video starts, it’s nearly impossible to look away, with Taber sending vignettes crashing into each other with an exacting precision that forces the viewer to recognize the humanity of each mundane moment. All the while, “I Want” surges below the surface, proving a kinetic energy that brings each slice-of-life aspect into an even clearer focus, with the narrative musing on a simple, near-universal desire of hoping there’s more than just repeating the motions. It’s sharply observed black comedy that’s delivered with admirable force, enhancing the clip’s cumulative effect. An impressive work from all sides.
Watch “I Want” below and pre-order Dudu from Captured Tracks here.
Stef Chura‘s been kicking around the local Detroit scene for some time now, gaining new levels of traction every year. Messes, Chura’s debut, caught the attention of Car Seat Headrest‘s Will Toledo, who signed on to produce the follow-up record. “They’ll Never” is a tantalizing new look at that record, which will see release via the inimitable Saddle Creek.
The song arrived with a music video directed by Fidel Ruiz-Healy and Tyler Walker, showcasing Chura’s scrappy throwback aesthetic to perfection. Taking a series of cues from classic late ’80s to mid ’90s alternative clips, “They’ll Never” presents Chura in a grainy lo-fi 4:3, nicely accentuating the narrative’s emphasis on history. All told, “They’ll Never” is a very welcome jolt of casual energy that doubles as a reminder of Chura’s considerable talent. It’s worth remembering.
Watch “They’ll Never” below and pre-order Midnight from Saddle Creek here.
Adam Kolodny (of House of Nod) can’t seem to stop shooting extremely memorable visuals. The imagery in Better Oblivion Community Center‘s clip for “Dylan Thomas” borders on the iconic, the palette used in Charly Bliss‘ “Capacity” video has a strong shot at being a definitive landmark for that era of the band, and yet the DP may have bested both of those efforts with an unforgettable showing for Mannequin Pussy’s latest, “Drunk II”.
Mannequin Pussy‘s guitarist/vocalist (and the director of “Drunk II”), Marisa Dabice, was reported to have set one goal for the clip: to make it “look like the saddest dream.” In an open casting call, there was a need for “people comfortable making out on camera” and the arc of the direction, the song’s own narrative, and the stylistic flourishes throughout “Drunk II” tie together into what’s easily one of 2019’s best videos to date. Everything from the soft lighting to the marquee archway to the repeated returns to central framing with blurred edges (ostensibly playing into the narrator’s state of being) combine to create something indelible. In short, it’s a masterpiece delivered in a minor key. Hit repeat when it’s done.
Watch “Drunk II” below and pre-order Patience here.
Three weeks into April 2019 and the month’s yielded a staggering amount of good material and a small handful that’s genuinely great. Today, this site will feature a quartet of songs, a quartet of music videos (with one being a unified collection), and a quartet of full streams. A wide range of genres and styles is on display and everything’s more than worthy of some serious listening and/or watching investment. Art this strong should always be featured in some capacity, as many times over as possible. Scroll down and enjoy the riches.
Charly Bliss – Hard to Believe
Charly Bliss have taken some serious gambles in the lead-up to the band’s forthcoming Never Enough. Each of the quartet’s first two singles from the record saw the band take a running leap into more pop-friendly territory, with both “Capacity” and “Chatroom” on the fringes of spectacle. Both of those songs received attention-grabbing music videos from emerging powerhouse directors Michelle Zauner and Maegan Houang. “Hard to Believe” — a recent highlight of the band’s notoriously energetic live show — finds Charly Bliss offering a bridge between Guppy‘s sugar-rush of punk sweat and Never Enough‘s outsize ambition, while the Henry Kaplan-directed music video scales back the conceptional narrative for one of the band’s best visual offerings to date. A practice, a marble (a winking reference to another of the band’s unreleased songs), some truly exceptional editing work, subtle B-horror references, and a might-be murderer all coalesce into one of the most pure distillations of joy that 2019’s offered to date.
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Fanclub – Uppercut
Shannon Wiedemeyer takes the directorial reins on Fanclub’s appealingly dreamy “Uppercut” and balances the clip somewhere between John Hughes and Jean-Luc Godard, evoking iconic imagery from decades past with a studied eye that serves the clip well. “Uppercut” itself feels lost in time, which the video wisely accentuates. Soft, hazy, and aided by a noticeable but welcome touch of the romantic, “Uppercut” is a fittingly minor work worthy of its influences.
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Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else – Here Comes the Snow
“Here Comes the Snow”, the latest single from Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else, feels as if its being lovingly haunted by Mark Linkous’ gentle spirit. Unassuming and low-key, the clip’s pitched perfectly by directors Dakota Sillyman and John TerEick, who play into the song’s restraint to produce something absorbing and undeniably tender. Soft transitions, low lighting, and paper snowflakes litter the video’s landscape, steadily placing the viewer directly by some imaginary fire’s cackle in a cozy cabin during the dead of winter. In the end, “Here Comes the Snow” winds up being less of a warning and more of an invitation, to a trip well worth taking.
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thanks for coming – part i: you’re welcome
A video compilation that arrives ahead of thanks for coming‘s no problem (due out in July), part i: you’re welcome tackles the 24 track record’s first six songs. Each one of those songs gets a distinct visual treatment that’s unified by a staunchly DIY aesthetic. Grainy, lo-fi, and utterly charming, part i: you’re welcome is a glimpse towards a future that demands to be cherished, something subtly underscored by the evident nostalgia coursing throughout this video project. Each of the six clips is met with a different directorial vision but they all work in tandem to create an effect that feels fleet in the moment but lingers long after the final frame.
We’re more than a third of the way through 2019 and the editorial branch of this site has been far too dormant since 2018 received the Best Of recap treatment. Today will be dedicated to addressing that coverage gap with three look backs at the very best songs, music videos, and full streams that January, February, and March had to offer. Due to the sheer volume of highlighted material, these lists will (unfortunately) be static, presented on their own without any dedicated write-ups. Each of these releases is exceptional and may receive some more words further down the line but for now, simply revisit and enjoy: The Best of March 2019.
We’re more than a third of the way through 2019 and the editorial branch of this site has been far too dormant since 2018 received the Best Of recap treatment. Today will be dedicated to addressing that coverage gap with three look backs at the very best songs, music videos, and full streams that January, February, and March had to offer. Due to the sheer volume of highlighted material, these lists will (unfortunately) be static, presented on their own without any dedicated write-ups. Each of these releases is exceptional and may receive some more words further down the line but for now, simply revisit and enjoy: The Best of February 2019.
We’re more than a third of the way through 2019 and the editorial branch of this site has been far too dormant since 2018 received the Best Of recap treatment. Today will be dedicated to addressing that coverage gap with three look backs at the very best songs, music videos, and full streams that January, February, and March had to offer. Due to the sheer volume of highlighted material, these lists will (unfortunately) be static, presented on their own without any dedicated write-ups. Each of these releases is exceptional and may receive some more words further down the line but for now, simply revisit and enjoy: The Best of January 2019.
SONGS
And The Kids – No Way Sit Back
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The Murder Capital – Feeling Fades
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Potty Mouth – 22
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Westkust – Swebach
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Francie Moon – Present Tense
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Rosie Tucker – Gay Bar
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MUSIC VIDEOS
Eyesore and the Jinx – On an Island
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Mike Krol – What’s the Rhythm
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Better Oblivion Community Center – Dylan Thomas
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La Dispute – Footsteps at the Pond
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Bellows – What Can I Tell You About the World?
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PUP – Kids
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FULL STREAMS
Mike Krol – Power Chords
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Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center
Heartbreaking Bravery 