It may be just over a month away but Deep Fantasy, White Lung’s Domino debut,just keeps sounding better. While “Drown With the Monster” and “Snake Jaw” were both bits of shrapnel intent on finding impact, “Face Down” takes things a step further. There’s just something about it that’s difficult to pinpoint; whether it’s the arrangement or the presentation or something else entirely, it’s one of the band’s most refined outings to date and it absolutely slays. Easily one of their best songs, it was given a no-fi video not all that dissimilar from the Dead Stars one that was featured here earlier today. Not much more than the band in a car and engaging in random shenanigans, it’s vibe’s closer to that of throwaway clips for skate parts than an official music video, giving it a feel that fits White Lung’s damage just right.
Watch “Face Down” below and try not to get arrested this year.
Old Flame Records continue to build themselves one hell of a catalog. Next month the label will be releasing what looks to be the umpteenth great record in the past few years that they can lay claim to; this time around it’s Dead Stars’ Slumber. They’d already teased Slumber with “Crawl”, an undeniably great basement pop song that owed a debt to the late 80’s/early 90’s SST scene as much as what was happening at that time over in New York. A little scuzz and a lot of melody is a happy meeting point to arrive at and it’s where Dead Stars find themselves once again with “Someone Else”. This time around, they’ve paired that song with a decidedly lo-fi video that winks at a long list of their influences. Micah Weisberg and Bill Dvorak directed the clip, which looks like it was shot on Super 8, and features the band miming the song in locations that range from a basketball court to a gas station to a food truck. Improbably, it comes off as more charming than tired, and suits the song nicely. Aspiring DIY directors, look to this clip for proof that you don’t need to worry about a budget. Potential listeners, start paying attention to Dead Stars.
Watch “Someone Else” below and get in a game of pick-up basketball before the sun disappears.
The more that’s revealed about Fucked Up’s Glass Boys, the more interesting itgets. From the sunnier disposition to the fact the deluxe version will come packaged with a second LP that features the drums in half-time, it seems all but destined to wind up a thrilling, enigmatic anomaly in the band’s impressive catalog. “Sun Glass”, in both song and video (the second to be released in advance of the album), continue to support this theory by featuring a band mostly known for their anxiety sounding relatively unburdened and, more than that, having fun. It’s a drastic change of pace that suits them surprisingly well; the big questions get scaled back to make way for some small self-examination and guess what? As fucked up as some things can get, overall everything’s pretty alright. Appropriately, the video’s as sun-splashed as possible, with all involved parties looking like they’ve just gone through a small hell and come out completely rejuvenated; able to appreciate the small joys of life more readily instead of taking them for granted.
Watch the improbably feel-good video for “Sun Glass” below and let it be a necessary reminder to stop and feel the sun every once in a while.
It’s only been a few weeks since the review of “Owls Talons Clenching My Heart” went up, along with the assertion that Youth Culture Forever was among the years very best LP’s. Since then, PAWS have endured a massive, unexpected amount of scrutiny following a debacle with Morrissey. While the band picked up a considerable amount of press because of it, nothing’s changed: Youth Culture Forever sounds as good now as it did a month ago and “Owls Talons Clenching My Heart” is still an undeniably strong song- and now it has a music video to match it. Essentially just a cinematic tour diary, it’s surprisingly striking visually and the tone’s a nice complement to the song itself. It’s also impossible to say no to fireworks, open skies, open roads, and skateboarding. “Owls Talons Clenching My Heart” spans a lot of the US and it features more than a few recognizable landmarks (what’s up, First Ave?) in the process. Most of all, it’s a nice reminder that winter’s finally over and doing most of the things that happen in the video is possible again.
Watch “Owls Talons Clenching My Heart” below and take a road trip to enjoy the sun.
Savages came out of an ominous mist last year and took everyone by surprise with a firm stranglehold on all the tastemaking sites for quite some time. Fortunately, for everyone, their stock hadn’t skyrocketed due to cheap PR ploys or novelty gimmicks; they earned their still-expanding level of admiration through sheer talent. It’s been exactly one year since Matador released Silence Yourself and the band’s deciding to celebrate with the release of the 12″ single “Fuckers” b/w a cover of Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream” (available via Matador/Pop Noire). The former of which now has an accompanying video built off and around stunning live footage. The band’s live sets have always been noted for being visually striking and the Giorgio Testi-directed clip plays that aspect for all its worth. “Fuckers”, on its own, is another triumph for the band- a cold-blooded 1o minute run that grows darker and more menacing as it goes along. For such a cold exterior, the lyrics are fairly warm and cautiously guide rather than berate. It offers a nice contrast that plays into the band’s aesthetic strengths. Put that together with the cinematic flourishes of the videos and it stands as a memorable piece of art.
Watch “Fuckers” below and give into its atmospheric magic.
Greys’ If Anything (due out June 17 via Carpark) is already one of the most anticipated full-lengths of the remaining year. This is thanks, in no small part, to lead-off preview track “Guy Picciotto”. Amanda Fotes has now provided that track with a video that rivals the songs sense of chaos and tension. Presented in a muted palette (incidentally- and possibly intentionally- it looks like it was tuned through a gray filter), the video revolves around the band throwing a Marshall cab off of the roof an ostensibly abandoned building in a desolate part of some unnamed city. There are a few moments where some footage of the band playing gets spliced in and Fotes disorients the linearity of the act by positioning the members on both the roof and the ground during the amp’s descent. It takes the amp the duration of the song to reach impact and there’s a sly bit of cleverness to that ultimate, climactic moment. It’s all over in well under two minutes and more than worth anyone’s time. Watch it below and keep an eye out for both If Anything and the band’s reportedly insane live show. Enjoy.
It wasn’t too long ago that Archie Powell & the Exports earned themselves both a write-up and a best-of mixtape inclusion for the incendiary ripper “Everything’s Fucked”. That song was the first to tease the band’s upcoming record, Back in Black, which promises to show a rawer and more ragged side to the Chicago-based quintet. Since releasing that as the introduction piece the band have been carefully doling out bits and pieces of the record but nothing has been as impressive as the recently-released music video for “Holes”, which earned itself an impressive feature on Consequence of Sound and featured heavy involvement from Audiotree.
“Holes” comes courtesy of Brian Racine and an impressively assembled crew who made this video as eye-catching as possible, in the best of ways. All of it’s shot in keeping with a classic video game aesthetic (in terms of palette and presentation it’s not too far removed from Edgar Wright’s largely misunderstood Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), apart from the few avant-glam shots thrown in for good measure, and packs a hell of a punch. It’ll also drive up a desire to either play arcade games, grab a drink, or start a band- so fair warning. All told, this is just further evidence that AP&tE are ready for bigger things and have their sights set on achieving them.
Watch “Holes” below and then play some arcade games, grab a drink, and start a goddamn band already.
No band was as successful at releasing memorably goofy and immensely enjoyable low-budget music videos in 2013 as The So So Glos were. After releasing what was arguably the most outright fun record of last year, Blowout, the band just seemed to decide that wasn’t enough and proceeded to grant us a bevvy of riches that perfected a certain aesthetic- and they’re still not done. “Speakeasy” is the fifth music video to be crafted for a Blowout track and lives up to its predecessors. Again occupying the low-budget lo-fi slot, “Speakeasy” introduces itself by way of text that gets delivered in what appear to be retro error messages on a computer. What happens after shows off the band’s personality and natural charisma as well as anything possibly could while a clever concept guides them along. It’s irreverent, idiosyncratic, self-referential and every bit as fun as anything they’ve produced so far. To say anything more would risk ruining the impact. It’s best just to watch “Speakeasy” below and grin stupidly the whole way through.
One of the first few pieces this place conjured up was a glowing review for PUP, which had only been released in Canada at the time of posting. As the US release date for the record approached, more people started taking notice of the band. Rave reviews for the live show spilled in from the various corners of the wider-reaching music community and anticipation for the record shot up in accordance. Now, PUP is a great record, which has been covered but the music video the band crafted for “Reservoir” was in a different stratosphere of greatness. That music video was one of the best of the past several years so when the band announced a follow-up effort, this time for “Lionheart”, the expectations were off the charts. Fortunately, for everyone, the band delivered.
The premise of “Lionheart” is incredibly basic but it manages to exist in a similar realm to its predecessor thanks to the flawless execution. Once again, the band has tapped into the DIY ethos, only this time they’ve moved it from the stage to the afterparty. It’s a single shot emphasizing the action that takes place in the kind of basement most punks would be proud to call home. From taping bottles of some unidentifiable liquid to whoever’s crashing on the couch right through to the guy eating pizza in a Green Bay Packers beanie, this is the kind of scene that should be familiar to anyone who’s showed up early or stayed late at any house show. All of the details feel lived-in and authentic giving the whole thing a loose classic vibe. All of this, of course, is propelled by the actual song itself which elevates it into something resembling nostalgia. Simply put: it’s another great video from a band that’s worth knowing about. Honesty and humility are difficult things to play up in the format but the band pulls it off with ease, keeping their track record just about perfect.
Watch “Lionheart” below and then live it this summer. Support local music. Support great music. Play this video.
From the top: apologies are in order for one of the longest hiatuses this place has been pushed into since it came into being last October. There were conflicts that needed resolving (and some that continue to need resolving) that forced a delay. These situations always carry a duality of good and bad with them and the former category is what will be emphasized here. Yes, there was lots of lost time- but that just means a collection of riches to post about in several long sprees. The days following this post should see multiple articles until the 1:1 day-post ratio is restored. While soundcloud is still experiencing issues from the heartbleed virus, the first batch of new content will be largely occupied by the music videos that have come out in the past week or so and Tweens‘ “Forver” may just be the best of the bunch.
Tweens is also now officially out on Frenchkiss records and slays just as hard as everyone expected it would. Filled to the brim with a glam-spiked retro sugar-rush, the trio’s debut is the fullest realization of their alluring basement pop aesthetic to date. While the whole thing is worth wearing out over the course of however long the warm weather lasts, “Forever” is one of the record’s most scorching high points- and the Joe Castrucci-directed music video captures its mood perfectly. Putting a fun twist on the prom theme, the video revels in its clever concept and offers up an endless barrage of great moments (personal favorite: a cop chases a skateboarder who eventually drops a case worth of PBR’s into a freezer and all are taken immediately). While all the low-stakes insanity unfolds on the dance floor, the band’s on stage urging everyone on and having the time of their lives.
Tweens is the feel-good record of the year and “Forever” continues its roll out campaign in grand tradition. Watch it below and pick it up as soon as possible- it’s a must-own.
Heartbreaking Bravery 