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December 31, 2020

The Best of 2020: Songs and Videos

2020 has been a difficult year. There’s no way around the fact that the past 365 days have constituted one of the bleakest runs of days in any of our lifetimes. From the violent white supremacy of America’s police making headlines to a global pandemic that’s left hundreds of thousands dead around the world to an incalculably incompetent showing from government officials around the country, there’s been no shortage of reasons to despair. Fortunately, music’s offered something of a reprieve. For some it became an outlet to vent, for some it become a means of coping, and for others it became a reason for hope.

I haven’t written anything on Heartbreaking Bravery in 2020 but I did take over, officially, as the music editor over at local outlet Tone Madison, which has kept me busy. I’ve also been working as a photographer with a local studio and doing independent contract work for a tech umbrella, while continuing to seek freelance opportunities. In the midst of all of that, I wanted to make sure I did something with this place, which has remained a critical part of my life, even in its public absence. Towards the start of 2020, I got the idea to reassemble how I wanted to feature new music. After kicking around a lot of ideas, I settled on something specific: creating and curating a hyper-personalized radio program for the new music I wanted to highlight.

While that idea never came to total fruition, I realized there was a way I could subvert this idea into something useful while staying close to that initial concept. Over the past 12 months, I have been assembling (and intentionally sequencing) a playlist of the songs and music videos that, in previous years of Heartbreaking Bravery’s existence, would’ve warranted standalone features. Additionally, I started compiling an ancillary playlist of the honorable mentions, which has no reason or rhyme beyond the unifying principle of the songs and videos contained in that mix being worth watching/hearing. The Best of 2020 playlist features 309 songs and videos, while the playlist containing the honorable mentions contains 1,711. In total, 2020.

I may take the following week or two to assemble a more traditional list of the albums, songs, and videos that impacted me the most over 2020 but, for now, I’m happy with this: a reflection of a year’s worth of work and a time capsule for the worthwhile art that helped navigate and contextualize an immensely difficult year. I don’t know what 2021 will hold and I continue to grapple with the direction of this publication and the question of whether or not it should be laid to rest. I may never have an answer but I do know that these songs and videos deserved notice, appreciation, and praise. I hope anyone that clicks into these finds something new to celebrate.

THE BEST OF 2020

(Content warning: a few of the videos contained in this mix involve flashing lights)

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Could not be included: The Chives – The Chives Buy Guns, Cheerbleederz – Better Than Nothing, Phillip Jon Taylor – Rotary Phone, Mister Goblin – Punk Band, Amos Pitsch – Oak Hill Blues, DAMP – Binsy, Steve Hartlett – big mac feat. big mac, Gladie – The Good That Won’t Come (Rilo Kiley), Lost Boy ? – Trying To Feel Good, Lost Boy ? – Another Shoe, Yakima – It Helped, Geronimo! – Where’s My Dini? (Ovlov), and Ben Grigg – Randy Describes Mondays.

A QUICK HIT: 2020 (Honorable Mentions)

Could not be included: The Ricos – True, Valley Latini – Blue Moon, Guided By Voices – Haircut Sphinx, Paul Collins Beat – Another World, Dog Park – Irma, Molly Parden – Kitchen Table, Dear Nora – Hold It Down, Lost Boy ? – Sunkist, Pure Decay, Wild Flower, Groundhog’s Day, Pop Songs for Dummies, Daniel Tanghal – Heavenly Trash, Purge, Oregon Trail, Nick Norton – Fuzzy Loner, Closing Eyes – You Can Have Everything, Art of the Uncarved Block – Washed Out Blue, Brooks Hudgins – Lost In Conversation, MEH – What’s It To You Anyway?, Decay the Llama – On the Creation of..., Yot Club – Ceremony, Flowers – Erik, Coffin Apartment – Hyperphagic Blues, Flõstate – Home Ground, Yakima – Thanks, The Great Dictators – Play Dead Together, As In – Not A Doctor, Not Today, Katie Alice Greer – 5, Thurston Moore – Instant Transcendent Conjecture, Strawberry Moon, Mac McCaughan – Sports Channel 8: The Theme Song, Sad13 – Paint’s Peeling (Rilo Kiley), Backxwash – Stigmata, First Responder – Coney Island, The Chains – Shadow on the Hill, Daydream – Dissolve Into Their Likeness, Conscious Raising, The Immaculates – New York Is Mine For The Holiday, NNAMDÏ & Post Animal – Full Fangs, Annie DiRusso – 20, Lisa Prank – alone again at the pumpkin patch, Greta Morgan – When the Sun Comes Up, Jason Isbell – Maybe It’s Time (Demo), Anika Pyle – S A D, Ben Varian – Wouldn’t It Be Nice, and Freaking – I’m Not Opposed to Sand.

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July 13, 2019

Cool Original – Never Stop Hanging Out + Alien Boy – If We Don’t Speak (Music Video)

Every so often, an inspired idea that’s reflective of the core tenets of this site appears and offers a reaffirmation of those beliefs/virtues. A collaborative music video with two like-minded acts just enjoying the concept and sharing each other’s company’s. Cool Original and Alien Boy do just that in a pair of clips for “Never Stop Hanging Out” and “If We Don’t Speak”, each a highlight of their band’s respective catalogue.

The videos themselves operate on a simple conceit: each band a rotating cast of friends take turns as the central subject in a stock photo shoot, with sync’ed live performances occasionally interspersed into the proceedings with a fittingly lo-fi visual effect. Each clip on its own is heartening but as a collaborative effort, it’s genuinely moving. Community clearly matters to each of these acts and eschewing conventional boundaries to celebrate each other’s work is an example of how progressive thinking can be healthily integrated into traditional norms. It’s hard not to feel immensely proud watching how this all came together and even harder not to hope more acts follow in their footsteps.

Watch the collaborative video(s) below, pre-order Cool Original’s I Never Said I Didn’t Care here and Alien Boy’s Sleeping Lessons here.

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April 11, 2019

March 2019: The Best Songs, Music Videos, and Full Streams

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.

SONGS

Evening Standards – The Baron

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Patio – New Reality + Vile Bodies

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Trace Mountains – Where It Goes

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Truth Club – Not An Exit

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Kishi Bashi – Summer of ’42

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Gurr – Fake News

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Heartscape Landbreak – A Heart Full of Light

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Empath – Hanging Out of Cars

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Petite League – White Knuckle Wildflower

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Babehoven – Icelake

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Greys – These Things Happen

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Blushh – All My Friends

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Control Top – Covert Contracts

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Adir L.C. – Reacting

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Stef Chura – Method Man

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PUP – Scorpion Hill

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The Modern Times – Am I Losing Touch

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J.R. – Be My Man

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Pile – Bruxist Gin

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Eluvium – Recital

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MUSIC VIDEOS

Beachtape – Fix It Up

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Grim Streaker – Today New York

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Fontaines D.C. – Roy’s Tune

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Greys – Arc Light

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Slothrust – Peach

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Double Grave – Deadend

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Charly Bliss – Chatroom

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FULL STREAMS

Rosie Tucker – Never Not Never Not Never Not

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La Fille – Alright Already

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Westkust – Westkust

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Ronnie Rogers – Denim Jacket Weather

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Cult Film – Mona

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Billy Woods – Hiding Places

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Papercuts – Kathleen Says

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Sasami – Sasami

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Potty Mouth – SNAFU

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April 11, 2019

February 2019: The Best Songs, Music Videos, and Full Streams

SONGS

Patio – Boy Scout

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Sass – Chew Toy

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Minihorse – Drink You Dry

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Ladada – The Tao

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Tyler Burkhart – Waiting For You

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La Fille – Everyday Feels Like I’m Getting Older

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Max Gowan – 7th Day

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Rosie Tucker – Habit + Lauren

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Palehound – Killer

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Bellows – The Tower

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MUSIC VIDEOS

CROWS – Chain of Being

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Charly Bliss – Capacity

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Coughy – V

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Squid – Houseplants

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FULL STREAMS

Deep State – The Path to Fast Oblivion

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Sin Bad / Bad Wig – Sin Bad Wig

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Julia Jacklin – Crushing

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Diät – Positive Disintegration

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Yuri Tománek – In the end

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Bellows – The Rose Gardener

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December 16, 2018

The Best Music Videos of November 2018

Just two weeks have passed since November closed, which is more than enough time to for a variety of acts to have unveiled great music videos. Revived projects, critical darlings, and attention-catching upstarts make up the five picks below. A variety of film styles are deployed and each clip carries its own unique charm. To get the full effect, just click play.

1. Zuzu – Can’t Be Alone

Zuzu has been impressing for the past few years, slowly building international name recognition while consistently achieving at a high level. A sought-after live act and a songwriter who’s got a firm grip on both identity and craft, Zuzu’s continued to turn heads. The clip for “Can’t Be Alone” — which utilizes lightheartedness and French New Wave to tremendous effect — is another piece of an expanding, winsome story. Tongue-in-cheek, grounded, and immensely enjoyable, the “Can’t Be Alone” video is another reminder of Zuzu’s increasingly bright future.

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2. Mitski – Washing Machine Heart

Watching the evolution of Mitski from celebrated bedroom pop artist to cultural megastar has been a privilege. As is the case with the best artists, that transition has seen Mitski grow more committed to personal artistic vision. Aided by the opportunities that level of recognition can unlock, the songwriter’s remained steadfast in using that visibility responsibly. “Washing Machine Heart” is another hyper-stylized video from the artist, leaning fully into the film noir tendencies that provided a few of Mitski’s past videos a nice flourish. It’s mesmerizing.

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3. Alien Boy – Somewhere Without Me

One of the biggest artistic leaps forward this year came from Alien Boy, who unleashed an unlikely behemoth in Sleeping Lessons. A record that married grunge, shoegaze, punk, and emo in fascinating ways, had more than a few highlights. “Somewhere Without Me” was one of that record’s most astonishing moments and gets the visual treatment on a Sjur Hjeltness-helmed clip that pays homage to the iconic visual history of the post-punk genre. Studied and exhilarating, the clip serves as a perfect complement.

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4. Swervedriver – Drone Lover

Not a lot of people could have predicted how seamlessly Swervedriver‘s return to the fold would be or that they’d be making some of the most powerful music of their career in 2018. “Drone Lover” makes a case for the latter part of that equation with gusto. “Drone Lover” continues the band’s collage-heavy tendencies on the visual end, which nicely underscores their primal squalor. Effective and hypnotic, it’s another strong introduction to the band’s revered output.

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5. The Glow – Beamer

LVL UP‘s dissolution earlier this year freed up a lot of time for its members to pursue the other projects they’ve had their names attached to for years. In the case of Mike Caridi, the guitarist/vocalist returned to The Glow. A project that’s been mostly dormant for several years is being revived in earnest, with the dog-happy clip for “Beamer” leading the charge. It’s a colorful clip that illustrates The Glow’s wide-reaching appeal. “Beamer” is also a very welcome reminder that even though LVL UP’s left, Caridi’s here to stay.

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June 2, 2018

The Five Best Music Videos of the Past Two Weeks

Two weeks may not seem like much of a span in the grand scheme of things but in terms of releases, it means a mountain of art to climb. During that journey, some sections manage to make more vivid impressions than others. This list specifically fixates on music videos and focuses on the clips that made a deep impression. Every artist in this list has been featured on this site in some way before but just because they’ve earned past accolades never ensures a repeat performance. A large amount of credit is due here to five artists who continuously push their own envelope. Take a breath and scroll down to explore their latest works.

1. Gurr – Hot Summer

Gurr made a big impression with 2016’s outstanding In My Head, a record overflowing with memorable basement pop. “Hot Summer” is the emergent act’s latest reminder of their undeniable talent, replete with a mesmerizing visual treatment. A series of vignettes all evoking vivid memories of past summer seasons while looking ahead to the summers that lie in wait, “Hot Summer” makes sure its title is apt. Both the clip and the video are triumphant gems and offer a welcome return for Gurr.

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2. Clearance – Had A Fantastic

Over the past handful of years, Clearance have been kicking around the upper Midwest, touring when they can, and committing to their own improvement. That steadfast insistence has been paying dividends for each of the band’s releases and will see its current culmination in At Your Leisure (which will also be their first effort for Topshelf Records). “Had A Fantastic” is the first look at the record, a driving mid-tempo number that imbues their basement pop with post-punk influences. The compelling video (washed out in faded whites and yellows) is just the cherry on top.

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3. Dusk – Old Magnolia

Uniting with their videographer Finn Bjornerud once again, Dusk have turned in another clip that plays homage to their own reality. Fixating on more central Wisconsin locations, “Old Magnolia” also provides the opportunity for Ryley Crowe (one of the band’s five notable songwriters) to be featured front and center. Leaning hard into classic folk, country, and Americana influences, “Old Magnolia” may be the purest distillation of the band’s overarching identity to date. Warm, tender, and familiar, it’s another worthy addition to an already exceptional repertoire.

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4. Sean Henry – The Ants

“The Ants” immediately comes across as one of Sean Henry‘s most arresting tracks but the video manages to elevate it from memorable to unforgettable. Tapping into the underlying dread and melancholy, “The Ants” becomes a creeping nightmare of a video. Off-kilter and defiantly strange, the clip finds Henry in the spotlight, donning a set of fake teeth and sulking around a cityscape as dusk turns to night turns to day. Weird, unavoidable, and mesmerizing, “The Ants” is as effective of a complement to its attached song as anyone’s likely to produce this year.

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5. Fog Lake – Push

Coming just days after the release of Fog Lake‘s haunting “California” was “Push” and its accompanying music video. “Push” opens up in somewhat generic territory, ostensibly opting for an obvious melodramatic narrative before subverting its story to startling effect. That sudden change comes by way of one of the most brilliant transition edits the music video format’s offered in recent memory, as one scene hurtles into the next, literally altering the narrative (and the central character’s) timeline.

Sudden and extremely effective, that tactic’s employed multiple times, each instance magnifying the effect. It’s brilliant filmmaking from both director Noah Kentis and cinematographer Bella Gonzales. “Push”, as a standalone song, would have stood as another of Fog Lake’s hidden masterpieces. Combined with the video, it becomes the project’s high point. A perfect mixture of empathy, elegance, and artistry, “Push” is the kind of video that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.

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May 7, 2018

sewingneedle – feel good music (Music Video)

Last week a slew of music videos came out and some of the finest came from Floating Room, Bodega, Petal, Brooke Annibale, TENTS., PILL, Maria Kelly, Sad Baxter, Mikaela Davis, Frankie Cosmos, Protomartyr, Young Fathers, The Plainviews, Elke, Parquet Courts, Olden Yolk, and Dott. Each of them are worth multiple viewings but sewingneedle earns the feature here with their eerie clip for “feel good music”, a foreboding song off their upcoming full-length, user error.

Every once in a while, there’s the kind of band that kicks around in murky shadows, refining a mixture of sludge, grunge, and post-punk. Boston built an entire scene around that specific genre but the latest band to forge an identity on the back of that kind of darkly-tinted magic comes from Boston’s far neighbors to the (Mid)West in Chicago’s sewingneedle. The band’s been active for more than four years, turning heads at an increasingly rapid pace with a reportedly stellar live show and incredible new material.

“feel good music” is part of the band’s improbable run towards greatness, a song that was released simultaneously with an effortlessly captivating music video that touches on the kind of lurking anxiety that the band imbues into their music. The clip’s opaque, opting to strive towards eliciting an immediate, intangible reaction rather than going for something easily explained. Drone shots of a raft tethered to a journeying boat, men racing through a field, and urban sprawl all coalesce into a mesmerizing whole in “feel good music” which defiantly announces sewingneedle’s bid for something bigger.

Watch “feel good music” below and pre-order user error here.

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April 8, 2018

The Best Music Videos of March 2018

March 2018 packed a hell of a punch in nearly every major musical release category, with the notable exception being music videos. There were a lot of solid clips that found release but only a scant few that managed to cross the threshold into “genuine standout” territory. Three of those are listed below, covering an intriguing range of styles. One of the young year’s best lyric clips, one of the best tracking shots, and one one of the most tonally effective clips comprise this list. Watching the trio of videos is a short journey compared to several of these lists but one that’s extremely worthwhile.

1. Peach Kelli Pop – Drug Store’s Symbol of Happiness

The concept of Peach Kelli Pop‘s “Drug Store’s Symbol of Happiness” is a simple one but its execution is so meticulously detailed and flawless, the entire affair is considerably elevated. The staging, the imagery, and the song manage to coalesce into something that feels thrillingly complete. A song is sung, a camera follows, and little slices of life flicker away in the background. It’s just a few ingredients but sometimes that’s all a capable director needs to craft one of the most magnetic clips of 2018’s first quarter.

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2. Snail Mail – Pristine

Snail Mail have been riding a richly deserved wave of critical acclaim over the past year, finding clever ways to get their material a boost and making sure their live show is a next to an unmissable event. Matador Records took notice and found a way to secure the rights to the band’s upcoming record, a smart move that’s already paying dividends with the charming and characteristically lo-fi lyric video for “Pristine”, which subverts and breathes life into what’s become a needlessly restrictive format in recent times.

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3. Harry Permezel – Wax Man

Typically, an act leaning heavily into influences from around two decades ago will skew closer to the likes of Built to Spill and Dinosaur Jr than Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, or Heatmiser exercising their softer tendencies. Harry Permezel’s “Wax Man” falls squarely into that latter category and the clip that’s accompanying the song is all but a portal back into that world. It’s laced with nostalgia, beautifully crafted, and immensely effective in conveying the faded sensibilities of both that era and Permezel’s own music. All told, “Wax Man” is a journey worth taking.

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April 3, 2018

March’s Honorable Mentions

Only a few days into April (and a few posts away from resuming regular daily updates), it seems as good a time as any to look back at some of the outstanding tracks, clips, and records March had to offer. Since the first week of March was largely covered by the last big recap, the focus here is on the material to find release in the month’s subsequent three weeks. An incredible round of songs, some sterling music videos, and a few standout records managed to make their mark. Below is a compilation of items worth hearing and seeing, so don’t miss a beat and save this tab to explore to your heart’s content.

STREAMS

Mastersystem, Bad Breeding, Pllush, The Sidekicks, Tancred, Drens, Deeper, Hop Along, Iceage, Haley, Spielbergs, Wheelbarrel, Air Waves, Holy Now, Lawn, Yazan (x2), Sharaya Summers, Daniel Tanghal, Dose, Eureka California, Simeon Walker, John Parish, Sibille Attar, Moon Racer, Pre Nup, The Love-Birds, Oceanator, Archie and the Bunkers, Escondido, Death By Unga Bunga, Leisure Tank, The Magic Lantern, Coping Skills, Weller, Character Actor, Ruler, Emily Isherwood, Nice Try, Connections, Vlad Holida.

Lazy Legs, Cold Fronts, Craig Finn, Stimmerman (x2), Dear Nora, Kevin Devine, Brooke Annibale, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis (x2), Frederick The Younger, Co Sonn, Swear Tapes, Fiddlehead, boerd, King Tuff, Bernice, Miya Folick, Forest Ray, Aisha Burns, Wye Oak, Tangents, INVSN, Dreamend, Sofia Härdig, No Thank You (x2), L.A. Girlfriend, John Prine, Paul De Jong, Mary Lattimore, Spritzer, Saba, Swell Spells, Erin Rae, Chakra Efendi, Greyhounds, Redolent, Ivan Moult, Neighbor Lady, Hiss Golden Messenger.

77:78, Deerest, Goat Girl, The Dead Tongues, currin (x2), Scratch, Ganser, Kathryn Joseph, Confuse-Ray, Slow Mass (x2), Pole Siblings, DMA’s, Adam Ackerman, Turtlenecked, Gold Connections, Sen Morimoto, War On Women, Kississippi, Belly, Dana Murray, Yolanda, The Cavemen, HAWK, Remission, Andy Cook, White China, LANKS, and A Deer A Horse.

MUSIC VIDEOS

Fenne Lily, Sulky Boy, Night Flowers, Bonny Doon, Oddnesse, Albert Hammond Jr, Tremends, Locate S, 1, Sun June, KNIFEY, Las Rosas, Mastersystem, Ought, Rozwell Kid, RF Shannon, Alex Lahey, Launder, Soccer Mommy, Speedy Ortiz, Wax Idols, Sleepy Zuhoski, Loma, Courtney Barnett, Francobollo, Flasher, Volage, Hinds, Porlolo, The By Gods, Frankie Cosmos, Okkervil River, Crooked Teeth, Laura Veirs, S. Carey, The Dazies, Sam Evian, Alice Bag, Jo Passed, Young Valley, Quiet As A Mouse, Canshaker Pi, Death By Unga Bunga, Sean McMahon, Vive la Void, Yuki Ame, Preoccupations, Moviestar, LICE, Tomma Intet, and Phosphenes.

FULL STREAMS

Daniel Klag, Gentle Heat, Queen of Jeans, The Bordellos, Swampmeat Family Band, Erika Wennerstrom, Rat Kid Cool, T.C. Crosser, and half of the upcoming Nicole Dollanganger record.

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March 12, 2018

2018: A Long Look, A Longer Listen (The First Two Months)

A persistent and all-consuming myth among people that refuse to commit a shred of investment to any sort of search is that “good music just doesn’t exist anymore.” It’s the same sort of thinking present in the cavalcade of thoughtless attempts to shift any sort of blame for societal ills to a younger generation based solely on an outlook that was defined by a vastly different era. Fortunately, there are a host of artists to emphatically disprove brand of thinking and act as a counter to what could be construed as a subtle, insidious form of ageism. Below there are literally hundreds of links providing access to various songs, music videos, and records.

All of them are worth a shot and a good many of them are vastly different from their surrounding links. Each of those items came out in 2018 and there’s an entire world more of them waiting to be discovered by the people willing to put in the work. So use these as a starter pack of sorts or just scroll through and see what today’s musicians can offer. It’s a boundless scope and when its allowed to not just exist but thrive, there are a multitude of reasons to celebrate. Enjoy.

SONGS

Okkervil River, Hop Along, Ought, Frøkedal, Connections, Noble Son, Mount Eerie, Rich Girls, Dusk, Therese Litner, Soccer Mommy, Hinds, Eric Benoit, JACK (x2), The Radio Dept., Parker Longbough, Rat Kid Cool, Why Bonnie (x2), Holy Now (x2), High Sunn (x2), Odina, Spielbergs, The Breeders, Shark Toys, Jouska (x2), Yazan, Johanna Warren, No Thank You, Drive Me Home Please, Your Old Droog, Charly Bliss, Liza Anne, Father John Misty, Rolling Blackouts C.F., Chemtrails, Katie Von Schleicher, Wavves & Culture Abuse, VALES, Sharaya Summers, Katie Dey, War On Women, The Goldberg Sisters (x2), Busdriver (x2), Queen of Jeans (x2), Shell of A Shell (x2), Soccer Mommy (x2)