Noir | Heartbreaking Bravery

September 5, 2014

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat – Televan (Music Video)

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat is a name that’s been appearing with a greater regularity the past few months. Whether this is due to making the most out of their tour appearances, the ridiculous strength of this year’s excellent Party Jail, or the fact that they’re excelling at something that just about no one else is attempting is difficult to tell. Most likely, it’s just a combination of all three. They’re a band that no one’s likely to forget after coming across them because they keep coming out with things that are truly memorable- the latest of which being the music video for “Televan”.

Reflecting the band’s jackknife post-punk to near-perfection (as well as their minimalism), “Televan” features two primary clips. Centering around nothing more than an assortment of shadowy close-ups of Schrader mouthing the lyrics in a one-shot and a collage of rapid-fire still shots behind a font displaying “DO THE TELEVAN” that makes it appear as if they’re permanently suspended in mid-air, it still somehow manages to be unrelentingly hypnotic. Breaking things up are some half-lit shots of bassist Devlin Schrader laying into his bass, rivaling the intensity that Schrader brings to his singing (which is a considerable amount). It’s a low-budget affair that hits with maximum impact, keeping the viewer entranced while expertly showcasing the song. Not a bad next entry for a band that seems intent on constantly one-upping themselves.

Watch “Televan” below and order Party Jail from the increasingly great Infinity Cat here.

September 4, 2014

Iceage – Forever (Music Video)

The past few days have been outstanding for unmitigated ambiguity. No less than three of the best songs of 2014-so-far have emerged, each tinged with at least a small tendency towards the unforgivingly bleak. Baltimore’s rightfully-celebrated Roomrunner (somehow) wound up being the lightest of the three by virtue of allowing in a stronger pop influence on their outstanding new single, “Chrono Trigger“. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds cemented their status as one of the most consistently brilliant bands of all time with an outtake from last year’s mesmerizing Push the Sky Away that’s being featured in the undoubtedly extraordinary quasi-documentary that centers around Cave, 20,000 Days on Earth. Between those two, it almost seemed impossible that anything else would land today’s feature spot- until Iceage released their jaw-dropping song-video combination for “Forever”, the next gigantic stride in an ongoing evolution that “The Lord’s Favorite” kicked off in spectacular fashion a little over a month ago.

While “Forever” doesn’t have the subtle optimism of “The Lord’s Favorite”, it keeps their trademark tension in tact, while allowing the band to stretch out a little more than usual. In an almost too-coincidental twist, it’s as if the band’s picked up the primordial nightmarish post-punk that characterized Nick Cave’s earliest works. Arriving with an accompanying note detailing the band’s upcoming record, Plowing Into the Field of Love (due out on Matador in a little over a month), “Forever” becomes the record’s second song to suggest that this could be a game-changing record for the landscapes of popular taste. While the song sears, broods, and brutalizes with the absolute best of them, it’s the visually stunning Pattinama Coleman-directed video that winds up pushing the whole thing into the sublime. Getting maximum effect out of a decidedly minimal approach is never an easy task to accomplish but “Forever” winds up pulling it off with ease. Whether that’s because of the band members’ natural charisma, damaged magnetism, a cavalcade of genuinely arresting looks, or the noir-ish presentation is impossible to say- but there’s something with an undeniable, intrinsic pull that centers “Forever” which suggests that this band has a greater grip on their identity than just about anyone else right now.

When the song’s closing minutes kick in and the video pulls back to an old man that seemed oddly intrusive during his first appearance inspired some of the fiercest chills to be provided by any music video this year. If “Forever” is topped by any song on Plowing Into the Field of Love, it’ll warrant consideration for Album of the Year honors. All that’s left to do now is wait in earnest, to see if the record can live up to its first two offerings. With the way things have been playing out, there’s reason to believe that’ll be the case.

Watch “Forever” below and pre-order Plowing Into the Field of Love from Matador, before it comes out on October 6, here.

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November 20, 2013

Gap Dream – Shine Your Light (Music Video)

Burger Records is back at it again. After an absurdly huge 2013, they’ve still got a few aces hidden away. One of those is most certainly Gap Dream’s Shine Your Light, which is currently streaming over at Pitchfork Advance. Shortly after that stream went live the band unveiled a weirdly compelling music video for the title track that features an outstanding performance from Mr. Show‘s John Ennis as a hard-drinking detective who stumbles across an alien abduction plot. The Jonny Look-directed clip’s infused with the kind of psychedelic flourishes that permeate Gap Dream’s music, providing a level playing field where both audio and video complement each other to perfection. If nothing else, watch it for the outstanding facial expression at the 2:53 mark.

Stream the record (which is some of Gap Dream’s strongest work) by clicking the link to Pitchfork Advance in the above paragraph and watch the noir-inflected sci-fi video for “Shine Your Light” below. Pre-orders for Shine Your Light are available from Burger Records and the record’s available in several formats including a glow in the dark LP. Highly recommended.

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