Heartbreaking Bravery

Yes, technical problems are still causing some delays in content being posted- but information’s being gathered at the same rate and pieces are being committed to. There will be a few massive days of content leading up to a very brief hiatus. That hiatus is happening for a very good reason and will lead to the most content from a single even that this site’s ever seen. Long-term solutions are being worked on to prevent these brief delays from happening in the future while great music continues revealing itself at a steady clip. This is why, in the next few days, there will be three Watch This segments, multiple reviews, multiple music videos, and multiple streams. In the 27th installment of this series, a heavy emphasis is placed on the always reliable 3voor12 channel, with two other videos creeping their way through. So, grab a drink, tip it back, sit down, turn up the volume, and Watch This.

1. Mansions – Two Suits (Little Elephant)

Every once in a while a band comes along that defies convention and challenges expectations. Mansions belong in the elite pocket of that group, deftly combining elements of electro-pop with fuzzed out post-punk. By the time the guitarists La Dispute shirt and drummer’s Dinosaur Jr. hat reveal themselves as apt influences for Mansions, the band’s turned a lighthearted pop tune into an absolute bruiser of a track. If this band’s not ready to start making some serious waves then they’re really not showing it.

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2. Raein – Dopo di Noi la Libertà (El Cheapo)

Raein’s inclusion here is a bit of an anomaly, as this site’s not normally too heavy on the fiercer post-hardcore-leaning screamo bands but there’s something about the video that just clicks. This is the second video from El Cheap to be featured after the extraordinary one that was put together for Perfect Pussy’s “Driver”– except this time a small venue gets traded for a basement. Raein are at their best when they indulge their more melodic sensibilities, as they do here, while the crowd feeds off of them and supports them as best as they can. Limbs flail, falling drums are grabbed and placed back in position, and everyone shares a moment. It’s essential viewing for anyone looking for the most redeeming aspects of any branch of the live DIY circuit.

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3. Speedy Ortiz (3voor12)

There’s a reason why Speedy Ortiz keeps showing up this series; they tour hard and, as this performance should definitively prove, an incendiary live act. It’s going to be difficult to find a video of the band in finer form than they are as they tear their way through a handful of songs that somehow manage to live up to “American Horror”, their ferocious set-opener. At certain points, it’s almost as if you can hear their amps humming, in danger of overheating and bursting into flame. This session’s also notable for including a performance of a great new song called “Bigger Party” that disproves the notion of Speedy Ortiz being a flash in the pan. At this point, it’d probably just be better to stop reading and watch the damn thing already.

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4. together PANGEA (3voor12)

Like Speedy Ortiz before them, this isn’t the first time together PANGEA has showed up in a Watch This and it’s unlikely that we’ve seen the last of them. Another great example of a consistently great live band, they run headfirst through a set of songs heavy on 2014 highlight Badillac including the band’s career high points, “Offer” and “River”. By video’s end it’ll be difficult not to feel won over; the handful of songs the band pulls out here are all played with an undeniable amount of verve and passion, cementing their status as one of the more exciting bands on their respective circuit.

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5. Big Ups (3voor12)

Sometimes questions get rewritten. This is a fact of life that applies to a lot of things, including music. For example: it’s not a question of if Big Ups are going to blow up- but when. They’ve built themselves a solid reputation in their early goings as one of New York’s most exciting bands. Anyone looking for why can stop reading this now and watch the video below. There, they’ll see the band members lose their collective minds while creating an unholy racket that somehow explodes with the kind of personality and charisma that attracts legions of followers. They’ll watch the band come alive and leave a trail of sonic destruction in their wake. Then they’ll tell literally everyone they know about them so the band can set about achieving world domination. It’s the only possible way this can play out.