[EDITOR’S NOTE: Each of the seven volumes that comprise this Watch This package contain 25 clips apiece. Due to the sheer volume of live videos that have come out during January, February, and March all of the packages will have the same introductory paragraph. Regular Watch This segments will resume on Sunday.]
It’s been a tremendous first quarter for live videos. While Watch This, Heartbreaking Bravery’s weekly series celebrating the very best of the live video format, hasn’t been in operation for roughly three full months, the information required to keep this thing humming (i.e., checking through hundreds of subscriptions and sources for outstanding new material) has been collected at regular intervals. If they were full sessions, single song performances, studio-shot, DIY captures, transcendent songs, or transcendent visual presentations, they were compiled into a massive list. 175 videos wound up making extraordinarily strong impressions, those videos will all be presented here, in the Watch This: The Best of 2016’s First Quarter extended package, one 25-clip presentation at a time.
Watch the sixth collection of those videos below.
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1. Lady Lamb – Dear Arkansas Daughter (Audiotree) 2. Lithuania – God In Two Persons (WXPN) 3. Jason Isbell – Something More Than Free (The Current) 4. Lever – The Nerve (DZ Records) 5. Mothers – Burden of Proof (Paste) 6. Kississippi – Googly Eyes (WXPN) 7. Savages – Adore (Colbert) 8. The Dirty Blondes – Because (VHS Sessions) 9. Saintseneca – Sleeper Hold (KUTX) 10. Lucy Dacus – I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore (Radio K) 11. ARNO – Dance Like A Goose (Bruxelles Ma Belle) 12. Devon Goods – Michigan (VHS Sessions) 13. Little Yellow Dog – Time Machine (DZ Records) 14. Two Inch Astronaut – Personal Life (bandwidth.fm) 15. Tangerine (KEXP) 16. Kitten Forever – Cannon (The Current) 17. Eleventh Dream Day – Cheap Gasoline (Sound Opinions) 18. Catbath – Jellyfish (Radio K) 19. Andy Shauf – The Worst In You (La Blogotheque) 20. Choir Vandals – Ghostly (Little Elephant) 21. New Ruin – Disappearances + Del Rosa + Negative Dialectics (Razorcake) 22. Left & Right – Sleep Show (Do512) 23. The Thermals – Thinking of You (Jam in the Van) 24. Blah Blah Blah – Soon as I Get Home Tonight (DZ Records) 25. Julia Holter – Sea Calls Me Home (Strombo Sessions)
Hard to believe that there already have been 91 segments of Watch This, but here we are- another week in and five more live clips to feature. For this particular run, full sets get the bulk of the attention while a site favorite and a new name to both this series and this site round things out. Courtney Barnett has been awarded enough spots here over the past few months so we’ll forego featuring yet another incredible turn-in from the rising songwriter to make way for some fresher faces. Barnett led a small but formidable pack of artists who just missed the cut this week, a list that included Elvis Depressedly, Bad Bad Hats, Iceage (x2), Small Feet, lowercase roses, and Hailey Wocjik. All of those, of course, are worth your time and (as is increasingly the case with live videos) deserve more attention than they’re getting. Watch them now or save them for later but make sure you reel in the five clips below because they all boast something inherently special happening on either side of the lens. So, as always, grab a snack, settle in, adjust your screen, focus up, and Watch This.
1. Bellows (WKNC)
Appearing just after a knockout set at Baby’s All Right, this WKNC session finds Oliver Kalb delivering a beautiful solo session of the songs he writes under the moniker Bellows. Frail, unassuming, and utterly captivating, the four songs contained in the clip wield a certain intangible quality that immediately transforms this particular performance into one of the most arresting WKNC has ever produced. Kalb’s vocal tendencies (soft, wavering) bring to mind Sufjan Stevens but where Stevens so frequently opts for grandeur- even in his more intimate moments- Kalb keeps things pinned to a mundane reality. By the time each song’s been sung, both Kalb and WKNC wind up with a staple deserving of a proud placement in their respective canons.
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2. Ego Death – Sunlight/Graveyard (Radio K)
No matter how many times it happens, there are few things that can compare to the exhilarating wave of excitement that hits upon discovering a new band that immediately crosses off a long list of preference check marks. Punk attitude, guitar scuzz, nods to the spikier wave of late 80’s and early 90’s alternative genres, and a strong basement pop sensibility are all big ones for this site and Ego Death makes their way through each with ease in this performance of “Sunlight/Graveyard” for Radio K. Gruff, fearless, and extremely dynamic, this is a band to watch and a song worth hearing. You know what to do.
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3. Disco Doom (Exploding In Sound)
Having wrapped an extraordinarily successful extended weekend showcase (keep an eye on this site for more on that soon), Exploding In Sound Records is sitting pretty high at the moment. One of the band’s most fascinating acquisitions, Disco Doom, couldn’t make it stateside for the affair but the label continuously showers them with an excess for love. The reasoning behind that devotion becomes abundantly clear to anyone who has the good fortune of familiarizing themselves with the band- or even to anyone who so much as bothers to click play on this video. All of the hallmarks that create a common thread between the Exploding In Sound roster are evident but the band also brings in more than a few nods to bands like Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, immediately carving out a select niche spot in the process. Don’t sleep on this one.
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4. Screaming Females – Normal (Razorcake)
Over the past few years, site favorites Screaming Females have essentially become the patron saints of DIY punk. Throw in the fact that they’re an incomparably fierce live act and it’s probably not much of a surprise they’ve appeared on this series with a relative regularity since it kicked off. While a few of those clips have been absolutely stunning in terms of execution, there’s something that just feels right about a DIY clip of the trio in action. Razorcake– one of the premier spots for DIY coverage- recently caught the band in action at the rightfully celebrated Vince Lombardi High School (or, more commonly, VLHS) ripping through Castle Talk highlight “Normal” with their usual verve and fervor. It’s also easily one of the best live representations of the band to date.
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5. Ty Segall (3voor12)
A lot of digital ink’s been spilled over the complete levels of insanity that animate Ty Segall’s live show (especially when it’s with Ty Segall Band, as it is here) and all of it’s correct. I was fortunate enough to catch the band on their Slaughterhouse tour, which was pushed even further and felt more like a gleefully indulgent victory lap after Segall and his cohorts capped off a monstrous year that saw the release of no less than three highly acclaimed full-lengths (Slaughterhouse, Twnis, and the White Fence collaborative effort Hair). Segall’s just about kept pace since then, only offering a reprieve in advance of a titanic double-album- last year’s excellent Manipulator– and the live shows have managed to grow even more deliriously fierce. With such a huge catalog to pull from, Segall and his band (which includes Mikal Cronin, one of today’s finest songwriters), just about any one of his/their sets could be called “discography spanning” and not even touch on half of the releases. This set, artfully shot by 3voor12 at Amsterdam’s famed Paradiso, certainly qualifies. It’s (unsurprisingly) a wild-eyed barn-burner of a set that hits the fifth gear in its closing stretch, once again reaffirming Segall’s status as one of today’s most invigorating live performers. Don’t be surprised if people are still talking about these shows decades down the line.
Over the past few days, there haven’t been any posts (discounting today’s Watch This marathon) because material’s been uncharacteristically scarce. That said, it wasn’t a total drought. The Dying Arts released an aesthetic-defining video for “Bed Spins“, SUSAN unveiled the hard-charging “Pancake“, RONiiA (a collaborative project featuring members of Dark Dark Dark and Marijuana Deathsquads) teased their upcoming record with the haunting “Fool’s Game“, and Cellphone provided an advance stream for their excellent upcoming record, Excellent Condtion. All of those are secondary to what today’s all about, though- live performances will always be the focal spot for Sunday’s posts and the third round of today’s series marathon holds a few gems. A lot of familiar faces compose this list, from icons to upstarts, with everyone turning in memorable performances- with the second appearance of a song that’s already appeared once today closing things out in style. So, as always, adjust the settings, lean in, tune everything else out, and Watch This.
1. Curtis Harding – Next Time (3voor12)
Soul Power was one of 2014’s more overlooked records after failing to gain the kind of sustained traction it deserved after Burger did everything in their power to push it into the world. Harding and his band recently stopped by the 3voor12 studios in the Netherlands to deliver a stunning session that was highlighted by this performance of “Next Time”. It’s a perfectly-timed reminder of both Harding’s strength as a songwriter and Soul Power‘s timeless nature. Throwback rock n’ soul has rarely sounded this good.
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2. Girlpool – Ideal World (The Media)
Yes, Girlpool‘s been earning themselves an avalanche of kind words from this site lately- and, no, that’s not going to change anytime soon. Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad have tapped into something undeniable and genuinely important, advancing a few small movements that are worth all the support in the world. “Ideal World” is a new song that capitalizes on the duo’s strengths; harmonies, wiry compositions, arresting minimalism, and raw, heartfelt emotion. Better still, this video comes courtesy of The Media (full disclosure: a publication that this one’s collaborated with in the past), a publication that sets an example- and a standard- worth striving to follow.
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3. Sloan (KEXP)
There may not be a band that’s earned more mentions as an influence without being actively featured on this site more times than Sloan. One of powerpop’s most iconic bands, they’ve produced their share of stone cold classics (Twice Removed and One Chord To Another, especially) and have refused to slow down since becoming one of the 90’s more beloved acts. KEXP recently had them in studio and the band tore through four songs from their recent double-record Commonwealth. It’s yet another example of the band aging gracefully at a practically impossible level and never once losing stride.
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4. Delay (Razorcake)
Delay’s Plain Language was one of the better records of the 2000s and while the band’s output following that release was good, they never quite managed to reach the heights of their career-best. That changed this year, with the release of the dynamic Circle Change(both were released by the unfailingly great Salinas Records). One thing that’s never been in doubt: the band’s live show. Razorcake were on hand to capture a few moments from the band’s recent set at The Wulf Den- none better than the video presented here, which includes impassioned turns from the front two and some powerhouse drumming from Jesse Withers (also of site favorites All Dogs).
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5. Cloud Nothings – Now Hear In (Amoeba)
There’s only been one full post that’s happened without mention of Cloud Nothings’ “Now Hear In”, sure, but it’s just too good of a song to not feature at any given opportunity. This week’s Watch This marathon was kicked off with an installment that ended with Cloud Nothings’ bandleader Dylan Baldi delivering an impressive solo acoustic take on the song but here, the whole band gets in on the action. Filmed by Amoeba during the band’s in-store performance, no one holds anything back. Drummer Jayson Gerycz, one of the most formidable talents in today’s music, is near inhuman in the rapid-fire pulverization he delivers from behind the kit- locking in perfectly with bassist TJ Duke. Baldi remains a total anomaly, straddling the line between aggression and apathy in equal measure while becoming a genuinely arresting presence onstage. Cloud Nothings have always been a force to be reckoned with live and they only seem to be getting better as they go, rendering this a clip worth intensive analysis for any aspiring musician. Cloud Nothings have a few tour dates coming up; get to one of their shows as soon as possible- a full set of performances like these deserves as big of an audience as possible.
Welcome to a late-night installment of Watch This, the 44th in the weekly series that celebrates the best live performances to surface in the previous week. This time around, there’s a split between full sets, late night performances, and DIY presentations that all include bands that have previously earned themselves features (or extended mentions) on this site. Whether it’s another jaw-dropping full set from White Lung or a revitalized Death From Above 1979 diving headfirst into their single, these are all worth watching. Normally Watch This is posted much earlier on Sunday, so in the spirit of today’s delay, the featured videos get darker in atmosphere as they progress. Day turns to night and Volume 44 gets to lay claim to five great performances. So, sit back, relax, take a drink, ease up, and Watch This.
1. Death From Above 1979 – Trainwreck 1979 (The Late Show with David Letterman)
The Physical World, Death From Above 1979’s long-awaited follow-up to the classic You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, may have disappointed a few people with absurd expectations. Most of them were hung up on their own projections of what they thought the band should be instead of letting them come out of hibernation to evolve naturally. It’s hard to think that any of them would be disappointed by a performance like this one, which winds up being part of a late surge of memorable talk show performances.
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2. Benny the Jet Rodriguez – Alley Cat (Razorcake)
Is the sound on this the greatest? No. Does it need to be? Same answer. Is this a great take on a great song from a great record? Absolutely. Does the combination of logos, titles, and credits make it difficult to definitively credit? Extremely. How are more people not talking about Benny the Jet Rodriguez and Home. Run? That’s impossible to say- but it needs to change. When should that change start? Right now. Does every city deserve a venue like VLHS? Definitely.
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3. Diarrhea Planet (KEXP)
Diarrhea Planet may have released a very good record the other year that holds up as a standalone piece but their reputation was almost entirely built by virtue of their excitable live shows. This KEXP session goes a long way in confirming any of the uninitiated’s suspicions that they have a penchant for the irreverent and wild- and that’s all that really needs to be said. Just watch the video.
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4. White Lung (unARTigNYC)
This isn’t the first full White Lung set to earn itself a feature on Watch This. Hell, it’s not even the first one that comes courtesy of unARTigNYC. All that said, the band keeps managing to get better, a feat of borderline absurdity considering they’re already one of the better live acts out there today. Easily the best-looking and best-sounding White Lung set to find its way onto Watch This, their recent set at Palisades found them in their fieriest form (especially after a very tense moment towards the start of the set that found vocalist Mish Way pushed to the point of physically accosting and ultimately ejecting an audience member)- absolutely laying waste to a selection of songs that leaned heavily on 2014 standout Deep Fantasy. Even if the whole set was emotionally charged thanks to the severely unfortunate circumstances, it provided a handful of thrilling moments and cemented White Lung’s status as one of today’s most exciting bands.
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5. Nothing (KEXP)
Nothing are notorious for eardrum-obliterating volume levels when they play live, which seems fitting for a band so prone to relentless heaviness. Here, they hold nothing back and give KEXP one of the station’s more memorable sessions- creating an entrancing sprawl that sides towards the heavily atmospheric. Guilty of Everything was a high point of mid-2014 and is well-represented here. Apart from a few fairly awkward interview exchanges (which is probably putting it mildly), the individual song performances are weirdly mesmerizing. All in all, it’s hard to ask for a better way to cap off another great week of documented live music.
As promised, here’s the second part of today’s Watch This double-headed. It’s decidedly more minimal than the last installment in terms of performance content (two of the videos featured here are solo performances) but the featured videos are just as impressive. Ranging from yet another video from Chart Attack’s coverage of the Sonic Boom Records jaw-dropping lineup for Record Store Day 2014 to another Exploding in Sound BreakThruRadio takeover feature, it’s one of the broader installments this series has ever offered up. It’s a great way to showcase some of the best bands from the DIY circuit and all of it’s just begging to be viewed. So, stay reclined, erase the last semblances of that hangover, and make sure to Watch This.
1. Laura Stevenson – The Hole (Radio K)
It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes Laura Stevenson so magnetic- it could just be raw talent but it seems to go beyond even that to something more transcendental. The singer/songwriter found a home on New Jersey’s Don Giovanni, a label full of some of the fiercest basement punk bands currently going, while leaning closer to folk than anything else. Impossibly, it managed to be a fit that felt more naturalistic than not and their collaborations have resulted in a handful of incredible releases (the most recent of which, Wheel, was an easy 2013 highlight). Here, she sits down for a stunning rendition of “The Hole”. It’s a mesmerizing performance from a singular talent that’s worth bootlegging for inclusions on a million different homemade mixtapes.
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2. Luke Lalonde – Needle (Chart Attack)
This is the third performance from Toronto’s Sonic Boom Records to be featured over the past two installments of this series. It’s also, arguably, the most arresting. Born Ruffians have always been one of the more intriguing powerpop acts making music and to hear them stripped down to their barest form is surprisingly rewarding. Great songwriting’s always worth listening to.
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3. Mutual Benefit – Golden Wake (Allston Pudding)
Love’s Crushing Diamond was a record that almost felt sacred while it wove itself in and out of dreamlike states. It was one of 2013’s most riveting listens, constantly coming off like the most reassuring hug. It was impossibly fierce in its gentleness, delicately assembled and expertly executed, it established Jordan Lee as an undeniable talent and ensured that just about everyone who should be paying attention to his project was doing just that. Allston Pudding was on hand to capture this video from Mutual Benfit’s first-ever sold out show and the results are entrancing.
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4. Krill (BreakThruRadioTV)
There’s just something about Exploding in Sound’s roster that makes throwing caution to the wind feel appropriate. This is the second video to earn a Watch This feature from the label’s BreakThruRadio takeover. Like Kal Marks before them, Krill took this spot by force through a series of incredible featured performances. Serious Business being Serious Business, there are also a few revealing interview moments intercut with a few separate performance clips. It’s all great fun and worth paying attention to. Oh, and Krill, Krill, Krill Forever.
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5. Radioactivity – Locked in My Head (Razorcake)
It’s been months since a video from Razorcake earned itself a spot in this series, which is a shame because of all the places that regularly wind up in one of these five slots, they’re likely the one that matches the DIY ethos this place celebrates most closely. That reasoning paired with a performance from Radioactivity was more than enough to land this a spot on the list. This is what this place is all about. Watch This and then go spin Radioactivity for the 800th time. It’s impossible to resist.
Watch This was made a little bit easier this week, thanks to two music videos that also qualified as live performance. Those two videos, Vaadat Charigim’s “Kezef Al Hamayim” and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ “Higgs Boson Blues”, stood out as two of the best videos of the year. They weren’t the only live videos worth seeing this week, though. Razorcake, ever-dependable in its coverage, once again manages to crack this list and there’s another full set to round out the live videos. This week’s band you should already know is a Heartbreaking Bravery favorite and acts as a welcome first. Watch all five videos below.
1. METZ (3voor12 Session)
Anyone that has experienced METZ live knows what’s coming here; absolute frenzy. Earlier this year the band lit up the Krannert Arts Center in in Urbana, Illinois. Their energy during that performance, as a part of the Pygmalion music festival, isn’t a lightning-in-a-bottle type occurrence. Over the years 3voor12 have quietly and consistently posted fascinating sets, whether they be solo acoustic elevator endeavors or the full-throated exhilaration available for viewing below.
3. Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band – You Can Count on Me Tonight (Live at VLHS)
Nato Coles is an institution. Every band he’s been in from Modern Machines to Radio Faces to Used Kids to Nato Coles & the Blue Diamond Band has been outstanding. All played up a blue-collar classic rock sensibility. None have stressed it as much as his current act. Razorcake was on hand to film the band play a song on tour at the legendary VLHS venue. “You Can Count on Me Tonight” comes from one of the year’s most overlooked releases, Promises to Deliver, and the band’s not to be missed live.
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4. Vaadat Charigim – Kezef Al Hamayim
All that can be said about this video has already been said on this site, pt. 2.
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5. Technicolor Teeth – Station Wagon
Here’s some footage courtesy of Heartbreaking Bravery. Consider this the first indication that this site will offer live video content from time to time. Technicolor Teeth have grown a lot since their earliest days. However, “Station Wagon”, the very first song the band ever wrote, remains its finest moment. They’re a band that’s very much on the rise and it’d be surprising if their name didn’t start picking up even more circulation next year. This footage was taken from a semi-secret early show the band played with Shallows and Big Eyes. Enjoy.
Welcome to the second weekly installment of Watch This, where clips of bands playing live get highlighted. This week there’s a few full sets, a lot of user shot material, and enough great music to fill a cold Sunday afternoon. Enough formalities. Here are the clips.
1. Perfect Pussy live at 285 Kent
UnARTigNYC recently made a trip over to the legendary Brooklyn venue to shoot an entire set of one of Heartbreaking Bravery’s favorite bands; Perfect Pussy. The amount of feedback in the clip is almost overwhelming but Perfect Pussy exude passion and sincerity throughout. This is necessary viewing of a band that’s going to force people to reckon with them, whether they like it or not.
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2. Midnight Reruns at Cactus Club (Record Release Show)
Midnight Reruns recently put out one of the year’s best records. To celebrate this the band played Milwaukee’s Cactus Club. Good Land Records had someone on hand to film the entire thing, which is worth going through. Since the show’s split into several videos, “Grand Slam” was chosen to represent them since it’s the greatest Thanksgiving song in forever.
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3. King Khan & the Shrines – Thorn in Her Pride (Live on 89.3 The Current)
The Current has consistently proven itself to be one of the best radio stations operating in America and their video archives are certainly a good reflection of their high quality. They recently invited King Khan & the Shrines in for a song and the results are well worth watching. Take a look.
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4. Benny the Jet Rodriguez (Live at Fest 12)
Razorcake has been a safe haven for emerging punk artists for several years now, providing indiscriminate coverage for the artists they believe in. Benny the Jet Rodriguez, whose recent “Run.” video was featured by this very site, happens to be one of those bands. It’s easy to see why Razorcake would take interest in them from this short clip of them playing the most recent Fest in Gainesville, FL.
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5. Tenement (Live at Fest 12)
For information about Razorcake, see the blurb above this one. They know Tenement is the best band, Heartbreaking Bravery knows they’re the best band, and even Meredith Graves (from Perfect Pussy) knows they’re the best band. Make sure to watch all three clips of them for more irrefutable evidence. Enjoy the sight of Dillinger Four’s Patrick Costello making the set an even more unique experience for everyone. “Spit in the Wind” was chosen as the featured video as it’s the best Christmas song. Enjoy.
Heartbreaking Bravery 