Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: Reeks of Effort Records

November 13, 2014

Band Practice – Bartending At Silent Barn (Stream)

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The past few days have been incredibly kind for new releases.  So much so that it seems criminal to attempt to contain them all in one post, which is why there will be several appearing throughout the night, each containing a few links to other very worthy items. For this round, that includes a scrappy lo-fi video from Bully for their wonderful “Brainfreeze“, Painted Zeros‘ cameo-heavy clip for their outstanding slacker pop anthem “Too Drunk to Function“, King of Cats‘ newest brilliant lo-fi basement pop outing “Ulcers” (which also features Joanna Gruesome’s Owen Williams behind the kit), and Illusion– a relentlessly spiky post-punk EP from Honduras. While, again, all of those were incredible releases, there was an inherent magic contained in Band Practice‘s slow-building indie pop triumph “Bartending At Silent Barn”.

Spearheaded by Miscreant Records mastermind Jeanette Wall, Band Practice takes Wall’s wealth of hard-won history and sculpts it into arresting presentations-with “Bartending At Silent Barn” being the finest to date. Starting off with nothing but a clean palm-muted guitar, a mid-tempo gait, and Wall’s narration of a rough show at the Brooklyn DIY staple, it slowly delves into inner thoughts and outward apologies as the show continues, always brought back by the refrain “sorry, here’s your beer; sorry i got weird”, making it painfully relatable for just about anyone who’s ever served drinks. It’s that keen eye on a semi-uncomfortable reality that transforms “Bartending At Silent Barn” into an oddly moving experience even before it blooms from a plaintive atmosphere into a towering- and obscenely gorgeous- falsetto-laden indie pop number at the close. Even better: that change is brought about by an inverted refrain- “you say, you say, keep the change” slowly progresses into “you say, you say, things will change”. That those words are brought to vivid life by the music itself is a warm final reassurance; Wall’s an extremely talented songwriter, Band Practice is worth a lot of excitement, and Make Nice– the release “Bartending At Silent Barn” is taken from- is a record that deserves an extraordinarily high level of anticipation.

Listen to “Bartending At Silent Barn” below and keep an eye on this site for updates on Make Nice.

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October 8, 2014

Joanna Gruesome – Jerome (Liar) / Trust Fund – Reading The Wrappers (Music Video)

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After a very strong start to the week, today’s bevvy of notable content kept things moving at an aggressive clip. Nots stepped up and made sure their voice was heard with “Decadence“, a searing lo-fi blast from their upcoming record, We Are Nots. The Dead Ships made a mark with the punchy basement pop of “Canyon“, which brought to mind a more refined PURPLE 7. “Candy Mountain” heralded the official arrival-at-large of Dilly Dally, whose Candy Mountain 7″ just got skyrocketed up to “must-own” status. Run For Cover Records look set to continue on with a stunning run of records, if Young Statues’ soaring “Natives” is any indication. On any other day, Crimson Wave‘s extraordinary Say/Calling You 7″ would have earned today’s feature spot and has a very good chance at gate-crashing more than a few year-end lists. Joanna Gruesome and Trust Fund’s decision to release partnering complementary videos to promote their incredible split 12″ proved too intriguing of a prospect to let slide without providing some well-deserved focus.

Now, before getting to the videos the brilliance of Joanna Gruesome and Trust Fund’s split needs to be mentioned here for about the billionth time. Both bands are natural complements to each other, with each accentuating similar tendencies in dynamics and sound on an equal level. All six tracks are stunners and it’s a record that can be incredibly hard to pull away from once it’s started rotating. London-based artist Rose Robbins was the creative force driving the twin videos to their respective enchanting heights (and an even more stunning effect as a whole). In the Impose premiere of both videos, Robbins explained some of the fascinating process behind the bulk of the artistic decision-making that went into the finished product(s).

Joanna Gruesome’s “Jerome (Liar)” sounds as vital as it did the day it was released and the video taps into the band’s sense of fun with great precision. It’s a firecracker of a song that ignites  their side of the split, operating in a way not entirely dissimilar from Trust Fund’s “Reading The Wrappers”- which also receives Robbins’ endearingly playful visual treatment. Both videos are injected with cartoon animation that feels naturally suited to Joanna Gruesome and Trust Fund’s partnership. That partnership is an underlying thematic device is a very simple, and affecting, touch that works wonders. Balancing a relatively lighthearted tone with weighty issues is never an easy task but Robbins manages to pull it off with aplomb. It’s a relentlessly entertaining experience that’s all but guaranteed to trigger a few genuine smiles- which is an achievement that should never be undervalued. This isn’t just great entertainment, it’s great art.

Watch “Jerome (Liar)” and “Reading The Wrappers” below- and order their split 12″ here.

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