Sometimes | Heartbreaking Bravery

December 15, 2016

The Streams, Music Videos, and Full Streams of December’s First Half

As the year-end list slate of material approaches, this publication (and many others) have a tendency to get backed up. Being run by a single person puts Heartbreaking Bravery at a greater disadvantage in those terms. Other mitigating life factors have proven to be fairly significant in terms of time allotment. However, no matter how many things there wind up being to balance, keeping up with the latest releases never gets neglected. While there are a handful of tracks, music videos, and full streams that will be receiving (likely brief) individual features, there are many others that have recently emerged which deserve celebration. Those can all be accessed below, split into each respective category. Enjoy.

Streams

Rosebug, MainLand, Them Are Us Too, Doubting Thomas Cruise Control, Exam Season, Mrs. Magician, Ben Grigg, Hand Habits, Baked, Little Scream, Antonio Williams and Kerry McCoy, John Wesley Coleman, Heat, Nevāda Nevada, Active Bird Community, Rick Rude, The Feelies, Sam Skinner, Infinity Crush, Fog Lake, Low, Sister Helen, Ali Burress, Oliver Wilde, Holy Now, clipping. (ft. SICKNESS), Moon Duo, Joan of Arc, Serengeti + Sicker Man, Palberta, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tino Drima, The Bushwick Hotel, DYVE, Six Organs of Admittance, orchid mantis, Peter Silberman, Meatbodies, Tim Cohen, Broken Chairs, Sonya Kitchell, The Sadies (ft. Kurt Vile), Owl Paws, The Modern Savage, Career Suicide, Thelma, Because, Loose Buttons, Del Paxton, Sinai Vessel, Saw Black, Thula Borah, Kohli Calhoun, and Gone Is Gone.

Music Videos

Fern Mayo, Los Bengala, Shame, The Big Moon, Strand of Oaks, Matthew Squires, The Molochs, Mozes and the Firstborn, Square Peg Round Hole, The Lonely Biscuits, The Adventures of the Silver Spaceman, C Duncan, Dakota, Girl Ray, OhBoy!, Holy Fuck, SPORTS, The Wave Pictures, Serengeti + Sicker Man, New Fries, Winter, Ab-Soul, Boogarins, Heat, Lucidalabrador, Real Numbers, Rainbrother, Dizzyride, Joseph King and the Mad Crush, Auditorium, Joyce Manor, Hollow Everdaze, Greg Gaffin, Tesla Boy, Trentemøller, Emily Reo, Monogold, Dark Tea, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Ravi Shavi, Pleistocene, Katie Gately, Anti Pony, Watsky, Aquaserge, and Preoccupations.

Full Streams

Stove, Slanted, Kissing Party, Alejandro Bento, Rebel Kind, The Velvet Ants, Nike, AD.UL.T, Tim Carr, Andrew Younker, Lucy and the Rats, CARE, Miss Chain & The Broken Heels, The Obsessives, Night Flowers, Baby Acid, Ocean Music, Year of Suns, BRUCH, Ian Wayne, and the second incredible Post-Trash compilation, aptly titled Post-Trash: Volume Two.

September 11, 2016

Watch This: Vol. 141

This past week was brimming with exceptional live clips from artists like Happy Diving, Puppy Problems, Wolf Parade, Eros and the Eschaton, Grape Whales, Islands, The Tallest Man On Earth, Matthew Logan Vasquez, Oscar, Villagers, Clique, July Talk, Lisa Hannigan, Whitney, Rogue Valley, Woven In, Mudhoney, Helms Alee, Aidan Knight, Waterstrider, and The Staves. While all of those are worth studying for both the central performances and the way those performances were captured, the five clips featured below managed to become standouts for excelling in those departments. From old favorites to new faces, from legitimate live music video entries to full sessions, from cathartic release to sorrowful introspection, there’s a lot to navigate in these selections. So, as always, sit up, lean in, adjust the settings, focus, block out any distractions, and Watch This.

1. Mitski – First Love / Late Spring + Your Best American Girl (World Cafe)

Ever since Mitski‘s breakout release, Bury Me At Makeout Creek, the songwriter has been a staple of this site’s coverage. The project’s been outstanding both on record and in the live department. Mitski recently stopped by World Cafe to play through the fiery “Your Best American Girl“, easily one of this year’s brightest moments, and “First Love / Late Spring” with the calm confidence that’s propelled the songwriter to widespread acclaim. It’s a welcome reminder of a powerful performer and a beautiful document of the current era of the project.

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2. Kevin Devine – No History

Kevin Devine has a storied history of spellbinding performances so it’s no surprise that the songwriter’s continued to sporadically show up in this series. Devine can be an electrifying performer when backed with a full, electric band but there’s a certain magic to his solo acoustic performances that’s only grown more pronounced with this time. “No History” capitalizes on that magic in full, standing confidently as both a gorgeously lensed live clip and — impressively — as bona fide music video.

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3. XURS (KEXP)

A new name to this site, XURS recently had somewhat of a coming out party in the KEXP studios, delivering a blistering session of unapologetic noise/punk. Every song the band tears through in this session is absolutely vicious and delivered with enough conviction to knock most other bands flat. Wildly frantic and more than a little exhilarating, the band make the absolute most of a solid opportunity and the end effect seems set to resonate for quite some time.

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4. Big Thief (NPR)

Big Thief very quickly became a distinctive part of this site’s identity thanks to the overwhelming strength of this year’s Masterpiece. “Paul“, the title track, and “Lorraine” all get performed here for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series to a small, hushed crowd. The band’s a perfect fit for the series and the setting allows the sweeping, open-road atmospherics that’s a specialty of the band a little extra room to breathe, casting a spell that’s nothing short of entrancing.

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5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – I Need You

Only a few installments back, Nick Cave was granted an unforgettable entry in this series thanks to the harrowing clip for “Jesus Alone“, a gorgeous excerpt from the shattering Andrew Dominik documentary One More Time With Feeling. Like “Jesus Alone”, “I Need You” is a clip that’s both haunted and haunting, an examination of an artist going through unspeakable loss. Even these six minutes, isolated from the context of the film and the record, are a wrenching experience. Cave, now more than ever, looks like a ghost attempting to navigate a reality that shouldn’t exist. Deeply sorrowful and intensely moving, “I Need You” is an artful tragedy that’s impossible to shake.

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September 6, 2016

Watch This: Vol. 140

As was mentioned in the preceding post, the amount of praise-worthy live clips that were released last week were staggering. Rakta, Clique, L.A. Witch, Ausmuteants, Adryn, Nina Diaz, Alice Phoebe Lou, and Half Waif were all responsible for impressive entries while the five featured spots below all were claimed by outstanding full sessions. Every single one of these five artists have made a prior appearance on Watch This but the range of their music is surprisingly expansive and contain unknown depths worth meticulously exploring. So, as always, sit back, adjust the settings, relax, block out any distractions, take a deep breath, and Watch This.

1. Oscar (WKNC)

After developing a strong reputation for razor-sharp pop sensibilities, Oscar‘s taken a sharp left and fully embraced the punk tendencies that occasionally peeked through the recorded material. This three songs session for WKNC finds the project in full attack mode, playing with a newfound fervor that’s sharpened into an aggression that seems to have enlivened the live performances with a vengeance.

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2. Weaves – One More + Coo Coo (q on cbc)

Just a short while ago, Weaves dropped their debut full-length, which immediately registered as one of 2016’s standout moments for music. Since then, the band’s been on absolute tear, continuing to demonstrate their outsize talent as a live act. Two of Weaves‘ earliest standouts were “One More” and “Coo Coo”, both of which were recently performed for the cameras and microphones of q on cbc. Even in a space as restrictive for movement as a radio studio booth, the band runs at these songs with just about everything they can muster, leaving a jaw-dropping session in their wake.

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3. Margaret Glaspy (NPR)

Margaret Glaspy‘s very quickly becoming a staple of the Watch This series as the songwriter continues to fervently tour behind the incredible Emotions And Math. Glaspy’s distinctive brand of songwriting makes her uniquely suited for the trappings of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series. As ever, Glaspy proves to be a commanding presence, flashing serious levels of skill as a lyricist, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. It’s another casually masterful run through genuinely exceptional material from one of 2016’s brightest emerging talents.

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4. Clearance (Store Brand Soda)

Ever since the lead-up to the release of Rapid Rewards Clearance have been a band that’s been closely monitored by this site. Their particular incorporation of ’90s influences informs their music in a way that fits a very niche category: punk-inflected basement pop. In a recent session for Store Brand Soda, the band tore through two highlights from their discography and an inspired Soft Boys cover, once again illuminating their numerous strengths in a characteristically carefree fashion.

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5. Benjamin Clementine (OpenAir)

Few artists have a presence as immediately striking as Benjamin Clementine‘s, who delivered one of this year’s most unforgettable NPR sessions. Clementine recently stopped by CPR’s OpenAir program to deliver another trio of quietly intense slow-burners that are carried by the weight of not just his vocals but his convictions. These are songs that carry the weight of history on their shoulders, filtered through the perspective of a man who’s climbed a steep uphill battle and fought through an onslaught of hardships. That journey has shaped Clementine into a songwriter that can silence the rowdiest of rooms with ease and leave behind a trail of converts. It’s the type of experience that should not be missed.

June 8, 2016

Rod – Cemetery (Stream)

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Great new tracks from Chook Race, TERRY, Milemarker, Heliotropes, Night School, Big Neck Police, TTNG, Morgan Dealt, Parlour, Waxahatchee, and Jay Arner surfaced over the past several days, making a considerable impression. While all of them essentially guaranteed a short, healthy stretch of new releases, it was the latest from Rod that hit hardest. The band’s next up on the release calendar for Good Cheer, who have been having a remarkable 2016 run (one that’s been highlighted by Mo Troper‘s astonishing Beloved) and “Cemetery” — Rod’s latest — makes sure their impressive pace is maintained.

In under 100 seconds, Rod makes their presence known via soaring, venomous basement pop that feels like it’s always on the verge of spontaneous combustion and doing everything in its power to keep everything under control. As the vocals switch back and forth between pointed singing and vicious screaming, the velocity of “Cemetery” increases to dangerous levels. The hard-charging guitars contort and stab as the propulsive rhythm section work transforms the song into a white-hot wrecking ball of pure feeling. It’s an exhilarating look at what’s sure to be an extremely formidable — and very intimidating — record.

Listen to “Cemetery” below and keep an eye on Good Cheer Records’ store page — and this site — for further updates on the band.

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March 3, 2016

2016: The First Two Months (Music Videos)

Saintseneca

Now that both the songs and the full streams have received the massive overhaul treatment in an effort to get this site caught up to the current releases, it’s time to turn to music videos. A few key videos will be featured over the next few days but that shouldn’t take away from the merits of the clips listed below, which number near 200. Whether it was an outstanding song, concept, or visual presentation, something made the below videos stand out from the endless array of clips that I saw since the turn of the year. Like the previous two posts, there’s absolutely no way that these can be consumed in one sitting. The best course of action would be to simply bookmark this page and explore it at random. Go cra

Tacocat – I Hate the Weekend || The I Don’t Cares – Whole Lotta Nothin’ || Carroll – Bad Water || Dogs On Acid – No Trigger || Go!Zilla – Pollution || Saintseneca – Sleeper Hold || Saul Williams – The Noise Came From Here || Husky Loops – Dead || Ex Head – Slowcoahces || Holy Pinto – Matches || Summer Flake – Shoot And Score || Phooey! – Wurld || Teleman – Düsseldorf || The Foxymorons – Spinning On A Needle || Fake Laugh – Mind Tricks || La Sera – High Notes || Bob Mould – Voices In My Head || Car Seat Headrest – Vincent || Yak – Victorious (National Anthem) || Pookie & the Poodlez – New Policy || Fraternal Twin – Boil || Beliefs – Swooner || Cate Le Bon – Wonderful || Big Thief – Masterpiece || Protomartyr – Dope Cloud || Teen Suicide – Alex || theMind – Mercury Rising || Ulrika Spacek – Strawberry Glue || Suede – Pale Snow || The Staves – Horizons

Eleanor Friedberger – Because I Asked You || Charles Bradley – Change for the World || together PANGEA – My Head Is On Too Tight || All Dogs – Sunday Morning || Abi Reimold – Vessel || Cayetana – freedom 1313 || Free Cake For Every Creature – For You || Mothers – No Crying In Baseball || Parquet Courts – Dust || Sea Ghost – Dog 69 || Minor Victories – A Hundred Ropes || Peach Kelli Pop – Heart Eyes || Lush – Out of Control || Kevin Morby – I Have Been to the Mountain || Show Me the Body – Body War || Neko Case – Man || White Wine – Where Is My Line? || Oscar – Sometimes || Spookyland – God’s Eyes || Teen Suicide – Alex || Frankie Cosmos – Is It Possible / Sleep Song || METZ – Eraser || KEN Mode – Absolutely Not || Glint – While You Sleep || LUH – I&I || Marlon Williams – Dark Child || Try the Pie – Root to Branch || Frøkedal – The Sign || Loop Line – Parts Unknown

Frankie Cosmos – Outside With the Cuties || Molly Drag – Rabbits || Beliefs – Leave With You || Phylums – Cold Coffee || Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – Astonished Man || Andy Ferro – Hood || WALL – Cuban Cigars || Mogwai – Ether || C Duncan – Say || Eleanor Friedberger – Sweetest Girl || Skylar Spence – I Can’t Be Your Superman || High Waisted – Party in the Back || Emilie & Ogden – Ten Thousand || Cigarette – Housewife || Vukovar – The Blood Garden || Pill Friends – Bleed || Wussy – Dropping Houses || Kelsey Lu – Morning After Coffee || Beverly – Victoria || Kathryn Joseph – The Outtakes || Ty Segall – Emotional Mugger || Reuben Hollebon – Common Table || Francis – Turning A Hand || Youth Lagoon – Rotten Human || Bleached – Keep On Keepin’ On || The Besnard Lakes – The Plain Moon || Monogold – Orchard Beach || A Giant Dog – Sex & Drugs

Andy Ferr0 – Sugar and Milk || Whitney – No Woman || Cherry – Alligators || Witching Waves – The Threat || Matthew Logan Vasquez – Everything I Do Is Out || TEEN – Free Time || FIDLAR – Why Generation || The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Hell || Mount Moriah – Baby Blue || Death Index – FUP || Dan Rico – Soft Feeling || Red Pill – 90s Money || Sun Seeker – Georgia Dust || Mass Gothic – Every Night You’ve Got To Save Me || Steve Mason – Planet Sizes || Holy Fever – Find Your Fame || Nocando – Last Man Standing || Memory Rounds – Everywhere Near || Nicholas Krgovich – Sunset Tower || Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – When Thy Song Flows Through Me || Foals – Birch Tree || Moderat – Reminder || Computer Magic – Fuzz || South of France – Washed Up || Cavern of Anti Matter (ft. Bradford Cox) – Liquid Gate || Vandaveer – A Little Time Off Ahead || Hobosexual – Illegal Sensations

Andy Ferro – Crystal Tongue || Death Index – Little ‘N’ Pretty || Eddi Front – Prayer || Field Division – Modest Mountains || Sheer Mag – Nobody’s Baby || Aesop Rock – Rings || Childbirth – Breast Coast || Sparrows Gate – Ghost Blue || Roo Panes – Where I Want To Go || Rolling Blackouts C.F. – Wither With You || M. Ward – Girl From Conejo Valley || Beirut – Perth || Night Moves – Denise, Don’t Wanna See You Cry || Step Sisters – Dumb Love || O’Brother – Deconstruct || Museyroom – Ballad || Mind the Journey – Rose Colored Glasses || Giant Sand – Texting Feist || Mount Moriah – Precita || Wood Lake – Easy Love || Mossy – Electric Chair || River Tiber – No Talk || Let’s Eat Grandma – Deep Six Textbook || Automagik – Fucked Up || The Weather Station – Floodsplain || Hero Fisher – Breathe || Lionlimb – Domino || Girl Pants – Jupiter || The Range – Five Four

Fruit Bomb – Happy || Lushlife + CSLSX – The Waking World ft. I Break Horses || Candace – New Future || The Big Ship – Maybe I Don’t Know || Migrant Kids – Thread || Weezer – L.A. Girlz || Tim Woulfe – Riptide || Mercury Rev – Coming Up for Air || Spencer Radcliffe – Relief || Doe Paoro – The Wind || Photo Ops – Memories That Glow || Bill Eberle – When You’re Gone || Anya Marina – Gimme Resurrection || Kendrick Lamar – God Is Gangsta || The Manor – Don’t Like Going Places || Pale Dian – In A Day || Frightened Rabbit – Get Out || Shearwater – Quiet Americans || You Won’t – Ya Ya Ya || Muncie Girls – Respect || Otherwhile – Haunt You || Flying Lotus – FUCKKKYOUUU || Low Cut High Tops – Raise Hell || Ben Watt – Between Two Fires || Melaena Cadiz – At the Symphony || Mike Benecke – Astral Line

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December 23, 2015

Milk Crimes – Milk Crimes (EP Review, Stream)

[EDITOR’S NOTE: With the site now entering emergency year-end catch-up mode thanks to the cruel, mocking nature of time, tonight’s trio of posts will simply be short reviews of the album(s) in the headline(s) and an accompanying list of records that deserve to be heard.]

Every so often, a band explodes onto my radar by virtue of a simple email message and thoroughly captures my attention. Milk Crimes are one of these bands and their explosive self-titled EP, which recalls a number of acts from the impeccable Reeks of Effort roster at their most manic (while still clinging to the frantic pop sensibility that serves as one of their more defining elements).

Milk Crimes is comprised of five vicious punk-tinged basement pop numbers, each one barreling headfirst towards some unplanned destination. The trio trades vocals at will and are unified in their determinedly scrappy approach as individual musicians, conjuring up something that feels exhilarating because of the constant looming threat that it’ll all fall apart at any minute (yet never does). Wildly energetic and abrasively confrontational, it’s one of 2015’s finest hidden gems and deserves a lot more discussion than it’s getting. Get on board.

Listen to Milk Crimes below and pick it up here. Below the embed, explore a collection of some of the best full streams to surface over the past several months.

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Sevdaliza – Children of Silk
Rubber Bang Gun – Making A Fool of Myself
Fórn + Yautja – Split 7″
Nervous Trend – Shattered
Val Hollie – Val Hollie
Total Abuse – Excluded
Ashland – Ashland
Bethlehem Steel – Docking
Lysol – Demo
Correatown – Embrace the Fuzzy Unknown
Jacobus – Jacobus
Goldmund – Sometimes
100% – Incantation
The Empty Gestures – Total Collapse
Z Tapes’ Christmas Benefit Compilation
Emily Yacina – Soft Stuff
The Just Luckies – Same Kids, Same Things
PC Worship – Basement Hysteria
Petal – Raspberry Cough
Skaters – Advent Calendar
Marvelous Mark – Crushin’

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December 3, 2015

Idle Bloom – Pride Line (Stream, Live Video)

Idle Bloom I

It’s been a while since there’s been a standalone post on this site so it seemed appropriate to have that spell broken by a recent favorite: Idle Bloom. Before diving too far into that, though, it’s worth noting that since it’s been such a long time since the last standard post, each of the forthcoming posts will be equipped with a list of the outstanding tracks, videos, or full streams that have come out in that time. While the attention will be returned to Idle Bloom and their latest, some attention should also be given to some excellent new songs from Eluvium, Tracks, Laika’s Orbit, Big Hush, The Foetals, Ripper, Flowers, Kevin Devine, Sioux Falls, Patsy’s Rats, Big Ups, Goldmund, and Midwives. All of those songs are worth several listens but it’s time to get back to this post’s focal point: Idle Bloom and their towering “Pride Line”.

Driven by a gripping lead guitar line that froze me when the band pulled this song out for their knockout set at Alpahville, “Pride Line” is one of the band’s most definitive entries to date. While psychedelic flourishes permeate throughout the track, it’s even more heavily informed by shoegaze without ever coming across as revivalist. As the main riff slashes its way through the song, frequently augmented by wordless falsettos, everything supporting it steadily builds towards a climactic outro figure that does away with any perceived lightness and comes crashing down with bruising force. A dynamic powerhouse from a band that feels like they’re just getting started, “Pride Line” is an electrifying masterclass in atmospherics without ever relinquishing its sense of purpose. Get on board or get the hell out of the way because this will take you to the ground.

Listen to “Pride Line” and watch a video of the band performing the song live below. Pre-order Some Paranoia here before its Friday release.

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Tag: Sometimes