Stake My Claim | Heartbreaking Bravery

August 12, 2016

Forth Wanderers – Slop (Stream)

Over the course of the past 24 hours, there’s been some astonishing material finding its way out into the public eye. Gringo Star, LA Font, Hissing Tiles, CC Mose, toyGuitar, Liam Betson, ExSage, Hello Shark, Left & Right, Truly, and a pair of tracks from Girl Tears (“Uneasy” and “Sedated“) provided a momentous start to the day’s proceedings. Apart from the standalone streams column, there were fascinating music videos from Dinosaur Jr., Nice As Fuck, Vision, and Prinze George. Big Eyes, Color Tongue, Thee MVPs, Rainwater, and a formidable compilation from Orchid Tapes cemented a strong haul for the full streams as well.

While those titles were all readily equipped to reward investment, today’s feature spot falls to the resurgent Forth Wanderers (whose vocalist Ava Trilling recently had an impressive guest spot on Space Mountains’ “Never Lonely“) and their incredible new track, “Slop”. The title track from the band’s forthcoming EP, “Slop” immediately stands out as the band’s career highlight. Riding a slow, deliberate groove, “Slop” capitalizes on the luxury afforded to the most effective slow-burners and becomes hypnotic.

At seemingly impossible odds with itself, there’s an incredible amount of nuance packed into a relatively straight-forward structure, Forth Wanderers utilize their impressive grasp on dynamics to exhilarating results. The band coaxes an inexplicable amount of beauty out of a piece ostensibly rooted in self-doubt, allowing the more confrontational aspects of the narrative to come across as a spiritual cleansing that provides “Slop” its beating heart. It’s a gorgeous four minutes and it sets the tone for what should prove to be a very big year for a band that deserves the recognition.

Listen to “Slop” below and pre-order the EP from Father/Daughter here.

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July 28, 2016

Big Eyes – Behind Your Eyes (Stream)

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Yohuna, Communions, Pfarmers, Daphne, Eros and the Eschaton, Cassels, Atlas Engine, Pansy Division, Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, Esp Ohio, Prudence, The Linedots, Blueheels, and Dog Orchestra all had excellent new songs emerge over the past week and either established or reaffirmed their impressive potential. In addition to that impressive roster, Big Eyes joined the ranks of bands returning in a manner that more than proves they haven’t lost a step.

Kaitlyn Eldridge first caught my attention with Cheeky, back in the mid-’00s. Later on, I’d have the distinct pleasure of sharing a few bills with Eldridge as her ensuing band, Used Kids, went on a long tour with site favorites Tenement. Shortly after that extensive run of dates, Used Kids splintered apart and Eldridge started what would become a new DIY punk staple with Big Eyes and, nearly off the bat, wrote one of the best basement pop songs of the past 16 years.

From the outset, all of Big Eyes’ releases — including a handful of excellent 7″ entries — have been exceptional and Eldridge has anchored all of them with a distinctive writing voice and a deeply relatable personality. With the band’s forthcoming release, Stake My Claim, looming just over the horizon, there’s plenty of reason to greet its arrival with excitement.

Heightening the anticipatory fervor is the recently-released “Behind Your Eyes”, which boasts a characteristically understated chorus section and some of the band’s best verses to date. Masterfully constructed and meticulously executed, “Behind Your Eyes” is a very welcome reminder of the band’s formidable understanding of their genre and their willingness to bend expectations to create moments that come across as legitimately bracing.

It’s an extraordinarily promising listen from a record that’s already shaping up to be a listen that’s tough to shake, which is a feat that most bands can never manage to achieve. Big Eyes aren’t most bands, though, and “Behind Your Eyes” should be irrepressible proof. Give it a try… and then come back for seconds.

Listen to “Behind Your Eyes” below and pre-order Stake My Claim from Don Giovanni here.

July 18, 2016

Audacity – Not Like You (Music Video)

In the closing moments of the week, there were great new music videos to emerge from the camps of Erin Tobey, Big Eyes, Death Grips, Sewage Farm, And The Kids, and The Holy Circle. As good as those all were — and they were quite good — they simply couldn’t match the allure of personal history attached to this post’s featured clip. The very first Heartbreaking Bravery post centered on an Audacity music video. Now, more than 900 posts and nearly three years later, the band’s offered up another strong clip for a Hyper Vessels highlight.

In the time that this site’s been running, I’ve been afforded several unique opportunities. One of those was working doors for one of Brooklyn’s finest venues, Baby’s All Right, which is the setting for Audacity’s latest clip, “Not Like You”, giving the whole affair an oddly meaningful bent. Baby’s iconic backdrop always lent the venue a uniquely cinematic appeal that often seemed to energize the acts on stage and this Brendan McKnight-directed clip utilizes that trait to its advantage.

Audacity are a band that’s thrived on conjuring up excessive amounts of energy since their earliest releases and have honed that particular skill set into something resembling concentrated weaponry. “Not Like You” is a surging track and the editing for its accompanying visual treatment matches that velocity to perfection, creating a high-impact punch that leaves an intentional mark.

Simple, effective, and embracing an honest sense of genuine fun (something that’s been noticeably absent from the majority of recent releases), “Not Like You” distills the band into what may prove to be a definitive piece. Manic, sharp, and surprisingly forceful, “Not Like You” is practically a victory lap for a band that’s been creating the type of art this site quite literally used as a foundation. Taking all of that into account, it’s nearly impossible to not revel in the sheer amount of joy on display.

Watch “Not Like You” below and pick up Hyper Vessels here.

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