Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: Tiny Prayers

August 16, 2015

Watch This: Vol. 90

With an overstuffed week (even for 2015’s standards), Watch This will scale back ever so slightly and forego the usual honorary mentions round-up that has accompanied so many recent editions of the series. Duos are a recurring theme for this 90th installment, with two entries from Pitchfork (both two songs apiece) and two entries from NPR. A handful of site favorites are featured and a few relatively under-utilized names get the recognition they deserve as well. As always, the performances are strong and the package as a whole is a great representation of excellence in the performance sense on both sides of the camera. So, as always, grab a snack, settle in, adjust the volume, focus up, and Watch This.

1. Quarterbacks – Weekend (Radio K)

After going the full band route and unexpectedly releasing one of the year’s most ferocious basement pop records, Quarterbacks’ live show quickly took on an incredible amount of urgency. Radio K recently brought the trio in for a session where the band tore into a blistering version of “Weekend”. Immediate, scrappy, and extremely punk (also: bonus points for the drummer’s Stupid Bag shirt), this is the snappiest turn-in that Radio K’s had in a very long while.

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2. Waxahatchee – La Loose + Bonfire (Pitchfork)

Earlier this year Katie Crutchfield celebrated her biggest release to date with the wonderful Ivy Tripp. It was the acclaimed songwriter’s first effort for Merge and its successes have landed Crutchfield and her band a variety of coveted positions, including a recent performing slot at the Pitchfork Music Festival. During her triumphant set, both “La Loose” and “Bonfire” were lovingly captured and made publicly available for an endless amount of repeat visits. Confident, calm, and poised, these are performances worth remembering.

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3. Restorations (NPR)

After winning over a large sect of fans existing on the plane of a very large genre intersection, Restorations have yet to stop climbing. NPR recently brought the band in for one of their Tiny Desk sessions and the band responded in kind, delivering a set of ragged, heart-on-sleeve quasi-ballads. Distinctly American, Restorations seem to take pride in their roots and incorporate a bevvy of elements from an indiscriminate range of influences. Everything comes across as genuine and grounded, helping this to stand as one of the better Tiny Desk performances of the year.

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4. Ought – The Weather Song + Sun’s Coming Down (Pitchfork)

Back after last year’s dust had settled, Ought‘s More Than Any Other Day wound up fending off hundreds of contenders to claim a spot on this site’s best albums of the year list. The band’s already threatening to duplicate that feat and to build anticipation for their forthcoming release (as well as road test some of their new material), they’ve been making a few high-profile appearances. One of those came at the Pitchfork Music Festival, where the band made their way through a fiery set with their typical amount of verve and unleashed two stunners in “The Weather Song” and “Sun’s Coming Down”. Both songs provide ample evidence that Ought’s one of the best live bands currently on the circuit.

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5. Torres (NPR)

Along with Courtney Barnett and Girlpool, Torres is an artist that just can’t seem to stop showing up in this series. It probably helps that seemingly every outlet that Mackenzie Scott and her band have been hitting are already regularly featured in this series. In this case, it also helps that the last time Scott was lensed by NPR, it made for what may very well be the year’s most jaw-dropping live clip. Here, Scott leads her band through three of Sprinter‘s strongest tracks, including a reprise (full-band) performance of “A Proper Polish Welcome”, one of 2015’s finest songs. It’s a characteristically gripping performance and a perfect fit for one of music’s most quietly vaunted stages.

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November 2, 2014

Watch This: Vol. 52

With another week behind us (and a few milestones), it’s time to look back at some of the best live videos that surfaced during that time. Unsurprisingly, there were a fair few videos vying for contention- and, in a rare case, there were too many worthy of feature spots to contain to just one installment of this series. To that end, these are the first five entries in what will be another two-part showcase for great live footage. A few bigger names make appearances in volume 52 but, as ever, their performances are characteristically exemplary and impossible to ignore. From a few revered songwriters to the emerging acts, there’s a lot to love. So, as always, sit back, dim the lights, lean in, and Watch This.

1. Two Inch Astronaut (BreakThruRadioTV)

Foulbrood, with all of its sharp left turns and subtle nuances, has a claim as one of 2014’s best records. With the title track and “Part of Your Scene” already hinting at just how much creative muscle’s being flexed on Foulbrood, one of the only real questions was how these songs would hold up in a live setting. With their Live Studio session for BreakThruRadio they put any doubts to rest; this is a band that’s ready to leave a lasting mark.

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2. Restorations – Tiny Prayers (Little Elephant)

Restorations have been building up a steady buzz around their name over the past few months and a large part of that’s due to their powerhouse live performances. Little Elephant proves to be the perfect venue to showcase their towering, Midwest-inflected basement punk. With LP3 continuing to make the rounds and live turn-ins like the one featured here, a great future for Restorations is theirs for the taking.

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3. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Stagger Less (Austin City Limits)

By this point one thing should be entirely evident; there will never be enough words to do Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds proper justice. Cave’s a freakish force of nature, a preacher who’s actually made of brimstone and fire, and the band he’s assembled behind him are talented enough to match Cave’s genius (a term that’s not used lightly). PBS’ notoriously white bread Austin City Limits series recently made the commendable decision to feature Cave and his collaborative partners for their most recent episode. Understandably, they saved the (brilliantly edited) profanity-riddled Murder Ballads classic “Stagger Lee” as a web exclusive. As can be safely expected, the performance is a killer.

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4. Jenny Lewis – Slippery Slopes (KCRW)

The Voyager is one of this year’s great road trip records, Jenny Lewis’ tour-ending show at Minneapolis’ famed First Avenue was an unforgettable display of charisma and raw talent, and Lewis remains one of this generations finest songwriters. Having already established a reputation as one of the more celebrated independent songwriters, Lewis could have easily relegated the rest of her career as a victory lap after various successes with both Rilo Kiley and as a solo act. Thankfully, for everyone, Lewis isn’t one to stay still- and will always be up to the task of providing a stunning performance, like this run through “Slippery Slopes” for KCRW.

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5. Fucked Up (Exclaim!)

Fucked Up are one of the more fascinating anomalies in music, a hardcore band that pisses off purists and appeals to people that aren’t normally into harsher genres. A band that makes records tethered to ambitiously sprawling narrative arcs, usually seeped in religion and heavily influenced by epics. Literary, self-aware, and visceral, their records hit like an anvil and their live shows tend to facilitate a palpable sense of community. A few recent performances and interview snippets are featured here in the excellent Coastal Frequencies series, courtesy of Exclaim!. It’s an excellent profile of one of the most interesting bands of the past 15 years.

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