Heartbreaking Bravery

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Tag: Windian

August 18, 2014

The Seeers – Without Lites (Stream)

seeers

Over the past day or two, a lot of great music’s been made available to the world. Among them, outstanding records by the likes of Ty Segall, J Mascis, Dead Soft, and SW/MM/NG. There were debuts of great new songs by Death From Above 1979, Love Cop, and The Twilight Sad. Additionally, a few great new music videos surfaced from bands like The Pharmacy, The Wytches, and Lace Curtains. All of those got a fair amount of publicity, and rightfully so, but one that’s slipped by relatively unnoticed that deserves more attention than it’s been getting is The Seeers’ “Without Lites”.

Unveiled to tease Windian Records’ upcoming entry in their subscription series (their third run of releases), “Without Lites” is a sub-two minute burst of punk-indebted outsider powerpop. Fretboards get scorched, melodies float along with ease, and the song makes no qualms about revealing its fangs. Blasts of distortion and powerhouse drumming propel it to absurd heights, marking The Seeers as a band worth keeping both eyes on. “Without Lites” also manages to extend Windian’s winning streak, continuing their transformation into one of the more fascinating labels currently putting out great music. By the end of “Without Lites” it’s only natural to want to hit repeat- and that’s something that doesn’t change.

Listen to “Without Lites” below and make sure to subscribe over at Windian once the third box set becomes available.

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August 10, 2014

The Ar-Kaics – Be My Baby (Stream)

ar-kaics

Last week Richmond’s The Ar-Kaics released one of the better punk records of 2014 on the always-reliable Windian Records, who have celebrated the achievement by offering next to the whole thing for streaming on their soundcloud. Even though all of the band’s self-titled full-length is worth spending a serious amount of time with, there are a few songs that have established themselves as early highlights, including the brooding stomper that is “Be My Baby”. Channeling the underlying tension and sense of subtle dread that informs the majority of The Ar-Kaics into an eerie tour de force, it demonstrates the band’s complete and total understanding of what makes their music so memorable.

More than just about any song on the just-released full-length, “Be My Baby” possesses an innate and unshakable purpose, which will likely lend itself to an unlikely longevity. The Ar-Kaics are generally at their best when they try to play up their influences and on “Be My Baby”, 60’s pop and creeping 70’s pysch are given even footing, allowing the song to find life as an arresting bit of nightmare pop. It’s all over in under two and a half minutes but it all sticks, thanks to a niche aesthetic that suits the band extraordinarily well. There’s a feeling of unease that sticks around long after the song winds down, ensuring it a spot among the year’s more fascinating works.

Listen to “Be My Baby” below and order The Ar-Kaics from Windian Records here.

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