Bear Hands – Peacekeeper (NSFW)
Pulpy noir with a punky soundtrack – Bear Hands embraces the low in this shoot ’em up video.
BONUS VIDEO
Somehow we missed the video for “Agora,” one of our favorite songs from the album. Anxiety and isolation shouldn’t be this catchy & compelling, but alas.
Bear Hands – Giants
There’s nothing particularly remarkable about the video for “Giants,” Bear Hands‘s lead single from Distraction, but it draws one’s attention as a series of moving portraits. There’s a photographer’s aesthetic at work here and viewers are bound to want to look deeper at the people flashing across their screens. The track has the energy of fellow Brooklyn band Matt & Kim but with a cool gloss on the chorus that has more in common with California’s palm trees and convertibles than New York’s concrete and subways. Watch the video and fantasize about the warm summer nights that are on the way.
We’ve been just terrible the last few years about getting out a favorites list to you (2011’s is still sitting half-finished in our drafts, sad but true). There’s been a ton of good music this year, and we here at M|H hope to eventually crank out a complete list, but for now we give you what we know in our hearts: our top three albums of the year.
***
Father John Misty – Fear Fun
Sub Pop – 05.01.12
Usually we don’t rank our favorites, but Fear Fun is hands-down our favorite album of the year and near the top of the list for our all-time best. It’s musically compelling, the lyrics are funny and smart, and the entire Misty persona drips with charisma. We can’t say enough good things about this record or Josh Tillman so just trust us and listen to the record if you haven’t become irrevocably obsessed with it already.
Our review: I’ve Got Smoke in My Lungs and a Past Life in My Trunk
***
Zulu Pearls – No Heroes No Honeymoons
Cantora Records – 09.18.12
We rarely get to spend the amount of time with an album as we’d like, but No Heroes No Honeymoons is one that found itself on repeat. There’s a cool confidence and ease that comes to Zulu Pearls and listening to the record is the easiest way to get close to that. There’s something very real about what Zulu Pearls is doing; these songs would be playing in the car, on the jukebox, soundtracking your life.
Our review: I Like the Feel of Silver, But Now I Want the Gold
***
Reptar – Body Faucet
Vagrant Records – 05.01.12
If you’ve ever wondered what unadulterated happiness feels like, go see Reptar live. It’s impossible for us to divorce the live show from the album and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Reptar is a weird, weird band but the joy they exude while making music endows them with relatability. Body Faucet‘s quirky tunes will dance their way into your heart and mind and you’ll never stop wanting to move.
Our review: Edge of Low Verses, They Blew My Mind
Mixtapes|Heartbreaks 