Canned Dragons

Strategems, gambits and wiles.

Saturday Night Video

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  • We Might As Well Be Strangers

    The last few days have brought with them some serious nineties nostalgia. So it’s fitting that Weezer released a video for their new single, “We Might As Well Be Strangers.” The song represents a return to the form for the prolific but not always consistent band.

    Perhaps the best part of the song and the video is the inclusion of guest Karly Hartzman of Wednesday. Hartzman brings her punk rock sneer and pout to the breakup song. As Grace Robins-Somerville notes for Paste Magazine, Hartzman perhaps outshines Weezer’s frontman.

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  • Jim Carol New Year

    With Life in Small Spaces, the upcoming album from Black Marble, the project’s creator, Chris Stewart, taps into one of my semi-obsessions. The album’s description on its Bandcamp page has further details on the clue we are given with the album title.

    It is an invitation to accept and consciously agree to a more minimal lifestyle for the sake of creative expression and freedom, and to never need to compromise your values for the tempting illusion of success.

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  • Heart Still Beats

    I’ve been on a post-punk x new wave kind of kick the last several days, after I learned Black Marble (who I blogged about last year) are going to be playing nearby in September. The algorithm overlords recommended Castlebeat to me after the end of a listening sesh of Black Marble’s Bigger Than Life. I hadn’t listened to Castlebeat in a few years, but remembered them from this fan video using footage from the best movie ever to take place in a Target big box store: Career Opportunities.

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  • Portland Town

    One of my greatest joys in 2026 has been the release of new material by British riot twee band Heavenly. I’ll admit I approached the release of this year’s brilliantly named Highway to Heavenly LP with a certain amount of skepticism. After decades of radio silence, it’s hard to know what to expect from a long-time favorite and easy to be disappointed.

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  • Hurts Like Hell

    Charlotte Cornfield is the latest musician to put out something via Durham, NC’s Merge Records. Hurts Like Hell is also the first long player by the Canadian singer/songwriter since becoming a mother. The title track, “Hurts Like Hell,” wallows in a remembered sentimentality with the advantage of looking at difficulty in the rearview mirror. We all know what it’s like to try to gain perspective when in the midst of a tough situation.

    The video immediately endeared itself to me because its protagonist is wearing a sweater just like one I purchased a couple of weeks ago. The guy looks like he’s kin to Ben Gibbard and plays a sympathetic character who appears to ingest some psychoactive substance along with a confection delivered from an anonymous sender. His enthusiasm for playing the video’s song at high volumes (with bass boost!) outside is a nuisance to his neighbors.

    Charlotte Cornfield – Hurts Like Hell (YouTube)

  • If You Change

    Widowspeak has a new record coming this June and produced a video for the lead single, “If You Change.” I first heard the band when they covered Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet,” a song that never landed with me previously. Widowspeak won me over with the wistful tenderness they gave their treatment of the track.

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  • The Shape of Paris

    This week’s Saturday Night Video is a bit different than the usual fare. It’s technically more of a skate video than a music video (but it does feature music). Powell Peralta-sponsored skateboard pro Andy Anderson and I have very different styles, but I enjoy his skating and his good nature. He’s as unconventional a skateboarder as they come, fitting decidedly old-school tricks alongside new ones, finding endless creativity with whatever objects he comes across.

    The Shape of Paris is as much an intimate look at the streets of Paris as a skate video. Its videographer, Brett Novak, is one of the best in the skateboarding films business and brings a variety of shots that showcase the city’s charms. I’ve only been to Paris once, but I wish my memories of it looked the way it appears in this video.

    via Neatorama

  • Elderberry Wine

    Though I have to admit that I haven’t listened yet, Asheville NC outfit Wednesday’s latest album Bleeds just dropped yesterday. In support of that, I wanted to offer the video for the first single from album, released several months ago to critical acclaim.

    “Elderberry Wine” leans into the more accessible elements of the Wednesday shoegaze alt-country formula. You could even see someone weaned on the thin gruel of contemporary country music developing an appreciation for the reverence of Americana in the song and video. With more hooks than a tacklebox, the song gets stuck in your head for days.

    Wednesday – Elderberry Wine (YouTube)

  • Falling On My Sword

    In honor of Tops’ new album Bury The Key being released yesterday, I’m featuring one of the tracks, “Falling On My Sword,” as the Saturday Night Video this week. 

    “Falling On My Sword” is my favorite among the early singles from this LP and probably the one that most closely matches the 70’s prog rock-inspired cover art. It’s a bit of a left turn for Tops. Based on their previous work, you would think anything born of a seventies influence would be more in line with late-decade disco (and the remainder of the album features some of that).

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  • Sky At Night

    Though Laura Groves “Sky At Night” was released as part of her album Radio Red in 2023, it may be my favorite “new to me” song this year. Groves delicate bedroom chamber pop is at once melancholy and curious. Her vocals bring to mind Natasha Khan’s Bat For Lashes project for which she was once a backup singer.

    This isn’t an “official” video, so it’s pretty simplistic, with pattern overlays, retro technology, color washes and Groves herself serving as the main visual interests. The song itself is the draw here. It’s one of those rare tracks that I can just rewind and listen to over and over.

    Laura Groves – Sky At Night (YouTube)