If It's Too Loud...

For those into the Boston music scene, " On the Town with Mikey Dee " is legendary. Back in 1989, Mikey Dee started a local music show on WMFO to give local artists a place to have their music heard, and to just hang out. Mikey was known around the Boston music scene, showing up at virtually every show, right up front and singing along. Unfortunately, Mikey Dee passed away in 2003 at the far too young age of 40. WMFO has kept the show going to honor his legacy, even keeping the name intact.  On the Town with Mikey Dee turned 25 this month, and to celebrate they're releasing a 2 disc compilation highlighting some of their best live performances. It's truly a who's who of the Boston music scene, with tracks by Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys, Varsity Drag, Cropduster, The Pills, Sarah Rabdau and the Self-Employed Assassins, The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library, and many more. It numbers 35 tracks total, and this is merely volume 1. Every track capt...

A pretty sparse plate for the holiday weekend in the States. Zoe Muth - World of Strangers : Pick of the week for me is Zoe Muth's latest effort. There seems to be a glut of alt-country songstresses as of late, and Muth takes the more traditionalist line, but stands out due to really strong songwriting, catchy hooks, and without skimping on the production. It doesn't feel overly twangy, and that's a good thing, too. All her albums are worthwhile, but this is absolutely worth a listen for this week. Babes - Babes : Debut EP from buzzy blog band Babes, the four songs are actually a lot more understated than I expected. Sometimes harkening back to the girl group melodies of 50 years ago, it's a really solid lo-fi affair that has left me wanting more and wondering what a full length might sound like. Worth keeping in mind. Owen Pallett - In Conflict : Owen Pallett, better known by some as Final Fantasy or the guy who does the strings for Arcade Fire, is back with...

90s band reunions are nothing new by now. Typically the band announces a reunion tour, and then maybe after 1 or 2, they'll release a new album. Veruca Salt are doing it differently by releasing a new album and then touring. It's a bit of a risk, since if the album is bad, it can turn people away from going to the show. And besides, nostalgia is the main attraction, not new music, right? Apparently no one told Veruca Salt this formula, since their first song with the original line up in 14 years may be their best song ever. "The Museum of Broken Relationships" has their earlier noise with a more mature and polished song writing edge. It might be the catchiest thing you've heard in years. Plus, you can download it for free off their website , without even having to give them your email address. You can watch the video below, and check out their tour dates when you download for free!

The good news is that the new releases were a day early this week and have a lot of fun nuggets. The bad news is that at least three of them are well over two hours long. Ah well. R.E.M. - Unplugged 1991/2001: The Complete Sessions : R.E.M. is far and away my favorite band of all time. Previously only available in bootleg form, and R.E.M.'s contribution to Record Store Day this year, the Unplugged collection is one of those completest things that will be of interest to R.E.M. fans and perhaps fans of the now-basically-useless Unplugged brand, but beyond that it's going to be filled with a lot of songs you probably don't know on the first disc, and a lot of songs you only know if you're a hardcore fan on the second. One thing I always enjoyed about the Unplugged shows were the ways they kind of exposed the songs for what they were - a reason the 10,000 Maniacs session was so solid was because their songs translated well to an acoustic landscape. While the 1991 U...

Ever since they opened the Nines Festival last year , I've been trying to get out to an actual Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys show. They just seemed like the kind of band you need to see on their own, not just opening a large outdoor festival at 1:00 pm in the bright sunlight. Last Friday night, everything finally worked out and I headed out to the Middle East to see them in a headlining slot. Seeing the Army of Broken Toys in a Friday night opening slot is a completely different experience. Their blend of folk/punk/gypsy/burlesque/hard rock needs to be seen late at night in a dark club. And I have to say, they rock far harder than you could imagine a band could with a frontman that stays seated the entire time. At The Nines, they confused at least half the crowd, but the Middle East was packed with converts. Opening with the frenzy of "Devil's In the Details," they tore through a set consisting mostly of tracks off Soft Time Traveler. Even slower ...

This week's new release slate is really all over the place. Mirah - Changing Light : I'm embarrassed to admit that my first reason for listening to Mirah back whenever I first heard of her was because I thought she was the artist Nick Hornby constantly wrote about. Not only is that a questionable reason to get into a band, but he was also writing about Marah with an A, not Mirah with an I. Regardless, I never thought much of it again until her 2009 album (a)spera , which was a beautifully haunting melodic piece from start to finish. Changing Light shifts gears a bit for her on a whole, being more raw and straightforward without losing a lot of the tone that we've gotten used to with her. Whether this album will have the staying power for me that (a)spera had remains to be seen, but it's certainly the best release of this week, one of the more interesting listens of recent releases, and worth a try for you. I Saved Latin! A Tribute to Wes Anderson : I've t...

Sizzy Rocket just released a cover/parody of the Beastie Boys' 1986 hit "Girls." Her version is much slower paced, in a more modern electro-pop style, and it's also a whole lot more feminist. With lyrics like "They like the way that we walk / But they don't wanna hear us talk" and "But they have no idea / The pressure that we feel."  I completely understand the sentiment, but the song is almost 30 years old. Between this and the GoldieBlox parody/rip off of the song, there seems to be this newfound focus on the misogynistic lyrics. This feels odd, because the song is older than the people complaining about it. It was meant as a joke, but once the Beastie Boys realized people were taking it seriously they completely disavowed the song and never performed it live. Later songs contained lyrics like "I want to say a little something that's long overdue / The disrespect to women has got to be through / To all the mothers and the sister...

I can't tell you how good it feels to have a week jam-packed with new releases AND have them all be high-quality releases from top to bottom. Everyone can find a winner from this week's offerings. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Christmas Island : I'm a fairly recent convert to Andrew Jackson Jihad, a band that combines the melodic/instrumental sensibilities of The Mountain Goats with the best irreverent parts of the anti-folk movement. Christmas Island is their fifth album, and it's certainly their most ambitious from a musical level with a lot of the same craziness of their previous. Leadoff track and single "Temple Grandin" is a fuzzed out blast, and the album continues along a bit of a madcap vein throughout. I fully recognize that this band isn't for everyone (my wife in particular is displeased with them in general), but if this is truly your thing, you're in for a treat. Fujiya and Miyagi - Artificial Sweeteners : I first heard Fujiya and Miyagi...

Wayne Kramer recently released Lexington,  his foray into jazz recording. If you haven't heard the album yet, take time to listen. It brings the spirit of the MC5 into the realm of free jazz. Wayne's looking to tour behind the album, and to raise money for touring, he's decided to sell off some of his memorabilia that has been sitting in storage for years. Beyond the typical $10 album download, he's offering autographed bobble heads, promo photos of the MC5, vintage posters, rare t-shirts, private concerts, and more. He's even selling an autographed mug shot and posters from an MC5/Iggy & the Stooges 2007 French show. Quantities are extremely  limited (most have 5 or less items available) so you'll want to check it out ASAP. A portion of all pledges will also go to Jail Guitar Doors, the charity he founded with Billy Bragg to bring guitars to prisoners to help aid rehabilitation.  You can check out Wayne Kramer's Pledgemusic campaign here . To find o...

Foxy Shazam has kind of taken ahold of the whole glam rock thing for me, and their new album is a little different than what we're used to, but it's free, right? You can download it at their Bandcamp site , and maybe you'll find something to like here.

Since today is May Day, Tom Morello has decided to let you download his "Union Town EP" for free. I was skeptical when I first heard he was going to release acoustic singer/songwriter material under the name The Nightwatchman, but it's been shockingly good. Plus, throw in three stellar Newport Folk Festival appearances and I've become an obsessed fan. Here is Morello's statement about the EP: Here is my Union Town EP available for free download this May Day. This record is dedicated to working people of every nationality, age, color, and religion who have the courage to stand up for justice and dignity in the workplace...and beyond. Enjoy the tunes and fight the power! In Solidarity, Tom Morello To get your copy of "Union Town EP," head on over to  morellomayday.com . For more information on all things Tom Morello, check out his website .