If It's Too Loud...

Not a very long release list this week, but still some goodies. Jenny Lewis - The Voyager : I cheated a bit on this one, folks. My goal with this is twofold - to highlight new releases and to give a quick judgement of sorts on them. I couldn't do that with this album, as it's a pretty layered affair with a lot of moving parts, and I discuss The Voyager , Lewis's third solo album, with three listens under my belt so far. This album absolutely gets better as more time is spent with it - Lewis's crystal clear voice can be a little jarring depending on the song, and it takes a while to really settle in for what it is. In the end, this is an album that really balances out the sounds from her first two solo albums with some of the better pop sensibilities of the Jenny and Johnny project from a few years ago. There are a number of great songs here, and this is an album that's probably going to end up on some year-end lists. Definitely recommended if you like music....

With another month out of the way (and with the knowledge that there are a few interesting releases out tomorrow), I figured a look back at some of the better songs of the last month might be worth a look. Maybe you missed them when they first came out, and maybe we missed them, but these are 20 of the most essential songs from some of the best releases of the month. Enjoy!

A pretty stacked week this week for releases. Got a Girl - I Love You But I Must Drive Off of This Cliff Now : Got a Girl, the Dan the Automator/Mary Elizabeth Winstead project has been highlighted here at the blog before , and now that we have a full-length album, we can hear how well the initial song release matches the album. Overall, Ken is right that it feels a lot like the Lovage project, and while it may be a tad too long for my ears, there is more than enough here to really enjoy as a lounge-style electronic piece, and Winstead more than holds her own as a singer (which can be dicey for actors and actresses who try to cross over). Definitely worth putting in your rotation. Alvvays - Alvvays : I hate their name, and there's not exactly new ground forged in the debut album from Alvvays, but there's something very pleasant and reliable here that I appreciate. Polyvinyl specializes in this sort of indie pop, and Alvvays, even with the amount of hype and buzz they...

To prepare fans for the upcoming release of their new album ( Swimmin' Time , due out August 25), Shovels & Rope have released the Swimmin' Time Primer  for free through Noisetrade! The six songs come from the upcoming album, their debut ( O' Be Joyful ), and other previously unreleased music. It also includes the first single from Swimmin' Time , "The Devil is All Around," and their collaboration with J Roddy Walston, "Boys Can Never Tell." Based on "The Devil is All Around," the new album features even more of their hyped up rockabilly and alt-country. Plus, everyone loves free music! To download your copy of Swimmin' Time Primer , head over to Noisetrade . It will cost you your email address, but Noisetrade is totally worth it. For more info on Shovels & Rope and tour dates (including the 2014 Newport Folk Festival!), check out their website .

With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting.  Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...

After a few slow weeks, the record companies are apparently back to work. Plenty to look at this week: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Mandatory Fun : "Weird Al" is basically a musical institution at this point, so if you're into what he does, you already know it. For me, this album was an improvement over Alpocalypse in part because I (unfortunately) know a lot of the songs he's pardodying this go 'round - it's less rap/R&B heavy and it has a lot of songs that were tough to miss. The polka is, of course, superlative as well. As I said, you know what you're getting with "Weird Al," so your enjoyment will be based solely on that, but for me? I'm glad he's still doing what he's doing. Puss n Boots - No Fools, No Fun : Norah Jones continues being a chameleon of sorts, this time collaborating with two other women to form Puss n Boots, a traditional country band. The songs are good and unexpected without being out there - it...

Back in 2012 when the Melvins went for the world record for playing all 50 states in the shortest time, they played the Brickhouse in Dover, NH. Surprisingly, King Buzzo brought his solo tour to the Brickhouse on 7/9/14. It wasn't anywhere near as well attended as the full band show, but it was still memorable. The big question of the night was answered right away with King Buzzo opening with the Melvins' classic "Boris." In fact, of the 13 songs played that night, 6 were Melvins songs, and 1 cover (Alice Cooper's " Ballad of Dwight Fry "). The rest of the set was made up of songs from Buzz's surprisingly great debut acoustic album, This Machine Kills Artists . The Melvins songs got the best reaction as these were the die hard fans. King Buzzo was much chattier than at a Melvins show, telling multiple stories and interacting with the crowd quite a bit. He told fantastic stories of accidentally insulting Mike Patton and watching Iggy Pop react t...

Some friends got me into Andrew Jackson Jihad last year. While I wouldn't come right out and call them a favorite band, they scratch a very specific itch for me the way The Moldy Peaches and many Elephant 6 bands did back in the day. They're often political, occasionally profane, and they strike a great balance between funny and musically fascinating. To narrow down to 20 songs can be a little problematic, but they're also a band that requires some curation (at least to start). This is probably a good starting point, but just know that they enjoy the naughty language.

Hampton Beach is one of the biggest tourist destinations in New England. It promises everything you could want in a busy beach, complete with boardwalks, water slides, mini golf, fried dough, and skee ball. It's a favorite destination for families, teenagers, and has enough of a night life scene to attract adults, too. It's also the town where, last October, a 71 year old man murdered his roommate with a sledgehammer. In other words, it's the perfect place in the Northeast to see the Drive-By Truckers. The Casino Ballroom is an odd venue. It boasts of it's rich history, having had Louie Armstrong, Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin all play on it's stage. It even has huge banners around the stage proclaiming these past glories. For all it's past glories, the Ballroom has been more a part of the nostalgia circuit recently, hosting pretty much annual visits from Huey Lewis & the News, Brett Michaels, and Jeff Dunham. This year has seen an uptick in more curren...

Unfortunately, we have another slow week. Thankfully, one of the comeback releases might be among the best of the year! The Proper Ornaments - Wooden Head : In some ways, Wooden Head is the stereotypical modern indie rock record, with accessible instrumentation and an interesting-sounding lead vocalist. That does, however, not do this album justice, as it's truly a solid record from start to finish. While no songs outright jump out at me on first listen, the very first track hooked me in within 30 seconds and I genuinely enjoyed this. Would be worth a listen on a busy week, but in a week with few significant releases, it's absolutely something you should toss in the rotation. Braid - No Coast : Braid has been broken up since 1999 (with the exception of a quick reunion tour in 2004), and haven't released an album in close to 16 years, so tis comeback of sorts came, at least for me, with some interest as well as trepidation. The good news is that it feels like a Bra...

"Weird Al" Yankovic, in a way, needs no introduction. He's put out a ton of albums since the early 1980s, and a bunch of memorable song parodies over the years. He has a new album out next week, so I figured we could welcome a mix of some of his best work (subjectively speaking). No commentary on this, just a good mix of parodies, originals, and polka medleys to get you through this summer workday. Toss it on shuffle and enjoy.

Another thin week with the holiday coming up this weekend. Beverly - Careers : Beverly is the new project from former Vivian Girls/Dum Dum Girls/Crystal Stilts member Frankie Rose. Hopefully she settles in on this project, because it's a real winner. It has a lot of the elements we've come to expect from her past projects, and has the same similar 90s-alt rock sensibilities to go along with some really catchy, poppy tunes. It feels like a great summer record in a lot of ways, and, clocking in at under 30 minutes, doesn't come close to overstaying its welcome. A solid entry and worth your time this week. Kingsley Flood - Live at the Armory : While Kingsley Flood is a blog favorite, I confess to not having listened to much of them. This live album, for me, was an excellent start. A good, rootsy body of work that really gives you an idea of their sound, and the rootsy atmosphere translates well to a live album. It's got me interested in hearing a lot more of the...

I've never really gotten the whole Springsteen thing. I really like Nebraska , but pretty much everything else I hear is just over the top, arena rock, which I pretty much universally loathe. The worst of all of this is the album loved by everyone in America but me Born in the U.S.A.  This is why I'm so intrigued by the upcoming tribute album Dead Man's Town. It features more country twinged/folky acts covering the album Born in the U.S.A.  The first, and title, track is the one I'm most interested, featuring husband/wife duo Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. Their version is downright haunting and minimalist, featuring little more than Isbell's vocals and Shires' fiddle. The result is beautiful and unsettling, much closer to the actual lyrics and the song's subject matter than Springsteen's album version. Dead Man's Town  will be released on September 16 on Lightning Rod Records . It will also feature Justin Townes Earle, Joe Pug, Holly Williams...

Some of the albums we missed over the last few months... Mr Little Jeans - Pocketknife : Mr Little Jeans has been a blogosphere favorite for a while, largely due to her cover of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" a few years back. I loved "Runaway" when she released it as a single a while back, and we finally get a full length that is very techno-aligned along with the songs that have put her on the map. If there's a downside to the album it's that some of these songs have existed for a very long time now and thus the album doesn't feel terribly new from start to finish, but it's still a minor complaint for what is really a solid listen from top to bottom. Future Islands - Singles : Chances are you've probably already heard of this album, or at least the single "Seasons (Waiting on You)" via their fairly incredible David Letterman performance . While the sort of dark new wave thing doesn't always do it for me, this album is rea...