If It's Too Loud...

Gorman Bechard, director of such critically acclaimed rock documentaries as " Color Me Obsessed, a Film About the Replacements," has found his newest subject: Lydia Loveless. I'm personally thrilled to find more about one of my favorite 2014 musical discoveries, and I'm also excited by such an esteemed director focusing his attention on such fantastic newer artist. Titled "Who Is Lydia Loveless,"  the film seeks to answer just that, delving into her early upbringing, life on the road, being married to a bandmate, dealing with sexism in the music industry, and if she's rock 'n' roll, country, or punk. The project is currently in the Kickstarter phase, so they're looking for our help. There are the more standard rewards (an advance copy of the film, signed vinyl, handwritten lyrics) and the more unique (a chance to be right up front for the filming of the live performances to be used in the film, interviewing Lydia Loveless and Gorman Bechard...

Photo: Ion Rakhmatulina I had never heard of Föllakzoid before yesterday, and I'm already pretty obsessed based on this one song. "Electric" is off their forthcoming album III (due on March 31 on Sacred Bones Records), and it's a doozy. Clocking in at just under 12 minutes, it's an indie rock jam that is like A Ghost is Born era Wilco minus the country side of things, but with plenty of groove and a hint of Swedish death metal. It's all blended in with psychedelic loops and synths, not at all sounding like what I'd expect from a Chilean band. But it all comes together in one of the most intriguing sounds I've heard all year.  For more information on Föllakzoid, check out their Bandcamp . You can listen to "Electric" below.

We're definitely in the swing of new release season now. Lots of good stuff this week. Punch Brothers - The Phosphorescent Blues : I know Punch Brothers are generally slotted into the sort of "newgrass" portmanteau for what they and other Chris Thile projects do, but Phosphorescent Blues is, in a sense, the most prog rock thing they've done yet. Closer in spirit to Punch than the tone they established in Who's Feeling Young Now? , the album is not an easy one on first listen, but, as with anything Thile is involved with, definitely an interesting listen. I'll need more time with this for sure, but this is absolutely a solid release from one of the best bluegrass-style bands going right now. Kelley McRae - Easy on My Mind : I enjoyed Kelley McRae's previous album Brighter Than the Blues , and seeing a new EP was a pretty nice surprise. It reminds me a lot of Gillian Welch in terms of tone, and it's a nice, quiet but memorable folk EP. As ofte...

Blog favorite Lady Lamb the Beekeeper has a new lyric video for the second song off her upcoming second album After. "Spat Out Spit" starts out sounding like one of the most straightforward songs by LLtBK, but after a few listens its actually trippy as hell, with minimal instrumentation during verses, a haunting horn in the background, and looped choruses. Between this new song and "Billions of Eyes," After looks like it will have a wildly different sound from Ripely Pine  while still sounding like a Lady Lamb the Beekeeper album. After  is due out March 3 on Mom+Pop. You can pre-order the album   (including bundles that feature knit hats) on Lady Lamb the Beekeeper's website . She's also mounting a national headlining tour. You can find those dates here .

Adia Victoria could be this year's Benjamin Booker: The artist that comes seemingly out of nowhere with a couple songs, tours relentlessly, and has a debut album that takes over my life for a few months. She just released her 2nd single, "Sea of Sand," and I have become completely entranced with it. The song was written in Harlem in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. It's about all the places she has lived in her young life (South Carolina, Tucson, etc) and who she was at each place. She combines this blend of dark, gothic alt-country with the aggression and a smidge of the noise of indie rock. It's closest to Lucinda Williams and Tom Waits mixed with Throwing Muses. I'm hoping she comes out with more ASAP. In March she's touring with Hurray For the Riff Raff (like Benjamin Booker last year...), and dates are below. You can follow her on Facebook  and Twitter . Listen to "Sea of Change" below. Fri 1/23 - Asheville, NC - New Mountain Sat 1/24 ...

My apologies for not being able to set up coverage last week, the whole timing got away from me. So first: January 13 : California X - Nights in the Dark : California X is an Amherst-area band getting a decent amount of buzz for this album, a punk album that could use a little production polish to help bring out the songs. As it stands, the album does feel a little muddy and samey throughout, and I can't really say anything about it jumped out at me. As is the case with more localish independent productions, it just needs some shine to really push forward, but otherwise might be a good listen for punk fans. Kat Dahlia - My Garden : At first blush, Kat Dahlia's debut does not look like it's going to be a mainstream rap album, but that is put to bed very quickly by the time the first few tracks roll out. This album was apparently delayed nearly a year, and comparisons are going to be made with both Azaelia Banks and Iggy Azalea for a few reasons, and they really sh...

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion have a new single out, "Do the Get Down," and it's pretty amazing. Lately, JSBX albums have been disappointing me a little bit when they're first released. They've been good and all, but it isn't until I see the songs live that I truly appreciate them. "Do the Get Down" is a departure in that I love this song. It's also a little bit of a departure texture wise from their earlier material. Gone is the out of control noise blues punk of the past. Instead, "Do the Get Down" is a little more reserved and funky. It borders on the mainstream without being too mainstream. Below you can watch the video, which features icons of NYC from the 70s and 80s such as the Ramones, Times Square, Public Enemy, Talking Heads, Taxi Driver , etc. Their new album, Freedom Tower - No Wave Dance Party 2015 , will be out on March 24 on Mom+Pop Music. It also features one of the greatest press releases of all time: Freedom Tower i...

Being a huge David Wax Museum fan, I was thrilled to hear Suz Slezak had an upcoming solo album. Watching the Nighttime Come  is being promoted as a lullaby album, but it's truly more. It's more of an album for kids that won't drive their parents insane, more of a kid-friendly album than a kid's album. It even includes a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye." I recently jumped at the chance to ask Suz a few questions via email about the new album, touring with a baby (and extended family), and what's next for David Wax Museum! To pre-order Watching the Nighttime Come , head over to Suz's PledgeMusic page . You can find more information on her solo album release shows on the David Wax Museum tour page .  The first time I listened to the new album, I was surprised by how much ambient noise seemed to be happening in the background, almost like a noise rock album. Then I remembered that babies tend to be calmed by ...

Hi all! No First Listen this week as other priorities got in the way of organizing it. We will recap this week's releases in next week's cycle. In apologies, here is a video of Ben Gibbard doing a version of one of my favorite songs from last year, "Archie, Marry Me" from Alvvays's debut album, originally on Stereogum:

Every year the Hot Stove Cool Music benefit takes place during baseball's off season, combining Boston's love of sports and music. I've been a few times, but I always regret not making it which I usually don't. This year I'm truly kicking myself, since it featured the reunited Juliana Hatfield Three's first comeback performance, as well as 3/5 of the original Letters to Cleo (Kay Hanley, Greg McKenna, and Michael Eisenstein were joined by sometimes members Tom Polce and Joe Klompus), Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood getting together for some Belly songs, the return of Jen Trynin, and a Cavedogs reunion which brought David Cross back out from LA to introduce the band. Yeah, I'm an idiot for not going.  Letters to Cleo (shot by Steve Latham ( www.stevelatham.net ) ): Jen Trynin: Belly ( shot by Steve Latham ( www.stevelatham.net ) ) : The Juliana Hatfield Three:

We love Field Mouse, so you can imagine our excitement when Rachel Browne announced a side project, Anomie. Anomie has a 4 song EP coming out on Febraury 10. From the description of the EP: The four songs on Anomie’s self-titled EP, available February 10, 2015 (Father/Daughter Records) were written in California over the span of a week where Rachel escaped to think during a difficult time. What emerged was a time capsule for the experience -- the music functioning as a therapeutic means to alleviate the heartache Rachel felt in the moment.  Yeah, that sounds like how every great album is written to me, too. The first song on the EP, "So Long," can be streamed now, and it sounds like Juliana Hatfield fronting Letters to Cleo. Just when I thought we couldn't love Rachel Browne's music any more... You can pre-order Anomie EP  on their Bandcamp page , and listen to "So Long" below. Anomie EP by anomie

I love this newfangled trend of artists you'd never expect to work together coming together to record an album of covers. The latest truly has the potential to be the best. Seth Avett (of the Avett Brothers, of course) and Jessica Lea Mayfield have an album coming out in March of Elliott Smith covers. They've been working on this project for 3 years, recording in each other's homes and hotel rooms. Both are huge fans of Smiths', and from the snippets you can hear in the promo video below, it should be fantastic. The album will be titled Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliott Smith  and will be out on March 15 on Ramseur Records.  Tracklist: 1. Between the Bars 2. Baby Britain 3. Fond Farewell 4. Somebody That I Used to Know 5. Let’s Get Lost 6. Twilight 7. Ballad of Big Nothing 8. Angel in the snow 9. Pitseleh 10. Angeles 11. Roman Candle 12. Memory Lane

A slow new release week for the new year, but there are two interesting releases out there. Guster - Evermotion : Guster is that college band for me. Lost and Gone Forever was a staple for me for a few years back when Guster was trying to break through, and I probably saw them live a dozen times. The band has really changed, both in personnel and in sound, since the early 2000s, but Evermotion is probably their best work in a decade. It's not all perfect, but there are some truly catchy tunes in here. If you're hoping that they go back to their "Happy Frappy" days, you'll have to keep waiting, but in terms of what's essentially become a fairly okay adult alternative rock band? Worth a listen. Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balcony : I don't know much about Catfish and the Bottlemen except that the album came fairly well-regarded this week after having been out in the UK since September. It's fairly standard modern indie rock fare - certai...

The Newport Folk Festival has been the highlight of my musical year ever since 2007 when an ex convinced me to bring her. The Allman Brothers headlined that year, and despite that, I had an amazing time and have been every year since. Nowadays, Jack White and Beck headline the fest which is an amazing improvement. Back in 2007, you could decide to go the same week of the festival depending on the weather. Thanks to the amazing work done by Jay Sweet, Newport now sells out months and months in advance, even without most of the lineup being announced. Because of this, I want to make sure you all know that tickets go on sale TOMORROW for the 2015 Newport Folk Festival. You can either buy early bird tickets for all 3 days, or just individual day tickets. Do this ASAP, or you will regret it. Even without a single 2015 performer announced (although if you check out certain websites, there is 1 Friday performer listed), I can guarantee you will regret missing it. Tickets go on sale tomor...

Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love : Quite possibly the most anticipated album for all critics in 2015 is the comeback from Sleater-Kinney. They're one of those bands that disappears for a few years and then comes back bigger than ever. Their reunion tour pretty much sold out instantly,with them playing larger venues than before. " Bury Our Friends " is the only song I've heard so far, but it's pretty safe to say that this will be great. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - After : As excited as I am for this album, part of me is a little hesitant. I loved Ripely Pine  so much and gushed about it so heavily, can a second album live up to that for me? But, even if After is merely half as good as her first, it will still be one of the best of the year. Plus, " Billions of Eyes " is a rambling jaunt that sounds like Dylan fronting Neutral Milk Hotel, so it can't be anything short of great. The Juliana Hatfield Three - Whatever, My Love : I mean, h...

We're in a new year now, and there are certainly a few albums coming up that I'm very excited for: Kanye West - TBA : Kanye West has had a few listening parties for his follow-up to Yeezus , and there was a lot of talk about it being released sometime in 2014, but that clearly didn't happen. Will it be more like Yeeus , will we get movement more back toward the mainstream, or will it be something completely different? I enjoy Kanye West in part because of his unpredictability, but also because you know it's going to be an interesting listen. Plus, the idea that this album could drop within hours of this being posted or never get released at all is just as fascinating. Easily the biggest upcoming release for me. The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World : While the prerelease singles haven't knocked my socks off, considering how great their last album was, I can't help but be excited about this album coming out in a few weeks. A ba...