If It's Too Loud...

Photo Credit: Kirsten McTernan I've had to come to terms with liking Sweet Baboo. His music is a little too polished and pop for what I normally like, and, quite frankly, I normally hate typical pop music. But Sweet Baboo is just a little different. Somehow the Brits have this ability to make straightforward pop that's just quirky and odd enough that it can still be interesting. "You Got Me Time Keeping" starts off super sunny and sweet, almost a 60s pop throwback. It changes into this heavily orchestral track, which keeps changing to the point where I lost track of how many different songs it could have been. By the end, it's back to the original sunny pop song. It's one of the most brilliant pop songs I've heard in years. You can watch the video for "You Got Me Time Keeping" below. Sweet Baboo's new album, The Boombox Ballads , is due out August 14 on Moshi Moshi. Of course, he has a website and a Facebook that you should check out....

Sealings hail from Brighton in the UK. They have their debut album, I'm a Bastard , coming out on September 18th. The first song they've released from it, "White Devil," is a forward looking throwback to the glory days of the 80s indie scene. "White Devil" reminds me a lot of Sonic Youth's "Death Valley 69," particularly the guitars and intensely methodical drumming. It also has some of the pop elements of The Strokes, but only when The Strokes are aping Sonic Youth. You'll also hear some of The Jesus and Mary Chain's drone behind the whole thing. And somehow they pack all of this epic sound into a compact 2 minute song. I'm a Bastard will be released September 18 on Faux Discx and Italian Beach Babes. You can listen to "White Devil" below. Faux Discx has the album available for pre-order , and check out the label's website for more information.  

The Needy Sons are the latest project from Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom) and a collaboration with Mike Gent of The Figgs. They've been playing the occasional show around the Boston area, with a good chunk taking place in Janovitz's current town of Lexington, MA. The band has functioned mostly as a bar band, playing a ton of covers and songs from both Janovitz's and Gent's back catalog. Now, we get the first original songs from The Needy Sons. "The Swimmer" is Janovitz's song, much funkier than his previous work. The song seems to be an ode to carefree summers of his youth, and seems like a natural extension from 2013's Walt Whitman Mall . Gent's contribution, "Superficial Kid," almost sounds like a lost Rollings Stones track mixed with Tom Petty. To listen to/purchase "The Swimmer"/"Superficial Kid," check out Bill Janovitz's Bandcamp . If you'd like to follow The Needy Sons specifically, they have a Facebo...

Photo by Steve Gullick In one of the more interesting collaborations I've heard lately, Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) has teamed up with Beth Orton to cover Marc Almond's "Your Kisses Burn," which was a duet with Nico in 1988. It also happens to be Nico's last recording. The track is undeniably haunting, with Lanegan's gruff vocals mixing with Orton's softer, more traditionally pleasing voice, much like his frequent collaborations with Isobel Campbell. Musically, it's very orchestral and electronic sounding, more on the lines with Orton's 90s work than her more recent folky side. It's definitely an interesting mix and a must listen for fans of either. You can listen to Mark Lanegan and Beth Orton's cover of "Your Kisses Burn" below. The track is part of Heavenly Recordings 25th anniversary releases. You can download it on their website . For more information on Mark lanegan, check out his website , and for Beth Orton, head ...

The latest single from the UK's Ultimate Painting presents this bizarre dichotomy. It's pure indie pop with sunny, jangly guitars, but all it makes me think of is folk and Pavement at the same time. To make it even more fun, the song is uptempo and light sounding  while in reality it's about the government taking away the unemployed's jobseeker allowance for minor infractions. The entire song is a great bridge between 90s Brit-pop and the current neo-folk movement going on right now. Ultimate Painting's upcoming album, Green Lanes , is due out on August 7 on Trouble in Mind. You can pre-order the album here , and check out Ultimate Painting on Tumblr . Listen to "(I've Got the) Sanctioned Blues" below, and below that are the band's current tour dates. Sat. July 25 - Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival Wed. Aug. 5 - Southsea, UK @ Pie & Vinyl (In-store) Fri. Aug. 7 - Oxford, UK @ Truck Records (In-store) Fri. Aug. 14 - London, UK @ Power...

A slower release week than what we've been used to. Album of the Week : Artist : Watkins Family Hour Album : Watkins Family Hour Quick Description : Roots-infused staples and originals from the longtime Largo residency led by Sara Watkins. Why You Should Listen : You like the associated acts (Nickel Creek, Fiona Apple); you think Prairie Home Companion would be great if it were only the music. Overall Thoughts : Album of the week because of the stature and music here, this forges no new ground but is a nice, pleasant, enjoyable musical diversion. As someone who hasn't listened to the show, I don't know how it adds up, but it's definitely a good time. Recommendation : In a short week, it's great. In a busier week, it might slip through the cracks, but it's worth your time no matter what. Artist : L'Orange, Kool Keith Album : Time? Astonishing! Quick Description : Project between the classic rapper and the well-regarded hip-hop producer. Why...

Ganser are a Chicago three piece that released their debut EP ( Less ) back in January, and already have a follow up single. "Smelling Salts" is a continuation of the post-punk Gang of Four sound that we've been covering a lot lately, with it's almost minimalist sound that has just enough of a groove that you can dance to. Except Ganser have added a brand new element: Sonic Youth Daydream Nation -era guitars plastered all over the track. This adds a whole new sound and a brand new level of foreboding that you will love. This isn't music that is meant to make you feel nice, and that's perfect. You can watch the video for "Smelling Salts" below. To get your copy of the song, head over to Ganser's Bandcamp . You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter .

We're definitely Spotify partisans here at If It's Too Loud. I know I was one of the earliest American adopters, and it's easily some of the most valuable $10 in entertainment I spend a month. Spotify, however, has had one critical flaw, and that's in the music discovery area. Even to this day, I still find a lot of my new music the same way I did ten years ago - new release newsletters, music blogs, and poking around Amazon. The Spotify radio thing is nice when you're just looking to cruise around a bit, but part of the appeal of Spotify for me was the control. Enter Discover Weekly. Last week, Spotify users got a new playlist, which was basically a 90-120 minute long curated playlist based on past listens. Usually, the whole curation thing is a bit much for me musically, as I tend to be all over the place with my listening and the fact that I'll try anything for the blog doesn't help. But Discover Weekly knows something I don't. I don'...

Even though there were six total acts playing this night for TT the Bear's final blowout week of shows, I'm going to focus on Willy Mason and Evan Dando. The Grown Up Noise started playing maybe five minutes after the doors opened and stopped with maybe 50 people in the venue total, The Dazies played a solo four song acoustic set, and I left before Runner & The Thermodynamics because they went on at 11:30, and I'm a grumpy old man with work the next day. The Thalia Zedek band was great, but I just never can connect with her music. I know it's great and I know I'm losing out, but it just doesn't grab me. This last week of shows at TT the Bear's has been absolutely packed, with insane bills every night. Since the shows were booked last minute, and since Willy Mason isn't in the middle of a tour, I assumed it would just be him with a guitar. Instead he had four other musicians with him, because who could miss TT's last week of shows? They played...

Photo by Shervin Lainez With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly. I almost didn't go to this show. It was on a Friday the same week I started a new job after a couple months of unemployment. I really shouldn't have been spending the extra money on a concert. But then I heard Ripely Pine , which came out the same week. I hadn't had such a strong reaction to a brand new album in years. I was completely blown away by how unique it all sounded, and how every song veered off in completely unexpected directions. I knew I had to finally get out and see her live. And what a show. The show opened in complete darkness, with her opening with "Up in the Rafters," an a cappella song first heard on Mammoth Swoon. The few people in the audience that were still chattering awa...

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly. If memory serves me correctly, this was the very first show I saw at TT's. It was dirty, set up poorly, cramped, hot... I immediately loved it. One of the truly great things about going to shows in the Boston area is how many Brits live in the city. You'll get bands that play arenas and stadiums in England, but when they come to the US they play tiny clubs. Fans that are used to seeing them as little dots from the cheap seats can now see them from mere feet away. The energy at one of these shows is simply epic. There were maybe a handful of Americans just discovering the band at the show, and the rest were die hard Brits. Ocean Colour Scene had just come off a tour opening for The Who, so they brought their arena rock show to TT's...

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly. This was one of those stacked bills that can only happen at a TT the Bear's benefit show. It also included local heroes The Gravel Pit along with The Sterlings and Boy Wonder, who were both great forgotten late 90s Boston bands. Happening back in my college radio days, I mentioned I was going to see Sloan to my contact at whatever company was promoting them back in 1998. He told me he was going to put me on the list, and I said I didn't mind paying since it was a benefit. He insisted, so I figured I'd do the free show thing, which is really what college radio is about. After driving an hour into Cambridge, I got to TT's to find out there wasn't a list since it was a benefit show. I pleaded my case obnoxiously for at least ...

While writing about music, you want that great band backstory of how a band formed years ago, and has been playing shitty gig after shitty gig, and now after years and years of hard work are finally getting their big break. Well, welcome to the digital age and discovering great bands five months after they form. Hailing from Queens, NY, Ransom Pier formed in February of this year and already have an absurdly good single out. "Turn Your Head" is the tale of randomly spotting an ex at a bar and wanting them to notice you. It reminds me a bit of Treat Her Right's "I Think She Likes Me." Singer Hayley Harrington's voice gives this great bluesy touch over a sparse but still rocking roots track. It's perfect for fans of Lake Street Dive that want a little more grit in their music. Listen to "Turn Your Head" below. You can also check out Ransom Pier on Facebook , Twitter , and their own website . Their debut EP is due in August. You'll find ...

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly. This was by far the craziest show I attended at TT's. Those Darlins were headlining, and for a while leading up to the show it was advertised that they'd have a "special guest." An hour before the show, they finally announced the special guest was Deer Tick, who had just outgrown the small confines of TT's. Since John McCauley and Nikki Darlin were engaged at the time, and Deer Tick are based less than an hour from Boston, this was kind of a no brainer. Deer Tick only played an 8-song, 30 minute set, but it really sticks out. First, they came on stage wearing dresses procured from Those Darlins. I believe the drummer, Dennis Ryan, was wearing a ladybug print dress. After a song or two, McCauley announced that the band ha...

Filled with surprises and whimsy! Album of the Week Artist : Jason Isbell Album : Something More Than Free Quick Description : Jason Isbell's (formerly of the Drive-By Truckers) latest solo offering Why You Should Listen : Jason Isbell has a modern alt-country/roots sound with a classic country sensibility, and the two match up better on this album than anything he's worked on previously. Overall Thoughts : This is my album of the week for a reason. It's a little less polished, a little more raw, and it just works . Feels like an important, killer album by someone who is really hitting his stride musically. Recommendation : A wholehearted required listen this week. Artist : Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell Album : Sing Into My Mouth Quick Description : An album of covers from Iron & Wine and Band of Horses's Ben Bridwell. Why You Should Listen : You enjoy cover songs and softly-sung folk music; you think the world needs more Talking Heads covers. O...

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly. Back in 1997-1998, Rivers Cuomo played some small, side project shows in the Boston area. The band had a rotating line-up, but this one in particular stands out. Weezer drummer Pat Wilson came out to join the band for this show, and it also included soon to be Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh. To show how far Weezer had fallen out of the mainstream post- Pinkerton , tickets were available to see half of Weezer at a 300 person club. By this point the casual fans had strayed off (an earlier show at TT's in October had some fratty guys asking where the mosh pit was before the band started) and this was just filled with die hards. It was a short eight song setlist, and of course it consisted of Weezer favorites such as "Getchoo," "No O...

Photo by Ken Sears Usually, I wouldn't go see the same band two days in a row. That might have worked ten years ago, but not at this point in my life. However, I knew that Lydia Loveless playing in the afternoon in the bright sunlight of the Green River Festival was not an ideal environment, so I had to make it to their headlining set the next night. I was a bit concerned when I walked in as the show was starting. 3S Artspace tends to have an employee come out before the show and talk about the venue, their mission statement, and upcoming events. The crowd for the show skewed shockingly older, and most of the crowd was sitting in the few chairs lining the back walls of the room. Seeing as the show was sparsely attended (maybe 50 people in a 400 person venue), he encouraged everyone to move the seats to wherever they wanted. This made for a weird mix of people standing next to people in chairs throughout the show. Plus, I've been to poorly attended shows in the past, and i...

Goddamn do I love the digital age. Wilco just released their 11th studio album as a free download on their website. We haven't listened to it yet, but it's free and it's Wilco. If that appeals to you, you've probably already clicked the link and aren't even reading this. Get your free copy of the new Wilco album, Star Wars, here .

Originally recorded in 1986, the final album from Normil Hawaiians was delayed, and then shelved, never having been released. This October will finally see the release of Return of the Ranters  after nearly 30 years. The first song off the album, "Sianne Don't Work in a Factory," is available to be listened to now. For the first two minutes it is pure noise rock, the kind of experimental noise you'd hear from an opener at a Thurston Moore show these days. After the first two minutes, it's transitions to some of the most minimalist post punk you will ever hear. It's almost as if Gang of Four recorded a ballad, but take out the funk and add noise. It's incredibly interesting stuff, especially considering it's almost three decades old.  Return of the Ranters will finally be released on October 16 on Upset the Rhythm, who also plan on reissuing Normil Hawaiians' first two albums More Wealth Than Money and What's Going On?  The band will be re...

I owe Rayland Baxter an apology. Back when I reviewed "Yellow Eyes ," another song off his upcoming release Imaginary Man , I mentioned that I had dismissed his previous album. After hearing a second song off of Imaginary Man, I was damn wrong to do so. "Mr. Rodriguez" was inspired by Sixto Rodriguez, the now legendary Detroit folk artist and the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary Searching for Sugarman . "Mr. Rodriguez" is everything I want in a modern country/folk song. While mainstream country isn't even recognizable as country, and alt-country tends to co-opt an old fashioned sound that borders on novelty, "Mr. Rodriguez" takes elements of both to bring you the rare modern folk/country sound. Baxter is a fantastic storyteller in this song, which is going to bring obvious comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. It's a lush sound that is laid back without ever being boring. This has all the makings of ...

Back in May, we reviewed the new album from Shopping and Jeff commented that he was " ... looking forward to what comes next ." Good news for Shopping fans: The band just announced their second album, just over a month after the release of their debut. Why Choose is scheduled for release on October 2 on FatCat Records. You can already listen to the first single, "Why Wait?" I was a little hesitant based on how quickly after the first album this one will be, but 'Why Wait?" is a killer post-punk song in the vein of Gang of Four. It recognizes that sometimes less is more and a backbeat can be more danceable.  You can listen to "Why Wait?" below. Shopping have also recently announced some US dates to coincide with the release of Why Choose . Check those out below the song. For more information, check out their Facebook and Twitter . October 16 - Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York, NY October 19 - Great Scott, Allston, MA October 20 - Th...