If It's Too Loud...

SO MANY NEW RELEASES. As a quick note, I am keeping up with the Future albums. I delayed it last week because he was putting out an album this week, and now I'm delaying this week because he apparently has ANOTHER album coming out Friday of this week. So yeah, I'm aware of it. Album of the Week Artist : Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge Album : Mount Royal Quick Description : Gorgeous rootsy folk music. Why You Should Listen : If you like the sort of stuff we get excited about here, you need to listen to this. Overall Thoughts : The one problem with the amount of folk-style music we cover here is that there does tend to be a lot of sameness to the music. This isn't a bad thing at all, but when an album jumps out at you the way Mount Royal does, it forces you to pay attention. For me, the guitar playing is sneaky gorgeous, and the vocals are just as solid (especially as a music listener who tends to struggle with male folk voices). Lead track "Bone Collect...

Pete International Airport is a new project from Pete Holmstrom of The Dandy Warhols, and also features members of Mercury Rev, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Warlocks. Think about what you think that sounds like for just a minute... and you're most likely exactly right. Pete International Airport  the album is absolutely perfect for old school fans of The Dandy Warhols. The main difference is take out some of the poppier moments and add a whole boatload of trippy psychedelia. (Normally I feel bad comparing a side project to the members' main band so much, but they got their title from a song off The Dandy Warhols Come Down  which just might be the most Dandy Warhols move of all time...) The openng track, "Sweetheart Tattoo," is pure classic Dandy Warhols in a groovy slacker kind of way. "21 Days" is almost hard rock, and might be the closest to a radio single on the album, if that was still a thing. As the album progresses, the songs seem to lose the...

Normally we don't tell you about a new video for a song that's been out for a few months, especially when we've already covered the album . But, this is Kingsley Flood,who we love, and it's a particularly engaging video, so there you go! Kingsley Flood recently released a video for "Try," the second song on last year's spectacular Another Other. The video features frontman Naseem Khuri running in slow motion through the streets of Washington DC with a backdrop of a variety of street murals behind him. You eventually realize he's being chased by an assassin, dressed like a "man in black" style secret agent. The main focus of the video are the beautiful murals, and it exists as a reminder of how much art we walk by and miss every single day. You can watch the video for "Try" below. For more on Kingsley Flood, be sure to check out their website . If you haven't checked out their latest album, Another Other , yet, make sure you ...

Photo by Alexis Ellers Bluegrass has existed in it's main, traditional form for decades. Most bluegrass artists tend to be traditionalists and keep it in the same form it's always existed as. Sure, there are a bunch of progressive bluegrass bands out there (which the media has dropped the ball by not calling nu-grass), but they ignore tradition for a new sound. Eneter Al Scorch. Al Scorch does traditional bluegrass, but with a bizarre, unique, almost menacing sound. I'm sure his new song, "Everybody Out," will get lumped in with the freak folk guys, but those bands are more about wearing flowers and pretending your band is a cult. "Everybody Out" is just... weird. And that's before you even get to the puppets and face paint filled video for it. It's rare that we get an artist that takes traditional folk and bluegrass and does their own thing all over it without attempting to reinvent the genre, but that's what Scorch does. You can wat...

Last month, Russian Winter Records was moving their office and discovered a box of the 1979 debut EP from Ric Winter, Just Can't Get Enough. They decided to digitize the album, as well as sell the original 1979 copies of the album. Who even knew there was a punk scene in Kansas City, Missouri back in 1979? One of my favorite things about this original wave of 70s punk is how surprisingly diverse it was. Ric Gordon probably wouldn't be considered punk just a few short years later after the scene went more hardcore or artsy, but Just Can't Get Enough  is a great snapshot of just how great and poppy punk could be when it started out. Songs like "Rock-N-Roll Lady" and "Just Can't Get Enough" live in the world that's more polished than early Ramones but more raw than Cheap Trick. And then you get a song like "People Run, People Hide" that somehow hints at post punk and new wave. You can listen to "Rock-N-Roll Lady" below. You...

Another crazy release week, but a lot of middle-of-the-road stuff. So we'll cover the real highlights, and do quick hits on the rest. Album of the Week : Artist : Molly Burch Album : Please Be Mine Quick Description : Singer-songwritery roots-ish goodness from a Sallie Ford tourmate. Why You Should Listen : Come for the Ford connection, stay for the great music. Overall Thoughts : This might have stayed well below our radar had she not been listed as the opener on Sallie Ford's upcoming tour. Ken sent this over, and I knew it would be something I'd like, but I didn't expect it to be something I'd love. The songs themselves are hooky and musically interesting, but still sound challenging and strange at the same time. There's a retro feel to a lot of it, like "Wrong For You," a more traditional feel with "Why," but this album is probably going to catch your attention quickly and not let go like it did with us. And now when you inev...

If you love covers as much as we do, you most likely know all about The Blog That Celebrates Itself . In case you're unfamiliar, it's a Brazil based blog that puts together these insane tribute compilations, and then gives them away for free on Bandcamp. Free covers? We're always up for that. Last week, they released their latest, Just for Life: A Homage to Slowdive. As with most compilations put out by The Blog That Celebrates Itself, it's great, but I usually barely know any of the bands on the compilation. However, track 7 is a cover of "Joy" by Sheer. We definitely love Sheer around these parts, and knowing that one of our favorite fuzzed out guitar pop bands is doing a song by one of the finest shoegaze bands is fairly thrilling. Sheer's version has just a hint more of a pop side than Slowdive's original, but it's a very straightforward cover.  You can listen to Sheer's version of "Joy" below. If you like what you hear, you...

Photo by Alex John Beck When I first read the bio for Sono Oto, I knew exactly what he would sound like. Also known as Mark Henry Phillips, he is the main behind the music for the wildly popular (ok, the first season at least) Serial  podcast, as well as the sound designer for films like Cutie and the Boxer and Teenage.  Obviously his debut album is going to be filled with indie orchestral soundtrack type music, a la Jonny Greenwood, right? Judging by "How Do You Feel," my assumptions were very wrong. Sono Oto is more of a singer/songwriter project, albeit a more orchestral one. "How Do You Feel" is pretty straightforward and reminds me a lot of later Elliott Smith. The story of Sono Oto's origins go way back to 2008 when Phillips' father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He had given up on his dreams of being a full time musician and was instead a producer for NPR. So he didn't die with regrets like his father, he quit his job in favor of m...

Photo by Ken Sears It's been way too long since we've heard anything new from Benjamin Booker. It's been almost two years since we heard his cover of "Walkin' After Midnight" and almost three years since the release of his debut album. In one Instagram post, he announced that he has new music to share (at a show coming up next month) and he also shared a cover of Penny & The Quarters' "You and Me." The song was originally recorded back in the 70s, but was mostly unknown until a rediscovery in the 2011 film Blue Valentine. But, the truly important thing is we have something new to listen to from Benjamin Booker. Granted, it's an acoustic Instagram video, but it's still something new from Booker. You can watch Benjamin Booker's cover of "You & Me" below. For more on Booker, check out his website . Let's hope we have a new album by the end of the year. You and Me again Santa Ana! Playing the @observat...

Seemingly the only thing that No Sun and Dead Kennedys would have in common would be that they are both the western United States. No Sun are a relatively new ambient rock/shoegaze band from Salt Lake City, while Dead Kennedys are the legendary politically charged fairly hardcore 80s punk band. But, we live in strange times, so here's No Sun covering the Dead Kennedys' iconic "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." This song was chosen to make a fairly obvious political statement, and I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing a lot more covers of this particular one for the next four years are so. No Sun's take is very  different from the original. The Dead Kennedys' song is this unbelievably fast hardcore blast of a song, while No Sun's just slowly grinds.  You can listen to No Sun's cover of "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" below, and get your own copy for free via Bandcamp . For more on No Sun, check them out on Facebook . You can find their current tour dates bel...

Photo via Facebook For some reason, the acoustic performance thing feels very 90s to me. I know bands did it before and have done it since, but the 90s seemed like a heyday of that between MTV Unplugged , acoustic albums, and import singles.  This might be why I'm so thrilled about Weakened Friends letting us hear a brand new song from their upcoming debut album via an acoustic performance. Over the weekend, the band played an acoustic set at Sofar Studios in Boston, where they premiered the new song "Early." It starts off really acoustic performance-esque, and almost like a ballad. Further on it kicks in a bit more and gets more Weakened Friends-ified, so we can hear a bit more of what the actual album track will sound like. It's everything we would expect from Weakened Friends at this point, with vulnerable vocals mixed with noisy, fuzzed out riffs (at least, that's what I'm imagining it will sound like). I usually avoid the live performance debuts of ...

Here's the rest of the new releases for this week. Artist : Lupe Fiasco Album : DROGAS Light Quick Description : New album from the often-controversial rapper. Why You Should Listen : This is Lupe Fiasco's best effort in close to a decade. Overall Thoughts : Lupe Fiasco was always pretty socially conscious, but things got a little out there for him with his recent releases. DROGAS Light doesn't lose the commentary, but it does gain some memorable music backing it for the first time in a few releases. Songs like "Jump" and "Wild Child" are really reminiscent of the quality of his Food and Liquor days, and this is an album I can't wait to get back to. If Sallie Ford didn't come out with new music this week, this might have ended up as my album of the week. Recommendation : Best rap album out since RTJ3, and one of the best of the week. Artist : Mother Mother Album : No Culture Quick Description : Canadian rock group goes even more...

A busier than normal week, so I'm splitting this into two days. Album of the Week : Artist : Sallie Ford Album : Soul Sick Quick Description : New album from a favorite here that will just have you asking "Sallie, who hurt you and how can we destroy them?" Why You Should Listen : Sallie Ford somehow improved on what she was doing, and she was already doing some amazing stuff. Overall Thoughts : Man, Sallie Ford's been through from stuff, huh? That was really my first reaction as I listened to this album, a bunch of songs that feel confessional, that drip with hurt and pain, that just feel really heavy. And yet this ends up being beautiful with a lot of inspirational tones and gorgeous music. The whole sort of bluesy thing she was doing takes a bit of a backseat here, but this isn't some sort of singer-songwritery acoustic "woe is me" record, either. It's something a lot more special than that, and it's something everyone really just n...

Photo by Kyle Walker It's been about a year and a half since we last heard from Random Pier, but luckily they are back with a brand new song. "Holding On" is exactly what we expect (and want) from Ransom Pier. It's just your good old fashioned standard Americana with a soul/blues twist. Think of Lake Street Dive mixed with Julie Rhodes. You're not getting any boundaries broken with Ransom Pier, and that's perfectly ok. Although "Holding On" does get some odd changes we haven't previously seen in Ransom Pier's previous releases, and since songs changing pace multiple times unexpectedly is kinda one of my things, I'm all for this. You can listen to "Holding On" below. I'm not sure if it's just a single release or part of an upcoming album, but for more details you can check out their website , and get your own copy of "Holding On" at Bandcamp . They're also set to do some fairly extensive east coast tou...

Valentine's Day sucks. We spend weeks getting faux romance crammed down our throats and then we're stuck spending a ridiculous amount of money to prove we're in love on a day that means nothing to anyone. Plus, most romantic music is outrageously terrible. You know what's better than romantic music? Break up music. Which is what the 2017 If It's Too Loud... Valentine's Day playlist consists of. I might have leaned a bit too heavily on old timey country, but is there anything better for the negative sides of love than classic country? Aside from that, there's a ton of 90s alternative, which my knowledge of sad sack 90s alternative shows what my romantic life was like back in that decade. [Note: There might be two Lemonheads songs, but one is an 80s Ben Deily song and the other is a 2000s Evan Dando one, so it's completely different.] This is perfect for anyone that doesn't give a crap about the most forcibly romantic holiday of the year or that enjo...

Remember when artists put a premium on b-sides and rarities? Every so often an artist would put out a full album of b-sides, alternate takes, demo versions, etc., but more often than not, you'd get stuck buying import singles for $10 each to get that one extra song that wasn't on the album, or even dropping $30 for the European version with an extra song or two.  Nowadays we have an artist like Shakey Graves who just gives out rarities and alternate versions on his Bandcamp. The Man From Taured contains a couple of demo versions and an alternate take, but the rest are rarities. My personal favorite is that these are completely stripped down songs, mostly just him with a guitar. A few have backing vocals, but that's really it. As someone who finds Shakey Graves far more compelling when it's just him with a guitar on stage as opposed to his backing band, this free offering is perfect. You can get your very own free copy of The Man From Taured  over at Shakey Graves...

Photo by Shervin Lainez If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I love Lady Lamb and covers, especially covers that you wouldn't necessarily expect. Amazon Music has curated a playlist called "Love Me" featuring indie artists of today covering classic love songs. While recording Tender Warriors Club , Lady Lamb recorded a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love." I spent all of my 20s and a good chunk of my 30s despising Elvis, mainly for never writing his own music. Recently, I've come to respect him as an entertainer, and "Can't Help Falling In Love" has always (even back when I would never have admitted it) been one of my favorite Elvis songs. Lady Lamb's take is surprisingly true to the original, but with her own signature sound. And since it was recorded at the time of Tender Warriors Club it has a sparse, vulnerable quality to it.  You can check out Lady Lamb's c...

Artists doing songs for commercials doesn't have the same stigma it used to. Nowadays, it's pretty much the only way to actually get music heard by a mainstream audience. However, it still feels a bit weird when one of our favorite artists makes a song for a major corporation. Michael Christmas, our favorite Boston rapper who should be absolutely huge by now, did a song for Burger King, more specifically for jalapeno chicken fries. The most shocking part of this song is that "Make 'Em Jala" is actually a fun little song about getting jalapeno chicken fries. Plus, it's a pun, so that's always good. Besides, this was probably a huge payday for Christmas, and there's not many ways for indie artists to get those in today's music industry. You can listen to "Make 'Em Jala" below. Also, be sure to check out Michael Christmas' other music, which is fantastic. You can find out more at his Facebook and Soundcloud .

With the new EP from Funeral Advantage coming out later this month, we can now hear the title track, "Please Help Me." "Please Help Me" might be my favorite Funeral Advantage song yet. It's the absolute pinnacle of their dream pop meets 80s synth pop sound that they've perfected, and is just beautiful. It might not sound like The Cure, but it has that Cure feel to it. It's a sad little song that just makes you happy.  You can listen to "Please Help Me" below (along with their previously heard song "CEOT7K"). You can pre-order Please Help Me here . It will be available on February 24 via The Native Sound. For more on Funeral Advantage, check out their website .

Photo by Nicole Anne Robbins One of our favorite 90s throwback artists are back. Bleached have a new EP called Can You Deal? due out on March 3. The title track is exactly what we want from Bleached. "Can You Deal?" is poppy and catchy, but with a plethora of 90s alternative noise behind it. I always see them described as punk, but to me they're more dream punk. They have all the swirling guitars and spacey melodies of dream pop, but just a little more aggression than that moniker would allow for.  In addition to the Can You Deal? EP, Bleached are releasing a Can You Deal? zine. The zine will feature contributions that define a who's who of the current genre ignoring indie scene including Alice Glass, Lizzo, Kate Nash, Tegan Quin, Allie Hanlon, Sadie Dupuis, and more. Bleached's Jennifer Clavin had this to say about the project:\ I create music and art because I need to. To express, to bond, to reconcile, and to connect. And to use my voice. To have it rec...

Photo by Scott Murry Last week Bandcamp announced that they would be donating their share of music sold last Friday on the site to the ACLU. To help this along, Salem Wolves debuted their new song, "Can't Wait" on Friday and announced they would be donating all the profits they made through Bandcamp all weekend to the ACLU. It's now Tuesday, so... oops? Dropped the ball on that one a bit. Anyway, "Can't Wait" is the first song we can hear from Salem Wolves' upcoming album, Tooth & Nail. "Can't Wait" is everything we want from Salem Wolves: It's rockin' with this badass groove throughout. In fact, this is the most they've shown off their surf rock side, and there's more than just a hint of doo wop in the song. In fact, this is by far the most polished we've heard Salem Wolves sound. There are little bursts of controlled chaos, but it reminds me a lot of early 80s Ramones. You can listen to "Can...