If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz September is a ridiculously stacked release month for music, but with each song the new album from Jessica Lea Mayfield speeds up our list of "most anticipated." The latest song is "Meadow." While her entire album Sorry Is Gone is about empowerment and taking her life back, "Meadow" feels especially along this vein. Mayfield's voice comes across particularly breezy and vulnerable in this song, even for her. As the song progresses, it becomes a little more assured and powerful. The instruments become more forceful throughout the song, too. It's a great song that harkens back to the 90's alternative singer/songwriter movement that included Liz Phair and Elliott Smith. You can watch the great video for "Meadow" below. And, seriously, it's a great video. Unfortunately, it's about 20 years too late to be in the MTV Buzz Bin. The newest album from Jessica Lea Mayfield, Sorry Is Gone , will be out Septemb...

Photo by Giulia McGauran While I absolutely loved Alex Lahey's last single "Every Day's the Weekend," it was despite how much of a pure pop song it was. With her latest, "Lotto in Reverse," I don't have that slight problem. "Lotto in Reverse" is a pop song, sure. But it's a pop song the way most of my beloved mid-90's post grunge alternative music was pop music. It's incredibly catchy, and Lahey's voice is far too melodic to ever be anything but pop. However, there is just enough angst and noise in the music to keep it from being too sugary. The guitars are just crunchy enough with the slightest hint of 90's aggression to keep it interesting. Not to mention that Lahey is quickly becoming one of the best lyricists of her generation. (Must be something in the water down in Australia.) It's an absolute perfect noisy power pop song. You can watch the lyric video for "Lotto in Reverse" below. Alex Lahey'...

Photo by Kim Smith-Miller The word "haunting" gets thrown around a lot with music. It's the kind of description I try to avoid using, but sometimes it just perfectly fits. The latest song from Lenore., "Ether's Arms," is exactly the right time. "Ether's Arms" just feels dark. While their sound is rooted in the same world of the current crop of female roots duos like First Aid Kit and The Secret Sisters, Lenore. just veer off in their own almost gothic direction. It's almost like the mainstream cousin of bands like Rasputina or Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. Plus, it's all packaged in this lush, incredibly well produced and orchestrated package you don't normally get with bands this slightly left of center. You can listen to "Ether's Arms" below. Lenore.'s self titled debut album will be released on September 15, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Lenore., check out their website . 

And here's the rest! Artist : The Sweetback Sisters Album : King of Killing Time Quick Description : Why You Should Listen : Overall Thoughts : The Sweetback Sisters are probably going to be compared to The Secret Sisters a lot, even though their genres are not mixed in quite the same way. At the core, the idea is similar with an act giving great tribute to a sound of the past, and The Sweetback Sisters dutifully deliver. I have no issues with this album at all except that it feels somewhat light as opposed to truly having a lot of gravity. And there’s nothing wrong with light on a whole, which is probably why I enjoyed this the way I did. I’ll keep coming back to it, for sure. Recommendation : A fun listen this week. Artist : Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real Album : Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real Quick Description : Pure, unadulterated country rock. Why You Should Listen : You like Jason Isbell and the like. Overall Thoughts : Lukas Nelson was ...

Busiest week in a while, so we're splitting this up a bit. More tomorrow! Album of the Week : Artist : Kitty Album : Miami Garden Club Quick Description : 90s-tinged electro-pop. Why You Should Listen : This is an unexpected delight. Overall Thoughts : I don’t know how I tripped up on Kitty however long ago, but while the rest of the musical universe is tripping over itself for their take on the new Taylor Swift song (short answer: it’s not great, but it's catchy as all get out), here’s Kitty doing some really interesting indie electro-pop with a 1990s-era sensibility that I fear is going to be completely ignored. Kitty isn’t reinventing the wheel at all here, but she is doing a good job working within the existing tropes to develop something worth your time whether you’re a fan of the genre or not. I love this album quite a bit, and I keep thinking about it long after I first heard it. Recommendation : Absolutely worth it this week, one of the best listens of the m...

I would write about Talib Kweli's excellent new song, "She's My Hero," but I'm going to let his words explain the song much better than I ever could: Good morning. Spending time engaging with fans on social media has allowed me to spread information about causes and events ignored by the mainstream media. It has also made me aware of important cultural events and connected me with brilliant people who make me a better human being. It was on social media that I first learned about the story of Bresha Meadows. On July 28th, 2016, Bresha Meadows shot and killed her reportedly abusive father. She was 14 years old at the time. The first thing that struck me about Bresha was how much she physically reminded me of my own daughter. I had a similar experience when George Zimmerman killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin, who reminded me of my son. I instantly felt drawn to these children and I felt compelled to dive deeper into their lives. Leading up to shooting her fat...

Photo via Facebook We've been pretty big on Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors for a while now. Jeff in particular has raved about Souvenir and really raved about "Here We Go."  Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors just hit that sweet spot of more mainstream roots music for us, without getting too derivative or dull. The only problem is when a band has been around for over 10 years and has over 10 albums out there (including live ones), it can be daunting to get into them. Where do you start? And who has the kind of spare cash to drop on that many releases? If that's the case, you're in luck. Thanks to NoiseTrade, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors' entire catalog is available for free! Let me repeat that. Every single album from Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors can be downloaded for FREE  on NoiseTrade! This includes Souvenir , which was just released five months ago, three live releases, and more! The only thing that appears to be missing is 2007's A Neighborly...

Photo by Colin Medley Partner doesn't make music for me. I'm a straight, middle aged male. Partner are two females in their 20s that, according to their Instagram profile, are "Gay but not for each other." Their songs have a sense of humor but stop just shy of being a novelty act. "Gross Secret" is about exactly what it sounds like: Having a secret habit or act that would make people think less of you if they discovered it. I'm a grown adult with a child and a mortgage. I'm above such things. But Partner are just so good. "Gross Secret" is a catchy as hell, fun straight out rock song. It's like the hard rock of Eight Arms to Hold You  era Veruca Salt meets the quirky humor of Cake Like. Picture the fun, more silly songs of AC/DC, but not as douchey. We should be above this kinda thing at our age, but who doesn't love a fun song that rocks just for the sake of being a fun rock song? You can listen to "Gross Secret" ...

Like us, you might be familiar with the name Twain than his actual music. He's played with such current folk luminaries as The Low Anthem, Spirit Family Reunion, and The Deslondes, and has played the Newport Folk Festival. He has a new album coming out in October, and has shared the first song from that album. "Solar Pilgrim" masterfully merges mainstream neo-folk and freak folk. At some moments it seems like he could be the next Langhorne Slim, and at others he's the next Devendra Banhart. It's a touch line to straddle, since going too far either way could be a disaster, but Twain does it expertly. It's all raw, beautiful vocals with hauntingly spare instrumentation that is still fully fleshed out. "Solar Pilgrim" is brilliant. You can listen to "Solar Pilgrim" below. The new album from Twain, Rare Feeling , will be released October 20 on Keeled Scales. For more information on Twain, check him out on Bandcamp and Facebook . Tour dat...

Those of us that love indie rock far above 60's hippie stuff might get scared of a lot of the press surrounding Everything All At Once , the latest album from Brooklyn's BIRDS. Sure, the album has a lot of psychedelic elements, but based on reviews you'd think they were a jam band. Instead, BIRDS are psychedelic the way Built to Spill are psychedelic. To further the Built to Spill comparison, they're a splendid mix of earlier, poppier Built to Spill and later, 10+ minute epic song Built to Spill. The album opener, "See it All," might be the best example with it's swirling guitars, almost military style drumming, and slacker vocals. "Scatter" pulls a bit away from the Built to Spill comparisons and feels like a melding of The Strokes and Superdrag. "Get Away" might be my favorite track, and is what the early 00's garage rock boom would have sounded like if any of the bands came from southern California. You can listen to "Ge...

Photo by Lenny Gilmore Last month we brought you the newest song from Chicago's Melkbelly. I raved about it , and the closest thing to a complaint is that "Kid Kreative" didn't get quite as noisy as I wanted it to. Maybe they heard me, because "Middle Of" brings that noise. "Middle Of" is still awash in the kind of alternative pop that dominated the post grunge mid 90's. It's an intense, but playful song. It's fast, but not hard. It's bouncy without being sugary. And then there's the noise. It has the kind of crunchy guitars that make me long for my days of college radio. It even has a Sonic Youth style instrumental break down to end the song. But it's early on, when this whiny feedback blast kicks in for far too long and makes you want to almost turn the song off. Almost. For some of us, this is pure perfection. You can watch the video for "Middle Of" below. Melkbelly's new album, Nothing Valley , will...

A slowish week with some real gems. Album of the Week Artist : Rainer Maria Album : S/T Quick Description : Comeback album from the indie rock darlings. Why You Should Listen : Because Rainer Maria rules, that's why. Overall Thoughts : I got into Rainer Maria VERY late. They had already broken up by the time I discovered them, most likely in a post-Reputation haze, and they've played a few comeback shows but the new album was a long time coming. It's here now, though, and it's basically exactly what I wanted. No, there's no "Ears Ring" here, but this sounds like a band that's known for an out-of-style genre that's back together for another run. It's just simply a must-listen, and the best of the week. A very welcome return. Recommendation : This is so good, guys. Artist : The Two Tens Album : On Repeat Quick Description : Garage-style power pop. Why You Should Listen : You always wondered what the love child of The Hives and...

Photo via Facebook You ever listen to a new song from a brand new artist and just know you're hearing from someone special that's going to be huge in a few years? That's how I feel while listening to the new song from Anna Tivel. "Illinois" has that rarity in modern folk in that it will work for mainstream music fans and for more indie loving purists, the way Iron & Wine does. Listening to the song, it seems like standard singer/songwriter fare, but something just makes it more vital. Tivel has a quality to her voice that just sucks you in and makes you need to pay attention, much like Tori Amos or Cat Power. "Illinois" is about a friend of Tivel moving away for a toxic relationship and imagining her finally leaving and driving home. It's deeply personal songs like this that lead to audience members breaking out in tears during her sets. Tivel will truly be something special. You can listen to "Illinois" below. Anna Tivel's ...

Photo via Facebook Back in March, we got a taste of new music from The Shods. Since then, they've started a GoFundMe to help pay for the recording of a new album. We now know a little of what the new record will sound like with the early release of "Girl I Got You." It's a very rough cut (it's not mixed or mastered, needs some more vocals, and there are some unrecorded string parts), but we'll take any new Shods songs we can get. It's definitely an "Unfinished/Rough Cut," but the foundation for a great power ballad is definitely there. Plus, hearing early, rough, demos for songs always make the finished product that much more interesting. You can listen to the unfinished version of "Girl I Got You" below. The Shods are still looking for some financial help to finish the song and album, which will be titled Exarchia . You can find their GoFundMe here . For more on The Shods, check out their Facebook .

Duds are an odd band that won't be for everyone. The newest song off their upcoming album, "Elastic Feel," is just about as punk as post punk can get, without being heavy. I know I'm the same guy that always mentions that bands called "punk" today don't seem heavy enough to be truly punk, but this just is. Plus, it has some of the same quirky indie rock elements of bands like Archers of Loaf and Pavement, so it should be even further away from punk, but it's not. And then it all ends in a James Chance and The Contortions style squealing noise burst. Like I said, this won't be for everyone, but if it's your thing, you're going to love Duds. You can listen to "Elastic Feel" below. Duds' debut album, Of a Nature or Degree , will be out September 22 on Castle Face Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Duds, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp .

A solid week! Album of the Week : Artist : Matt Pond PA Album : Still Summer Quick Description : Latest from the indie rock act. Why You Should Listen : This is their best effort yet in a series of solid listens. Overall Thoughts : Matt Pond PA’s continuing to put out high quality records. This might be their third since the band announced they were finishing up, but I’m fine with seeing more releases if they’re this good. The title track is great indie power pop with a light touch, and of course we love “The Ballad of Matt and Laura” around these parts. Truly, they’ve put out three of their best albums in recent succession, and this is continuing along those lines. Recommendation : A solid listen and the best of the week. Artist : David Rawlings Album : Poor David's Almanack Quick Description : Gillian Welch collaborator with a new album of rootsy goodness. Why You Should Listen : David Rawlings is responsible for some of the purest roots music going. Overall T...