If It's Too Loud...

Lots of EPs this week, but definitely the slowest week in a while. Artist : Phantastic Ferniture Album : Phantastic Ferniture Quick Description : A blog favorite lets her hair down with the help of some friends. Why You Should Listen : It's great indie rock from an artist who already knows how to write a great song. Overall Thoughts : A band featuring Julia Jacklin, a favorite around these parts, this is not only the best album in a short week, but one of the better albums of the summer. A solid pace, an indie rock feel while still being accessible, there is very little to complain about other than the band’s name (but I won’t hold that against them too much). Recommendation : Find time for this in your rotation. Artist : Various Artists Album : Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack Quick Description : Soundtrack for the buzzy movie of the summer from Boots Riley of The Coup. Why You Should Listen : There is absolutely no reason not to saddle up for this release. Over...

Last year we discovered that there was a punk band out of Paris named after English child murderer Mary Bell. (By child murderer we mean a child who murders, not someone who murders children, although her victims were also children...) They are about to release a six song EP, HISTRION, in October. The first song off the new EP is currently available to listen to. "Band-aid Baby" might be the best 48 second punk song you ever hear. Somehow they manage to cram an entire song into such a short time frame. "Band-aid Baby" brings the same fury and noise that we loved from their previous release, LP , but it's a little more fun. There is still darkness and anger, but almost as if they are channeling it into mockery more than aggression.  You can listen to "Band-aid Baby" below. HISTRION, the new EP from Mary Bell, will be out in October. You can pre-order it via Bandcamp . For more on Mary Bell, check out their website . HISTRION (PRE-ORDER) by Mary Bel...

Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Prophets of Rage) has been rocking a solo career for quite some time. This century, he's released solo albums under The Nightwatchman moniker as well as his own name. These have been mostly acoustic folk-rock albums filled for the most part with protest songs. In October he'll be releasing another solo album, but this one appears to be more of a rocker/possible party album. Based on the list of collaborators for the album, we're going to assume Morello takes a step back from vocal duties and takes over the guitar like we all want to. Right now you can listen to "We Don't Need You," his collaboration with rapper Vic Mensa. It gets fairly political with 9/11 conspiracies being spouted by Mensa, and it's way more of a banger than we're used to from Morello. In fact, his guitar almost sounds autotuned at some parts, if that is even possible. At the very least, the new album will be interesting. You can...

It's a Friday during the summer, which is the perfect time for a song like Cordovas's "This Town's a Drag." The song just captures a lazy summer country feel, but is probably a little too rock to truly be considered straight country. Plus, it's fairly funky, despite being a country song. It sort of reminds me of The Deslondes meets Deer Tick with soul. It also has a tiny bit of Wilco's noodling towards the end. In other words, most readers of If It's Too Loud... will end up digging this. You can listen to "This Town's a Drag" below. That Santa Fe Channel , the new album from Cordovas, will be out August 10 on ATO Records. For more on Cordovas, check out their website .

Photo via Facebook Molly Burch's Please Be Mine  was one of my favorite albums of 2017, so I'm thrilled that we'll have the follow up this year! The first single, "Wild," continues Burch's fabulous 60's soul meets modern Americana movement, but it's a little bit tweaked. Somehow Burch has added a slightly off kilter quality to the song, bringing it a little away from the oldies sound and has also made it a bit more mainstream. She also adds in some current indie rock vibes, particularly in the chorus. The result is a more modern sound that still hearkens back to a classic sound (both Burch's and pop music in general) while looking more forward and ahead. You can watch the video for "Wild" below. First Flower , Molly Burch's follow up to Please Be Mine , will be available October 5 on Captured Tracks. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Molly Burch, check out her website .

Here's something fun for all of us middle aged former hipsters that became obsessed with Trainspotting in our youth and may have even gone through a short lived techno phase we don't talk much about. Kevin Pearce has released a cover of Underworld's "Born Slippy," aka the greatest electronica song ever recorded. All of the dance/techno has been removed from the song, and Pearce does it as a trippy singer/songwriter version. The result is far more captivating than you'd expect, and it completely sidesteps the novelty cover trappings. Also, despite the slowed down feel, Pearce takes a song that was originally nearly 10:00 and cuts it down to 4:20. If you're not completely sold on the concept, you will be by the time you get to the "Shouting lager lager lager lager / Mega mega white thing" portion of the song. You can listen to Kevin Pearce's version of "Born Slippy" below. For more on Kevin Pearce, check out his website .

Concept albums are usually the territory of prog rock and maybe the occasional hip hop album. Minneapolis's Deleter are set to come out with what may very well be the first post-punk concept album. Levitate the Pentagon isn't about Abbie Hoffman or the Yippies, but instead is, according to the press release, "...  somewhat of a concept album based loosely on generations of comic book lore interweaved with social/political commentary on the history of western culture's role in the world today. With nods to Alan Moore's Watchmen, The World's Greatest Detective, Marvel's cosmic universe, the Atomic Age of comics and so much more, Deleter weaves narratives, meaning and connections between a fantasy world and the violence of the reality we all know all too well." The first song we can hear from Levitate the Pentagon is "Doctor Jonathan Osterman" sounds like a dark DEVO without the synths. It starts off with noises that may be drums or could be...

Photo by Matt Brubek Back in June we brought you the latest single from Chapel Hill, NC's Mountain Lions. It was a fairly straightforward, mainstream modern Americana song. If you pigeonholed them like we did based on that one song, you'd be quite wrong. Their latest, "In the Valley," isn't quite freak folk, but we can hardly call it mainstream, either. "In the Valley" has a distinctly dark feel. The typical words we music journalists like to use are "moody" and "ethereal," and in this instance they fit. The song is about a farmhouse that still stands after the owner's death, which explains the mood. Steven Diaz plays the role of crooner for this song, but without the dreamboat aspect usually associated with a crooner. When an artist has two such differing styles on two singles, we get even more excited to hear the rest of the album. You can listen to "In the Valley" below. We Are, the new album from Mountain Lions...

Another slow week, so this does have some catch-up. Artist : Punch Brothers Album : All Ashore Quick Description : Latest from the inventive bluegrass group. Why You Should Listen : Punch Brothers have yet to do any wrong whatsoever. Overall Thoughts : Punch Brothers are effectively the 1995-2005 era Radiohead of bluegrass at this point. What they do transcends their early work, transcends their genre, and exists on a plane of its own. This may be their most musically challenging endeavor, and yet it still feels fresh and accessible. I don't know what else to say about it at this point, as they're just too good for words. Recommendation : Punch Brothers should be automatic at this point. Artist : Pram Album : Across the Meridian Quick Description : First album in ten years from the British act. Why You Should Listen : You enjoy the odder things in life. Overall Thoughts : For all my music immersion over the years, I seemingly missed Pram, an experimental group...

Every performance by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys is truly unique and special. Saturday night's show at ONCE Ballroom in Somerville was unique in that it was a pretty straightforward rock show. The eight piece band took the stage and played a collection of audience favorites as well as new songs. The three new songs the band played seemed to sum up the evening the most. While a lot of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys's newer material has been on the quieter, more moody and ethereal side of the spectrum, the new songs are much more loud and thrashy. The band is definitely letting their metal flag fly on a few of these. The political climate is influencing the band quite a bit, as they brought back a song that they haven't played in eight years ("No Room") and one of the new songs contemplated the fear of bringing up a child in the current world that includes near constant school shootings ("War Gospel" may have been the name....

Not too many artists take their inspiration from the 1940's and 50's these days. The latest single from Blair Jollands is the increasingly rare exception. The London artist just released his latest single "I'll Remember You." The song is a torch song in the best possible way. It's a duet with singer Iraina Mancini and it sounds like a bridge between singers like Frank Sinatra and Roy Orbison. It's a gorgeous song filled with lush string arrangements. It's a kind of cool we don't usually see any more. You can listen to "I'll Remember You" below. 7 Blood , the upcoming album from Blair Jollands, will be out on September 14. For more on Blair Jollands, be sure to check out his website . I'll Remember You by Blair Jollands

Photo by Michael Newsted I was completely unfamiliar with Grand Rapids's Major Murphy before we were sent their cover of The Kinks's 1970 classic "Strangers." But, we also didn't know about Courtney Barnett until she covered a Lemonheads song, so they're in great company. While The Kinks's original version of "Strangers" is a very slow piano heavy ballad, Major Murphy speeds the song up a little and turns it into a fairly upbeat Americana track. It's one of those rare cover songs that perfectly straddles the line between staying true to the original but still making the song its own. You can listen to Major Murphy's version of "Strangers" below. The song is currently available for a "Name Your Price" option with all purchases donated to the Fianza Fund which supports immigrants being detained on the southern border. You can get your copy here . For more on Major Murphy, check them out on Facebook and Twitter . ...

Photo by Mason Fairey If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that we have a soft spot for the current crop of 90's influenced indie rockers, especially ones hailing from Australia or New Zealand. This is why we've been adoring the singles being released by The Beths, and "Great No One," their latest, is more of the same. It's incredibly upbeat, catchy as can be with just enough dirty fuzz to keep it interesting. Plus, we love sad songs that sound happy, and The Beths are proving themselves to be masters of that. This new album can not come quickly enough. You can watch the lyric video for "Great No One" below. (I know, lyric videos are completely boring 95% of the time, but this one is totally worth it and a ton of fun.) Future Me Hates Me,  the new album from The Beths, will be out August 10 on Carpark Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on The Beths, be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter . ...

We loved the return of Mr. Lif and Akrobatik to the Perceptionists project last year. Their album, Resolution , was definitely a highlight for us. While they have previously taken huge breaks between releases, they're already back with new music. The duo decided to "rough the edges up" on their previous release, and paired with producer Paten Locke to do so. The result will be the remix EP, Low Resolution: The Paten Locke Remixes. There will be one new track, which we can already listen to. "Bait" is definitely rougher than anything on Resolution. It's a stripped down song that's about as far away from today's mainstream rap as you can get and is a relic from the days where hip hop was rough and not always pleasant to listen to. I personally don't usually have any interest in repackaged remix albums, but this one I'll be waiting for. You can listen to "Bait" below. Low Resolution: The Paten Locke Remixes  will be out August 10. ...

Back in May we brought you a handful of some of the smaller music festivals you should be checking out. It's been a couple of months, so we have some updates for you! Here are three late summer/early fall festivals that should be worth your time! The Cranking and Skanking Fest August 25, Worcester, MA If you're like me, you spent many years attending the Warped Tour, only to quit as you seemed to age out. My last year was 2002 (?), when I realized I was only there to see four bands (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, The Damned). When they announced that this would be the final year of the tour, I hoped they'd reach out to some of the more classic bands that have played in the past, and maybe they did, but you'd never know it by looking at it. This might be why I'm so excited about The Cranking and Skanking Fest. Sure, it's in the parking lot of the Palladium in Worcester which isn't the most glamorous location, and I prefer when ...

Album of the Week : Artist : Jenn Champion Album : Single Rider Quick Description : Latest from the longtime singer-songwriter; first album under the Jenn Champion moniker. Why You Should Listen : You like intense, mature songwriting. Overall Thoughts : I’m racking my brain trying to really describe the experience of this album. It’s very direct, yet still feels ethereal and haunting. It has an urgent aggression to it even in its almost airy and quiet nature. It is especially interesting for the lyrics to stand out and be so blunt when we’re focused on a sound that lends itself to a more metaphoric/allegorical approach. This is my favorite listen of the week because of how it upends the expectations it carries with it, and there’s something kind of cool about that. Recommendation : The best listen in a while. Artist : Cowboy Junkies Album : All That Reckoning Quick Description : Latest from the well-known act. Why You Should Listen : It feels a lot like what you've...

We're huge fans of big, catchy as hell power pop. When you're covering a lot of indie rock and folk, the music tends to be pretty serious and important, so it's great to inject a little bit of fun in what we listen to. Summer Magic might be the best example of that. Their new single, "Hey!," is this burst of both 60's and 90's inflected power pop. It has that sugary, upbeat feel of something like The Archies, but also the sound of early Fountains of Wayne without the snark. "Hey!" is guaranteed to get crammed straight into your brain and be stuck there for a few days at least, but you won't be complaining. You can listen to "Hey!" below. Sharks and Other Dangers , the new album from Summer Magic, will be out August 31. For more on Summer Magic, be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

Somehow Pleasing Some of the People None of the Time , the new album from Minneapolis's J Eastman and The Drunk Uncles, slipped by me when it was released in late spring. I know I heard it, and enjoyed it, but it slipped off my radar. The good news about that is that the album is now available for a free download! The opening song, "Don't Listen to Me," is a bit more straightforward hard rock than I expected it to be. It seems to be the oddity of the bunch, because after that we're back to the boozy haze of country twangified loud power pop that we expect from J Eastman and The Drunk Uncles. Pleasing Some of the People None of the Time  has this amazing Uncle Tupelo meets The Replacements sound that we all need in our lives. You can listen to "Holding On" below. Pleasing Some of the People None of the Time  is now available for the "Name Your Price" option on J Eastman and The Drunk Uncle's Bandcamp . As always, if you download it for f...

Photo by Matthew Lyons Despite hailing from Asbury Park, NJ (one of my personal favorite destinations), Dentist don't sound much like other New Jersey bands. They get called surf rock a lot, but maybe in that way the Pixies kind of had a little bit of a swirling surf rock sound. On their latest single, "Upset Words," Dentist have this incredibly upbeat, bouncy sound. It's pure indie pop rock, but with swirling guitars and a driving force propelling it forward faster than it sounds. It's a blissful fuzzed out romp with instruments seeming to be taking their own routes throughout the song.  You can listen to "Upset Words" below. The new album from Dentist, Night Swimming , will be out July 20 on Cleopatra Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Dentist, be sure to check out their website .

Photo by Tim Duffy I don't know if it's truly possible to describe Lonnie Holley's "I Woke Up in a Fucked-Up America." I think the closest thing we have to it is free jazz, maybe? Except this song is loud, noisy, and dissonant. It might kind of be like some of the more experimental improvisational side projects of Sonic Youth, but this feels more controlled and like it has an actual purpose. From the song title alone I think we can all assume that this is an intensely political song, so you might be able to compare it to Childish Gambino's "This is America," but "I Woke Up in a Fucked-Up America" would be like Childish Gambino on crack. I'm also getting the slightest hints of P-Funk here, but very slight. I'm pretty certain that none of that makes any sense, but this is definitely a song worth listening to. You can watch the video for "I Woke Up in a Fucked-Up America" below. MITH , the new album from Lonnie Holley, ...

Last month we brought you "Unawake," the new single from upstate NY's Bear Grass. Thankfully, we have another new song of theirs to check out, and it's equally as stunning. "Wash Over Me" is a little more shiny and pop-sounding than "Unawake," but they somehow achieve this with dirtier guitars. It starts off as a pretty standard Americana inflected indie rock song, but slowly these swirling and grinding guitars begin taking over until it's an intense mess towards the end. Katie Hammon's vocals keep the entire thing grounded in harmony. We can't wait for this new album. You can watch the video for "Wash Over Me" below. LEFT , the new album from Bear Grass, will be out August 10 on Five Kill Records and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Bear Grass, check out their website .

Photo by Doug Ewing Doing a country/Americana version of a Magnetic Fields song might seem strange, but William Elliott Whitmore may have chosen the perfect one to cover with "Fear of Trains." With lyrics like " It was the army train that took her daddy from her  /  It was the bible train that took her momma too /  And that high loud whistle made her horse run away /  But the straw that broke the camel's back was you," the song was meant to be a country song. Unless you're incredibly familiar with the lyrics of Stephin Merritt, you'd most likely never pick up on this being a Magnetic Fields song since it's such a unique take, that somehow just feels correct. You can listen to William Elliott Whitmore's take on "Fear of Trains" below. It will be included on his upcoming all covers album, Kilonova . That will be out on September 7 via Bloodshot Records, and feature covers of songs by Bad Religion, Johnny Cash, ZZ Top, Captain Beefhe...

I first discovered Jack Drag sometime in the mid to late 90's opening for Letters to Cleo, and was immediately smitten. They had this incredible lo-fi sound, but in a groovy, huge sounding way I had never heard before. I was shocked when they signed to A&M, and thrilled with the release of Dope Box. It was an expanded sound: More polished but in a great way. The band released a few more indie albums after that, but John Dragonetti moved from Boston to LA as part of the great exodus. He got more into producing and released a few albums with The Submarines. Now, Jack Drag is back! There is a new single and a forthcoming album. "Little Lies" is far more polished and pop than anything Dragonetti has released as Jack Drag previously. It's nowhere near as pop as The Submarines, but lies in the middle of later period Jack Drag and The Submarines. There is definitely much more orchestration, and a far more lush sound. But that could be because home recordings are now ...

I've been fairly (ok, ridiculously) obsessed with Vancouver's lié ever since stumbling on them when I saw they were opening for The Dead Milkmen in that area of the continent. Their self described "three piece dark punk" sound just hits me in a sweet spot. Luckily for us, they just released their latest full length, Hounds. Let's attempt to describe lié besides just "dark punk." lié play punk, no question about it. It's an insanely fast, loud version of the genre, which, quite frankly, most punk bands seem to lack these days. But, holy shit is this noisy. It's basically if Bikini Kill and Sonic Youth got angry. Hounds is filled with songs of pure chaos. Usually I love noisy bands like this because they have a controlled sense of chaos, but I don't think lié is completely in control, in all honesty. It sounds as if they plugged in their instruments and were overtaken by some sort of malevolent spirit. If that sounds like your thing, congra...