If It's Too Loud...

This album came out in February and somehow I missed it until this past weekend. I had never heard of Unknown Instructors, either, which is surprising given that the band features J Mascis on guitar, Mike Watt on bass, and fellow Minutemen drummer George Hurley. Vocals are handled by poet Dan McGuire Unwilling to Explain  is a fairly weird album, which is to be expected given that it's a project involving Mascis and Watt. It sounds kind of like The Minutemen dabbling in classic rock, but with Jim Carroll style spoken word and J Mascis cranking out guitar solos. Like I said... pretty weird. What's the weirdest is that it has a fairly standard rock base, but with these weird offshoots going in their own direction.  You can listen to "Hand in Hand" below. Unwilling to Explain  is available now via ORG Music. You can get your copy via Bandcamp . The album also features guest spots from Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction) and Joe Baiza (Saccharine Trust). Unwilli...

Another fairly busy release week. Artist : SOAK Album : Grim Town Quick Description : New album from a talented singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : SOAK's debut was a highlight in 2015. Overall Thoughts : SOAK had one of those sneaky great debuts a number of years ago, and then I hadn’t heard anything for ages. Suddenly? New album, and it is somehow an improvement over an already great sound. Enhanvced production values, somewhat more complicated songs, this ends up being a high-quality listen and a favorite of the week. SOAK bubbled under for much of 2015-2016, and maybe this will be the one to propel her to proper heights. Recommendation : A must-listen this week. Artist : Starflyer 59 Album : Young in My Head Quick Description : Solid alt-rock from a longstanding act. Why You Should Listen : Starflyer 59 has enough longevity to make it worth a listen. Overall Thoughts : For all intents and purposes, I shouldn’t dig this as much as I dig this. Yes, Starf...

Luke Winslow-King spent ten years living and playing music in New Orleans. In 2017 he moved back to his home state of Michigan and hadn't been back to New Orleans for two years. Last Friday he made it back to play the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. To celebrate his return, Winslow-King has released a new single, "Going to New Orleans." "Going to New Orleans" is a mellow and funky celebration. It's a party while still remaining heartfelt. It's the rare slice of Americana you're going to be forced to move to while sitting at your desk waiting for your second or third cup of coffee to kick in. You can listen to "Going to New Orleans" below. The single is available now via Bloodshot Records. You can get a copy here . For more on Luke Winslow-King, check out his website . Going to New Orleans by Luke Winslow-King

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. We go back and remind you of their existence, and help decide if they were any good. I just realized we have yet to do a Forgotten Friday yet this year, so here we go with an old favorite from my college radio days... At Home with the Groovebox  was released by Grand Royal back in 2000. All artists recorded songs with the Roland MC-505 Groovebox. According to Wikipedia, the Roland MC-505 is "...  a combination of a  MIDI controller , a  music sequencer  and a  drum machine." Since this was released on the Beastie Boys label, it's filled with artists either on Grand Royal or friendly with the Beastie Boys. As you can imagine, the results vary wildly, but all are pretty interesting.  One of the better contribut...

Photo by Jennifer Lewis San Francisco's Sarah Bethe Nelson is back with a new single and it continues her own unique version of interesting indie rock. "Paralyzed Waltz" is charmingly lo-fi and minimalist, but it has a full sound, and is as groovy as can be. It sounds like it could be a long lost demo to something out of the 60's. The minimalist feel is definitely intentional. Instead of working with a full band on her upcoming album, Weird Glow  was recorded with just her long time collaborator Rusty Miller in the studio. Nelson says about the song (and this is one of my favorite artist quotes in a long time...):   " Paralyzed Waltz  is loosely about how people perceive you so differently than you perceive yourself and how both of those perceptions are probably wrong. And part of it is just about having a crush on a guy with a broken front tooth."  You can listen to "Paralyzed Waltz" below. Weird Glow  will be out June 28 on Burger Records v...

The 2019 Green River Festival was already can't miss with artists like First Aid Kit, Tyler Childers, Angelique Kidjo, Low Cut Connie, The Suitcase Junket, The Devil Makes Three, Rhiannon Giddens, The Suffers, and many, many more. Today they announced four more bands that somehow make this year's festival even better! Please welcome local artists Home Body (who have a blend of electronic music that will be quite interesting along with the other artists), Mapache (who will bring the best kind of pop Americana along with them), Chicago's gritty hip hop meets a brass band stylings of Lowdown Brass Band, and Fantastic Negrito, one of the greatest live artists I've seen in years. He was on my personal wishlist for this year, so I'm thrilled he'll be joining Green River this year! Of course, he's on my list for every local festival, so... Green River Festival will be held July 12-14 at the Greenfield Community College campus in Greenfield, MA. For more info, ...

Back in February Lucy Dacus released her cover of  "La Vie En Rose" for Valentine's Day, and announced a holidays singles project for this year. The next one up was going to be for "Taurus season," her birthday, her mom's birthday, and Mother's Day. Apparently it's Taurus season, because "My Mother & I" is now out! "My Mother & I" is simply gorgeous. It's quite simply absurd how gorgeous this song is. It's an indie folk/rock track, but with intense orchestration and just a hint of noise rumbling underneath. It's a powerful and heartfelt song, which are descriptions I don't normally mean as a compliment. You can watch the lyric video for "My Mother & I" below. You can purchase a copy via Matador Records here . For more on Lucy Dacus, check out her website .

Photo by Jen Squires The latest single from Merival is a beautiful folk-adjacent song, but there is a strong undercurrent of anxiety filling the song. Some might use the phrase "haunting," but for me "I With Mine" is filled with stress. It might be because of the song's subject matter. According to Merival: "For months on end, I had weekly intense dreams about someone I had dated 6-7 years prior, someone who played a very formative role in my life. It began to feel like a funny loop I had created for myself – this magnetism to somebody who had hurt me very badly but who had nothing to do with my current life. I feared I might have to deal with these thoughts for years to come. I felt powerless. If that person had called me up and asked to see me during that period, I don’t think I would have been able to say no." I sincerely hope my description isn't keeping anyone from listening, since "I With Mine" is a great song. It's defi...

Canadian hip hop might not have the best connotations for those of us of a certain age, but Snotty Nose Rez Kids will change that. As part of the Haisla Nation, Snotty Nose Rez Kids challenge racial stereotypes Indigenous people and other people of color face. Musically their latest single "Creator Made an Animal" reminds me of a 21st century Onyx. I'll let them explain the meaning of the song: “'Creator Made An Animal' carries an aggressive and assertive energy that imitates the way society portrays Indigenous people and People of Colour across Turtle Island. Our ancestors were stereotyped as savages, and we are often regarded as the pissed-off generation who haven’t gotten over what colonization has done to our lands and to our people. Through stylish delivery, we proclaim ourselves as the Father 7th Generation and let the world know that we aren’t changing for anyone. The future is ours! As human beings, we are powerful. It’s integral that we resp...

Photo by John Andrews For the second single off their upcoming album, Olden Yolk went a completely different direction from "Cotton & Cane." While that song was a cheery version of psychedelia, "Distant Episode" is cold and distant. The track sung by Caity Shaffer is almost painfully sparse and definitely not a pop song. It's a non-traditional choice for a single, but still a captivating song. Olden Yolk says about the single: “‘ Distant Episode’ is about rituals of escape, the ties between women, and summoning courage. The title references a Paul Bowles story of the same name, about a linguistics professor whose tongue gets cut out. The video was inspired by a certain time of night, when you can walk down some street and see TV screens flickering on the inner walls of houses .” You can watch the video for "Distant Episode" below. Living Theatre , the new album from Olden Yolk, will be out May 17 on Trouble in Mind. You can pre-order a copy...

A super, super busy week. Artist : Anna Tivel Album : The Question Quick Description : Latest from a favorite folky. Why You Should Listen : Anna Tivel does something a lot more special than you'd initially think. Overall Thoughts : I’m trying to figure out what it is that makes Anna Tivel so compelling. She’s a favorite here, and I assume it’s likely due to the delicate nature of her instrumentation, or maybe it’s because her vocals work so well with the structures of her songs, or maybe it’s just songs like “Minneapolis” (her best songs are named after places), or maybe it’s just because she is so good at what she does from start to finish. This is an obvious must-listen for anyone into the more folkish side of things, and I hope this ends up being an overdue breakthrough for her. Recommendation : Make sure you give this a listen. Artist : Tami T Album : High Pitched and Moist Quick Description : Brutally honest electronic confessionals. Why You Should Listen : ...

Priests Photo by Ken Sears For those of us that attended the Priests show at The Sinclair last Thursday, we were treated to two fantastic sets from two great bands. Both sets were surprising: One was far more energetic than expected, and the other was much more laid back. Gurr, based in Germany but their drummer is from Boston, played first. I had never heard of them until it was announced they were opening the show, and I spent a little bit of time with their music before the show. It was good, but nothing that really stood out for me. Their albums are mostly laid back alternative pop. Just a chilled out vibe even on their Gurr Photo by Ken Sears more energetic songs. Live they have a completely different vibe, coming across like Sleater-Kinney being joined by Kathleen Hanna from the "Bull in the Heather" video trying to secretly form Le Tigre. They apologized a ton for laughing too much in songs, and seemed to feel like they were putting on a bad show, but for the...

Fresh off the heels off last month's new song "stunned" comes another new song from Sebadoh, this one also written and sung by Jason Lowenstein. "raging river" is quite different from "stunned" (one of the reasons I've always loved Sebadoh is how different their songs tend to be from each other). While "stunned" was a noisy, abrasive punk-ish song, "raging river" is a lot more laid back. In fact, it's more of a groovy country-ish song. Of course, it's a Jason Lowenstein penned groovy country-ish song, so it's still pretty loud and abrasive. You can watch the video for "raging river" below. Act Surprised , the upcoming album from Sebadoh, will be out May 24 on Dangerbird. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Sebadoh, be sure to check out their website , including their current tour dates.

When there's a new song from Boston's Doug Tuttle, we know what to expect at this point. "Did You Need Someone" fits in perfectly with Tuttle's previous work. The new song is 70's era influenced singer/songwriter fare. It's laid back not-quite-folk with a mellow groove. But Tuttle does this sound so adeptly it's practically perfect. This isn't him trying out a new sound or branching out, but when you do something as good as he does this, it's exactly what we want. You can listen to "Did You Need Someone" below. Dream Road , Doug Tuttle's fourth full length album, will be out May 31 on Burger Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Doug Tuttle, check out his website .

The Slaughterhouse Society recently staged a theatrical production of Dracula  in Cambridge, MA. Normally that isn't normally the kind of thing we cover, but when our favorite steamcrunkers Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys supply the theme song, we have to bring it to your attention. "Bloodless" is exactly the type of song you'd expect the folk/punk/metal/vaudeville/rock/burlesque troupe to come out with for a play about Dracula. It's heavily creepy and eerie, but it's somehow also an industrial party banger? Yeah, it's virtually perfect. You can listen to "Bloodless" bel ow. For more on the band, be sure to check their Facebook and Twitter . If you happen to be in the Boston area, be sure to check them out  April 12 at Oberon in Cambridge, May 2 at The Sinclair in Cambridge for the TRC Fest,  May 11 on the Waltham common as part of the Watch City Steampunk Festival, and June 22 with Eddie Japan at the Iron Horse Music Hall in No...

Photo by Eleanor Petry Black Belt Eagle Scout (aka Portland based artist Katherine Paul) has released a new single called "Loss & Relax." "Loss & Relax" was originally meant to be included on last year's album Mother of My Children  but was not on the album as it continued to evolve. The final version is a lush and exquisite folk song, at least at first. While it may start off as folk, the song slowly builds and progresses, reaching an almost hard rock crescendo.  Katherine Paul explains the song:  “ As I was writing the guitar line, I kept seeing the water of the Salish Sea and the local ferries drifting people in and out of place. Ferries are such a beautiful part of my childhood and served as a major form of transportation. Thinking about my home and how canoes have turned into ferries is a sad, but also beautiful thought. Nowadays with Canoe Journeys, canoes are alongside ferries, roaming our waters to lands, sharing customs and culture. That i...

Photo by Chiara Ceccaioni Sometimes music isn't meant to be nice to listen to. Esya, the solo project of  Ayşe Hassan of Savages and Kite Base), has just released a fantastic new single that's not exactly a comfortable listen. "Nothing" has a droning baseline throughout and an awkward drumbeat that you can't quite figure out. It's a pattern (maybe?) but definitely not a simple one. Hassan's voice is the one thing that can be considered traditionally nice to listen to, and stands out as a lifeline holding you into the song. And, somehow, you can almost dance to the whole thing. But, for those of us that like awkward, unsettling music, "Nothing" will be glorious. You can watch the video for "Nothing" below. Absurdity of ATGC (I) , the new EP from Esya, will be out May 24. You can pre-order a copy at Bandcamp . For more on Esya, check out her website .

Toronto's Grizzly Coast has released a single that perfectly dances on the line of pop and folk. "Half-Light Boy" is this ideal little pop rock song that is somehow both upbeat and haunting. Grizzly Coast explains the meaning behind the song: "I was walking home from the grocery store one evening, lugging way too many bags for one girl to carry comfortably. Passing by a venue, I noticed that someone who once held a big place in my life was playing a show there that very night. There was a time when I felt close to this person. Having always been one of their biggest supporters, not getting an invite to their show that was right in my neighbourhood left me feeling pretty small. I went home and wrote this new song as a confrontation that I knew I would never bother to actually have." It's a song that could be a depressing, mopey number, but Grizzly Coast somehow keeps it almost danceable. Not quite, but close. You can watch the video for ...