If It's Too Loud...

Clearing the decks... Artist : Kylie V Album : Big Blue Quick Thoughts : This album is incredible, and I hate that I missed it early on. Kylie V has done something truly special here in that it's a unique voice and tone while still feeling as familiar as a lot of recent efforts. This will likely end up on a few year-end longlists, including mine, because it's that good. Songs of Note : "A Story If You Want It," "On My Mind" Artist : Galactikraken and Jonathan Young Album : Starship Velociraptor Quick Thoughts : This will be divisive for most people, but think about if The Darkness did synth rock and you might scratch the surface of what's going on with Galactikraken. It's an absolutely insane album of music that is loud and caphophonic, but is somehow still incredibly compelling. I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly mine. Songs of Note : "Glory or Gold," "Settle It With a Sword...

Photo by Savanna Morales I know, I know... two Christmas songs in one day, but I think you'll forgive us on this one. The Aquadolls have released a ska punk cover of The Waitresses' immortal holiday song "Xmas Wrapping." Ska punk covers are their own punchline most times, but I don't think there's a song more begging for a ska punk version than "Xmas Wrapping." The original is one of the more fun non-traditional classics out there, and The Aquadolls amp that up with this one. Plus, it's produced by Fat Mike of NOFX and even features Angelo Moore of Fishbone on saxophone and El Jefe of NOFX on trumpet for some extra cred. Melissa Brooks of The Aquadolls says of the cover: "Every year when the weather starts getting colder (and in California terms meaning we go from blistering hot weather to a breezy 70 degrees) it means it’s time for the holiday season. "This leads to our not-so-friendly winter companion: seasonal depression. Christmas t...

Back in October we brought you "Haunted Horror Howl," the fantastic Halloween song from Dave Del Monte & The Cross County Boys. The New Milford, CT rockabilly band are back with a new song for Christmas. "Ghost of Christmas Past" is a rockabilly take on A Christmas Carol. It's a modern take on Charles Dickens' tale, mainly because the novella is from 1843, so rockabilly is quite modern compared to nearly two hundred years ago. But, classic rock 'n' roll is a perfect sound for a Christmas song. The best Christmas classics are fun, and "Ghost of Christmas Past" is sure to become a new annual favorite for you. You can listen to "Ghost of Christmas Past" below. The song is currently available as a download via Bandcamp . For more on Dave Del Monte & The Cross County Boys, check out the artist's Facebook . Ghost of Christmas Past by Dave Del Monte & The Cross County Boys

Photo by Cara Totman It takes a lot to get me to go out to the House of Blues. It's just a huge (by my standards) venue that rarely has artists I like playing. Plus, I hate parking near Fenway Park, and in the winter I hate a $5.00 coat check. But, how could I possibly say no to a double bill of Massachusetts rock legends Dinosaur Jr and The Lemonheads? Seeing as this was a Big Rock Show opening up for another band at a huge hometown venue, I assumed this would be a night of big hits for Evan Dando and The Lemonheads. I was happily wrong. Sure, they played a ton of fan favorites, but they were hardly the bigger hits. There was no "Into Your Arms" or "It's a Shame About Ray" played on this Saturday night, and definitely no "Mrs. Robinson." This might have been the first time I've seen The Lemonheads or Evan Dando without them playing "The Outdoor Type." The more well known songs played this night were "If I Could Talk I'd Tell...

We've been fans of Justin Golden's ever since we discovered his music way back in 2016. The Richmond, VA artist has just had this compelling mix of throwback blues and smooth vocals we can't resist. He recently surprise released a new EP, Idle Hands EP. While the new release does have what we have come to want and expect from Golden, it does show off a newer sound for the artist. The EP opens with "Lullaby for Elle," an instrumental track that clocks in at just under a minute and a half. It starts off with some folk/blues guitar, but slowly an orchestral sound of feedback (?) slowly enters the song, letting you know that this will be a bit different. "Guiding Light" is a folk song that is as gorgeous as it is powerful. The EP closes out with two songs we've previously covered, "Arm's Length" and "It Ain't Much," but are still well worth a listen. You can listen to "Guiding Light" below. For more on Justin Golden,...

The Natvral is the newest project from Kip Berman, formerly of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It allows him to show off his more folk and roots side, and you don't get more folk and roots than covering The Byrds. For The Natvral's newest single, Berman recruited Jen Goma for a cover of "The Ballad of Easy Rider," the theme song for Easy Rider . It's an iconic song, and probably much more folk pop than you remember it being. Goma takes on lead vocals for the song, and it's definitely a more modern folk take on the original. It's a little more lush, but not by much. The original is a fairly pop take on folk, by 2021 standards. This is a great cover that the majority of our readers are going to really enjoy. You can listen to The Natvral and Jen Goma's version of "The Ballad of Easy Rider" below. The song is available for the "name your price" option over at The Natvral's Bandcamp. For more on The Natvral, check out the artist...

Now that we've made it through Thanksgiving, it's officially ok to start posting Christmas music. We almost didn't make it this year because this new single from India Ramey is just so great. "Cocktail for Christmas" has a vintage country feel but amped up a little for the modern times. It's simply about drinking your way through the holidays because sometimes you just need to when your family starts talking politics. When a song includes the line "I'll be lit up like a Christmas tree by the time the turkey's done," how can you not love it? This kind of song is perfect for fans of Nikki Lane, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, or Sierra Ferrell's Christmas single from last year. You can listen to "Cocktail for Christmas" below. For more on India Ramey, check out the artist's website .

Coming out of Seattle, The Cheap Cassettes are a band out of time. Their latest single proves this since "She Ain't Nothin' Like You" sounds like it should have been released around fifty years ago. The song is pure, vintage Cheap Trick/Big Star style power pop. It doesn't sound like anything from this century. This is the kind of song you'd hear a snippet of as part of a late night TV commercial for old timey compilation CDs. "She Ain't Nothing Like You" is a glorious throwback to a time most of us have only experienced through pop culture. You can listen to "She Ain't Nothing Like You" below. The song is available as a single with the B-side "Cold Sundays" now via Rum Bar Records. You can get a copy over at Bandcamp . For more on The Cheap Cassettes, check out the band's Facebook . She Ain’t Nothin’ Like You/Cold Sundays (Digital Single) by The Cheap Cassettes

Photo by Santiago Dietche Austin, TX's Sun June have an expanded version of their 2021 album Somewhere coming out in January and have released the first bonus track from that release. "Easy" fits perfectly with the band's excellent album. It's a light, breezy track that fits into the space between indie rock, dream pop, and folk perfectly. Fans of all three genres could make a case that Sun June are theirs, but a song like "Easy" belongs to them all. It's the kind of song you're going to want to pull out during the summer. It's such a wonderfully laid back track that deserves to be listened to driving around or hanging out on a porch when the weather is much kinder outside. Laura Colwell says of the new song: “‘Easy’ is a romantic struggle song. It’s about love and partnership and longstanding arguments that are hard to get past.  We started working on it after quarantine was lifted. Everyone had been cloistered alone for months, so frustrati...

St. Louis based band The Centaurettes are a trio made up of three queer members and two people of color. All three are vocalists, and they have branded their take on punk "pastel punk." While that does convey the warmness of their music, it ignores the absolute power behind it. Their latest single, "Trust Fund Tree," is this amazingly powerful loud/quiet/loud burst of punk. It is filled with this giant and loud guitar, vocals that will melt your face off, and more venom than you thought possible. If I'm going to do the music journalist thing and make a clever comparison, it would be Nirvana and the Melvins meets Mannequin Pussy. Bianca Maldonado says of the new single: "Trust Fund Tree is an ode to putting yourself first, even when it hurts. It recalls my youth of being trapped by controlling family and crushing expectations dangled on strings of generational wealth. I chose to break away and carve a path of my own happiness, even though it meant stripping ...

Artist : Weakened Friends Album : Quitter Quick Thoughts : Ah, Weakened Friends. No local/regional act has gotten better and better over time than this band, and while their debut album was a favorite in these parts, this new record is somehow even better. Song after song after song is an absolute winner, and the extra polish is just icing on an already delicious cake. I say "this should be their breakthrough" a lot, but this should really put this band on the map. An absolutely stellar release, and I'm interested in seeing how many year-end lists this ends up on. Songs of Note : "Bargain Bin," "Quitter," "Everything is Better," "Tunnels" Artist : Yucky Duster Album : III Quick Thoughts : Yucky Duster is another underrated band that I really enjoy and doesn't get enough love. This final, posthumous collection of indie rock tracks keeps the band on the trajectory they've been on for some time, and the songs are ...

If you're a long time Wu-Tang Clan fan, it's going to be impossible to not like the latest from Remedy. The Wu-Tang affiliated rapper's latest single, "Crazy 8's," sounds like late 90's Wu-Tang, plus it features a cast of seven guest MCs that include Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, and Cappadonna. This literally sounds like a lost song from Wu-Tang Forever. It has that same gigantic cinematic feel with the classic kung fu samples from Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). All that being said, "Crazy 8's" doesn't feel like a nostalgia fest or a throwback. Something about it still feels current and modern. You can watch the video for "Crazy 8's" below. Remedy Meets Wu-Tang  is due out November 26. For more on Remedy, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by James Brown Hailing from Leeds, Yard Act are threatening to become the next huge thing out of England. The band's new single, "Payday," imagines a bizarre world where Blur skipped out on the whole Britpop thing around the time of Parklife to become an experimental post punk band that also was really into funk. Needless to say, "Payday" has a wonderfully unique sound with buzzing and swirling guitars and all sorts of odd little twists and turns. We've been late to jump on this bandwagon, so you're going to want to jump on and join us ASAP. Singer James Smith says of the new song: “ ‘Payday’ was one of the few tracks on the record we had to rebuild completely in the studio because the first demo was recorded on my computer and the hard drive corrupted. We spent about TWO hours trying to figure out that stupid keyboard part I'd put on it and couldn't remember how to play. It was boring but worth it. It's about gentrification, class feti...

Photo by Esteban Haga Alison Clancy moved from California to New York City with the dream of becoming a dancer. She became a dancer with The Metropolitan Opera, becoming a dance soloist in early 2020 for Wagner's  Der Fliegende Holländer . When the Met was forced to shut down in March, Clancy was introduced to Father Graeme Napier of St. John's Church in the West Village. She was invited to live on the church campus as an artist in residence, and recorded an EP as part of the project. The first song off that EP, "Mutant Gifts," features Clancy on vocals and electric guitar accompanied by cellist Brent Arnold. The song is an eight and a half minute epic that meanders its way around inside your brain. At times it's completely experimental, and at others almost mainstream. It's going to remind you of some of the members of Sonic Youth's more out there solo work, but with one foot planted in traditional song structure... at times. There are moments of the song...

It was three years almost to the day since I had last seen Weakened Friends. That's a long time to not see one of your favorite bands, especially when they're fairly local. When the band announced a two night stand at the tiny O'Brien's Pub, I knew I had to go, especially seeing as they hand picked their openers which are a who's who of Boston indie rock right now. First up was Oldsoul. This is a band I'm wasn't that familiar with. I saw their name on multiple bills I wanted to go to, but never quite make it. As this show got closer, I listened to them on Spotify a bit. I enjoyed them, but nothing prepared me for their live show. Oldsoul on record is a pretty tame indie rock band with some strong pop sensibilities. Live they are an absolute beast of a band. They played far heavier than I could ever have expected them to, especially since I think I have been confusing them with another band that leans a little folkier than they are. This was pure indie rock f...

Photo via Facebook I'm pretty sure this is the first hip hop we've brought you from Buffalo, NY, but we're thrilled to help you discover Che Noir. "Praises" has this ultra laid back feel to the song that still has some underlying intensity, like a next generation Snoop Dogg, especially in the chorus. The "Shea Butter Queen" has this flow that's feels like a warm embrace. It's closer to listening to a close friend tell a story than it is listening to a performer. Plus, the stripped back instrumentation has a hypnotic quality that makes you pay even closer attention to "Praises." This is the kind of song that is not only going to have you diving into Che Noir's 2020 release As God Intended  but the entire Buffalo hip hop scene. You can listen to "Praises" below. Food for Thought is due out on December 17. For more on Che Noir, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Tristan Williams No other artist out there tweaks their sound album to album quite like David Wax Museum does. It feels like they've been cranking out new music lately, all without sounding anything like the previous release. The band has a new single out, and "Love Light" continues the band's constant evolution. Gone is the electronic adjacent sounds they've been playing with before. In it's place David Wax Museum are dipping into a chilled out folk version of neo-soul. This is a perfect direction for the band to take, with the warm sounds of their music mixing perfectly with this style. As honeyed as the majority of vocals and instruments are in "Love Light," the one exception is the fiddle which cuts into the song with a harsh swoop. We get excited for every release from David Wax Museum, but this upcoming one feels a little extra special. You can listen to "Love Light" below. Remember My Future is due out December 31. For now y...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz A Place to Bury Strangers have been masters of huge, loud, noisy rock for over a decade now, but they still find ways to surprise. Their new single, "Let's See Each Other," is still loud and discordant as hell, but instead of a giant rock song it seems more electronic than standard rock. The song is a giant swirling concoction of noise rock and experimental electronic sounding like Aphex Twin decided to rock out while still not leaving his couch. This is the kind of music for those of us who haven't been posting obsessively about Taylor Swift for the past week. If you want your rock huge and aggressive with plenty of psychedelia and electronic elements, check out "Let's See Each Other." You can watch the video for "Let's See Each Other" below. See Through You is due out February 4 on Dedstrange. You can pre-order the album here . For more on A Place to Bury Strangers, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour d...

Photo by Noah Kalina There's a certain segment of the population will listen to anything if they hear the name "Steve Albini," and I'm definitely one of those. Queens, NY's The Forms enlisted Albini to record some music which includes their new single "All Souls Day." The new song is about as far away from traditional rock as you can get. Most of the song is built around bass steel pan, and also include tack piano, rhodes, and hammond organ. The result is this hypnotic song with lyrics that sound quietly chanted in a way that feels like you're hearing some kind of ceremony happening in the next room. The song has an intensely personal vibe even at the larger parts. The Forms have created this unique sound that you need to check out. Alex Tween of The Forms says of the new song: "The 'soul' of our song 'All Souls Day' is the bass steel pan, a deep sonorous mysterious magical musical instrument we had never heard before that sounds...