Kerrin Connolly - "Quiet"

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Photo by Jenna Connolly

Next month will see the release of Kerrin Connolly's indie pop rock concept album, and today we can hear the first single from it. "Quiet" sees the Boston artist blow away all expectations with pop music. The song is firmly a pop song, but Connolly does things so differently than the vast majority of pop musicians out there. It sounds like the pop rock of the 90's mixed with modern alt-pop and the creative explosion of 60's pop music. Throughout "Quiet," I was consistently blown away by the unexpected directions the song kept taking. It's a charming song that is impossibly catchy, with enough twists to keep even the snobbiest music fans engaged and entertained for its entire length.

Kerrin Connolly says of her upcoming album:

"This album explores the classic themes of a hero’s journey within the context of the creative process, grief, mental illness, and trying to exist simply in the modern world - but it’s also a love letter to some of my favorite sounds and styles from the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s."

You can listen to "Quiet" below. Simpleton is due out February 20, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Kerrin Connolly, check out the artist on Instagram and Bluesky. There will be an album release show February 21 at The Burren Backroom.

On Repeat...

Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
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Monday Mix: Newport Folk Festival 2014 Must See Bands

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With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting.  Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
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There's a new Limp Bizkit video, because sure, why not?

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Earlier this week I was expressing sympathy for Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit just don't seem to be riding that surge of 90s nostalgia that all sorts of other terrible bands from that era are. Sure, they're terrible. But are they really  that much worse than Filter, Alien Ant Farm, and other bands on those 90s nostalgia packages. And then this video is released. The first lyrics to the song are literally "Go fuck yourself." It then features Fred Durst sitting on a toilet, bikini clad chicks pretending to fellate garden hoses and leaf blowers, and Fred Durst talking about fucking bitches, all while wearing a hoodie and a backwards red baseball hat. Then Lil Wayne comes out. Please keep in mind Fred Durst is a 42 year old man.
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