Tori Amos - "Shush"

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Photo by Kasia Wozniak

If you're a lapsed Tori Amos fan, her new single is the perfect place to jump back on. "Shush" has all of the intensity of Amos' music in the 90's. The song reimagines Amos as having married "... a dangerous, power-hungry billionaire" in her past. The song shows off the beauty of her music mixed with anger and sadness. "Shush" seems to be building and building into a sonic explosion that never quite comes. It's great to see that Amos can still be as vital as ever at age sixty-two, and this latest song stands up amongst her entire body of work.

Tori Amos says of her latest single:

“He represents what we’re dealing with right now. He sees congressmen, senators, and even probably presidents, as people who answer to him and other billionaires, who don’t think you and I should vote. He’s trying to develop the kind of feudal system we had hundreds of years ago. But it doesn’t look like it once did. We don’t look like we’re in the trenches, in the muck. We have all the cool, digital devices now. So it looks different. But it has the same philosophy.” 

You can listen to "Shush" below. In Times of Dragons is out May 1 on Universal/Fontana. For more on Tori Amos, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song and include a July 31 date at Leader Bank Pavillion in Boston, MA.


4/8: Sheffield, UK @ City Hall 

4/10: Birmingham, UK @ Symphony Hall 

4/11: Bristol, UK @ Beacon 

4/13: Manchester, UK @ Apollo 

4/15: Glasgow, UK @ Royal Concert Hall 

4/16: Newcastle, UK @ City Hall 

4/18: Belfast, UK @ Waterfront Hall 

4/19: Dublin, IR @ Bord Gais 

4/21: London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall 

4/24: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Carre Theatre 

4/25: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Carre Theatre 

4/27: Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque Royale

4/28: Paris, FR @ Olympia 

4/30: Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Hall 

5/1: Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle 

5/3: Budapest, Hungary @ Erkel Theatre 

5/5: Milan, Italy @ Teatro Arcimboldi 

5/6: Zurich, Switzerland @ Theater 11 

5/8: Freiburg, Germany @ Konserthaus 

5/10: Munich, Germany @ Circus Krone 

5/12: Warsaw, Germany @ Torwar 

5/14: Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom 

5/16: Hamburg, Germany @ Laeiszhalle 

5/17: Bremen, Germany @ Metropol 

5/19: Copenhagen, Denmark @ Falkoner 

5/21: Stockholm, Sweden @ Cirkus 

5/23: Oslo, Norway @ Concert House 

5/25: Helsinki, Finland @ Finlandia Hall 

5/27: Tallinn, Estonia @ Alexela Concert 

5/28: Riga, Latvia @ Xiaomi Arena 

5/20: Vilnius, Lithuania @ Compensa Hall 

7/7: West Palm Beach, FL @ Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

7/9: Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Walt Disney Theatre

7/10: Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall

7/12: New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre

7/14: Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater

7/15: Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts Center - Winspear Opera House

7/17: Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

7/18: Atlanta, GA @ The Woodruff Arts Center - Atlanta Symphony Hall

7/20: Durham, NC @ DPAC

7/22: Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts - Filene Center

7/24: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre

7/25: New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre

7/27: Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theatre

7/29: Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium

7/31: Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion

8/1: Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia

8/3: Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre

8/4: Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater

8/7: Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre

8/8: Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre

8/10: Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace Theater

8/11: Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre

8/14: Chicago, IL @ Roosevelt University - Auditorium Theatre

8/15: Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater

8/17: Saint Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre

8/18: Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theater

8/20: Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre

8/22: Albuquerque, NM @ University of New Mexico - Popejoy Hall

8/23: Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre

8/25: Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre

8/26: San Diego, CA @ San Diego Civic Theatre

8/28: Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre

8/29: Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre

8/31: Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Convention Center Complex - SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center

9/2: Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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Izzy Heltai - "Father"

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Photo by Joanna Chattman I've been referring to Northampton, MA based Izzy Heltai's music as mainstream modern folk with just enough of a unique spin to keep it appealing to music snobs, too. His latest single, "Father," might be the perfect example of that. It's a quiet, deeply personal song that starts off painfully sparse but ever so slowly builds and builds as it goes on. It walks that line between accessible/mainstream and indie expertly.  You can watch the video for "Father" below. Father , the upcoming debut album from Izzy Heltai, will be out October 9. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Izzy Heltai, check out the artist's website .
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J Mascis - "See You At the Movies"

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Photo via Instagram Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days , his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days  will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit. You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24....
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