If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Josaleigh Pollett Album : If I Let it Quiet Quick Thoughts : Josaleigh Pollett had my favorite album of 2023 , and there are several songs from that record, three years later, that remain in heavy rotation. I'm not going to say, after a few days, that If I Let It Quiet is better, but I am obsessed nonetheless. On what is functionally their third fuill-length collaboration with Jordan Watko / Crowd Shy, it's incredible to see Pollett's songwriting and presentation leap forward from album to album. The lush electronics underpinning so many of these songs are perfect : the ambient bed below "Cherry" feels like a sequel to "YKWIM," "Bed of Quiet" incorporates some Chris Walla guitar work for some modern crunch, "The Witness" trades Pollett's understated, lower-register vocals with a truly full sound behind their lyrics, and even lead single "Radio Player" feels whole and complete as it builds toward its end....

Artist : Virgins Album : nothing hurt and everything was beautiful Quick Thoughts : One of my favorite listens this week. An absolutely stunning shoegazey listen with song after song after song that is a fuzzed-out masterpiece. I didn't know Virgins before this week, but I am absolutely keeping them on my radar - echoes of Field Mouse and Summit Point. Songs of Note : "softer," "palefire," "sunspots" Artist : Tusks Album : Gold Quick Thoughts : Tusks is similarly an unknown for me, but this is an electronic-adjacent record with a lot going for it. Melodic, hook-laden tracks across the board, but "Wake" and "Artificial Flame" in particular have a lot of staying power. Make time this week. Songs of Note : "Wake," "Artificial Flame," "The Way," "Strangers" Artist : Aaron Lee Tasjan Album : Stellar Evolution Quick Thoughts : We're big fans of Aaron Lee Tasjan here, and while t...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Aaron Lee Tasjan continues to surprise with each new single from his upcoming album. "Dylan Shades" has barely any of the alt-country that defined his sound back when we first discovered his music. (In fact, the only alt-country sound might be a little twang in Tasjan's vocals at the beginning of the song.) Instead, this new single is a synth pop power ballad that could have sounded at home on the radio thirty plus years ago. It's a gorgeous and uplifting song that truly lets Tasjan's vocals shine in a way we haven't heard before. After hearing the various singles that have been released so far off of his upcoming album, and the only artist I can think of that has genre hopped this much within one album might be Beck. Aaron Lee Tasjan says of his upcoming album: “The record became a sort of rallying cry for being who you are in a time when people literally wanna try to make it illegal to do that.  I felt like it was really important to ...

Photo by Shervin Lainez We're getting pretty used to Aaron Lee Tasjan defying all genres in his music and sounding however he wants song to song, but we weren't expecting his latest single to be a slacker anthem that would make Beck and Pavement proud. "The Drugs Did Me" is about Tasjan's past drug use and his road to sobriety, so it's far more earnest and positive than anything released in the 90's would have been allowed to be. His delivery in the song is very comparable to Beck, but musically it's somehow even more cut and paste than Beck's 90's output, while still being a cohesive song. It's like an alt-country meets electronic music and hip hop mash up that couldn't be made by anyone besides Aaron Lee Tasjan. Aaron Lee Tasjan says of his latest single: “‘The Drugs Did Me’ was written about halfway through the recording of the album. I had the whole song demoed as a sort of Nick Lowe/Rockpile type 80s rock song and it was producer G...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Back in 2021, Aaron Lee Tasjan blew us away with Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! It was my #4 album of that year, and saw Tasjan pushing the boundaries of country and alt-country further than possible. He's back with a new single that bursts through those boundaries, and keeps pushing. "Horror of it All" is a synth heavy song that is mostly pop, but also has a surprising amount of indie rock injected, too. It's a song obviously inspired by 80's synth-pop, but also 90's guitar heavy indie rock. Tasjan moves through these sounds masterfully and makes the entire thing blend together effortlessly. If we thought Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! was hard to define, get ready for his next album! Aaron Lee Tasjan says of his latest single: “When I think of what scares me the most about ‘being myself,’ is that I’ll get rejected for it. This song examines the concepts of both rejection and self-acceptance through metaphors of childhood playground heartbreak and t...

I first discovered Aaron Lee Tasjan opening for Margo Price. He was a perfect opener for Price, with his "indie folk grit" dabbling into country with some pop sensibilities. On Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! , he blows up that sound completely. His 2021 album still has some of the sensibilities of folk and country, but it leans much more heavily into pop territory without being pop. The album also has a distinct 70's meets 2021 vibe to it.  Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! mixes so many styles into its songs that it has basically created a genre since you wouldn't listen to this album and declare that it's folk, or country, or pop, or rock. On this album, Tasjan is also very open about his sexuality (particularly in songs like "Up All Night" and "Feminine Walk"), which also helps make this album feel like it's Tasjan truly being Tasjan. Plus, it's an incredibly fun album. It takes all the fun you would find in 70's AM radio, classic country, neo fo...

Photo via Facebook I discovered both Aaron Lee Tasjan and Tristen opening up for other artists. Tasjan was opening for Margo Price back in 2018 and Tristen opened for Justin Townes Earle way back in 2012. I hadn't been able to see either since, and considering both released albums this year that will most likely be in my top ten of the year, I simply couldn't miss this double bill. I've been desperately wanting to see Tristen again for the past nine years, but she rarely makes it up to the Boston area, and the couple of times she has it just hasn't worked out for me. This was a stripped down show with just Tristen and her husband Buddy Hughen on vocals and guitar. Considering how much her sound has expanded in the nine years I've been listening to her, it was great to hear her songs stripped down to just guitar and vocals. Despite having a fantastic brand new album to promote, Tristen played a career spanning set that opened with "Matchstick Murder" from 2...

Photo via Facebook To honor the late Neal Casal, The Neal Casal Music Foundation and Royal Potato Family have put together a massive forty one track tribute album. The latest song is "Traveling After Dark" which is covered by Aaron Lee Tasjan. Listening to the two songs back to back and "Traveling After Dark" may have been the perfect song for Tasjan to cover. Casal's version is a singer/songwriter folk-ish song with some serious pop leanings. Tasjan's version is basically exactly the same but with just a little more twang. Both are gorgeous songs that you're going to need to check out immediately.  You can watch the video for Aaron Lee Tasjan's cover of "Traveling After Dark" below. Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal is due out November 12 and will also feature Casal songs covered by Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, Bob Weir, Hiss Golden Messenger, Fruit Bats, Steve Earle and the Dukes, Billy Strings, J Mascis, Dori Freeman, Puss...

Artist : Nana Yamato Album : Before Sunrise Quick Description : Your new favorite lo-fi indie artist has arrived. Why You Should Listen : This grabbed me within minutes of the first song. Overall Thoughts : I can't be more effusive about Before Sunrise than to say that this is borderline relevatory. Nana Yamato has put forward an album that both can't exist in any other time and yet feels somewhat timeless in its execution. It's indie, it's DIY, but it also feels incredibly deep, with some weight behind it. "Do You Wanna" is great, "Gaito" is great, the whole package is wonderful. I can't wait to go back to this one. Recommendation : Easily the best of the week. Artist : Editrix Album : Tell Me I'm Bad Quick Description : Loud, brash, unapologetic indie punk. Why You Should Listen : Asks a lot of the listener, but to great reward. Overall Thoughts : This was an unexpected surprise. Punk rock, on a whole, can be hit-or-miss for...

Photo via Facebook Aaron Lee Tasjan is such a difficult artist to try to describe. His latest single, "Don't Overthink It," has a strong base in Americana, but it's not even remotely country, folk, bluegrass, alt-country, singer/songwriter, etc. But yet it is all those things... somewhat. The song also has a little bit of a space element, and some New Wave, and some classic rock. It almost kind of sounds like if David Bowie went country during the 70's, while still sounding like it's music from 2021. All this, and there is still a mainstream element that will appeal to non-weirdos. Tasjan is making great music that truly defies genres while possibly appealing to the masses, which is one of the rarest combinations out there. You can watch the video for "Don't Overthink It" below. Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! will be out February 5 on New West Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Aaron Lee Tasjan, check out his website .

Photo via Facebook Aaron Lee Tasjan is making some of the most interesting and unique country inflected music out there. Tasjan's latest single, "Feminine Walk," isn't going to be for country purists. That's mainly because it isn't straight up country. It's a really diverse blend of alt-country, 80's pop, and 70's classic rock. It sounds completely modern and current while still having some throwback vibes from decades ago. The closest comparison I can come to is if David Bowie followed up his weirdo 70's phase with an 80's country phase. You can listen to "Feminine Walk" below. Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! , the upcoming album from Aaron Lee Tasjan, will be out February 5 on New West Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Aaron Lee Tasjan, check out the artist's website .

Here comes the last third of the year... Album of the Week : Artist : Riley Pinkerton Album : Nothing Ever Is Quick Description : Debut full-length from a favorite here. Why You Should Listen : We've been a fan for a while, and her previous releases have been great. Overall Thoughts : My favorite listen of the week is this rootsy album. It’s rare that an album can feel both vulnerable and fragile while also basically being in your face. So many great songs on this album that we’ve been waiting on since her EP landed a few years back, and the end result is something that feels familiar without feeling derivative. Recommendation : Absolutely worth your time this week. Artist : Juanita Stein Album : Until the Lights Fade Quick Description : New album from a compelling indie artist. Why You Should Listen : It both fits in with some of the alt-rock throwbacks while still feeling new and different. Overall Thoughts : I had a couple of Juanita Stein’s songs hit the Spot...

Since Margo Price had my #3 album of 2016 and my #1 album of 2017 and her set was the highlight of the 2016 Green River Festival, I've been dying to see her perform her own show, but it's just never worked out until this past Wednesday, when her Nowhere Fast tour came to Boston at the Paradise. Knowing it's only a matter of time until she moves out of clubs, I had to go out too late on a work night. Playing her own set in front of her own adoring fans and not a shortened festival set in front of a crowd gave Price more freedom. She moved from guitar to keyboards and even drums in a way that felt organic and not just showing off. If she did showing off, she did it in her absolute mastery of a live performance. She and her band are impossibly polished for clubs, and it showed in each and every song. Songs like "A Little Pain" and "All American Made" just take on a whole new life live. My favorite song at Green River was once again my favorite at the Pa...