If It's Too Loud...

A slightly slower new release week. Album of the Week : Artist : Liza Anne Album : Fine But Dying Quick Description : Calling this a pop record feels like it's selling it short. Why You Should Listen : Come for the apt title we can all agree with, stay for the great songs. Overall Thoughts : While the title of this album feels incredibly apt for our times, what is interesting for this is how Liza Anne deftly straddles the poppy and radio-friendly singer-songwriter angle with some interesting choices (such as the blasts of sound in “Paranoia,” a sneaky great song). I feel like if Allison Weiss found a harder edge instead of a synthesizer, it would sound like Liza Anne, but I’m finding this to be one of my favorite recent listens and is likely to battle Lucy Dacus with a lot of my listening time soon. Recommendation : Easily the favorite of the week. Artist : Smerz Album : Have fun Quick Description : An odd, lovely little indie album. Why You Should Listen : You'...

The dog days of summer are truly upon us. Album of the Week : Artist : Have Gun, Will Travel Album : Science From an Easy Chair Quick Description : Interesting indie rock album with roots influences about Shackleton's excursion 100 years ago. Why You Should Listen : You like concept albums or albums that tend to subvert typical expectations. Overall Thoughts : In what is a very short week for releases, this is a lot of fun but would likely be overlooked otherwise. It's got a lot of really great moments that make it worth your while, though. Recommendation : Probably the one essential album for this week. Artist : Titus Andronicus Album : The Most Lamentable Tragedy Quick Description : New album by indie art rockers. Why You Should Listen : You're enjoyed Titus Andronicus before; challenging indie rock is sometimes your thing. Overall Thoughts : Titus Andronicus hasn't ever really done it for me, and this album has a lot of good moments mixed in with som...

As much as I wish this was a garage rock cover of the Underworld song, this ends up being a fun, rather understated and complex rock song. I didn't love it at first, but the more I go back to it the more I enjoy it. While I haven't liked a lot of the output from The Strokes as of late, but this leads me to believe the new album from Hammond will be worthwhile.