If It's Too Loud...

Without any new releases to speak of, we still have a few albums left over from this year that we didn't look at: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Paper Mache Dream Balloon : I'm always intrigued with bands that do the psych rock thing, if only because the Elephant Six pastiche was so well-rooted in that tradition. Out of nowhere comes King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and I think the best way I can describe them is like a throwback to late-1990s/early 2000s Of Montreal in all the best ways. A fun, frolicky acoustic affair that deserves a listen, it's something I wish I heard a long time earlier. Maybe the best of the batch of stuff we missed initially. Absolutely give this a shot this week. Babes - Untitled (Five Tears) : I was obsessed with " ATMO ," a song from Babes's debut EP (and a video that's probably NSFW for most places), for some time. I had missed that they had finally put out a proper album. This band of siblings does the whole ...

A pretty sparse plate for the holiday weekend in the States. Zoe Muth - World of Strangers : Pick of the week for me is Zoe Muth's latest effort. There seems to be a glut of alt-country songstresses as of late, and Muth takes the more traditionalist line, but stands out due to really strong songwriting, catchy hooks, and without skimping on the production. It doesn't feel overly twangy, and that's a good thing, too. All her albums are worthwhile, but this is absolutely worth a listen for this week. Babes - Babes : Debut EP from buzzy blog band Babes, the four songs are actually a lot more understated than I expected. Sometimes harkening back to the girl group melodies of 50 years ago, it's a really solid lo-fi affair that has left me wanting more and wondering what a full length might sound like. Worth keeping in mind. Owen Pallett - In Conflict : Owen Pallett, better known by some as Final Fantasy or the guy who does the strings for Arcade Fire, is back with...