If It's Too Loud...

I've been obsessed with Benjamin Booker since he was added to this year's Newport Folk Festival. Since then, I posted about each single as they were released, and raved about his Newport performance and his headlining show at TT the Bear's. You'd think I'd have burnt myself out on his by now. But I don't think I can. Booker's sound isn't anything completely original, except for the way he blends it all together. He blends Delta blues with 60s Detroit protopunk, all with the energy and charisma of Kurt Cobain. It's a sound completely fresh that feels totally familiar. The album starts with the opening roots riff of "Violent Shiver," and just takes off from there. His energy is high even in the ballads like "Spoon Out Your Eyeballs." He sucks the audience in like a seasoned veteran, and he's only 22. Booker is going to be huge one day. Catch him now before he's playing theaters, or maybe even arenas in 5-10 years.

The 2nd album in a comeback/reunion isn't supposed to be good. Pretty Music For Pretty People is great. Maybe it's because the Dead Milkmen were never hard particularly hardcore band, but they haven't lost a step. While many of their peers have been releasing music about half as aggressive as their classics (or even novelty Christmas albums), this is their hardest album to date. It might be that some of their favorite topics (celebrity, gun control, and even Ronald Reagan) are just as relevant as they were back in the 80s. "Ronald Reagan Killed the Black Dahlia" may be my favorite punk rock conspiracy theory of all time. "The Great Boston Molasses Flood" ties my favorite obscure historical event with the Dresden Dolls. If you still break out any of the Dead Milkmen's back catalog, you'll want to own this one, too.

Back when Somewhere Else  first came out, Jeff pointed me in its direction declaring he just discovered my new favorite singer. Based on the fact that my 10 most played songs on Spotify in 2014 are on Somewhere Else , he might be right. Lydia Loveless hits this sweet spot for me. She's a perfect blend of Lucinda Williams and Paul Westerberg, playing edgy roots rock with just the right amount of twang, filled with swirling, countrified guitars. The fact that I became obsessed with a song called "Head" about oral sex performed by a 22 year old female while in my late 30s would be more embarrassing if it wasn't the best song to come out in 2014. Her voice contains a grit to it that usually takes an artist decades to develop. I can't wait to see how she develops over the next few years.

As much as I always liked Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, I never quite got why people were completely obsessed with the band. On his first solo record, You've Got the Wrong Man , I found out why. Recorded as Fletcher moved from Rhode Island to Tennessee via Georgia, it's a striking four track home recording. It's lo-fi, raw, and gritty, while being as lush and full as a mostly acoustic solo singer-songwriter can get. In a world where Mumford & Sons are folk and Taylor Swift is/was country, this brings back a level of authenticity the mainstream versions of those genres are severely lacking. It's almost corny to compare artists to Hank Williams or Johnny Cash at this point, but those are the direct forefathers to You've Got the Wrong Man.

When I first saw Johnny Marr was releasing solo albums and touring as a frontman, I didn't really care. How many guitar players have tried solo careers and embarrassed themselves? Who would go and see that besides Smiths die hards? Then I saw a video of him performing "How Soon Is Now?" and I realized that I wanted to see Johnny Marr live. Playland , his latest solo effort, is absolutely fantastic. It's just a perfect slice of British pop that blends elements of the 80s, 90s, and even sounds completely current. Plus, the songs are fun. And you get that guitar sound that only Marr can get. There's a reason serious music outlets refer to him as Johnny Fucking Marr. If you get a chance, I implore you to see him live. I like to think of myself as above just wanting to hear the big, iconic megahits. But something about hearing those guitar riffs coming from the man who originated them was one of the best concert experiences I've had in years. You can have Morr...

It's rare for a live album to make a year end release. They're usually overpolished, watered down releases that might as well be a greatest hits package, or maybe a tour souvenir for die hard fans. Live at The Hideout  is great, so it's the exception. It feels like a real set without stripping away mistakes to make it all about the hits. And Screaming Females aren't exactly a hit singles band, so it's an actual set list. It captures the energy and power of their live set as close as you can get to it without being there. It's both a great starting point for the curious and the die hards. If you want the fury of punk with the masterful guitar solos of Dinosaur Jr, you need to get this one.

Slap Back  confused me on the first listen. Back when Sallie Ford was with The Sound Outside, I would describe her as white girl blues for indie rockers. The bluesy sound is almost completely exorcised with The Sound Outside, and her new all girl band has a much edgier, rock sound. This might be literally the only time an act has added keyboards and ended up more rock than before. "Workin' the Job" is one of my favorite songs of the year. It's great seeing someone have the confidence to change their sound so drastically on their third album. I mean, it's not like you're not going to recognize Slap Back  as the same person to have brought you Untamed Beast  last year, but it's definitely a change. I'm very curious what she'll sound like in a year or two as she settles into her new band a bit more.

Mary Timony's newest band, Ex Hex , continues on the fun, party vibe of her previous band, the supergroup of 90s indie fame Wild Flag. Rips  is a fun as hell, upbeat album. It's not quite part of the indie dance music movement, but it's danceable as any of those will ever be. "Waste Your Time" and "How You Got That Girl" have a 60s girl group feel. "Beast" is pure mid-90s alternapop, like Velocity Girl or Belly. It's odd that the album doesn't remind me of Helium at all, since that was Timony's band at the same time of the other bands I keep mentioning. It might be because Helium were on the more rocking side of ethereal while Ex Hex are too fun to be called ethereal. The albums veers close to punk, but more like how the Ramones were punk while being a fun, catchy pop band.

Jeff didn't exactly rave about this album earlier this year , and that's ok. Drive-By Truckers really have 2 reactions: You either don't like them or you're obsessed with them. I fall into the obsessed category. English Oceans is their first release with a slightly retooled line up, which has truly revitalized the band. It also has songwriting duties split evenly between Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. Cooley overcame a writing dry spell in time to record this album. DBT are the type of band that disappoints you when they release an album that is merely good. English Oceans  is great.  It also marks a slight change in sound. After 18 years, they've slowed down a tad, from rambunctious to frisky. They've also stopped playing 3 hour marathon shows and are now stopping around 2. Going on almost 2 decades, that works just about perfectly.