If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Genesis Baez One of our favorite things about Big Thief is how much the band continues to evolve their sound. Their latest single, "All Night All Day," has some of the bare bones of their earlier more folky sound, but it's mostly a departure. Instead, this new single has a 70's AM radio mixed with pop and some alt-country sounds. There is also some ethereal and dream-like instrumentation throughout, giving the listener a sense of floating while listening. The song feels like that sensation you get just as you begin to drift off to sleep but aren't quite there yet. If I needed to compare it to other artists, I'd go with Fleetwood Mac meets Wilco. You can listen to "All Night All Day" below. Double Infinity is due out September 5 on 4AD, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Big Thief, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include an October 21 date at MGM Music Hall at Fenway. Wed. Sept. ...

Photo by Dirk Leunis Belgium-based and American-born artist Tucker Zimmerman is set to release his eleventh album Friday, and we have one more song to check out before it comes out. Much like "Buried at Sea," "Lorelei" is a duet with Adrianne Lenker. This one is a fairly traditional folk and singer-songwriter track made much better by the talent involved. Zimmerman's eighty-three years can be heard in his voice, which seems to add to the depth of the song. Plus, we're never going to say no to a song that features Lenker. "Lorelei" is a laid back song that displays a great sense of beauty. This is the type of song that you're going to enjoy if you like any type of folk or Americana. Tucker Zimmerman says of his new single: “I'm turning Lorelei on her head in this song. Enough luring sailors on the river to their destruction. Time to head for the hills with a silver harp and bring some peace into the world.” You can listen to "Lorelei...

Photo by Dirk Leunis For his eleventh studio album (and first on 4AD), American-born and Belgium-based artist Tucker Zimmerman teamed with Big Thief, who produced and performed on the album. The first single, "Burial at Sea," is a duet with Adrianne Lenker, and if you like Big Thief's folkier side, you're going to love this one. It's a laid back modern folk song that rambles a little bit, but not enough to be considered ramblin'. "Burial at Sea" has the feel of people hanging out on a porch or by a fire and just playing music for the love of playing music. It's just more well polished than that. This is my personal introduction to Tucker Zimmerman, but it's more than enough to get me to spend the rest of the day exploring his back catalog. Big Thief says of working with Tucker Zimmerman" “It was an extreme honor to make a record with one of the greatest songwriters of all time. We believe in this music with all of our hearts, and we hope...

Photo by Noah Lenker There are a lot of bands doing the indie rock meets Americana thing these days, but no one nails it quite like Big Thief. The band just released a new single that is the pinnacle of the genre. "Born for Loving You" is a cheery and breezy song that lands right in between indie rock and folk. Buck Meek's trademark guitar gives the song the perfect level of fuzzy twang, and the song is perfect for both holding onto the last days of summer and welcoming fall. The song just sounds like a hug can feel, and if you can't get into "Born for Loving You," you may need to check to see if you have a soul. You can listen to "Born for Loving You" below. The song will be the B-side to the "Vampire Empire" 7" due out on October 20 via 4AD, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Big Thief, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Shervin Lainez Despite making relatively traditional music, Buck Meek truly has his own sound. Despite the Big Thief guitarist's distinctive voice and vocal style, even the playing on his latest single, "Paradise," has it's own specific sound. The new single is almost painfully slow and oddly hypnotic. Meek's vocals seem to go on at their own pace, speeding up and slowing down as the mood changes, with instrumentation that's almost too sparse. "Paradise" is the kind of song that shouldn't work, and couldn't with any other artist. Buck Meek has almost created his very own genre of folk. Buck Meek says of his latest single: “Sometimes when you half-hear something spoken, something unspoken inside the words is revealed. Your mind fills in the blank, finishes the sentence, infers deep meaning - though you still can’t fully explain it. Jolie Holland sent me some of the lyrics for this song, about feeling in awe of the vastness within a lo...

Photo by Sherin Lainez Aside from being the guitarist in Big Thief, Buck Meek has been quite the established solo artist. His 2021 album Two Saviors  was a favorite of mine, and now he's back with new music. "Haunted Mountain," co-written with Jolie Holland, is a ramblin' style country song. It has just the slightest hints of indie rock, but other than that this is just a straight up country/Americana track. It's an upbeat song that just has a timeless quality. It feels like it could have been released any time in the last fifty to sixty years. In fact, the occasional indie rock guitar has some roots in Neil Young, which adds more to the timeless quality. Buck Meek says of his new song: “It’s about being humbled by the thing you’re drawing power from only at which point an actual, fair relationship begins." You can watch the video for "Haunted Mountain" below. The album Haunted Mountain is due out August 25 on 4AD, and is available for pre-order her...

Photo by Lindsay Leslie Hailing from Ware, MA, Mary Elizabeth Remington brought in some friends for her upcoming album. The new single, "Dresser Hill," features vocals from Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief, percussion by James Krivchenia (also Big Thief), and guitar by Mat Davidson (Twain). Most of "Dresser Hill" is just Remington and Lenker's vocals. Remington takes the lead with Lenker accompanying her. The instruments are just barely there, coming in softly and occasionally. It's a traditional sounding folk song focusing on the pair harmonizing perfectly. The simplicity of the song is what is so captivating about it. It feels like you've stumbled onto friends hanging out and playing music while on a walk in the woods. You can listen to "Dresser Hill" below. In Embudo is due out February 10, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Mary Elizabeth Remington, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram .

Artist : Empath Album : Visitor Quick Thoughts : This album surprised me in all the best ways. It's a light, poppy, fuzzy indie rock effort with some truly catchy songs throughout its runtime, and ended up being a low-key favorite this week. It's definitely got the indie rock pastiche going for it, but it's also advanced from their also-solid debut. If you like the melodic lower-fi slice of independent rock, check this one out. Songs of Note : "Born 100 Times," "Passing Stranger," "Diamond Eyelids" Artist : Kill Alters Album : Armed to the Teeth L.M.O.M.M. Quick Thoughts : I should not like this as much as I do. Is Kill Alters post-punk? Industrial? Just loud? I have no idea, but I do know that I truly loved this record in so many ways. It's strange and unsettling, but still incredibly compelling as a complete package. Fair warning: this is not for everybody, but this was very much for me and is 100% the album I'm most looking ...

Photo by Alexa Viscius Big Thief have become universally beloved over the past five years with their unique blend of indie rock and folk, swaying between the two genres with ease. Their latest single, "Certainty," might just be their most traditionally folky single yet. The song is filled with tons of twang and classic folk elements. It truly sounds like a group of friends hanging out on a porch just playing some music together. And there's a good reason for that. The song was recorded directly to a four track during a multi-day power outage at the studio. Buck Meek explains: “On the third day of the outage, I found Adrianne on the porch writing a new song, so I sat with her and we finished it together, with the rain falling from the gutters splashing over our guitars. James and Sam saw us writing, and quickly set up a four track tape machine in the kitchen, powered by the F250 cigarette lighter out in the yard. They set up the drums by the sink, and Max plugged his bass ...

Photo via Facebook Just as most artists are winding down at home performances and covers series, Bella White has started one up! This week saw the beginning of her "Under the Covers" series which will see her covering a song from another artist from the comfort of her bed weekly. The debut edition is a cover of Buck Meek's "Candle" from his Two Saviors album released back in January. It's obviously going to be a more stripped down version and missing the steel guitar of the original, but other than that it's quite true to the original. White takes Meek's song and makes it more of a traditionally folk song. It's a gorgeous cover that sounds far better than most bedroom covers, and we can't wait for week two! In a Facebook post, White explains her choice of "Candle": "when this song came out in January I found myself listening to it a lot. Perhaps I was relying on it (and the whole album) as a source for escapism to get through ...

One of the very few good things to come out of quarantine is that bands are starting to dig around their archives for unreleased music. Big Thief are the latest with "Love In Mine," an outtake from their 2019 album Two Hands. Big Thief diehards are sure to know the song, as it appeared as the b-side on a 7" the band mailed to fans when they announced Two Hands. "Love In Mine" is beautiful. It's a quiet little folky song that borders on ethereal but is far too grounded. As with all Big Thief songs, the focus is Adrianne Lenker's vocals. She has a way to just draw you in and hold you with her voice, which has never sounded as warm and inviting as it does here. You can listen to "Love In Mine" below. Big Thief is also offering up demos they recorded in February 2018 on their Bandcamp to raise funds for their road crew who are obviously currently out of work. Demos Vol. 1 - Topanga Canyon, CA - Feb 2018 is available here . For more on Big Th...

Artist : The Dead South Album : Sugar & Joy Quick Description : New album from an underrated roots act. Why You Should Listen : They're gritty but polished, which is a great mix. Overall Thoughts : For what it’s worth, I never read about The Dead South when I’m hearing about current roots/Americana acts, and I don’t know why, because they’re great. They had the one viral hit, yes, but this new album does not betray their sound or provide any sort of sea change that would make you think they’re anything less than one of the more solid, skilled acts in the genre. If you want good roots music? Just make time for this. Recommendation : You won’t regret a moment of it. Artist : Cursive Album : Get Fixed Quick Description : Second new album this year from the indie emo band. Why You Should Listen : Cursive is good, guys. Overall Thoughts : A surprise second release from the indie act, this one is a little more chamber-emo than the harshness of the solid album earlier ...

Photo by Dustin Condren Big Thief is set to release their second album this year next week. You might think that they might be spreading their material a bit thin and the upcoming album would be leftovers from the first. Judging by the previous single and "Forgotten Eyes," they were saving the best for this month. "Forgotten Eyes" is exactly what we want from Big Thief: It's a mixture of equal parts beauty and discomfort. It's folk adjacent indie rock that feels important and lovely while working through some pain and negativity. It's this play between the light and the dark that makes Big Thief truly great. You can listen to "Forgotten Eyes" below. Two Hands , the new album from Big Thief, will be out October 11 via 4AD. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Big Thief, check out their website . Current tour dates are below the song. Wed. Oct. 9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel (SOLD OUT) Thu. Oct. 10 - New York, NY @ Webst...

Confession time: As much as I absolutely loved Big Thief's 2016 debut Masterpiece , I just wasn't able to get into Capacity or U.F.O.F. Those albums were fine, but they just didn't grab me the way their first album did. I know, I know... I'm probably wrong. Somehow they're set to release a fourth album in the fall, and if the first single is any indication, I'm going to be very happy with this new one. "Not" reminds me of Masterpiece . It goes back to that beautiful yet noisy rock epics I came to love from Big Thief. "Not" sounds like it could break apart at any moment, but it keeps on chugging along, gaining momentum without the tempo speeding up. Plus, it climaxes with one of the most epic J Mascis worthy guitar solos I've heard in years.  You can listen to "Not" below. Two Hands , the upcoming album from Big Thief, will be available October 11 via 4AD. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Big Thief, check out th...