If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Nick D'Amore New Jersey's Cathedral Ceilings have a new single out named after R.E.M.'s drummer. "Bill Berry" is a burst of power-pop rock and roll goodness. It's a high energy song that sounds much more like Husker Du attempting to go pop punk than anything you've heard from Berry's band. It's a fun and energetic song filled with buzzy guitars and catchy harmonies. "Bill Berry" is a song dripping with nostalgia, sounding like a mixture of mid-90's college radio and mid-90's post-grunge alt-rock. Ralph Malanga says of his band's latest single: “A recurring theme in my lyrics is writing about other songs. Maybe I overdo it, but some songs are so outstanding they deserve another song dedicated to them. This track reflects a nostalgic nod to the mixtape era. When I was younger, mixtapes were a major cultural touchstone—an analog way to connect and discover new music before the internet took over. ‘Bill Berry’ is like a s...

Photo by Jason Thrasher The Bad Ends (aka the Athens, GA band featuring Bill Berry of R.E.M. and Mike Mantione of Five Eight) has released a new single that isn't going to be what you expect. "The Ballad of Satan's Bride" is a freaky, psychedelic song that's a lot heavier than you think it will be. The song sounds a little unhinged at times (in the best possible way) and even dances along the lines of being a noise rocker. It sounds a lot like a preacher losing their mind during an acid trip set to music. Despite being just four and a half minutes, "The Ballad of Satan's Bride" is an absolute epic track, and has us even more intrigued to see what this supergroup will get up to. Mike Mantione says of the new song: “‘The Ballad of Satan’s Bride’ was the first song we recorded together as a band. It has the worst villain in it of any song I’ve ever written. The song embodies total despair and tragic grief, yet I sang it with wild abandon over Bill’s soc...

Photo by Jason Thrasher The big draw of The Bad Ends is that it's an Athens, GA supergroup that features R.E.M.'s Bill Berry on drums. It feels like it's been forever since Bill Berry had a musical project, so it's definitely worth our attention. Luckily, their first song lives up to the hype. "All Your Friends Are Dying" is an absolutely perfect alt-rock power pop song. The song is meant partially as a tribute to Big Star, and that's very obvious. It's filled with fuzzy guitars and vocals that seem a bit too abrasive at first until your ears adjust. And then they're absolutely perfect. Of course there will be R.E.M. comparisons, but to me it has more of a Big Star meets The Replacements sound. Mike Mantione (singer/guitar) says of the band's new single: “The song and the video are a celebration of Athens. The song is also a tribute to Big Star and The Glands. I'm really singing it to a friend who missed this special performance of the Big ...