If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Pat Graham For Record Store Day, feminist punk legends Bratmobile reissued their album The Real Janelle and included their 1993 Peel Session with the release. This reissue includes their cover of Blur's "There's No Other Way" along with "No You Don't." The Blur cover is a snippet of the track, slowed down and much more sludgy than the original. It's a fun and unique take on the song, nailing the whole 90's slacker vibe perfectly. That lasts for about forty-five seconds before "No You Don't" kicks in. The whole track of two songs lasts less than two and a half minutes, and it's virtually perfect.  Frontwoman Allison Wolfe says of her band's reissue: “Both The Real Janelle and The Peel Session were recorded within a month of each other, representing a slice of Bratmobile life in the summer of ‘93, so it makes perfect sense to rerelease them together in one package,  I’m especially psyched for The Peel Session since th...

A twofer for the dog days of summer... Artist : Bethany Cosentino Album : Natural Disaster Quick Thoughts : Back in high school, I was a big big fan of Nina Gordon's post-Veruca Salt debut solo album, and I kept going back to that in my head with Bethany Cosentino's debut solo effort sans Beach House. They're different albums, for sure - Gordon's was more pop compared to Cosentino's radio-friendly-indie-folk leans here, but in as much as they both seem like albums worthy of sending their respective careers into the stratosphere, all the better. This is a great album with some of the catchiest hooks you'll hear all summer, and it rightfully belongs in the list of one of the best of this year. Songs of Note : "Outta Time," "It's Fine," "A Single Day," "My Own City," "Calling on Angels" Artist : Guided by Voices Album : Welshpool Frillies Quick Thoughts : According to Wikipedia, Robert Pollard of Guided ...

We first became aware of Berlin's Gurr back when they opened up for Priests back in April. They just released a cover of Blur's "Beetlebum." It's an interesting choice, considering I don't believe "Beetlebum" was ever truly a hit for Blur anywhere. The cover got started two years ago when Gurr took part in a Blur vs Oasis night in their home city. The band tried working up a cover of Oasis's "Live Forever," but it just didn't work out for them.  Gurr says about the cover: " One disclaimer already: We didn’t try to simulate Graham Coxon’s guitar sound in the beginning, and replaced the classic Tele with a more the Kills-y sound (fuzzy and short delay- another great band we love). We took turns singing and put a BUNCH of harmonies on the song. The one thing that’s probably the closest to the original is the bassline, which our live bassist Luise nailed in the studio (bring her some Champagne to the upcoming shows please so sh...

This is the week we've been waiting for. Heather Maloney - Making Me Break : I've been a fan of Heather Maloney for a while now. A Northampton singer-songwriter, she was on the more rootsy/folksy side of things, and this album really has the chance of being a breakout for her. The closest thing I can compare the maturity and sound advances of this album is how I felt about Amanda Shires's most recent album. It keeps the same tone while really feeling like a strong step forward. I knew I'd like this, but on first listen? I think I love it. Highly recommended, arguably the release of the week. Mew - +/- : Mew is not a band I have a lot of familiarity with, and this is their first album in around 6 years. I think I had always put them in with post-rock bands or other strange stuff from Northern Europe, but wow was I wrong. It turns out Mew is actually a really great listen with some straightforward, sometimes complex, often hooky rock music that fits in well w...

Earlier today Blur surprised us with the announcement of a new album due out on April 28 to be titled The Magic Whip.  And now there's a "lyric video" for a new song, "Go Out." It's a natural progression from 2003's Think Tank , but better. Not that Think Tank was a bad album... I mean, I liked it, but it just wasn't very Blur. "Go Out" sounds like if Think Tank  was more of a Blur sounding album.  This whole thing is great news since Damon Albarn, and really everyone in Blur, has been denying any new album news. As much as I like Gorillaz, I'm beyond thrilled for new Blur.