If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Lucca Bell Members of The Promise Ring, Braid, Hey Mercedes, and Maritime coming together to make a Dungeons & Dragons themed stoner rock band? You have to at least check it out for the curiosity factor. Turns out the first single from Fight Dice is great enough to surpass the novelty. "Magic Pact" is much more metal-ish than I would have expected, and it lands smack dab right in the stoner rock category. That being said, it does have a surprising punk edge to it. It's a fun song that doubles as a "How To" when it comes to using magic weapons. If you want to hear a bunch of punk and emo musicians rock out about Dungeons & Dragons, Fight Dice are the band for you. Bassist Todd Bell says of the project: “During the pandemic, we were immersed in playing ‘D&D’ together online to ward off boredom and stay socially connected.  When we could see each other more regularly and safely, as friends, we began practicing as a makeshift ‘band’ — another ou...

Unfortunately, we have another slow week. Thankfully, one of the comeback releases might be among the best of the year! The Proper Ornaments - Wooden Head : In some ways, Wooden Head is the stereotypical modern indie rock record, with accessible instrumentation and an interesting-sounding lead vocalist. That does, however, not do this album justice, as it's truly a solid record from start to finish. While no songs outright jump out at me on first listen, the very first track hooked me in within 30 seconds and I genuinely enjoyed this. Would be worth a listen on a busy week, but in a week with few significant releases, it's absolutely something you should toss in the rotation. Braid - No Coast : Braid has been broken up since 1999 (with the exception of a quick reunion tour in 2004), and haven't released an album in close to 16 years, so tis comeback of sorts came, at least for me, with some interest as well as trepidation. The good news is that it feels like a Bra...