Monday Mix (on a Friday): Halloween 2018

I love Halloween, but even I think I may have gone a bit too far on this year's If It's Too Loud... Halloween playlist. Starting on November 1, 2017, I started a playlist and tossed just about any song I thought would be good for a Halloween playlist on it. What we end up with is a forty five song, nearly three hour playlist. Just about every style of music we cover is included on this. You get indie rock legends (Luna, Buffalo Tom, Lee Ranaldo), heavier artists (The Jesus Lizard, Clutch, Faith No More), Americana/roots (Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Lucero, Murder By Death), current indie rockers (Caroline Rose, Melkbelly, A Place to Bury Strangers), some hip hop (Mr. Lif, Cypress Hill), and a whole lot more. It's perfect for this weekend's Halloween parties (which is why we aren't waiting until Monday) and to listen to while you hand out candy on Wednesday. Enjoy!

Caroline Rose - "Jeannie Becomes a Mom"

Photo by CJ Harvey

We don't typically cover new video releases if the song has been out for a while, but as always there are the occasional exceptions. "Jeannie Becomes a Mom," the latest video from Caroline Rose's excellent 2018 release LONER, is the type of video that just doesn't get made any more. It reflects what is truly great about Caroline Rose's current sound: It's both insanely fun and serious, and has a strong DIY feel while still looking/sounding great. The song itself is about not being able to outrun time. Rose has this to say about the song/video:

“Jeannie was my first foray into making really fun, sort of weird pop music. I wrote the whole song, including the programmed drums, on a little digital synthesizer called the OP-1. It felt like a relief making something that still told a serious story but tasted like candy to my ears. It's a direction I'm definitely going to keep exploring. The story, like life, is meant to be a kind of grotesque, whimsical tragi-comedy. This was especially fun for me because I get to play more of a voyeuristic role, which is how I feel in the narrative of the song itself.”

You can watch the video for "Jeannie Becomes a Mom" below. LONER is available now via New West Records. For more on Caroline Rose, check out her website. Her current tour dates are below the video (including ones with And the Kids!)

Thu. Nov. 1 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Nov. 2 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Sat. Nov. 3 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue. Nov. 6 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Wed. Nov. 7 - Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Thu. Nov. 8 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Nov. 9 - Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Sat. Nov. 10 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Tue. Nov. 13 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Wed. Nov. 14 - Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
Thu. Nov. 16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Fri. Nov. 17 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Caroline Rose Announces Tour with And the Kids!

We don't typically bring you music news or tour announcements over here, but sometimes we get so excited about one that we can't help ourselves. Caroline Rose has announced a November tour, which is exciting enough on its own. However, she is bringing And the Kids out with her for this tour! She's called And the Kids her favorite band, and we aren't arguing that. It's funny, because we still think of And the Kids as a Western MA band, so it's great to see them get love outside of the Pioneer Valley. Whenever two of our absolute favorites go out together, we'll be there.

Tickets for the Caroline Rose/And the Kids tour go on sale today through an artist pre-sale. You can get your tickets here.

Northeast Festival Round Up Update

Back in May we brought you a handful of some of the smaller music festivals you should be checking out. It's been a couple of months, so we have some updates for you! Here are three late summer/early fall festivals that should be worth your time!

The Cranking and Skanking Fest
August 25, Worcester, MA
If you're like me, you spent many years attending the Warped Tour, only to quit as you seemed to age out. My last year was 2002 (?), when I realized I was only there to see four bands (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, The Damned). When they announced that this would be the final year of the tour, I hoped they'd reach out to some of the more classic bands that have played in the past, and maybe they did, but you'd never know it by looking at it. This might be why I'm so excited about The Cranking and Skanking Fest. Sure, it's in the parking lot of the Palladium in Worcester which isn't the most glamorous location, and I prefer when festivals mix it up a bit instead of just multiple hours of ska and reggae, but when you have the best of the best, you can't go wrong. Right now it's The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Toots & The Maytals, The Bouncing Souls, Fishbone, The Pietasters, The Planet Smashers, with more to be announced. Seriously stacked line up already, and somehow they're cramming more in!
https://www.thepalladium.net/event/1691410-cranking-skanking-fest-worcester/

Rubblebucket's Dream Picnic
September 8, Holyoke, MA
I've been trying to get around to seeing Rubblebucket again ever since I saw them a few years back at the Green River Festival, and this might be the year I finally do it. They've put together an amazing festival with multiple blog favorites. I'll happily go see Diet Cig, Caroline Rose, Mal Devisa, and Kalbells any night of the week, but a festival that lets me see all of them with Rubblebucket headlining? We're in. Plus, somehow tickets are currently under $30, which doesn't seem feasible. 
https://www.gatewaycityarts.com/live-on-race-street

Freshgrass Festival
September 14-16, North Adams, MA
We told you about the initial line up for Freshgrass with bands like Trampled By Turtles, Rhiannon Giddens, Yonder Mountain String Band, Indigo Girls, and more. If that somehow wasn't enough, they've added even more! The highlights of the new additions are Flogging Molly, Bela Fleck, and Twisted Pine! Bela Fleck and Twisted Pine make perfect sense, and Celtic punks Flogging Molly may make sense on a more open folk festival, but for a mostly traditional bluegrass leaning Americana festival like Freshgrass, it's a huge stretch. Although, one I'm looking forward to quite a bit.
http://freshgrass.com/

Live Shows: Caroline Rose and Henry Jamison, Great Scott, Allston, MA 4/4/18

Photo via Facebook

What a difference six months and a great new record makes. Back in October (six months to the day!), Caroline Rose opened for Banditos in a modestly attended show at Great Scott. Last week, she came back to the same venue and sold the place out, on a Wednesday no less. I only caught a handful of her songs at the October show, but was intrigued by this new sound and knew I wanted to see more.

Most shows I go to tend to be the ultra serious earnest indie rock kind. A Caroline Rose show is definitely not one of those. The stage was decked out in as much red as possible. There were fake red flowers everywhere, red chili peppers decorating her mic stand, a beat up Elmo pinata, etc. While her band dressed in all (or mostly) royal blue, she took the stage wearing all red, including a fuzzy red faux fur coat, and tossing a rose balloon into the crowd. (The coat only lasted two songs.) Unless I missed one, she ignored her previous album, I Will Not Be Afraid, and only played songs off of the very recent LONER. I completely understand why given the sound change, but I would have loved to have heard an amped up synth-heavy version of "Blood On Your Bootheels."

How synth-heavy is Caroline Rose's new sound? Three out of four bandmembers had some form of keyboard in front of them. The crowd loved every minute of the show, and Rose and her band (although she did announce that she was Caroline Rose and they were Caroline Rose, a la Lydia Loveless) had even more fun. She announced three of the songs she played were her favorite song (the final one was her "real" favorite, which was a cover of the Britney Spears now classic "Toxic") and dared to play "Soul No. 5" and "Money" back to back. She played the opening riff of "Money" for a very extended period of time, delighting in the anticipation from the crowd. Towards the end of the same song, the band abruptly stopped. Fully expecting them to pause for a bit of time and then go back, Rose instead put on the bra that an audience member threw on stage (which was the first bra ever thrown at Caroline Rose! (Luckily, it was cranberry, so it kinda fit the color scheme.) She also needed the audience member's help to put it on, proving that bras are hard!), introduced the crowd to the animatronic cat they had on stage, and announced the rest of the set would be an avant garde noise performance and proceeded to play on a recorder. Only after about 5-10 minutes of this did she drop the recorder and blast back into "Money." It was an insane performance, and the most fun I've had at a show in ages.

To keep the tradition going, I missed most of Henry Jamison's performance. He was joined by a backing band called the Babies, and mentioned that it was their second ever live performance together. It showed, but in the best possible way. Back when I saw him play with Lady Lamb in 2017, I mentioned that he shows great promise and would be great in a few years. Make that one year. He seemed much more comfortable and polished than he did last time, and had a command of the stage I didn't expect. Plus, there was a good portion of the crowd that were die hard Henry Jamison fans, singing along with every song. Maybe in six months he'll be selling out Great Scott on his own.

First Listen, Part One: New Releases for February 23

A really busy week, so a two-parter with two albums of the week. One today, one tomorrow:

Co-Album of the Week

Artist: Frigs
Album: Basic Behaviour
Quick Description: Awesome post-punk debut.
Why You Should Listen: You're upset we only got one Screaming Females album this week,
Overall Thoughts: A co-album of the week, very interesting to listen to in the context of an excellent Screaming Females album. A little angsty, a little anxious, and has a heavy, dark feeling behind it that suggests a number of layers below the initial surface. This is quite simply a must-listen, especially for fans of Screaming Females. Definitely a release that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Recommendation: One of the best of the week.

Artist: Computer Magic
Album: Danz
Quick Description: Latest from the indie electronic act.
Why You Should Listen: A little more mature, a little more interesting.
Overall Thoughts: I have expressed my love for Computer Magic before, and this new album definitely feels like a shift for the act. Different, but not at all bad, it feels a little more complicated than the pop-adjacent blips and bleeps I’ve come to expect. This is one I will need to spend more time with, for certain, but on first listen, this was definitely one of the more interesting listens of the week.
Recommendation: Good listen this week.

Artist: Holly Miranda
Album: Mutual Horse
Quick Description: The latest from the singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: You like your music a little off-kilter.
Overall Thoughts: Holly Miranda has danced alongside the odd corners of the pop world for a while. Her latest does the same, but might be one of her more interesting and yet more accessible efforts so far. A few songs on here are strangely addictive, and the whole thing is one that kept drawing me in throughout the first listen.
Recommendation: I can’t wait to get into this one more.

Artist: Public Access T.V.
Album: Street Safari
Quick Description: Retro 1980s rock music.
Why You Should Listen: You stopped listening to Duran Duran before "Ordinary World" happened.
Overall Thoughts: There is nothing at all wrong with acts that pick an aesthetic and stick with it. Looking at the album cover, you expect a sort of 1980s synthy rock show, and Public Access T.V. delivers. Whether you’ll like it is entirely up to whether this sort of era of music is in your wheelhouse or not, but it succeeds at what it tries to do.
Recommendation: Worth a listen; you'll know if it's for you pretty quick.

Artist: Caroline Rose
Album: LONER
Quick Description: New album from a favorite around these parts.
Why You Should Listen: Her debut album was truly great.
Overall Thoughts: I hate that I don’t like this. I hate that Rose’s debut album was a favorite of mine, with songs trapped in my head years later, and that the lead single “Money” was certainly off the beaten path but still catchy, and yet this album just flops for me. Rose is a talented enough songwriter that I chalk this up more to a choice I just do not like as opposed to a failure of an album.
Recommendation: Your mileage may vary, but I wasn’t into this.

Artist: The Low Anthem
Album: The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea
Quick Description: Latest from the localish act.
Why You Should Listen: The Low Anthem always makes gorgeous, demanding music.
Overall Thoughts: We love the Low Anthem here, and this latest effort by the Providence act has a more ethereal quality to it than I expected. This is not a bad thing at all, but it does suggest that there is a change of pace for this album that might get some fans off the bandwagon. For me, this was a pretty solid listen on a whole even as it remained a bit unexpected, but those looking for a more traditional effort might be disappointed.
Recommendation: Give this a shot.

Artist: Pageants
Album: Forever
Quick Description:
Why You Should Listen:
Overall Thoughts: Another favorite of mine this week, Pageants does a sort of indie pop with a strange bent that mostly works. Great harmonies and instrumentation makes me think of this more along the lines of if First Aid Kit was an Elephant Six act, so it should absolutely get some time in your rotation this week.
Recommendation: A solid listen in a busy week.

Artist: S. Carey
Album: Hundred Acres
Quick Description: Some light folky stuff from a member of Bon Iver.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for that more direct folk sound this week.
Overall Thoughts: There's some low-key folk-leaning music here that, if I’m being blunt, somewhat failed to resonate with me. This is probably more me than S. Carey, as folk and folkish male singers rarely work for me, but in a pretty busy week there is just a lot more better stuff out there instead. You probably won’t miss much skipping this.
Recommendation:

EPs of note:

* Stella Donnelly - Thrush Metal (don't sleep on this; great for fans of Courtney Barnett)
* Ratboys - GL
* The Regrettes - Attention Seeker

Also out:

* Starchild and the New Romantic - Language
* Grant-Lee Phillips - Widdershins

Friday Freebie: Caroline Rose, Talena Bricker, Cold Fronts, and Ramblin' Deano

We usually try to bring you Friday Freebie fairly regularly, but we've really been slacking lately. In fact, it's been over two months since we brought you anything for Friday Freebie. Sorry about that. Here's some of the stuff we've been sitting on during that time.

Caroline Rose - LONER - Singles
To say I've been enjoying the new music from Caroline Rose is an understatement. So far she's released three singles from LONER, and I've loved each one. She's completely reinvented her sound to this DEVO meets the Beastie Boys and Missy Elliott hybrid, andI don't think I could be enjoying it more. We still have to wait until February 23 for the new album, but while we wait Caroline Rose has made the first three singles ("Money," "Soul No. 5," and "Getting to Me") available for free via NoiseTrade.

Talena Bricker - Drowning
Drowning is the debut EP from Talena Bricker. Far too many singer/songwriters (particularly female ones) get labelled as "haunting" and "ethereal," and Bricker definitely is. But when your music hits the same nerves as Elliott Smith and Nick Drake, it's an apt comparison. She gets compared to those right on the NoiseTrade description (where you can download Drowning for free), but from the second I started listening to "Walking Mountain," I had made the Elliott Smith comparison in my head. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.

Cold Fronts - C'est Bon
Cold Fronts are the latest band I'm kicking myself for just discovering now. The Philadelphia band have a new album coming out on 4/20 (of course), and have done the classic NoiseTrade mix of two new songs from the upcoming album, two old songs, and one rarity. Cold Fronts have this great blend of upbeat alt-rock sound. It's just quirky enough to get the obvious Pavement and Archers of Loaf comparisons, but it's like Pavement and Archers of Loaf decided to party with the Strokes. Just check out the first track, "Stayin' In." If that one doesn't do it for you, I don't even know what to say to you any more.

Ramblin' Deano - America's Favorite Folk Singer
Last and certainly not least is an entire free album from Ramblin' Deano. You probably know him as Dean Schlabowske of Waco Brothers, but Ramblin' Deano is his political AF solo folk project. It's twelve great standard sounding folk songs tinged with a biting sense of humor. With titles like "The President is Out of His God Damn Mind," "(It's Hard to Be a) White Christian Man," and "The Racist Barber," it's pretty easy to see what side he's on. It's like 1960's Bob Dylan decided to have a little fun. You can pick up your copy on Dean Schlabowske's website.

Caroline Rose - "Getting to Me"

Photo by CJ Harvey

Over the past couple of years there have been a bunch of folky/Americana artists switching up their sounds to varying degrees of success. The biggest change in sound has been Caroline Rose. Her follow up to 2014's country leaning I Will Not Be Afraid has all but abandoned that album's sound, at least from the two songs we've heard so far. Instead, we've been treated to her fantastic new DEVO meets the Beastie Boys crazed frenzy of a sound. The third song from LONER, "Getting to Me," goes back to the previous album's feel. It's not quite as Americana sounding, but compared to "Soul No. 5" and "Money," this song might as well be a Hank Williams cover. It's a ballad that's definitely not country or folk, but has the feel of both. It makes me wonder how it's going to fit into the rest of LONER, and which Caroline Rose will dominate this album.

You can listen to "Getting to Me" below. Caroline Rose's new album, LONER, will be out February 23 on New West Records. It can be pre-ordered here. For more on Caroline Rose, check out her website. Her current tour dates are below the link.

Fri. March 2 – Woodstock, NY @ The Colony *
Sat. March 3 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose *
Mon. March 5 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Café *
Tue. March 6 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s *
Thu. March 8 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge *
Fri. March 9 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Music Festival
Sun. March 11 – Macon, GA @ Creek Stage
Wed. March 14 – Sat. March 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Fri. March 23 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s #
Sat. March 24 - Dallas, TX @ Dada #
Sun. March 25 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa #
Tue. March 27 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Wed. March 28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. March 29 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Fri. March 30 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Sat. March 31 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Tue. April 3 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Wed. April 4 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Thu. April 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Fri. April 6 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
Sat. April 7 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Fri. April 11 – Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works ^
Sat. April 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern ^
Sun. April 13 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme +
Mon. April 14 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Café – Back Room +
Tue. April 15 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi +
Thu. April 17 – Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room +
Fri. April 18 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout +
Sat. April 19 – Detroit, MI @ El Club +
Sun. April 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern +
Sun. April 21 – Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern +
Fri. May 18 - Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
 
* = co-headline with The Nude Party
# = with The Weeks
^ = with Marco Benevento
+ = co-headline with The Go Rounds

Caroline Rose - "Soul No. 5"

Photo by Matt Hogan

With "Soul No. 5," Caroline Rose continues her move away from the Americana of 2014's I Will Not Be Afraid to her new sound. And that new sound? It's hard to define. "Soul No. 5" is definitely less in your face and delightfully abrasive as "Money" is. Instead, it's more upbeat and melodic, with Rose rap-singing the verses. The aesthetic, along with Rose's choice of wardrobe in her accompanying videos remind me of License to Ill era Beastie Boys meets Scottish indie poppers Bis, with some Missy Elliott thrown in. But it's not hip hop at all. It's a confusing mix of contradictions that somehow works to make a near perfect sound.

You can watch the video for "Soul No. 5" below. Caroline Rose's new album, LONER, will be out February 23 on New West Records. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Caroline Rose, check out her website. Her current tour dates are below the video.

Thu. Jan. 11 - Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia w/ Ron Gallo
Fri. Jan. 12 - Memphis, TN @ Growlers w/ Ron Gallo
Fri. Jan. 13 - Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s w/ Ron Gallo
Wed. Mar. 14 – Sat. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Fri. Mar. 23 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s w/ The Weeks
Sat. Mar. 24 - Dallas, TX @ Dada w/ The Weeks
Sun. Mar. 25 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa w/ The Weeks
Tue. Mar. 27 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Wed. Mar. 28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. Mar. 29 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Fri. Mar. 30 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Sat. Mar. 31 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Tue. Apr. 3 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Wed. Apr. 4 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Thu. Apr. 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Fri. Apr. 6 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
Sat. Apr. 7 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Fri. May 18 - Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival

Caroline Rose - "Money"

Photo by Matt Hogan

Back in October, I walked into Great Scott excited to see Caroline Rose's opening slot for Banditos. Considering what I had heard in the past, and the fact that she was opening for Banditos, I expected to see the indie country artist I had come to love. Instead I was surprised (in a good way) to discover this new sound that was much more like DEVO than alt country.

With her new single, Caroline Rose proves that new sound wasn't just a fluke. I had compared my surprise to seeing Caroline Rose to when I saw The Fiery Furnaces. Unlike The Fiery Furnaces, this isn't just a band electing to sound like a completely different band on their albums vs their live shows. This is a whole new direction. "Money" has just the slightest hint of twang, and I mean the very slightest. In fact, I could just be imagining it. The song is played at a breakneck speed of synths, like an ultra-fast version of DEVO or the B-52's, but somehow more pop and with a sharp edge of punk. I know, I'm not making any sense here. You're just going to have to listen to the song to understand.

You can watch the video for "Money" below. Caroline Rose's new album, LONER, will be out February 23 on New West Records. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Caroline Rose, check out her website. Her tour dates are below the video.

Wed. Mar. 14 – Sat. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Tue. Mar. 27 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Wed. Mar. 28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. Mar. 29 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Fri. Mar. 30 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
Sat. Mar. 31 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Tue. Apr. 3 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
Wed. Apr. 4 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
Thu. Apr. 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Fri. Apr. 6 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine
Sat. Apr. 7 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
Fri. May 18 - Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival

Live Shows: Banditos and Caroline Rose, Great Scott, Allston, MA 10/4/17

Listening to the latest album from Banditos is almost like listening to two separate bands. First you get the band led by Mary Beth Richardson which is a more bluesy, soulful band. The second is led by Stephen Pierce, and is a more fun loving, almost outlaw country band. Seeing them live last week, the divide was even more apparent, which was part of the whole charm of the live experience.

This might seem like an odd comparison, but I'm going to compare the Banditos live to Squirrel Nut Zippers live. Katherine Whelan is a far superior singer to Jimbo Mathus, and live her voice was even more incredible and mesmerizing. However, his songs were livelier and more fun, so they became the hits the crowd reacted to. The same can be said for Richardson and Pierce. Her voice is great, particularly live, but she sings mostly ballads. Pierce's voice is a fairly standard country rock twang, but his songs are just more energetic and fun. Wednesday night his collection of songs reminded me a lot of early Hank Williams III, back when he was still more country than metal. The crowd responded far more energetically to songs sung by Pierce, mainly because they're more fun and easier to move to. It took a while, but the crowd fully woke up during "Still Sober (After All These Beers)" with the majority doing some kind of dancing for that particular song. Even the current single "Fine Fine Day" elicited less of a response from the crowd, but how can you beat that title? Richardson's songs had far less energy, but she completely drew the crowd in with her vocals, especially "Healin' Slow."

As much as I meant to catch opener Caroline Rose's full set, poor planning led me to only catching her last three songs. On her album, I Will Not Be Afraid, she's a groovy Americana singer, with at least as much of a country sound as you'd expect with song titles like "Blood on Your Bootheels." Some of her songs do stray a bit more on the pop side of things, but it's still fairly roots and country based. Live she was a whole different artist. I haven't been more blindsided by an artist's live show versus their album since The Fiery Furnaces. Wednesday night she was more akin to DEVO trying to play with the slightest hint of twang. It was wildly unexpected, and made me wish I had caught her full set.

Friday Freebie: Get Pretty Much All of Caroline Rose's Brand New Album for Free!

Right on the heels of Jeff raving about the debut album from Caroline Rose, Noisetrade is offering pretty much the entire album for free. For the price of your email address, you can get 7 songs out of the 11 on her new album, I Will Not Be Afraid. She's well on her way to becoming a blog favorite, and this is an amazing offer to get a great album for nothing, unless of course you feel like leaving a tip.

Head on over to Noisetrade to download the I Will Not Be Afraid Sampler for free. As you are downloading the majority of her album, head on over to Caroline Rose's website to get some more info on her, including tour dates.

First Listen: New Releases for August 19

One of the weirder weeks for new music since we started this project up. Away we go!

Octagrape - Emotional Oil: Ken knew of this band because they opened for Sebadoh (and wrote about them here), and I can totally understand why they did. If one was to think about what "indie grunge" might sound like in 2014, this EP would almost certainly take the bill. I'll be honest - I didn't love this, but it definitely has an interesting take and could absolutely find the right audience even if it isn't me. At under 20 minutes, it's not much of an investment and you'll know how you feel about it almost immediately.

Orenda Fink - Blue Dream: Orenda Fink's third solo album, and first since the reformation of Azure Ray, sounds a lot like an Azure Ray record, and that's not a bad thing. Putting aside the dream pop in favor of a more dreamy folk atmosphere, the album, on first listen, seems more successful than her previous solo efforts in a number of regards. I'll definitely be spending a lot of time with this album going forward, definitely a highlight of the week.

Literature - Chorus: At under 30 minutes, this new full-length from Literature feels like a really quick hit of somewhat-retro indie pop. It's a quality album, for sure, but throughout my entire listen I felt as if something was missing. I'm not sure what it is, but the album is still good enough as a more traditional indie guitar record to give it some more time. Definitely worth a listen.

Sarah Jaffe - Don't Disconnect: Sarah Jaffe first hit my radar, as she hit so many others, with her song "Clementine" about 7 years ago. It was an absolutely gorgeous folk-tinged song that worked on so many levels. When she released The Body Wins in 2012, it was a crazy departure into electronic beats and glitchy pop music, and, while it wasn't what I expected from her at all, it was still pretty great. Don't Disconnect is still more Body than "Clementine," but it bridges that gap between the two disparate tones in a very real way, and it ends up being a very solid listen. Fans of St. Vincent in particular will find a lot to love with this new album, it's definitely recommended.

Caroline Rose - I Will Not Be Afraid: Caroline Rose's debut album is really a lot of fun, perfectly blending old-style country music with a more modern touch. In a year where I've been obsessed with Lydia Loveless, this is an even more traditional sounding album in many ways, and yet it all feels like it works. Really, if you have any love for the current crop of alt-country or indie country artists, this has to hit your radar. It might end up being one of the better releases of the year.

Benjamin Booker - Benjamin Booker: Blog favorite Benjamin Booker finally releases his debut album this week, and it pretty much lives up to the hype that we've been hearing so much about. Kicking off with "Violent Shiver," it largely keeps that sort of pace and attitude throughout, and it's really the roots rock album (with the emphasis on the rock) I didn't realize I was looking for. If there's any justice in the world, he'll be spoken of in the same breath as Jack White in a few years. That's how good this album is. If you only pick one thing to listen to this week, you probably won't go wrong with this one.

Kimbra - The Golden Echo: Most of us first heard Kimbra with her guest spot on that Gotye song from a couple years ago. She released a pretty great solo album shortly after that, and The Golden Echo is the really weird, really strange, really experimental follow-up. As someone who really loved her first album, I admit that this one is a really difficult listen. It's more Tune-Yards than anything else, and... I don't know. I hate to drag my own expectations in on this, but at an hour long and without much in the way to hook me in, the album just doesn't work for me at all. Might be good for those really into experimental pop, but even then...

JJ - V: JJ (once jj) is a Sewdish electronic duo who named their third album after the Roman numeral for 5. The album is weird and uncomfortable, and part of me believes that's the point, but in a year which has had a lot of superlative releases in this genre, there ultimately feels like there's more than a little missing from it. Give it a shot, but be aware.

Laura Mvula - Laura Mvula with the Metropole Orkest: I fully enjoyed Mvula's debut album, Sing to the Moon, a solid soul/R&B album from the British singer. Her new album with the Metropole Orkest is a rerecording of that debut with an orchestra at Abbey Road studios. The good is that it provides an interesting alternative to the sound of her album, and ends up being a gorgeous record as a result. The production value, however, feels lacking, as it sounds like Mvula's vocals are buried somewhat often, and it gives the entire proceeding a flat quality. Overall, a good album and worth your time even if you're not a fan, but it could have done with some better mastering.

Bishop Allen - Lights Out: For as long as Bishop Allen has been on my radar, it's shocking to me that this is really only their third album. The good news is that Bishop Allen is really one of the most reliable indie bands going right now, and Lights Out is as solid a release as any of their others. It certainly shows a further maturity compared to their first, and it has the solid production values of their second from 2009, so, really, you know exactly what you're getting. An essential indie pop album by one of the great indie acts going.

Imogen Heap - Sparks: It's fairly impossible to judge Sparks based on one listen alone, nor can you judge it solely on the musical output provided. Sparks is a long-term project that includes fan involvement, technological achievements, label disputes, and so on. The individual songs, in many forms, have been available for some time, but as a full album, it's more interesting to listen to for what it is than for any sort of musical benefit. The music is good, don't get me wrong, but the album is a little staggered and, ultimately, I'm more interested in the production ("Me the Machine," for example, was composed using Mi.Mu Gloves) than the album itself. Still, as a musical experiment and maybe in contrast to Kimbra, there might be some interesting stuff for musicophiles in here.