If It's Too Loud...

Lots of new releases this week combined with some poor time management for this weekend for me means we're going to do a more highlights-based First Listen this week as opposed to the more traditional. Album of the Week : Artist : Stef Chura Album : Messes Quick Description : Liz Phair-style alt-rock. Why You Should Listen : The bar has been set for 2017's music, and it's only January. Overall Thoughts : I spent way too much time saying "this album should not be this good" while listening to it. Ken was really, really into the lead singles, and I thought they were fine and all, but they didn't outright blow my mind. It turns out that Messes makes a lot more sense as a cohesive whole. There's a tone and structure to the album that really needs to be digested and the whole thing just works. Chura knows how to write a song, and the fact that this album largely hits that 90s-alt rock sweet spot in so many ways doesn't hurt, either. Overall, a...

This new release period was really, really annoying. On top of everything else with this week, the new Nickel Creek (the only album I really wanted to hear this week) isn't on Spotify yet, so I'm stuck with, frankly, a lot of underwhelming stuff this week. Ah well, I listen to it so you don't have to, right? Steel Panther - All You Can Eat : Listen, there's definitely a part of me a few years ago that really liked what Steel Panther was doing. The joke band doing overly sexualized hair metal, however, has really run its course for me, and the wit behind it just feels gone for me. If you're still into it, I won't judge at all, but you'll know VERY quickly if this is still your thing within a few songs. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else : Cloud Nothings are a bit of a buzzy band. They seem to have settled into this not-quite-punk thing that comes across as more noisy than revolutionary for me. Whatever genre you want to put them into, this feel...