If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Brian Vidal Lee Fields is teaming up with his keyboardist Toby Panzer on a new single with Panzer's band The Olympians. The two artists have released a cover of The Beatles' iconic "Don't Let Me Down." The original shows off the legendary band's more soulful side, and the cover just amps up that quality. This is a pure soul version of "Don't Let Me Down," and sounds like it could have been released at the same times as Let It Be ... well... almost. The drums sound a little too much like they're from this century for the song to fully sound vintage. Plus, the horns on the song are absolutely stellar. If a soul rendition of "Don't Let Me Down" appeals to you, you're going to love the latest from The Olympians and Lee Fields.  You can listen to The Olympians and Lee Fields' version of "Don't Let Me Down" below. The single is out now via Colemine Records. For more on The Olympians, check out the band o...

The Marked Men are a band I am completely unfamiliar with, but if Ratboys are going to cover them, I'll check it out! Ratboys have released a cover of The Marked Men's 2006 song "Fix My Brain." The original is a garage punk anthem that leans a little bit into pop punk, but mostly because of how catchy it is. Ratboys' cover is very faithful to the original, and it's great to see them bust out their punk side. It's a fun and energetic song that fits into Ratboys' style perfectly. It's the type of cover that's going to send you straight into The Marked Men's back catalog, and thank Ratboys for the introduction. Julia Steiner (vocals/guitar) says of her band's new single: “The guys, especially Marcus, were already long-time fans of The Marked Men (and of Jeff Burke’s other band Radioactivity), but when I first heard it more recently, ‘Fix My Brain’ was a total revelation to me. I hyper-fixated on the song in ways that are pretty rare for me...

Providence punkabilly legends The Amazing Royal Crowns [going with that since it's what they're using now, even if Spotify isn't] have released their first new music in over twenty-five years. It's a cover of Social Distortion's 1988 song "Prison Bound." As you would guess, it's very faithful to the original, except it leans a little more into the straight up rock and roll side of the song. The Amazing Royal Crowns also pick up the pace with their cover and make it a little more upbeat. It's exactly what we'd want a cover of "Prison Bound" by The Amazing Royal Crowns to sound like, and it's a perfect way to get excited for upcoming shows from both bands in the very near future. You can listen to The Amazing Royal Crowns' cover of "Prison Bound" below. For more on The Amazing Royal Crowns, check out the band's website . They'll be playing their Providence Payback this year on October 2 and 3 at the far too sma...

Photo by Matt Burgos August 22 marked the twentieth anniversary of the release of Cursive's Happy Hollow , so to mark the occasion Sapling have released their cover of "Big Bang." This song might be the perfect one for Sapling to cover, as it sounds like a Sapling original if you weren't familiar with the original. It's a weirdo freakout of a song, complete with an abundance of Theremin, along with flute, cornet, and clarinets. If anything, the cover might be bigger than the original, and definitely more chaotic. Leave it to Sapling to take such a bonkers song and make it even more so, and it's a reminder that I need to listen to Cursive more than I do. You can listen to Sapling's version of "Big Bang" below. The song is available now on Bandcamp with a remix by Nicholas Burgess. For more on Sapling, check out the band's website . They'll be playing Electric Haze on September 13 with Battlemode as part of If It's Too Loud... Presents...

Photo by Jason Rothenberg October 2 will see the release of Contra-ICA Vol. 1: ICE OUT , a benefit compilation put together by Build Art Make Change. It's a whopping forty-seven tracks long, and the first single is out now. It's from Katheen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin), who teams with Ad-Rock (Beastie Boys), Money Mark, Fredo Ortiz, and Frank Figueroa. I would expect it to be a highly political song, but instead it's a cover of Justin Bieber's "Let Me Love You." I'm completely familiar with the original, but this cover is a lot of fun. It's the kind of song that people will first listen because they're fans of the artists involved, or just curiosity, but they're going to stay since it's a fun song. I doubt the original is as disco centered as Hanna and friends' version, but it also doesn't have the same indie cred. BAMC founder Dali Colorado says of the upcoming compilation: “ Contra-ICE is not only an album. It is...

New York City power pop group Joy Buzzer have released a cover of The Beatles' 1966 classic "She Said, She Said." This new version of the song remains rather true to the original, with some flourishes. Joy Buzzer have increased the fuzz and psychedelia of The Beatles' version. It's still instantly recognizable as the Revolver tune, but it sounds a bit more like Sgt Pepper 's Beatles with psych-friendly guitar solos, and an increase in vocal harmonies. It's a fun cover song that stays true to the original while adding just enough of their own sound to it. Joy Buzzer say of their new cover: "'She Said, She Said' feels like a natural fit for us because so much of what we love about power pop is already there in the song.  The hooks, the guitars, the momentum—we just wanted to push it louder and bring our own energy to it. It's incredible how easily a song from 1966 can still feel immediate when you turn everything up." You can listen to ...

Photo by Natia Cinco Cool or not, we tend to love cover songs here at If It's Too Loud... Progressive bluegrass band AJ Lee & Blue Summit are set to release a new all covers album, and just released their version of Sheryl Crow's iconic "Soak Up the Sun." Jeff has always been a champion of Crow's first couple of albums, and I'm just getting over my indie rock snobbery and admitted how great her music is after last year's Boston Calling. A progressive bluegrass cover of "Soak Up the Sun" is pretty much a perfect fit, and AJ Lee & Blue Summit keep all of the pop hooks of Crow's original while adding just enough of their own sound to it. It's a great and fun cover, and both versions of the song are perfect summer songs.  You can listen to AJ Lee & Blue Summit's version of "Soak Up the Sun" below. Cover to Cover is due out September 11 on Signature Sounds, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on ...

We haven't brought you any new music from Tristen this year, but the Nashville musician and blog favorite just released a cover of Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages." While Dylan's original from 1964 is a classic folk song, Tristen adds a bit more folk-pop to the track. It fits in perfectly with her sound while keeping the spirit of the original intact. The cover is perfectly lovely, and adds just enough to the song to make it sound like Tristen. We're always thrilled to hear anything new from Tristen, and we always love when she releases a cover. Even better, this is the first song from an upcoming covers album from the artist, so we're definitely looking forward to that! You can listen to Tristen's version of "My Back Pages" below. Stay tuned for more on  Official Strawberry Classic. For more on Tristen, check out the artist's website . My Back Pages (Bob Dylan Cover) by tristen

Photo by Sonny Loya I was bummed to miss The Animeros at the Green River Festival on Saturday, and now the Austin, TX band is rubbing it in with a new single. "La Camita" is a cover of Traffic Sound's 1971 song, and somehow The Animeros' version is both more retro and modern sounding. It somehow has a retro cool vibe without sounding like a lost cut from pre-1970... but it also kinda does. This is psychedelic cumbia at its finest, and it's a laid back party perfect for dancing. Once again, I'm going to nominate a song as the song of the summer, but "La Camita" is a perfect summer track, and builds to a glorious finish. You could spend four minutes a lot worse than listening to the latest from The Animeros. The Animeros say of their latest single: “In the lead-up to our recording sessions with Dan Auerbach, we were trading ideas and inspirations back and forth. ‘La Camita’ was a song I had never heard, but Dan had it in his extensive 45 collection, an...