If It's Too Loud...

It's been a brutal week and being a COVID shut-in got the better of me, so quick hits this week: Make time for these: * Brandi Ediss - Bees and Bees and Bees (Brandi is a friend, but her album is addictive and "Stupid Boyfriend" is a true treat. Genuinely great.) * DELANILA - Overloaded (Solid weird indie stuff.) * Hey, Chels - Everything Goes (A favorite this week, some grungy alt-poppish efforts.) * Hala - Red Herring (A fun, multi-genre adventure.) * V.V. Lightbody - Make a Shrine or Burn It (A solid expansion of her sound from her first album.) * Johanna Warren - Chaotic Good (Interesting singer-songwriter work here.) * Damn the Witch Siren - White Magic (Truly great modern-retro pop treats. I'm a big, big fan of this.) * Diet Cig - Do You Wonder About Me? (A solid follow-up to their debut.) * Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open (As compelling as always.) Of note: * Man Man - Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between * Damie...

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 ...

In a year where early-1990s female-fronted alternative-rock-inspired indie music flooded the streaming airwaves, a number of albums stuck out. One of them for me was Diet Cig's full-length debut, which was a little lo-fi, a lot confessional ("it's hard to be a punk girl wearing a skirt" is one of my favorite lines of the year), and was a throwback in so many ways. Songs like "Maid of the Mist" felt like it could fit in on alt-rock radio, while "Barf Day" and "Link in Bio" have shades of Sarge/The Reputation all over it. There's so much to love here that the whole thing is just worth as much time as you can give it. I'm very excited to see what will come next for this duo, and you should be, too. Songs of Note: "Link in Bio," "Barf Day," "Maid of the Mist"

Some solid stuff out this week! Album of the Week : Artist : Diet Cig Album : Swear I'm Good at This Quick Description : Debut from an indie-alt duo. Why You Should Listen : This is one of the great releases of the last few months. Overall Thoughts : After I listened to this amazing album, I went back to their first EP because I knew I had listened to it and I couldn’t figure out why it didn’t register with me. If you were thinking “that’s nice” with the EP, then strap in, because this debut effort is a much more full affair. Lots of that great 90s-esque alt-rock sound, but with a modern indie sensibility that is just so good. The lyrics are extremely current, which provides an extra novelty factor, and the overall feel of the thing is both immediate and fun. This is absolutely a duo to watch, and this is absolutely one of my favorite recent listens. Recommendation : Do not let this slip by. Artist : KOLARS Album : Kolars Quick Description : Poppy punky duo's...