If It's Too Loud...

Actor, screenwriter, and director Molly Gordon is currently in the film Oh Hi! which she teamed with producer and director Sophie Brooks. For the film, Gordon (who you might know as Claire in The Bear ) teams with Blake Mills on a cover of the immortal Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers duet "Islands in the Stream." Coming of age in the 90's, I'm always ready to assume that a cover of a song like "Islands in the Stream" will be done ironically, but Gordon and Mills have reworked the song into a dreamy and intimate folk track featuring Gordon on vocals. It's stripped down and without any of the excess of the original. It's also a little bit witchy, but keeps the joy and heart of the original classic. Molly Gordon says of the cover: “When Sophie and I were developing OH, HI! and she came up with the dream sequence, she mentioned that she planned to ask her friend Blake Mills to help us out. I tried to play it very cool, but I was secretly freaking out insi...

Dolly Parton's "Jolene" is a perfect song. It's completely iconic and it's virtually impossible to hear a bad version of it. When I saw that GA-20 was releasing a cover of it, I knew it was going to be great. And it is. GA-20 turn it into a laid back blues jam while still keeping the intensity and desperation of the original. (Ok, maybe not all of the intensity of the original, but this is Dolly Parton we're comparing it to after all.) The obvious comparison for this one is The White Stripes' blistering blues cover. GA-20's version isn't quite that intense and is a lot more straightforward blues. This is a great version of a truly iconic song that you're going to want to check out. You can watch the live video of GA-20 covering "Jolene" below. For more on GA-20, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. APR 20 WED Loco Club @ 8:00pm Valencia, Spain APR 21 THU Fun House @ 8:00pm Madrid, Spain APR 22 FR...

I'm a little embarrassed to bring you all this one, but I just can't resist. But, if you're reading this after the headline you're apparently also onboard. Scott Klopfenstein of Littlest Man Band and Reel Big Fish has teamed with Bite Me Bambi's Tahlena Chikami for a cover of the immortal "Island in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. What's truly shocking/charming about this cover is that this isn't a ska cover of the soft rock classic but a completely faithful version. Is this a great song that is going to change your life? Probably not. But is it a ridiculously fun time? Definitely. Tahlena Chikami explains how they came to cover "Islands in the Stream": "You ever just blurt something out of your mouth and not really think it through? That’s how this cover of 'Islands in the Stream' came about. While streaming on Twitch, I just sort of said, 'Wouldn’t it be funny if Scott and I covered Islands in the Stream? ...

There is a finite number of Justin Townes Earle songs out there, so any time a new recording is released to the public we're going to cherish it. Dawn Landes recently released this recording from 2011 of her and Earle covering the Dolly Parton classic "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" The original is obviously a classic, but it is from 1982 to it's a tad dated. Landes and Earle's cover is just the two musicians around a single mic in Landes' studio while they were touring together. It's beautiful in its simplicity, and it's the perfect cover. You can hear the joy spilling out of the pair while they play a song they both love. It's that simple joy that makes a cover like this truly special, and we're thrilled Landes has put this out in the world for everyone. You can listen to Dawn Landes and Justin Townes Earle's version of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" below. The song is available now on Landes' Bandcamp . For more on Dawn Landes, ...

Dolly Parton's "Jolene" might be the best song ever written. It's at least top two. Unfortunately, for too many of us that grew up in the 1980's, Parton was seen as a punchline, especially for those of us that hated country music. It was The White Stripes' cover of "Jolene" that sucked me into all the joy that Parton brings to the universe, so I'm always going to be partial to any cover of that song. On Saturday morning, I woke up to an email announcing that Walter Sickert had released a cover of "Jolene." Knowing Sickert's work, I knew exactly what to expect. It was going to be a dark, creepy version, maybe even leaning towards the White Stripes' version. What I didn't expect is that it was going to be beautiful. Sickert's version is stunning, and completely heartfelt. Sickert takes the song and sings it in such a way that you believe they're in danger of losing their man to a redhead named Jolene. Sickert's ver...

Photo via Facebook I first discovered Sara Radle way back in 2005 when she joined The Rentals. I loved her contributions to that band so much I started picking up her solo work, and even went back to her previous band, Lucy Loves Schroeder. She's been taking a break from music lately to focus on her first film, but she's now back and dipping her toes into the music world again. Even though she originally hails from San Antonio, she's never dabbled in country music before. Her newest project is going to lean a little on the country side of things, and she recently launched a YouTube series called "Sara Serenades Her Cats." The first in the series is Radle covering Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow." It's a fantastic and simple cover, and I think you all know how we feel about covers here at If It's Too Loud... Plus, there's a cat in the video, and that's always a plus. You can watch the video for Sara Radle's take on "Lit...

We've got a lot of albums out this week! Enough where we're gonna split this onto two days... Album of the Week : Artist : Thalia Zedek Band Album : Eve Quick Description : Latest album from an artist widely considered to be an underground legend. Why You Should Listen : Best release of the week from an artist that should be heard anyway. Overall Thoughts : I blame myself for not having any prior knowledge of Thalia Zedek or any of the bands she was in. Ken sent this over, though, and wow . This is a methodical, enjoyable listen from start to finish, feeling both complex and straightforward in its structure. The term "underground" often carries harder punkish connotations, but this feels more like some well-structured indie rock than anything, and it hit just right for me. Absolutely worth your time this week. Recommendation : A must listen. Artist : AJJ (Andrew Jackson Jihad) Album : The Bible 2 Quick Description : Latest album from the folk punk a...

Apparently Queen Latifa has a daytime talk show now? Anyways, she had her Joyful Noise  costar Dolly Parton on the show. How fantastic! Everyone LOVES Dolly! What song will she sing? "9 to 5?" "I Will Always Love You?" I bet "Jolene." Oh, man, I'll never get sick of seeing Dolly sing "Jolene." But, no. I guess because Queen Latifa became famous as a rapper, they thought it would be hilarious for Dolly to come out in a blonde afro wig and rap. Well... it's not. At all. Especially since half the rap is about her boobs. This is a 67 year old woman.

Was just alerted to this YouTube clip of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" slowed down 25%, and now it sounds like something really sad and lonely, but also really, really interesting. As slow as things can get for us old fogeys on late weekend nights, this might be something to take with you into the evening.