If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Doves Album : Constellations for the Lonely Quick Thoughts : Doves are back with a new album that feels like what we expect from the veteran act. "Renegade" is up there with some of the best work they've put out, and it's a superlative, comfortable listen overall. Not a ton to say except that it's a highlight of the week. Songs of Note : "Renegade," "Cold Dreaming," "A Drop In the Ocean" Artist : SASAMI Album : Blood on the Silver Screen Quick Thoughts : Since going solo from Cherry Glazerr, SASAMI has carved out a pretty cool niche for herself over the course of a few albums and EPs. Each one has built upon the previous, and this latest effort, positioned in part as her "pop record," is really so much more than that. There are a lot of unforgettable, excellent songs here that straddle the line between indie pop, retrowave, and singer-songwriter stuff ("Slugger" in particular is one of the bett...

For obvious reasons, new releases may have avoided this week, so there's a smaller list and some catchup. Artist : Brian Robert Jones Album : No Strings Attached Quick Description : Vampire Weekend guitarist covers an N'Sync album for some reason. Why You Should Listen : Even if you don't have any nostalgia for the turn-of-the-century boy band revival, this is a fun listen. Overall Thoughts : In high school into college, my close friends were really into N'Sync, so a lot of the songs from No Strings Attached are buried deep in my head. This is an alternative, modern take on the pop album and shows the strengths of the songwriting in the album while still making something fun and unique. Whether this will hold up as more than a novelty remains to be seen, but I had a lot of fun with this one. Recommendation : Worth a listen. Artist : Fever Queen Album : The World of Fever Queen Quick Description : Off-center genre-bending indie music. Why You Should List...