If It's Too Loud...

Artist : The A's Album : Fruit Quick Thoughts : I hesitate to pigeonhole The A's in any specific genre or classification, because what they're doing is so unique even while falling upon familiar tropes. With that said, if Mountain Man and First Aid Kit spawned a duo all their own, they might sound a lot like The A's. It's got a lot of quiet folk influence in some places, and outright field recording feels in others. It's a pretty brilliant album on a whole, and one of the rare records where, even if some parts don't work for you, it's still possible to appreciate from an artistic perspective. Songs of Note : "Wedding Dress," "Why I'm Grieving," "When I Die" Artist : Launder Album : Happening Quick Thoughts : This is an incredible album that scratches multiple musical itches, so know this out front - it's difficult to be objective about something this good. Launder has produced a fuzzy, buzzy slice of alt-r...

Photo via Facebook The latest from Elf Power is exactly what we'd expect from Elf Power in 2022. "Soft Trash" might be a little less weird than their earlier music. In fact, it's a great little oddball song with some killer pop hooks, but that seems pretty standard from most bands after they've been around for almost three decades. But, this is still Elf Power so as mainstream as this might sound in comparison, this is hardly a mainstream song. This might help mark Elf Power as entering their dad rock phase, and that's going to make us very happy. You can watch the video for "Soft Trash" below. Artificial Countrysides is out July 15 on Yep Roc Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Elf Power, check out the band's website .

Photo by Jason Thrasher Athens indie rock legends Elf Power are releasing their first new album in five years. The Elephant Six band has been kicking around for twenty eight years at this point, which is long enough that you'd expect them to slow down and start to release mediocre music, but if "Undigested Parts" is any indication, their upcoming album is going to be pretty great. "Undigested Parts" may not be as groundbreaking as A Dream in Sound sounded when I was in college, but that's only because music has caught up with Elf Power. This is a great indie rock song with some serious oddball pop hooks. It has just enough of that indie psychedelic sound so that you'll instantly know it's Elf Power.  You can watch the video for "Undigested Parts" below. Artificial Countrysides is due out July 15 on Yep Roc Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Elf Power, check out the band's website .

A much more standard week this week. Album of the Week : Artist : Girlpool Album : Powerplant Quick Description : Folk rockers turn up the noise a bit. Why You Should Listen : This is a positive evolution for this duo. Overall Thoughts : Album of the week this week, even though it’s following a trend of a lot of recent releases I’ve loved. 2017 is quickly turning into the year of woman-led rock music with a message, and Girlpool is lining up for their shot at the throne with this effort, which is bigger and grander sounding than their folk-heavy debut from a couple years ago. Truth be told? I like this version of them more, and I suspect you might as well. Great for fans of their old anti-folk-style stuff as well as those who are looking for the next great indie listen... Recommendation : ...this is worth some time in your rotation. Artist : Dharma Bombs Album : Old Time Romance Quick Description : Good ol' jazzy tunes. Why You Should Listen : You miss the Squirr...

Nothing long-awaited outside of Haim's debut album has dropped this week, but it's still a surprisingly robust week for new releases. Let's dive in: Tired Pony - The Ghost of the Mountain : Tired Pony is a side project/supergroup headed up by Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and including members of Belle & Sebastian, producer Jackknife Lee, and so on. The first album was a quieter, folksy affair that didn't exactly fit in with anything any of the members have done, and The Ghost of the Mountain certainly feels more complete, but still suffers from that same sort of quiet quality where nothing catches your ear enough to really give it full attention. As a complete unabashed R.E.M. fanboy, I will give this more of a shot, but it's not really catching my ear. Moby - Innocents : I hate to say this, but I didn't realize Moby was still making albums. The last I had recalled was 2005's Hotel , and he apparently has a few a...