If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Snow Patrol Album : The Forest is the Path Quick Thoughts : There was a time where Snow Patrol was one of my favorite bands. Their post- Eyes Open work hasn't grabbed me quite the way their early stuff did even though they've legitimately become one of the biggest bands in the world over that time. The Forest is not a return to form by any means, but it is a collection of compelling songs that demand attention and is worth the time this week on a whole. I'm glad they're as huge as they are, 25 years later, and glad there's still good stuff coming out as well. Songs of Note : "The Beginning," "Everything's Here and Nothing's Lost," "Hold Me In the Fire," "Never Really Tire" Artist : Nada Surf Album : Moon Mirror Quick Thoughts : Nada Surf continues to be one of the indie-rock standardbearers with Moon Mirror , an album that remains as high-quality as basically every album they've put out since ...

Photo by Adrian Buckmaster The latest from Emily Frembgen is a slightly off-kilter Americana song mixed with modern indie pop. "Drink Tonight" has all the twang necessary in an Americana or alt-country song, but Frembgen adds just enough of a modern indie pop twist to keep things interesting. It's a fun song, which is exactly what you'd expect with a song called "Drink Tonight." The song isn't pure Americana, but has the sound of an artist deciding to dabble and deciding they like what they're hearing. Emily Frembgen says of her latest single: “Years ago a chef I had just met asked if I knew anybody who played Americana music for 'Americana Monday' at his restaurant which was connected to Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. At the time my music wasn’t what you’d call 'Americana' but I lied and said it was and secured the weekly gig and free fried chicken. I started rediscovering the music I loved in that genre and I wrote 'Drink Tonight...

Photo by Adrian Buckmaster Emily Frembgen just released a new single that's a perfect mix of folk, country, and indie pop. "Are You Listening?" is a light sounding song with a heavy message. This one is personally reminding me of Mary Lou Lord and how she could take a more folk or singer-songwriter style and deliver it in a way that sounds new and fresh. Frembgen's latest is also injected with more than a little country, widening the spectrum of sounds that she mixes together in a way unique to her. "Are You Listening?" is both wonderfully simple and lush at the same time. Emily Frembgen says of her new single: “When you don’t have much family you cling onto friendships for dear life. This song was me reminding myself to not give up. And what Bruce Martin came up with on piano, inspired by Warren Zevon’s 'Carmelita' is the coolest touch.” You can watch the video for "Are You Listening?" below. No Hard Feelings is due out September 13 on Don...

Photo by Adrian Buckmaster Coming out of the New York City antifolk movement, Emily Frembgen just signed with Don Giovanni and released a new single. "Fentanyl" opens with the line "Two years doing nothing makes everybody crazy," which is an obvious reference to COVID. Unlike many songs about how quarantine affected, and continues to affect us all, Frembgen captures the bizarre feeling of that time period, along with how bizarre the world still feels. It's a folk song with a country twang and indie rock fuzz, along with an odd little sense of humor about the entire thing. (Frembgen booked comedy and music shows and the video was directed by SNL 's Clare O'Kane.) "Fentanyl" is a great song to discover an artist that we're intrigued to hear more from in the coming months! You can watch the video for "Fentanyl" below. Emily Frembgen's new album is due out in 2024 on Don Giovanni Records. For more on Frembgen, check out the artist...