If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Glen Phillips Album : There is So Much Here Quick Thoughts : I recognize that I am a little biased when it comes to Glen Phillips, as Toad the Wet Sprocket is a top five band for me and the frontman has put together a formidable solo career as well. This latest album shows us a singer-songwriter that just knows how to put a song together, and the outcome here is a bold and bright affair that might be his best solo effort since Winter Pays for Summer . Just a rock solid listen overall, and something that I am super psyched about. Songs of Note : "Stone Throat," "I Was a Riot," "Big Changes" Artist : Pohgoh Album : Du Und Ich Quick Thoughts : I did not know who Pohgoh was prior to this week, and apparently I've been missing out, as this is by far my favorite album of the week and has a very strong case to being one of the better albums of the year. While I know the old souls around us might find the "midwest emo" mockery to be ...

Photo via Facebook One of the very few bright spots in 2020 is that artists are starting to dig through their archives and retrieving some lost gems. First Aid Kit recently discovered a seven year old recording of Willie Nelson's beyond classic "On the Road Again." Obviously the line "I just can't wait to get on the road again" means something completely different to musicians that haven't been able to tour for five months, so they've decided to release it. It's an absolutely perfect cover, staying perfectly true to the original, except maybe a little more modern sounding and with the exceptional harmonies of  Klara and Johanna Söderberg. You can watch the video for First Aid Kit's version of "On the Road Again" below. The video features cell phone footage of First Aid Kit on tour, which just heightens the new meaning of the song. First Aid Kit's proceeds from the song will be donated to Crew Nation which is supporting the...

The Green River Festival has been a highlight of our summer for years now. It hasn't worked out with my personal schedule the past two years, but with today's initial line up announcement it better. So far only five artists have been announced, but they're all killer additions to any festival. They're even kind enough to announce what days they're playing: First Aid Kit: Friday The Wood Brothers: Saturday The Devil Makes Three, Rhiannon Giddens, and Tyler Childers: Sunday The Green River Festival is one of the most laid back and all ages friendly festivals around. It's one of the few that I get just as excited about the food trucks as I do the music. It always feels like a bunch of music fans somehow tricked artists to play a festival they made up, but run perfectly. The Green River Festival runs July 13-15 at the Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. For more information, check out their website , and make sure to buy early bird tickets!

And here are the rest! Co-Album of the Week : Artist : St. Beauty Album : Running to the Sun Quick Description : A genre-hoping R&B effort. Why You Should Listen : It's one of the more unique releases in recent memory. Overall Thoughts : At its heart, Running to the Sun is an R&B record. But if you're not into the genre, you can't let that stop you from hearing this, because it borrows from so many modern sounds - indie rock, alternative rock, some of the indie soul stuff, it runs the whole gamut. There are a lot of reasons why this shouldn't work, but instead it ends up feeling like a brilliant and special release. This surprised me a lot, and it will probably surprise you too. Recommendation : One of the best of the week, and has the potential for a lot of staying power. Artist : Glen Hansard Album : Between Two Shores Quick Description : The Frames/ Once singer is back with a retro-feeling record. Why You Should Listen : Hansard is a great...

Photo by Nirrimi Firebrace Normally First Aid Kit do pleasant, pretty folk. But this is now 2017, where there is a lot of anger being expressed now. "You Are the Problem Here" is a fucking angry folk song. It's about the Brock Turners of the world and the rape culture that is still somehow permeating the world. It's about yet another case where the victim is blamed and the criminal is treated like he is being inconvenienced by their ordeal. Instead, it puts the blame where it belongs: squarely on the rapist. This isn't a punk song, but compared to what we're used to from the, this might as well be Bikini Kill. "You Are the Problem Here" fits perfectly into the rest of First Aid Kit's catalog, even though it's a rocker. You can watch the lyric video for "You Are the Problem Here" below. All proceeds of the song will go to Women for Women International . You can get your copy here . For more on First Aid Kit, head over to thei...

Photo by Neil Krug On election night, First Aid Kit appeared on what appears to be a Swedish talk show for their US election coverage. In what might be the best choice for the evening, First Aid Kit and their dad did a cover of Woody Guthrie's immortal "This Land is Your Land." Seeing this post election is even more poignant, although their upbeat take on the song defies most of the nation's current mood, and the fury that inspired the original song. Although I don't know if it is possible for the Soderberg sisters to have anything but beauty in their voice, so anger might be out. They also did an amazing cover of Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side" on the same night. You can watch First Aid Kit's cover of "This Land is Your Land" below, although if you're trying to avoid American politics, you might want to listen and not watch since there is a huge banner of both Clinton and Trump behind them for most of the performance. For...

As we get closer to the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, and as more artists are being announced, it's becoming more and more clear that this year is going to be a truly special one. We have some returning regulars like The Decemberists, Brandi Carlile, First Aid Kit, Shakey Graves, and Spirit Family Reunion, but the real excitement are some of the artists playing the Fort for the first time. Courtney Barnett was a fantastic early addition, and I've been wishing hard for J Mascis for years. I'm not so secretly hoping he doesn't go for an all acoustic set and he brings a few of his affects pedals with him. Just something about him playing one of his Dinosaur Jr songs acoustic and then hitting a pedal to bring this wall of noise seemingly out of nowhere is just thrilling to me. Last week they announced Tommy Stinson to the line up. I don't know if that makes it more or less likely that The Replacements will end up being announced, but a guy can hope. It's also the t...

A few highly anticipated releases, a few surprises, so let's dive in. We've been doing this for a year already? The Fresh & Onlys - House of Spirits : I confess to having never heard of this band before this week, and the type of music they do is appealing, a sort of darker indie rock/pop sound. This album doesn't have any immediate highlights on first listen, but it's still a pretty good album for this week, and deserves to not get lost in the shuffle. Half-Handed Cloud - Flying Scroll Flight Control : Back when I first got into indie rock, a lot of the Elephant 6 stuff I was into was the sort of psych-folk experimental stuff that, frankly, I can't listen to anymore today. That's effectively what Half-Handed Cloud is, and I really don't have anything to say since it isn't really for me at all. Craft Spells - Nausea : Craft Spells is another band I didn't know until this week, and I really liked this album. It's the best parts of a...

Here in the Northeast, festival season is officially over. The Newport Folk Festival is always a consistent highlight, and I hate having to wait an entire year between festivals. I know some of you aren't local to New England, or weren't able to get tickets since this year sold out months in advance. Luckily for you, there is finally an alternative. Next weekend (October 5 and 6) marks the inaugural Way Over Yonder Festival. This will take place at the world famous Santa Monica Pier. Way Over Yonder is definitely starting out smaller than Newport, but the line up is fantastic, at the very least. I mean, seriously? Saturday, October 5                                           Sunday,  October 6 Neko Case           ...