If It's Too Loud...

A busy week! Album of the Week : Artist : Anna Tivel Album : Small Believer Quick Description : Latest from a favorite folkie. Why You Should Listen : Anna Tivel is crazy consistent. Overall Thoughts : Ken has raved about Anna Tivel before, and I’ve been jumping back and forth on her back catalog since he turned me onto her. The new album? It’s predictably great. There’s a reason we’re a big fan of hers here, and while she’s not trying to reinvent the wheel with her brand of folk music, there’s something to be said about nearly perfecting it. This is a solid listen for this week, and definitely worth your time. Recommendation : My favorite of the week. Artist : Keep Shelly in Athens Album : Philokalia Quick Description : Weird, yet accessible, electronic music. Why You Should Listen : Keep Shelly in Athens has been under the radar too long. Overall Thoughts : I missed the release last year, but the release from a few years ago was of interest to me. This new album ...

Some minor housecleaning notes - with the music industry moving to a universal Friday release date, the current plan is to move First Listen to Monday or Tuesday (Monday preferred, but the real world gets in the way and all that). With it will be a slightly different format as well, so stay tuned. The understanding is that the first Friday release day will be July 10, so either the July 6 or July 13 releases will be impacted by the change, and I still haven't seen a straight answer. Either way, stay tuned. New releases are afoot! Four Tet - Morning/Evening : Four Tet had a surprise release this week with Morning/Evening , a solid listen for sure but one that is unliekly to excite people who aren't already inclined to be into Four Tet. I really liked it, perhaps even more than the previous effort, but this won't be for everyone. Richard Thompson - Still : Richard Thompson is one of those classic acts (" Wall of Death " is still an awesome song, and I...