If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Gorillaz Album : Cracker Island Quick Thoughts : Gorillaz struck so big early that, today, people (in the United States, at least) probably know Damon Albarn from Gorillaz more than Blur. If I'm being honest, I haven't found the last decade or so of Gorillaz output to be all that compelling, but Cracker Island feels surprisingly fresh in a time where it's becoming progressively more difficult to do so. The template hasn't changed all that much, but the title track sets a tone for an album we've been waiting years for. Make time. Songs of Note : "Cracker Island," "Oil," "Skinny Ape" Artist : Summer Flake Album : One Less Thing Quick Thoughts : In a week without a ton of highlights, it's great when an indie album comes out of nowhere to impress, and the indie rock stylings of Summer Flake really did the trick for me this week. I knew it was something special early, but when a song like "Barnicle Bill" co...

And the rest! Artist : Airling Album : Hard to Sleep, Easy to Dream Quick Description : Light and airy poppy singer-songwriter stuff. Why You Should Listen : Comfortable and pleasant is the name of the game here. Overall Thoughts : Airling was a pleasant surprise for me. Coming from Australia, this is an album that feels light and airy with some electronic instrumentation to go along with solid vocals. The result is a really pretty album that, on one hand, isn’t really breaking any ground, but is still quite a worthwhile listen on the other. While this might not blow your mind... Recommendation : ...I absolutely recommend finding some time for it this week. Artist : Juliana Hatfield Album : Pussycat Quick Description : The first major protest album of 2017. Why You Should Listen : Juliana Hatfield is certainly expressing a point of view here, but it doesn't detract from the music. Overall Thoughts : This is Juliana Hatfield’s anti-Trump protest record. If you’re ...