If It's Too Loud...

Photo by  Erez Avissar After raving about "Too Small for Eyes" and calling their forthcoming album  When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired one of my most anticipated albums of 2016 , we have another new song from Mothers to check out. "Copper Mines" isn't quite as sparse or minimal as "Too Small for Eyes." In fact, it's a fairly straightforward mid-tempo indie rock song. What truly sets it apart from standard indie rock fare is  Kristine Leschper's voice. It lives in this world between a traditionally beautiful voice and the discordant-but-interesting voices of the J Mascis' and Marissa Paternoster's of the world. When she's not singing, the swirling guitars keep you sucked in. When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired  is due out February 26 on Grand Jury Music. Listen to "Copper Mines" below, and be sure to check out their website and Facebook .

Photo by Kristine Leschper One of the most buzzed about bands at CMJ this past fall were Mothers, a Athens based 4 piece. They are set to release their debut album early in 2016, and you can listen to a track from it right now. What's slightly odd is you tend to associate the term "buzz band" with something loud, boisterous, and in your face. Instead, Mothers are quite quiet. "Too Small For Eyes" might be too laid back for a coffee shop, but that's what makes it so great. The instrumentation is so sparse, you're forced to truly listen and focus on it. If you just let the song play in the background, you'd just hear a few plinks of strings here and there, instead of the lush soundscape designed by the band. Kristine Leschper's voice adds to this effect, since it's just so damn compelling you want  to pay as close attention as you possibly can. I don't believe Mothers are Elephant Six related, but fans of Elephant Six (or Athens bands...