First Listen: New Releases for October 13

My time management was really, really poor this weekend from a blogging standpoint. I watched three crappy movies and an awesome one in It Follows (which has a killer soundtrack/score, by the way) instead of doing the requisite stuff for First Listen this week. Please forgive me, especially given as there's 20-something new releases out there this week.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Melkbelly - Nothing Valley: Latest entry in the female-fronted alt-rock thing, but really deserves your time. Shades of Dinosaur Jr here, easily my favorite release of the week.

William Hut and Gisli - 22: His best solo effort (duo, really) in a long time, and is the closest to classic Poor Rich Ones we’ve seen in a long time on his half. The Gisli half is gorgeous in entirely different ways, but both are worth it.

Jeffrey Martin - One Go Around: Solid roots music, lots to love here.

Stars – There is No Love in Fluorescent Light: Best Stars album in 15 years, and a return to form for a band that’s been hit-or-miss lately.

Courtney Barnett/Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice: I don’t love Kurt Vile, but this album simply works from beginning to end. The two here complement each other nicely.

Beck – Colors: His best album in a long time, and one of the more enjoyable listens he’s put out at that. This is what I think of when I think of Beck, and it’s surprising he can put out something like this after being at it for so long.

WORTH SOME TIME:

Lenka – Attune: I still don’t know who she’s supposed to appeal to, but no matter – she’s good at what she does even if she’s probably not going to be your first choice popster.

Terra Lightfoot - New Mistakes: A good listen, but it can’t decide if it’s more roots or more alt-rock, and that lack of clarity dragged it down a lot for me.

Lydia Loveless - Boy Crazy and Single(s): A reissue of her first EP, which is a reminder of why we're so into her. The singles are a lot of covers, which is great.

Barr Brothers – Queens of the Breakers: Gorgeous Canadian folk, its only flaw is its overall lack of heft/impact.

Robert Plant – Carry Fire: If you liked Raising Sand, this is largely along those lines. It’s hard to separate the man from the album, though – if this were someone who wasn’t Robert Plant doing this, I bet I’d like it more.

King Khan – Murderburgers: A solo effort that sounds a lot like his non-solo efforts. This is fine.

The Rural Alberta Advantage – The Wild: This is a very reliable and dependable band. Nothing mind-blowing here, but I can see myself coming back to this over and over.

Wu Tang Clan – The Return: This is better than you think it will be, although not as great as you want it to be. Still, the grooves are great and the rapping solid.

St Vincent – MASSEDUCTION: I really wanted to like this more than I did on first listen. Her albums are often growers, though.

Ransom Pier – Beauty and Demise: This won’t work for everyone, but if the vocals and instrumentation work for you, it might become a near-instant favorite for you.

Dead Leaf Echo - Beyond.Desire: Reminds me of those reverb-heavy 80s indie bands. Pretty solid.

QUESTIONABLE:

Pale Honey – Devotion: Considering how good their first album was, the direction they go here ends up being disappointingly unmemorable. One of my most anticipated albums of the month, and I don’t really know what to say about it.

SKIP:

Neil Finn – Out of Silence: Neil Finn is super important on a whole, but this album generally didn’t work for me.

EPs:

Elin Ruth Sigvardsson - Fel

Caroline Spence – Secret Garden: Great to hear her music hold up in a stripped-down format.

Mountain Goats – Marsh Witch Visions: Why couldn’t his last album be more like this?

Also out:

Electric Six - How Dare You

The Front Bottoms - Going Gray

Lydia Loveless - "Desire"/"Sorry"

Neither Jeff or I could get fully into Lydia Loveless's 2016 album Real. It was just a change in style that didn't work for us. One of the bigger disappointments for me was that the album didn't include "Desire," a song that featured prominently in the documentary Who is Lydia Loveless? Luckily, we can finally get a copy ourselves since "Desire" has been released as a digital single. It's a great mid-tempo song that fits snugly in between her older country rockers and her newer, more pop sound.

The B-side of "Desire" is "Sorry," which is apparently a Justin Bieber cover. I may have heard the original version of "Sorry" since I do go out in public every so often, but I've never knowingly heard the song. I'll assume it's an overproduced pop nightmare, but in Loveless's hands it's an intense acoustic rock song, sung with a heartbreaking intensity. It reminds me of the way Evan Dando can take the most top 40 style pop song imaginable and transform it into a deeply personal experience with an acoustic guitar.

You can listen to "Desire" and "Sorry" below. You can get your own copy of the digital single on Bandcamp. For more on Lydia Loveless, check out her website.

Monday Mix: If It's Too Loud... 2017 Valentine's Day Playlist

Valentine's Day sucks. We spend weeks getting faux romance crammed down our throats and then we're stuck spending a ridiculous amount of money to prove we're in love on a day that means nothing to anyone. Plus, most romantic music is outrageously terrible. You know what's better than romantic music? Break up music. Which is what the 2017 If It's Too Loud... Valentine's Day playlist consists of. I might have leaned a bit too heavily on old timey country, but is there anything better for the negative sides of love than classic country? Aside from that, there's a ton of 90s alternative, which my knowledge of sad sack 90s alternative shows what my romantic life was like back in that decade. [Note: There might be two Lemonheads songs, but one is an 80s Ben Deily song and the other is a 2000s Evan Dando one, so it's completely different.] This is perfect for anyone that doesn't give a crap about the most forcibly romantic holiday of the year or that enjoys mopey music. Enjoy!

First Listen, Part Two: More New Releases for August 19

Here's the rest for this week!

Artist: Lydia Loveless
Album: Real
Quick Description: Fourth album from a blog favorite.
Why You Should Listen: Lydia Loveless is a must listen around these parts.
Overall Thoughts: I'll be the one to say it - this doesn't do much for me. Both Ken and I loved her last album, Somewhere Else, but for me, this is a continuing trend against a more polished and less rootsy sound that isn't what I'm looking for from Loveless (or, really, anyone else). It's shocking in its sterility, especially from an artist who wasn't afraid to push the envelope content-wise. I asked Ken what he thought, and it sounds like he likes it more than I but isn't fond of the pop skew either, so it's a definite "meh" from these parts. Too bad, too.
Recommendation: Not essential, but might be in your wheelhouse.

Artist: The Minus Five
Album: Of Monkees and Men
Quick Description: Scott McCaughey's love letter to the original boy band.
Why You Should Listen: You have an affinity for either The Minus Five or The Monkees.
Overall Thoughts: I can't say I have much of a love for The Monkees outside of watching reruns of the show on TV as a kid, but I'll give anything Minus Five a shot. When they try to ape The Monkees directly, the album is pretty great. The more experimental tributes (such as the 10 minute long song about Michael Nesmith) don't always hit right, though, and this results in an uneven adventure on a whole. I won't say "don't bother" with this on any part, but this needs to be taken in the context intended.
Recommendation: Might be a fans-only affair.

Artist: Ages and Ages
Album: Something to Ruin
Quick Description: Electronic-tinged indie rock.
Why You Should Listen: This is some nice, polished indie music.
Overall Thoughts: I first learned of Ages and Ages from a solid Christmas album that came out a few years back. This album is solid, but doesn't do anything especially new or different. It might be too indie for mainstream audiences, and too polished for indie ones, but this hits a weird sweet spot for me nonetheless. You'll know what you'll think within the first few tracks, but if you love solid harmonies you should bump this up your list.
Recommendation: Might not be for everyone, but worth a listen.

Artist: Ed Harcourt
Album: Furnaces
Quick Description: Latest from the singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: Ed Harcourt has seemingly been around forever and is a consistently solid songwriter.
Overall Thoughts: This was pretty close to being my album of the week. The songwriting is just so solid and everything so tight that it's hard not to love what is going on in Furnaces. I can't say enough good things, so just listen to it. If "Loup Garou" doesn't grab you, I don't know what else to say to you.
Recommendation: One of the best of the week.

Artist: Slow Club
Album: One Day All of This Won't Matter Any More
Quick Description: Fourth album from the British rock duo.
Why You Should Listen: A softer affair where the band's name matches the sound, this is just a great listen.
Overall Thoughts: I can't say Slow Club has ever truly grabbed me, but this album might be the one to do the trick. A deliberate affair with a lot of strong songwriting and instrumentation, I think I fell for this almost immediately. While songs like "In Waves" stand out immediately, this is almost a grower in its presentation, so give it a shot.
Recommendation: Worth the time.

Artist: Big Eyes
Album: Stake My Claim
Quick Description: Melodically abrasive punk rock.
Why You Should Listen: It's the loudest entry this week, and a short quick hit at that.
Overall Thoughts: I don't know if this is outright punk, but I'll just run with it. It's loud, it's right up in your face, and it's a very enjoyable and fast romp. Songs like the title track and "When You Were 25" set a great melodic tone, and it's just a solid album from top to bottom.
Recommendation: A good listen this week.

Artist: Lutheran Heat
Album: Louder From the Other Side
Quick Description: More punkish stuff for this week.
Why You Should Listen: More traditionally punk, a little more on the abrasive side.
Overall Thoughts: Lutheran Heat is definitely doing something right, but the biggest problem they might be facing is setting themselves apart. Especially in a week where we have an album from Big Eyes, Lutheran Heat ultimately suffers from not allowing itself to stand apart. It's a good listen, but in a crowded week...
Recommendation: A good listen, but not a priority.

Artist: Lisa Hannigan
Album: At Swim
Quick Description: Third album from the former Damien Rice collaborator.
Why You Should Listen: This is her best solo work to date.
Overall Thoughts: I'm hoping that this is the album that unties Hannigan from Rice for good, because I haven't loved her solo work up to this point but this album just absolutely nails it. The positives from this album are the ways that Hannigan flirts with different genres (a more traditional singer-songwriter song in "Funeral Suit" is in the same album as a more experimental piece like "Barton"), and there's a melancholy feel to this album that brings it all full circle. If Thalia Zedek was #1 this week, and Ed Harcourt was 1A, this might be 1B. Just a superior album in a lot of ways.
Recommendation: A must listen this week.


Also out this week:

* Crystal Castles - Amnesty (I) (weird electronic sounds)

Lydia Loveless - "Longer"

Photo by Ken Sears

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll know that a new song from Lydia Loveless will be something we explode over. Today, we can hear a new song from her forthcoming album. "Longer" is different. It's probably the most melodic and polished song we've heard from Lydia Loveless in quite some time, but it's also pretty raw. It combines her trademark alt-country drawl with the chugging indie punk that comes right out for their live show and then you add a little bit of Lydia's more pop fandom with someone like Kesha. Taken from the Lydia Loveless Facebook post about the track, Lydia has this to say about it: "I am more proud of this than I have ever been of anything. It's been a long wait and a nutty time in life but it's all about to be new again and I'm just so happy I made this record with my favorite people and I can't wait to share it, dammit."

Stereogum has the exclusive stream of "Longer," so you'll have to go there to check it out. Real, the new album from Lydia Loveless, will be out 8/19 on Bloodshot Records. You can pre-order it through them here. For more information on Lydia Loveless (including dates for the yet to be announced tour!) check out their website.

Film Review: Who is Lydia Loveless?

Rock documentaries usually fall into two categories: Looking back on an artist's entire decades long career or fluff pieces meant to cash on in a pop star's peak money making window. Director Gorman Bechard's previous two films about Grant Hart and The Replacements definitely fits the former category. That's what makes Who is Lydia Loveless? so unique: It takes the standard rock documentary format and goes in a completely new direction.

You might wonder how they can film an entire film with the life story of a musician in her mid-20s. They don't. Loveless' life story fills up maybe 20 minutes. You learn about her being raised on a farm and homeschooled. You learn about her teenage band with her two sisters and her father playing drums. They then cover the fact that she recorded her first album when she was 16, and her solo career up to the present day. The rest of her band is also profiled, which truly fits into Loveless' introduction of "We are Lydia Loveless" when she first steps to the microphone at their live shows. 

The real draw of the film is seeing how a struggling band of today does it. While there is some of the typical boredom of the road moments, it also details the financial struggles. They've recorded three albums for roughly $3000 each. They have to deal with illegal downloading and streaming services. You also get a look at the creative and recording process of their third album. Once sequence is particularly brilliantly edited, going from Loveless working out a song solo on acoustic guitar, the first full band practice, recording in the studio, and then the first live performance, transitioned from phase to phase during the span of the song. You don't usually get that level of editing in any documentary, especially a music one. 

The live performances are shot especially well. Not only are Loveless and her band most in their element while on stage, but the camera work and cinematography capture their performances perfectly. Even the talking heads portions are shot well. Instead of just the typical 45 degree angle shots, Bechard shoots the members of the band with relevant objects in the foreground and background, all while somehow capturing an element of action in a static shot.

Who is Lydia Loveless? is a great look into the every day activities of one of our favorite up and coming artists. You see their every day struggles and accomplishments in a very real way. It's not just for fans of Lydia Loveless, but for anyone looking to see what the careers of non-millionaire musicians can really be like.

Who is Lydia Loveless? is currently making the rounds at festivals. For more information on the film, check out the film's website. Many screenings also feature a short acoustic set by Loveless at the end, in case you need extra motivation. For more on Lydia Loveless, check out her website. For more on Gorman Bechard, check out his website.

The Supersuckers featuring Lydia Loveless - "I Can't Cry"

Photo via Facebook

Since Eddie Spaghetti had been diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this year, the last thing I was expecting was word of a new Supersuckers album. Today we were surprised to learn that not only is there a new album coming out, but it's due next week! Holdin' the Bag will feature a duet with blog favorite, Lydia Loveless. "I Can't Cry" is a lot more serious and introspective than the normal Supersuckers cowpunk fare, but I suppose facing mortality will do that. That's not to say it's all sad and bleak. Even though the song features the chorus "It doesn't matter how hard I try, I can't cry," Spaghetti also wrote the line "Your dick is in the dirt" for Loveless to sing. And now I start dreaming of a co-headlining tour...

Holdin' the Bag is due out October 16 on Acetate Records. You can listen to "I Can't Cry" below. For more information, check out The Supersuckers' website, and if you're able, please donate to Eddie Spaghetti's cancer fight.

Live Shows: Lydia Loveless, 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH 7/12/15

Photo by Ken Sears

Usually, I wouldn't go see the same band two days in a row. That might have worked ten years ago, but not at this point in my life. However, I knew that Lydia Loveless playing in the afternoon in the bright sunlight of the Green River Festival was not an ideal environment, so I had to make it to their headlining set the next night.

I was a bit concerned when I walked in as the show was starting. 3S Artspace tends to have an employee come out before the show and talk about the venue, their mission statement, and upcoming events. The crowd for the show skewed shockingly older, and most of the crowd was sitting in the few chairs lining the back walls of the room. Seeing as the show was sparsely attended (maybe 50 people in a 400 person venue), he encouraged everyone to move the seats to wherever they wanted. This made for a weird mix of people standing next to people in chairs throughout the show. Plus, I've been to poorly attended shows in the past, and it can really cause the artist to sleepwalk through the show until they can get offstage and still get paid. I remember one Matthew Sweet show at Axis where the guitarist was openly checking his watch during the third song. 

Luckily, Lydia Loveless is not the type of artist to half ass it. Coming onstage and announcing "We are Lydia Loveless," Loveless also told the crowd they wanted to start off with a bang. Their bang was "Out On Love," the band's most melancholy song to date. The set list in Portsmouth was wildly different from the day before, and they tore through their more well known songs like "Head" and "Wine Lips" in the first few songs. They included a version of "Hurts So Bad" that was virtually unrecognizable from the album version. This wasn't in a negative way at all, but the song seems to have evolved quite a bit from when it was recorded for Somewhere Else. At the end of the set, the rest of the band left the stage, leaving Loveless alone for a four song acoustic set that included "Back On the Bottle" and the previous day's set opener "Really Wanna See You." When they all came back for an encore, Loveless stated she wanted to play fun songs. They opened with the not quite finished "European" (which she claimed was about being a pervert) and "All I Know" from the Boy Crazy EP. All said, the band played for just over two hours, in a ramshackle set that saw them having a blast. Even if Loveless had a Spinal Tap moment and let out a "Yeah, Providence" before correcting herself with a more generic "Yeah, New England!"

Coming out and immediately announcing "We are Lydia Loveless" shows how tight this band truly is. Instead of being a solo act, they are truly a unit that would sound wildly different if they replaced any member. The band's bassist tears into both his standard bass and stand up bass with the ferocity of a member of Anthrax. Guitarist and back up singer Todd May plays noise punk throughout what would normally be outlaw country. Jay Gasper brings an emotional feel to every song with third guitar and steel guitar. George Hondroulis is tasked with holding all these bizarre forces together with drums. They laid everything on that stage for the 50 most fortunate people in New Hampshire that night.

Live Shows: Green River Festival, Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA 7/11/15

Rubblebucket
Photo by Ken Sears

Green River Festival is something I've been meaning to get to for years now and just haven't gotten around to. This year, I finally made it to the festival on Saturday, and I doubt I'll be missing it ever again. In its 29th year, it's quietly become western MA's prestige festival, drawing national and local acts. The festival is insanely well run, with a wide variety of food trucks numbering in the dozens, free water stations, and alternate activities besides just music. They had an arts and crafts area for kids, shuttle buses to bring festival goers to a swimming area, and hot air balloon rides. Saturday was sold out, but at no point did the grounds feel claustrophobic at all. There was still even room in the fields for frisbee games and kids to run around. It was also the only festival I've ever been to where beer wasn't just limited to a cramped tent way off in the corner. Beer was allowed everywhere you were. It's a small thing, but it just shows how laid back the entire event is.

But, let's get to the music. The first artist I caught was Charlie Parr on the Four Rivers Stage. I had never heard of Charlie Parr before Green River, and I'm really glad I have. Hailing from Minnesota, he's one of those folk/roots artists that perfectly captures the authenticity of the style. The performance was just him on guitar or banjo, but the songs felt fully fleshed out with a full band even though he was only accompanied by his own foot stomps. 

Polaris
Photo by Ken Sears

I was too old for The Adventures of Pete & Pete when it first aired, so I don't have the same nostalgic feelings many others in the audience had for Polaris, who served as the band on the show and performed the theme song. Luckily, Polaris are a fantastic 90s indie band in their own right. They do sporadic performances, and Green River was one of their few 2015 shows. Fronted by Mark Mulcahy, who sounds like a cheerier Lou Reed, the band played some of the best songs you would ever hear on a kid's show, including "Hey Sandy," the show's theme song, and "Summerbaby." Even if you have no nostalgia for 90s kids shows, Polaris stands up purely as a fantastic jangly 90s indie band. If they do any more touring after this, you'll want to check them out.

Langhorne Slim & The Law
Photo by Ken Sears

Next I headed up to the Green River stage for Langhorne Slim & The Law. Langhorne Slim is one of the premier artists in the blossoming folk/punk scene, dancing along the border between poppy folk songs and harder edged rock. It's a great mix, and Langhorne Slim is a natural frontman. The songs bounced between the energetic, upbeat pop of "The Way We Move" and harder rock songs. He was the first artist of the day that truly pulled the crowd in. It's easy to see why: The man puts on a great show. For a band that typically plays 500 seat venues, they're making the transition to festival audiences quite well. Expect huge things from them soon.

J Mascis
Photo by Ken Sears

J Mascis is a western MA legend, and he made his Green River Festival debut on Sunday. A solo J Mascis show is always interesting, because you never quite know if you're going to get purely acoustic or if he's going to pull some pedals out and bring the Dinosaur Jr noise to the show. It started off pretty and acoustic, but during Dinosaur Jr's "Little Fury Things" he brought out a wall of noise that many in the crowd did not expect, especially during a solo performance. It's always fun when a solo artist can be the loudest/noisiest of the day, but with Mascis, you expect it. He was joined by Polaris's Mark Mulcahy for some of his set, which makes sense considering Mulcahy plays and sings on Mascis's 2014 album Tied to a Star. He also played a cover at his wife's request so that the audience would have at least one song they recognized. Ironically, it was the one song he played that afternoon I didn't know.

Lydia Loveless
Photo by Ken Sears

Unfortunately I wasn't able to catch all of Mascis's set because I had to head down to the Four River Stage for Lydia Loveless. Our obsession with Loveless is well documented on this blog, and I was thrilled to finally see her live. Live she's even harder to pigeonhole than her albums, careening between country, rock, and punk at a breakneck pace. Her band includes a heavy metal bassist and a noise rock guitarist, which adds to her whole sound. She joked about being so accustomed to playing tiny clubs at night that she wasn't used to seeing the sun and didn't know how to handle the large space of the festival. It did show a bit, but her just rolled out of bed look and attitude just fit right into her whole sound and mystique. Songs like "Really Wanna See You" and "Wine Lips" might work best in a bar around midnight, but she still put on enough of a show that new fans swarmed the merch table immediately after.

Back on the Green River Stage, we caught the rest of Booker T. Jones' set. Booker T is obviously a legend, best known as the frontman of Booker T. & The MG's. The man turns 71 later this year, and hopefully the younger bands caught his set, since you never would have guessed his age. Playing mostly funk and soul covers ("Respect," "Purple Rain," Hey Joe") Booker T. put on a workshop of how to last into your later years as a touring musician. He's the type of artist I might never have seen outside of a festival. Everyone at Green River on Saturday is better off having seen him play.

tUnE-yArDs
Photo by Ken Sears

tUnE-yArDs are the hardest to describe artist at the entire weekend of Green River. Led by Merrill Garbus, a New England native and alumni of Smith College in nearby Northampton, MA, it was a hodge podge of bizarre, mostly made up of human voice and drumbeats. Garbus stayed behind a hybrid drum set and keyboard for her set, joined by a guitarist, drummer, and background singer. She utilized a ton of loop effects, and barely stood still for her set. One highlight was "Gangsta" from 2011's WHOKILL, using looped vocals for the songs's police siren effects. She is one of those artists you don't think could translate live, but after seeing her, live might be the only way.

Rubblebucket
Photo by Ken Sears

Rubblebucket were one of those bands I never truly gave a shot to, dismissing them as a jam band. I have no idea where I got that idea, but holy crap was I wrong. Sure, they have some jam band elements, but they are another indescribable sound, mixing dance with ska and indie rock. Playing after dark, they had the good fortune of adding illuminated hot air balloons as a backdrop adding to their heavily visual show. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Kalmia Traver almost never stopped moving while she danced, sang, jumped around, played keyboards, saxophone, jumped into the crowd, and expelled more energy than my six year old at a birthday party. They had an insane light and smoke show during their entire set, with highlights being "Carousel Ride" and "Came Out of a Lady." At one point they brought an entire armada of aliens on stage to dance. At another the trumpet player rode an audience member's shoulders throughout the crowd. It could have all been dismissed as gimmicky, if Rubblebucket weren't so good.

The Green River Festival may be done for the year, but they will be back in 2016. Join their mailing list on their website to make sure you get in for next year. It's been the best kept secret in the New England festival scene for decades. It won't be for much longer.

Green River Festival Announces Daily Schedules

The Green River Festival is now less than 4 weeks away, and they've announced their daily schedule, and as always, there are some decisions to be made. While I love the multiple stages of festivals, and I love having options for when there's an artist on I can't get into, I hate having to decide between two favorite artists.

The biggest for me is deciding between J Mascis and Lydia Loveless. J Mascis is a decades long favorite of mine, and Lydia Loveless is a year long absolute obsession. I've seen Mascis solo a handful of times, and I've never seen Loveless, so you'd think this would be an easy choice. But this is J Mascis we're talking about. Luckily, they only have a 15 minute overlap so it'll just have to be a last minute decision on what to miss. 

Of course, there's also the overlap between Polaris and Langhorne Slim & The Law, which is almost a complete time for time overlap. I discovered The Adventures of Pete and Pete in my 30s, so I don't have that sense of nostalgia people slightly younger than I will have for Polaris. But Langhorne Slim seems to tour a lot more than Polaris does. This one might have to be a 50/50 split.

There are still some other tough choices. The Milk Carton Kids overlap slightly with Lydia Loveless (she wins) but completely overlap with Arc Isis. The end of Lydia Loveless will overlap with Booker T. Jones (again, she wins), and half of tUnE-yArDs overlaps with half of The Wood Brothers. But I guess having too much to see is better than being bored while waiting out a disappointing live set.

You can check out the full schedule for this year's Green River Festival on their website. Also, make sure you buy your tickets sooner than later since last year's festival sold out in advance.

Green River Festival Announces Insane Line Up for 2015

The Green River Festival has long been one of the most beloved, if almost secret, annual New England music festivals. It was long run by the Greenfield, MA Chamber of Commerce and because of that always seemed to be geared towards an older audience. That started to change back in 2013 with the inclusion of Gogol Bordello to the festival, and last year it started being presented by Signature Sounds, the fantastic Northampton, MA based record label. The festival sold out in advance last year, and this year will be an even quicker sell out for its 29th year. Saturday is just ridiculous with Tune-Yards, Wood Brothers, western MA rock god J Mascis, Booker T. Jones, Milk Carton Kids, Langhorne Slim & the Law, blog favorite Lydia Loveless, Polaris (aka the band from The Adventures of Pete & Pete!), and more. Sunday is also solid with Steve Earle & the Dukes, Punch Brothers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Valerie June, Elephant Revival, Joe Pug, and more. Besides music, the festival also doubles as a hot air balloon festival, offering rides and launches each day.

The Green River Festival runs July 10-12 on the campus of Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. Early bird tickets are on sale until April 17. $79.99 gets you in for all 3 days, $19.99 for Friday, or $59.99 for Saturday or Sunday. Kids under 10 are free! For more information, check out www.greenriverfestival.com. You can also see the full festival line up below.

Lydia Loveless Covers Prince's "I Would Die 4 U"

Any semi-regular reader of this blog is going to know that we're pretty much obsessed with Lydia Loveless. Since one of my more long term musical obsessions is Prince, I'm beyond thrilled that Loveless is covering "I Would Die 4 U." Last year, Bloodshot Records announced a 21 song Prince tribute album. Apparently lots of people didn't realize it was an April Fool's Day prank, and they were pissed. To make that up to fans, they're releasing a split 7" for Record Store Day this year featuring the aforementioned cover of "I Would Die 4 U" with Cory Branan doing "Under the Cherry Moon." You can listen to Loveless's cover below. If you've heard her cover of Echo & the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon," you'll know she can reach way out of her country/rock/punk range. "I Would Die 4 U" is incredibly true to the original, with just slight hints of indie rock with her country drawl. "I Would Die 4 U" is one of those great Prince songs you kind of forget about until you hear it again. And then it becomes one of your favorites.

As always, for more information on Lydia Loveless, check out her webpage. To find out about the split 7", head on over to Bloodshot Records' site.

There's an Upcoming Documentary About Lydia Loveless

Gorman Bechard, director of such critically acclaimed rock documentaries as "Color Me Obsessed, a Film About the Replacements," has found his newest subject: Lydia Loveless. I'm personally thrilled to find more about one of my favorite 2014 musical discoveries, and I'm also excited by such an esteemed director focusing his attention on such fantastic newer artist. Titled "Who Is Lydia Loveless," the film seeks to answer just that, delving into her early upbringing, life on the road, being married to a bandmate, dealing with sexism in the music industry, and if she's rock 'n' roll, country, or punk. The project is currently in the Kickstarter phase, so they're looking for our help. There are the more standard rewards (an advance copy of the film, signed vinyl, handwritten lyrics) and the more unique (a chance to be right up front for the filming of the live performances to be used in the film, interviewing Lydia Loveless and Gorman Bechard for the DVD extras). It's going to be fantastic, and how can you not want to be involved?

For more information on the project, head over to their Kickstarter page. 

Ken's Top 10 of 2014 - #3: Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

Back when Somewhere Else first came out, Jeff pointed me in its direction declaring he just discovered my new favorite singer. Based on the fact that my 10 most played songs on Spotify in 2014 are on Somewhere Else, he might be right. Lydia Loveless hits this sweet spot for me. She's a perfect blend of Lucinda Williams and Paul Westerberg, playing edgy roots rock with just the right amount of twang, filled with swirling, countrified guitars. The fact that I became obsessed with a song called "Head" about oral sex performed by a 22 year old female while in my late 30s would be more embarrassing if it wasn't the best song to come out in 2014. Her voice contains a grit to it that usually takes an artist decades to develop. I can't wait to see how she develops over the next few years.

Jeff's Top 10 of 2014 - #5: Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

In a bleak world where Kathleen Edwards has exchanged her guitar for a coffee shop, Jessica Lea Mayfield is going more indie rock, and Elizabeth Cook hasn't released anything significant in four years, the mantle of the alt-country singer-songwriter woman has been a little empty for me. Thus my surprise when getting to hear Lydia Loveless's third album. A sometimes angry, sometimes dirty, sometimes thoughtful affair, this album is really a turning point compared to her rootsier early efforts, and really did a good job for me in terms of getting me excited about an album, one of the first ones this year to do so.

Whether it's "Wine Lips" or the in your face (I suppose that's not entirely intentional) "Head," there's not really a loser on the album, and there's a song to fit most moods to boot. She's super young, too, so to think that she's making music this good this early on? Forget about it. In other years, this might have been my top pick. For now, it's still one of the best releases overall, and it's streaming below:


Song highlights: "Head," "Wine Lips," "Really Wanna See You."

First Listen: New Releases for February 18

This week is thankfully a lot slower than last week, but there's still a lot to get to, so let's get to work:

Ida Maria - Accidental Happiness: We hadn't heard much of anything from Ida Maria as of late, but it turns out that she was working out some alcohol addiction issues, and it's nice to report that she's back with an EP of mostly good songs. Nothing here has the flash of KATLA or her debut, but it's still a solid little EP of songs from someone we haven't heard from in some time. Good to have her back.

Dawn Landes - Bluebird: I became a fan of Dawn Landes when she opened for Hem many, many years ago. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous, and her roots-tinged folk sound just hits me in just the right way. Her latest release, Bluebird, is thankfully more of the same, and I mean that in the most positive light. In a way, she's like the anti-Marissa Nadler, as Landes's songs feel more light and airy than the standard fare. If folk music or beautiful voices are your thing, this album is for you.

The Presidents of the United States of America - Kudos to You!: So I knew that POTUSA had reunited, and their 2008 album was all well and good, but I didn't realize they were still going. I feel like they'll never quite shake being that novelty band that sang about fruit all those years ago, but this new album actually kind of embraces that whole thing a bit, offering a decent alt-rock time with some goofy songs to fill in the gaps. If you have a nostalgia button, this will likely end up pressing it over and over again, but, frankly, this album is actually pretty good. It's worth a listen if you were ever a fan.

The Jezabels - The Brink: I somehow tripped up on The Jezabels sometime last year. Their debut album was a hair uneven, but there was some sort of quality to it that stuck around and kept me coming back over and over. I had no idea they had a new album out until I saw it on the new release list today, and it turns out they're a fairly big deal in Australia, with top 10 albums and songs and a few awards to boot. The Brink takes the best parts of their debut and builds on it, making an expansive, ambitious alt-rock release that is absolutely my favorite release of this week and could make a play in my top 10 this year I enjoyed it so much. There's a lot to love here, and this is a band that I'm beginning to hope will be around for a long, long time.

Lost in the Trees - Past Life: I don't know why I have Lost in the Trees filed away as a "weird" band in my brain, but I do. Past Life is not weird at all - it's a solid, if unspectacular, indie folkish effort. The band has dropped a couple members and tightened up their sound in a way that feels more direct, which may account for why I don't feel like this is "weird." Overall, it's worth a listen. I know I'm interested in spending more time with it in any regard, but I was waiting for something to kind of jump out at me, and that didn't happen.

Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else: Everything about Lydia Loveless screams old-style country, and listening to the album absolutely feels like a throwback in line with Lucinda Williams with hints of Kathleen Edwards and Jason Isbell. It's rocking at the right moments, hits all the traditional emotional and musical chords, and it left me wondering how I hadn't tripped up on her music prior to now. It's really a fun, rollicking record. And she's only 23. I don't even know anymore. I feel old. Let's just move on.

Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness: Angel Olsen's new album is certainly some sort of folky thing, but I don't really know how to accurately describe it. She's not like Dawn Landes or like Marissa Nadler, it's not really lo-fi although it has that sensibility in places. The songwriting feels sharp, though, and it's sticking in my head, so there's something to that. Overall, one to look out for.

Suzanne Vega - Tales From the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles: I had no idea Suzanne Vega was still making music, and, while this is arguably the most embarrassing album title I've seen in some time, the album is really not bad for something that you recognize as a singer who arguably hit her prime in music almost 30 years ago. It might be too poppy for some, but it's pretty solid for an album by an artist recording new music in her fourth decade. Worth a try.

Phantogram - Voices: This week ends with Phantogram's highly anticipated follow-up to the brilliant, brilliant Eyelid Movies. I had heard the single from this album, "Fall in Love," and was underwhelmed, but you can never tell by a lead single. Unfortunately, I feel like the somewhat weird, stilted electronic pop of their first album has been abandoned for something a little more strange and a little less melodic. I could be way off on this album and it could really be a grower, but what I enjoyed about the group just isn't there with this one, and it's mostly a disappointment. I can't recommend this, unfortunately, unless it's more of a curiosity of what is sure to be one of spring's real buzz bands.




Also out this week:

* Peter Buck - I Am Back To Blow Your Mind Once Again
* Guided by Voices - Motivational Jumpsuit
* Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition - Dark Night of the Soul