If It's Too Loud...

Typically we get a few holiday song submissions throughout October that I hold on to until after Halloween, but I think this was the first holiday song submission for 2023. Spring Summer, the musical project of Jennifer Furches, has released "Holiday Dream" which features Mac McCaughan of Superchunk on background vocals. This new song is a lovely and quiet holiday song that has the feeling of the quiet during a snowstorm. It's a song of longing more than merriment, but there is still a positive light to "Holiday Dream." It might be the perfect song to gently ease us into the holiday season this year. Jennifer Furches says of her new single: “I wanted to make a song about the longing we can feel during the holidays to be with the ones you love or have loved–like a movie that ends happily ever after. There was something about it I felt Mac would connect with and make better: and he did! We have roots in the same place in North Carolina, but have both spent time in...

After the shit show that was 2016, there are few bright spots to look at. Although 2016 gave us a ton of great music, it also took away some of our absolute favorite artists. Mac McCaughan of Superchunk has given us the perfect anthem for the end of 2016: "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)." A mostly acoustic song, "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)" admits that 2017 will probably also suck, but, at the very least, we can rest assured that Prince won't be able to die again in the New Year. It also includes the cheerful line "If you still have friends, raise a glass with them." "Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again)" is available as a free download on Mac McCaughan's Bandcamp . For more on Mac McCaughan and Superchunk, check out the Merge Records website . Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again) by Mac McCaughan

We saved the best for last this week. Hop Along - Painted Shut : Hop Along is a band I only know because they're touring with Field Mouse (a blog favorite here). Within a few moments of this album, you see why they match up with Field Mouse so well, and get hit right in the nostalgia with a sound that sounds like so much you've already heard, but can't place. Expertly done indie rock with very few flaws (the more indie/anti-folk songs near the end do feel a little out of place), it's definitely one of the best releases of the week, and arguably the year. I can't recommend this highly enough. Metz - II : Metz's second album is absolutely the heaviest thing on the docket this week. It's a short affair, pretty heavy, but has a number of good moments throughout. Not really my sort of thing in general, but if you're looking for something on the heavier side this might work for you. Best Coast - California Nights : I mentioned back in November how ...