First Listen: New Releases for 3 December

Artist: Me Not You
Album: do you feel the same?
Quick Thoughts: A friend thinks Me Not You is one of her favorite bands, and I was surprised at first until I realized that they keep putting out effort after effort that impresses. I've been on board since "Julia," which was a great alt-indie song. This sophomore effort feels a lot more polished and mature, and it helps make everything feel a little bigger and better. I get a lot of Juliana Hatfield vibes from this one, and that's a real good thing. A highlight this week.
Songs of Note: "california dreamin," "miles and miles," "true blue"

Artist: Kelley McRae
Album: Can You Change the Heart of Me?
Quick Thoughts: Kelley McRae is one of those artists that should really be bigger than she is. This latest effort is roots done right - it's the perfect balance of alt-country and folk that we love around here, and this might be her best overall effort yet. A big fan of this one.
Songs of Note: "Montana," "If You're Lucky"

Artist: Marissa Paternoster
Album: Peace Meter
Quick Thoughts: Going in, if you think this will be a Screaming Females-esque listen, or that Paternoster is taking a Sadie Dupuis approach on solo work, forget it. This is more like an alt-rock singer-songwriter effort with a lot of interesting songs peppered throughout. Definitely quieter and more introspective, and it works pretty well on a whole. Hype train was big on this one, but it deserves all the praise.
Songs of Note: "Black Hole," "Balance Beam" Of note:

* Clams Casino - Winter Flower (Solid, left-field electronic music.)
* Chris Pureka - The Longest Year (A lot to love about this rootsy folk effort.)
* Cots - Disturbing Body (Solo jazzy songwriter stuff.)
* Arca - KICK ii/KicK iii/kick iiii/kiCK iiiii
* Your Old Droog - Space Bar
* Alice Phoebe Lou - Child's Play

EPs:

* Beauty Pill - Instant Night
* Chloe Lilac - When I Feel Better
* underscores - boneyard aka fearmonger
* Tierra Whack - Rap?
* Aisha Badru - The Way Back Home
* Sweet Soubrette - Making Do
* Laura-Mary Carter - Town Called Nothing
* Freedom Fry - Broken Down on Planet 909

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues/Christmas:

* Lori McKenna - Christmas is Right Here
* XENNON - Dream Utopia
* Vibe Raiders - A Very Vibin' Christmas
* Diet Cig - Live at Studio Two Three

Also out:

* Tom Morello - The Atlas Underground Flood
* Noir Disco - NOW! 2073
* Stupidity featuring Keith Streng - Waking Up the Band

Marissa Paternoster - "White Dove"

While Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster has released music under the name Noun, the indie rock legend has yet to release music under her name. December will see her first solo album, and "White Dove" is the first Marissa Paternoster single! "White Dove" starts off like how you'd expect a solo album from a long time punk/indie rocker. It's a fairly mellow acoustic song that highlights Paternoster's vocals. It's easy to forget that she has a pretty great singing voice outside of her normal punk scream. Of course, this is Marissa Paternoster, so there is some unexpected instrumentation and some guitar noise that creeps in from time to time. But this is a great way to see an artist we've been fans of for well over a decade branch out, especially when it's this compelling of a sound.

You can listen to "White Dove" below. Peace Meter is due out December 3. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp. For more on Marissa Paternoster, check out the artist's website.