If It's Too Loud...

I've been absolutely crushed with real world stuff, so here are some of my favorite listens of the last few weeks. A playlist on the bottom made for the shuffle for other highlights. Artist : Aesop Rock Album : Black Hole Superette Quick Thoughts : There were a ton of great rap albums out the last few weeks, but this one in particular stuck with me and not only because I'm an Aesop Rock fanboy who grades everything he does on a curve. The album's cohesive structure feels a little more the lostwave extension of Integrated Tech Solutions which is absolutely something I'm here for. No skips found. Songs of Note : "Secret Knock," "Checkers," "Movie Night," "1010WINS," "Send Help," "John Something," "Ice Sold Here," "Bird School," "Steel Wool," "Charlie Horse," "The Red Phone" Artist : The Minus 5 Album : Oar On, Penelope! Quick Thoughts : The proli...

Artist : The Minus 5 Album : Stroke Manor Quick Description : Latest from the R.E.M.-adjacent act, and the first since McCaughey's stroke. Why You Should Listen : This is one of the best efforts from the band in well over a decade. Overall Thoughts : It’s been a minute since the Minus 5 have recorded anything, and with good reason given Scott McCaughey’s stroke a few years back. This is probably his most different effort, and for good reason since he began work on it in the ICU, still somewhat addled, shortly after the doctors said he might not play music again. The story is told elsewhere better, but long and short? This is a really fascinating listen, and one that has a lot of layers I expect to uncover on future listens. Whether it’s an album that would be considered one of the better releases of the year remains to be seen, but it is definitely one of the most interesting ones given the way it got to release. Recommendation : Give this some time. Artist : The Trinar...

I have nothing against Pearl Jam, but I'm more than a little sick of them covering Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." Covers are usually special and unexpected. This is done at virtually (if not literally) every show Pearl Jam plays. Also, of Neil Young's entire catalog they choose "Rockin' in the Free World?" Can't they throw out "Cortez the Killer" or "Like a Hurricane" once in a while? It's getting to be their "Freebird" and it's not even their song. So why am I writing about it you ask? Maybe because when they performed it in Portland recently they had all three members of Sleater-Kinney on stage to perform it. All three members of Sleater-Kinney. They haven't been on a stage together in seven years. I love Wild Flag and all, but Sleater-Kinney reunion please now thank you? Also, Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey from The Minus Five were there, too. Did you ever think you'd see the day...