If It's Too Loud...

The three women of boygenius are having a moment, and I'm here for it. This is a multiple-Grammy contender, has the Taylor Swift seal of approval, has Rolling Stone apparently confusing Lucy Dacus with Julien Baker , and it just a musically superior album than most of what I listened to this year. Where the record ultimately excels is that, while you can probably figure out who was the lead songwriter from track to track if you're a fan of all three members, the songs do not end up being solo showcases with their friends as backups. There's a little bit of magic in this collaboration, and it's great to see everyone getting their due. The album itself? It's gorgeous singer-songwriter stuff sometimes ("True Blue," "Cool About It"), it's radio-friendly rock ("Not Strong Enough," a favorite track of the year period), or just loud indie rock ("$20," "Satanist"). The band easily shifts between dif...

Photo by Julia and Aaron Robbs I was embarrassingly late to the Phoebe Bridgers bandwagon, but I'm fully on board now so I'm obviously going to pay attention to any project she's involved with. Producer and arranger Rob Moose brought her in for his latest project, and she provides vocals for his latest single, "Wasted." He's the one who added strings to her album Stranger in the Alps , and on this new single they amp up the strings aspect even more. "Wasted" is more of a modern take on classical with Phoebe Bridgers providing vocals than her normal slice of indie rock/pop. It's a gorgeous song that is heavy with strings, but not in a stuffy way at all. This is classical/orchestral music for those that would normally hate the genre. Rob Moose says of the new song: “'Wasted' came my way in 2019. I first started to tinker with it on a retreat to Orcas Island, with snow out the window and no helpful instruments nearby. Progress came slowly, b...

Artist : Rachel Baiman Album : Common Nation of Sorrow Quick Thoughts : Rachel Baiman has solidified herself as a mandatory listen with Common Nation of Sorrow . Baiman's roots-focused folk is spot-on with this latest album that is as earwormy as it is contemplative, and yet somehow still feels surprising. I knew a few songs in that it was going to be a favorite this week, and longtime readers will find a lot to love here. Songs of Note : "Annie," "Self Made Man," "Lovers and Leavers," "Old Flame" Artist : Altın Gün Album : Aşk Quick Thoughts : I became addicted to this semi-cinematic indie genre over the last few years, and a favorite of mine ended up being Altın Gün. Their albums are catchy and interesting, but the new album levels up in many regards while also harkening back to their earlier work. It's a gorgeous and fascinating listen that's unlike anything else you'll hear this week. Make sure you take some time wi...

Last time we brought you new music from Boston's Mint Green, it was a cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." For Halloween they've given us not one but two Phoebe Bridgers covers! The first is a cover of "Motion Sickness" from 2017's Stranger in the Alps. It's a very true to the original cover, but maybe a little more dreamy and poppy than Bridgers's original. The second cover is "Kyoto" from this year's fantastic Punisher. This cover keeps the vast majority of the original intact, bit with a little more of a lo-fi vibe. These are adoring covers by obvious fans of Phoebe Bridgers, and we're 100% on board for that! You can listen to Mint Green's cover of "Motion Sickness" below. Both covers are available on the band's Bandcamp . For more on Mint Green, check out their Facebook and Twitter . Phoebe Bridgers Covers by Mint Green

Artist : Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile Album : Not Our First Goat Rodeo Quick Description : A wonderful follow up to The Goat Rodeo Sessions . Why You Should Listen : This mix of styles worked well last time, and works well this time. Overall Thoughts : I played a lot of The Goat Rodeo Sessions back when that came out, and then I kind of forgot about it over time. When this randomly popped up in my Spotify list this week, it was such a great and pleasant surprise. The musicianship here is predictably top-notch, and the songs just feel right for a hot summer month where we're all supposed to be trapped at home. Just a lovely little package, and easily my favorite of the week. Recommendation : A must-listen. Artist : Braids Album : Shadow Offering Quick Description : Latest from the artsy indie group. Why You Should Listen : Braids continually does interesting and essential music. Overall Thoughts : I feel like I've been waiting for this o...

Photo by Frank Ockenfels I was a little late to jump on the Phoebe Bridgers bandwagon, which is something I've been regretting for quite a while now. Luckily, I'm firmly onboard for album two which is due out next month. "I See You" fits right into what we expect from Bridgers while pushing forward. This new single is simply an epic indie rock/folk song, despite being intensely personal. The song feels like being stuck in this intense and otherworldly dream, in the best possible way. Bridgers explains the song: " It’s about my breakup with my drummer. We dated for a few years , made music every day, and were extremely codependent. We became like family to each other, so our breakup was extremely tough. But if this tells you anything about our relationship, we wrote this song together, just like everything else. ”  You can watch the video for "I See You" below. Punisher , the new album from Phoebe Bridgers, will be out June 19 on Dead Oceans. Bri...

I'm going to out myself a bit here. I've never really gotten into Conor Oberst, and only this year has Phoebe Bridgers really clicked with me. But for some reason the combination of the two in Better Oblivion Community Center completely connected with me. Sometimes it just works that way and you swear two artists were always meant to work together. Better Oblivion Community Center  is filled with these incredible heartfelt folk-adjacent songs that take everything that is great about Oberst and Bridgers and amplifies them as a duo. This is one of those albums that I really, really liked when it was released in January, and that has only grown each time I've revisited it since. Songs of note: "Didn't Know What I Was in For," "My City," "Big Black Heart," and "Service Road"

Now we're getting somewhere. Album of the Week : Artist : Better Oblivion Community Center Album : Better Oblivion Community Center Quick Description : Surprise album from Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes and blog favorite Phoebe Bridgers. Why You Should Listen : Both artists are solid in their own right, but together? It's magical. Overall Thoughts : A surprise release from Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, this is probably my favorite release of the early year. Oberst is at his best since the Bright Eyes album Cassudega back in 2007, and Phoebe Bridgers is arguably having the most undersold creative year for a musician in some time. These songs balance the tightrope of urgent and present near-perfectly, and the two artists compliment each other so well in their sounds that it is almost as if they were meant to work together from the start. Given that Bridgers is a Saddle Creek artist and Oberst guested on her awesome debut, this collaboration was probably inevitable...

Another busy week, so let's play two! Album of the Week : Artist : Phoebe Bridgers Album : Stranger in the Alps Quick Description : Debut album from a buzzy singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : You will love her. No question. Overall Thoughts : I’ll be honest: I only added this to my playlist rotation for this week because the title of the album made me laugh out loud. Ken had the same reaction to it when I told him to listen to it, and if a good album title gets this into a few more hands, all the better, because this is a GREAT folk album. Easily the best release of the week, Phoebe Bridgers successfully balances an often-sparse instrumentation effort with some really melodic stuff and interesting… well, everything. It’s a hard space to innovate in, and Bridgers is making a definite effort in modernizing a genre that is very rooted in its past. She’s a little profane, a little fun, and ridiculously talented... Recommendation : ...so make this a priority listen...