If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Kate Lawlor The latest from Just Mustard is going to be a hard sell for some of you (in the best possible way). "POLLYANNA" starts off with one of the most intense bursts of feedback we've heard in a while, and then a jazz style drumming starts with the feedback acting almost like a siren. Then front woman Katie Ball's vocals work their way in in such a lush and dreamlike way that the beauty is sort of jarring next to the cacophony that is also going on. The Dundalk, Ireland band have created this intense mix of beauty and discordance that is going to either suck you in completely or repel you. Eventually, the two sonically different sides merge into one that resides in the middle... or maybe we just grow to accept the noise by the end. Katie Ball says of her band's new video: “ We shot the video using different CCTV and vhs cameras around our hometown Dundalk trying to have as much fun as possible, the kind of fun that makes you feel sick almost instantl...

Artist : Caregiver Album : Bathing in Yesterday's Fires Quick Thoughts : Caregiver came into my list late this weekend, and the last thing I expected was to be blown away so quickly. There's an urgency and emotion to this that demands attention, setting it apart from other singer-songwriter fare, and each song feels as memorable as the one before it. Just a wonderful album and another contender for best in recent memory. Songs of Note : "First Love," "Everything," "Reason," "Myself" Artist : TDJ Album : TDJ123 Quick Thoughts : I wanted to highlight this as another album I loved this week, even though it serems more aggressively for me than a lot of other albums. This is a throwback to 1990s-style dance/electronic music, and it more than whets my appetite. If you're here for a good time? Check this one out. Songs of Note : "Addictive/Predictive," "Live On (Without You)," "Sway (The Places She Goes),...