If It's Too Loud...

Rachel Baiman has been a favorite singer-songwriter around here for her original voice of Americana. She's teamed with Caroline Spence on a pair of singles, the most recent of which is "Piss & Vinegar." The song sees the duo dueting throughout the song, and their voices both contrast and complement each other perfectly. Baiman just has this ability to take her music which is rooted in mainstream and traditional folk and just work it in a way that is completely original. Some artists just have a certain unique quality to them, and seeing as how that describes both Baiman and Spence, any music they put out together is going to be irresistible.  Caroline Spence says of her latest single: “I’m so grateful that Rachel could imagine a brand new life for this song from the depths of my back catalogue. I’ve often found inspiration in examining and deconstructing colloquial phrases and that’s where this one started, with the title phrase. It’s a playfully subversive song about...

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...

Nashville based multi-instrumentalist Rachel Baiman's latest single is based on a John Hartford song. Baiman's version of "Self Made Man" is a banjo focused track that straddles the line between traditional folk and modern, mainstream folk. There are elements of more of a pop leaning folk/rock song, but the banjo just keeps the whole track rooted firmly in the world of folk. It's a song filled with equal amounts of twang and groove, and then there's Baiman's voice which doesn't quite sound like anyone else out there right now. Baiman has been a folk favorite here for a while, and this latest song just solidifies that even more strongly. Rachel Baiman says of the new song: “In 2019 John Hartford’s family released a posthumous collection of songs that he had never released. I was immediately enamored by a song fragment called ‘Self Made Man.’ The message of the song in conjunction with the whimsy of musical presentation spoke to me and I couldn’t get it ...

We loved Rachel Baiman's 2021 album Cycles . This spring Baiman and Scottish folksinger Kris Drever will be touring across the UK together and they've released a new single as a duo. They're taking on Eliza Gilkyson's "Hard Times in Babylon," which was written about the suicide of a friend. The original is a standard (and fantastic) folk/singer-songwritter track. Baiman and Drever expand on that a bit. It's kept as a folk song, but the new version is a much more lush take on the song that leans a tiny bit into the realm of folk/pop. It's a great reworking of the song that is making me wish Baiman and Drever bring their co-tour to this side of the Atlantic.  Rachel Baiman says of the song: “I first heard this song at the beginning of a long solo drive. And I must have listened to it twenty more times before I reached my destination. I think what grabs me about it is the sense of community that Gilkyson is referencing. The descriptions of musicians and c...

Sierra Ferrell Photo by Ken Sears This weekend saw the triumphant return of the Green River Festival after the obvious year off. It was a month later than it has been in the past and at a brand new location, but you never would have known based on how smoothly things ran. It was a weekend of fantastic music filled with respectful, joyous music fans. Nothing could have run more smoothly, with the exception of a little too much sound overlap between some of the stages. Here were my musical highlights for the weekend! (Note: I was unable to attend Friday night, and I'm not including any artist I only saw a few songs of). Bella White This one can't be a surprise to anyone who has been reading If It's Too Loud... over the past few months. I've gone fully into rabid fan mode on Bella White, but with good reason. At only twenty years old, her stage presence and banter makes it feel like she's been doing this for decades longer than she's been alive. While last year...

Photo via Facebook There's just something about the music of Rachel Baiman. On one hand, a song like "When You Bloom (Colorado)" is a straightforward singer/songwriter song. It's leaning heavily towards being folky and rootsy but it's a little too adult contemporary to squarely fit into those boxes. It's well done mainstream music. On the other hand, it's not. Baiman just has this odd factor in her music that sets her apart. Maybe it's that she has this truly unique quality to her voice that's beautiful but not traditionally so. It's more captivating. Or maybe it's that the music is full but still sparse, with a beat just a little too upbeat to fit the song but that makes the song far more interesting. Whatever it is, Rachel Baiman anything new from Rachel Baiman is always a must listen. In a Facebook post from Signature Sounds, Rachel Baiman explains the new song: "This is a song for my little sister. We had a tumultuous relationship ...

We don't typically include trigger or content warnings on our posts, but I feel that the latest song from Rachel Baiman truly needs one. "No Good Time for Dying" is about Baiman's grandmother declining after falling and breaking her hip. As someone who fairly recently lost their grandfather shortly after he fell and broke his hip, "No Good Time for Dying" hit me like a gut punch. However, it's still a song you need to listen to. Baiman has crafted a gorgeous song about losing a loved one. The song focuses mostly on the power and emotion in her voice, as it stands firmly in both the worlds of folk and pop. And if you've lost anyone recently, make sure you steel yourself before listening, even though you'll be glad you did. You can listen to "No Good Time for Dying" below. Cycles is due out June 11 on Signature Sounds. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Rachel Baiman, check out the artist's website .

While I don't regret seeing Wonder Woman over the weekend, 20 new releases and a lot of overtime at work left me with little time to write. A day late and a dollar short, here's an abbreviated highlights version of this week's releases. Must Listens This Week : * Benjamin Booker - Witness (Best release of the week. We loved his debut, and somehow he's gotten even better. It's scary good) * Marnie - Strange Words and Weird Wars (A favorite of the week, strange and striking album) * Alt-J - Relaxer (Maybe their weakest effort so far, and still one of the best of the week. Their singles always make more sense in the context of the album) * Rachel Baiman - Shame (Fun, addictive Americana) * Chastity Belt - I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone (The darker side of things with the recent resurgence of female-fronted alt-rock. Really great) * Dispatch - America, Location 12 (A solid comeback, and an album I'm really into) * Marika Hackman - I'm N...