If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Joe Hirsch We don't cover many reissued albums here at If It's Too Loud... but there are always exceptions. The Gits' entire catalog being reissued by Sub Pop is one of those exceptions. The legendary Seattle punk band ended in 1993 due to the tragic death of frontwoman Mia Zapata, but their legend has certainly lived on. Despite how many bands have come out in the past three decades sounding like the grunge and Seattle scene, no band has quite sounded like The Gits. They just had a ferocity that blended with an odd sense of melody no band has been able to match. They're one of those bands that truly deserves more attention than they have received, and I'm thrilled Sub Pop is reissuing their albums to help keep their music alive. Andy Kessler, Matt Dresdner, and Steve Moriarty of The Gits say about the new reissues: “It’s been more than thirty-one years since The Gits played our last show. We’re rereleasing The Gits catalog now for the people who loved our ...

Photo by Danny Clinch I typically hate reissued albums. For the most part, they're just quick cash grabs with maybe a few songs that didn't make the album, and I've never been enough of an audiophile to hear the read difference. But now there's Drive-By Truckers' reissue of The Dirty South. The Complete Dirty South promises three bonus tracks, four remixed songs, and two with updated vocals. We can hear a song with updated vocals now, "Puttin' People on the Moon." This new version is much closer to the one we've come to love from DBT's live shows. Patterson Hood sounds completely different here, with more of a growl to his vocals than the previous version. There's more age to his voice now, but it fits the song much more. I've always loved "Puttin' People on the Moon," but I think I love this one even more. In a press release, Patterson Hood says of the new version of the song: “I wrote ‘Puttin’ People on the Moon’ in the ...

I've always loved Evan Dando's single true solo album Baby I'm Bored. (I'm not counting Live at the Brattle Theater since it's more of a live album, although it might be the best thing Dando has ever released.) I don't really remember it being considered a rousing success, especially since he went back to recording under the name The Lemonheads since then. But, it's beloved by enough people to warrant a two disc vinyl reissue for Record Store Day, with the second disc being filled with unreleased tracks and b-sides. Right now you can hear two songs from the reissue: An alternate version of "Shots is Fired" that features Liv Tyler on vocals and another alternate version, this time of "Rancho Santa Fe." Neither one is drastically different from the album versions. "Shots is Fired" is a bit more raw, and features a clanging guitar that isn't in the album version, and obviously Liv Tyler. "Rancho Sata Fe" feels a lit...