If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Ruby the RabbitFoot Album : Like Doves and Roses Quick Thoughts : I was honestly starting to wonder if we'd ever get new music from Ruby the Rabbitfoot given the distance between now and Divorce Party , but this was a surprise new listen that was a welcome surprise. The songwriting and production are a little lighter in all ways for this effort, but it's like she found a happy medium between the synth-heavy Divorce Party and her debut. Still, this is great and I'm so glad to have more music. Welcome back. Songs of Note : "My Heart's a Disco Ball," "Even If I Could," "Let Me Know Where" Artist : Aoife Nessa Frances Album : Protector Quick Thoughts : Aoife Nessa Frances is a little underrated on the singer-songwriter side, and one would hope this album could get her more attention. It's a great listen, with a real gentle feel and some gorgeous instrumentation. Feels like a folk album out of the 1970s, or some of Bedo...

My #8 album this year is Ruby the RabbitFoot's Divorce Party . When this came out, it felt like a massive departure. We loved her previous album, New as Dew , and the expectation of another solid folky singer-songwriter album was put into question when her cover of Madonna's "Take a Bow" landed, but was completely dashed when "Nicola La" came out ahead of the album. I was skeptical, but wow , this ended up being one of the albums I played the most this year. There's a cool off-center pop sensibility to it while still having the sort of stark, transparent lyrical feel we come to expect from folk music. I know this got some good blog buzz, and I hope this means bigger things for her in the long term. Still, it's one of the best of this year and has a couple of my favorite songs for 2016 as well. Check it out. Recommended: "Nicola La," "Wild Cherry Chapstick," "I Hate You."

I'm hoping this week is evidence that we're out of the summer slump! Album of the Week : Artist : Ruby the RabbitFoot Album : Divorce Party Quick Description : New album from folkie-turned-pop artist. Why You Should Listen : A shift in sound works out really well. Overall Thoughts : We first got a hint of Ruby the RabbitFoot's change in approach with her cover of Madonna's "Take a Bow" from last year , and I found the early songs released from this to be a little jarring. But hearing the album in full, I was feeling like this is sort of like what we might expect Madonna to sound like if she were just starting out now (and that's before getting to album highlight "Wild Cherry Chapstick," which opens with a declaration from Ruby where she admits to having a "sex dream about your brother"). This is a really solid listen and one I'm really looking forward to spending a lot more time with, it's a fun one. Might be jarring ...

Ruby the RabbitFoot is a favorite around these parts, and in celebration of her new album coming out in a few weeks, her last album, New As New , is free on Noisetrade for a limited time bundled with the first two songs released off of her new album. An album I liked quite a bit when it came out , the new singles are pretty solid and an interesting tonal shift for her. I didn't mention it here, but she put out a split single a while back that includes a cover of one of my favorite guilty pleasure songs, Madonna's "Take a Bow." Even if you don't take advantage of this offer above (and you should!), enjoy the cover below:

An...interesting week. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dram : Album of the week is almost certainly the new release from The War on Drugs. It has a late-1980s alternative rock vibe to it in some areas, but many of the songs, most notably "An Ocean In Between the Waves," are subtle earworms. This is absolutely an album to watch, this could end up being a breakout effort. Foster the People - Supermodel : Sometimes if you can't say anything nice, it's best not to say anything at all. The album unfortunately feels like a bunch of Torches b-sides while the rest of the indie and alt-rock world moved along a bit. Nothing about this screams immediacy or innovation, which is unfortunate. Skip this one. Kylie Minogue - Kiss Me Once : People can keep Madonna. As far as I'm concerned, Kylie Minogue is who I'd probably take in the "pop stars with four decades under their belts" sweepstakes. With that said, it is...strange for any older woman to be do...