If It's Too Loud...

We're back into a strong swing after the American holiday... Album of the Week : Artist : Great Grandpa Album : Plastic Cough Quick Description : More female-fronted 1990s alt-rock, nearly as good as the rest. Why You Should Listen : Hits the right nostalgia buttons while still feeling new and fresh. Overall Thoughts : A question I never asked until I heard this album was “what if Speedy Ortiz was trying to be more like a grungy version the 1990s revival we’ve been seeing lately?” The answer appears to be Great Grandpa (who have the best band name I’ve seen in some time). The lead track hit my radar some time ago, and I’ve been waiting for this release for some time. It’s very, very good, and I’m impressed by the choices and risks it takes musically – the band could have played things a little safe and worked toward a poppy indie rock record with some radio friendly songs ready and waiting for that breakout, and they instead went with some really interesting song struct...

One of the weirder weeks for new music since we started this project up. Away we go! Octagrape - Emotional Oil : Ken knew of this band because they opened for Sebadoh (and wrote about them here ), and I can totally understand why they did. If one was to think about what "indie grunge" might sound like in 2014, this EP would almost certainly take the bill. I'll be honest - I didn't love this, but it definitely has an interesting take and could absolutely find the right audience even if it isn't me. At under 20 minutes, it's not much of an investment and you'll know how you feel about it almost immediately. Orenda Fink - Blue Dream : Orenda Fink's third solo album, and first since the reformation of Azure Ray, sounds a lot like an Azure Ray record, and that's not a bad thing. Putting aside the dream pop in favor of a more dreamy folk atmosphere, the album, on first listen, seems more successful than her previous solo efforts in a number of r...