If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Long Neck Album : World's Strongest Dog Quick Description : New album from the indie rockers. Why You Should Listen : A solid upgrade from this band. Overall Thoughts : Long Neck is a band I've been watching, and this is a great listen and shows great growth from a band that deserves a lot more praise. The songs here are super tight, and there's so much to love here that I can't drill it down to just a handful. One of the highlights of the week. Recommendation : Make time for this one. Artist : Ultimate Fakebook Album : The Preserving Machine Quick Description : First proper album in sixteen years from the indie rockers. Why You Should Listen : They haven't missed a step. Overall Thoughts : Ultimate Fakebook were always that sort of band that I had wanted to get into more than I did. Then they stopped playing, I stopped thinking about them, and then this drops. Whether absence makes the heart grow fonder, or whether the band has really gott...

Artist : Pia Fraus Album : Empty Parks Quick Description : New album from a new favorite. Why You Should Listen : This is a fine and fuzzy listen. Overall Thoughts : I love early-in-the-year surprise gems like this. A little fuzzy, a little shoegazey, and this is just directly in my wheelhouse of stuff I love. Pia Fraud is not reinventing the wheel here, but they’re doing something really solid and, if you like this sort of fuzz-drenched alt-rock, you can’t let yourself miss this. A favorite this week from a band I hate that I've missed all this time. Recommendation : Do not sleep on this. Artist : Sean Watkins and the Bee Eaters Album : This is Who We Are Quick Description : Great new music from Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. Why You Should Listen : The Watkins family are always great, and this is no exception. Overall Thoughts : We missed this one a few weeks back, and I’m glad I tripped up on it before it was too late. In a way, if you think Chris Thile/Punch Br...

What a strange week this one is. Album of the Week : Artist : Steven Page Album : Heal Thyself Pt I: Instinct Quick Description : Latest solo album from the ex-Barenaked Ladies singer/songwriter. Why You Should Listen : Page always has a knack for a good melody, and this album is full of them. Overall Thoughts : I'm not sure Page will ever be able to shake the hows of his split with BNL (a drug arrest, lawsuits on royalties, and so on), but while Page One from nearly six years ago made a pretty good effort, this album, which has a bunch of songs that bits and pieces of have been floating around for ages, is a pretty solid unit on a whole. Songs like "Manchild" and "Linda Ronstadt in the 70s" feel like classic Page, and the rest shows a continuing evolution. I expected to enjoy this, but I didn't think it would be quite this good, so it's definitely worth a spot in your rotation this week. Recommendation : Best release of the week, you're ...