If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Eric Sabatino Hailing from Portland, OR are Rayon. The band has a new single out that's an ode to consumerism and travelling. "Shopping" is a disjointed post-punk song that's much more melodic than you typically get in the genre. It has all of the darkness you would expect, but with a sense of fun and of humor. This is post-punk that is edging into dream pop. The guitar and vocals combine to form an almost psychedelic sound as "Shopping" drones along for four minutes, in the best possible way. At times, the song sounds like an interesting mix of Sonic Youth meets The Las, and I don't even know how anyone wouldn't want that. Eric Sabatino of Rayon says of his band's latest single: “This was the first time we’ve engaged a 'professional' to work on our recordings. The education we received was immense, and Larry was kind with his explanations of everything we had previously done 'wrong' with our recordings, was willing to wo...

Artist : Asgier Album : Bury the Moon Quick Description : Gorgeous Icelandic rock. Why You Should Listen : It's lush and beautiful without overdoing it. Overall Thoughts : For music fans of a certain age, it's either Bjork or Sigur Ros, but I'd argue that this album should introduce Asgeir into the modern conversation. This is a complex, wonderful album that kind of surprised me in its form as well as in how much it grabbed my attention. I really loved this in a surprising way and it's the first album in some time that's made me really want to get back to it as quickly as possible. Recommendation : A must-listen. Artist : Isobel Campbell Album : There Is No Other Quick Description : The latest from the former Belle & Sebastian member. Why You Should Listen : This is the best B&S album that wasn't in 15 years. Overall Thoughts : Isobel Campbell's post-B&S career has had its peaks and valleys, but this is undoubtedly a peak. Equal p...

Photo by Matt Draper We've been huge fans of Shopping's post punk dance music for a while now. For the most part, their songs have sounded very similar to one another. No complaints here, if you're doing something that well, we're on board 100%. With "For Your Pleasure" the trio have mixed up their sound just slightly, but just enough to keep things fresh. "For Your Pleasure" is more of a New Wave dance song than post punk. Keyboards are right up front and the main focus of the song along with a propulsive beat. For a band that's always been dance friendly, this new song is the most dance friendly of all. The band explains the subject of the song:  “‘For Your Pleasure’ is a song about frustration, the feeling of always wanting more, needing material things to distract or gratify us,”  says Shopping.  “It’s about consumerism but also searching for meaning in life. That feeling of longing that never really goes away even when you have the thi...

Photo by Matt Draper Shopping are ridiculously prolific, but somehow it always seems like we've been waiting forever for new music from them. In February our long two year wait since 2018's The Official Body will end with a new album, but for now we have a new song, "Initiative."  The three members of Shopping may live on different continents now (Rachel Aggs and Andrew Milk are in Glasgow while Billy Easter is in Los Angeles), but the band reconvened in London to record the new album in ten days. "Initiative" doesn't rewrite the band's musical formula: It's incredibly catchy and danceable post punk. According to the press release, the song is about "...  governments who shirk responsibilities but place the blame on individuals."  You can watch the video for "Initiative" below. All Or Nothing , the new album from Shopping, will be out February 7 on FatCat Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Shopping, c...

A busy week, so we splitting the check. Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Shopping Album : The Official Body Quick Description : Newest album by a blog favorite. Why You Should Listen : It's like your favorite odd bands from the 1980s come alive in 2018. Overall Thoughts : Ken has been riding the Shopping bandwagon for close to five years now, and I've thought they've been fine up to now, but this album feels like a great leap forward for the act. Sometimes it feels like Gang of Four's "Anthrax," sometimes it's like my favorite Oh-OK songs, but this is just a stellar album this week that I can't wait to dive back into. Recommendation : Easily the best of the week. Artist : Sure Sure Album : Sure Sure Quick Description : A lo-fi indie pop debut from last week. Why You Should Listen : You're wishing you lived back about 15 years ago musically. Overall Thoughts : A fairly uneven listen, Sure Sure does a fairly interesting not-quite-lo-f...

Photo by CJ Monk We brought you "The Hype" from Shopping back in September, and this Friday will finally see the release of their new album, The Official Body. Waiting four months to release a second single from an album is virtually unheard of nowadays, but we finally have "Wild Child" to listen to. "Wild Child" fits right into the classic post-punk sound of Shopping's previous two albums, but is much more danceable and funky in the way that "The Hype" was. The song is a lot of fun in a way any type of punk subgenre is usually lacking.  You can watch the video for "Wild Child" below. Shopping's new album, The Official Body , will be out January 19 on FatCat Records. If "The Hype" and "Wild Child" aren't enough for you and you can't wait until Friday, You can listen to the full album at NPR Music . You can pre-order the album via Shopping's Bandcamp . For more on Shopping, check out their Fa...

Photo by Matthew Williams Despite releasing two full albums back in 2015 (A Melvins-esque feat!), Shopping has been quiet the past two years. Luckily, they are back with a brand new single. (We'd prefer a full length, but certainly won't complain too loudly!) "The Hype" is exactly what we want from Shopping: It borrows quite heavily from bands like Gang of Four, which I'm always 100% behind. "The Hype" does bring this new funk style with it.The track even breaks down into what's almost a jam band finish. A funky/post punk/jam song might sound fairly terrible, but it shakes their sound up just enough to help keep them evolving without abandoning why we love them.  You can listen to "The Hype" below. It will be available as a single on November 17 via FatCat Records. For more on Shopping, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

When a band releases two albums in the same year, it can be hard to choose your favorite. Since Consumer Complaints came out first, I'll go with that one since it seemed to come out of nowhere. It seems like there's a huge post-punk revival going on right now, with a ton of new bands borrowing heavily from Gang of Four and Joy Division. For some reason, I'm 100% ok with bands doing their best impressions of both Gang of Four and Joy Division, so this has been a stellar year for me. What elevates Shopping above the rest is that they have really nailed the backbeat of early Gang of Four, and have incorporated a less is more aesthetic while still being able to make you dance. Plus, "In Other Words" may be my favorite song of the year. You can stream Consumer Complaints below via Spotify. If you enjoy it, be sure to also check out Why Choose , their second release of 2015.

With what is a basically empty new release week, we may as well do a quick hit of some of the recent albums we missed. There was one release of note this week, though: Ty Segall - Ty Rex : Ty Segall is an artist we don't cover here a lot, but this is a pseudo-record-store-day compilation release of some of his T-Rex covers along with a cool version of "20th Century Boy" that hasn't seen the light of day yet. I'm a big T-Rex fan, and these takes are garage-muddled enough to be their own pieces in a way, but when it works, it works. As a covers album it's interesting, as garage rock album it's what you'd expect. Also out this week is a new Danzig album , but the less said about it the better. Anyway, we don't always catch the new albums when they first come out. Here are some highlights we missed along the way: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Multi-Love : To be completely honest, I wouldn't have sought this out to listen if it weren...

You'd think that releasing two albums this year would be enough for Shopping. Apparently not for drummer Andrew Milk, who has a side project called Vertical Slump. Vertical Slump will be releasing their debut EP on October 2. The first song from that EP, "Tether," definitely has a similar post-punk sound to Shopping, but Vertical Slump are more discordant and somehow upbeat. It's a unique mix of 70s post punk ferocity mixed with 90s American indie slacker rock. Think Joy Division meets Pavement. Ruined Value  is due out October 2 on Icecapades. You can pre-order the EP here . You can follow Vertical Slump on Bandcamp and Tumblr .

Photo by Steve Glashier Shopping is quickly becoming one of my favorite new bands this year. Their debut album just came out in the US earlier this year, and they already have a follow up due out on October 2. Now they have released the 2nd song from their upcoming album called "Straight Lines." It's definitely more of their late 70s influenced post punk sound, borrowing heavily from bands like Gang of Four. This one adds a bit more DEVO than previous songs have, but it's not switching up the formula much. That's a good thing, considering how brilliantly Shopping do the post punk thing. Besides, everyone knows the 3rd album is when bands start to experiment. Why Choose  is due out October 2 on FatCat Records (go here for a pre-order). You can listen to "Straight Lines" below. Make sure to check out the band's Facebook and Twitter . They're also coming to North America for a tour in the fall. Dates for that are below. Thu. Sep. 3 – Brim...

Back in May, we reviewed the new album from Shopping and Jeff commented that he was " ... looking forward to what comes next ." Good news for Shopping fans: The band just announced their second album, just over a month after the release of their debut. Why Choose is scheduled for release on October 2 on FatCat Records. You can already listen to the first single, "Why Wait?" I was a little hesitant based on how quickly after the first album this one will be, but 'Why Wait?" is a killer post-punk song in the vein of Gang of Four. It recognizes that sometimes less is more and a backbeat can be more danceable.  You can listen to "Why Wait?" below. Shopping have also recently announced some US dates to coincide with the release of Why Choose . Check those out below the song. For more information, check out their Facebook and Twitter . October 16 - Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York, NY October 19 - Great Scott, Allston, MA October 20 - Th...

A much smaller release week with the American holiday. Zhala - Zhala : When it comes to acts I don't know that I seek out for this weekly post, I try not to look up anything about them until I'm done listening to the album. It's hard enough to listen to things when you carry a preconceived notion, never mind having undue expectations. This feels like a 90s-retro dance record, which is great, and it came as a pleasant surprise that Zhala is signed to Robyn's label, as the sound fits right in. Whether this has the staying power Robyn has shown remains to be seen, but this was definitely my favorite listen this week. Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs of Karen Dalton : A tribute album of sorts for folky Karen Dalton, what turned me onto this were who they got involved with the project, including Sharon van Etten, Marissa Nadler, and Lucinda Williams. It's a good little folk compilation on a whole with artists you know, and that makes it worth a listen on its ...

Photo by Jenna Foxton UK band Shopping have a great sound that borrows a lot from 70s post punk bands, but still somehow sound fresh. They have a minimalist and aggressive approach from Gang of Four, but the fun of Devo and The B-52s. Their current single, "In Other Words," starts off with a full minute of nothing but a sparse drum beat that sounds like a drum machine and a single new wave surf guitar, before exploding into a frenzy of simple noise, seemingly without adding instruments. Over this are dueling call and response vocals which create a haunting effect, while still being a fun song you can dance to. Shopping self-released their first album in the UK. After selling out almost immediately, they signed to FatCat Records to give Consumer Complaints a US release on May 26. Later this year, Shopping will release their follow up album.  For more information on Shopping, like them on Facebook  or follow them on Twitter . You can also pre-order Consumer Complaints o...