If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Cassidy Frost Hailing from San Francisco, Strange Men is the duo of Róisín Isner (drums/vocals) and Ashley Clayton (homemade eight string guitar/vocals). Their latest single, "All the Pretty Houses," is an interesting mix of mainstream alt-rock and noise. Maybe it's just because I have Wussy on my mind, but it's sounding like a mixture of Wussy and Pixies to me. At times "All the Pretty Houses" sounds like Strange Men are shooting to make a giant radio alt-rock hit from the 90's, and at others as if they've decided to scrap that and make a noise rock anthem. The song is both beautiful and discordant at the same time, which is kind of our thing at If It's Too Loud... You can listen to "All the Pretty Houses" below. The single is available now via Bandcamp . For more on Strange Men, check out the band's website . All the Pretty Houses (single) by Strange Men

Photo by Laura Cohen Strange Men are the duo of R ó is í n I sner and Ashley Clayton, with Isner on drums and Clayton on an eight-string guitar he made out of scavenged wood. The San Francisco duo's latest single, "Do What the Boys Do," is a frenzied track based in blues that just goes off the rails in the best possible ways. It's a chaotic sound that's as noisy as it is bluesy. Since they're a drum and guitar duo with some basis in blues, it's easy to compare them to The White Stripes, and those comparisons can be fair. But a song like "Do What the Boys Do" is like if The White Stripes turned one of their live improvised freak outs into an actual song. Strange Men make this exquisitely raw music based in blues and post-punk, and you're going to love this. You can watch the video for "Do What the Boys Do" below. For more on Strange Men, check out the band's website .

Photo by Cassidy Frost San Francisco's Strange Men are a duo that just released one of the shortest and most intriguing singles of the year.  Róisín  Isner and Ashley Clayton met as teenagers at a birthday party, and formed Strange men with Isner playing drums and Clayton playing an eight-string guitar/bass he made out of recycled wood, with both singing. "Hot Nights" was written in Isner's head as she waited for a bus on a cold San Francisco night. It's a seventy-second burst of indie punk. It's all fuzzed out guitars and driving drums, and in between the screaming chorus are some surprisingly lovely vocals from Isner. This is the kind of song that grabs you the way "Fell in Love With a Girl" grabbed me the first time I heard it, and I hope we hear from Strange Men sooner than later. You can watch the video for "Hot Nights" below. The single is out now via Big Pink Records. For more on Strange Men, check out the band's website .