If It's Too Loud...

The upcoming Marianne Faithfull tribute album was an eclectic and unexpected list of artists including Cat Power with Iggy Pop, Peaches with Shirley Manson, Bush Tetras, Lydia Lunch, etc. The first single off the album is Tanya Donelly & the Parkington Sisters, which is more of an expected pairing, and Donelly and the Parkington Sisters covering Marianne Faithfull makes perfect sense. We loved their 2020 self-titled album, so even getting one more song from the quartet is fantastic. They cover Faithfull's "This Little Bird," and the cover is exquisite. Donelly's vocals have never been more haunting, and become even more so when harmonizing with the Parkington Sisters. The song is beautiful, but oddly discomforting at the same time.  Tanya Donelly says of the song: "Marianne’s voice has always been one of my favorite instruments, from childhood through today, and her music and spirit have been life-long inspirations. I wanted to cover “This Little Bird” for it...

If you're not excited about Andrea Gillis and Tanya Donelly working on a song together, I don't know what to tell you. "About a Girl" is a perfect song for both Gillis and Donelly. It's a mainstream singer/songwriter, folk adjacent pop/rock song. It's right on the edge of being fully pop, but Gillis keeps just enough edge in her voice to keep it rock. Plus, I don't think anyone could ever complain about hearing Tanya Donelly's vocals for back up. Gillis's grit and Donelly's dream like harmonies make a stellar combination. Andrea Gillis says of her new single: "This song is about a girl; a girl in your world likely to forget... "I wrote this tune not only with myself in mind, but also for all the girls that never really wanted to do the whole 'gotta be sexy so people will pay attention thing.' Though it is unavoidable, we all go through the phase, uncomfortably. We just do our thing. "Hanging with our pals, rockin' out...

For Earth Day this year, Tanya Donelly has released a pair of songs that she collaborated on with Russell Chudnofsky. "October Snow" was recorded at the beginning of lockdown (way back in 2020) at their separate homes and "April Light" was recorded together at Woolly Mammoth Sound. The two songs definitely sound like when they were recorded. "October Snow" is a more melancholy song, yet still has a hopeful sound. "April Light" is the cheerier of the two, and leans more into Donelly's rock roots. Both songs fit perfectly into Donelly's more recent artistic output. They're both great and are the better side of what used to be called Adult Contemporary. Donelly continues to show how a Gen-X legend can still release fantastic music for people of her generation while keeping true to what has always made her great. You can listen to "April Light" below. "April Light/October Snow" is available now via Bandcamp . For more ...

Photo by Ann Sullivan-Cross The Loyal Seas (aka Tanya Donelly of Belly and Brian Sullivan of Dylan in the Movies) have released a new single that is a showcase for Donelly's vocals. If you've even had just a passing interest in Donelly's music over the last thirty or so years, you know that focusing on her vocals is never a bad thing. "Swimmers in the Gold" is a quiet ballad that also includes guest appearances by Jon Evan (Tori Amos) on upright bass and Sarah Parkington (The Parkington Sisters) on violin and viola. The resulting song is a gorgeous and simple song that is wonderfully lush because of the vocal talents of Donelly and Sullivan. As someone who has followed Donelly's career since the early 90's, it's great to see how diverse her musical output can be. Brian Sullivan says of the new song: “ I handed this song over to Tanya with the lyrics to both verse and chorus but I wasn't feeling the verses. I knew Tanya could take this song to the r...

Photo by Ann Sullivan-Cross The Loyal Seas are a collaboration between Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses) and Brian Sullivan (Dylan in the Movies). The two met in the 90's at Fort Apache Studios, and have collaborated a number of times since. The duo are releasing their first album in May, and "(So Far from) Silverlake" is its first single. The song is a beautiful slice of dream pop. Donelly's voice instantly elevates any song she sings on. Not that "(So Far from) Silverlake" needs much elevation. It's done as a duet with Donelly and Sullivan trading off verses and harmonizing. This is a perfect first song for the official band of two long time collaborators.  Tanya Donelly explains the origins of her new band's name: “Band names are tricky. We came up with some interesting ones,” recalls Brian. “Our relationship is very 'brother and sister' - that's where the ‘loyal’ part comes in. To me, family means loyalty. Brian’s anam cara to me,...

This is an absolute dream project for me in just about every way. Aaron & The Lord is the new musical project from Aaron Perrino (The Sheila Divine, Dear Leader) and is a collaboration with Steven Lord (Dirty Bangs). The band's new single features Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Belly, The Breeders) on vocals. The song was initially pitched to Donelly as a Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra style duet but quickly morphed. A post on The Sheila Divine's Facebook page compares it to the Cocteau Twins and Phil Spector's production, and that really nails it. It's two of my 90's Boston favorites singing a duet that combines New Wave and the Wall of Sound? I don't think I could be more in. You can listen to "This Love Ain't Dead" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp . Aaron & The Lord don't seem to have a social media presence yet, so for now keep an eye on The Sheila Divine's Facebook . This Love Ain't Dead by Aaron & The L...

I have to admit that I was completely unfamiliar with Mary Margaret O'Hara before listening to Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters's cover of her song "You Will Be Loved Again." The original, from her 1988 album Miss America , is a gorgeously stripped down song, that is mostly just O'Hara's vocals with less instrumentation than you could believe possible. For Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters's version, it's still a gorgeously stripped down song, with just the slightest increase in instruments, and purely mesmerizing harmonies between the group. It's the kind of cover that is so compelling, you'll be almost forced to go back and track down the original. Tanya Donelly says of the song: “I first heard Mary Margaret O’Hara on the Throwing Muses tour bus in 1988. When Ivo from 4AD gave us a cassette of her album  Miss America  ~ we instantly fell in love, and it’s my favorite to this day. ‘You Will Be Loved Again’ is one of the pu...

It's no secret that we've been adoring Tanya Donelly's Sunday Series of cover songs. She's putting that project on hold for the time being, but not before giving us one doozy of a gift. Big Love Bends Time EP is a collection of four songs from Donelly and guests. The first song breaks from the cover format and is a new song from Donelly and her Belly bandmate Gail Greenwood. "Big Love Bends Time" is a hypnotic and dreamy ballad that will suck you in unlike any other song you've heard in years. This track is seriously addictive. From there the covers start. For a cover of Buffalo Tom's wildly underrated 1992 song "Frozen Lake," Donelly brings in Bill Janovitz for backing vocals. Any time Donelly and Janovitz team up is a joy, and this time is no different. Also included is "Swim" from Madder Rose with Donelly's husband Dean Fisher on backing vocals and Robyn Hitchcock's "Sweet Ghost of Light" with Gail Greenwood r...

For this week's Sunday Series, Tanya Donelly knocks it out of the park. I'll let her explain this week's cover: Week #7 brings a beautiful lullaby, and one of the most thoroughly covered songs ever written. I heard it first from Mama Cass on her very great album “Bubblegum, Lemonade &... Something For Mama“, one of my own mama’s favorite records when I was still toddling. 100 years later, I sang it with my friend Will Dailey at a show curated by our mutual friend (and Will’s longtime drummer/collaborator)) Dave Brophy, the theme of the night being rock singers singing jazz standards. So when this one was suggested as a cover for this series by my dear pal Vicky Salipande (and few after her), I immediately thought of Will as guest artist. He is one of my favorite collaborators and hangs ~ crazy talented, and a big heart of gold. Every week (and always) I’m blown away by the tracks Joe and Russell send me, and this week is particularly over-the-moon beautiful. Our bon...

As we continue our march towards this becoming a Tanya Donelly fansite, this week she has covered Yazoo's classic "Only You." This was one of those songs I didn't immediately recognize by title or band name, but once I listened to the original I recognized it. "Only You" might be one of the lost New Wave classics. It doesn't get the attention or modern day airplay that many of its peers get, but you'll know it once you listen. Tanya Donelly enlisted Andrea Gillis for vocals on this week's cover. The main difference you'll notice is less synths, more guitar (electric, acoustic, and slide), toy piano, and accordion. It's a gorgeous and fun version of a song that was already gorgeous and fun.  In the Bandcamp post, Donelly explains the song's meaning to her: " Upstairs At Eric’s was easily one of the most played albums of my late teens, shared with the people I spent every possible waking hour with back then — dancing to it i...

Photo via Facebook We're dangerously close to becoming a Tanya Donelly fansite since she's been posting weekly covers lately, but this is Tanya Donelly we're talking about, so how can we resist? This week's entry for her Sunday Series is a cover of Bob Dylan's masterpiece "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Donelly's version of the classic still has plenty of folk elements but leans more into the dream pop she made famous with Belly back in the 90's. It reminds me a lot of her early solo work, and would have made an amazing closer for Lovesongs for Underdogs. On the Bandcamp page for the single, Donelly wr ites:  " I won’t wax on about Bob Dylan’s impact on my love for lyrics — endless others have expressed what he’s given to us far more eloquently than I ever could — but the leaning reader in this poem pretty well describes how I have always listened to him. Like reading a great book — that rush of receiving a perfect string of words...

Unfortunately Tanya Donelly wasn't able to release a cover as part of her Sunday Series this week, but luckily this just happens to be the week that the first single from her upcoming covers album with the Parkington Sisters is out! As soon as this project was announced, I knew I couldn't wait to hear it. Donelly is a 90's alt-rock icon that has mellowed in the past twenty or so years, and The Parkington Sisters take traditional strings and harmonies and create some of the most uniquely original not-quite-traditional music out there. For the first single off their upcoming album, they're taking on The Go-Go's 1981 song "Automatic." The cover starts off with a lot more noise than I would have expected, but soon turns into a spot on traditional cover. That's not an easy feat, since The Go-Go's certainly weren't using traditional string instruments in 1981, but Tanya Donelly and The Parkington Sisters nail this cover perfectly. If this upcoming ...

In the latest edition of Tanya Donelly's Sunday Series of covers, she's chosen to take on The Pixies's iconic "Here Comes Your Man." For those of us obsessed with the 80's and 90's Boston music scene, this cover choice is particularly wonderful. Donelly keeps her version perfectly faithful to the original but still sounding like herself. It's a little more laid back than the original, but I think that would be expected. This is just a glorious cover. Donelly chose this song as a birthday gift to a fan, Tom Wethern. She has sung it for him on his birthday before at Great Scott. This choice acts as a two-fer, since it is also a tribute to Great Scott, the legendary Boston club that announced it will not be reopening at the end of the COVID-19 crisis. Proceeds for this song will go to the staff at Great Scott and local musicians. You can listen to Tanya Donelly's cover of "Here Comes Your Man" below. This week she was joined by som...

We're now in week three of Tanya Donelly's Sunday Series of covers. This week, besides the usual contributors of Russell Chudnofsky and Joe McMahon, it's a true family affair with husband Dean Fisher on percussion and daughters Gracie and Hattie Fisher on vocals. The song of the week is Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." A reggae cover may seem like an odd choice for a 90's alt-rock legend, but the song has a family history. According to Donelly: "My fab daughters Gracie and Hattie lend their beautiful voices this week. I've sung Three Little Birds to them their entire lives, since they first had ears to hear it, and it was one of the earliest songs they learned to sing along to when tiny. We've performed it together in front of people a few times, most recently at the Janovitz family holiday bash at The Burren." I was lucky enough to see them perform this live at The Burren show, and their rendition is reworked in the most spectacular ...

Photo via Facebook In one of the few positive things to come out of the last month, Tanya Donelly has teamed with Russell Chudnofsky and Joe McMahon for "Sunday Series." Every week, fans can let Tanya know through social media what song they'd like the trio to cover, and on Sunday she'll post it on her Bandcamp. This past Sunday saw the very first edition, which somehow also includes Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13). They teamed together for a rendition of Marianne Faithful, which of course also comes with hope that she make a full recovery from COVID-19. They cover the classic "As Tears Go By" which has also been covered by The Rolling Stones and Nancy Sinatra. It's a beautiful song no matter who does it, but a version by Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis? What more could we possibly want? You can listen to Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis's version of "As Tears Go By" below. You can download your own version via Tanya Donelly's Ban...

As a tribute to the late Joe Harvard, Boston area musician (although recently relocated to Asbury Park, NJ and co-founder of Apache Studios, Tanya Donelly has offered up a collection of demos he produced for her. These songs were originally intended for The Breeders but all ended up on Belly's 1993 classic Star. The ten songs on Demos with Joe Harvard  are complete bare bones, just Donelly's voice and guitar, with some lap steel played by Harvard and some guitar by Kim Deal on "White Belly" and "Feed the Tree." "Feed the Tree" is particularly interesting in how raw it is. The guitar chords are the ones we know and adore, but it's almost grungey in how fuzzy it is. I always love hearing the original composition of my favorite songs, and Demos with Joe Harvard  is a great way to hear songs we've loved for twenty six years in a new way. You can listen to the demo version of "Feed the Tree" below. Demos with Joe Harvard is availab...

To say we're excited for the release of Belly's first album since 1995's King  is an understatement. The Belly reunion feels more like an organic reunion than a cash grab, and the new music they've been releasing reflects that. Their latest single, "Starryeyed," is an absolutely gorgeous alternative ballad. It is fairly similar to Tanya Donelly's more recent solo work, but it still has that Belly edge to it, while still being soft and beautiful. Without looking at the track list for Dove , "Starryeyed" sounds like the closing song for an early/mid 90's alternative album. (If you were around back then, you know exactly what that sounds like.) You can listen to "Starryeyed" below. Dove, the first Belly album in 23 years, will be out May 4. For more on Belly, check out their website .

Knowing full well that Belly are reunited and have a new album coming out this year, you'd think that we'd be know and expect a new song from them any day now. But this morning, when word of the first song from Belly's first album in 23 years broke... well, we had to drop everything and listen repeatedly. "Shiny One" is and isn't what we'd expect from Belly. It's a glorious alternative pop song that sounds like Belly, but the sound is tweaked just slightly. Tanya Donelly's voice is front and center and mesmerizing as always, but the guitars have a slightly grungier feel, and the song is a bit more groovy than I would have expected. But it still sounds like Belly, and what else could we possibly want at this point in our lives? You can listen to "Shiny One" below. Belly's new album (typing that will never get old), Dove , will be out May 4. You can pre-order it now in various bundles via PledgeMusic. For more on Belly, check out th...

Photo via Facebook As part of the upcoming Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith , American Laundromat Records is letting us check out Tanya Donelly's cover of "Between the Bars." Having Tanya Donelly (Belly, The Breeders, Throwing Muses) take on any of Elliott Smith's songs is like a dream come true to me. Her version of "Between the Bars" stays perfectly true to the original, except even though there is barely any instrumentation on her version, the original just comes across as even more heartbreakingly sparse. I'm not sure if it's something in the production, or it's just the magic of Elliott Smith. It's a beautiful tribute, perfect for fans of Tanya or Elliott, or just anyone with a soul. You can listen to Tanya Donelly's cover of "Between the Bars" below. Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith will be out on October 14 via American Laundromat Records. It will also feature covers by Amanda Palmer, J Mascis, Juliana Hatfie...

I personally love it whenever Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses, The Breeders) and Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom, The Needy Sons) work together. We also love covers, so when Bill and Tanya get together to cover The Kinks, we're heavily on board. The two recently recorded an acoustic cover of the 1981 Kinks song "Better Things" with Janovitz on guitar and vocal duties split. Their voices always blend together beautifully, and "Better Things" is no exception.  Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz's cover of "Better Things" is available now on Janvitz's Bandcamp for $1.00. All proceeds go to the Foundation to Be Named Later .  Better Things by Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz