If It's Too Loud...

I had my electronica (as it was called then) phase just like everyone else in the mid to late 90's. One of the biggest names that emerged then was The Crystal Method. Their sound was just huge and was perfect for both techno clubs and mainstream dance clubs, plus their song with Filter was beyond huge. They've obviously moved from the ultra-mainstream over the past twenty plus years, but they've been doing their thing all along. The techno lifers are back with a new song, and this time they've enlisted Boston's Billy Dean Thomas and VAAAL for this one. "Act Right" is going to make fans of The Crystal Method quite happy, even if you haven't really been paying attention to what they've been releasing since you were in high school or college. And adding in The Queer B.I.G. for a song? How can you go wrong? Thomas is one of the most engaging performers in the Boston hip hop scene and they are long overdue for a break out. It's always great to see f...

By my count, there were well over 30 new releases out this week. Add in a couple I missed, and I honestly bit off more than I could chew. So excuse the quick hits this week: Best of the Week : * Anamon - Purple, Green, and Yellow (great indie pop) * The Crystal Method - The Trip Home (for one of the second-level techno acts during the electronica explosion in the late 1990s, the fact is that they have put out a number of great albums in the last few years) * Kristin Hersh - Possible Dust Clouds (An all-time favorite here, this is a solid listen from someone with a catalog full of them.) * She Makes War - Brace for Impact (An act I’ve loved for a few years, this record has the urgency and interesting stuff I was hoping for) * Haerts - New Compassion (I loved their first album, and this long-awaited follow-up is exactly what I hoped for. Some evolution, lots of familiarity) * Cursive - Vitriola (Cursive was gone a while, but this might be their best effort since The Ugly...

Another somewhat busy week. Let's dive right in: The Crystal Method - The Crystal Method : To think they've been doing this for 20 years now... I loved Vegas in high school, but I can't say I've been a huge fan of theirs since. With the whole dubstep thing, the sort of music they've made feels a little more out of place, but their new self-titled album is probably my favorite release this week. It sounds like a Crystal Method album while still remaining relevant to the electronic music that's currently what people are listening to. And it has a LeAnn Rimes song on it. Go figure. Worth a listen, in any regard. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Give the People What They Want : If there's a group that is more consistently solid from album to album than Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, I don't know who they are. Give the People What They Want is exactly what they do, with a quick hit of an album that's got the same sort of retro revivalist fee...