If It's Too Loud...

Artist : The Exbats Album : Song Machine Quick Thoughts : We've enjoyed the Exbats here for some time, and this new album, their first since the 2021 release, is a lot of fun. It's an interesting little record that feels fun throughout its runtime even when dealing with heavy topics, and it feels crisp and fresh. I really enjoyed this, and I'm glad we have new music from the duo. Songs of Note : "To All The Mothers That I'd Like to Forgive," "You Got My Heart Hot," "Food Fight," "Cry About Me," "If I Knew" Artist : Onyon Album : Last Days on Earth Quick Thoughts : Onyon blew my mind this week. This debut album, which followed up an EP from Europe last year, is ostensibly categorized as post-punk but feels a lot different than that (probably because of the surf rock(?) elements). This one scratched a particular itch for me, but I got fully on board once "I Would Like to Eat the Newspaper" hit the rada...

I don't think it's possible to have a better 60's throwback sound than The Exbats do. We've been into them for a while now, and "Best Kiss" shows a great maturation in sound by throwing back five decades. It keeps the classic garage rock sound we've always loved from them, but adds in the 60's girl group pop sensibility with just a smidge of psychedelia. It's filled with my personal favorite sounds from that decade, but updated to 2021. That's truly what makes "Best Kiss" truly unique and great: While it may be inspired by the 60's and sprinkled with that vibe, it's hardly a throwback song. You can listen to "Best Kiss" below. Now Where Were We is due out October 22. You can pre-order a copy over at Bandcamp . For more on The Exbats, check out the band's Facebook . Now Where Were We by The Exbats

Of course The Exbats wrote a song called "Coolsville USA." The father/daughter team of Inez and Kenny McClain (who have added Bobby on bass) have always had a retro cool vibe. "Coolsville USA" goes full on 60's groovy psychedelic pop. It seriously sounds like it could have come straight off of an old Nuggets compilation. This is as poppy as garage rock gets, with amazing harmonies and even has a 60's monster subject. But, somehow The Exbats keep it from being a pure retro song. Something about it has a but of a modern feel to it although it is just soaking in 60's groove. You can listen to "Coolsville USA" below. Now Where Were We is due out October 22. You can pre-order the album on the band's Bandcamp . For more on The Exbats, check them out on Facebook . Now Where Were We by The Exbats

Photo via Facebook Burger Records has just issued a seven volume set entitled QUARANTUNES: Songs From Self Isolation. It's to help their roster make some funds while they're unable to tour due to COVID-19. The rule is the song needed to be written and recorded in the past three weeks. I'm sure we'll highlight a few of these in the next week or so, but today's is a new song from The Exbats. "Kwarenkween" is about frontwoman Inez Mclain celebrating her twenty-first birthday in isolation. Even if you could care less about drinking, your twenty-first is huge because you can finally get into any club or bar, and I imagine it's even more important if you're in a band. Intead, Inez spent hers making her own cake, having a fashion show with her dog, and eating beans and rice that she cooked herself. It's a somber song, but still keeps the sense of humor we've come to love from The Exbats. You can listen to "Kwarenkween" below. The s...

You'd think that, in a pandemic with #socialdistancing and the like, I could get my [radio edit] together and post on time. Sorry. Artist : CocoRosie Album : Put the Shine On Quick Description : The perpetually odd sister duo with a very accessible record. Why You Should Listen : It's probably the most mainstream CocoRosie effort... ever? Overall Thoughts : When "Restless" landed a few weeks back, I was kind of shocked because I could imagine this getting some love on at least independent radio. It's a far cry from their hip-hop tinged folk stuff early on, that's for sure. They're still strange and this is still a weird listen, but not that weird. It's worth some time if you've ever been interested in CocoRosie, but probably worth the time anyway. Recommendation : Give this a listen. Artist : Yumi Zouma Album : Truth or Consequences Quick Description : Latest from the alt-indie favorite. Why You Should Listen : They're just a...

Photo via Facebook We were huge fans of father/daughter duo The Exbats's 2019 album E Is for Exbats. In fact, it came incredibly close to making my top ten of last year. I was thrilled to hear that we were already getting new music from them. "I Got the Hots for Charlie Watts" (in case that sounds familiar, it's the same name as their 2018 album) is about having the hots for Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. The song i much more restrained than anything we've heard before. It's almost a regular love ballad and teeters dangerously close to folk territory. Of course, this is still The Exbats, so "I Got the Hots for Charlie Watts" is as much fun as you expect it to be. It makes sense that the music of The Exbats would age along with singer Inez Mclain, and we're dying to hear the rest of the album. You can watch the video for "I Got the Hots for Charlie Watts" below. Kicks, Hits and Fits , the upcoming album from The Exbats, will...

Now we're getting somewhere. Album of the Week : Artist : Better Oblivion Community Center Album : Better Oblivion Community Center Quick Description : Surprise album from Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes and blog favorite Phoebe Bridgers. Why You Should Listen : Both artists are solid in their own right, but together? It's magical. Overall Thoughts : A surprise release from Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, this is probably my favorite release of the early year. Oberst is at his best since the Bright Eyes album Cassudega back in 2007, and Phoebe Bridgers is arguably having the most undersold creative year for a musician in some time. These songs balance the tightrope of urgent and present near-perfectly, and the two artists compliment each other so well in their sounds that it is almost as if they were meant to work together from the start. Given that Bridgers is a Saddle Creek artist and Oberst guested on her awesome debut, this collaboration was probably inevitable...