If It's Too Loud...

If you're going to do the whole Southern rock or country rock thing, eventually you're going to have to cover Creedence Clearwater Revival. I'm pretty sure it's a law somewhere. It's Boston's These Wild Plains turn to pay tribute to their forefathers, and they've chosen to cover "Commotion." It's a song I didn't initially recognize as a cover the first time I heard it despite it being a fairly straightforward cover and CCR's Greatest Hits was an album I heard almost daily growing up. These Wild Plains' version just has an extra edge to it. It's a faster, almost punk-tinged version. It could be because this recording is from an upcoming live album and live recordings always have a little more of an edge, but this is a killer version of a country rock classic.  You can listen to These Wild Plains covering "Commotion" below. Thrilled to Beer Here is due out January 17 and can be pre-ordered here . For more on These Wild P...

Photo via Facebook Boston's These Wild Plains do a virtually perfect rendition of alt-country along the lines of Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown. Their latest single, "Stick Around," continues that sound. "Stick Around" is laid back, but not hanging-out-on-the-porch laid back. It stops just short of power ballad territory and is the kind of love song rare in country and Americana. According to the band: "Stick Around is a love letter to my wife, or maybe more accurately, a tribute to her extreme patience. Being married to someone who is addicted to the masochistic nature of being a 'working musician' is a hard row to hoe, for sure. I don't know how she does it, but lord knows I would be lost without her. Besides, you don't hear a ton of songs about things going well these days. Everyone's always leaving. I figure it can't hurt to have one about shit working out for once." You can listen to "Stick Around" below. Th...

Celebration last Friday's Inauguration most likely wasn't the purpose of Bad Boys Club releasing their debut four song EP, Inauguration Day , on Inauguration Day. Bad Boys Club are kind of a Boston rock scene supergroup made up of members of Dirty Bangs and These Wild Plains. Considering both those bands share a fairly upbeat and light aesthetic (Dirty Bangs are a pretty straightforward poppy alternative rock band while These Wild Plains rock Tom Petty meets early Wilco Americana), it's quite striking how heavy Inauguration Day  is. The sound is a less experimental and heavier At the Drive In, or maybe a less screamy Refused. I love when bands form side projects that sound like nothing you'd expect, and Bad Boys Club delivers in that regard.  You can get your copy of Inauguration Day at Bad Boys Club's Bandcamp . All proceeds from the purchase will be donated to Planned Parenthood. You can listen to the first song on Inauguration Day , "SHUT DOWN/SHOT OUT,...

We're definitely in the slow period for new releases right now. Co-Albums of the Week : Artist : Look Park Album : Look Park Quick Description : Side project from Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne. Why You Should Listen : Collingwood is an underrated songwriter in his own right, and this is a nice indie pop album. Overall Thoughts : Named after a park in Northampton, MA, this side project has flashes of FoW without feeling like a retread, and has some really high quality moments throughout. Rarely, when listening to it, do you feel like you're listening to Fountains of Wayne (which can't be said for a lot of other side projects) and the result here is just a quality record. Recommendation : Worth your time even in a busy week. Artist : Weakened Friends Album : Crushed Quick Description : Quick EP from the indie rockers. Why You Should Listen : Weakened Friends are great anyway, but this is a short listen with great songs. Overall Thoughts : "95...

I first discovered These Wild Plains when I heard they were going to be part of the night of the Boston Music Awards honoring Evan Dando by performing a partial tribute set to Evan and the Lemonheads. Considering a Lemonheads cover is how I discovered Courtney Batnett , These Wild Plains are in pretty fantastic company. Their newest single, "Old Reasons," is everything I love about These Wild Plains. The Lemonheads' influence is pretty obvious, particularly with Dando's more country-infused songs (which I somehow never realized exactly how country they were back in high school...). There is also a huge sampling of 90s alt-country bands like Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown. It's really a touch of everything we gush about obsessively in one band, so we're pretty confident you're going to love it. You can listen to "Old Reasons" below. You can purchase a copy at These Wild Plains' Bandcamp , and for more information on the band, check out the...

We actually had a new release this week! Kid Cudi - Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven : Kid Cudi is interesting. He had some really great rap stuff, but got bored with/irritated with rap music and has been exploring rock music. This is sort of an "indie/alt rock" attempt from him, and... it doesn't work. I can't sugarcoat it, but this is really more a labor of love than anything else. If you're into his post-rap stuff, this might be something of value to you, but, for me? This really didn't do the trick and I couldn't even get through it. Avoid this. Cage the Elephant - Tell Me I'm Pretty : I haven't kept up with Cage the Elephant, although "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" was a great song back whenever that came out. At some point they became a full-on bluesish rock band, and I didn't see that one coming. So in terms of meeting expectations, this is pretty interesting, but in terms of something I might want to revisit, that ...