If It's Too Loud...

Photo courtesy Mama Zu We've brought you two singles from Mama Zu, the musical project of Jessi Zazu and Linwood Regensburg from Those Darlins recorded before Zazu's death in 2017. "Lip" sounded more like the classic country style of Those Darlins, and "Safe Place to Stay" was a more pop focused/AM radio style. The latest single, "Make a Joke," comes completely out of left field compared to the first two. The new single is still somewhat pop focused, but sounds like a middle ground between Le Tigre and Bikini Kill. "Make a Joke" straight up rocks, but it also has a surprisingly dance friendly side to it. Plus, it's just overflowing with riot grrrl attitude. This is an unexpected but very welcome side of Jessi Zazu. Linwood Regensburg says of the new single: “The beginning demo of this song was sent to me via email from Jessi along with this message: ‘This song is for people who make discriminatory jokes about women who ‘don't thin...

Image courtesy of Mama Zu Last time we heard from Mama Zu, they released "Lip," was sounded like an extension of Jessi Zazu and Linwood Regenburg's time in Those Darlins. (The music from Mama Zu was recorded between Those Darlins' break up in 2016 and Zazu's death in 2017 from cervical cancer.) The latest single from the project, "Safe Place to Stay," moves in a completely different direction. This latest song has a much more pop centered feel to it than country. It's more of a modern take on alt-pop meets 70's AM radio. There's definitely an unexpected synth-heavy thing going on in "Safe Place to Stay," particularly at the beginning. It's a surprising new sound from one of our favorite artists who was taken from this world far too early. You can watch the video for "Safe Place to Stay" below. Quilt Floor is due out February 23 on Thirty Tigers, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Mama Zu, check out the p...

Image courtesy Mama Zu Mama Zu is the musical project between Jessi Zazu and Linwood Regensburg after the break up of their previous band, Those Darlins, in 2016. They began working on an album under the name Mama Zu while Zazu was battling cervical cancer, which claimed her life at age twenty-eight in September 2017. Regensburg found himself unable to finish their album, but started to be able to work on it in 2020.  The first single from Mama Zu is "Lip," and if you're a Those Darlins fan, you're going to adore this. Jessi Zazu just has one of those fantastic and distinctive voices, and "Lip" takes all of the attitude and edge from their previous bands and unleashes it into a more rock and roll based sound. The song is irresistibly catchy, and just flat out rocks. This song has a garage rock meets pop kind of sound, but rocks harder than anything this catchy has any right to.  Linwood Regensburg says of the new song: "The beauty of a 'fuck you...

2016 sucks. It sucks to the point that everyone seems to agree that it sucks. And just to drive that point home, yesterday Jessi Zazu (aka Jessi Darlin formerly of Those Darlins) announced that she is fighting cancer with a tweet that said "Ya'll, I got the cancer...." She was diagnosed with stage 2 cervical cancer right after Those Darlins wrapped up their final tour, and tried fighting it in private. Last month she discovered the cancer had spread to her lymphatic system, which is typically a "no cure scenario." Jessi is determined to keep fighting, but she does need our help. There is a YouCaring page set up to help with the insane costs associated with a cancer battle, and Jessi is selling "Ain't Afraid" shirts to also help with the costs. As huge fans of Jessi and Those Darlins, we wish her the best and hope you can help out in her time of need. In good news, Jessi is currently working with Those Darlins drummer Linwood Regensburg on ne...

Photo via Facebook Yesterday Those Darlins, an absolute blog favorite, announced an "indefinite hiatus," which we all know means they're done. They're also referring to the few dates they have in January as their final tour, which seems to make it much more official. To say goodbye, they're leaving us with one final song: A cover of Divine's "Female Trouble." It keeps more in line with their more recent slinky 60s sound than their original trashy rock n roll honky tonk than they started out with, which makes sense given the source material.  The only time I made it out to see Those Darlins was a show at TT the Bear's with Deer Tick that will always be remembered as one of the best shows I attended at that legendary club. Both will be dearly missed. You can listen to Those Darlins doing "Female Trouble" below. Below that are the dates for their farewell tour. Unfortunately there is nothing near Boston, so hopefully you'll ha...

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly. This was by far the craziest show I attended at TT's. Those Darlins were headlining, and for a while leading up to the show it was advertised that they'd have a "special guest." An hour before the show, they finally announced the special guest was Deer Tick, who had just outgrown the small confines of TT's. Since John McCauley and Nikki Darlin were engaged at the time, and Deer Tick are based less than an hour from Boston, this was kind of a no brainer. Deer Tick only played an 8-song, 30 minute set, but it really sticks out. First, they came on stage wearing dresses procured from Those Darlins. I believe the drummer, Dennis Ryan, was wearing a ladybug print dress. After a song or two, McCauley announced that the band ha...

Nothing long-awaited outside of Haim's debut album has dropped this week, but it's still a surprisingly robust week for new releases. Let's dive in: Tired Pony - The Ghost of the Mountain : Tired Pony is a side project/supergroup headed up by Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and including members of Belle & Sebastian, producer Jackknife Lee, and so on. The first album was a quieter, folksy affair that didn't exactly fit in with anything any of the members have done, and The Ghost of the Mountain certainly feels more complete, but still suffers from that same sort of quiet quality where nothing catches your ear enough to really give it full attention. As a complete unabashed R.E.M. fanboy, I will give this more of a shot, but it's not really catching my ear. Moby - Innocents : I hate to say this, but I didn't realize Moby was still making albums. The last I had recalled was 2005's Hotel , and he apparently has a few a...

I’m really curious to hear what the next Those Darlins album sounds like. On their 2009 self-titled release, they became the queens of down home trailer trash country rock. Two years later, on Screws Get Loose , they reinvented themselves as a late 60s, slinky, Velvet Underground style rock outfit. I’m not sure what Blur the Line will sound like, but if “Oh God” is any indication, they have moved even further away from their original country sound. The song is sexy to match their album cover, with Jessi Darlin purring over a stripped down guitar riff and trip hop beats. And then the guitar solo kicks in. God, that solo. Now that they lost a Darlin last year (goodbye, Kelley), who knows what they’ll come out with. Check out the video for “Oh God” below as well as Those Darlins’ tour dates. Also, check out their website to preorder Blur the Line, due out October 1st . 08-09 St. Louis , MO – Open Highway Music Fest at Off Broadway  08-10 Appleton , WI – Mile of...