Torres - "Helen in the Woods"

Photo by Ashley Connor

This might be the song that makes me obsessed with Torres. "Helen in the Woods" isn't exactly a pleasant listen, but for those of us obsessed with bands like Sonic Youth, unpleasant isn't a bad thing. The song is very discordant and haunting. Mackenzie Scott's vocals are harsh and brash, oftentimes straining to get her emotion out. Listening to "Helen in the Woods" can be disturbing at times, like something is being done to you. Somehow, the instrumentation keeps it all centered. I wouldn't say the music is beautiful, but it comes oddly close to it at times. I never quite got when people compared Torres to PJ Harvey, but this song clears that up for me. "Helen in the Woods" won't be for everyone, but for those of us that it is for will end up loving it.

You can watch the video for "Helen in the Woods" below. The new album from Torres, Three Futures, will be available September 29 on 4AD. For more on Torres, check out her website.

Torres - "Three Futures"

Photo by Ashley Connor

Last month we brought you Torres' first single on 4AD, and last week her 4AD debut was announced along with a new song. "Three Futures" is a slow, slow build. Dominated by strings and driven by electronic sounding drums, it's a sluggish song that doesn't gain any speed, but builds intensity. It's not a nice song in the pretty sense. It's a bit uncomfortable and foreboding in the best possible way. Torres' voice adds to the mood of the song. She's never had a traditional sound to her voice, and "Three Futures" is the best example of her vocal talents.

You can watch the video for "Three Futures" below. Torres' 4AD debut, also called Three Futures, will be out September 29. For more on Torres, check out her website.

Torres - "Skim"

We really liked Torres's 2015 album, Sprinter. When I saw her play at Great Scott in support of that album, I meant to write about it (but never quite got around to writing about it) and say that she was really good, but the performance was a bit uneven. That night, Torres was at the cusp of being great, but not quite there yet. Based on her new song "Skim," I'm pretty sure she's there.

"Skim" isn't a huge leap musically from any of the songs on Sprinter. It might get a wee bit more experimental and odd at some points, but nothing completely out of left field. "Skim" just feels different. Mackenzie Scott (Torres's non-stage name) seems to be playing and singing with a newfound sense of confidence and is far more self assured. It reminds me a little of early Tori Amos mixed with St. Vincent. "Skim" is quirky without being too precious. I can't wait to hear what else she's been up to.

You can watch the video for "Skim" below. Torres's new album will be released via 4AD. I don't believe there is a release date as of now. For more on Torres, including just announced tour dates, check out her website.

Torres Covers Garbage

(photo credit: Shawn Brackbill)

We've been absolutely loving Torres' Sprinter, which was released earlier this year. She's about to go on a tour opening for Garbage, and she's done the rare thing for an opener and released a cover of the headliner. "Special" is probably my least favorite of Garbage's singles, but Torres brings this bizarre and highly welcome change to the track, giving it an almost slacker trip hoppy feel, as sung by a crooner. It's a pretty bold move by an up-and-coming opener, but it works so well. 

Torres' tour opening for Garbage starts next week in San Diego, CA. For more information on Torres, including her tour dates with Garbage, be sure to check out her website.

Free Music: Torres - A Strange Hello

Our love of Torres has been pretty well documented on If It's Too Loud..., so when she puts out some music for free we are pretty much obligated to tell you about it. Last week A Strange Hello was released on NoiseTrade. There's nothing new on it, but it is comprised of 5 songs from both her self-titled debut and her just released Sprinter. If you've been on the fence about checking her out or picking up some of her music, this free sampler is a perfect starting point. It's just unique rock driven singer/songwriter material in the vein of Tori Amos and PJ Harvey done to absolute perfection.

Head over to NoiseTrade to download your copy of A Strange Hello. Make sure to check out Torres' website for more information, and be sure to check out her on tour, hopefully coming to a city near you.

Wed. May 13 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill @
Fri. May 15 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge @
Sat. May 16 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza @
Sun. May 17 - Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
Wed. May 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Thu. May 21 - Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle @
Fri. May 22 - Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory @
Sat. May 23 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison @
Wed. May 27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right @
Sun. May 31 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Thu. June 25 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Fri. June 26 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sat. June 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Sun. June 28 - Washington, D.C. @ DC9
Tue. June 30 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Wed. July 1 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. July 2 - Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm & Brews
Fri. Sep. 4 – Sun. Sep. 6 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
 
* with Jenny Lewis
@ with Aero Flynn

First Listen, Part One: New Releases for May 5

Another busy week combined with a really crazy release schedule means another two day look at the new releases. Here's round one:

Torres - Sprinter: Torres is back with a new album that has a tremendous amount of buzz around it. Sprinter, for sure, is miles ahead of her previous effort and also mostly living up to the hype. The album still lacks the sort of hooks that you might be looking for in an indie singer-songwriter record on first listen, but if you're looking for anything a little more complicated, this one is absolutely worth the look.

Tracey Thorn - Songs From The Fallen: Tracey Thorn offers up an EP-length companion to the film The Fallen. It ends up being pretty light on most everything, and there isn't much to say on any part as a result.

Lyrics Born - Real People: This one was a bit of a head-scratcher for me on a whole, a very strange listen that doesn't make a ton of sense on its own unless, I suppose, this is something you're really into. This didn't connect with me at all, and I really struggled a lot to even get through the portion I listened to. This is very much Not For Me, and you'll know within a minute whether it's for you.

Mumford and Sons - Wilder Mind: Putting a few things aside for a moment, this is not a bad album by any regard. A little similar to your Coldplays and Snow Patrols of the world, but that's not always bad when done correctly. The lead single is pretty good, there are some interesting things going on. The issue is that this is an album from Mumford and Sons, who had a fully unique style all their own in the folk genre. This doesn't sound like Mumford, but you can hear Marcus Mumford's voice in a context that just doesn't make sense. It's especially impossible to comprehend this evolution of sound, making this album really weird as a result. We'll see how things pan out.

Django Django - Born Under Saturn: I've enjoyed what I've heard from Django Django up to this point, but none of it has necessarily been sticky. It's definitely happy indie rock with some lighter, acoustic elements, and there's a lot to like here, but I can't say I recall anything specific from this album even an hour after first listen. It's strange like that. I want to spend more time with this one, but if you're into poppy indie rock with some acoustic/psych elements, this might be something to give some time to.

My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall: I have never been a fan of My Morning Jacket even though I know I really should be, as they offer up a lot of everything I like to listen to on a whole. The new album, though, has really resonated with me on first listen. Perhaps part of it is the Song Exploder episode for one of the songs from the album that gave me a good idea as to where Jim James is going with his songwriting. This is a dark feeling album (although I say that about MMJ in general), with some really interesting songwriting choices. Definitely the best of the batch of today's releases, without a doubt.

We'll be back tomorrow!

Torres - "Cowboy Guilt"

Photo by Shawn Brackbill

We're a week away from the new album from Torres, and this new song has me even more excited for the release. "Cowboy Guilt" is pure indie pop bliss with just enough quirk to keep it interesting. Torres (aka Mackenzie Scott) has grown incredibly as a songwriter between her first and now second albums. She has a new sense of confidence and her vocals are absolutely amazing on this track. The closest artists to compare her to (more as a point of reference would be PJ Harvey or her former tour mate Lady Lamb. "Cowboy Guilt" is pretty much guaranteed to be stuck in your brain all day, which you'll thank us for.

Sprinter is due out May 4 on Partisan Records. Check out her website here, and her tour also starts on May 4. The dates are below.

Mon. May 4 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom *
Wed. May 6 - Nashville, TN @ The Stone Fox @
Fri. May 8 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada @
Sat. May 9 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk @
Mon. May 11 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live @
Tue. May 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo @
Wed. May 13 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill @
Fri. May 15 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge @
Sat. May 16 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza @
Sun. May 17 - Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
Wed. May 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Thu. May 21 - Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle @
Fri. May 22 - Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory @
Sat. May 23 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison @
Wed. May 27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right @
Sun. May 31 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Thu. June 25 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Fri. June 26 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sat. June 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Sun. June 28 - Washington, D.C. @ DC9
Tue. June 30 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Wed. July 1 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. July 2 - Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm & Brews
Fri. Sep. 4 – Sun. Sep. 6 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
 
* with Jenny Lewis
@ with Aero Flynn

Torres - "Sprinter"

Image by Shawn Brackbill

I've been paying attention to Torres ever since she toured with Lady Lamb (RIP the Beekeeper) back in 2013. I checked out her debut self-titled album, and while it was really good, it just didn't connect with me. If the title track of her upcoming second album, Sprinter, is any indication, this one will.

The only criticism I could truly make about her debut album was it felt a little too restrained, as if she was told to hold back by a label or producer, or maybe she wasn't quite comfortable with herself yet to truly unload. On "Sprinter," she comes out full force and the result is both powerful and beautiful. It reminds me of a cross between PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, but way more rock. It opens with this swirling, ambient noise and goes right into a pop rock verse which morphs into a more ethereal possible chorus. It's amazing song structure by making changes that keep the feel of the entire song whole. I can't wait for this album.

Sprinter, the album, is due out May 4 on Partisan Records. You can listen to "Sprinter" the song below. Make sure to check out Torres' website, and you can preorder Sprinter on Amazon, iTunes, or the Partisan. She's also heading out on a tour. The dates are after the jump.


Mon. May 4 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom *
Wed. May 6 - Nashville, TN @ The Stone Fox @
Fri. May 8 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada @
Sat. May 9 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk @
Mon. May 11 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live @
Tue. May 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo @
Wed. May 13 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill @
Fri. May 15 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge @
Sat. May 16 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza @
Sun. May 17 - Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
Wed. May 20 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Thu. May 21 - Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle @
Fri. May 22 - Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory @
Sat. May 23 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison @
Wed. May 27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right @
Sun. May 31 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Thu. June 25 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Fri. June 26 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sat. June 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Sun. June 28 - Washington, D.C. @ DC9
Tue. June 30 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Wed. July 1 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Thu. July 2 - Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm & Brews
Fri. Sep. 4 – Sun. Sep. 6 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
 
* with Jenny Lewis
@ with Aero Flynn