If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...

Photo by Katie Graves Marrow is a brand new band comprised of former members of Chicago alt-hip hop group Kids These Days. After the formation of Marrow, Liam Cunningham (guitar/vocals) toured as a member of Tweedy and Macie Stewart (keyboard/vocals) toured with Chance the Rapper. It's an interesting combination, which doesn't really fit Marrow's sound. "Paulson" shows off this weird mix that lives in between pop punk, folk, and 90s alternapop, kind of like Laura Stevenson, or Field Mouse without the shoegaze elements. They're all in their early 20s, but it doesn't feel like that since they've been playing together since high school. And I'm sure touring with the likes of Jeff Tweedy doesn't hurt. You can check out Marrow at their website  or Facebook . Listen to "Paulson" below, and below that they have some tour dates listed (their first outside of Chicago!). Tue. April 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy Wed. April 22 – Ne...

As the Newport Folk Festival slowly starts rolling out there 2015 line up, and we sit under 4 feet of snow in the Northeast, it's a great time to look back at last summer's Newport Folk Festival. Suddenly, the absurd amounts of rain on Sunday start to seem quaint, and we start looking forward to this summer and this year's Newport Folk Festival. You can check out our Newport Folk Festival 2014 photo diary over at our Facebook page . Here's hoping to see you all at the Fort this year! For more information on this year's Fest (Friday tickets still remain), head on over to the Newport Folk Festival website . If you can't make it, there are some great Newport Folk Festival Presents shows coming up, mostly in Boston but also in Chicago, Nashville, Napa, and New York City. Check out these here .

A pretty busy new release week, all things considered. Lots of interesting stuff, so let's dive in. Future Sound of London - Environment Five : A common theme with the reviews this week will be the expectations that a lot of the artists provide. For example, with FSOL, I've come to expect some pretty good electronic stuff, often understated but uniquely FSOL (and especially with their Environment series). This album slots right in with what I was hoping to hear, and works for me on a whole. Significant fans might quibble with some of it or still wish it was closer to a lot of what they were doing two decades ago, but I really enjoyed this and those who like electronic music and need a break from the new Aphex Twin would be wise to check this out. Mr Twin Sister - Mr Twin Sister : Formerly simply Twin Sister, I expected something a lot different than the dreamy indie pop we got from this. It's an interesting listen, but I'm still on the fence as to whether it...