If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Rain on Fridays Album : Death to Affection Quick Thoughts : This came out of nowhere and blew my socks off. It's indie alt/punk, sometimes on the screamy side, but the angst and noise comes across so well and in such a great, fun way that I didn't expect. "Banshee" is a true highlight, but the whole album is not only one of the best of the week, but perhaps one of the best of the year. Songs of Note : "Phonophobia," "We Are So Alike," "Banshee," "Clusterfuck," "Knock Out" Artist : Tyler, The Creator Album : CHROMAKOPIA Quick Thoughts : Tyler, The Creator doesn't always work for me. The sort of doomy dark rap isn't always my thing, but people genuinely love this guy. CHROMAKOPIA makes it make sense for me - it has mood vibes similar to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , but with some of the sonic stretches we've seen from more recent Childish Gambino records. I love this album, and if...

I feel like this was a slow release week, and yet I wanted to listen to most of what came out. Album of the Week : Artist : Nicole Atkins Album : Goodnight, Rhonda Lee Quick Description : Pitch-perfect classic country-pop. Why You Should Listen : Nicole Atkins is always solid, and this is her best yet. Overall Thoughts : Nicole Atkins is always great, and she goes full retro-country with a pitch-perfect love letter to singers of old. It’s such a fun and refreshing listen with a lot of really great songs on it, and is easily my favorite listen of the week. Recommendation : Just give this a shot. You won't regret it. Artist : Dizzee Rascal Album : Raskit Quick Description : UK grime rapper's latest. Why You Should Listen : I've never really listened before, and if I'm this glad I did... Overall Thoughts : I missed the boat on Dizzee Rascall, so I don’t know how this compares with his albums from his popular prime, but if this is anything close to his b...