If It's Too Loud...

Add Yeah Wings to the ever growing list of great bands coming out of Minneapolis. Yeah Wings describe themselves as "slow core," and, never really hearing that description before, I'd say they pretty much nailed it. Their latest album, Tomorrow Will Be Better , opens with the sparingly minimalist "We Can't." "Threce" starts off very similar, but slowly builds into this noisy epic. The entire albums follows this loud/quiet formula, although it does mix it up in each song, so that when it feels like the loud part is taking over for the song it will be short lived. Except for when it isn't short lived. Plus, the quiet parts are too noisy to be truly quiet, and the loud parts never really break out into a full on uproar. I'm getting Slint meets the quiet side of Fugazi vibes from this. It's an album that's frustratingly brilliant since it never quite does what you want or expect it to do. But that's exactly the point. You can ...

This one is personally very exciting for me. I haven't heard anything from MC Paul Barman for years, to the point that I had figured he called it quits and had stopped making his own music. Of course, I never tried Googling anything to find this out. Today, seemingly out of nowhere (to me, at least), he announces Blue Moon Kaboom  which is meant to tide us over until he releases his upcoming album! Blue Moon Kaboom is a collection of live performances, remixes, songs he's released on YouTube, etc. It's a mix of exactly what we want from MC Paul Barman: Awkward indie hip hop that works far better than it ever should, possibly because his production is always just about perfect. While the songs definitely have a sense of humor, they're far from jokey like he could be in the past. This has me impatiently waiting for the new album I didn't even know was on its way. You can listen to "Exiled from the Getalong Gang" which features Open Mike Eagle below. To g...

I have a little bit of a confession. As much as I say that I like They Might Be Giants, I haven't exactly kept up with their recent career. When I've heard more recent songs of theirs, I've enjoyed them, but haven't exactly listened to full albums with any regularity. I don't really have a reason, except I don't really know where to start with their newer albums. If you're like me, we're in luck. Alternative legends They Might Be Giants are currently giving away Up to Date, a collection of some of their newer songs. While NoiseTrade has been specializing in three to five song EPs lately, this is a twelve song release that is being given away completely for free. If you've ever liked anything They Might Be Giants have put out in their absurdly long career, you're sure to end up liking most, if not all, of everything here. You can get your own copy of Up to Date  for free via NoiseTrade . For more on They Might Be Giants, including a 75 date...

I owe everyone an apology. The latest full length from Milwaukee's Brief Candles has been out for over a month, and I'm just letting you all know about it now. I know with some of my reviews I can drop the pretend professional journalist act and be a little over gushy. With Retreater I'm worried I'm not going to be gushy enough . It's just that good. The album starts off with "A Way Around," a lighter, bouncier shoegaze song that owes as much to 90's alternative power pop as it does anything. That leads into "Appearances," which is more discordant and with chuggier guitars, but still retains the same spirit. The third song, "Tiramusi," is more traditionally shoegaze, but does that by ramping up the noise and aggression factor. These three songs embody what is great about this album. None of the songs truly sound alike, but they all build off each other to make a cohesive unit. You're going to end up loving this. You can list...

Somehow I completely missed Tea Leigh & Luke Reed's series of singles back in 2012. I'm much more familiar with Reed's work with Bent Shapes (RIP) and Mini Dresses. In the past five years, Leigh opened Welcome Home, an all female tattoo shop in Brooklyn. The duo is back with a new single, "Underwater." The new single is remarkably stunning. It fits right into the dream pop genre and defines the word "lush." What truly sets it apart from the usual music called dream pop is how sparse it is despite having the lush dream pop sound. It's sparse enough to be almost considered folk, but just almost.  You can listen to "Underwater" below. If you like what you hear, you can download a copy for free thanks to The Native Sound. For more on their previous releases from 2012, be sure to check out their Bandcamp .

A solid week, given that it's the Thanksgiving holiday in the States... Artist : The Staves + yMusic Album : The Way is Read Quick Description : Hauntingly beautiful modern folk. Why You Should Listen : You like the idea of a combination of gorgeous strings and harmonic vocals. Overall Thoughts : I was into the previous Staves album because it felt like a strange modern folk record. Adding yMusic to the mix here gives The Staves some considerable attention-grabbing instrumentation to go with their already-haunting vocals. This is great in a way the Bjork or Sufjan records kind of aren’t, in that the weirdness is enhancing the experience as opposed to being the centerpiece, and the whole package feels a lot more modern and interesting as a result. I want to spend a lot more time with this, but this is absolutely the listen of the week for me. Recommendation : A must listen. Artist : Bjork Album : Utopia Quick Description : Latest from the Icelandic legend. Why You S...

Considering how much I love seeing bands in their hometown and how long I've been going to see Deer Tick, it's odd that I've never made it down to RI to see Deer Tick (festivals excluded.) Last Saturday, I headed down to Pawtucket to see night two of Deer Tick's three night two venue stand.  Breaking from this tour's format of An Evening with Deer Tick and playing two sets, one acoustic and one electric, this was an all electric evening. Deer Tick played in front of a thrilled hometown audience, and the energy between the performers and audience built all night. This was definitely a crowd that has been following the band for a while, and older songs like "Ashamed" and "Christ Jesus" garnered the biggest reaction. As the band continues to go on, frontman John McCauley relinquishes that role more and more, with guitarist Ian O'Neil and drummer Dennis Ryan taking over lead vocals for more of the sets. O'Neil did a fantastic, energetic c...

Photo by Ambar Navarro I usually have the "no using '4' for 'for' unless you're Prince" rule, but I'll give Anna Burch a pass on this one. Hailing from Detroit, Anna Burch's new single, "Asking 4 a Friend," will probably get her lumped into the neo-folk category, and while fans of that genre will end up liking this song, it's far from folk. Instead, the song is laid back yet still somehow quietly intense 90's infused indie rock. It reminds me of Juliana Hatfield going just a tiny bit country while fronting a Pavement that have decided to lose the adjective "quirky." Yeah, it's a pretty great song. You can listen to "Asking 4 a Friend" below. Anna Burch's debut solo album will be out in early 2018 on Polyvinyl. For more on Anna Burch, check her out on Facebook and Twitter .

Photo via Facebook In a case of worlds colliding for me, here's "Weird Al" Yankovic covering the Ramones' classic "Beat On the Brat." I was definitely more than a little worried that it would be an accordion heavy polka, like his covers tend to be. ("Worried" might not be the best choice of words, since I would have been just as happy with that.) However, this is a completely faithful cover of a legendary punk song, and you'd never know it was "Weird Al" if it wasn't for his distinctive voice. This version of the song will be available on Dr. Demento Covered in Punk , which features punk artists covering novelty songs and novelty artists covering punk songs. It will also feature covers by William Shatner, Colleen Green, Nobunny, Rasputina, and more! You can listen to "Weird Al" Yankovic's version of "Beat On the Brat" below. Dr. Demento Covered in Punk will be available on January 12. You can pre-orde...

We're getting toward the end of the year and, with Thanksgiving, new releases are slowing down. Artist : GFOTY Album : GTOFYBUCKS Quick Description : Bizarre anti-pop. Why You Should Listen : This is a necessary listen even if you end up not liking it. Overall Thoughts : GTOFY put out an EP last year that intrigued me, and this is closer to a full length than anything else, and it's just weird. There are snippets of covers, strange songs and structures, and yet it's utterly compelling. This is definitely an artistic effort, and it might turn off more people than it turns on, but this is one that I'll be diving back in on. There's just too much going on to ignore. Recommendation : Probably the most divisive release of the quarter. Artist : Pete International Airport Album : Safer With the Wolves... Quick Description : Dandy Warhols side project with some interesting droney rock. Why You Should Listen : We haven't had some good Dandys stuff in a w...

We've been fans of Edinburgh based Fuzzystar's debut album, Telegraphing , released just six months ago. Somehow we already have new music from Fuzzystar. "Superhero" keeps their sound of pure 90's indie rock joy going. It starts off in the shoegaze and dream pop realms, with lilting guitars swirling around monotone slacker vocals. (If you're old enough, you know that to us that is the highest of compliments.) The song doesn't really build, but at some point there is a transition to a sound reminiscent of earlier, more upbeat and poppy Built to Spill.  You can listen to "Superhero" below. The song will be available as a single on December 1 via Satellite Sounds. For more on Fuzzystar, check out their/his  website .

In what now appears to be a November tradition, Letters to Cleo came back to their hometown of Boston for a three night stand last week. This year's trio of shows was soaked in nostalgia (the Paradise was playing a pretty generic 90's alt-rock playlist with everything from Pixies to The New Radicals represented) with the band playing one of their albums in its entirety each night. This particular night was 1993's Aurora Gory Alice.  Blake Babies opened up the evening (and all three nights) with a rare performance. The trio of Juliana Hatfield, John Strohm, and Freda Love-Smith are a much beloved Boston institution and could have easily played their own trio of shows. Since the three are now spread out over Cambridge, Chicago, and Nashville, seeing them reform is far too rare of a treat for fans. The band played at their charmingly sloppy best, including their cover of Mission of Burma's "From Here to Burma" and a heartbreakingly glorious version of "...

Post punk is typically the artsier, less aggressive form of punk. Nobody told Shame that. Their new song, "One Rizla," is a pretty chilled out post punk songs, with the ambient feel of dream pop and the fuzzed out bliss of shoegaze. But while that may sound like the song could drift into twee territory, it's far too snotty too be considered twee by any measure. In fact, the song builds so slowly in both speed and aggression that you won't be able to even notice it until the near scream filled ending. It's not an explosive ending, but more of a just barely controlled seething rage leaking out just enough. This song is enough to put their upcoming album into all of our Most Anticipated of 2018 lists. You can watch the video for "One Rizla" below. Shame's debut album, Songs of Praise , will be out January 12 on Dead Oceans. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Shame, be sure to check out their website .

Dublin's The Eskies are coming back with their second album next month, and are previewing the first single from it, "All Good Men." According to their press release, they're described as folk/rock/Yiddish/Blues, and all of that is completely true. But "All Good Men" seems to be even more than that. It has a bit of a punk attitude, and any time a band is from Dublin and combines folk and punk, they're going to get compared to The Pogues. Plus, they have an folk rock anthem quality, so there's some Frank Turner in there. All of this is wrapped up in some old swing, which reminds me of Squirrel Nut Zippers. All of these elements also come together to have just a bit of a Gogol Bordello sound. "All Good Men" takes a bunch of elements that are already a bunch of elements and combines them all into a song that somehow blends together just about perfectly. You can watch the video for "All Good Men" below. The Eskies' second albu...

It's rare that a band's name completely matches their sound. J Eastman and The Drunk Uncles sound exactly what you'd expect them to sound like. Their latest single, "On Your Dime," is a blast of loud power pop that leans very heavily on the rock side of the genre. You can just feel the haze of booze that thickens the type of venue these guys play, and the crowds they're sure to attract. For added points, they inject just the slightest country twang to the song giving it an Uncle Tupelo feel. It all feels decidedly Minnesota (where the band is from). Granted, there's not a regional "sound" to Minnesota, but there's almost a regional "feel" to the state. You can listen to "On Your Dime" below. It will be included on their upcoming album. To be sure to stay updated on the album, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp . On Your Dime by J Eastman and the Drunk Uncles