If It's Too Loud...

Saturday night was an absurdly packed night for live music in the Boston area. Of all the options available, I had to trek way out to Salem, MA for a fantastic loud and local triple bill: The Devil's Twins, Diablogato, and Salem Wolves. Considering how long I've been writing about Salem Wolves on here, and considering that they're a local band that plays in the area a lot, this was somehow the first time I had gotten around to seeing them live. It definitely won't be the last. Their arena ready garage rock anthems are crafted specifically for a live show, even if the "arena" is a tiny brick walled basement. The band was breaking in two brand new members (guitarist Charlie MacSteven (who also plays in Diablogato) and bassist Cat Verlicco), but you would never have known it. They played insanely tightly, and with an incredible infectious energy. Singer Gray Bouchard is a much more theatrical frontman than I expected. We're not talking about an Alice Coop...

Photo by James Sharp If you've been wondering what Jack Cooper (formerly of Ultimate Painting) was going to do next, then you're in luck. Modern Nature is his latest project, and it's quite different from his previous one. Cooper has this to say about his new band: "The band is so new, it's hard to say who's in and who isn't. At the moment it's myself and Will Young (Beak) with Aaron Neveu on drums (Woods/Herbcraft) Rupert Gillett on cello and then Jeff Tobias on saxophone (Sunwatchers). The band started as a vehicle for a wider project that Will and I spent the year putting together so it feels very exciting to be an actual band now. Every song we record or musician we gain, another door seems to open on a route that's worth pursuing.” Their first single, "Supernature," is a nearly twelve minute long song that dabbles in folk and free jazz equally. It has a chilled out  (but strangely intense)   vibe throughout, and sort of plods al...

Photo by Megan Holmes Every so often we come across a song that completely blows our minds and doesn't sound like anything we've heard before. This new song from The Yawpers is that type of song. Jeff described their 2017 release Boy in a Well as " A somewhat schizophrenic effort that has a foundation in the rootsy genres." That did not prepare us for their new song at all.   For their new album, The Yawpers recorded together in a single room, helping to give "Child of Mercy" an energy. The Yawpers are on Bloodshot Records, so you know it will fall into the alt-country category. But "Child of Mercy" is alt-country meets Goo and Dirty era Sonic Youth, but metal. You get a great intense alt-country song with a killer groove throughout, and then these absurd noise bursts kick in. But these are intensely heavy noise bursts. The song clocks in at just over three minutes, but it feels like an eight minute epic considering everything you've been ...

With Letters to Cleo only doing a small handful of dates, the members have lots of non-LTC time on their hands. With most members out in Los Angeles doing production and television work, that leaves guitarist Greg McKenna remaining in their hometown of Boston. Turns out he has another fantastic band with City Rivals. McKenna's newer band also features Michael Coen and Matt Diekman of The Bleedin Bleedins, and while their sound is Letters to Cleo adjacent there is definitely a sound all their own here. With "Intoxicated," City Rivals go for a late 90's alternative power pop vibe, but the guitars have more of an edge to them. It's catchy as hell, with an almost Uncle Tupelo tries (and mostly fails) to lose their country sound to it. You can listen to "Intoxicated" below. City Rivals just released their debut EP, which you can purchase via CD Baby . For more on City Rivals, check them out on Bandcamp and Facebook . Intoxicated by City Rivals

The latest track from Chicago's  rapper, poet, educator, actor  Mykele Deville's upcoming album is a throwback to a very specific period of late 90's hip hop. "Free Soul" combines the jazz inspired rap of Guru with the positive throwback vibes of Dilated Peoples and Jurassic 5. It's a fantastic song with looping horns throughout and the closest thing to an R&B chorus is the scatting in its place. The song is a tribute to Chicago but also calls out the clique mentality of the city's arts scene. I can't think of any other modern day rapper that has a diss track for his city's arts scene, but that is one of the reasons we love this song. You can watch the video for "Free Soul" below. Maintain , the new album from Mykele Deville, will be out February 22 on No Trend Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Mykele Deville, check out his website .

Photo via Facebook The latest single from western MA's And the Kids might be their most mainstream yet. Typically that's not usually a good thing, at least for us. We tend to prefer their more odd and unique stylings, but "Butterfingers" will definitely be an exception. "Butterfingers" is quietly epic, and just a beautiful song. And when we call it "mainstream," it's mainstream for an And the Kids song. It still has enough strange little guitar flourishes and perfect harmonies to make it an And the Kids song. It's just one your co-workers who listen to "the hits of the 80's, 90's, and now" radio might also like. Might. You can listen to "Butterfingers" below. The new album from And the Kids, When This Life is Over , is due out February 22 on Signature Sounds. It can be pre-ordered here . For more on And the Kids, be sure to check out their website .

A weird week on a whole. Album of the Week : Artist : Bob Mould Album : Sunshine Rock Quick Description : Latest set of power pop from the indie legend. Why You Should Listen : With few exceptions, Bob Mould has been the same guy for 30 years, so you know what you're getting. Overall Thoughts : I don’t think it needs to be said that you know exactly what you’re getting with Bob Mould. He hasn’t really changed his course in his 30+ years, and still rocks as hard as he did in the 1980s. More importantly, though, he knows how to write a rockin’ power pop song, and this new album is predictably filthy with them. This isn’t going to change the world, but it doesn’t have to – it’s just going to become a part of your rotation for a few months and every time you listen, you’ll be like “yeah, I forgot how good this is.” A fair warning, though, “Camp Sunshine” is a rare miss from Mould, and it may just because those of us in New England have a different connotation than Mould… mi...

Photo by Kevin Baldes Ben Kweller has kept quite quiet ever since releasing Go Fly a Kite  is 2012. Turns out he had a pretty great reason: In 2013 he and his family almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning. To let Kweller tell it:  “We were in this sweet little cabin and in the middle of the night, Lizzy woke up and said, ‘Ben, get up! Something’s wrong-I feel horrible. I immediately jumped out of bed and collapsed to the ground. We instinctively crawled to the front door and opened it. Fresh air rushed in the cabin. I called 911. We grabbed the boys out of bed, trying to shake them awake, and managed to get everyone outside in the snow. The boys were crying and falling in and out of consciousness-it was like something out of a horror film. When the ambulances arrived, they tested our blood and said our CO levels were so high, we were 15 minutes away from  not  waking up. Fifteen minutes! We spent the next day in the hospital on pure oxygen and days after th...

Photo by B+ "Cry for Another" is Claude Fontaine's debut single, and while it isn't a style we normally cover here at If It's Too Loud..., we like it enough to make sure to pass it on to you. Recorded in Chet Baker's Hollywood studio, "Cry for Another" is a love letter and tribute to classic reggae and Brazilian music, and musically sounds like Trojan and Treasure Isle records. Fontaine's voice has this smooth, lush quality that reminds me more of a jazz crooner's whisper than reggae. This makes for a great pairing of styles as the song doesn't quite land in reggae or jazz fully. Fontaine says about the song:    “‘Cry For Another’ is about the feeling when someone is slipping through your fingers, and even though you know that person may not be right, you're still pining for more. Possibly to remind yourself of why they're wrong for you, or perhaps to remember what you're going to miss.” You can watch the video for ...

Photo by Andre Moore Detroit's Nolan the Ninja has just signed with Mello Music Group, one of the few hip hop labels that puts out music we consistently like. His first single on the label, "IMG," has just been released, and it's exactly what we want with hip hop. It could be called a throwback, but mostly because it lacks any autotune or an R&B chorus: It's just straight out hip hop. Nolan the Ninja has this odd flow that's equal parts laid back and intense. This is the kind of hip hop we wished was made more. You can listen to "IMG" below. You can download the single for free now via Bandcamp . For more on Nolan the Ninja, check out his Facebook and Twitter .

I first discovered Denmark's Powersolo years ago when they opened up for Heavy Trash at the dearly departed TT the Bear's. Somehow, they slipped out of my mind until recently when I decided to look them up again. It was great timing since they are about to release a new EP. (Well, it says it's an EP, but it's two songs so it's more of a 7"...) The first song is "Backstab," and it's everything I remember loving about Powersolo. It's noisy and dirty garage rock that's still insanely fun and groovy as it possibly can be. This isn't slick early 2000's garage rock revival garage rock. This is the kind of garage rock actually made in garages in the 60's by young bands just trying to get it going, but will just be too weird for mainstream success. And it's glorious. You can listen to "Backstab" below. Transfixing Motherfucker EP will be out on Slovenly Recordings on February 8 and can be ordered here . For more on Po...

I feel bad bringing you the cover since Lauren Ruth Ward has also released a fantastic new original song, but covers are one of our favorite things here at If It's Too Loud..., so... In an email to fans, Lauren Ruth Ward explains that she's friends with Billy Steinberg, co-writer of The Divinyls legendary song "I Touch Myself." He put her in touch with Divinyls guitarist Mark McEntee, and Ward's cover of "I Touch Myself" was born! Ward's version of alternative singer/songwriter music that you can dance to is custom made for a Divinyls cover, and this might be the most spot on cover we've ever brought you. Sure, it helps to have the original guitarist along for the ride, but Ward does "I Touch Myself" perfectly without any sense of irony, just reverence for the original classic. You can watch the video for Lauren Ruth Ward's version of "I Touch Myself" below. You should also check out her new original song "Valha...

Photo by Zoran Orlic Almost a year ago to the day we discovered FACS, the Chicago band that rose up from the ashes of Disappears. "In Time" is still the post punk art rock we loved from FACS's previous release, but something about it just feels a bit off (in the best possible way). "In Time" is oddly melodic, but extremely disjointed. The rhythm never quite stabilizes itself, and the song kind of stutters along due to that. It's not a loud, in your face rocker, but it does have intense moments. This might not be appealing to most people, but it's a beautifully uncomfortable listen. Is that sounds appealing to you, you may just love this song. You can watch the video for "In Time" below. Lifelike , the second album from FACS, will be out March 29 on Trouble In Mind. For more on FACS, check them out on Bandcamp , Facebook , and Twitter .

Leland Sundries (led by Nick Loss-Eaton formerly of New York City but recently relocated to Memphis) have just released a new single off their upcoming EP. In the spirit of last October's single "If You're Gonna Drive, I'm Gonna Drink," "Dreamed About El Paso" is another exploration into more of a country sound than their usual garage rock (although their more rock material is still quite country inspired). It's about as country as you'd expect a song called "Dreamed About El Paso" would be, but in a more alt-country way than whatever your co-workers consider country these days. It's a fun rock based country song, and as much as I love Leland Sundries's more rock stuff, this dalliance into country is a fun detour. You can listen to "Dreamed About El Paso" below. It will be off Leland Sundries upcoming to be announced EP. The band is promising some more "garage-y stuff" in the future if you prefer that. Fo...

Another great week! Albums of the Week : Artist : Cherry Glazerr Album : Stuffed & Ready Quick Description : Highly-anticipated third album from the alt/indie act. Why You Should Listen : This should be the breakthrough we're waiting for. Overall Thoughts : If it wasn’t clear from the videos and the prerelease singles, this may be the album that is designed to propel CG into stardom. They’ve deserved it for some time now, with a lot of really great songs under their belt up to this point, but “Wasted Nun” ( which I’m still obsessed with ) was a shot across the bow, and the album doesn’t let up off the gas. “That’s Not My Real Life” is a real highlight, and album cuts feel more polished while still retaining the flair that made CG so appealing to start. Do not sleep on this – not only is there plenty of room on the bandwagon, but I have a feeling we will be hearing a lot about CG in 2019. Recommendation : A best of the week, and a must-listen. Artist : STL GLD Al...