If It's Too Loud...

A few high-profile releases combined with some indie highlights form the foundation of this week's new release schedule: Volcano Choir - Repave : I don't consider myself a fan of Bon Iver, even though I find Justin Vernon to be incredibly talented and interesting. I don't know what it is about Bon Iver that doesn't resonate with me, but I do know that Repave , the second Volcano Choir album, inhabits the space I wish Vernon was always in for me. It's stark and weird and different without being completely inaccessible, and while it has a lot of indie tropes that people love to hate on, it's an album that deserves to be heard at least once, and probably multiple times. Definitely tops my list as the most interesting new release of the day. Over the Rhine - Meet Me at the Edge of the World : Over the Rhine is a folk band that exists in the same headspace as Hem, mostly because I saw them open for Hem a number of years ago. Their music is both more folky an...

The first time I heard "Crown on the Ground" and "Infinity Guitars" from Sleigh Bells so long ago, it was really unlike anything I had heard previously. The blown-speaker, demented-cheerleader attitude of the songs were really different, and both songs got stuck in my head all the time. They then got signed to an actual label, got some studio polish, and they were still as loud as ever but with some of the grit rubbed off. I really enjoyed Treats , but it concerned me about what I loved about them. I'll put it this way: if "Bitter Rivals" is what we can expect next from Sleigh Bells, we won't have any problems. It's a really strange jolt to the senses, and the video doesn't help matters either. Essentially, it appears as if the now-trio have possibly figured out the balance between the wall of noise in their first album and the production values of their second. I don't always like to blast music from my speakers, but this is j...

Dizzee Rascal might finally be set to break out here in America with his fifth album, The Fifth.  It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since Boy in da Corner  came out, but Dizzee is now a veteran rapper who should be much bigger in the States than he is now. The video for his first single off The Fifth  might just do it. (We'll ignore the fact that he might also break out because of the Will.i.am collaboration .) If this was the 90s, "I Don't Need a Reason" would be in the Buzz Bin in heavy rotation. It might be the most creative video I've seen since "Lucas With the Lid Off."  With it's mind screwing use of video loops and nutso eye animation, it's the increasingly rare video that makes you wonder how they pulled it off. Plus, the song is pretty killer, too. The Fifth  is due out in America on 10/1 on Dirtee Stank/Universal Records. Check out the slightly NSFW video below   and check out Dizzee's website here . Dizzee Rasca...

Every month, Amazon.com puts up 100 albums for $5 each. Ones that may be of interest to readers: * Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - Bavarian Fruit Bread * The Hold Steady - Stay Positive * The Love Language - Ruby Red * Kanye West - Late Registration * Jay-Z - The Hits Collection - Volume 1 * Jay-Z - The Black Album * Dr. Dog - The Void * Arcade Fire - The Suburbs * Tame Impala - Lonerism * Old Crow Medicine Show - O.C.M.S. * O Brother, Where Art Thou official soundtrack .

A new Throwing Muses song should be regarded with at least as much fanfare as a new Pixies song. I guess the difference is "sleepwalking-1" is actually good and holds up with the best of the Throwing Muses back catalog. Throwing Muses broke up in 1997 because touring wasn't financially viable, but came back in 2003. Since then they've been pretty silent, but on November 11 they will be releasing their new album, Purgatory/Paradise.  Ok, it's not really just an album. In keeping with the tradition of Kristin Hersh's solo work, it's being packaged with an art book. And the album is 32 tracks long. I guarantee not a single one will be as disappointing as "Bagboy." You can listen to the first song, "sleepwalking-1" below. You can also stream a 2nd song, "Sunray Venus," over at their website .

Almost a full year ago, Fire Records announced they were reissuing the criminally long out of print first three Lemonheads albums, Hate Your Friends, Creator, and Lick.  Since then, there has been virtually no information released. Are there gobs of previously unreleased tracks and/or alternate versions of songs? Or is it just a straight remaster with maybe an extra song on the end? In the day of bands announcing a new album on their website with a link to download that album immediately, a year is an excruciatingly long time to wait. This week, Fire Records posted some of the remastered tracks on Soundcloud, which shows that this is actually happening. Listen to the 5 tracks here .

Paper Bag Records announced the free download of an album of remixes from European dance pop queen Sally Shapiro and Johan Agebjörn. Titled Sweetened , I have no idea how long this will be available for free, but the album has thirteen tracks of remixes, such as Shapiro taking on Young Galaxy and Little Boots. If you're into remixes and aren't familiar with Sally Shapiro yet, this is a great opportunity to dive in. If you're already a fan of either of these artists, chances are you're probably diving at anything they put out anyway, so go and grab it: Johan Agebjörn/Sally Shapiro - Sweetened

For the most part, I just don't get the current indie dance scene. I'm not saying it's all bad and worthless, I just don't get why anyone cares. Before this song, I've never paid any attention to YACHT . The only reason this song landed on my radar is my obsession with Marc Maron and his WTF podcast . After seeing him play guitar in a Postal Service video , YACHT asked Maron to play on their new anti-NSA song, "Party at the NSA." The song reminds me of Bis mixed with X, which is not a bad thing at all. Including Maron initially sounded like a gimmick to get more press, but Maron is actually one hell of a guitar player. All proceeds for the song go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation , which is leading the fight against the NSA and patent trolls. I might have to rethink my stance on indie dance bands.

After last week's deluge, things have slowed down a little bit with the new releases, but it hasn't stopped a few interesting things from dropping this week. Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action : If you told me at any point in the last 8 years that I would like another Franz Ferdinand song, never mind album, after things went downhill following "Do You Want To," I would have laughed at you. It turns out that the new album is a stunning return to form, and one that does not feel old or derivative at all. The first time through, it doesn't sound like there's a clunker on the album - we're back to the party atmosphere that the first album and a half or so made us love from them to begin with. I don't know at this point whether I'm grading on a curve, but this is a welcome surprise from a band I had basically written off. Belle & Sebastian - Third Eye Center : Belle & Sebastian have always been good about compilin...

Long before Gorillaz stole their thunder, Deltron 3030 were the premier (and possibly only) experimental future hip hop collective. Comprised of Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala, 2000's  Deltron 3030 was a concept album that took place in the year 3030. Damned if I knew what the hell was going on, but City From the Rising Ashes EP takes place in 4010. In advance of their follow up album, Event II , City From the Rising Ashes EP is here to remind us when Deltron 3030 blew the shit out of our minds. It consists of 3 songs which feature guest spots by Mike Patton and Mary Elizabeth Winstead ( Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Smashed ). Existing pretty much solely to get us psyched for Event II , the EP does it's job. It's exactly what we want, and you know the best is still yet to come.  City From the Rising Ashes EP  is out now. You can stream the entire EP for free. Event II  is set for release on October 1. Head on over to Deltron 3030's webs...

It's rare for me to hear hit songs these days that aren't cultural touchstones. I went through a week where I heard "Blurred Lines" 8 times a day a few weeks back, everyone heard "Get Lucky," etc. For me to know a song that's on a TV show or a movie these days is rare ( Pitch Perfect is a weird movie for me in that regard), and while there's something to having that shared experience, well, I saw Miley twerk it and I think I'm all set. With that said, I tripped up on Lorde's "Royals" last week, and I am obsessed . I could listen to this song on repeat for an hour and not tire of it. It's a lot like Kimbra in a sense, except I'm nearly old enough to be Lorde's father and this song is more accessible. It's not really alt-rock, it's not really pop music, I don't really know what to make of it, but I do know that it's really, really good. Give it a listen above. Her EP, The Love Club , is out now...

Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near cool enough to have been able to fly up to Toronto to see The Replacements play their first show in 22 years at Riot Fest, but I wanted to make sure everyone could see the best coverage out there. Slicing Up Eyeballs is putting together an incredible archive of Tweets, pictures, and are piecing together the setlist through videos posted on YouTube. I'm sure you're not even reading this and have already clicked the link. Don't forget, the Replacements are also playing additional Riot Fests in Chicago on September 15 and Colorado on September 21. Hopefully there will be an actual tour to follow.

Lou Barlow's former partner in the Folk Implosion has been quiet for the past 15 years, but that's changing with the October 29th release of Spare Parts, his first solo album . For now, you can check out the first track, "Masoch." It's almost 6 minutes of sparse solo singer-songwriter fare that reminds me of Elliott Smith mixed with Bob Dylan. It contains virtually none of the funky weirdness of the Folk Implosion, so don't expect a follow up to "Natural One." Instead you get reverb heavy vocals, acoustic guitar, and strings for a lush sound. Spare Parts  will be added to my already packed list of my most anticipated releases of September/October.

We love cover songs at If It's Too Loud..., so when one of my favorite artists covers another one of my favorite artists, you can rest assured I'm going to post about it. I'm already in a tizzy over Sebadoh 's upcoming album ( Defend Yourself, due out on September 17), and Lou Barlow just posted a video on YouTube where he's covering Ryan Adams ' "Two," one of my all time favorite Ryan Adams tracks. The best part of this whole thing is that the video is posted on a brand new YouTube channel that Lou started so he could share covers of his favorite songs. 

Hailing from the shockingly indie fertile mecca of Minneapolis , Kitten Forever are a new generation of riot grrrl band. The trio of Liz Elton, Corrie Harrigan, and Laura Larson trade off instruments throughout and bring their own blend of punk to a musical style more than two decades in. They are equal parts the sense of humor of Cake Like, the edge of Bikini Kill, and the groove of Death From Above 1979. The 13 songs on their latest release, Pressure , are raw in the best way, but have a sense of melody and songwriting structure almost completely disguised by the distortion and gang vocals. Be Your Own Pet made me feel old; Kitten Forever make me feel downright elderly, but I’ll still head out anytime they venture out to the Boston area. Check out Pressure on Kitten Forever’s Bandcamp page , and check out the video for “Famous Friends” below.