If It's Too Loud...

Coming straight out of London, Dog Chocolate are getting ready to release their debut album, Snack Fans. Between the band name and the title of their album, I expected fairly straightforward bratty pop punk. I was wrong, since "Emotionally Buff" is quirky noise punk, with choppy vocals, fairly random gang vocals, crashing drums, and a guitar riff that's more catchy than the vocals. The guitar seems to be the constant holding the whole glorious mess together. It reminds me a lot of early Ex Models and Parquet Courts at times.  Snack Fans  is due out on March 18 through Upset the Rhythm. You can watch the video for "Emotionally Buff" below. For more on Dog Chocolate, you can check them out on Tumblr , Soundcloud , and Twitter . You can pre-order Snack Fans directly through Upset the Rhythm .

We normally wait until Friday to post these but this one is pretty exciting so we can't wait. Yesterday, Shakey Graves posted a recent live concert on his Bandcamp. Considering it was recorded on 2/6/16, it's  very  recent.  Live at Levon's  was recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. According to the description on Bandcamp, " This is a live experiment, testing out a few new songs in their baby form and playing others in a different arrangement or manner." Because of this, the entire thing can't be downloaded in one chunk through a zip drive since the new songs can only be streamed. The previously heard songs must be downloaded individually. Funny how times change, since 10 years ago I used to download songs individually every day and I was thrilled to do it. Live at Levon's  is a great mixture of solo acoustic, electric, and full band performances. And, it's free. You can download and stream Live at Levon's over at Shakey Graves'...

We've been pretty free with our love for Salem Wolves here at If It's Too Loud..., and that love is only growing with their new single "Peach." It expands a bit more on their more poppy version of garage punk by adding a bit more of a glammed up sound. In fact, there are more than a few moments that are straight up T. Rex inspired. It was recorded in the Converse Rubber Tracks Boston studio. It's everything you want in a Salem Wolves song: It's fast, gritty, but with just the right amount of melody and gloss to make it fun. For more information on Salem Wolves, be sure to check out their website or Facebook . "Peach" is out now on MegaHex Records. You can download the song for free on their Bandcamp .

A pretty loaded new release week! Album of the Week : Artist : The Prettiots Album : Funs Cool Quick Description : Biting anti-folk debut album. Why You Should Listen : You miss The Moldy Peaches but wish they had been wittier. Overall Thoughts : I fell in love with "Suicide Hotline" a while back, and I listed this as one of my most anticipated albums of this year. I thought it was coming out in April, but here we are with a great debut that is witty and interesting and has some of the catchiest songs we're likely to hear this year. Conceptually, this is just a confessional winner and seems like it hits upon the whole "jaded millennial" theme pretty well (especially in the final track, which is less a song than a treatise of sorts). Overall? A must listen and an early contender for a favorite of mine from this year if my immediate enjoyment is any indication. Recommendation : Simply the best album released in 2016 so far. A must listen. Artist :...

As I'm sure you are all aware, the two things we love the most here at If It's Too Loud... are covers and free music. This week, Red Line Roots announced the third volume in their Locals Covering Locals series, which features roots artist in the northeast covering other artists from the northeast. Unlike Locals Covering Locals Volume 2 , I am completely unfamiliar with all of the performing artists and have only slightly heard of some of the covered artists on Locals Covering Locals Volume 3. Nothing immediately jumped out at me like Sarah Borges covering The Lemonheads, but that can lead to some great discoveries.  The Meadows Brothers version of Eric Lichter's "Typical" reminds me of a more energetic version of The Milk Carton Kids. Molly Pinto Madigan covers "Oh My Darlin," originally by Mark Kilianski, and if you're a Mary Lou Lord fan, you need to check her out. Seriously. Lula Wiles rendition of "Song for Alice" sounds like it sho...

For their debut album, Los Angeles based Vow decided to drop the synthesizers for a more indie rock sound than their previous releases. The sound isn't quite as grimy or edgy as the press release likes to claim, which is perfectly ok. Instead, it's a brighter, more cheerful version of shoegaze. You get the drone and reverb of a band like My Bloody Valentine mixed with the power pop of Letters to Cleo, with maybe a bit of Superchunk. If you've been reading this blog with any regularity, you'll know that may be the perfect mixture for me. Vow's debut album will be released sometime in the spring on The Native Sound. For now, you can listen to "Withdraw" below and check out their website and Bandcamp .

One of the sites I use to find out new releases said this was a slow week. Not from my perspective. Album of the Week : Artist : Miranda Lee Richards Album : Echoes of the Dreamtime Quick Description : Roots-tinged album from a Brian Jonestown Massacre collaborator. Why You Should Listen : It's the most gorgeous album of the week, and nothing else comes close. Overall Thoughts : I hadn't known the name until I saw it turn up with BJM in the releases this week, and wow is this an awesome album. I was intrigued through the first song, but "Tokyo's Dancing" is that perfect mix of sort of indie-folk accessibility that I tend to be drawn to. While the album feels a little longer than it needs to simply because of the lengths of the songs, it doesn't take away from how great this is for a listen. Recommendation : Best of the week, absolutely needs to be part of this week's rotation. Artist : Sierra Hull Album : Weighted MindM Quick Description ...

"Mr. Rodriguez" isn't exactly a new song, seeing as we first heard it on last year's exceedingly great Imaginary Man. Rayland Baxter is set to release SOHO EP next Friday, which revisits some of the tracks on Imaginary Man  in a more stripped down version. If this new version of "Mr. Rodriguez" is any indication, this isn't just a collection of acoustic versions of songs you have already heard. The SOHO   EP version is stripped down to bare bones, consisting mainly of Baxter's vocals and minimal guitar layered with a background of reverb. I truly can't say either version is the best version, but instead each lives in its own universe that you owe it to yourself to check out. SOHO EP will be available at Rayland Baxter's current tour dates. If you can't make it, you can also purchase one at the ATO Records webstore . For current tour dates, be sure to check out his website .

One of my favorite things about this digital age that's supposedly killing music is when one of my favorite bands throws a song up out of nowhere. Yesterday, The Dead Milkmen put out "Song With No Name." According to a Facebook post, "Song With No Name" was recorded back in 1992 during the sessions for what became Not Richard But Dick. It's a demo, but a pretty good recording for a demo. Sung by Joe Jack Talcum, it fits right into the poppier sound The Milkmen were experimenting with during their time on Hollywood Records. You can listen to "Song With No Name" below. To keep track of The Dead Milkmen's actics, be sure to like them on Facebook .

Photo by Nicole Anne Robbins Jeff sent over 2013's Ride Your Heart  to me, and while I really really liked it, I didn't quite love it. With their next album, I just might start to love Bleached. "Keep On Keepin' On" lives in a world where female punks look back at The Bangles and The Go Gos with the same reverence they do Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. It's an edgy song, but it's still fun and has killer hooks. Picture if Veruca Salt listened to more Blondie than AC/DC. Bleached's new album, Welcome the Worms, will be out on April 1 via Dead Ocean. You can watch the video for "Keep On Keepin' On" (which features a bitchin' Captain America shirt) below, and below that are their current tour dates. For more info on Bleached, check out their website here . Mar. 15 - March 19 - Austin, TX @ SXSW   Mar. 29 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones Mar. 30 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah Apr. 2 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Apr. 4 - Aus...

Lissie has become one of my favorite artist over the last few years, with both of her albums being near/at the top of my best of lists and her songs always getting trapped in my head. "Don't You Give Up On Me" is the lead single from her next album due out in less than a month, My Wild West , and, not only does it sound like the Lissie that I've come to know and love, but this song sounds a lot like some of the more popular stuff we've been hearing over the last few years, and maybe this will be the breakout we're been waiting for. Don't sleep on this one. If the rest of the album is as close to as good as this song is, it might be an early contender for one of the best albums of 2016. I know I'll be impatiently waiting for its release.

Photo by Daniel Dorsa I have no idea how I've gone so long without hearing Quilt. Usually when a Boston band gets up to third album territory, I'd have heard a song or two. I've heard the name Quilt a bunch of times, but just never listened. Luckily for me, I finally got around to them and checked out "Roller." It's not quite folky, and not quite poppy. It's this great chill, slinky track that is the exact opposite of whatever I decided they were in my head. Instead, it lives in this great territory with Jenny Lewis' The Voyager and Liz Phair's Whitechocolatespaceegg.  Quilt's third album, Plaza, will be released on February 26th on Mexican Summer. Be sure to listen to "Roller" below. You can find them online here , and their current tour dates are below the video. Feb 26 - Boston, MA @ Museum of Fine Arts Mar 2 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right Mar 4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Mar 5 - Washington, DC ...

NOW we're back in the swing of things! Album of the Week : Artist : Savages Album : Adore Life Quick Description : The much anticipated sophomore album from the Mercury-nominated indie rock band. Why You Should Listen : Their first album was incredible. Overall Thoughts : While it lacks the sort of immediacy that their debut had, Adore Life is still a very strong, very loud record in many regards. While a first listen doesn't result in any standout tracks, the cohesive whole easily makes it the best thing released in this two week period, and it might have some staying power to boot. A very strong follow-up. No sophomore slump here. Recommendation : A must-listen this week. And go back and listen to their debut again, too. Artist : Eleanor Friedberger Album : New View Quick Description : Third solo album from the Fiery Furnaces co-lead. Why You Should Listen : You like the Fiery Furnaces or you don't like the Fiery Furnaces because they're too weird...