If It's Too Loud...

Another crazy busy week, so another two parter for you all. Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Nada Surf Album : You Know Who You Are Quick Description : Latest album from the veteran rock act. Why You Should Listen : Nada Surf has been perpetually underrated for decades now. Overall Thoughts : You might still only know them via "Popular," which is fine. The issue with that is you've missed out on a ton of great music, including their really amazing album from about a decade ago, The Weight is a Gift . This album? It's absolutely their best since then, maybe even better musically, and just one of the most solid recent listens in a while. In an era where power pop isn't really getting its due, it's interesting to listen to this and really hear a band that's basically mastered what they do. From top to bottom, this is a superlative album and I can't wait to spend more time with it. It's so good, guys. So good. Recommendation : A must lis...

How can I truly explain Mal Devisa's Kiid  to you? The album brings so many elements that you would never consider to mesh well into one of the most diverse offerings I've heard in years. A song like "Sea of limbs" is folk, but isn't quite as straightforward as that sounds. It's far too bass heavy, despite having no percussion, and reminds me a lot of Leyla McCalla. "In My Neighborhood" is more of an organic dance songs, with a chopped up feel like you get with Tune-Yards. Songs like "Live Again" and "Everybody Knows" have a Billie Holiday element to them without being jazz. And then out of nowhere comes "FAT" and "Dominatrix," which would make Mos Def and Public Enemy proud. Somehow Mal Devisa makes this whole thing work. Kiid is available now on DZ Tapes. You can get your copy on Mal Devisa's Bandcamp . For some more information, be sure to like her on Facebook .

Photo by Angelina Castillo for Third Man Records Margo Price is going to be a tough one to categorize for most people. She's definitely country, like real  country as opposed to whatever passes for mainstream country now. She's too mainstream and polished to be considered outlaw country. But she's not a throwback to the days of Johnny Cash or Patsy Cline. Margo Price is straight outta the sparkling, rhinestone 70s country of Dolly Parton and Gram Parsons. I think her only current contemporary would be Jason Isbell. She's raw enough for the alt-country crowd but accessible enough for your mom to like her. Margo Price's debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, will be out March 25 on Third Man Records. You can listen to "Hurtin' (On the Bottle)" below. For more information, please check out her website . She also happens to be playing the aforementioned Green River Festival this year. Get your tickets for that here .

This might be one of my favorite selections we've featured on Friday Freebie so far. Spirit Family Reunion are one of those bands you need to experience live. As great as their albums are, it's just impossible to capture their live show's joy and exuberance. Live they just have so much energy, and not like how some other current folk acts show energy by jumping around on stage unnecessarily. Their playing has the energy just from the pure love of playing. While Harvest Festival Live, recorded at the Harvest Festival in Brooklyn last September, can't quite duplicate the experience of seeing Spirit Family Reunion live, it's the closest thing we might ever get. The band plays the favorites like "Wake Up Rounder!" and "I Want to Be Relieved." It's a great retrospective of their earlier material and perfect for old fans and for anyone discovering the band. They even added a few songs by their friends (Big Kitty, The Horse-Eyed Men, and Innov G...

It's been almost five months since we've brought you any news of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, which might be some kind of record for us. Luckily they've just released Corruption Castle , their entry for the RPM Challenge 2016, where bands attempt to produce an entire album in 28 days. Corruption Castle  is... different. It's still a Walter Sickert and The Army of Broken Toys album, so it's weird and creepy, of course. This one is just much more minimalistic than we're used to hearing from the group. None of the songs really have the bombastic quality we expect in at least a few per album, like "Devil's in the Details" or "28 Seeds." Songs like "Wormhole Slinging" are very stripped down with a bare minimum of instrumentation. This gives the entire album a more intimate and creepy feeling. It feels like more of a Walter Sickert solo album than an Army of Broken Toys album. The average Walter Sickert & The Ar...

Photo by David Emery The Long Blondes are one of those bands I had completely forgotten about despite absolutely loving them and owning Someone to Drive You Home  and Couples. Earlier this week, I was thrilled to rediscover them as I received an email letting me know about frontwoman Kate Jackson's upcoming solo album. After The Long Blondes split in 2008, Kate Jackson moved to Rome and became a painter, specifically architectural painting. She returned to England in 2014, and was inspired to pick up music again by Nick Caves' film 20,000 Days on Earth. "Metropolis" is the first single off of her upcoming solo debut. The song isn't a complete departure and sounds an awful lot like the indie rock of The Long Blondes. While The Long Blondes always had a bit of a pop riot grrrl sound, "Metropolis" sounds like The Long Blondes channelling Jarvis Cocker, which just can't possibly be a bad thing. The song just keeps building and building to a climax ...

And here's the rest! Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Quilt Album : Plaza Quick Description : Third album from the indie folk/rock act. Why You Should Listen : Solid songwriting and musicianship from an act that's not breaking new ground but is making some awesome music. Overall Thoughts : Ken highlighted "Roller" earlier and I think we're both in love with it, but the whole album is just so good and right along those same lines. It's strange without feeling weird, the musicianship is second to none, and it's just an airy, sunny, gorgeous record that has parts that I can't wait to revisit. Recommendation : A must listen this week. Artist : Wakey!Wakey! Album : Overreactivist Quick Description : Chamber-style orchestral indie pop. Why You Should Listen : It's absolutely the most different thing out this week. Overall Thoughts : I don't recall exactly when I first got into Wakey!Wakey!, but I'm terrible at keeping up with the ...

Last year was the year I finally was able to make it to the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA after a few years in a row of false starts. Everything about the festival blew me away, from the music, the variety of food available, hot air balloons, the incredibly laid back environment, etc. You really get the feeling that the festival is organized by huge music fans that somehow tricked a bunch of bands into playing a show for them by opening it up to the public. This morning, the line up for the 2016 edition (which also happens to be their 30th anniversary) was announced, and this is their best one yet. While all three days boast an incredible array of bands (Friday has Peter Wolf and NRBQ and Sunday features the Wheels of Soul Tour which features Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos, and North Mississippi All Stars plus Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear,) Saturday is the day I'm personally looking forward to the most. Any festival that has Dawes, Shakey Graves, Shovels and Rope, T...

With 20 albums to cover this week, I think it's worth splitting this into two posts. So here is day one! Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Mothers Album : When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired Quick Description : Haunting independent rock. Why You Should Listen : An album that is just going to stick with you from the start and make you wonder when you can listen again. Overall Thoughts : With so much good music this week, it's hard to point to just one thing that stands out, but we have two. Ken said this is already an album of the year candidate for him, and he's not wrong in the assessment. This album demanded my attention almost immediately, and it's the perfect mix of accessible and complicated that I tend to look for in my indie rock these days. I can't say enough about this album, so just listen to it already. Recommendation : One of the best releases of the year. Artist : School of Seven Bells Album : SVIIB Quick Description : Final albu...

The Melvins have to be the most consistently prolific bands in music today. According to the story behind this latest release, back in 1999 the band added Mike Kunka of godheadSilo to the band as a second bassist. That lineup recorded together, but an album was never finished. The group decided to reconvene recently, and 17 years later are going to release Three Men and a Baby.  "Limited Teeth" is a fast, bludgeoning song. It's about as mainstream and coherent as The Melvins are going to get, especially with adding a second bassist. It feels like the best 90s grungy metal could ever have to offer, with killer fuzzy riffs and drums that could destroy a room live. Three Men and a Baby  is due out April 1 on Sub Pop. You can listen to "Limited Teeth" below. No word on if this line up will be included at all on The Melvins' upcoming tour with Napalm Death and Melt Banana, but head on over to their website for dates.

It was over a year ago since I first wrote about Adia Victoria and how much I couldn't wait for an actual album from her (she was a pick for my most anticipated albums of 2016 ,) and we finally have a new single from the upcoming album. While "Sea of Sand" was more of a dark, gothic version of alt-country, "Dead Eyes" is much more of a rocker. It's by far the most upbeat song we've heard from Victoria so far, with fast guitars and plinking keyboards. Based on the few singles she had previously released, I certainly wasn't expecting this to be what the first single off her forthcoming album to sound like, but I'm now even more intrigued than before. And at only 2 minutes 21 seconds, it's over before you want it to be. We still have a bit of a wait for the album, but we do finally have a release date: Beyond the Bloodhounds  will be released on May 13 via Canvasback, which is an imprint of Atlantic Records. You can listen to "Dead Eye...

Hallelujah the Hills have just released the first song from their upcoming 5th album, A Band is Something to Figure Out, and if "We Have the Perimeter Surrounded" is any indication, they are about to be huge. With "We Have the Perimeter Surrounded," Hallelujah the Hills have officially mastered the whole folk punk thing. The song starts off with an ominously heavy bass riff and then kicks into an almost Fugazi-like half yelling/half spoken word rant. And then the gang chorus starts. It all degenerates into rambling guitar riffs and a smidge of "California Uber Alles" squeals.  To go along with the release of "We Have the Perimeter Surrounded," Hallelujah the Hills have started a website that also shares a US Government document of a conversation between Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger where Woody recalls a dream that may have predicted punk rock. Check that out at www.woodyguthriepredictedpunk.com . A Band is Something to Figure Out  is du...

Smooth Hound Smith are a hyped-up rootsy duo in the vein of The White Stripes, The Black Keys, and Shovels & Rope. What sets them apart is they're a little more traditional blues and country and less noisy or punk. Zack Smith covers vocals, guitar, foot drums, harmonica, and banjo, while Caitlin Doyle is in charge of vocals and percussion. They have a raw and primal sound in the vein of early rockabilly songs.  The duo just released the video for "Stopgap Woman Blues." It features a man and woman dancing in animal masks in front of a stage while Smooth Hound Smith plays. It's the kind of rock n roll throwback that will make you pine for a time you never knew. This is modern roots music at its finest: Embracing the past while not being a novelty act. For more information on Smooth Hound Smith, check out their website . You can order their most recent album, Sweet Tennessee Honey, on iTunes , and check out the video for "Stopgap Woman Blues" below. ...

From the few songs that Guerilla Toss have released so far, Eraser Stargazer  is going to be a total departure for the band. Not that they're going to be releasing an album of alt-country ballads, but this album is just different. "Doll Face on the Calico Highway" is a pretty intense song by other bands' standards, but for Guerilla Toss it's almost like a Bon Jovi ballad. The song is a slightly slower than mid-tempo spoken word plodder. The band seems to be shedding the attention grabbing shriek of noise punk, and are instead moving towards the aggravation of art rock. It will still get you weird looks from the others in your work cubicle farm, but maybe they'll ask you what it is instead of just demanding you turn it off. Eraser Stargazer  is due out on March 4 on DFA Records. You can get more information on Guerilla Toss via their Bandcamp  and Facebook . Watch the lyric video for "Doll Face on the Calico Highway" below.

This is a weird week of "Very Good." Album of the Week : Artist : Carrie Rodriguez Album : Lola Quick Description : Veteran rootsy singer-songwriter goes a little political and a lot bilingual in a collection of originals and Mexican classics. Why You Should Listen : You enjoyed, for example, Leyla McCalla's album from a while back, and don't mind some Spanish language in your Tex-Mex. Overall Thoughts : I won't lie, I do tend to struggle with non-English lyrics in my music. I don't pay attention to lyrics much as it is, but the ability to sing along even if I'm not paying too much notice to the words is always a plus. I've been a fan of Carrie Rodriguez for some time now even though I'm not great at keeping up with her output, and even the album cover alone demands some attention. The English language songs shine through quite a bit here, for sure - "Z" is a smirking take on racial perceptions and country music in general, ...