If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Bryan C Parker Loma is a newly formed band of people you're already familiar with: Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record. The three musicians got together in a house in Texas to create their debut self-titled album. While Emily Cross sang the songs, all three ended up playing every instrument involved in the recording at some time or another. Also, it was an odd time to be recording an album, as Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski started off the project as a married couple but no longer were at the end of the recording. "Relay Runner" is an oddly charged song. It plods around with it's own pace, and comes across like Wilco experimenting with more electronics while trying to recreate their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot days. Instruments seem to come in and out of their own free will, almost taking turns but not quite. It creates a sound that's not quite challenging art rock or alternative pop, but straddles the middle som...

I suppose one of the benefits of us dropping the ball and taking months to tell you about a new song from an artist is the shorter wait for the next single. We finally discovered the latest single from Photocomfort, "Rose Colored Glasses," last week, and now here's the second single from her upcoming EP, "Long Way Home." The subject matter of "Long Way Home" is near and dear to me, in that I usually think that I'm the only one who does it: It's about driving around alone just to work stuff out in your head. It's always nice to find others with your own quirks, and that doesn't even bring up the song musically. "Long Way Home" is sonically stunning. It reminds me of this mostly passed over era of the mid to late 90's when female artists were breaking into the mainstream with gorgeous but challenging music, like Tori Amos and PJ Harvey. Photocomfort is somehow taking music that sounds mostly electronic and making it so...

Photo by CJ Monk We brought you "The Hype" from Shopping back in September, and this Friday will finally see the release of their new album, The Official Body. Waiting four months to release a second single from an album is virtually unheard of nowadays, but we finally have "Wild Child" to listen to. "Wild Child" fits right into the classic post-punk sound of Shopping's previous two albums, but is much more danceable and funky in the way that "The Hype" was. The song is a lot of fun in a way any type of punk subgenre is usually lacking.  You can watch the video for "Wild Child" below. Shopping's new album, The Official Body , will be out January 19 on FatCat Records. If "The Hype" and "Wild Child" aren't enough for you and you can't wait until Friday, You can listen to the full album at NPR Music . You can pre-order the album via Shopping's Bandcamp . For more on Shopping, check out their Fa...

Photo by Steve Gullick I was blown away by Marlon Williams's debut self-titled album. It was my #9 release in 2016 . Late last year he released "Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore," which was the first song off his second album, Make Way For Love. For whatever reason, it just didn't work for me and I assumed he'd be a one and done artist for me. "What's Chasing You," the second single off Make Way For Love , is proving me wrong. It leans a little bit more on the torch song side of Marlon Williams with maybe just the slightest hint of the Americana sound and none of the indie rock feel his debut album had. The mix of all three was what drew me in, but "What's Chasing You" still works. It's this smooth soulful sound that is a total throwback to the 1950's with just enough of a modern slant to not end up being Sha Na Na. Plus, the video underscores the serious sound of the song with a shirtless Williams frolicking on a beach...

Photo by Matt Hogan With "Soul No. 5," Caroline Rose continues her move away from the Americana of 2014's I Will Not Be Afraid to her new sound. And that new sound? It's hard to define. "Soul No. 5" is definitely less in your face and delightfully abrasive as "Money" is. Instead, it's more upbeat and melodic, with Rose rap-singing the verses. The aesthetic, along with Rose's choice of wardrobe in her accompanying videos remind me of License to Ill  era Beastie Boys meets Scottish indie poppers Bis, with some Missy Elliott thrown in. But it's not hip hop at all. It's a confusing mix of contradictions that somehow works to make a near perfect sound. You can watch the video for "Soul No. 5" below. Caroline Rose's new album, LONER , will be out February 23 on New West Records. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Caroline Rose, check out her website . Her current tour dates are below the video. Th...

In my single digit years, I don't think I loved a singer as much as Olivia Newton-John. I listened to the Grease  soundtrack obsessively, which is now disturbing since it includes the phrase "pussy wagon," but that's a whole different story. Olivia Newton-John absolutely dominated the early 80's, and I feel like her song "Physical" was played at every one of my mom's aerobics classes I was dragged to. She was the soundtrack of my early youth. In the 90's, it might have been Juliana Hatfield. Being from the Boston area, her songs were prevalent on every radio station, I saw her an impossible amount of times in my college years, and this is without any complaints. Well, my two worlds will be colliding on April 13 when Juliana Hatfield releases an entire album of Olivia Newton-John covers. I absolutely love it when an artist expresses a gushing fandom for their heroes, particularly when their heroes don't exactly fit into what's consider...

A new song from Superchunk is enough to get excited about. Now imagine if Superchunk brought in more indie rock royalty to help them out with the song. That is exactly what is happening with "Erasure," the new song from the Chapel Hill legends. Not only have they brought in Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields, Future Bible Heroes), but they also have Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield, both supplying backing vocals. That in and of itself is beyond thrilling, but the song is also fantastic just on it's own. It's that brand of bouncy but just noisy enough indie pop rock that Superchunk pretty much invented. When you do something as brilliantly as Superchunk do this sound, why screw with a perfect formula? You can listen to "Erasure" below. Superchunk's new album, What a Time to Be Alive , will be out February 16, obviously on Merge Records. It can be pre-ordered here . For more on Superchunk, check out their website .

Photo by Tom Bejgrowicz This year marks the 15th anniversary of Nada Surf's classic album Let Go. The band has an upcoming tour to celebrate. Nada Surf is also producing an album of covers of every song on Let Go with proceeds going to the ACLU and The Pablove Foundation. So far we can listen to one song on the album: Ron Gallo's take on "Happy Kid." Ron Gallo's album, Heavy Meta , just narrowly missed my top 10 of 2017, so this is a perfect combination. Despite Nada Surf curating the album, they seem to be giving bands freedom to make the songs in their own style. "Happy Kid" fits right into Gallo's sound, in that space where roots rock and garage punk fit together. It's definitely louder and noisier than the original, but that's exactly what I would have wanted. You can listen to Ron Gallo's take on "Happy Kid" below. Standing at the Gates: The Songs of Nada Surf's Let Go  will be available digitally on February 2 an...

Just last week I was discussing how long we've gone without anything new from Spirit Family Reunion. Back in November 2016 we had a charity single, but it's been almost three years since the release of the fantastic Hands Together . Well, I think they might have heard me since yesterday marked the release of Solo Recordings. Back in the fall, Spirit Family Reunion singer Nick Panken embarked on a solo tour with Ian Felice of The Felice Brothers. On the heels of that, he's released a six song EP of solo recordings. While Solo Recordings  is much more somber and less of a joyous celebration than your typical output from Spirit Family Reunion, it is still a collection of beautiful and thoughtful acoustic songs that will be loved by any fan of Spirit Family Reunion.  You can listen to my personal favorite song on Solo Recordings , "In the Manner That it Came," below. Solo Recordings is available now via Bandcamp . Spirit Family Reunion have one show coming up at T...

Hey, thanks! I missed you guys, too! We had a few new releases this weekend, so a quick hit of some of the Christmas break releases before the floodgates open back up. Artist : Computer Magic Album : Super Rare Quick Description : B-sides/rarities collection from the indie electronic artist. Why You Should Listen : Computer Magic is always great, and even her non-album stuff is solid. Overall Thoughts : No complaints here - even as a b-sides collection, this scratches the itch of what I needed from Computer Magic when it came out. No specific highlights, but it doesn't matter: if you like the lo-fi indie electronic stuff, this is worth listening to right now. Recommendation : A good listen. Artist : Jeff Rosenstock Album : POST- Quick Description : Latest album from the indie power popper. Why You Should Listen : Rosenstock has now put out three straight solid listens. Overall Thoughts : Jeff Rosenstock is great. I loved his last album, and POST- is different e...

The upcoming EP from Photocomfort was recorded in a cabin on Lake Winnepesaukee, a place I spent an insane amount of time as a child. I couldn't help but check out the music, and fully expected some acoustic/rootsy tracks since it was recorded in a cabin in New Hampshire. I don't think I could have been more wrong. The first single from the EP, "Rose Colored Glasses," is more along the lines of electronic tinged late 90's singer/songwriter fare. It's being compared to Alanis Morrissette and Dido, but I'm hearing a lot more of From the Choirgirl Hotel era Tori Amos. There is just too much dissonance and uncomfortable feelings in the beauty of the song to not make that connection for me.  You can listen to "Rose Colored Glasses" below. Photocomfort's new EP, Understudy , will be available in the spring. For more on Photocomfort, check out their (her?) website .

We're a little late bringing you this one... actually, a lot late, but I think you'll agree this is worth it. Less than a year after the release of Imagination , Arizona's finest shoegaze band, Citrus Clouds, are back with Ultra Sound. They have described their sound as "desertgaze," but on Ultra Sound  it feels more like beachgaze. Maybe it's just the two weeks of subfreezing temperatures we've had in the Northeast, but a song like "Ocean Eyes" takes the dark and dreariness out of your typical British shoegaze and injects it with some southern California chill. "You Loved Me First" goes even further into the laid back vibe in the most reverb friendly way possible. "Life Happens" picks up the tempo just a bit without being overly energetic. If My Bloody Valentine's Loveless  is widely considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time to nurse a handover, Ultra Sound  might be the best album to nurse a hangover to a...

Photo by  Karen Sophia Colon Back in November we brought you "Doggy Door," the debut single from Brooklyn's QWAM. With their debut EP due in two weeks, they've released a second single, "Dirty Feet." "Dirty Feet" has a bit of a late 80's/early 90's Seattle mixed with mid 90's power pop sound to it. It's not really grunge, but more grunge adjacent like a band like The Gits would have been. But they bring in the insanely catchy pop hooks of mid 90's bands like Letters to Cleo or that dog., but with a ton more attitude. And then there's this insane 90's punk breakdown at the end. You can listen to "Dirty Feet" below. QWAM's debut EP, Feed Me , will be out January 19. It can be pre-ordered now on Bandcamp . For more on QWAM, check out their Facebook . Feed Me by QWAM

Photo by Heather Hornbeak As what is considered country gets more and more popular in the mainstream, there is also a resurgence of throwback country that harkens back to the roots of how country started. Jodee Lewis will be considered that, but she truly has a unique sound. Her latest single, "Buzzard's Bluff," has the feel of old school country in the vein of Merle Hagard and Dolly Parton, but is just a bit too pop to be old school. That's not to say that Lewis is the modern definition of pop country, since she actually sounds like, you know, country. The song ends with a killer fiddle solo, so it can't truly be pop. "Buzzard's Bluff" is one of the few songs that new and traditional country fans might be able to agree on. You can listen to "Buzzard's Bluff" below. The album Buzzard's Bluff  will be out in April. For more on Jodee Lewis, check out her website. Buzzard's Bluff by Jodee Lewis

This is apparently the week that every single major festival is going to announce their line ups, and most have been rather... underwhelming. I know that middle aged dads aren't exactly the target audience for music festivals, but we like to think we're "with it" here. Regardless, I've only seen about 3-5 artists per festival that I've cared about, and that has gone down as I realize that the Belly they've booked is the wrong Belly. That's why we're excited about Boston Calling this year. The headliners aren't all that thrilling (pretty sure Eminem is playing every festival this year, but yay for Jack White!) and of course The National are playing,  but as you go down the poster we start getting more intrigued. Fleet Foxes, St. Vincent, and The Decemberists are beloved by young and aging hipsters, plus they booked the right Belly and Pussy Riot. You go even further down and find Big Thief and Charly Bliss, who have been two of our favorites...