If It's Too Loud...

I never expected a modern classical record to reach my top ten, never mind my top three, but here we are. A year ago, I didn't even know Attacca Quartet existed. Then came Real Life , which is their "debut album" of new material that not only pushes through the boundaries of what you might think modern classical can do, but reshapes them along the way. They have traditionally been informed by electronica and synthesized drum beats, and this record leans into that a lot , up to and including enlisting a number of electronic/experimental artists to jump in on a few songs. It all works. The music from this stayed lodged in my head all fall, and I'm so glad I tripped up on Real Life . It's an unexpected surprise and just an incredible achievement, and I can't wait to hear what they come up with next. Songs of note: "Electric Pow Wow Drum," "Real Life," "Remind U," "Xetaka 1"

Photo by David Sands Spaghetty Town Records have become one of our go-to labels for pure no nonsense rock and roll. Their latest release comes from Denver's Fast Eddy. Named after their old drug dealer, the band just released "Take a Look." The new single is a little more power pop than we'd expect from Spaghetty Town Records, but it's still pure rock and roll. It has a very 70's sound, but a dirtier version of power pop from that time period. I'm reminded a lot of Cheap Trick mushed together with the New York Dolls. There's a lot to love here, with a laid back intensity throughout and glammed up rock just dripping out of your speakers. You can watch the video for "Take a Look" below. Take a Look , the album, is due out January 21 on Spaghetty Town Records. The album can be pre-ordered here . For more on Fast Eddy, check out the band's website .

I've been loving Mary Bell, the French feminist punk band named after a British child murderer. Mary Bell's guitarist Victoria is also in another band that just released their first album. Catisfaction has a lot of the edge that makes us love Mary Bell, but they are quite different bands. When I first put on Kill 'em all , the first song made me think of Le Tigre. It makes sense if you're going to compare Mary Bell to Bikini Kill, then Kathleen Hanna's more dance friendly project is an easy comparison for Catisfaction. But the more you listen to Kill 'em all  the less you're going to think of Le Tigre. The songs are just too raw and heavy for that comparison. Catisfaction are still punk and edgy, but it's still groovy as hell. If anything this would land on the heavier side and dancier side of post punk. You can listen to "Beware the witches" below. Kill 'em all is available for the "name your price" option on Bandcamp with physi...

I'm always hesitant to put an album in my top 10 that came out in the past month. The new album excitement is still there, and a lot of times an album that I've gushed about doesn't seem as great after six months or so of listens. But... this is Weakened Friends here, so I'm more than a little confident that Quitter will still be a favorite album in a few years.  I was a little nervous about this album. If you follow the band on social media, you would have seen them repeatedly posting about how much they were convinced everyone would hate this album. They were wrong. Quitter is far from an exact copy of 2018's Common Blah , but it's close enough that this new one won't lose them any fans. Quitter sees them edging a little more into pop territory and showing off their Avril Lavigne roots a bit, but this is still an indie rock album. It's filled with killer anthems and catchy hooks throughout. If Quitter isn't the album that has Weakened Friends headl...

I'm not sure if I'm cheating or not with including this, but I don't really care. I knew Bo Burnham was a YouTuber back in the day, I liked Eighth Grade , but my familiarity with him on a whole was pretty much zero. Then everyone went nuts over his comedy special, we threw it on, and were blown away. I've written before/elsewhere that this is likely the most brilliant pandemic-era piece of art we've gotten up to now, but it's also similarly brilliant in its execution of how it handles the current state of discourse and behavior in this country. That the music is incredible only adds to the brilliance, because weaker songs probably would have worked as well and we still got some crazy great songs out of this. It's witty, it's fun, it's current, it's consistent, and it's addictive. I catch myself singing "How the World Works" constantly, "All Eyes on Me" appears to be the award choice and I hope it wins everything, and ...

For the past five or so years, Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys have been performing Something Strange , their music and burlesque tribute to Tim Burton's iconic film The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've (somehow) only made it to one performance of it, but it's an absolutely delightful live reimagining of a holiday classic done in a way that only Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys can. Obviously the show didn't happen last year, but this year saw the return of Something Strange last weekend. This week saw the release of "Making Christmas," Sickert and their band's cover from the performance. It's a wonderful version of the song that stays quite true to the original, and if you love the band or the film, you're going to love this. The Army of Broken Toys perfectly capture the joy and playful menace of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've been wishing for a release from this show, so this is particularly special for me. You ...

Photo by Stephanie Ringleb "Dancing Queen" is one of the most famous songs of the disco era. Even if you despise ABBA or disco, you know the song. It's played at literally every single wedding you've ever been to, and it's sure to get as many people as possible on the dance floor. The song is literally a party in itself.  If you've ever wanted a thoughtful and contemplative cover of "Dancing Queen," Danielle Durack has you covered. The Phoenix based singer has released a stripped back, minimalist version of the disco classic. It's a synth filled song that somehow feels folk and organic. It's a gorgeous take on a song you've heard thousands of times, but despite how laid back it is, even that can't hold in the party of ABBA. But really, can anyone? Danielle Durack talks about her new single in a press release: "This cover was originally just going to be a wedding gift for a friend.  I flew out to Seattle to work with Samuel Rosson...

I first discovered Aaron Lee Tasjan opening for Margo Price. He was a perfect opener for Price, with his "indie folk grit" dabbling into country with some pop sensibilities. On Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! , he blows up that sound completely. His 2021 album still has some of the sensibilities of folk and country, but it leans much more heavily into pop territory without being pop. The album also has a distinct 70's meets 2021 vibe to it.  Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! mixes so many styles into its songs that it has basically created a genre since you wouldn't listen to this album and declare that it's folk, or country, or pop, or rock. On this album, Tasjan is also very open about his sexuality (particularly in songs like "Up All Night" and "Feminine Walk"), which also helps make this album feel like it's Tasjan truly being Tasjan. Plus, it's an incredibly fun album. It takes all the fun you would find in 70's AM radio, classic country, neo fo...

Allison Russell is a Canadian musician who I first heard of through the Our Native Daughters project, but the solo effort here (after working with a few Canadian bands in the past) is such a great listen in spite of its heavy subject matter. Russell has spoken at length about the inspiration for the album coming from the abuse she weathered as a child, but the album strikes a lighter and more optimistic tone in comparison. I think we're all looking for catharsis these days, and Outside Child is probably an album that epitomizes that concept better than anything else I've listened to as of late. "Persephone," "4th Day Prayer," songs like that all strike the proper balance and make for not only a compelling listen, but an important and enjoyable one - yes, this is a traumatic record about traumatic things, but it is also about the strength and power to overcome those things that leave the deepest of scars. I came back to this album a lot this year. It's...

Durham, NC's Owen Fitzgerald makes folk/country... kind of? His latest single, "Touching the Oven at Work," would be considered folk, but mostly because we wouldn't know what to call it. It almost has that raw, unpolished charm you would get from someone that has had no training and is just kind of clunking away at making music, but Fitzgerald clearly knows what he's doing. It's kind of like a song that throws out all basic song structure, but "Touching the Ovens at Work" does follow its own structure. Fitzgerald is taking a very well known and well used basis for his music, but just kind of doing his own thing with it. This is a unique artist that you're going to want to check out ASAP. You can listen to "Touching the Oven at Work" below. The song is currently available as a single via Bandcamp .  A deep clean you can count on! is due out in 2022 on Sleepy Cat Records. For more on Owen Fitzgerald, check out the artist's Facebook . ...

Photo by Felton Kizer In a dream pairing for us, New Hampshire's Wyn Doran has covered Julia Jacklin's holiday song from last year, "baby jesus is nobody's baby now." While Jacklin's original is fairly sparse, Doran's feels even more sparse despite having the same basic instrumentation. The only difference is while Jacklin's version is vocals and guitar, Doran's is vocals and ukulele (I believe it's a uke, at least). It's a gorgeous version of a gorgeous song, and it's the perfect way to bring a non-traditional new holiday favorite back into your playlists this year! Plus, it's not exactly a Christmas song filled with cheer, so it fits right in with Wyn Doran's oeuvre perfectly. You can listen to Wyn Doran's version of "baby jesus is nobody's baby now" below. For more on Wyn Doran, check out the artist's website .

We've been fans of TORRES ever since Mackenzie Scott's 2015 album Sprinter. I saw her live shortly after the release of that album, and I left thinking that the show was OK, but TORRES was going to be great some day. That day came this year with the release of Thirstier. TORRES has been improving with every single release, and Thirstier might be Scott's masterpiece. The album is filled with huge rock songs with a strong pop sensibility. 2021 is the year that alt-pop edged its way into alt-rock, and this is the pinnacle of that moment. TORRES is blending the two genres perfectly, in a way that hasn't been seen since Tina Turner in the 80's. I had to miss a tour of small clubs earlier this year, and it was truly my loss since there is no way TORRES will be playing those venues by this time next year. If the Superchunk/TORRES tour is playing anywhere near you next year, I implore you to check it out. Songs of note: "Don't Go Puttin Wishes in My Head," ...

How is Adia Victoria not the biggest singer on the planet? I fell for Adia Victoria's work in 2016, when Beyond the Bloodhounds hit the scene. Silences was similarly solid, but it's A Southern Gothic that's really brought her in to her own as a songwriter and performer. This strikes a near-perfect balance of social commentary and traditional musicality, and it's an important and weighty album without feeling like one. It's a very difficult line to toe, and Adia Victoria handles it with ease and grace. We were excited about this one when it was announced, and I know it exceeded my high expectations. Debuting in the top 10, a lot of other folks agree, too, but she should be massive after this one. Songs of note: "Mean-Hearted Woman," "Magnolia Blues," "Whole World Knows," "Troubled Mind"

More deck clearing, more late-year releases... Artist : Palm Ghosts Album : The Lost Frequency Quick Thoughts : This came out a couple weeks back and I somehow missed it, and I wish I hadn't. It's a solid indie rock album with some good grooves and multiple highlights. It's a great listen in a busy week, but is especially worth your time as you catch up. Songs of Note : "But Under the Tenuous Ether Rest Soundly," "In Monochrome," "The Painful Truth" Artist : The Cutthroat Brothers and Mike Watt Album : Devil in Berlin Quick Thoughts : I can't say that sludgey punk rock is really my thing, but The Cutthroat Brothers have created a nice little exception for me. This is a really great listen - a little heavy, feels like it's got a grimy bar feel to it, and it's kind of the perfect listen right now. Songs of Note : "Bad Candy Girl," "Love, Drugs, Etc.," "Cold Dead Night," "Like a Zombie...

The Dogmatics are one of those Boston bands I know I need to know more about. The band have been around for around forty years at this point. They had stopped releasing music for thirty years, and then released a new song on Rum Bar Records back in 2019. Well, they're back with another single. "Automat Kalashnikov" sounds like pure classic Dogmatics. Everything about it sounds like they just found a tape in a closet from their first run and decided to put it out. Even the name "Automat Kalashnikov" sounds like a song title from the early 80's. Most of the early Boston punk bands have slowed down or gotten a lot more polished if they're still making music, but not The Dogmatics. This is as wonderfully rough and raw as anything released during that era. And we mean that as the highest compliment. You can listen to "Automat Kalashnikov" below. The song is available now as a single from Rum Bar Records. You can get a copy over at Bandcamp . For mor...