If It's Too Loud...

Speaking of artists that have leveled up in 2023, Margo Price absolutely killed it with Strays. I've repeatedly said that it seemed like Price realized the world needed a Tom Petty and decided to become one. Strays  still has a country sound, but it has more of that timeless classic rock meets alt-rock sound that Petty mastered. (Plus, I believe we're legally required to mention that this album was written on shrooms since most coverage of it focuses on that fact.) Strays is just a great rock album. "Been to the Mountain" leans into psychedelic rock. "Light Me Up" is a little more straightforward country rock. "Radio" goes a little New Wave and brings in Sharon Van Etten for some vocals. And then there is "Lydia." "Lydia" is this quiet and intense song that is mostly folk but has some indie rock noise moments delivered by strings. And it has Price delivering her vocals in the best speak-singing method since... well... Tom Petty....

I said it back when this came out, and I'll say it again: I am fully aware that I am not the target audience for Olivia Rodrigo's brand of New Adult breakup songs, but I am absolutely here for it nonetheless. 2023 will rightfully go down as the year of Taylor Swift, but for my money? Olivia Rodrigo is the dark horse candidate for stealing the crown away. Rodrigo excels not in changing the game, but perfecting it - every song on GUTS has clearly defined and obvious inspirations (I maintain that "all-american bitch" is her channelling Weezer's "My Name is Jonas," and no one can tell me "get him back!" isn't "Pepper" by the Butthole Surfers), but the raw, unvarnished honesty and self-deprication on the album is a welcome change from a lot of the pop music efforts to hide one's true feelings in a veneer of metaphor and code. As much fun as it is to conspiratorize over the color selection of Tay-Tay's confetti, it...

We usually hold free releases for Fridays, but in some cases we just can't wait until the end of the week. Back in 2021 Deer Tick recorded a Christmas livestream covers EP, and they've just released it on Bandcamp for the name your price option. Hit Kringles is comprised of three cover songs: Darlene Love's "All Alone on Christmas" from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," and Felice Brothers' "Country Ham." This might be the most fun Christmas release of 2023, as Deer Tick take the songs seriously but are having more fun than you thought possible on all of them. And isn't that what we really want from our holiday music? John McCauley says of "All Alone on Christmas": “I love Home Alone 2: Lost in New York . The soundtrack is killer. 'Cool Jerk'et cetera. This is a song from the soundtrack written by Steven Van Zandt and expertly sung by Darlene Love. Hope nobody minds that Ye Olde Dee...

Photo courtesy Vinyl Station There seems to be this upswing of bands making huge, epic indie rock songs these days, much like artists like U2 and Band of Horses made careers out of. The latest is Vinyl Station. The Phoenix band's latest single, "Here Comes Your Ghost," is just an arena ready anthem just waiting for its chance to shine. It has that 90's U2 vibe to it, just before they started getting oddly experimental. But it also has a more organic and earnest sound. It's definitely not a folk song, but I could see Vinyl Station playing the Newport Folk Festival with a song like "Here Comes Your Ghost." Being a full fledged music snob, I typically define bands as either mainstream or good. This group is the rare artist that is both. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Matthew Thornton says of the upcoming EP: “I am really excited about sharing these songs with the world, and putting something out which represents the band in its current form. These are th...

Continuing 2023's theme of bands leveling up with new albums is Lydia Loveless' Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again. Somewhere else was my favorite album of 2014, and while I've enjoyed her releases in between, nothing Loveless has released has quite connected with me that way since. This new album comes pretty close, though. Loveless has all but abandoned her early alt-country sound and has recently picked up a more pop friendly sound. Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again  finds this great middle ground. A song like "Sex and Money" is nearly pure pop, but with more of an indie rock edge to it. What makes this album so great is how it's a purely unique blend of pop, indie rock, punk, and alt-country. "Feel" is a song that is as beautiful as it is discordant. Loveless' vocals have never sounded better, but musically the song is more art and noise rock than anything they've done previously. "Toothache" is power pop, and ...

Another surprise listen for this year launches itself into my best-of list. I missed this when it first came out in April, and on my initial listen in the fall, found it to be super compelling; unique in its presentation of folk-style storytelling, while also showcasing Jackson's distinctive voice. Still, I feel like I slept on it a bit. Every time I listened, I found something more to love, and something that kept me coming back for more. What I love most about this album is how well Kara Jackson jumps between confession and humor, from stark and quiet to more lush and chaotic. "no fun/party" and "rat" couldn't be more different in many ways, but both are awesome. "dickhead blues" and "free" lamenting the state of one's love life in two very disparate approaches. The album is full of these little contradictions of sorts, and ends up being one of the more memorable listens of 2023. Songs of Note: ...

Aaron Perrino (The Sheila Divine, Dear Leader, Aaron & the Lord) just released what he described as a "... fun non-christmas sounding christmas song." "Oh Children Go Where I Send Thee" is credited to Aaron & the Lord, and it's a dark sounding holiday song that grooves insanely hard. This is the kind of Christmas song most people you know are going to hate since it is so dark and doesn't sound like a holiday song at all. There is nary a jingle bell to be heard, but there are references to "666." But, for those of us with darker sensibilities who maybe do things like drive our families to Salem annually for a picture with Krampus and not Santa, "Oh Children Go Where I Send Thee" is perfect. You can listen to "Oh Children Go Where I Send Thee" below. The song is available via Aaron Perrino's Bandcamp . For more on Aaron & the Lord, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . You'll have two opportunities to...

The theme of going to live shows in November seemed to be old favorites and nostalgia. For December, I decided to go the opposite direction and check out a couple of bands that have a ton of buzz, but I didn't really know much about. Those bands were Model/Actriz and Chanel Beads. And I was reminded that sometimes those nights can be revelations. Model/Actriz started off in Boston but are now based in Brooklyn, so this was a homecoming for them. They have a rabid fanbase, and it's obvious why. They are simply one of the most engaging live bands out today, and there is no way they won't be erupting out of small clubs in the extremely near future. Vocalist Cole Haden is a mixture of Jarvis Cocker and David Yow, being equal parts charismatic frontman and unpredictable performer. After asking how many people had never seen them before (which was the majority of the crowd), Haden declared that he had to get to know everyone better and jumped over the barricade to jump around wit...

December is an incredibly busy month for all of us. It's hard to make time for live music or nights out with all of the obligations, family time, etc. Normally we wouldn't implore you to go out on a Saturday night in mid-December, but this Saturday is an exception. First, Let's Rock Cancer is a great cause and is benefitting The Cancer Care Equity Center at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Second, the line up is amazing. You get the vintage garage rock of Muck & The Mires, Vapors of Morphine keeping the spirit of Morphine alive, the killer power pop of The Chelsea Curve, the eclectic weirdo sound of Muzzins, the fusion sound of The Ray Liriano Experience, and cover band Uncivil Servants. Plus, Henry Santoro of WGBH (and ex-WFNX) is the MC for the evening. The whole thing goes down this Saturday night at Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater, with tickets starting at $25. For more information on Let's Rock Cancer and to buy tickets, head on over to the Crystal Ballroom...

When boygenius (the group made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker) released their EP back in 2018, I assumed it was a fun off one project from friends who felt like collaborating. Much like The Bens (the group of Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, and Ben Lee), we'd never hear from the trio again and it would be a fun little footnote in their careers. But boygenius kept going, and this year they released the excellent the record. And they got huge. They're at the level where it's cool to both love them and hate them. Their backlash now has backlash. We obviously love them, and with good reason. At no point do any of the songs on  the record  feel like a Phoebe Bridgers song, or a Lucy Dacus song, or a Julien Baker song. They've accomplished this feat where the entire album somehow sounds like all three of them, and something completely new. Plus, it's a wildly diverse album. "$20" is a full on indie rocker, "Emily I'm Sorry" is alt-pop ...

This album was probably the biggest surprise for me in a year of great music. The project of singer-songwriter Shalom Obisie-Orlu, and featuring some production from producer Ryan Hemsworth, this is alt-rock done right. It's got a lot of different elements in play, equal parts Hatchie and Hole, and is full of surprises across its runtime. This one is a grower, too - while I liked it on first listen, more and more revealed itself over subsequent listens that made me realize how it was truly one of the best of the year. Songs of Note: "Happenstance," "Soccer Mommy," "Did It To Myself," "Lighter"

Remember when conspiracy theories were fun? Canyons and Locusts remember, and they've released a new single called "To Art Bell" about the late Coast to Coast AM radio host whose nationally broadcast radio show was dedicated to subjects like aliens and bigfoot. The song is a fuzzed out indie rock song that sounds like a sludgier Guided By Voices. It's a fun and upbeat rocker that's a fitting tribute to the radio host. It's the kind of song that's loud and thunderous, but surprisingly catchy. There seems to be a lot of Art Bell nostalgia at the moment (at least in my weirdo circles) as we remember the glory days of conspiracies. Justin Keane (vocals and guitar) says of the new song: “Somewhere in the late ‘90s when we were all scared of Y2K and the end of the world and there was just that energy – especially in NYC where Amy and I both lived at the time – I discovered Art Bell's show and would usually listen to that late at night and on into the early A...

Photo by Bella Peterson While her two previous singles showed off her punk rock side, "Cuffing Season" is more of an acoustic folk-punk track. It's mostly just Grace and her guitar playing a bouncy, upbeat if a bit angry track. Grace is just wearing her emotions on her sleeve with this one. I hesitate to call the track beautiful, but it is very effective and moving. Just when we thought we knew what to expect with her upcoming album, Grace swerves and brings us a song like "Cuffing Season," and has us anticipating the album even more. Laura Jane Grace has achieved icon status at this point, and if you're not onboard by now you really need to be. Laura Jane Grace says of her new single: ”​I think as you get older and go through life’s hurts and heartbreaks, it gets harder and harder to let yourself be open and vulnerable.  But when you do, it can be so worth it even if you just end up hurt and heartbroken again. In the end, I don’t think you regret those kind...

Photo by Adam Parshall Boston's Hallelujah the Hills have embarked on a bonkers musical project called DECK , which is a fifty-two song, four album project with each song representing a different card in a playing deck. Today they've released a new song from that project. "Alone, In Love" will be the five of Diamonds in DECK , and it's a seven minute epic. It's a kinda groovy, kinda rootsy track that fits in right with what we love from Hallelujah the Hills. The song chugs along at a midtempo and obliterates the line between roots music and indie rock. It's filled with gang vocals on the chorus, and keeps meandering over into instrumental breaks that are giant freak outs. They're like Sonic Youth break downs if Sonic Youth used less feedback and more viola. We were pretty excited about DECK before, but now we're nearly rabid. Songwriter Ryan H. Walsh says of the new song: “I wanted to write a song that proved you can write a love song even in the a...

The theme of 2023 seems to be established artists we've loved for years leveling up and making fantastic, mainstream albums. No band did that more than Deer Tick. Emotional Contracts  sounds like Deer Tick decided they wanted to start headlining much bigger venues, and made a big rock record. Some of their previous album had that same feel, but Emotional Contracts feels much more earnest than some earlier attempts. That isn't meant as a knock on any of Deer Tick's previous releases. This one just sounds like it appeals to OG fans while opening the door as wide as possible for new ones. While Deer Tick may not quite sound like Hank Williams meets Nirvana, both of those artists' roots are all over Emotional Contracts. A song like the Ian O'Neil fronted "Forgiving Ties" is nearly impossible to resist. It still has that twangy and slightly off-tuned guitar, but it's one of the most catchy songs of the year. One of the main appeals of this incarnation of De...