Monday Mix: Best Songs of October

When adult responsibilities get in the way of blogging, we sometimes have to go back in our time machine all the way to October to hear some of the best songs of that month. Enjoy a Monday Mix of those!

The Dead Milkmen - "Ronald Reagan Killed the Black Dahlia"

At the risk of this site turning into an unofficial Dead Milkmen fan page, here is yet another new video for the already classic new Dead Milkmen song "Ronald Reagan Killed the Black Dahlia." It's the best 1 minute 30 seconds you'll spend all day. It's a cut and paste stop motion animated video that features Joseph McCarthy's favorite evil attorney Roy Cohn asking Ronald Reagan for help, and also Reagan killing The Black Dahlia for turning down his sexual advances. It's crazy that Reagan can still be culturally relevant 30 years later, but that's kind of the world we all live in now.

If you haven't yet, head on over to The Dead Milkmen's website and get their new album, Pretty Music for Pretty People, which I'm sure I'll write about again before the end of the year.

Drab - Unicorn EP

Somehow we missed this one when it came out last month. Drab has a great Boston/Northampton musical pedigree (Sophia Cacciola is also in Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, Jason Layne is a well-known Boston radio dj) and their sound shows it. Lo-fi in the best possible way, with jangling and fuzzy guitars and catchy as all hell melodies, it's discordant indie pop-rock at it's absolute finest. "Tell It to Me Straight (Tell It to Me Gay)" is sure to get lodged directly in your brain for the next week. Or more. Right now they have only released the Unicorn EP and Bird EP earlier this year. They are promising a full length next year.

You can listen to Unicorn EP below via Spotify. Also, check out Drab's website for more info. If you're in the Boston area, go out and see them play somewhere near you in the next couple months:



Nov 14 - Last Safe & Deposit Company, Lowell, MA
Nov 19 - AfterHours at Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Dec 10 - Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA
Jan 3 - TT the Bear's, Cambridge, MA

Kitten Forever - "Rat Queen"

Back in the early days of If It's Too Loud, I wrote about great neo-Riot Grrl band Kitten Forever. Well, they're back with a brand new video for "Rat Queen." Besides doing a killer modern version of bands like Bikini Kill and Cake Like, the video is a throwback to the type of videos Sonic Youth made for Goo: A slight background change, a couple outfits, some instruments, and you have a video! They're also wrapping up a tour that gets them out of the Minneapolis area. Unfortunately, there are no New England dates for us, but maybe next time.

You can watch the video for "Rat Queen" below, and their current tour dates are below that. Also, head on over to their Bandcamp page to listen to all their albums.

Nov 6 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Skidmore College
Nov 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ House Show w/ Urine Culture, Pebbles
Nov 10 - Kent, OH @ Eurogyro w/ Ride or Die and The Bijous
Nov 11- Columbus, OH @ House Show w/ Skurt and Etc Etc Etc_ 
Nov 13 - Ames, IA @ House Show w/ Chalk and Pelvis

First Listen: New Releases for November 4

I guess a lot of the music for the week was delayed due to the midterm elections. We have some really interesting releases this week, though.

Arca - Xen: Arca is best known for his production work, with some credits on one of my favorites this year, FKA Twigs's LP 1 and Kanye's most recent release. This, a solo release, is definitely more on the elctronic end, lending itself more to some of the glitchiest stuff out there while still being somewhat accessible. I like it a lot, but proceed with caution, especially if this isn't typically your genre.

Grouper - Ruins: I don't know the first thing about Grouper, but this was a quick hit of some quiet, but interesting, indie folk of sorts. It's a very stark affair, mixing in some field recording-style sounds with the sparse recording to give the appearance of you sitting in her kitchen, listening to a performance. It's an cool choice that doesn't always work, but when it does, it's pretty solid. Give this one a try.

Deerhoof - La Isla Bonita: Release of the week this week for me is Deerhoof's newest, La Isla Bonita. Not a Madonna cover album, but rather a really interesting piece of indie noise pop that I didn't expect to love as much as I did. It's too soon to say whether or not specific songs jump out at me, but this is one that'll need a few listens to fully digest. For now, though, arguably a must listen for this week, as it's one of the more interesting releases.

Saint Saviour - In the Seams: I don't know much of anything about Saint Saviour, but I'm glad I listened to this one. A nice piece of gorgeous folkish-style songs that really have a lot going for it. Fits right in with a lot of the fare we talk about here, so you should give it a shot.

Calvin Harris - Motion: The pop offering of this week is a new record from Calvin Harris. It says a lot about the mainstream acceptance of club-ready tracks these days that a song like "Slow Acid" can fit right in with the mainstream attempts of songs featuring Ellie Goulding and Haim, but if you can get past this album effectively being a further jump into the mainstream for Harris (I still can't believe this is the same guy who did "Acceptable in the 80s" so many years ago), you'll probably find something to like.




Also out this week:

* Mark Kozelek Sings Christmas Carols
* Over the Rhine - Blood Oranges in the Snow

Free Music: Mr. Lif - I Phantom

Seeing as we love free music here at If It's Too Loud..., I was thrilled to see that one of my favorite early 2000s hip hop albums is being offered at a "Name Your Own Price" option. Released in 2002, Mr. Lif's I Phantom blew me away. I was raised on a ton of rap in my formative high school years, but by my post college years, there was fewer and fewer hip hop albums I could stand, much less love. By then, most hip hop was "sampling" a pop song from the 80s in it's entirety, even keeping the chorus, and rapping about having money. Nothing seemed to mean anything anymore. Then came Mr. Lif's debut album. Mostly produced by El-P, it was very sparse and actually about something. You can download the entire album on his Bandcamp page, which actually includes descriptions of each song. If you loved hip hop before Puff Daddy,you'll want to check this out. You can also check out his official website for the rest of his newer material, including Terra Bella, his great new project with Ayla Nereo and The Polish Ambassador. 

Halloween Mix 2014

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. There are no family obligations, you can celebrate pretty much anyway you want (including staying inside and watching movies), it's the one time of the year my fascination with the macabre isn't considered weird, and candy, candy, candy. To celebrate, here is an alternative mix of season appropriate songs. I avoided the completely obvious ones you'll hear at least 10 times today no matter what ("Monster Mash," "Werewolf of London," "Thriller"). Instead, I went with some classic hip hop (Geto Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince), punk (Ramones, The Dead Milkmen), 80s and 90s favorites (Dinosaur Jr, Letters to Cleo), current favorites (Benjamin Booker, Sallie Ford), and, of course, a smidge of metal. It's longer than our normal mixes, but 31 is 13 backwards, and 2 hours is about as long as trick or treating lasts. Plus, I love Halloween. Enjoy!

First Listen: New Releases for October 28

I really don't know what to make of this week:

Lagwagon - Hang: Our 90s-tastic release week begins with a new album from Lagwagon, their first in nearly a decade. My teen years had a ska phase, but I could never really embrace the punk side, and Lagwagon is firmly there. If you've been missing out, there might be a lot here for you to love, but for me, this wasn't quite it.

The Twilight Sad - Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave: An album I queued up because I thought they were a different band (probably the Twilight Singers), this was actually a pretty high quality dour indie rock record. The vocals are really distinctive and the songs memorable as they sort of lodged themselves into my brain. I will definitely seek out more of their stuff, but for now, this new album deserves a listen in a somewhat thin week.

Lily & Madeleine - Fumes: Lily & Madeleine are fairly prolific, with their third album they definitely expand their sound a little and the result is a pretty positive evolution. From the opening title track on, we end up with a really nice indie folk record that fits right in with groups like First Aid Kit. Definitely the release of the week, check this one out.

The Flaming Lips - With a Little Help From My Fwiends: This is a cover album of The Beatles's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It's borderline unlistenable, I don't know what to make of this or what to make of The Flaming Lips in general anymore. Maybe if you have interest in The Beatles, this might be a good curiosity piece, but wow...

Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2: The El-P and Killer Mike collaboration continues with a pretty solid rap album that, even though it's released traditionally, retains a madcap mixtape feel to the proceedings. This isn't a standard rap album, but it's not some sort of fly-by-night indie thing, either. I don't think I love it, and I don't even know if I like it, but it's an interesting piece of music in a week that needs it, and this one might grow on me.

Rancid - ...Honor is All We Know: Rancid, punk stalwarts, come out with a new album this week that stumbles a bit out of the gate but ends up feeling like a good Rancid album by the end. To think that Rancid used to be the band people who hated The Offspring's direction would turn to in high school blows my mind, and they've been around for a while and still know how to do it. It's not one of their best albums, but there are a lot of solid moments in the middle and end to give this one a spin.

The Coral - The Curse of Love: The Coral, currently on a hiatus, unearthed this "lost" 2006 album and released it this week, and one can kind of understand why it was lost. It feels rather directionless and plodding, with none of the joy that their early records started out with. Skip it.

The Ting Tings - Super Critical: The Ting Tings release their third album, their first since Sounds From Nowheresville a few years ago. The prior album was an uneven affair in comparison to their stellar debut, and the new album, while not as exciting, is still a step forward. Very danceable, a lot of good club-style tracks, and enough to make me want to come back and listen again. If you're a fan or like dance music, it's worth a shot.

HAERTS - HAERTS: The debut album from HAERTS is along the same lines of a lot of the indie dream pop that a lot of singers are doing as of late, and this is truly one of the better ones. If I have a complaint, it's that the album feels somewhat constrained from a production standpoint, but the solid songs (most notably "Call My Name") definitely overpower any nitpicking that could go on. Definitely worth a listen this week.





Also out this week:

* Live - The Turn

Live Shows: Benjamin Booker and Blank Range, TT the Bear's Place, Cambridge, MA 10/22/14

My obsession with Benjamin Booker has been pretty well documented on this site. Having missed him coming through Boston twice in the spring (opening for Hurray for the Riff Raff and Courtney Barnett), but catching him live at the Newport Folk Festival this year, I jumped at the chance to see what I believe was his first headlining show in Boston. Plus, he was playing the 300 capacity TT the Bear's. I can't imagine he'll be playing small clubs like this one for much longer.

Live, Benjamin Booker is an absolute revelation. He's what Kurt Cobain could have been if he had followed his bluesy side further. His three piece band tore through his first and only album. His folk side came out when he put down his guitar for "Slow Coming." Accompanied by his drummer on ukulele and his bassist on fiddle, somehow the most mellow song of the night was one of the highlights of an otherwise fiery set. For an encore, he closed with an 8 minute noise jam of "Have You Seen My Son?" that included sitting on the speakers while falling back into the crowd. He left his guitar face down on the stage causing one of the most obnoxious feedback loops I've ever heard. Yes, the show will be legendary for anyone who saw it.

Blank Range opened the show with their Sonic Youth covering Big Star sound. Hailing from Nashville, they have a smidge of country in there as well. Add the frantic energy of the Ex Models live, and you have a fantastic pairing with Benjamin Booker. Their second song was a cover of Bob Seger's "Night Moves," and seemed to have been done without a hint of irony. I highly recommend you checking them out when you get a chance.

The majority of the crowd was insanely young, but it was a Wednesday night small club show. Luckily, anyone that plays Newport and has the blessing of NPR will always attract some of the gray haired crowd, so the Creepy Old Guy Factor was kept mostly in check.

For more info on Benjamin Booker, including tour dates you must go to before he's playing large theaters, head on over to his website. To check out Blank Range, go here.

First Listen: New Releases for October 22

A much lighter week in all regards.

Nude Beach - 77: A lot of acts are certainly throwbacks, but Nude Beach is really the best outright nostalgia-sounding act I've heard in some time. It feels like an indie/alt-rock album from 20 years ago and it's a great, albeit a little long, listen. Absolutely the release of the week, a solid listen.

Jukebox the Ghost - Jukebox the Ghost: I've always been a fan of Jukebox the Ghost even though I never actively seek them out, and the new album should really be a reminder to me that I should change that. It's a tight, well-paced album with a lot of good songs (including one of the better leadoff tracks I've heard lately), and I feel like the band simply doesn't get enough credit on a whole. Definitely worth a listen for this week.

Cold War Kids - Hold My Home: I, like most others, got turned onto Cold War Kids through the great "Hang Me Out to Dry." They haven't been successful at replicating that for me, but Hold My Home is the closest they've come so far. It's the first album of their's I've enjoyed from start to finish period, and it has some good, catchy songs that could end up being staples later. For a band that I was hoping to see some more out of, it's good to see them expanding their sound while still sounding like themselves. Give it a shot.

Thurston Moore - The Best Day: Ken is the resident Sonic Youth fan here, and when he thinks an album from one of their lead members is good but predictable, I feel comfortable saying the same. I didn't hate the album, but it's certainly a little droney and overlong at times. Not really a winner for me, but Sonic Youth fans may find things to like.

Scott Walker and Sunn0))) - Soused: Rarely does an album leave me speechless, but this was my first exposure to Scott Walker and... yeah. You know what you're getting if this is of any interest to you.

Bush - Man on the Run: Before the Nude Beach album, I would have probably said this was the release of the week, surprisingly enough. Bush has come a long way from Sixteen Stone, and have struck that balance that a lot of acts don't always seem to hit. I promise this is at least worth a run through for you, if only so that you can listen to this and have excitement for something that isn't the new Gwen Stefani instead.




Also out this week:

* Horse Feathers - As It Is With Us