First Listen: New Releases for November 11

We're starting to see things slow down a bit on new releases, but what looks like a lean week actually has a lot of new releases of interest. Whether they're any good, though...

Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste: This was a surprise release over the weekend after being trapped in record company limbo for some time, and, for what it's worth, it's one of the most interesting rap albums I've heard in a while. A lot of different sounds and styles throughout, it's like Janelle Monae with more rapping and less asthetic. I'm really into this album more than I thought I would be, and it's definitely one that's staying in rotation for a while. Highly recommended, definitely the release of the week.

Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways: I've always been fond of Foo Fighters and I thought their last album was actually pretty solid, all things considered. Unfortunately, Sonic Highways feels like an abrupt transition into legacy rock act territory, with frankly uninspired composition masked behind epic-length rock excess. It's not terrible, it's just really dull and uninteresting. Maybe this is a misstep, or maybe it's too influenced by the documentary series of the same name, but this just didn't work at all for me. Skip it.

Parquet Courts - Content Nausea: We liked Sunbathing Animal, the Parquet Courts album from earlier this year, and when Ken told me a new album was out today, I was surprised at how quickly it came out. On first listen, I was convinced it was a b-side compilation, as it has a number of solid songs mixed in with a lot of indie rock weirdness (including a really surprisingly straight cover of "These Boots Were Made For Walking"). So is it a good album? Truth be told, I'm not 100% sure yet, but it's an interesting one that I might need more time with.

Pink Floyd - The Endless River: Pink Floyd has a new album, some odds and sods, mostly instrumental, combined with some new stuff. It's extremely dull and really doesn't deserve the amount of time I spent with it. Skip it for your own sake.

Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy: It's been 8 years since we last heard new music from Damien Rice, and while the electric guitar on the first track was a surprise, it quickly settles in and becomes the type of album you've come to expect from Rice. A few songs feel really classic in their execution ("The Greatest Bastard" and "Colour Me In" in particular), and it's ultimately a solid listen. Truly, your enjoyment of it will be directly correlated with your enjoyment of his previous work, so you kind of know what you're getting. As for me? I really liked it.

Royksopp - The Inevitable End: Billed as their final album (they might just do a lot of singles/EPs), Royksopp's latest is a bit of a transition. We heard a bit of this direction on their EP with Robyn, but this full length, while a little long, is a really good piece of electronic music. A solid piece from start to finish (as I've found most of their work), it's definitely a must listen for electronic music fans.

2:54 - The Other I: I really liked 2:54's first album, a bit of shoegazey indie goodness that worked well for me. I've spent some time talking about the darker pop music that I've been hearing of late, and 2:54's sophomore effort definitely feels different from their debut in that it embraces the more gothic-sounding stuff. The benefit of higher production values and some more accessible songs means a pretty high-quality album overall. I'm a big fan of this release and I'm excited to spend a lot more time with it, it's definitely a recommendation for everyone.

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - IX: It's been some time since I kept up with Trail of Dead, and the new album sometimes feels like Source Tags-era Trail of Dead and sometimes meanders off into attempts at more epic stuff. I don't hate the album, but in a week with a few really good things, I'm thinking this might get lost in the crowd. Still, if you've been a fan or wondered what they've been up to, this is a pretty interesting listen on a whole.

The Jazz June - After the Earthquake: The Jazz June is not a band I was familiar with, and they've apparently been around for some time and this is their first album in close to a decade. While it's more punk than my tastes generally trend, it's an album that feels mature while not losing that lively angle that punk music often has. A number of really fun songs on here mean this is a pretty high quality album that readers of this blog might really enjoy. Check it out.

Swingin' Utters - Fistful of Hollow: Speaking of older punk bands releasing new albums, we have a new one from Swingin' Utters. I'm not familiar with their older stuff, but this is more fun than The Jazz June's album, and I assume that's kind of the point. It's solid punk music, no doubt, so if you're into it, check it out.

Cult of Youth - Final Days: Described as a post-punk band, this is just a weird album for me. There's a lot of interesting parts to like, but the vocals are kind of strange and move it firmly left of center. I kept waiting for something else to come around that didn't quite hit the mark, and I know this is getting a lot of positive press this week, but it ultimately didn't work for me. In terms of musically challenging releases this week, this is definitely one to look into, but temper your expectations overall.

The Alternative with Chris Atwood Compliation

If you're a reader of this blog, you'll probably want to start listening to The Alternative with Chris Atwood. Airing on Boston area radio station WATD, it is "classic rock for the MTV generation," featuring a mix of 70s punk, 80s new wave, and 90s brit-pop. Recent shows have featured interviews with Peter Hook and The Hold Steady. If you're not in the immediate Boston area, it's also available in podcast format. 

For a compilation, Chris Atwood didn't just release a greatest hits package of some old favorites. Instead, he's released an album filled with current bands with some of the same aesthetics of those classic favorites. It hearkens back to the days of great indie compilations where you first heard some of your favorite bands. The albums starts with James Stevenson of Gene Loves Jezebel, The Cult, and Gen X. From there you get James Straight and the Wide Stance with their glammed up rockabilly Alice Cooper sound. The New Frustrations are another highlight, sounding like 90s pop-punk mixed with Sugar-era Bob Mould. Workforce (who also share a singer with James Straight and the Wide Stance) are perfect for fans of electro-clash and Depeche Mode. For Americana fans, there is Ruby Rae, who sounds like a smoother yet more indie Lucinda Williams.

For more info on The Alternative with Chris Atwood, check out the show's website. You can listen to and purchase the compilation on Bandcamp.

Arlen - "Gloria"

Lowell, MA is the kind of dying mill town New England is kinda famous for. It's best known as the birthplace of Jack Kerouac, but also had an HBO documentary called High on Crack Street: Lost Lives of Lowell back in 1995. It's also the hometown of boxer Mickey Ward (as played by Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter) and comedian/podcaster Matt Mira. The city is this bizarre blend of working class with a drug problem and artist haven. From this mill town comes Arlen.

Right now Arlen has a three song demo that came out earlier this year, plus they just released the first song of their forthcoming EP. "Gloria" is a post-punk masterpiece, combining Fugazi and Jawbreaker with Joy Division. Somehow that is a sentence I've never typed before even though it is one of the best combinations I can imagine. The song clocks in at just under 3 minutes, but somehow crams one of the most epic songs I've heard all year into that short time.

Right now, "Gloria" is available for free for the beloved "Name Your Own Price" option on Bandcamp. While you're at it, be sure to like Arlen on Facebook.

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!