First Listen: New Releases for November 20

A quieter week than normal as we approach the American Thanksgiving holiday. I'd also review the new Adele, but, well...

Album of the Week:

Artist: Sheer
Album: Uneasy
Quick Description: Shoegazey-style indie alt-rock.
Why You Should Listen: You are looking for that nostalgia hit this week, but want something really great
Overall Thoughts: Ken posted about the title track last month and I fell in love with it right away as well. The full album, thankfully, is about as good as the single, and that means great things for a band that I don't think is getting enough attention yet. It's just one of those solid, surprise albums that make it fun to discover new music. It's one you'll want to tell your friends about.
Recommendation: Highly recommended album of the week, and it's not even close.

Artist: Kingsley Flood
Album: The Good Fight
Quick Description: Latest EP from a favorite of ours.
Why You Should Listen: You look for more of a rootsy feel than a pop-rock feel from your local indie stalwarts.
Overall Thoughts: I'm close to the point of saying "Kingsley Flood can do no wrong," as this EP is another winner. Definitely more roots-based, the lead track sets an impressive, pleasant tone and it ends up being pretty solid throughout. A short listen, but a worthy one.
Recommendation: Absolutely something to listen to.

Artist: Freddie Gibbs
Album: Shadow of a Doubt
Quick Description: Latest surprise album from the buzzworthy rapper.
Why You Should Listen: You want to be on the cutting edge of the rap scene.
Overall Thoughts: I'll be honest, I didn't really get this or connect with it at all. It's on the edge of mainstream and strange, which is fine, but it's hard to see this fitting into the other rap/R&B I've enjoyed this year, and what I know of Gibbs seems to be that his persona and activities are almost as important as his music. So I reserve judgement, but this might not be for everyone.
Recommendation: In a short week, it might be worth it, but be wary.

Artist: Holly and Ken Stringfellow
Album: The Record
Quick Description: A "country opera" project from Holly and Posies singer Ken Stringfellow.
Why You Should Listen: Stringfellow's involvement should be enough, but even so, this is an enjoyable record.
Overall Thoughts: I didn't know what to expect going in. I don't know Holly at all, and I know Stringfellow more through his connections to R.E.M. than his Posies work, but this is a really pleasant homage to classic country that probably deserves a bit of your time. Really interesting, really well-done.
Recommendation: A definite recommendation this week.

Artist: Arca
Album: Mutant
Quick Description: Latest album from the R&B producer.
Why You Should Listen: Weird electronica's your thing; you've really enjoyed the music from FKA Twigs more than perhaps the total package.
Overall Thoughts: I liked Xen from last year, but I'll be honest in saying that this didn't grab me the same way. It's along the same lines, but I'm wondering if a longer, weirder electronic experiment is within my bounds these days. I know a lot of people who might dig this, but, like the last album...
Recommendation: ...be wary.

Artist: Foo Fighters
Album: Saint Cecelia
Quick Description: Free surprise EP from Foo Fighters!
Why You Should Listen: Free surprise EP from Foo Fighters!
Overall Thoughts: At this point, you know whether you're interested in this. With that said, they're going a little harder than usual with this one, so if you're expecting Sonic Highways, you might be surprised.
Recommendation: A listen I enjoyed, and you might, too.

Artist: Punch Brothers
Album: The Wireless
Quick Description: A new EP from bluegrass heroes Punch Brothers.
Why You Should Listen: The group typically tries different things on their EPs and this isn't any different in that regard.
Overall Thoughts: I won't say this is my favorite release of theirs by a longshot, but their sort of prog-grass really shines through on this EP. As extras from the Phosphorescent Blues sessions, they sometimes feel like throwaways, but your enjoyment of this will ultimately come down to your enjoyment of that album, I think.
Recommendation: Punch Brothers are always worth the time, especially for an EP.

Artist: Shovels and Rope
Album: Busted Jukebox Volume 1
Quick Description: A covers album from Shovels and Rope. Need I say more?
Why You Should Listen: Covers album + sassy alt-country duo = perfection.
Overall Thoughts: I only wish I knew more of these songs. The duo teamed up with favorite acts to record favorite songs, and it's great. If you can't get with the version of "Patience" featuring the Milk Carton Kids, I don't know what to tell you.
Recommendation: Highly recommended this week. Lots of fun.

Also out this week:

* Pure Beauty - Pure Beauty

Farewell to Newbury Comics

I've been shopping at Newbury Comics for 20+ years now. It had always had the advantage of being a local, indie store even though it has had a ton of locations throughout New England. Even while stores like FYE have sold new release cds for $20, they have mad the vast majority of their new releases for $7.88 to $12.88. But, I think I'm done after all these years.

Why, you ask? It's not because I've moved to digital music. While I may do some, I still like physically owning albums. I have a collector's/pack rat's sensibilities, and I really like being able to show off my music collection. I also prefer the experience of walking into a record store to shopping online.

Lately (ok, for the past few years now), they just haven't been carrying what I want. Back in my 20s, every album I wanted to buy could be found at Newbury Comics, no matter how obscure. Ok, fine... maybe they didn't have the new 7" from that one band I saw opening a show at the Middle East Upstairs that played that one show and that was it, but nowadays I open up my weekly newsletter from them, and I don't see any of the releases I want on there. This year alone has seen them fail to carry albums from Colleen Green, The Deslondes, Brown Bird, David Wax Museum, Hop Along, and more. And even when they list an album, I often get to my local location that day to find they sold the single copy they were sent. 

I know they've cut back on their music to fit in more "lifestyle" items, like action figures and t-shirts. I'm ok with that. You gotta do what you gotta do to stay in business, and I like checking out all the additional items. What I don't like is, as they move into malls and become the "big and boring mall stores" their ads used to mock, having associates stop you every six feet to ask if you want to try on the $40 t-shirt you brushed up against, like I'm shopping at an Abercrombie & Fitch.

To be fair, they do sell music still. If I needed 300 copies of the new Adele album, I would have been in luck. But a single copy of the new Shovels & Rope? Nope. I remember in 2000 I would have a cashier openly roll their eyes while ringing up a Dropkick Murphys cd. Just a few years ago they had giant Taylor Swift ads in their display windows. They seem to be openly courting teenagers that don't buy physical music anymore.

That's where I stand now. I've been pushed to being forced to buy music through Amazon now, even though I prefer physical record stores. That's where I end up buying most of my albums, anyway. Why keep making the special trip only to keep walking out empty handed? Let's hope that Turn It Up! or Bull Moose Music expands into my area sometime soon, so one of my favorite activities isn't lost forever.

Forgotten Fridays: The Ivory Coast - Clouds

Forgotten Fridays is a [hopefully more regular] feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. Once a week we go back and remind you, and help decide if they were any good.

I first discovered The Ivory Coast when they opened for Ben Lee at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA back in 1996 (?). Back then, they were called The Puddle Jumpers, and the later The Puddle Jumpers Ltd. After renaming themselves The Ivory Coast, presumably to have a less silly name, they released a couple albums in the late 90s/early 200s. Clouds was the second, released in 2001.

The Ivory Coast would probably fall into the emo category based on their sound, but they always seemed like more than that to me. While most emo in that time period was more polished, Clouds has a more noisy, aggressive sound to a good chunk of it, resulting in a more The Promise Ring meets Superchunk sound. My personal favorite, "Swope," might be the noisiest, with crunching guitars emo would have ignored. "Sixty-five Percent" starts off like a ballad, but turns into a power pop masterpiece the mid-90s were filled with. From there it goes into a quirky blitz at the end and is just a brilliant song. The closing track, "There Will Be Clouds," is the one weak spot, going on for almost 15 minutes without having any real reason to.

Overall, Clouds is still worth a listen. You can get it for a penny over at Amazon, and listen to "Sixty-five Percent" below.

Bedroom Eyes - "Lorraine"

Boston's Bedroom Eyes (not to be confused with the Swedish act of the same name) may just reinvent shoegaze. Next week they will release Honeysuckle, their sophomore album. The first song on the album, "Lorraine," has the swirling guitars and fuzz usually associated with shoegaze, but it's aggressive in a really fun way that the genre usually doesn't have. They call it "sneakergaze," which basically does my job for me. It's like the swirl of My Bloody Valentine mixed with the noise and aggression of early 90s Sonic Youth and then some pop punk added into the mix. It's trippy as hell music you can pogo to, if you weren't pushing 40. 

Honeysuckle will be released on November 24 on Midnight Werewolf Records. You can pre-order it on Bandcamp. Be sure to check out their Facebook for more info.

The Casket Girls - "Western World"

A favorite of both of us here at IfItsTooLoud..., The Casket Girls are releasing a new single this week. "Western World" is a little cheerier than most of the songs on last year's True Love Kills the Fairy Tale, but it's right along with the Casket Girl's sound of droned out eerie alternapop. If they ever make another Addams Family movie, they should get The Casket Girls to provide the soundtrack.

"Western Girls" will be available as a split 7" with Stardeath and White Dwarves on Graveface Records, to be released as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday on 11/27. For more info on Casket Girls, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp.

First Listen: New Releases for November 13

An unlucky day for some, but not for those interested in some solid music from this week:

Album of the Week:

Artist: Boots
Album: Aquaria
Quick Description: Debut album from the acclaimed R&B producer.
Why You Should Listen: Nothing like this has been released in some time; his resume requires at least a look.
Overall Thoughts: Boots has done production most notably on songs for Beyonce, Run the Jewels, and FKA Twigs, and this is definitely more Twigs than Beyonce. It's a really weird, interesting release, equal part rap, hip-hop, and electronica that results in an album that's less about the hooks and more about the overall atmosphere. A very modern record, and one that I really enjoyed.
Recommendation: Best release of the week.

Artist: The Wainwright Sisters
Album: Songs in the Dark
Quick Description: First full-length collaboration between Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche.
Why You Should Listen: Anything with a Wainwright attached to it is probably a good bet at this point.
Overall Thoughts: The first thing I noticed was how quiet this album is. While the Wainwright Sisters come from a folk background for sure, Martha's activity in particular has been closer to her brother's work than her father's, and this might have shaded my overall feelings on the matter. This is a very good album, though, with some seriously strong songwriting and lyricism, and that alone should be enough to give this a go, never mind their pedigree.
Recommendation: A solid folk listen for this week.

Artist: Rocket From the Tombs
Album: Black Record
Quick Description: Latest album from the seminal punk act.
Why You Should Listen: You already know if you want to listen to this.
Overall Thoughts: I had never knowingly heard Rocket From the Tombs before. This album, to be blunt, sounds like old people making punk music, and that... didn't do much for me. It's not bad, but I can't imagine looking this up again unless I was really, really into the band.
Recommendation: Listener beware.

Artist: The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Album: Mini Album Thingy Wingy
Quick Description: Latest thingy wingy from the Dandy Warhols-adjacent band.
Why You Should Listen: If you like BJM, this is going to be weird and different. If you do not, this might be up your alley because of how weird and different it is.
Overall Thoughts: Overall, this is a strange listen, with a lot of interesting choices that, on first listen, I'm not entirely sure worked for me. I'm a fan on a whole, so this is generally a good listen for me, but I understand why this band is divisive and this album isn't going to change that.
Recommendation: Be wary.

Artist: Frankie Cosmos
Album: Fit Me In
Quick Description: Synth-happy indie pop.
Why You Should Listen: A fun, different appetizer to her upcoming album.
Overall Thoughts: This one is both hard to describe and easy to describe. It's definitely an interesting listen for its less-than-eight-minute runtime, with some catchy aspects while still being a little off-center. Such a short listen makes it hard to judge on its merits, but I enjoyed this.
Recommendation: Worth some time in your rotation. You have eight minutes to do it.

Artist: A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Album: Planning Weed Like It's Acid/Life is Loss
Quick Description: New album from the dream pop act.
Why You Should Listen: A Sunny Day in Glasgow too often has some interesting, maddening stuff going on.
Overall Thoughts: Last year's album felt challenging, but this new album has a lot of positives going for it, along with some truly catchy songs. At a short runtime, it's also not a huge investment, so this should probably be something worth hearing. They're a different band, for sure.
Recommendation: Definitely recommended for this week.

Artist: Gavage
Album: Gavage
Quick Description: Debut album from the Providence punk act.
Why You Should Listen: You like your punk with some ska sounds involved; you want to listen to the Rocket From the Tombs album and can't get through it.
Overall Thoughts: I surprisingly enjoyed this. It's rough around the edges, but punk music should be that way. Also, the introduction of a saxophone is a nice little touch as well, making this a pretty fun party punk record on a whole. Not much else to say.
Recommendation: Listen to this! It's a lot of fun!

Artist: Oneohtrix Point Never
Album: Garden of Delete
Quick Description: Glitchy electronic music that feels both modern and retro.
Why You Should Listen: Nothing else like it this week; you wish there was more weird electronic stuff with chiptune elements out there.
Overall Thoughts: Man, this is a strange record, but really great regardless. Sometimes it feels like a videogame boss fight, other times it feels like a glitchy Aphex Twin homage. No matter what, this is something I didn't expect and certainly didn't expect to love. Very close to an album of the week for me, it's that different and fresh-sounding.
Recommendation: This won't be for everyone, but wow is this good.

Artist: Alessia Cara
Album: Know-It-All
Quick Description: Much-anticipated debut R&B album.
Why You Should Listen: "Here" is a legitimately great track, so hearing more along those lines is always a good thing.
Overall Thoughts: The good news is that Know-It-All builds on the greatness that is "Here." The bad news is that the album ends up sounding very samey by the time you hit the end, which is a bit of a challenge. There's a nice singer-songwriter angle to Cara's brand of R&B that's worth exploring, for sure, and this album ends up being good, but not great. Still, a ton of potential is here.
Recommendation: Perhaps worth a listen this week if anything about this piques your interest.

Artist: Anna Von Hausswolff
Album: The Miraculous
Quick Description: Third dark folk album from this singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: You wish Chelsea Wolfe wasn't so loud/Marisa Nadler wasn't so quiet.
Overall Thoughts: I really loved this album, it's got a nice dark tone to it with some heavier parts mixed in. This won't be for everyone, but Von Hausswolff's attempt on this album is something that's deserving some attention overall. If you're into Chelsea Wolfe or even some of the brooding stuff Nadler has done over the years, this is absolutely for you.
Recommendation: Should get some time in your rotation this week.

Also out this week:

* Kurt Cobain - Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (really a fans-only affair)
* Panda Bear - Crossroads EP
* Squeeze - Cradle to the Grave

Rachel Haden - "Devil's In Me"

Rachel Haden (That Dog, The Rentals, The Haden Triplets, and Weezer's "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams") has just released her debut solo single, which is surprising since she's a 20+ year music veteran. "Devil's In Me" isn't as traditionally folky as her work with The Haden Triplets and not as 90s alternative as That Dog, but instead stands with a foot in both sides. It's probably closer to the more laid back side of That Dog, especially since That Dog was always shockingly good at harmonizing for a noisy 90s band. "Devil's In Me" starts off quite quietly and folky, but slowly picks up intensity without becoming a rocker. 

"Devil's In Me" is currently available in limited editions from Greenway Records. You can pick up a copy here, and be sure to check out Rachel Haden's website for any upcoming info.

The Huntress and Holder of Hands - The Water Street Demos

Earlier this week, I was checking out the website for Brown Bird to see if there was any new word from The Huntress, MorganEve Swain's new project. I hadn't heard anything since "Call to Arms" was released in the summer of 2014, and I didn't discover it until this past March. A day or two later, and The Water Street Demos was released. Now named The Huntress and Holder of Hands (presumably to avoid confusion with the metal band Huntress, which I did when they released an album earlier this year), there are now three songs to check out. "Call to Arms" is represented on here, along with "These Hands," which has the most haunting violin I've ever heard, and mostly instrumental "Etude." All three songs are moody and dark. They're absolutely beautiful and I highly urge you to listen, but this is definitely a departure from the dance worthy songs of Brown Bird. 

The Water Street Demos is being sold to help finance a full band album and tour. You can pick up a copy over on Bandcamp.

Green River Festival Announces Next Year's Dates, Early Bird Tickets

I know, I know. It's way too early to start thinking of the summer festival season. But here we are. Last year's Green River Festival was amazing, and I was lucky enough to be able to attend and cover the fest. In just one day it quickly became my favorite local festival, and I'm hoping to expand to going at least two days this year. If you're planning on attending, you might want to act now since early bird tickets are currently on sale. A three-day festival pass is only $79.99 until December 31. A one-day pass was $59.99 last year, so this is a huge bargain. With their 30th anniversary this year, you know they'll make this one special. They're also including a camping option this year, which is $139.99 with a three-day festival pass. Next year it will be running July 8-10 at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. While there is nothing even close to a line up yet, now might be the time to buy tickets, which you can do here.

Ripper - "On the Curb"

Ripper are punk rock. The band lists their influences as Dead Kennedys, Germs, Sonic Youth, and The Beach Boys. The first three make sense together, but The Beach Boys may sound like an odd one until you listen to "On the Curb." It's hard, fast, and ferocious (you know, like punk), but there is a sense of melodies and hooks in there, too. But that doesn't make it pop punk. Not even close. This is one of those rare occasions where a band lists their influences and they actually listened to them AND are influenced by them! They don't rewrite the rules of punk at all, nor are they a throwback act. It's just good, solid punk. And sometimes, that's what you need.

Ripper's second EP, A.D., will be released on December 4th on Land Ski Records and Lawn Chair Records. You can listen to "On the Curb" below, and be sure to check them out on Bandcamp, Facebook, and Twitter.