First Listen: New Releases for June 23

Album of the Week:

Artist: Meklit
Album: When the People Move, the Music Moves Too
Quick Description: Soul/R&B with some great musicality.
Why You Should Listen: It's unlike anything else you've heard lately.
Overall Thoughts: This just came out of nowhere. I’ve never heard of Meklit before today, but I think we’ve found a new favorite here. I think my best comparison to this, to start, might be Janelle Monae if she spent more time with non-electronic instruments and less time singing about robots, but that doesn’t do this justice. There’s such a high level of musicality to Meklit’s take on R&B, to the styles being explored, that it’s just impossible to ignore. On first listen, it was almost exhausting (in a good way) trying to keep up with everything happening, and all I’ve wanted to do since diving in last week is jump back in. Even if this doesn’t end up being one of my favorite albums of the year, it’s absolutely my favorite this week and absolutely one of the best experiences from a musicality standpoint I’ve heard in some time.
Recommendation: Don't miss this one.

Artist: Bedouine
Album: Beoduine
Quick Description: A surprisingly wonderful folk record.
Why You Should Listen: You like older folk songs and miss that style.
Overall Thoughts: This wasn’t on my initial list of things to listen to this week, but then another site (Stereogum, maybe?) listed this as their album of the week and compared it to Nick Drake. Okay, I hear you. While this isn’t my favorite listen this week, or the best one, it’s pretty close – this is the closest thing to classic folk music I’ve heard in a long time, and seriously has some awesome moments. If “One of These Days” doesn’t grab you, I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know if Bedouine will become a big star, whether in folk circles or overall, but she’s deserving of it and…
Recommendation: …this is deserving of your time.

Artist: Yonder Mountain String Band
Album: Love. Ain't Love
Quick Description: Latest from the bluegrass royalty.
Why You Should Listen: It's traditional roots music at its best.
Overall Thoughts: This is a band I was aware of before I was aware of the music they did, if that makes any sense. So there is a classic, legacy feel to this latest album that persists throughout and keeps it from being truly great, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some solid moments, most notably “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Overall, a pleasant listen that won’t blow your mind.
Recommendation: Solid, but not great.

Artist: Guerilla Toss
Album: GT Ultra
Quick Description: Aggressive electro-punk.
Why You Should Listen: It's not like anything else you'll hear this week.
Overall Thoughts: Ken sent this over to me, and I was frankly a little apprehensive to start. Then the album kicked in and I was still a little taken aback, but there’s something very catchy and endearing about this punk-style approach to a more electronic endeavor. I don’t quite know what to make of it except that I know I really like it, and that’s ultimately what matters. I know this might be an acquired taste, but if you’re willing to give this a chance, you might just fall in love with it.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth a shot.

Artist: The No Ones
Album: Sun Station
Quick Description: Alt-rock supergroup of sorts with an EP.
Why You Should Listen: The people involved alone make it worthwhile.
Overall Thoughts: It’s probably weird to refer to things Peter Buck does as a side project when all he has is side projects now, but this is a supergroup of sorts that includes him, Scott McCaughey, and more, and it’s…well, it’s okay. It’s very jangly, has a lo-fi feel to it, and, at only four tracks, either hints at things to come or is just a one-off that exists in its own way.
Recommendation: Worth your time.

Artist: The Deslondes
Album: Hurry Home
Quick Description: Traditional roots rock.
Why You Should Listen: They are an authentic, fun act that sound well beyond their years.
Overall Thoughts: I enjoyed the first Deslondes album, and this new album does what you want a sophomore effort to do – it expands on their sound in a solid way without losing what made you love it to begin with. We have a great listen here on a whole, and some songs that could hit my rotation as much as a few songs on their debut did.
Recommendation: For a rootsy affair this week, you can’t do any better.

Artist: Verite
Album: Somewhere In Between
Quick Description: Indie pop on the fringes.
Why You Should Listen: This might cure that taste Lorde left in your mouth.
Overall Thoughts: Verite has been playing around on the indie side of pop for a little while now, and this latest listen doesn’t achieve the heights I would have liked for a proper breakthrough, but is still a solid listen on a whole. Honestly, it’s better than the pop stuff from last week, and that slots it kind of in the middle of recent releases. Not great, but not terrible. If you’re looking for something to scratch that itch this week, give it a shot.
Recommendation: Good for pop fans.

Artist: Algiers
Album: The Underside of Power
Quick Description: Bombastic mainstream rock.
Why You Should Listen: You're really looking for something large and mainstream.
Overall Thoughts: Algeirs is going big and bold on this album, and honestly? It feels like it’s all too much. I get what the attempt is here, but the result is a very loud-sounding, almost muddy listen that doesn’t really work for me. This might make some waves on the radio, but I can’t imagine liking this much if you’re really into the stuff we feature here.
Recommendation: Skip this one.

Artist: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Album: Murder of the Universe
Quick Description: Prog rock insanity.
Why You Should Listen: Either this is really solid and reverential, or it's a really involved spoof. Either way, it's worth it.
Overall Thoughts: Their third album in the last year or so, this is quite simply a straightforward prog rock record in all its glory, complete with fantasy literature elements and over-the-top narration and lyrics. It’s absurd, and that’s what makes it work. At this point, anything this group comes out with is worth a listen – even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense, you have to reward the ambition and appreciate the attempt. They might be the closest thing to classic Flaming Lips we have right now.
Recommendation: You have to try this.

Also out this week:

* Lydia Lunch and Cypress Grove - Under the Covers: A very interesting covers record. Parts are better than the whole.
* Crash Ensemble - Ghosts: Very solid modern classical music. Not for everyone, but might be worth a listen.
* TOPS - Sugar at the Gate: It doesn’t fit into any of the existing molds, which is both a benefit and a drawback.
* Mutual Benefit - Skip a Sinking Stone
* Unkle - The Road, Part 1: This is probably better than I’m giving it credit for, but I can’t stop wishing they would go back to the Psyence Fiction stuff.
* Jeff Tweedy - Together at Last: Tweedy goes acoustic. I’ve been cold on Wilco for a while, but this acoustic take on Wilco tracks is a fun listen on a whole.
* Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas - Telephone: Very solid modern classical music. Not for everyone, but might be worth a listen.

Petite League - "Sun Dogs"

Petite League now reside in Ridgewood, Queens, but started out in the DIY show scene in Syracuse. Lorenzo Gillis Cook started out playing solo under the name Spark Alaska, once he met drummer Henry Schoonmaker, Petite League were formed.

Petite League's latest single, "Sun Dogs," might be the jangliest pop song you ever hear. The opening guitar riff is reminiscent of early Strokes, but in a much more lo-fi way. It somehow sounds like the most polished and produced basement recording of all time. It's all gritty and lush, with one of the greatest uses of "la la la" in a chorus I've heard in years. It's the NYC ooze of The Strokes mixed with the sunshine pop of The Beach Boys, which is one of those combinations you never new how badly you needed it until you hear it for the first time.

You can listen to "Sun Dogs" below. Petite League's third album, Rips One Into the Night (the last two were called Slugger and No Hitter), will be out September 1 on The Native Sound. For more on the band, check out their Bandcamp and Facebook.

Monday Mix: Recent Female-Fronted Rock

If you've noticed from my reviews as of late, I've become somewhat obsessed with a certain revival of 90s-era Juliana Hatfield/Veruca Salt-sounding acts. There's a lot of great stuff out there, and I was going to make a playlist for myself before I realized that I could just share it with you guys. So here's a fun mix for your Monday - don't consider this representative, but just a fun start.

Drab - "Well, I Wanna Die"

Somehow it's been over two years since we've brought you anything from Boston area based Drab. Yesterday they came back into our radar with a new single, "Well, I Wanna Die." "Well, I Wanna Die" is an absolutely perfect song for you if you have a fondness for a certain mid-90's realm of just under the mainstream but right on the edge of creeping out alternative. The song starts off almost painfully slowly, and it slightly builds to a crescendo that never quite comes. You keep waiting for this explosion to be the big pay off at the end, but it just never happens. This builds this insane tension throughout, which is only aided by strings and some odd percussion towards the end. The whole song feels like that dog started hanging out with Rasputina.

"Well, I Wanna Die" is available on Spotify and iTunes. For more on Drab, check them out on Facebook.

Forgotten Fridays: SKAndalous: I've Gotcha Covered

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional 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.

1996 was the height of the 90s ska resurgence. It was also the height of the 90s covers compilation craze. Since ska and covers went together beautifully, you got roughly a million albums of ska bands doing wacky covers. 

SKAndalous: I've Gotcha Covered is one of the wackier ones. There's not really any consistent theme. Sure, there are a bunch of tv and cartoon theme songs covered (Perfect Thyroid cover "Sanford and Son," The Jinkies cover "Scooby Doo" because you couldn't do anything in the mid 90s without including Scooby Doo somehow) but there are just as many legitimate songs from the 60s covered (Magadog do "Brown Eyed Girl," Bim Skala Bim cover "Sunshine of Your Love" in virtually unrecognizable fashion). But then Ruder Than You do Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," which blows out any ongoing theme they might have had.

The strangest part of SKAndalous: I've Gotcha Covered is how much fun it is. Sure it's as dated as it could possibly be, and covering "The Flintstones" as a ska song is cheesy as hell, but it's a weird little slice of nostalgia. I know the 90s wave of ska is widely considered to be a national embarrassment barely even worth an eye roll of recognition, but it's still far better than hair metal, Bush, nu metal, and anything else that can be appreciated for the nostalgia factor nowadays.

HVMM - "Lacerate"

The new song from England's HVMM is one of the few songs that sounds unlike anything you've heard before by combining a bunch of familiar sounds. "Lacerate" probably shouldn't work, but it does. The intro is more than a little reminiscent of Gorillaz's "Clint Eastwood." It also skews heavily into Jack White's trademark noisy roots based blues sound. But then come Andy Teece's vocals. He doesn't quite rap, but he's not exactly not rapping, either, which gives the song the sound of a more roots based Sleaford Mods. It all has a Johnny Rotten trying to imitate a preacher feel to it. I know a song that combines Jack White, Sleaford Mods, and The Sex Pistols sounds like too much of a hodgepodge of sounds, but "Lacerate" somehow does.

You can watch the video for "Lacerate" below. HVMM's new album, Talk to Me Like I'm Dead, will be out September 1st on ILA. It can be pre-ordered here. For more on HVMM, check out their website.

Pinkerton/Black - How's the Weather Over There

It's been over a year since we first discovered Riley Pinkerton and her amazing debut Do You Have a Car EP. Seemingly without warning, last week she released a new EP as a duo with Henry Black: Pinkerton/Black.

Seeing as how I'm completely unfamiliar with Henry Black's solo work, I can only use Riley Pinkerton's solo release as a base for How's the Weather Over There. The new EP runs a wee bit more on the mainstream side of the whole acoustic singer/songwriter genre than Pinkerton's previous release did. Her vocals once again elevate the genre to a completely different level. She just has such a unique voice that is just simply captivating. Even on Black's songs when she's singing back up, you just get pulled in by her harmonizing. That's not to take away from Black's own vocals, but hers are just stunning. The pair seem to work best when harmonizing together. "In His Image" has dual vocals throughout, and it may just be the song of the entire EP. Stylistically, How's the Weather Over There stretches itself all over the folk spectrum. A song like "Weeping Willow" has a quiet intensity that drives it. "Looked Like Eve" has a friendlier, rambling quality. 

You can listen to "In His Image" below. How's the Weather Over There can be purchased at Bandcamp. While Pinkerton/Black doesn't appear to have their own site, for more information you can check out Riley Pinkerton's website and/or Henry Black's.

Friday (on a Wednesday) Freebie: Hallelujah the Hills - Collective Psychosis Begone LIVE 1​/​4​/​2008 @ The Middle East

Usually we try to hold onto these until Friday (Friday Freebie and all...) but we couldn't wait for this one for two more whole days. Hallelujah the Hills decided to celebrate the ten year anniversary of their album Collective Psychosis by releasing a live recording of the album from 2008 for free! Collective Psychosis Begone LIVE 1​/​4​/​2008 @ The Middle East isn't the world's greatest live recording, but I tend to hate live recordings that are overproduced. Keeping in any mistakes, voice cracks, etc makes a live album more like a live performance than a studio recording, and that's exactly the point. Plus, it's a great snapshot at where one of our current favorites were ten years ago, and a reminder that delving into their much more robust than I remember back catalog is something we should all do more often.

You can get your own copy of Collective Psychosis Begone LIVE 1​/​4​/​2008 @ The Middle East for the "name your price" option over at Bandcamp. For more on Hallelujah the Hills, be sure to check out their website. Tomorrow night (June 22) they'll be playing at the News Cafe in Pawtucket, RI, and are promising to play a bunch of songs off Collective Psychosis. On August 17 they'll be playing a one night only show at the Hayden Planetarium, and will have Josh Kantor (Fenway organist), Marissa Nadler, Will Dailey, and more as special guests. You can get your tickets here.

Brilliant Beast - "Star Of"

It's been a little over a year since we've heard from our favorite Minneapolis shoegaze band led by a brother and sister, but luckily Brilliant Beast are back with a new song in advance of a new release.

There have been roughly 4762 new releases from reunited shoegaze royalty this year, so it would be easy for the new crop of up and comers to get hidden. That would be a shame, since this new song from Brilliant Beast is so perfect. A lot of these reunion albums seem to forget what made the bands so great and they keep trying to update their sound to a more modern sound. They forget what we loved about them. "Star Of" is closer to the classic shoegaze sound than classic shoegaze bands sound like now. It's all swirling, fuzzed out guitars in a lush blend with vocals caught in a dream. 

You can watch the video for "Star Of" below. The new EP from Brilliant Beast, Jelly, will be out digitally and on cassette on July 7. You can pre-order the EP via Bandcamp. For more on Brilliant Beast, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

First Listen: New Releases for June 16

This week was sneaky busy, but a lot of good music!

Album of the Week:

Artist: What Cheer? Brigade
Album: You Can't See Inside of Me
Quick Description: Marching band music for hipster adults.
Why You Should Listen: They may drive your spouse mad, but the musicianship and fun is top notch.
Overall Thoughts: Every so often, while listening to something for First Listen, my wife will provide commentary. What Cheer? Brigade are a bunch of punk types who also play brass instruments, so the result is a bit of a sassy, edgy marching band quality. It turned my wife off right quick, but I was into it. It’s reminiscent of a lot of what made Gogol Bordello so awesome when they had their breakthrough, and there’s just something special and exciting about this. While I don’t think this will make it high on my year end list, this is absolutely my favorite thing that I listened to this week, and is my album of the week because of it. I mean, they do a brass version of a Brain Eno song! It’s a great reminder of how much fun music should be, and how we don’t need to necessarily slot certain acts into a mandatory style.
Recommendation: You might not love this, but I did.

Artist: Fleet Foxes
Album: Crack-Up
Quick Description: Latest from the superstars of indie folk(?)
Why You Should Listen: Fleet Foxes might not be your jam, but this works really well.
Overall Thoughts: Fleet Foxes runs hot and cold for me. A band I've always liked but never loved, this album really resonated with me. A lot of solid stuff here to go on, and it might be their best since their debut. If you've pumped the brakes on them, check this out.
Recommendation: Surprisingly solid.

Artist: The Dustbowl Revival
Album: The Dustbowl Revival
Quick Description: Rootsy party music?
Why You Should Listen: The Dustbowl Revival is a sneaky good festival mainstay.
Overall Thoughts: The Dustbowl Revival makes party music for roots revivalists. I picture this band playing under tents where the cheap alcohol is flowing and there’s an abundance of hay or matted-down grass. It’s a silly perception, but one that carries through the bombastic, fun atmosphere of their music and this album in particular. I really dug this on a whole...
Recommendation: ...and you might as well.

Artist: Darren Hayman
Album: Thankful Villages, Volume II
Quick Description: Hefner singer's second collection of songs about British villages.
Why You Should Listen: Historically important, musically sound.
Overall Thoughts: Hefner’s Hayman continues his project visiting and writing songs about the British World War I “Thankful Villages.” As with the first volume, there’s absolutely a cultural link I’m missing here, but a lot of what makes Hayman such an interesting and successful songwriter continues to shine through on this album. He’s got at least one more volume planned, and it’s a project I’m glad exists.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth a listen.

Artist: Miranda Lee Richards
Album: Existential Beasts
Quick Description: Second album in as many years from the singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: Surprisingly awesome.
Overall Thoughts: The 2016 album from Miranda Lee Richards caught me by surprise when it came out, and the fact that she has a follow-up nearly slipped by me as well. As much as I liked the first record, this one might be better! A more cohesive whole, feels a little better produced, and the end result is a solid listen that I’ll be coming back to a lot.
Recommendation: A favorite this week.

Artist: Sammy Brue
Album: I Am Nice
Quick Description: Debut album by an artist destined to become a favorite around these parts.
Why You Should Listen: A solid listen that shows a ton of promise.
Overall Thoughts: Sammy Brue is 15 years old. You’d never know it from listening to this album, because this feels so authentic and pure in its approach, and that’s probably why this works on its own. Knowing how young he is, it’s easy to kind of nitpick some choices and also easy to recognize that this is just the start of some really solid songwriting rather than the endpoint. For now, though, find some time to enjoy this. If he continues to put out work at this consistency, it’s a name we’re going to know for the next thirty-plus years.
Recommendation: A great listen, can't wait for more.

Artist: Sarah Jane Scouten
Album: When the Bloom Falls From the Rose
Quick Description: Pure rootsy country.
Why You Should Listen: This is the comfy blanket listen of the week.
Overall Thoughts: The surprise of the week is Sarah Jane Scouten, who reminds me a lot of an early Nora Jane Struthers in many regards. The album takes off early and ends up being a fun, albeit standard, rootsy folkish album. I really enjoyed it, and I’m hoping more listens will show it has some staying power to boot.
Recommendation: Give this a shot.

Artist: Moby and the Void Pacific Choir
Album: More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse
Quick Description: A surprise second release from Moby's uber-political rock effort.
Why You Should Listen: You enjoyed the first effort.
Overall Thoughts: Moby continues his work with the Void Pacific Choir, and the same urgency and sound shift for Moby is evident on this shorter record. This post-punk effort feels more like a collection of b-sides than some of the great listens of the first record, but it’s also a deliberately messy affair that requires a little more time to really register. I’ll give it that, but I still question whether this resonates with Moby fans, or post-punk fans, or what audiences it’s for at all.
Recommendation: A little iffy, but not a waste of time at all.

Artist: Alison Moyet
Album: Other
Quick Description: Chamber pop? Sure!
Why You Should Listen: This is the most interesting release of the week.
Overall Thoughts: Because we haven’t had our share of theatrical singer-songwriter efforts as of late, here is Alison Moyet providing a record that is lacking in a significant focus, but has so many high-quality moving parts that we can largely avoid criticizing it too much. What I wish it had in a standard, cohesive effort, it replaces in what is actually a pretty interesting listen on a whole, complete with some standout tracks and memorable moments. If you like ambitious pop records, this might be worth some of your time.
Recommendation: A solid listen.

Artist: Palehound
Album: A Place I'll Always Go
Quick Description: The hit sound of the moment with a band we love.
Why You Should Listen: This is right in the current wheelhouse.
Overall Thoughts: Palehound is a favorite here, and for good reason – they fit into a lot of the sound we love for acts like these, and considering the renaissance of sorts we’re experiencing in this genre, Palehound is hitting their stride at the right time. Is this as good as, say, the Diet Cig or Charly Bliss records this year? I don’t know yet, but it’s making a case for itself with this effort, one that feels both more mature and more urgent. I expected to like this, and I’m hoping that I find as much to love in it as I did in other albums like it this year.
Recommendation: Lots of fulfilled potential here.

Artist: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Album: The Nashville Sound
Quick Description: Isbell's first album with The 400 Unit in some time.
Why You Should Listen: It's Jason Isbell, come on.
Overall Thoughts: Jason Isbell has pretty much reached “institution” status at this point, and I think what makes him great, whether it’s solo or with the 400 Unit, is that he’s able to evoke a lot of gravity in his songs that other artists cannot. That weight can make listening to his albums a different experience on a whole, but that’s not bad – this latest album continues along the vein of the high-quality material we expect, and the addition of his backing band gives a slightly different tone to the proceedings.
Recommendation: Overall, a solid listen.

Artist: Lorde
Album: Melodrama
Quick Description: Long-anticipated second album from the pop singer.
Why You Should Listen: Lorde is absolutely one of the more interesting popsters going.
Overall Thoughts: I’m into “Green Light,” I (like everyone else) was into “Royals,” and so this album was definitely one I was looking forward to. I hate to say that it just did not connect for me in a meaningful way. Lorde is a talented songwriter, but we’re getting something that’s ambitious and different while lacking that interest piece to keep you hooked. Leading with “Green Light” didn’t help, as it means we hit the high water mark immediately. I’ll give this a little more time, but in a time with a lot of solid pop efforts available, this doesn’t appear to make the grade.
Recommendation: Give Katy Perry another listen instead.

Other releases of note:

* Portugal the Man – Woodstock: Still a weird band making a lot of good music. Not sure how I feel about this one.
* Hundredth – RARE: A dark metal band goes more shoegaze, and the results… well, you’ll either like this or you won’t.
* Ride – Weather Diaries: First album in a long time from this comeback act. It works, but probably doesn’t rate with their classics.
* Beth Ditto – Fake Sugar: I had high hopes for this, but it ends up being a bad pop album instead of channeling anything that resembles the best of The Gossip.
* Big Boi – BOOMIVERSE: Big Boi is really good at rap music, but not so good at keeping his sound current. Good for me, but not necessarily for those on, say, the Kendrick/Drake/Future trains.
* Dead Heavens - Whatever Witch You Are
* Jason Loewenstein - Spooky Action

EPs of note:

* Bernice – Puff: Fuzzy, airy singer-songwritery stuff. A good taste of what might be to come.
* Anya Marina – Serious Love: Latest EP from the increasingly-chameleonlike singer. Honestly a mixed bag, but the highs are very high.
* Frankmusik – Ss17: Frankmusik has been doing this sort of introspective pop for a while now, and I’m starting to lose a little interest, if I’m being frank (heh).
* Magic Shoppe – High Goodbye: Magic Shoppe channels their inner 1997-era Oasis with solid results.

Also out this week:

* Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark
* Hey Violet - From the Outside
* The Drums - Abysmal Thoughts
* The Cold Stares - Head Bent