Mountain Lions - "California"

"California," the latest single from Mountain Lions, is mostly straightforward neo-Americana leaning on the more mainstream side of things. It's a pleasant sounding, upbeat track. It could almost be described as "sunny," but not quite. What's definite is there is not a shred of mopey in the song. It sounds like something I would absolutely hate, but I don't. Somehow Steven Diaz takes something could could be ordinary and mundane and instead crafts a song that stops just shy of that. It has something special in it that I wish I could explain properly. Maybe it's charisma or a unique twist in the tune (or it could be that they hail from Chapel Hill, NC), but "California" will draw even the grumpiest of us in.

You can listen to "California" below. We Are, the new album from Mountain Lions, will be out on August 10. For more on Mountain Lions, check out their website and Facebook.

First Listen: New Releases for 15 June

A slower week, but one with some pretty impactful releases.

Album of the Week:

Artist: V. V. Lightbody
Album: Bathing Peach
Quick Description: Debut solo project from a Chicago-area singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: You wish Lucy Dacus would tone it down a bit?
Overall Thoughts: This is an album that is a little hard to describe. It's kind of folky, but has some edge to it? The project of Vivian McConnell, she clearly has some great songwriting chops that make you pay attention from the first few notes, and this kind of came out of nowhere for me in terms of how much I liked it. If you like the folky stuff, or even the more contemplative singer-songwriter efforts of late, you should give this a listen.
Recommendation: Best release of the week.

Artist: The Carters
Album: Everything is Love
Quick Description: Surprise-yet-anticipated collaboration between Beyonce and Jay-Z.
Why You Should Listen: Love it or hate it, this is what people will be talking about for the next month.
Overall Thoughts: I'm not one to subscribe to the "it's not for you, so you shouldn't be talking about it" critique of criticism. But with Everything is Love, much like Lemonade, Beyonce and Jay-Z are making musical messages that are both relevant to a specific audience and musically superior. I am sure I'm missing a lot of nuance with this one, but taken solely from the musical parts, this is definitely something special that will mean more to a lot of other people who aren't me.
Recommendation: Required listening (at least until it gets pulled from Spotify).

Artist: Arthur Buck
Album: Arthur Buck
Quick Description: Collaboration between Joseph Arthur and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck.
Why You Should Listen: Both artists are basically must-listen musicians in their own right.
Overall Thoughts: Joseph Arthur has always been an interesting artist to me, and Peter Buck played guitar in my favorite band. I am glad that this collaboration exists, not only because the two very clearly compliment each other, but because there are a number of solid songs here. The album probably never reaches the height that it starts off with again on “I Am the Moment,” but fans of one or both of the artists will absolutely hear what they want from this.
Recommendation: A solid listen overall.

Artist: Petal
Album: Magic Gone
Quick Description: New album from a buzzworthy singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: There is a lot here to love.
Overall Thoughts: The way this album kicks off, you’re almost certain you’ll be off on a ride, especially with some of the great songs from Petal’s previous album. The full effort here? Solid songwriting with a lot of great moments, but it’s just that – a collection of moments rather than a truly cohesive package.
Recommendation: Not a priority listen this week.

Artist: Sun June
Album: Years
Quick Description: Unique-yet-familiar indie songwriting.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something that scratches a specific singer-songwriter itch.
Overall Thoughts: If 2017 was the year of the alt-rock revival, the quality level of female singer-songwriter releases this year cannot be overstated. If Lucy Dacus is leading the charge, albums like this one from Sun June do an amazing job of helping carry the load. If a song like “Young” doesn’t grab you, I’m not entirely sure what to tell you.
Recommendation: You’re missing out if you don’t give this a shot.

Artist: John Parish
Album: Bird Dog Dante
Quick Description: British songwriter with a new album.
Why You Should Listen: Parish has been involved with some very important work in his time.
Overall Thoughts: Best known for his collaborative work w/PJ Harvey, this is a solo album that definitely feels unique and different. Not surprising given the source, but the way it feels out of place and time is especially interesting in the current musical climate, and you don’t expect a man pushing 60 to put out something so weird and different.
Recommendation: It’s a good listen, although it may not be straightforward enough for everyone.

Artist: Mourn
Album: Sorpresa Familia
Quick Description: New album from the heavier-than-expected post-punkers.
Why You Should Listen: If Mourn came into their own in their last album, this one shows how good they can be.
Overall Thoughts: I love this album, unabashedly so. It's got a lot of great moments, some memorable moments ("Fun at the Geysers" is one of the better songs I've heard this year period), and an aesthetic that isn't breaking any boundaries while still feeling unique and fresh. If you're into heavier fare? Check this out.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth your time.

Artist: Melody's Echo Chamber
Album: Bon Voyage
Quick Description: New album from the experimental project.
Why You Should Listen: It's not quite the same, but you're jonesing for new King Gizzard content that isn't coming.
Overall Thoughts: Melody of this project had an accident or illness of some sort that took her out of commission for a time, so this new album achieves a few things beyond being a great album. As a comeback of sorts, it shows an intensity and immediacy that wasn't in her previous efforts (which I also liked), but as a pure work of art? This was nearly my release of the week (I'm already breaking my "7 songs is an EP" rule for this one) because of how interesting and expansive the whole package is. I'm glad they chose to lead with "Desert Horse" in a way, because it really gets the whole thing together in a nutshell.
Recommendation: A must-listen for this week.

Other releases of note:

* Gin Blossoms - Mixed Reality (This would be the hottest indie record of 1989 if it weren’t 2018. Instead, it feels like a band in continual regression.)
* The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - While We're At It ("Pretty good for a modern ska/punk record” sounds like an insult, but it’s really a compliment for a solid listen.)
* Mad Caddies - Punk Rocksteady (This is a cover album that sounds like a trendy beach bar band trying to be a little too cute. This is not necessarily a bad thing.)
* English Beat - Here We Go Love (You won’t expect this to be as fun as it is.)
* Johnny Marr - Call the Comet (You already know whether you'll like this or not.)
* Fantastic Negrito - Please Don't Be Dead
* Girls Names - Stains on Silence
* Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs

EPs:

* Blushh - Thx 4 Asking (Give this a listen)
* Nas - NASIR (This week's Kanye collaborative release)
* King Princess - Make My Bed (Another goodie)
* Protomartyr - Consolation EP (Featuring Kelley Deal!)
* Nick Lowe - Crying Inside
* Deaf Poets - Change and Bloom
* Foxtrott - Meditations I
*

Also out this week:

* Wilko Johnson - Blow Your Mind
* Madball - For the Cause
* Chromeo - Head Over Heels

Phantastic Ferniture - "Gap Year"

We were pretty huge on Julia Jacklin's 2016 debut Don't Let the Kids Win. While she doesn't have a new solo album on the horizon, she's involved in another band that does! Phantastic Ferniture started back in 2014 when Jacklin and ten friends pledged to start a band together on her birthday. The next day four of them remembered, so a band was formed. The band played what was supposed to be their first and last gig four months later, but ended up getting together when they could to play together. Thus, Phastastic Ferniture was born. Jacklin describes the new band this way: “I’d gone straight into folk music, so every experience I’d had on stage was playing sad music with a guitar in my hand. I thought, I would love to know what it’s like to make people feel good and dance.” Their new song, "Gap Year," definitely fits that description. It's far more upbeat and rocking than anything from Don't Let the Kids Win, and is just fun rock music that happens to be pretty great. Especially right after the two minute mark when the guitars truly kick in. Somehow Jacklin's voice is perfectly suited for her solo folk music and this new fun rock style. I can't wait to hear more.

You can watch the video for "Gap Year" below. Fantastic Pherniture's self-titled debut album will be out July 27 on Polyvinyl. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Fantastic Ferniture, check out their website.

Downtown Boys Cover Selena Covering The Pretenders

Photo by Michael Baca

Our love of covers is pretty well known here at If It's Too Loud..., but this may just be a first for us. We've been loving Providence's Downtown Boys for a while now. Their cover of Bruce Springsteen's classic "Dancing in the Dark" is a personal favorite, and now they're back with another cover. They've recently unveiled their cover of Selena's "Fotos Y Recuerdos" which is a Spanish language cover of The Pretender's "Back in the Chain Gang." It was originally recorded during the sessions for Cost of Living, their most recent album, but didn't make it on that album. One of our favorite artists releasing a cover of a cover? Happy Friday, everyone!

You can listen to Downtown Boys's cover of "Fotos Y Recuerdos" below. For more on Downtown Boys, check out their Facebook.

Fred Abong - Homeless

The same week we get a new song from Kristin Hersh, we can hear new music from another member of Throwing Muses! Once (and possible current?) Throwing Muses bassist Fred Abong is taking some time off from his college professor duties and has recorded his first solo release, Homeless. It's a six song collection of stripped down, just slightly off kilter solo singer/songwriter music. It's almost fairly standard, but just the slightest bit off to keep things interesting. "Rattler" is almost an epic, and could easily be turned into a large venue filling rocker, but it works equally well as a stripped down solo song. "Equinox" is a painfully quiet song that draws the listener inward in a way I haven't heard since Elliott Smith. 

You can listen to "Rattler" below. Homeless will be available on June 29, although you can listen to (and pre-order) the entire thing at Fred Abong's Bandcamp. For more on Fred Abong, check out his website and Twitter.

Bear Grass - "Unawake"

There's something so familiar about Bear Grass's new song, "Unawake," yet something so completely unique and special. The song brings in some of our favorite musical elements, but mixes them up in a way we've never quite heard before. At it's very core is some fairly standard singer/songwriter kind of stuff, with some of these amazing melodies and hooks. Singer Katie Hammon's voice is this fresh from the dryer blanket feeling instrument that just draws you in. But there is this odd distortion throughout the song that pulls you away and further in at the same time, along with some shoegaze style swirls. It's a majestic indie rock song while still almost being a pretty mainstream folk style song. You're pretty guaranteed to love this one.

You can listen to "Unawake" belong. LEFT, the new album from Bear Grass, will be out August 10 on Five Kill Records. You can pre-order it via Bandcamp. For more on Bear Grass, check out their website.

Rayland Baxter - "Strange American Dream"

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Rayland Baxter seems to be one of those artists that is intent on changing up his sound with every new album. With his new song, "Strange American Dream," he's dropped most of his folk/Americana/country sound in favor of a more 90's singer/songwriter feel along the line of Ben Lee. In the past year or so, we've seen a bunch of our favorite folky artists experimenting with a more mainstream, sometimes even pop, sound, to varying levels of success. "Strange American Dream" is one of the better experiments. It still keeps enough of Baxter's folk charm. While it veers off in a different direction from Imaginary Man, it's not a complete change of direction. If you've been a fan of his, I can't imagine this knocking you off the bandwagon.

You can listen to "Strange American Dream" below. The latest album from Rayland Baxter, Wide Awake, will be out July 13 on ATO Records. For more on Rayland Baxter, check out his website.

Kristin Hersh - "Breathe In"

Any time we can bring you new music from one of Kristin Hersh's projects is an exciting time for us all. With an album upcoming later this year, Hersh has released a new single off it, "Breathe In." One thing we know from "Breathe In" is that the new album won't be one of her quiet acoustic releases. The track is dripping with what sounds like a tremelo effect on the guitar. When it doesn't have the effect, the guitar has a distinctly crunchy feel, and just about every element of the song, including Hersh's voice, has it's turn to distort. The song has a hypnotic and not entirely pleasant feel, although it's not entirely unpleasant, either. 

You can listen to a rough mix of "Breathe In" below. The song features Fred Abong of Throwing Muses on bass and Wyatt True (aka Hersh's son) on drums. The new album from Kristin Hersh, Possible Dust Clouds, will be out later this year via Fire Records. For more on Kristin Hersh, check out her website. Current tour dates are below the song.

June 14  Tel Aviv - Zappa Club 

June 17  Bristol - Redgrave Theatre

June 18  London, Cecil Sharp House 

June 21  London, Meltdown Festival  SOLD OUT

June 24  Glasgow, Mackintosh Church

June 25  Halifax, Square Chapel

June 26  Newcastle, Cluny 2 SOLD OUT
June 27  Newcastle, Cluny 2 

June 28  Cambridge, Storey’s Field Centre

June 29  Ramsgate, Ramsgate Music Hall SOLD OUT

June 30  Brighton, Duke of York’s Cinema

July 1     Ramsgate – Ramsgate Music Hall

Service - "Be Alright" and "Cold Light" [Rough Mixes]

Photo via Facebook

We first became aware of Service, the newest band from Russell Simins, drummer from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, back in August 2016. That's when they released three demo songs on their Soundcloud. Almost two years later and we still don't have an official release, but there are two more rough demos kicking around. "Cold Light" is my personal favorite of the two. It's a little more hypnotic and driving of the two, while being more mellow if that makes sense. It's somehow post-punk and psychedelic at the same time. "Be Alright" is a little more straightforward. It's catchier and a bit more groovy, but still a loud, fuzzed out garage rocker.

You can listen to "Be Alright" and "Cold Light" in their rough demo forms over at Service's Soundcloud page. For more on Service, check them out on Facebook and Twitter. And let's all hope they move from rough demos to first official release in the near future.

First Listen: New Releases for June 8

A slower week after last week's big one.

Artist: Soft Science
Album: Maps
Quick Description: Shoegazey pop rock.
Why You Should Listen: This is the best release from last week that we missed?
Overall Thoughts: We missed this from last week, and I’m glad I tripped up on it. It has some alt-rock elements mixed with some shoegaze, and there are simply hooks for days on this. In a week where I liked a lot of things but didn’t love anything, this would otherwise be my album of the week. As it stands, though, this is a stellar listen that should have some real longevity in my rotation, and it’s different than a lot of what I’m hearing lately.
Recommendation: Worth your time.

Artist: Lykke Li
Album: so sad so sexy
Quick Description: The European alt-popper is back with something truly great.
Why You Should Listen: Lykke Li has always pushed boundaries and made some great music.
Overall Thoughts: It’s been a while since we heard from Lykke Li, and this is a fun, interesting pop album that leans in on a few themes she has been playing with over the last decade. The result, if I’m honest? This is the album Lily Allen should have put out this week. A good album with some fascinating bits to it that I hope to spend more time with.
Recommendation: A good option this week.

Artist: gobbinjr
Album: Ocala Wick
Quick Description: Twee-ish anti-folk(?)
Why You Should Listen: This is pretty different from what we've typically seen.
Overall Thoughts: I’m not sure if this qualifies as alt-folk in the current climate, but I would have absolutely been in love with this in college. It’s cute, weird folk music with some humor and lightness along with the bite it offers.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth a listen.

Artist: Erin Rae
Album: Putting on Airs
Quick Description: Mature, thoughtful rootsy music.
Why You Should Listen: It sounds familiar while still being different.
Overall Thoughts: A lot of these songs give me a “Lucy Dacus, but with twang” feel to them. The album itself doesn’t stray too far from the traditional country folk a lot, but there are moments here that really forced me to stop what I was doing and really listen, which says a lot.
Recommendation: A great listen this week.

Artist: Laura Jean
Album: Devotion
Quick Description: Solid singer-songwriter stuff.
Why You Should Listen: This is better than most stuff out recently.
Overall Thoughts: This is the type of record that is on one end pretty solid and serviceable, but also doesn’t move out of its lane much to be as transcendent as you feel it has the potential to do. You will likely listen to this and feel like it’s a good album, because it is. Just in a week with has some pretty great stuff while we still recover from the double whammy of Neko Case and Tancred last week?
Recommendation: This just isn’t essential.

Artist: Snail Mail
Album: Lush
Quick Description: A debut album from an early favorite here.
Why You Should Listen: Snail Mail is something special, and is only going to get specialer (yes, I'm making that a word).
Overall Thoughts: Ken is a big fan of Snail Mail, and this super young act is making music far beyond what you’d expect from a debut here. It’s definitely raw and deliberately sparse, but it’s also absolutely gorgeous. When you hear a song like “Anytime,” you realize that this is a talent that isn’t to be missed.
Recommendation: A great debut album, looking forward to more.

Artist: M. Ward
Album: What a Wonderful Industry
Quick Description: Latest from the busy indie guitarist.
Why You Should Listen: M. Ward is always worth a listen.
Overall Thoughts: no one is quite like M. Ward. An indie guitar virtuoso in a genre that doesn’t generally reward virtuosity, an interesting songwriter in a space that doesn’t always reward interesting songwriting, his new album plays up his best aspects and diminishes the stuff that doesn't always work. I'll go as far as to say this is my favorite effort of his since Hold Time, if ever.
Recommendation: A definite one to add to your rotation.

Artist: Hilary Woods
Album: Colt
Quick Description: Darkish folk stuff.
Why You Should Listen: You wish Marissa Nadler was a little lighter on her feet.
Overall Thoughts: Dark, brooding music with a bit of a folk bent but often sounds like it belongs at The Roadhouse in Twin Peaks. It’s kind of haunting in a lot of ways, and that isn’t a bad thing at all, but I do not know for sure if everyone who listens to what we recommend would like this, but I sure did.
Recommendation: Might not work for everyone, but this should get a shot.

Artist: Kingsley Flood
Album: Neighbors and Strangers
Quick Description: Latest from a local favorite.
Why You Should Listen: At some point, this band is going to break out and you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't get in on the ground floor.
Overall Thoughts: What more can I say about Kingsley Flood? They're a band in their prime making essential independent alternative music, and too many people don't know about them. It's a shame, as they may be one of the best bands your friends have never heard, and this album is an accessible shot in the arm that, with any justice, would result in their getting on rock radio and being on television and being that band everyone is talking about. So don't miss out.
Recommendation: An obvious listen.

Of note:

* Palm Ghosts - Architecture (your good 80s retro of the day, trying to be like The Cure in some ways)
* Busdriver - Electricity is On Our Side
* Poptone - Poptone
* Ana Egge - White Tiger

EPs:

* Twisted Pine - Dreams (my favorite covers EP in a long time)
* Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts (Kanye/Kudi collaboration; it's better than ye)
* Gabrielle Marlena - Easier Love (very solid)
* Nova One - Secret Princess
* The Charlatans - Totally Eclipsing
* The Get Up Kids - Kicker

Also out:

* Lily Allen - No Shame (a real disappointment)
* Will Turpin - Serengeti Drivers