First Listen: New Releases for 9 April 2021

Artist: Departure Lounge
Album: Transmeridian
Quick Thoughts:
Songs of Note: "Australia," "Mr. Friendly"

Artist: Claire Rousay
Album: A Softer Focus
Quick Thoughts: Claire Rousay has produced some interesting music for a few years now, and (with the understanding that her more esoteric field recordings-style has some limited appeal), this could be a real breakthrough. This album is a gorgeous mix of often-sparse electronics that feel like they exist in real time, and it makes for a super interesting listen. A lot of buzz aorund this one, and rightly so.
Songs of Note: "Peak Chroma"

Artist: Emily Kinney
Album: The Supporting Character
Quick Thoughts: We're Emily Kinney fans here, both of her singing and her acting. This album has some of her most accessible moments yet, such as with "When the Midnight Fireworks Start," and yet it still retains the sort of charm we've come to enjoy from her albums. Great for longtime fans and for newcomers alike.
Songs of Note: "Genetic Makeup," "When the Midnight Fireworks Start"

Artist: PONY
Album: TV Baby
Quick Thoughts: A debut album I've been waiting impatiently for, this is a nice slice of indie rock with hints of pop-punk sprinkled throughout. PONY is not forging any new ground here, but they are providing solid musicianship and super catchy songs along the way anyway. It's going to be difficult not to be charmed by this one from the start.
Songs of Note: "Chokecherry," "Couch," "My Room"

Artist: Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi
Album: They're Calling Me Home
Quick Thoughts: Rhiannon Giddens continues to excel at wonderful interpretations of folk and the musical canon. A second collaboration with Francesco Turrisi, this is just an absolutely wonderful listen and should be a required inclusion in your weekly rotation.
Songs of Note: "Avalon," "Waterbound"

Artist: Assertion
Album: Intermission
Quick Thoughts: Featuring the guy who was in both Foo Fighters and Sunny Day Real Estate, this actually sounds a lot like what you'd expect those two bands to sound like combined. It's anthemic, loud post-rock with an emo feel, and it really worked for me. Really one you need to hear to understand fully.
Songs of Note: "Down in the Depths," "Defeated," "Deeper in the Shallow," "Supervised Suffering"

Artist: Yoshinori Hayashi
Album: Pulse of Defiance
Quick Thoughts: Ken sent this one over to me and it was very unexpected. I was pretty into acid house and the like for a while, and this really gave me the same vibes as when people on IRC tried to get me to take ecstacy and go to a rave. This is probably more complicated than your typical house music from decades past, but it's still a great listen on a whole.
Songs of Note: "Twilight," "Flow"

Artist: Sarah Cicero
Album: Cold Immaculate Opposite
Quick Thoughts: I wanted to highlight this EP because it was really my favorite listen of the week. These two songs in particular, "Atticus" and "Indifferent," just got trapped in my head right after hearing them, and I don't want this to get overlooked in a busy week. Put simply, Sarah Cicero is absolutely someone to watch.
Songs of Note: "Atticus," "Indifferent"

Of note:

* Bill MacKay and Nathan Bowles - Keys
* The Pink Stones - Introducing... The Pink Stones
* The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - Dance Songs for Hard Times
* The Blips - The Blips
* Sufjan Stevens - Meditations
* Frances - Wonder
* Small Black - Cheap Dreams

EPs:

* Elaquent - Bedtime Stories II
* Skullcrusher - Storm in Summer
* Samantha Crain - I Guess We Live Here Now * Sorry - Twixtustwain EP
* HÆLOS - Somnum
* Francis of Delirium - Wading EP
* Andy Bell with Pye Corner Audio - The Indica Gallery EP
* Evan Greer - Spotify is Surveillance
* Boyfriend Machine - The Youth Stalk the Garden at Night

Live albums/Compilations:

* Doe - Sincerely, Doe: Live at the Lexington
* Camp Cope - triple j - Live at the Wireless
* The Orb - Abolition of the Royal Familia (Guillotine Mixes)
* Future Funk Squad - Reunified Forms
* Sorry - Home Demo/ns vol I
* Sorry - Home Demo/ns vol II

Also out:

* Tunic - Exhaling
* Cheap Trick - In Another World
* Peggy Seeger - First Farewell
* Parker Millsap - Be Here Instead

Green River Festival Reveals Mindblowing 2021 Line-Up!

The Green River Festival is always a highlight of any year. They've just released the line-up for the 2021 edition, and somehow this is just the initial line up. It's safe to say that this is by far their most exciting line-up ever! As always it skews heavily towards folk/Americana, but they've truly outdone themselves this year. Headliners for the three days are Jon Bastiste, Shakey Graves, and Ani Difraco, which would be thrilling enough. The other announced bands include long time If It's Too Loud... favorites like Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick, and JD McPherson, alongside more newly discovered favorites like Sierra Ferrell, Twisted Pine, Rachel Baiman, and Bella White (who I just discovered over the weekend and haven't even had a chance to post about yet!) Plus, there are other artists we're big on like Valerie June, Mandolin Orange, Bonny Light Horseman, Charlie Parr, and Rebirth Brass Band that are all playing. 

Green River Festival will run August 27-29 at Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA. You can find more information and tickets here.

Montener The Menace featuring Wordsworth, Rah Digga, Masta Ace, & Fatlip - "High Noon"

Hailing from South London, Montener The Menace has just released the most classic old school hip hop single in years. First, the single is called "High Noon" and it has a slight old west vibe to it. A rap song with a western theme is something you'd hear in the late 80's/early 90's, but I can't think of another song since that used that theme. Second, he brought in four classic American rappers for the song. It features verses from Masta Ace, Rah Digga (Flipmode Squad), Fatlip (The Pharcyde), and Wordsworth. Just having those four team up is enough to get us to listen. Luckily, "High Noon" is a killer old school hip hop song. If you're a fan of pre-1995 hip hop, this song is going to be impossible not to enjoy.

You can watch the video for "High Noon" below. The song will be available as a 7" single via Certain Sound Records. You can pre-order a copy on the label's Bandcamp. For more on Montener The Menace, check out the artist's Twitter.

Century Egg - "Do You Want to Dance?"

Photo by Century Egg

Based in Halifax, Century Egg make this impossibly charming version of garage pop. "Do You Want to Dance?" has the fuzziness and edge of garage rock but the sheen of pop. Sure, those sound like complete opposites, but Century Egg pulls it off. At times the song feels like it's wildly careening through decades from the 1960's to present day, all while sounding like a cohesive song. It's groovy, melodic, and punk at times. It's a fun song that is guaranteed to suck you in, no matter how much of an aging music snob you may be. (We speak from our own experience on that one...)

You can listen to "Do You Want to Dance?" below. Little Piece of Hair is due out May 7 on Forward Music Group. You can pre-order a copy over at Bandcamp. For more on Century Egg, check out the band on Facebook.

Bill Janovitz - Live From Q Division Studios

Throughout the pandemic and quarantine, Bill Janovitz has been doing virtual happy hours livestreams. Back in February he left his house and recorded one in Q Division Studios in Somerville. That one has been remixed and released with the snappy title Live From Q Division Studios. It's a twenty one song "warts and all" release. With the exception of Laura St. Clair joining him for vocals and maracas on two songs, it's just Janovitz and his guitar or a piano, playing a ton of Buffalo Tom (including "Treehouse" and "Taillights Fade") and solo songs, plus a few covers, including "Little Mascara" by The Replacements. As someone who has been desperately missing his monthly shows at The Burren (located a few blocks from Q Division), this is a great temporary replacement until we can go back. 

You can listen to "Treehouse" below. Live From Q Division Studios is available on Bill Janovitz's Bandcamp. For more on Bill Janovitz, check out his website.

Lilac Queen - things are different now

According to their Bandcamp profile, Lilac Queen are "Massachusetts shoegaze." While their new EP (technically only two songs) fits into the shoegaze category, it's a little too energetic and bouncy to truly be pure shoegaze. Instead "fences" and "piles" are a shoegaze/emo hybrid. "fences" in particular really hits harder on the emo (or at least pop punk) side of things. "piles" is a little harder rocking and follows a grungy loud/quiet/loud format spectacularly. Shoegaze can be a very tired and repetitive genre, even for those of us that love it. It's nice to see a band like Lilac Queen expand the genre to include some new sounds.

You can listen to "fences" below. things are different now is available as a download via Bandcamp. For more on Lilac Queen, check them out on Facebook.

E.GG - "Keep Me On"

E.GG is a Filipino Canadian hip hop artist that recently moved from Winnipeg to Toronto. His latest single, "Keep Me On," is one of the rare songs that feels completely fresh and familiar at the same time. As it starts off with a sung chorus, it feels like most rap songs out there for the past twenty-plus years. Once E.GG starts rapping the song takes an interesting turn. His flow is truly unique. It's laid back but with its own cadence. It's an almost jerky style that demands you pay attention, which doesn't usually happen with hip hop this laid back. 

You can listen to "Keep Me On" below. The song is out now on Birthday Cake Media. You can find a copy here. For more on E.GG, check out the artist on Instagram and Bandcamp.

GA-20 - "No No"

Boston's GA-20 have had a ridiculously busy year. They're currently sitting on four album's worth of material, and they're just starting to let it out. "No No" is the first single, and it's great. Like... really great. I spent far too long trying to figure out who was the original artist, because it just sounds and feels like classic blues. However, it feels like a modern take on classic blues. It's just amped enough to sound modern and fresh but not so amped up it crosses into JSBX territory. We've been fully on the GA-20 bandwagon for a while now, and "No No" is going to keep us firmly onboard. If you haven't connected with GA-20 yet, this one is sure to suck you in.

You can listen to "No No" below. The song is currently available as a single via Karma Chief Records/Colemine Records here. For more on GA-20, check out the artist's website.

Andrea Gillis - "Leave the Light On"

Red On Red Records have only existed for a few months, but they've already won us over as one of those must listen labels. I can't truly compare them to early Sub Pop since they don't have an official sound, but they've been releasing consistently great music Boston area based artists.

Andrea Gillis isn't an artist I would normally find myself liking, but since she's on Red On Red Records, I felt the need to at least check it out. "Leave the Light On" is definitely poppier than the music I normally find myself into, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. Sure, it's a pop song, but it's more pop rock than a pure top 40 song. Plus, it has a retro feel that reminds me a lot of music from my youth, so it's impossible for me to resist. Fun pop rock songs dripping in 80's nostalgia are one of our weaknesses here, so "Leave the Light On" is right up our alley.

You can listen to "Leave the Light On" below. The song is available as a single via Red On Red Records, and is available on Bandcamp. For more on Andrea Gillis, check out the artist's Facebook.

Wolf Castle featuring Raphael de la Rex - "Gunna"

Photo by Phyllis Grant

Pabineau First Nations MC Wolf Castle has released a single that is perfect for old school hip hop fans. "Gunna" is a throwback to early 90's hip hop. It's a laid back track that still has a hint of menace lying below the surface. That being said, it's still a fun song without a hint of an R&B chorus. "Gunna" fits right into the current up and coming Indigenous hip hop scene coming out of Canada. I never thought I'd be excited about Canadian hip hop, but if artists like Wolf Castle are any indication, we're going to be hearing a lot from First Nations MCs.

Wolf Castle says of the track and the mysterious Raphael de la Rex:

"This track is a return to form for me and Raphael de la Rez – a mysterious figure who wants to remain anonymous but assures you his influence and skill remains stronger than ever. If you listen close you might hear a familiar voice behind the rapper’s mysterious moniker..."

You can listen to "Gunna" below. Da Vinci's Inquest is due for release later this year. For more on Wolf Castle, check out the artist's website.