Megadose - "Pig"

Seattle's Megadose have created a song that is both so close to being a mainstream alt-rock song and nowhere near being mainstream. "Pigs" follows a lot of the typical alt-rock tropes, but also just goes slightly off? It's not quite quirky, but it's definitely weird. It's kind of like your favorite K Records band decided to write a big major hit song and ended up with this. Of course, that's kind of what makes "Pig" more fun than your normal indie rock song, and indie rock could use a lot more fun to it. Plus, this is just a groovy song that you're going to want to dance to, or at least do a little shimmy. 

Stephen Steen says of his band's new song:

"When recording 'Pig,' our main goal was to make the whole thing feel like it was constantly one too-tight corner away from going off the rails.

"The song's about an actual person in my life, but I kept the lyrics intentionally ambiguous to hopefully make the listener think (it is about cops? a cheating husband??). The general message is meant to be pretty clear: men, even the seemingly upstanding ones, have a sickening capacity to be, well, pigs. I think the resulting feeling is a little like having your best friend throw their passenger door open and say 'STRAP IN,' before peeling out to go egg your high school bully's car, then maybe do some donuts in the parking lot."

You can watch the video for "Pig" below. Heating Up is due out January 20. For more on Megadose, check out the band on Twitter and Instagram.

Cat Clyde - "Mystic Light"

Photo by Strummer Jasson

If you follow us for our folkier side, you're going to love the latest from Cat Clyde. The Canadian singer/songwriter isn't quite folk, but makes music that is folk adjacent. The press release for her latest single, "Mystic Light," refers to her music as "nature punk" and compares her to Hurray for the Riff Raff. That comparison is apt, but I'm also hearing a lot of other artists like Pony Hunt, Faye Webster, and early Molly Burch. This is modern roots music mixed with early rock and roll/doo wop. A lot of that is how much twang is in the song, from the guitar to Clyde's voice. Her voice has this great quality that leans into its twang but still has this smooth crooner's quality to it. This may be the first we've heard of Cat Clyde, but we can't wait to hear more.

Cat Clyde says of her new song:

“It’s a song about wanting to understand my journey and purpose. I’m exploring feelings of adriftness, asking for the mystery or magic of life to show her face so I can remember what it’s all for.”

You can watch the video for "Mystic Light" below. Down Rounder is due out February 17 on Second Prize Records. The album can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here. For more on Cat Clyde, check out the artist's website.

Ken's Best of 2022 - #7: Marlowe - Marlowe 3

My love of seemingly everything L'Orange touches is well documented here at If It's Too Loud... His 2019 collaboration with Jeremiah Jae was my #2 album of that year, and this year his third album with Solemn Brigham under the name Marlowe comes in at #8 for me. Marlowe 3 is exactly what I want from hip hop in 2022. It has a vintage feel to it while still sounding modern. Once the album kicks into gear with the second track, "Past Life," you know exactly what you're getting. This is just a fun album, and Brigham has a voice and flow that is all his own. How fun is this album? There's a track called "President the Rock." While a lot of the modern hip hop I get into tends to be sparse, Marlowe 3 has a big, slick production while still not sounding like mainstream hip hop. We might not cover a ton of rap here, but Marlowe are impossible to resist.

Songs of note: "Past Life," "Royal," "Light Trip," and "Godfist"

Blues Lawyer - "Chance Encounter"

Oakland's Blues Lawyer have a very specific 90's throwback sound. Their latest single, "Chance Encounter," lies in that time period between heavier grunge bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden but before the alternative rock airwaves were overtaken by more pop focused bands like Spin Doctors and Gin Blossoms. "Chance Encounter" is along the lines of Teenage Fanclub or The Lemonheads. Blues Lawyer still have that great indie rock edge, but the song is insanely poppy at the same time. It's fuzzy guitars and killer harmonies between Rob I. Miller and Elyse Schrock. This one is a ton of fun while still maintaining an indie rock edge.

You can watch the video for "Chance Encounter" below. All in Good Time is due out February 17 on Dark Entries. The album can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp. For more on Blues Lawyer, check out the band on Twitter and Instagram.

Live Shows: Butcher Brown, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 12/7/22

There's a lot of talk about rock being dead. The kids aren't listening to rock any more in favor of hip hop and electronic music. Since rock is supposedly dead, you'd expect jazz to be even more dead since they've been saying jazz is dead for decades longer. Apparently no one told that to the kids in attendance for Butcher Brown's show at The Sinclair in Cambridge.

That was truly what was so shocking about Butcher Brown's show. The crowd was mostly people in their twenties with just a few of the typical, older jazz crowd speckled throughout. Sure, Butcher Brown aren't entirely a classic jazz band as they heavily use hip hop, funk, and soul, but they are jazz. Still, they had an audience filled with indie hipsters, hippies, ad hip hop heads.

They pulled this off just by being great. Hip hop seems to be the gateway for a lot of their appeal. While Marcus Tenney stuck with playing trumpet and saxophone more than he did rapping, they used hip hop samples throughout along with some sampled drums, which just added to Corey Fonville's live drums. The Richmond, VA quintet seemed to stick more to their instrumental jazz songs than to their more rap based songs, but even though that's how I got into them, I didn't miss the vocals and found myself enjoying the jazz instrumentals more than I expected. Although "#KingButch" was a lot of fun live.

Despite considering myself a fan of jazz, actually getting out to see live jazz is a rare event for me, but if Butcher Brown's show was any indication, I really need to do it more often.

Ken's Best of 2022 - #8: The Bobby Lees - Bellevue

I first discovered The Bobby Lees since Jon Spencer produced their 2020 album Skin Suit. For Bellevue, the signed to Ipecac Recordings. As you might expect, the album loses a little bit of the blues based punk you'll get with Spencer producing, but the noise and aggression has increased with the move to Ipecac. Bellevue is a gloriously loud and fast blues/punk record. Guitarist/vocalist Sam Quartin is just spewing venom and sounding impossibly cool while doing it. Despite just being filled with great songs, one of the appeals of The Bobby Lees is just how cool they seem to be. It's been a long, long time since a band sounded this raw and just seemed cool doing it. They even pull off a punk rock diss track with "Greta Van Fake," proving it's not just middle aged rockers that don't get the appeal of that band. My only regret with my two plus years of Bobby Lees fandom is that I discovered them the day after they played Boston in 2020, and they haven't been back since.

Songs of note: "Hollywood Junkyard," "Ma Likes to Drink," "Dig Your Hips," and "Bellevue"

Jeff's Best of 2022 - #8: Ash and Eric - Sure

I fully admit to having a bit of hometown bias here, because I've gotten to know Ash and Eric through mutual friends over the last 18 months or so and "Church of the Concrete Wave" is about a location in my hometown of Millbury, but put my biases aside for a moment and consider that Ash and Eric should be one of the more massive folk acts in the country, and Sure is as good a demonstration of that as anything.

Sure finds the duo navigating being professional musicians, seeking and recalling inspirational moments and ideals, considering humanity in all its forms. It's expert folk-driven storytelling, to be sure (no pun intended), but it's just as much gorgeous songwriting and hook-laden melodies that win you over from the first notes. Whether somber and serious like "Autumn Hymn," or the faux Carter-Cash rockabilly feel of "Never Walking Out," it all works in unexpected and beautiful ways.

In a year with a lot of really solid folk albums, and when we're still trying to get back to some sense of post-COVID normalcy, it's great when albums like Sure come along to keep us grounded.

Songs of note: "Autumn Hymn," "Simon, Taylor, Denver, Cash," "Never Walking Out," "Church of the Concrete Wave"

Jay Royale featuring Havoc - "The Wise & Lakid"

For his latest single, Jay Royale has teamed with Havoc of the legendary Mobb Deep. "The Wise & Lakid" is as old school as it could possibly be. Sure, the production has a the modern slick sound, but this sounds like it could have been released anytime between 1991 and 1996. The track has a sense of depth to it despite it consisting of just beats and piano. Hip hop doesn't typically have this sense of darkness to it these days, but "The Wise & Lakid" brings that back heavily. This is perfect for those of us who grew up on rap in the 80's and 90's.

You can watch the video for "The Wise & Lakid" below. For more on Jay Royale, check out his Twitter and Instagram.

babybaby_explores - "Twiddle"

Photo by sam m-h

Seeing a band called babybaby_explores makes me feel like that Matt Damon/Saving Private Ryan gif, so you know if I can overcome that this is a great song. I first became aware of the band because they're opening up for Lightning Bolt's tour, and "Twiddle" sounds like a band that would open for Lightning Bolt without being exactly like what you would expect. "Twiddle" is definitely a strange, decidedly non-mainstream song, but it doesn't have that explosive and destructive noise associated with their tour mates. Instead, babybaby_explores is much more laid back and electronic sounding. It's more similar to an artist like Peaches in that dancey, electro-clash kind of way. As you would expect, "Twiddle" is definitely not for everyone, but if it works for you, this one will be adored for a long time.

babybaby_explores say that their new single is "... a first person narrative about being stuck talking to a stranger at a party. Your best friend has your back and helps end the conversation. It features a real-time burp and is an ode to the musical artist Peaches."

You can watch the video for "Twiddle" below. Food Near Me, Weather Tomorrow is due out March 3 on No Gold. For more on babybaby_explores, check out the band's website.

Ken's Best of 2022 - #9: S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks

Teeth Marks came out of nowhere for me this year. S.G. Goodman's music combines so many elements that work spectacularly for me. The album opens with "Teeth Marks," which starts out as an Americana tinged singer/songwriter song. It's not quite perfectly mainstream, but close. And then the weird indie rock noise comes in, and the album becomes completely irresistible to me. "All My Love is Coming Back to Me" is one of my favorite songs of the year. It's this 90's style indie rocker mixed with garage rock and country twang. Back in April I said that it sounded like Drive-By Truckers decided to write a positive hit song, and I stand by that. Goodman moves between rockers and these ballads with ease. "You Were Someone I Loved" is an a capella song, and you really get a sense of Goodman's vocal powers. She can go from a 90's style slacker delivery with her Southern accent to a soulful, sometimes haunting, powerful delivery. S.G. Goodman is going to be one to watch for, because she has the potential to do huge things for a while to come.

Songs of note: "Teeth Marks," "All My Love is Coming Back to Me," "Heart Swell," and "Work Until I Die"