If It's Too Loud...

An interesting new release week for us this week, let's dive right in: Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots : Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur and member of Gorillaz finally puts out a solo album of his own. To be completely frank, this album would be a lot better if it didn't carry the baggage of Damon Albarn with it. It's got a bit of a slow electronic feel to it which may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it works in a lot of places. It's just...well, he's the guy from Blur and you end the album wanting more of that. It's worth a listen, but it's likely to be a little polarizing on a whole. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (The GOOAST) - Midnight Sun : This is the current project of Sean Lennon and his girlfriend. I've been a fan of what Sean Lennon's been up to from way, way back when he released his first solo album through Grand Royal back in the 1990s. It appears, though, that Lennon has effectively stopped trying to preten...

At no point while listening to "Glory Box" or "Sour Times" did I hope to hear the same singer covering "Black Sabbath." Apparently Gonga did, since they brought Beth Gibbons of Portishead in for their cover of the immortal Black Sabbath song. Gonga covering Sabbath is perfectly obvious. Portishead? Not such an obvious choice, but it works brilliantly. Gibbons brings a certain touch to the cover that stays true to the original while still sounding like Beth Gibbons of Portishead. Also, for equal measure they named their version "Black Sabbeth." Check out the video for "Black Sabbeth" below, which, of course, borrows video from the classic horror film Black Sabbath.

I mean... seriously? Look at that line up. I don't care what Boston Calling has had before, this roster may never be topped ever again. Plenty for old fogies to check out without feeling self conscious (The Replacements, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nas + The Roots, The Hold Steady, Spoon) plus a chance to see some of the up and comers we've been obsessed with without being the Creepy Old Guy. I've wanted to check out Childish Gambino and Girl Talk for a while now, and this may be the chance! And you can check out this Lorde character without being the only adult without a child. Plus, I mean, The Replacements! Neutral Milk Hotel! Nas + The Roots would be kick ass enough by themselves, but Nas with The Roots as his backing band???? Insane. I think The National might be the weak link as far as headliners go, but considering they curated the thing, I can let it slide. The September 2014 edition of Boston Calling takes place in City Hall Plaza on September 5, 6, & 7. 3 Day and ...

There's literally something for everyone out this week. The question is whether or not you want to cop to it... DConstructed : I suppose we should get this out of the way first. Disney has decided to capitalize on the EDM craze with an album of remixes and reimaginations of classic (and not so classic) Disney tunes. If you needed to hear a club version of "Let It Go," or a dubstep version of "Circle of Life," you've come to the right place. I'm sure there's an audience for this, and, given some of the names they got on board to work on this, it's an impressive attempt even if the end result is, frankly, a little horrifying. For me, the highlight was BT (who I'm a longtime fan of) remixing a song I didn't know from a Toy Story short I didn't see. One's enjoyment of this might ultimately come down to your tolerance of the current state of electronic music or how married to the original Disney songs you are. I don't kno...

For the new documentary Farmland , which takes a look at young Americans running farms providing food, the filmmakers decided to record a new version of Woody Guthrie's iconic "This Land Is Your Land." Of all the musicians who have recorded versions of the song in recent years, they somehow chose Everclear and Liz Phair. I have no idea how this happened, since neither act seems to scream organic farming, but it exists. Liz Phair continues her decent into complete irrelevance, going from indie rock goddess to an attempt at top 40 to singing off key in this live performance. I'm sure the studio version is better, but this is a professional singer we're talking about here. This isn't even enough to muster polite applause at your local karaoke dive bar. And Everclear hasn't been cool since... Well, anyways... I'm sure Farmland is an important documentary, and we should all watch it to become more aware of where our food comes from. You can check out th...

Tomorrow is Record Store Day, which usually isn't a big deal for me. It may be blasphemy, but the vast majority of Record Store Day releases are old releases put out in a new format, and I don't want to stand in line for the chance to pay a premium for music I already own. However, this year there is at least one Must Have. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has been performing a cover of the Beastie Boy's forgotten classic "She's On It" in a medley with Link Wray's "Jack the Ripper" for a while now, and they recorded an official version of it for release on Record Store Day. It's everything you want it to be. Anytime one of my all time favorite bands records a cover of one of my other favorite bands, I need to have it. For a list of other Record Store Day releases, head on over to their official website . To check in with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, check out their website . The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion / She's On It - Jack ...

A slow week for us here, but some tax day goodies came out this week that you might like to hear. The Secret Sisters - Put Your Needle Down : I fell in love with The Secret Sisters with their first album, which had some nice traditional songs interspersed with some fun originals. Their second album is more of the same in many regards, but doesn't feel like an old retread like some other sophomore efforts do. If you enjoyed The Haden Triplets and their effort this year, you might end up liking this one more. Jessica Lea Mayfield - Make My Head Sing... : When I first dove into the roots/bluegrass genre a few years back, Jessica Lea Mayfield is a name that popped up semi-regularly. I loved her second album in particular and I've been rather impatient in waiting for a new one to come out. This album is certainly a far cry from the rootsy stuff she started out with, and even her previous album showed signs of trying to branch out and find her sound. That exploration continu...

It's like the New Release Gods knew it was my birthday, because this was probably the best week for new releases we've had in 2014 in terms of overall quality. Something for everyone, so let's dive right in. Mean Creek - Local Losers : Mean Creek feels like a throwback to 1990s alt-rock, and I basically love it. Within the first thirty seconds of the opening song, "Cool Town," you know exactly what you're getting, and, at only around 20 minutes in length, the album doesn't overstay its welcome. A perfectly wonderful album. Ken highlighted one of their songs last fall . De Lux - Voyage : I don't really remember when the indie dance thing took off. It was before Franz Ferdinand, for sure, but I do remember Moving Units being the band I most associated with it before bands like The Bravery or The Killers made it huge. De Lux is straight out of 2004, and it sounds pretty great even if it's idiosyncratic in a lot of ways and, at 50+ minutes fo...

The Ultimate Warrior, iconic WWE wrestler, passed away last evening suddenly. He had recently come back into the wrestling fold and seemed to have exorcised a lot of the demons surrounding his tenure there. This isn't a wrestling blog, but I highlight his death for two reasons: One, he had one of the great intro themes of all time , one that went right along with his energy and action in the ring as well as being so obviously a product of its time in the late 1980s. Two, because it reminded me of the Warrior's participation in a Phil Collins music video. Maybe you don't have the nostalgia for Phil Collins that I do, but that's fine. Look out for Gilbert Gottfried as well! Rest in peace, Warrior. My childhood wouldn't have been the same if you weren't part of it.

I really don't know anything about Courtney Barnett, but when you cover the Lemonheads you're almost guaranteed to have me check it out. "Bein' Around" might be my least favorite Lemonheads song, but it's still a Lemonheads song. It's not that it's a bad song, but it just seems to be the one song that always gets played at every  Lemonheads/Evan Dando show.  Courtney Barnett has a really fresh take on the song. Gone is the slight country drawl in Evan's original, replaced by a dreamy, more ethereal sound. It's a way to make a song I've heard roughly 10,000 times new again, and is totally worth a listen. To learn more about Courtney Barnett, check out her website . For more information on what Evan Dando and the Lemonheads are up to, check out their criminally out of date website . (Also, I have listened to some of her own music. It's pretty spectacular. Go here to watch her beyond great "Avant Gardener."

Ever since it was announced that he was playing the Newport Folk Festival, I've been obsessed with Benjamin Booker. With only two videos on all of YouTube, you couldn't help but wonder where he came from, and listening to his music was a revelation. It combines equal parts Delta Blues and the MC5. It's a combination that doesn't break new ground while somehow sounding completely fresh and vital. Today, we finally see the premiere of a new official video from Benjamin Booker for the song "Violent Shiver." It's a song that showed up on a previous YouTube video, but it means that we're that  much closer to an official release. You can even now download the song off iTunes . I absolutely can't wait for this album, or even an official release date for it. Right now, you can go over to Benjamin Booker's page on the ATO Records website for more information. We can all hope that an album release in Fall 2014 means as early in the fall as possible...

I've been dying to see The Julie Ruin ever since the band announced they existed, so when they're tour finally came to New England, I knew I had to go. Unfortunately, their Boston date didn't work with my schedule, but luckily they were starting the tour in Easthampton, MA, so I headed west for the show. The Flywheel is an odd, yet cool venue. It's an "arts collective" that is housed in the former town hall. They have a bunch of art classes offered, and I'm pretty sure the room bands play in is used as a daycare during the day. There are even bins filled with blocks and kids' toys in the corner. It's an all ages venue, which means the crowd was young. Really young. Luckily, there were enough solo middle aged guys like myself milling about to keep the creepy old guy factor down to a minimum. Plus, it really was an all ages show. At one point I found myself between a 60 year old woman and a 10 year old girl. Not the usual club gig. Screaming Fe...

This new release period was really, really annoying. On top of everything else with this week, the new Nickel Creek (the only album I really wanted to hear this week) isn't on Spotify yet, so I'm stuck with, frankly, a lot of underwhelming stuff this week. Ah well, I listen to it so you don't have to, right? Steel Panther - All You Can Eat : Listen, there's definitely a part of me a few years ago that really liked what Steel Panther was doing. The joke band doing overly sexualized hair metal, however, has really run its course for me, and the wit behind it just feels gone for me. If you're still into it, I won't judge at all, but you'll know VERY quickly if this is still your thing within a few songs. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else : Cloud Nothings are a bit of a buzzy band. They seem to have settled into this not-quite-punk thing that comes across as more noisy than revolutionary for me. Whatever genre you want to put them into, this feel...