If It's Too Loud...

The Melvins have to be the most consistently prolific bands in music today. According to the story behind this latest release, back in 1999 the band added Mike Kunka of godheadSilo to the band as a second bassist. That lineup recorded together, but an album was never finished. The group decided to reconvene recently, and 17 years later are going to release Three Men and a Baby.  "Limited Teeth" is a fast, bludgeoning song. It's about as mainstream and coherent as The Melvins are going to get, especially with adding a second bassist. It feels like the best 90s grungy metal could ever have to offer, with killer fuzzy riffs and drums that could destroy a room live. Three Men and a Baby  is due out April 1 on Sub Pop. You can listen to "Limited Teeth" below. No word on if this line up will be included at all on The Melvins' upcoming tour with Napalm Death and Melt Banana, but head on over to their website for dates.

It was over a year ago since I first wrote about Adia Victoria and how much I couldn't wait for an actual album from her (she was a pick for my most anticipated albums of 2016 ,) and we finally have a new single from the upcoming album. While "Sea of Sand" was more of a dark, gothic version of alt-country, "Dead Eyes" is much more of a rocker. It's by far the most upbeat song we've heard from Victoria so far, with fast guitars and plinking keyboards. Based on the few singles she had previously released, I certainly wasn't expecting this to be what the first single off her forthcoming album to sound like, but I'm now even more intrigued than before. And at only 2 minutes 21 seconds, it's over before you want it to be. We still have a bit of a wait for the album, but we do finally have a release date: Beyond the Bloodhounds  will be released on May 13 via Canvasback, which is an imprint of Atlantic Records. You can listen to "Dead Eye...

Hallelujah the Hills have just released the first song from their upcoming 5th album, A Band is Something to Figure Out, and if "We Have the Perimeter Surrounded" is any indication, they are about to be huge. With "We Have the Perimeter Surrounded," Hallelujah the Hills have officially mastered the whole folk punk thing. The song starts off with an ominously heavy bass riff and then kicks into an almost Fugazi-like half yelling/half spoken word rant. And then the gang chorus starts. It all degenerates into rambling guitar riffs and a smidge of "California Uber Alles" squeals.  To go along with the release of "We Have the Perimeter Surrounded," Hallelujah the Hills have started a website that also shares a US Government document of a conversation between Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger where Woody recalls a dream that may have predicted punk rock. Check that out at www.woodyguthriepredictedpunk.com . A Band is Something to Figure Out  is du...

Smooth Hound Smith are a hyped-up rootsy duo in the vein of The White Stripes, The Black Keys, and Shovels & Rope. What sets them apart is they're a little more traditional blues and country and less noisy or punk. Zack Smith covers vocals, guitar, foot drums, harmonica, and banjo, while Caitlin Doyle is in charge of vocals and percussion. They have a raw and primal sound in the vein of early rockabilly songs.  The duo just released the video for "Stopgap Woman Blues." It features a man and woman dancing in animal masks in front of a stage while Smooth Hound Smith plays. It's the kind of rock n roll throwback that will make you pine for a time you never knew. This is modern roots music at its finest: Embracing the past while not being a novelty act. For more information on Smooth Hound Smith, check out their website . You can order their most recent album, Sweet Tennessee Honey, on iTunes , and check out the video for "Stopgap Woman Blues" below. ...

From the few songs that Guerilla Toss have released so far, Eraser Stargazer  is going to be a total departure for the band. Not that they're going to be releasing an album of alt-country ballads, but this album is just different. "Doll Face on the Calico Highway" is a pretty intense song by other bands' standards, but for Guerilla Toss it's almost like a Bon Jovi ballad. The song is a slightly slower than mid-tempo spoken word plodder. The band seems to be shedding the attention grabbing shriek of noise punk, and are instead moving towards the aggravation of art rock. It will still get you weird looks from the others in your work cubicle farm, but maybe they'll ask you what it is instead of just demanding you turn it off. Eraser Stargazer  is due out on March 4 on DFA Records. You can get more information on Guerilla Toss via their Bandcamp  and Facebook . Watch the lyric video for "Doll Face on the Calico Highway" below.

This is a weird week of "Very Good." Album of the Week : Artist : Carrie Rodriguez Album : Lola Quick Description : Veteran rootsy singer-songwriter goes a little political and a lot bilingual in a collection of originals and Mexican classics. Why You Should Listen : You enjoyed, for example, Leyla McCalla's album from a while back, and don't mind some Spanish language in your Tex-Mex. Overall Thoughts : I won't lie, I do tend to struggle with non-English lyrics in my music. I don't pay attention to lyrics much as it is, but the ability to sing along even if I'm not paying too much notice to the words is always a plus. I've been a fan of Carrie Rodriguez for some time now even though I'm not great at keeping up with her output, and even the album cover alone demands some attention. The English language songs shine through quite a bit here, for sure - "Z" is a smirking take on racial perceptions and country music in general, ...

Forgotten Fridays returns this week with a band I absolutely hated back in college: The Elevator Drops. I can't really blame them for my dislike. Back in 1996, I was thrilled that The Rentals were opening for Blur at Avalon. Seeing two of my then favorite bands together was everything I wanted. The Rentals ended up getting stuck on the Red Hot Chili Peppers/Silverchair tour and had to drop off the Blur tour. They were replaced with The Elevator Drops. Any anger I felt towards the band was purely based on me being 19 and dumb. Also, I was a die hard Lemonheads fan, and I took their song "Be a Lemonhead (Beautiful Junkie)" as a personal insult to my fandom.  Somehow, The Elevator Drops popped into my head last week, and I decided to give them an actual fair shot for the first time ever. Pop Bus  holds up remarkably well. It does scream 1996, but in the best way. It's the ultra-groovy alternative rock that the mid-90s Boston scene was just drenched in but nobody seem...

Skating Polly might very well be your next favorite band. It's a distorted punk-ish mess with some serious pop chops. Their Ugly Pop EP features three previously released songs and two newer songs, so it's a great way to check them out for the first time.  Their sound has some pretty serious grunge roots while still being accessible as hell. Think Babes in Toyland meets Cake Like. "Oddie Moore," one of the newer songs on Ugly Pop EP , is a lighter ready power ballad, albeit with in your face choppy vocals. "Cosmetic Skull" is an ultra-poppy keyboard ballad, more like a Sia song (or at least, what I'm mostly sure Sia sounds like.) "Alabama Movies" is my favorite, and fits more traditionally in the loud/quiet/loud tradition of my favorite 90s alternative. Loud screaming, distorted as fuck guitars, dual vocals... it's pretty much a perfect anthem. Ugly Pop EP is available for free via Bandcamp . For some more information on Skating Polly...

Photo by Nicole Anne Robbins Our excitement for the new Bleached album continues to increase with the release of the video for "Wednesday Night Melody." The song continues their Bangles meets Veruca Salt sound from "Keep On Keepin' On." For a fun twist, "Wednesday Night Melody" brings this odd hair metal power ballad feel to it. Imagine a Motley Crue ballad with crunched out guitars, and you're just about there. It bridges the gap between my favorite music and my favorite guilty pleasure. I'm pretty convinced I'll become obsessed with Bleached by the end of 2016. Plus, the video features the rest of the band finding singer Jennifer Clavin dead, only to still make it to a gig Weekend at Bernie's style. Welcome the Worms is due out April 1 on Dead Ocean. Be sure to check out the video for "Wednesday Night Melody" below, along with tour dates below that. For more info on Bleached, be sure to check out their Facebook or web...

Photo courtesy of Big Thief Brooklyn's Big Thief are set to release their debut album and have released a video for "Masterpiece." "Masterpiece" reminds me a lot of Laura Stevenson. It's 90s inflected pop rock, maybe like a slightly more straightforward Belly. It also edges just enough into  folk/Americana territory that I could see them playing Newport in the next few years. (Hey, if Courtney Barnett can play Newport...) With its fuzzy guitars and sing-along chorus, if the rest of their album is anything like this, I could see myself becoming obsessed with Big Thief. Big Thief's debut album will be released this year on Saddle Creek. You can watch the video for "Masterpiece" below. For more information on Big Thief, check out their website . After the video, you can find their upcoming tour dates, mostly supporting Eleanor Friedberger and Yuck. Thu. Feb. 18 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Eleanor Frieberger Fri. Feb. 19 - ...

A fascinating week this week. It should be noted that Kanye West's album did come out at some point this weekend, but it won't hit non-Tidal services until next weekend. I will almost certainly cover the album as soon as I have reasonable access to it. With that said... Album of the Week : Artist : Radiation City Album : Synestetica Quick Description : A fun, synthy indie album. Why You Should Listen : You deserve something fun like this album for this week. Overall Thoughts : I think this came out of nowhere for me this week, and that might be part of why I'm so into it. A sometimes dancey, sometimes retro-feeling album, you'll know pretty quickly into "Oil Show" whether this is right for you, but I don't think I've been more excited to get back to a surprise album the way I was for this. Recommendation : My favorite of the week, so check it out. Artist : Lissie Album : My Wild West Quick Description : Lissie goes independent on her...

If there's one thing we can assure you this year, it's that there will not be an Official Blog Endorsement in the presidential race this year. While Ken and I are united against Donald Trump, that's where it ends, but one place we both have bipartisan cooperation on is weird songs about/concerning the highest office in the United States of America. (And one song by The Presidents of the United States of America because of course). Enjoy this playlist as you celebrate the American Presidency, or, in the case of a few artists here, absolutely don't celebrate it.

It's rare to find an artist that isn't exactly breaking any ground in a genre but is unnaturally difficult to describe. Riley Pinkerton is a singer-songwriter playing mostly acoustic folk. Her voice is what really transcends the folk genre. While having an absolutely stunning voice, she has this slightly disturbing element that just draws the listener in. With very sparse instrumentation on her  Do You Have a Car EP, her voice remains front and center. "Frankenstein" starts out with a rambling, more finger picking style of guitar. As the song progresses, the guitar starts to fall out and become less and less of a part of the song, until it swings back in, only to slowly pull back again. "We're All Wild" is the most traditionally mainstream song, while the EP's closer, "The Queen's Brigade," has a progression that's closer to metal than folk. Do You Have a Car EP  is a stunning debut release from an artist we can't wait to her ...