If It's Too Loud...

This week Friday Freebie is back with the long awaited return of De La Soul! It's been far too long since we've had anything new from De La, so we couldn't be more thrilled with this free teaser EP for their upcoming Kickstarter funded album. The four song EP starts off with a skit, "The Devil Likes Candy." Sometime in the early 90s I became completely fed up with hip hop skits, but now 20 years later it invokes more of an "Aww" in nostalgia form. "Trainwreck" is by far the highlight of the EP. It shows that De La Soul might be at the top of their game right now. It's more serious and less silly than some of their more vintage work, but they're also 25 years older now and should probably be more serious. Plus, there's horns and actual hip hop choruses, and not just an R&B hook. It's funny when 30 year old techniques seem so fresh. "Beautiful Night" does have an R&B chorus, but it feels more organic than the...

Photo credit: Maarten deBoer I've always liked Sara Watkins. I mean, who doesn't, right? But I've never quite gotten her music before. It's always been something I've listened to, and recognized it was good, but I never connected to it. It's pretty surprising, since she falls squarely into the bluegrass/folk realm that I love. What surprises me the most is how much I love her new song, "Move Me." It's a move away from straightforward Americana and much more into the territory of mainstream pop rock. Watkins' voice is still bluegrass. I don't think she could ever lose that quality if she tried. But musically "Move Me," while being pop, has this slight hard rock edge to it. It sounds like something I'd hate, but instead I truly love this song. Sara Watkins' new album, Young in All the Wrong Ways,  is due out July 1 on New West Records. You can watch the video for "Move Me" below. For more information on Sar...

Austin's Tyler Jordan and the Negative Space occupy a space that fits right into our wheelhouse here at If It's Too Loud...: They have a classic, Americana rock sound that's reminiscent of Tom Petty, but they blend it with the laid back indie rock of bands like Pavement. Their debut single, "Ballerina," was produced by members of another of our current musical obsessions, Big Thief. "Ballerina" is a pretty straightforward rock song, with just enough slight quirks, a killer riff that goes throughout, and quite possibly the most epic false ending of the year. It's pretty much a guaranteed favorite song for anyone who reads this site with any regularity. You can listen to "Ballerina" below. For more information on Tyler Jordan and the Negative Space, check them out on Bandcamp and Facebook . Ballerina/B-side by Tyler Jordan and the Negative Space

Workforce first formed in Boston way back in 1988 after the break up of James Straight's previous band, Doppler Effect. After releasing two albums of 80s heavy electronic music, the band went into hiatus in 1996 after the release of Come Out!  They got together to play a show in 2010, and have slowly started working on some new material. Workforce have always been at their best when they skewer American culture. One of their new songs, "Hollywood Lips," is a perfect example, mocking Hollywood's obsession with a cartoonish version of perfection only achieved through plastic surgery. Rather than trying to update their sound to a more "hip" version of today's electronica, this is pure vintage Workforce. This could easily be a lost recording from 1988, and I mean that as the most sincere compliment. You can listen to "Hollywood Lips" below. They are promising a new album this year. For some more information, check them out on Soundcloud and ...

A surprisingly slow week considering how busy the recent weeks have been. Album of the Week : Artist : Jason Wilber Album : Echoes Quick Description : Some solid singer-songwriter tunes. Why You Should Listen : Jason Wilber has a sound that's a little unexpectedly unique. Overall Thoughts : I don't know when this album hooked me for good, but I will say that a good cover tacked on at the end will leave a great impression overall. If you start with his take on "I Am the Cosmos" and go back from there, you might get a better understanding of Wilber's sound and approach. This is a pretty great album on a whole, and is the only thing that sounds like this that I heard this week. Recommendation : Absolutely worth your time. Artist : The Legendary Pink Dots Album : Pages of Aquarius Quick Description : Latest album by the long-standing rock band. Why You Should Listen : They've been around for over 35 years, so they're probably worth a listen on...

I first discovered These Wild Plains when I heard they were going to be part of the night of the Boston Music Awards honoring Evan Dando by performing a partial tribute set to Evan and the Lemonheads. Considering a Lemonheads cover is how I discovered Courtney Batnett , These Wild Plains are in pretty fantastic company. Their newest single, "Old Reasons," is everything I love about These Wild Plains. The Lemonheads' influence is pretty obvious, particularly with Dando's more country-infused songs (which I somehow never realized exactly how country they were back in high school...). There is also a huge sampling of 90s alt-country bands like Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown. It's really a touch of everything we gush about obsessively in one band, so we're pretty confident you're going to love it. You can listen to "Old Reasons" below. You can purchase a copy at These Wild Plains' Bandcamp , and for more information on the band, check out the...

Let's get this part out of the way right away. The new Paws album is produced by Mark Hoppus of Blink 182. I have nothing against Mark Hoppus or Blink 182 per se, but when one of my favorite noisy punk bands gets produced by the man who helped usher in the sugary mall pop punk genre, I'm right to be a little concerned. I think we all know what happened to H2O when they signed to a major and had to make the pop album. At least with "Gone So Long," the concern is unwarranted. Is it a little more polished than their previous albums? Definitely. Could it be a little too polished? Maybe. Is it still fun noisy punk? Yes. At some point every band starts to clean up their sound a bit. Goo was more polished than Bad Moon Rising, and while some people hated it, they're both considered Sonic Youth classics now. This might help Paws sell some more records, but they may also deserve it. The third Paws album, No Grace , is due out June 17 on FatCat Records. You can listen ...

It's been far too long since we've heard from Milwaukee's Brief Candles. Luckily for us, teh band has released the first single from an upcoming full length. "Provisions" starts off simply enough. Brief Candles do this beautiful blend of pop leaning shoegaze ( I have previously described it as a cross between Guided By Voices and My Bloody Valentine ), and "Provisions" furthers that perfectly. It's mid-tempo, jangly, and just enough to bop along to. And then something happens. Shoegaze songs always have these little parts that seem like the song might devolve into chaos, but they never do. It's just not what shoegaze does. But then "Provisions" does. It ends in what can only be described as Sonic Youth trying to cover Iron Butterfly. And it's glorious. Brief Candles' next full length isn't due until the fall, so get ready to listen to "Provisions" a ton while we wait. Luckily, you can do that below. You can als...

Here's the rest from this week! Artist : Clairy Browne Album : Pool Quick Description : Clairy Browne goes solo with a record that's surprisingly poppier than anticipated. Why You Should Listen : Her work with Clairy Browne and the Rackettes is great. Overall Thoughts : This is about as nontraditional a traditional modern pop record will get. On one hand, this feels like it could fit right on modern pop radio, but, on the other hand, this has a classic/edgier sensibility better delegated to the alt-pop space. You mix in songs like "F.U.B." and you get an album that feels both all over the place and kind of perfect. I honestly loved it, and I'm looking forward to more time with it, but if you're looking for something more straightforward, this might not be it. Recommendation : A great listen, but clearly not for everyone. Artist : The Coathangers Album : Nosebleed Weekend Quick Description : Some great power pop from a female trio. Why You Shou...

A busy week of new music, which seems to be typical for the moment! 1 of 2 as has been the case for a while. Album of the Week : Artist : Sturgill Simpson Album : A Sailor's Guide to Earth Quick Description : Latest album from the buzzed-about country act. Why You Should Listen : If his previous album was his roots breakthrough, this might end up being his mainstream one. Overall Thoughts : We've, to this point, not been on the Sturgill bandwagon here. It's not that he's not good at what he does, but I haven't personally felt the connection to his work the way a lot of other people have. Metamodern Sounds felt very sterile to me in particular, and I was expecting more of the same from this new album this week, and I didn't get it. His sound is still classic (the cover of "In Bloom" absolutely nails it), but there's a little bit of a layer of something here that I felt was missing before, and it makes it much more interesting. Thi...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz While her previous releases were a bit more folk oriented, "Emotions and Math," the newest single from Margaret Glaspy, leans more toward the pop side of Americana that Lucius and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down have mastered. What sets Margaret Glaspy apart from the others is her voice. She has this soulful voice that also has an energetic 90s slacker vibe to it. Think of Susan Tedeschi meets Courtney Barnett. It all creates this element of both the familiar and unique blending together. Margaret Glaspy's debut album,  Emotions and Math,  is due out June 17 on ATO Records, and is available for pre-order . For more information on Margaret Glaspy, check out her website , and listen to "Emotions and Math" below.

Grave School's "Eugene, OR" will be the best short song you hear all year. The video clocks in at 2:06, but about 30 seconds of that takes place before the music kicks in. For the minute and a half that the song lasts, it's pure catchy 90s inspired pop rock. It reminds me a ton of whitechocolatespaceegg era Liz Phair meets The Anniversary. It's raw, and confessional, with swirling jangly guitars, and just as you decide you love the song and are dying for the second verse, it's all over.  "Eugene, OR" is the fourth installment of The Native Sound Private Press Series. You have until April 18th to order a 7" of your very own. After that, no more orders will be taken, and it will never be reprinted. You'll also get a download of Grave School's EP, so just hearing more from these guys might make it worth it. You can order your own copy here . For more on Grave School, you can follow them on Twitter or Facebook . Also, Grave School featu...

And the rest of the week: Artist : Future of the Left Album : To Failed States and Forest Clearings Quick Description : A mini companion EP to go along with their new album. Why You Should Listen : It's a smaller dose, and perhaps better? Overall Thoughts : This is music from the same sessions as the album I covered yesterday, and perhaps it's just that it's a much more concise piece that I enjoyed it more. A handful of good songs, the whole is pretty solid, and perhaps jump in on this one first? Recommendation : A great companion to their other album. Artist : Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Album : Call It What It Is Quick Description : Ben Harper's latest sort of folky sort of funky effort. Why You Should Listen : You probably already know if you'd like this. Overall Thoughts : Ben Harper had a minor hit with "Steal My Kisses" around 15 years ago, and I feel like he's more been on the edges of the sort of jam band thing for a w...

Kind of a weird week, but a lot to get through and not a ton of time, so this will be split into two posts again! Album of the Week : Artist : She Makes War Album : Direction of Travel Quick Description : Smart, interesting indie singer-songwriter rock music. Why You Should Listen : Every so often an artist appears out of nowhere and gives you a fresh-yet-familiar-sounding album. That's She Makes War. Overall Thoughts : This is apparently this artist's third album, but I can't say I've heard of her before, and I can't wait until I have enough time to delve into the back catalog a bit. She Makes War makes some interesting music that both sounds like stuff you've heard before, but still surprises you and stays hooked in your head. "In Cold Blood" grabbed me by the time I was interested in this album, and "5000 Miles" just did not let go one bit. When I finished, I wanted to listen again, because I feel like there are layers here tha...

The Julie Ruin is back with the first single from their upcoming album, Hit Reset. I don't remember even hearing that they were working on an album, so this is the most welcome kind of surprises. "I Decide" doesn't quite have the raw ferocity of Bikini Kill, or the danceability of Le Tigre or even The Julie Ruin's previous album, Run Fast. While it still has a distinctive groove and Kathleen Hanna's distinctive sing-song vocals, "I Decide" feels more indie rock than Hanna's previous projects. The song has a haunting quality that's leaving me very intrigued. Hit Reset will be out July 8 on Hardly Art. You can pre-order the album here . The band's website appears to be under construction currently but will hopefully be up soon. You can watch the video (which features Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee wandering around South By Southwest) for "I Decide" below.

Al Jourgensen has put together roughly a thousand bands in his multi-decade career, so what's one more? His newest is Surgical Meth Machine. Surgical Meth Machine combines the heavy industrial that Jourgensen is best known for, but also includes a lot more electronic elements than usual. The first song released is "I Don't Wanna," which might be the biggest clusterfuck of noise that will be released in 2016. With industrial beats, squelching guitars, and pure electronic noise, it sounds like maybe three songs being blasted all together, but with Jourgensen involved, that's exactly what you want it to sound like. Plus, the song features vocals from Jourgensen's Lard and Revolting Cocks bandmate Jello Biafra for an adult level temper tantrum. Surgical Meth Machine's debut album is due out April 15. You can watch the video for "I Don't Wanna" below. For more information, check out Al Jourgensen's website .

As we inch closer to the debut album from Vow, they've made another song available to listen to. "Green Light" continues their move away from the synth pop of their first two Eps into more indie rock territory. That's not to say it completely gives up all electronic elements, as there is a strong resemblance to a sunnier New Order here, with just a hint of vocals that remind me of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval and Steven Malkmus. Vow's debut album, Kind Eyes, will be out May 27 on The Native Sound. Be sure to listen to "Green Light" below. For more information on Vow, check out their website . You can also pre-order the album on Bandcamp .

Photo by Sarah Garrard Lonesome Shack delivers completely stripped down dirty blues that has an undeniable boogie to it. The Seattle trio is set to release their fourth album, The Switcher , and has made "To the Floor" available to listen. "To the Floor" is a raw, foreboding song. It just has this dark edge to it. It could be because the entire time you listen to it, you keep expecting it to just explode into this complete breakdown, like a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion album would. But it never does. It just keeps building and building to a climax that never truly comes, all without changing tempo. You wait for a release that you never get. It's both frustrating and glorious. And you can somehow dance to it. The Switcher will be released on June 24. You can listen to "To the Floor" below. For more information on Lonesome Shack, check out their website .