If It's Too Loud...

Despite Dinosaur Jr being one of my favorite bands, I don't think I've seen them since 2009 when they played Club Hell in Providence. When I saw that they were playing The Met Cafe, one of my favorite clubs, I knew I had to go. I mean, how could this go wrong? Well... I do have to briefly mention Easy Action who opened the show. I knew nothing about them when I walked in during their set, but holy Jesus, were they amazing. They're too straight forward rock to be noise punk, and they're way too loud and noisy to be hard rock. They occupy some bizarre territory in between the two. It was just loud, artsy rock that was far too rock to be smart, but too interesting to be dumb. I will have to get them on my radar ASAP! Now for Dinosaur Jr's set. Easy Action sounded great. I'm not sure what happened in between sets, but something was just wrong during their set. They opened with "Thumb" from Green Mind . The only reason I knew they opened with "Th...

Photo by Reid Haithcock For the life of me I can't figure out how I started paying attention to Easthampton, MA's Kindling, but their newest song makes me thrilled I stumbled onto them at some point in the past. "Destroy Yrself" is an absolutely epic shoegazey song. The track starts off with this furious, bouncy, swirling fury, and just goes from there for about two minutes. There's an epic false start, where the song trails off. It will actually make you angry that you began to love it so much, just to have it end. And then the song takes back off, only to begin trailing off again. Finally it just erupts back in full force as what is almost a full fledged arena anthem. Of course, then it abruptly ends, crashing you back down into reality and desperate for more.  You can listen to "Destroy Yrself" below. Kindling's latest album, Hush , will be out November 10. You can pre-order it via Bandcamp , with $1.00 of all pre-order sales going to Partne...

Photo by Matthew Williams Despite releasing two full albums back in 2015 (A Melvins-esque feat!), Shopping has been quiet the past two years. Luckily, they are back with a brand new single. (We'd prefer a full length, but certainly won't complain too loudly!) "The Hype" is exactly what we want from Shopping: It borrows quite heavily from bands like Gang of Four, which I'm always 100% behind. "The Hype" does bring this new funk style with it.The track even breaks down into what's almost a jam band finish. A funky/post punk/jam song might sound fairly terrible, but it shakes their sound up just enough to help keep them evolving without abandoning why we love them.  You can listen to "The Hype" below. It will be available as a single on November 17 via FatCat Records. For more on Shopping, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

Artist : The Blow Album : Brand New Abyss Quick Description : Latest from the popular indie act. Why You Should Listen : They're very buzzworthy. Overall Thoughts : This is a higher-profile indie release this week, and I’m not afraid to say I’ve never quite gotten The Blow. For me, they seem like a poppier version of The xx in a lot of ways, except that the sparse nature of what they do never fully connects. On the other hand, I know a handful of people who are pretty big fans, so this might more be an issue of my not getting it than anything else. You might love this, so give it a chance and you’ll know pretty fast if it’s for you. Recommendation : Worth some time Artist : Tricky Album : ununiform Quick Description : Latest from the trip-hop legend. Why You Should Listen : It's the most interesting release of the week musically. Overall Thoughts : Tricky sounded unlike anything else in the mainstream during his peak, and, honestly, he sounds unlike anything els...

Photo by Evan James Atwood One of my favorite musical styles I'll always have a fondness for is early 60's doo wop. I grew up an odd kid, choosing a lot of my parent's music instead of my own generation until I was about 12. Because of this, I've listened to way more classic doo wop than New Wave. Doo wop is one of those genres that doesn't really get the throwback love that it deserves. Haley Heynderickx is here to help remedy that. With a song title like "Oom Sha La La," her classic doo wop influence is right out there. The song is a true mix of Americana and the aforementioned doo wop, so there are some similarities to Molly Burch, another of our favorites from earlier this year. But there's just something about Heynderickx's singing style that just feels raw. Her voice goes from light and vulnerable to a feeling of joy (accentuated by the hints of a chuckle on some lines) and back again. And then there's the repeated near screaming of...

Another busy week, so let's play two! Album of the Week : Artist : Phoebe Bridgers Album : Stranger in the Alps Quick Description : Debut album from a buzzy singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : You will love her. No question. Overall Thoughts : I’ll be honest: I only added this to my playlist rotation for this week because the title of the album made me laugh out loud. Ken had the same reaction to it when I told him to listen to it, and if a good album title gets this into a few more hands, all the better, because this is a GREAT folk album. Easily the best release of the week, Phoebe Bridgers successfully balances an often-sparse instrumentation effort with some really melodic stuff and interesting… well, everything. It’s a hard space to innovate in, and Bridgers is making a definite effort in modernizing a genre that is very rooted in its past. She’s a little profane, a little fun, and ridiculously talented... Recommendation : ...so make this a priority listen...

I use the term "post punk" here quite a bit, probably too much to be honest. But, in my defense, it typically let all of you know exactly what a band sounds like. Now that we have The Plan, that term has been thrown off completely. "Pier Party Nerves" is definitely post punk. However, while post punk tends to be very serious, artistic music, The Plan have a sense of fun. I hesitate to call them quirky since that can imply that they're a novelty or cute, and The Plan certainly aren't either of those. I guess they're quirky the way Talking Heads are quirky, but much more organic than the Talking Heads are. "Pier Party Nerves" has an oddly danceable groove, if you don't mind dancing very awkwardly. You can watch the video for "Pier Party Nerves" below. The Plan's debut album, Nervous Energy , will be out on October 13 on Southend Records. You can pre-order a copy through Bandcamp . For more on The Plan, check them out on Fa...

The latest single from Boston's Mill Pond Falls is nostalgic for a very specific retro 90's sound. Back in the early to mid 90's, I hated country. This was back in the days when "Achy Breaky Heart" in all of its terrible glory just couldn't be avoided, so I hated anything that even remotely like country. Or so I thought. As much as I loved bands like Buffalo Tom, The Lemonheads, and Matthew Sweet, my teenage and college self just couldn't pick up on the heavy country influence those bands had. Now I listen to a lot of those songs and all I can hear is country. That's what "Gone," and its B-Side "Everyday" to a lesser extent, reminds me of. It's that glorious time back when all these alternative bands were playing their 120 Minutes  buzz clips for kids that would never have admitted liking country even though their idols were just oozing Americana. Mills Pond Falls play this blend of catchy, post-grunge alternative that has j...

The latest single from the UK's Shame, "Concrete," is an intense one. "Concrete" is about being trapped in an emotionally and mentally draining relationship. It's contained in a fairly standard post punk guitar framework. As it starts, it feels familiar, especially if you've been following us for any length of time. And then the call and response verses start, bringing a sense of paranoia. Slowly, it breaks into a harder, more punk edge than you get with post punk. Plus, there's slightly more noise than you would have expected at the beginning. The whole thing is crammed tightly into this wound little ball of a song, feeling like it needs to explode and run free, but just not allowed to. Ever. You can watch the video for "Concrete" below. Shame's debut album will be released in early 2018. To keep up with Shame, check out their website , and follow them on Facebook and Twitter . Their tour dates are below the video. Sat. Sep...

Photo by  Corinne Schiavone Jennie Vee has one of the more unique musical backgrounds I've seen. She grew up in a small town in Ontario, which she left for England. After England, she moved to Nashville and then NYC, where she made her debut album. Back in 2015, she played bass for Courtney Love on the Endless Summer Tour. After that, she's played with Echo & The Bunnymen, Manic Street Preachers, and The Darkness. Currently she's living in LA and a member of Eagles of Death Metal. Somehow, even with all of that, she had the time to write and record an EP of her own music. "Hospital Bed" doesn't sound like any of the bands Jennie Vee has played with. It's more along the lines of what is now called "dream pop." It has a dreamy, wistful feel, but with a biting guitar, and some of the best hooks you've heard in years. It's just shy of being true pop, with the slightest bit of edge holding it back. You can listen to "Hospital ...

Artist : Foo Fighters Album : Concrete and Gold Quick Description : Latest from the alt-rock legends. Why You Should Listen : I suppose it's not to the point where the Foos are a nostalgia act, right? Overall Thoughts : Oh, Foo Fighters. On one hand, you have one of the premier alt-rock bands of the post-grunge era with a new album. On the other, I’m not sure they’ve had a truly great (or even good) album in well over a decade. This feels like a mess of rock excess that’s trying too hard, and that might be generous. It makes me wonder whether The Colour and the Shape is actually good at all, given the taste this left in my mouth. Recommendation : Don’t make my mistake, just pretend this didn’t happen. Artist : Angus and Julia Stone Album : Snow Quick Description : New album from the Aussie duo. Why You Should Listen : These two continue to be some of the better mainstream acts running. Overall Thoughts : A favorite of the coffee shop folk music set, this album i...

Photo by Ashley Connor This might be the song that makes me obsessed with Torres. "Helen in the Woods" isn't exactly a pleasant listen, but for those of us obsessed with bands like Sonic Youth, unpleasant isn't a bad thing. The song is very discordant and haunting. Mackenzie Scott's vocals are harsh and brash, oftentimes straining to get her emotion out. Listening to "Helen in the Woods" can be disturbing at times, like something is being done to you. Somehow, the instrumentation keeps it all centered. I wouldn't say the music is beautiful, but it comes oddly close to it at times. I never quite got when people compared Torres to PJ Harvey, but this song clears that up for me. "Helen in the Woods" won't be for everyone, but for those of us that it is for will end up loving it. You can watch the video for "Helen in the Woods" below. The new album from Torres, Three Futures , will be available September 29 on 4AD. For mor...

Another busy week of releases, so this'll be a two-parter. Album of the Week : Artist : Lenore. Album : Lenore. Quick Description : Debut album from a new favorite duo here. Why You Should Listen : You wish First Aid Kit was more musically adventurous. Overall Thoughts : Easily my favorite of this week, and it doesn’t even come close. Sort of a more complex First Aid Kit, there’s gorgeous harmonies to go along with interesting songwriting and a haunted sort of feel. I was continually surprised by this throughout my listen, and I simply can’t wait until I get another opportunity to dive back in. Recommendation : This is my favorite album of the week, and it should be yours, too. Artist : Deer Tick Album : Vol. 1 / Vol. 2 Quick Description : Two releases from the somewhat twangy indie rockers. Why You Should Listen : There's enough good here to give some time to it. Overall Thoughts : Deer Tick is officially in “we’re releasing a double album” territory with an...

Photo by Giulia McGauran We've been loving every track from Alex Lahey's upcoming debut full length album, and for good reason. The Australian singer/songwriter specializes in the type of pop rock that used to be called alternative back in the mid-90's. Her latest, "I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself," is this pleasant happy medium between her previous two singles from I Love You Like a Brother. It's not quite as poppy as "Every Day's the Weekend" and it's not as grungey as "Lotto in Reverse."  Instead, "I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself" fits snugly in between both of the previous songs. It has the insanely catchy pop hooks and upbeat chorus along with fuzzed out guitars. It's reminds me a ton of Letters to Cleo's Go!  Plus, there's Lahey's amazing lyrics. I'm not usually much of a lyrics guy at all, but hers always just suck me in. "I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself"...

The finale of Twin Peaks: The Return was two weeks ago and my brain is still busted wide open from the entire series. No television show has exercised my brain the way The Return did, and the mysteries that were solved during the season being replaced by new ones has just kept me so engaged in the entire mythology of the Peaks universe up to this point that I see no signs of stopping. I am looking for books that are like Twin Peaks , shows that will somehow fill the orb-shaped void inside of me. While the music of the original series is iconic in its own right, The Return stepped up in an interesting and unexpected way. While the series itself played around considerably both with ethereal whooshing soundscapes and the use of silence, most episodes ended with a scene in the bar, where the music venue, "The Roadhouse," was hosting all sorts of indie artists. It was almost a game in and of itself to see who would be featured along the way. Also related were some of...