If It's Too Loud...

You know we couldn't close out Halloween week without another Halloween themed song, right? Somehow The Cutthroat Brothers and Mike Watt have another collaborative album coming out, and the latest single is "Like a Zombie." This new song is just classic blues based garage punk. It's the kind of song garage rock bands did in the 60's to capitalize on Halloween. It even opens with a howl, which I simply can not resist. Plus, there are more than a few nods to classic horror punk, so "Like a Zombie" is basically a lost classic horror rock song minus it being lost. You're going to want to play the hell out of this one this weekend, or, if you're anything like me, all year round! You can watch the video for "Like a Zombie" below. Devil in Berlin is due out December 3 on Hound Gawd! Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on The Cutthroat Brothers, check out their website .

Photo via Facebook Remedy has been a Wu-Tang affiliated rapper since 1998's Wu-Tang Killa Bees: The Swarm , contributing "Never Again" to the album. Since then he's produced albums from Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna and released his own album The Genuine Article in 2001. He's set to release a new solo album, and "Death Defying" is the first single from that album. It features Inspectah Deck, and it is exactly what we want and expect from anything Wu-Tang related in 2021. It has a huge classic hip hop sound that is going to make middle aged Wu-Tang fans very happy without sounding like a throwback jam.  You can watch the video for "Death Defying" below. Remedy Meets Wu-Tang will be out November 26 and features guest spots from Method Man, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Cappadonna, and more. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here . For more on Remedy, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by Abby Linne I first discovered Sara Radle when she was a member of The Rentals. That led me to discovering her other bands like Lucy Loves Schroeder and Calamity Magnet, along with her solo work. She's been fairly quiet on the musical front focusing more on a film career, but for Halloween she's released a five song medley of Monkees classics! In the video she's playing the parts of all four of The Monkees, and it's clearly a labor of love. These are spot on covers from a devoted fan with just the slightest modernization. If you have any sense of fun or joy, you're going to love this. Sara Radle says of her cover choice: "The Monkees were my first favorite band, so when Otik Records asked me to be a part of their Halloween Covers Show again, I knew what I needed to do - create a love letter to The Monkees by recording a five-song medley (playing all the instruments and singing all the parts) then shoot and edit a video with me playing Micky Dolenz, Mich...

There's a meme that goes around every so often saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick in their order. Goth is traditionally very mopey, sad music. You would never expect a band to combine those two sounds, so when we got an email for a band described as a "ska-goth collective," there is just no way we're not listening. Grave Danger's latest song, "Specter Inspector," is definitely much more ska than goth. It has that upbeat, horn heavy sound associated with goth, but then again The Cure's "Why Can't I Be You?" exists, so... I'd call this more Halloween themed ska, although it does have an ever so slightly darker sound than ska typically does, so maybe this is just as goth as ska can get. David Schwantes of Grave Danger says of the new song: "I've always enjoyed "ska spy songs", in the tradition of Spy Market by Let's Go Bowling and Sevent...

Canadian multi-instrumentalist Evan Uschenko has been a touring member of bands like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but is now striking out on his own under the name Ghost Woman. When you hear that an artist recorded their music in an abandoned barn that has since burned down, Ghost Woman aren't going to sound like what you'd expect. Their new single, "Do You," is an odd little slinky garage rock jam. It's comprised of slightly off tuned fuzzy guitars that call out to you like a siren with some psychedelic jam band drumming. Uschenko's vocals have this droning and hypnotic feel. The whole thing reminds me a lot of The Dandy Warhol's heyday.  You can watch the video for "Do You" below. It is available now as a single via Full Time Hobby here . For more on Ghost Woman, check out the artist on Twitter and Bandcamp .

Portland, OR's Strange & the Familiars (led by Stephanie Strange) take inspiration from "... the fantastical comic book themes of Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore, the gothic humor of Tim Burton, and the dramatic flair of live storytelling theatre." Regular readers of If It's Too Loud... are going to immediately think of bands like Charming Disaster and Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys, and that will be accurate. "Pretty Deadly" has the drama of both of those bands, and it combines dark folk, cabaret, and indie rock in a unique way. It even boasts a truly impressive loud/quiet/loud dynamic. The quiet parts remind me a lot of the more folk side of The Huntress and Holder of Hands, and the loud is just straight up (ish?) rock and roll. Any time an artist reminds me of a few of my favorites but in a truly unique way, I'm going to be fully on board! You can watch the video for "Pretty Deadly" below. Strange World is due out October 31. Fo...

Oregon's This Lonesome Paradise are back with a new single before their new album comes out on Halloween. "Creatures of the Night" has that "Western noir" we've come to love from the band, but it adds in a crooner element and a doo wop element. If you've always loved those genres but wished they could sound much, much darker, this one is definitely for you. What I'm coming to truly adore about This Lonesome Paradise is how they take traditional and classic American sounds and filter them through a dark sonic prism. Even the sound feels warped on "Creatures of the Night" like you're listening to this on a record you found in a basement closet underneath boxes of junk. And I mean all that as the best possible compliment. You can listen to "Creatures of the Night" below. Electric Dreams is due out October 31 on American Standard Time Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on This Lonesome Paradise, check out the artist...

Photo by Max Bloom Anna Vincent has been making music for two decades with bands like My Tiger My Timing and Heavy Heart. She's all set to release her solo debut. "Nothing Wrong" is the latest offering from her upcoming album. The song melds classic 90's alternative/power pop like Juliana Hatfield and Teenage Fanclub with more modern artists like Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. It's a fuzz filled alternative pop rocker that moves around at a medium pace and sucks the listener in with Vincent's mesmerizing vocals and hypnotic instrumentation. It's a compelling song despite having strong roots you've definitely heard before. You can watch the video for "Nothing Wrong" below. Under the Glass is due out October 29 on Ultimate Blends. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Anna Vincent, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Courtney Reader The Surfrajettes (which I think we can all agree is one of the greatest band names of all time) are "Toronto's premiere psychedelic instrumental surfing group." For Halloween they've released a cover of The Lancasters' iconic "Satan's Holiday." Even if you're not familiar with The Lancasters and think you've never heard "Satan's Holiday," I guarantee you know this song. It's most likely the most famous classic surf song with Halloween/spooky elements. The Surfrajettes do an absolutely spot on perfect cover of the classic, and in the video they're all wearing matching devil costumes, so really... how can you not love this? You can watch the video for The Surfrajettes covering "Satan's Holiday" below. For more on The Surfrajettes, check out the band's website .

Artist : Aaron and the Lord Album : Aaron and the Lord Quick Thoughts : I've honestly been hit and miss on Aaron Perrino's work - The Sheila Divine, which is probably as close to legendary indie act in Boston as there can be, never quite did it for me, while I felt the Dear Leader project was truly great and I enjoyed No Hope/No Harm - but this newer side project is super solid. It's certainly alt rock, but it's also got some off-center concepts around it, and some of the songs featuring Tanya Donnelly feel truly inspired. I'd recommend it for any Perrino fans out there, but especially those who like to listen to him when he treads off the beaten path. Songs of Note : "Helpful Visions," "World on Edge" Artist : Jackson+Sellers Album : Breaking Point Quick Thoughts : I love both Jade Jackson and Aubrie Sellers, but I somehow completely missed the part where they were joining forced on a rockin' roots effort. This is a great listen...

Photo by Jay Lewn Chicago rapper Ric Wilson has teamed up with Yellow Days, the musical project of London's George Van Den Broek. The collaboration's first single, "Life's Been Good to Me," is a disco/hip hop/funk hybrid. It reminds me a lot of the early 90's P-Funk inspired hip hop, especially a song like Ice Cube's "Bop Gun." But, you know... more disco than that. It goes without saying, but "Life's Been Good to Me" is a fun song. Disco, hip hop, and funk are some of the most fun genres of all time, and I could see this being played at thousands of parties on both sides of the Atlantic as the year goes on. You can listen to "Life's Been Good to Me" below. Disco Ric in London Town is due out October 29. You can find out more about Yellow Days here , and more about Ric Wilson here . Dates for a collaborative tour are below the song. Wed. Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox Thu. Nov. 11 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre Sa...

Photo by Nick McKinlay We've been big fans of Alex Lahey for a few years now. Her ridiculously combination of indie rock, pop punk, and straight up punk is basically perfect even if two middle aged dads are probably not her target audience. Her latest single, "Spike the Punch," drops a lot of the indie rock and pop punk and just straight up pop rock. Knowing my musical taste I should truly hate this, but Lahey pulls off the near impossible and gets me to love a pop song. If there is such a thing as a song that is too catchy, "Spike the Punch" may very well be it, but since there isn't it's just a great song. In a press release, Alex Lahey says of the new song: “ ‘Spike The Punch’ is a song about the fun that comes with self-sabotage and reckless abandon. It's big, it's loud, it's fun, it's its own beast .  There are some super sinister tones in there rubbing up against really bright anime style guitar harmonies (guitarmonies, anyone?..) a...

Photo by Shervin Iainez Melissa Ferrick is a legendary singer/songwriter based out of Boston. They are a Berklee trained musician who is currently a Professor of the Practice at Northeastern University and a former Associate Professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music. Ferrick isn't an obvious choice for a Sleater-Kinney cover, but they've recorded a version of "You're No Rock N' Roll Fun" as part of Kill Rock Stars' thirtieth anniversary covers series Stars Rock Kill (Rock Stars). While I said they weren't an obvious choice to cover Sleater-Kinney, now that you know it exists it is kind of a dream cover, isn't it? Ferrick takes more of a traditional folk/rock look at the Sleater-Kinney classic, but since it is Ferrick it does have their non-traditional take on the standard classic singer/songwriter thing. Both Melissa Ferrick and Sleater-Kinney are wonderfully unique artists, and this cover reflects that. You can listen to Melissa Ferrick...

Photo via Facebook Of all of the killer hip hop coming out of Boston these days, Brandie Blaze seems poised to be the next one to break out nationally. Her latest single, "They Calling Me Blaze," has an intensity that is missing in a lot of hip hop these days. It's intense despite being a mid-tempo to mellow track. The intensity is completely in Blaze's vocals. If anything, the music has an ultra laid back feel that you'd hear in a Snoop Dogg song. But Blaze is just throwing emotion and intensity all over this track with her flow. She's an impossibly captivating performer, and "They Calling Me Blaze" truly showcases that. In a Facebook post, Brandie Blaze says of the new song: "During this pandemic, I went through a serious mental health crisis. I didn't want to perform anymore. I would cry before sets because I was forcing myself to do it. I delayed my 3rd album by a year. My pen was dry. I had to focus on getting myself together. I dropped...

Toronto's Cherry Blaster started off as a bedroom project of Iulia Ciobanu. It was a solo laptop synth project but has morphed into a three piece band. Their latest single, "New Age," definitely keeps that synth heavy bedroom project vibe. It starts off with some sparse keyboard noodling and some beats that sound like a drum machine. The focus is Ciobanu's vocals, which meander around almost as much as the instrumentation does. Eventually the song fills out in sound without losing any of the charm of the beginning. Iulia Ciobanu says of the new song: "Whether the bigger source of this fear was external or internal, as I approached my thirties, I couldn't shake the feeling that my "time was up" as an aspiring musician. One morning in my late twenties I woke up from a dream in which my silver hairs were turning pink and I was struck by the image. I turned this into a song that extended the dream into an alternate reality where I could transform myself...

For the 2021 If It's Too Loud... Halloween playlist, I did what I've been doing the past few years: As soon as the 2020 playlist was posted, I created a new one and started adding to it. Every time I stumbled onto a song deemed appropriate, I added it. After a year, the playlist ballooned to eighty nine songs and five and a half hours! There's a ton of new stuff released in the past year (The Exbats, Viagra Boys, Nervous Dater, Hard Nips, The Jacklights) there are also plenty of classics (Sonic Youth, L7, Neil Young, The Cramps, Pulp) in here. It covers a wide variety of musical genres, and it's long enough to cover any of your Halloween plans! Plus, since Halloween isn't until Sunday, we get a whole week to listen. Enjoy!

Calgary's Ghostkeeper are a unique band that has created a patchwork sound all their own. Their latest single, "Grassy Plains," is this oddball indie rock song that kind of reminds me of bands like The Magnetic Fields or Beat Happening. This isn't necessarily because of Ghostkeeper sound like these bands, but just the overall vibe. (If that makes any sense...) "Grassy Plains" is groovy in the way that Sonic Youth were sometimes groovy in the early 90's. It's the kind of song you're going to either love or hate, or perhaps be intrigued enough to give it a couple extra listens just to be sure how you feel. In a press release, Ghostkeeper say of their new single: "Our new single, 'Grassy Plains,' charts a fantasy based on a post-apocalyptic scenario where the protagonist’s man has gone off to fight as a revolutionary soldier.   "Driven to seek the help of the minegishi (sacred little people), she gathers medicine and words to bring...

San Francisco musician Andy Pastalaniec started off as a drummer in bands like Pink Films, Cruel Summer, and Seablite. His latest project, Chime School, sees him taking over as singer and songwriter. Chime School's new single, "Wait Your Turn," combines the 60's San Francisco pop/folk/psychedelic scene with 90's indie rock. The song has this irresistibly sunny vibe. Particularly at the beginning you get a strong sense of bands like The Byrds or Jefferson Airplane. As the song progresses, the noise starts to kick in. It's drenched in sunshine and soaked in feedback, combining sounds that could have existed if Nirvana hadn't mocked The Youngbloods in "Territorial Pissings." You can watch the video for "Wait Your Turn" below. Chime School's self-titled debut is due out November 5 on Slumberland Records. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here . For more on Chime School, check out their Twitter .

We don't get too many Halloween releases, but when we do we're sure to bring them to you especially if they happen to be free! Melbourne, Australia's The Thorazines just released Songs in the Key of Death. It's a four song EP that's a pop punk tribute to the 1986 film Trick or Treat , aka the heavy metal horror movie that stars Skippy from Family Ties and features appearances from Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons. The Thorazines have recorded four songs as a tribute to the movie. All four songs are decidedly pop punk, but that kind of pop punk that's heavily metal influenced and has a harder edge to it. This EP is a bunch of fun, especially if you've seen the movie recently enough to get all the references. I'll be trying to find it on a streaming service this weekend because while I think I've seen it, if I did it would be decades ago. You can listen to "Fuck with Fire" below. Songs in the Key of Death is available for the name your price op...

If you're going to be a rapper who calls a song "OG," it better be as old school as possible. Joell Ortiz delivers that. "OG" is pure hip hop. There are no R&B choruses and no auto-tune. It's more early 90's hip hop than 80's, but that's just the slicker production that wasn't available in the 80's. Plus, it's a song that talks about how wild and crazy life once was, but now Ortiz is in the suburbs with high cholesterol and shopping in Home Depot for a gazebo, but very happy with that since he's one of the ones that is still alive. It's one of the great songs about hip hop gracefully entering and thriving in middle age. In a press release, Joell Ortiz says of the new song: “ I feel so lucky to be able to call myself an 'OG.'  Where I come from adulthood isn’t always a guarantee.  But here I am, alive, and well and still doing what I love to do.  Music.  As life changes, so does my story.  Just happy to still be abl...

It's no secret that I'm an obsessive Sonic Youth fan, so I'm going to be hyper critical of any Sonic Youth cover. Luckily, Orlando, FL's Odd Circus mailed it. According to their Bandcamp bio, Odd Circus are an " Improv trio exploring the suspension of space and time. Post-rock, fusion, no wave, noise, experimental, garage rock, psychedelic, sci-fi prog. " For their Sonic Youth cover, they chose "The Wonder," the first in the trio of songs that make up the ending of 1988's immortal Daydream Nation. It's an instrumental cover, with Graham Robertson's saxophone covering for vocals. Odd Circus put together an explosive version of "The Wonder" that is immediately recognizable to fans of the original despite being it's very own thing. I would have thought it would be impossible to record a Sonic Youth cover that is faithful to the original without guitar, but this is done masterfully. You can listen to Odd Circus' cover of ...

Photo by Anne Lieke Heusinkveld On their latest single, Dutch dream pop band Maida Rose lean towards the poppy side of dream pop. "Every Day is Blue" sounds like the title of a song from The Smiths or The Cure, and it very well could be. It's a laid back, upbeat sounding pretty little song that showcases the vocals of Roos Meijer. It's the kind of song you could easily not pay attention to the lyrics of and just have a grand time listening. Of course, with a title like "Every Day is Blue," this isn't a cheerful song at all. This has been my favorite type of song dating back at least thirty years now: Pretty and happy sounding hiding a much sadder and darker meaning, so Maida Rose work for me on this one. Roos Meijer explains the meaning behind the song: "Depression is something that is hard to grasp if you’ve never suffered from it. I remember that I found it really challenging to communicate with friends and family who clearly had no idea of what i...

Artist : Le Ren Album : Leftovers Quick Thoughts : Probably my favorite listen this week, Le Ren offers a folky effort that excels at really great melodic and musical content. I don't know much of anything about this act, but she seems to be a transport from the 1960s in her overall approach, and this debut is one I'll be going back to very quickly. Songs of Note : "Dyan," "Who's Going to Hold Me Next?" Artist : Julia Shapiro Album : Zorked Quick Thoughts : Julia Shapiro excels in the sort of shoegazey stuff I know I love. This record gives me some real Marissa Nadler vibes, for sure, but it's really its own thing in a lot of respects. I really enjoyed this, it's the right kind of heavy for me this week. Songs of Note : "Come With Me," "Zorked" Artist : Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Album : Georgia Blue Quick Thoughts : This is a charity record for Georgia elections, so know that going in, but a really interesting...

We're thrilled that we have new music from Brooklyn's BODEGA. BODEGA have become one of our absolute favorites of the new crop of ultra dance friendly post punk ever since I saw them opening for Jon Spencer + The Hitmakers back in 2019, and "Doers" solidifies our love even more. "Doers" keeps the main elements we've loved from BODEGA. It's all groove and funk, but it's also a mid-tempo alt-rock song. There's far more fuzz lingering behind the song than you'd expect from BODEGA, and "Doers" sounds like it could be crossover mainstream hit if the music industry was still built like it was in the 90's. If they aren't already one of your favorites, these folks are going to endear themselves to you by this time next year. You can watch the video for "Doers" below. Broken Equipment  is due out March 11 on What's Yr Rupture? You can pre-order a copy here . For more on BODEGA, check out the band's Facebook .

Photo by Alexa Viscius I'm tempted to say that this seems like it was released just for me, but obviously Jeff Tweedy covering Neil Young is going to appeal to a lot of people. Last year Jeff Tweedy released Love is the King , an Americana solo album. December will see the release of a deluxe reissue, which will include a second disc that includes live versions of every track on Love is the King  plus a cover of Neil Young's "Old Country Waltz." It's an interesting choice taken from Neil Young's 1976 recorded and 2017 released album Hitchhiker. The main difference is that Young's original is just him solo and Tweedy's includes a full band, but it sounds exactly like what you'd expect Jeff Tweedy covering Neil Young to sound like, and who doesn't want that? You can watch the video for Jeff Tweedy's version of "Old Country Waltz" below. Love is the King/Live is the King is due out December 10 on dBpm Records and is sure to be on man...

Photo by Leslie Ryan McKellar According to Shovels & Rope, their upcoming album is going to be their heavy metal album. Well, heavy metal for them. As Michael Trent says, " It’s not heavy metal, but in our guts, it feels a bit like Heavy Metal ." You'll get what he means when you hear the first single from the album. "Domino" is still based in the folk and early rock 'n' roll we've come to adore from Shovels & Rope, but you can see why the South Carolina duo would call this their heavy metal album. Instead of sounding like heavy metal, "Domino" contains the spirit of heavy metal. There is just the slightest hint of the attitude and edge of heavy metal that is typically missing in a Shovels & Rope song. It still sounds like them, but just the slightest hint of a band expanding their sound after ten years is always welcome. You can watch the video for "Domino" below. Manticore is due out February 18 on Dualtone. You can ...

Photo by Katie Silvester Morgan Harper-Jones is folk-ish in the way that Bon Iver and Cat Power are folk-ish. Sure, her new single is folk, but only because it technically fits the guidelines of folk. "All I Do" shows Harper-Jones stripped bare. It's a raw and emotional song made even more raw by how minimal the song is. There are instruments here, but the focus is primarily on Harper-Jones' voice. "All I Do" has piano, drums, and a few other instruments, but all you'll truly remember is the emotion in her voice. This is a truly gorgeous song you won't forget any time soon. Morgan Harper-Jones says of the new single: “‘All I Do’ really woke me up to how overindulgent I can be in the wake of a break-up, or loss of any kind (a relationship/ moment/ feeling). I wouldn’t allow myself to move on, instead I’d figure out how I could get it back or control the outcome, meanwhile life continued to go on around me and I was missing it.” You can watch the video...

Photo via Facebook Wet Leg are a duo hailing from Isle of Wight and consist of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. They've released two singles that have slipped by us, but luckily for us all I stumbled upon them this weekend. Their first single, "Chaise Longue," is an impossibly fun post punk/indie rock track. Even at it's most mellow and quiet with very limited instrumentation, "Chaise Longue" is groovy as it could possibly be and will have you moving. Plus, it's filled with double entendres so blatant so aren't really double (including the "butter your muffin" line from Mean Girls ). Artsy rock is rarely this much fun, but Wet Leg are a blast. They are one of those bands that are going to be much bigger in a year, and absolutely huge in five. Jump on this bandwagon now. You can watch the video for "Chaise Longue" below. The song is available as a single via Domino Recording Company. For more on Wet Leg, check out the band's...