If It's Too Loud...: First Listen: New Releases for 22 March 2024

Artist: Elbow
Album: AUDIO VERTIGO
Quick Thoughts: Elbow's been one of the stalwarts from that early 2000s British rock era. They've gotten some popular love over the years, but never quite the heights of Coldplay or Doves, which is a shame. AUDIO VERTIGO, in many ways, reflects their consistency as a band and has a strong Asleep in the Back feel in a lot of ways. As a longtime fan, I really enjoyed this listen, and if you've fallen off with the band a bit, this is a great place to jump back in.
Songs of Note: "Things I've Been Telling Myself for Years," "Her to the Earth," "From the River"

Artist: Rosie Tucker
Album: UTOPIA NOW!
Quick Thoughts: Rosie Tucker has an all-time favorite song for me in "Lauren" from their album a few years back. I've chased that high ever since, but UTOPIA NOW! hits in a similar way and works so well. Whether it's the biting nature of "All My Exes" or the straightforward and expert indie rock of "Eternal Life," this is a great album in any week or any setting. Make time.
Songs of Note: "All My Exes Live in Vortexes," "Maylene," "Suffer! Like You Mean It," "Eternal Life"

Artist: Holiday Sidewinder
Album: The Last Resort
Quick Thoughts: Holiday Sidewinder apes the late 1970s-early 1980s pop spectrum so well, it's sometimes surprising that it's a modern record. Sort of disco, sort of synth-rock, with production values and guitar tones suitable for any yacht rock playlist, it's a great album with song after song after song that just rock. I loved every minute of this, both for the musical references and the great songwriting. A mandatory listen this week.
Songs of Note: "Escape and Retreat," "Ripe," "Aphrodite Rock," "Adonis," "Venus Beach," "So Paradise," "Crystal Bay"

Artist: Wyn and the White Light
Album: Luck
Quick Thoughts: Wyn Doran is a New England singer-songwriter, and this new project is super impressive. This album, billed as "pomegranate-infused haunted-soul-rock," is insanely great, with perfect vibes and stellar songwriting and musicianship. It's got an epic feel despite being deliberately bare in much of its presentation, and I was really, really taken by this record. This is a sleeper hit if I've ever heard one, so check it out.
Songs of Note: "Statue," "White Noise," "Can the World Change"

Artist: Aoife O'Donovan
Album: All My Friends
Quick Thoughts: The latest from the New England roots queen, All My Friends is an album that has things to say and does so with some epic, soaring songs that transcend the typical progressive bluegrass O'Donovan is so good at. I've been a fan of hers for well over a decade now, but the scope of this record feels as weighty as a lot of the subject matter. It's deserves your attention.
Songs of Note: "Crisis," "Daughters," "America, Come," "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll"

Artist: Gary Clark Jr.
Album: JPEG RAW
Quick Thoughts: Everyone who loves music loves Gary Clark Jr., and for good reason: he's a great guitarist and wonderful songwriter, with a great blues-infused sound. JPEG RAW sounds like what you think it would, which may make sense to only me, but there's a dirty, rough quality to this that really kills it for me. Loved this listen, arguably one of his best.
Songs of Note: "Maktub," "JPEG RAW," "Don't Star," "This is Who We Are," "What About the Children"

Artist: Dasha
Album: What Happens Now?
Quick Thoughts: I don't know how Dasha ended up on my radar, but I know it wasn't how most everyone else learned of her. "Austin," which is probably the most earwormy song I've heard in ages, absolutely exploded on Tiktok due to a tailor-made line dance from the singer, and I've never felt closer to turning to dust than in the moment I learned how she got famous. It's a shame that the social media stuff will likely overshadow her for the time being, because this mini-album shows a confident, talented singer and songwriter with a solid future.
Songs of Note: "Austin," "King of California," "Share This City"

Of note:

* Magana - Teeth (Solid folk-ROCK-adjacent tunes.)
* Highwater Haulers - Puncher's Choice (Surprisingly fun indie alt-country.)
* Porcine - Porcine (Definitely a band to watch, lots to love here.)
* Sleap-e - 8106
* Jlin - Akoma
* Halo Maud - Celebrate
* Lolina - Unrecognisable
* Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves
* Habitants - Alma
* Salt Cathedral - Before It's Gone
* Adrienne Lenker - Bright Future
* Gossip - Real Power
* Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
* The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes
* Francis of Delirium - Lighthouse
* Bendigo Fletcher - Two Things At Once
* Odetta Hartman - Swansongs
* Carsie Blanton - After the Revolution
* Clara Lewis and Yuki Tsujii - Salt Water
* Blanket - Ceremonia
* Lauran Hibberd - girlfriend material
* The Staves - All Now
* Empress Of - For Your Consideration
* Brimhelm - RATKING
* Starsailor - Where the Wild Things Grow
* SPACED - This is All We Ever Get
* Rosali - Bite Down
* Logic1000 - Mother
* Prefuse 73 - New Strategies for Modern Crime Volume 1
* Mitu - DANZAAA
* Alena Spanger - Fire Escape
* Sierra Ferrell - Trail of Flowers
* Grace Corsi - Downriver
* Mega Ran and Jermiside - The Lure of Light
* Charlie Parr - Little Sun
* Saint Saviour - Sunseeker
* Orkestar Kriminal - Originali
* Thee Sinseers - Sinseerly Yours