If It's Too Loud...: First Listen: New Releases and Missed Music for 7 December 2024

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

First Listen: New Releases and Missed Music for 7 December 2024

Artist: Twine
Album: New Old Horse
Quick Thoughts: Twine feels like if Pavement and Drive-by Truckers had a baby that really enjoyed Black Country New Road. This is a compliment, as this is a wild and wonderful ride with one surprise after another throughout the runtime. This is chaotic in all the best ways, and probably my favorite listen of the week.
Songs of Note: "Spine," "New Cleaner," "Same Old Problems," "Fruit to Ripe"

Artist: Termanology and TEK
Album: Teknology
Quick Thoughts: TEK, half of 90s rap favorites Smif-N-Wessun, and Lawrence, MA-native underground rapper Termanology collaborate on a great rap record that has the best of both worlds and borrows from all eras. It has an old school feel with a new school flow, and I really enjoyed this one. Definitely the best rap effort of the week.
Songs of Note: "Hustler's Soul," "The Connect," "I Got What You Need," "Boom Bap or Die," "Toe to Toe"

Artist: Lauren Mayberry
Album: Vicious Creature
Quick Thoughts: Better known as the lead singer of CHVRCHES, this is her first full-length solo album following a bunch of singles over the last five years. "Change Shapes" was in constant rotation this year, but this album really allows Mayberry to explore a more poppy, upbeat sound in contrast to her main gig. A solid listen with a feair number of highlights throughout.
Songs of Note: "Something in the Air," "Sorry, Etc.," "Change Shapes," "Sunday Best"

Artist: High Horse
Album: High Horse
Quick Thoughts: I wanted to highlight this one that Ken sent over. High Horse is sometimes instrumental, sometimes chamber-esque, but has a strong progressive bluegrass feel that is often lacking in albums like this. The album has a weight to it that gives an additional feel of importance to the exercise, and I highly recommend it.
Songs of Note: "Prelude (Holy Water)," "The Orphan / Richard Dwyer's / Mrs. Lawrie's," "Suite IV. Side-Stepping," "Ground Hog"

Artist: Odd Marshall
Album: Sand and Glue
Quick Thoughts: Odd Marshall is not quite alt-rock, but not quite alt-country, either, but whatever he is, it's a fun album this week. Whatever we want to call it, there are songs like "Santa Barbara" and "Midsummer," that work so well and have a lightness and fun to them as well. Independent Americana, I suppose? Either way, it's worth a listen at the end of this year.
Songs of Note: "Nobody Wins," "Santa Barbara," "It Ends Tonight," "Midsummer," "What You Take"

Of note:

* Chiyomi Yamada and baobab - Songs of my land (Gorgeous Japanese folk.)
* Master Boot Record - Hardwarez
* Yndling - Mood Booster
* Nils Frahm - Paris
* porch kis - nothing feels the same
* Advance Base - Horrible Occurrences
* Hunger Anthem - Lift
* poem - Patching a Hole in My Heart
* Daniel Allan - Noise Pollution
* LUCY - Cooper B. Handy's Album, Vol. 9
* Tom Baker - Justine & Me
* Low Harness - Salvo
* Wonk Unit - Good Good Glad to Hear It
* The Incomplete Orchestra - Zamboni Time
* felicita - Spaelarkle
* Velvet - Velvet Kicks
* ONR and The Listening Planet - Imperfect Cadence
* Illiterate Light - Arches
* Matamoska! - Matamoska!
* Field Medic - boundless and true
* Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road
* City Girl - Asleep in Soft Ether
* Ginger Root - SHINBANGUMI
* Little Shrine - Heart Instruction
* estelle allen - i love myself and want to live
* Recognize Ali - A Kind Word and a Gun
* B. Dolan - The Wound is Not The Body
* Caleb Landry Jones - Ruth McWilliam / Bag of Rabbits / Salmon Toes / Teased With a Fork (Eat the Movie, Watch the Chinese Food)