If It's Too Loud...

A slowish week with some real gems. Album of the Week Artist : Rainer Maria Album : S/T Quick Description : Comeback album from the indie rock darlings. Why You Should Listen : Because Rainer Maria rules, that's why. Overall Thoughts : I got into Rainer Maria VERY late. They had already broken up by the time I discovered them, most likely in a post-Reputation haze, and they've played a few comeback shows but the new album was a long time coming. It's here now, though, and it's basically exactly what I wanted. No, there's no "Ears Ring" here, but this sounds like a band that's known for an out-of-style genre that's back together for another run. It's just simply a must-listen, and the best of the week. A very welcome return. Recommendation : This is so good, guys. Artist : The Two Tens Album : On Repeat Quick Description : Garage-style power pop. Why You Should Listen : You always wondered what the love child of The Hives 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...

Biggest new release week since the blog started, and biggest new release week in recent memory, so let's just get to it. Braids - Flourish // Perish : A confession to start out: when I saw this release listed in this week's albums, I got excited as I thought this was something new from indie rock band Braid. It's not. Braids, instead, is an electronic outfit from Canada that has put out a surprising album that I really, really loved on my first listen. It's got a stark coldness to it that is difficult to achieve, and actually kind of gave me an "Aphex Twin if Aphex Twin was trying to make accessible music" vibe. If this sort of thing interests you at all, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. It's really one of the more interesting recent releases. Travis - Where You Stand : A "hey, remember us" album like none other. Travis hasn't released anything in around five years, and while their most recent album was a return to form afte...