If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Angela Autumn Album : Believer Quick Thoughts : It could be easy, at first glance, to write off Angela Autumn as another rootsy singer with a unique vocal delivery, but there's something different about her that sets this album apart. For me, I was hooked the moment I heard "Electric Lizard" for the first time, but this record offers song after song of compelling, different, and memorable music. "Mountain Stream" is a sonic delight, "Millionaire Money" a fairly straightforward-yet-earwormy take, and by the time my first listen was through, I knew I'd be digging through her back catalog. A great listen. Songs of Note : "Heavy Tobacco," "Mountain Stream," "Bleach Bugs," "Millionaire Money," "Electric Lizard" Artist : beabadoobee Album : Pylon Quick Thoughts : Of the female singer-songwriters who rose over the last decade, I feel like the Boygenius Industrial Complex has crowde...

When Ken and I started this blog 15(!) years ago, we saw the name of it as a bit of a joke. Yes, at 35 and 30 respectively, we weren't too old for being obsessed with music and hitting All The Concerts yet, but we were more and more likely to be among the oldest people at the club, and probably five years late to the music blog heyday anyway. This month, however, Ken turned 50, and he did something we've talked about on and off for quite some time: booked a show. Three of his favorite artists, and, as it turned out, three artists I had never seen live before. Spoiler alert: it was great (and don't let my poor photography skills tell you otherwise). First up was Battlemode, a chiptune band. Last chiptune band I saw was probably as part of a LiveSexAct triple bill at the Middle East at some point in the early 2000s, so to say I'm not exactly up to date on chiptune is definitely true. The good news? Battlemode absolutely killed it. With one member doing his thin...

Artist : Soft Science Album : Sand Quick Thoughts : Another golden shoegazey record from Soft Science in a year full of good ones. This one feels bright and fresh even though it has that college radio flair, and I loved every moment. Songs of Note : "Spinning," "Fade," "Hope" Artist : Rebecca Black Album : Age of the Exhibitionist Quick Thoughts : The Rebecca Black redemption tour (not that she has to be redeemed but you get it) continues with her strongest collection of work yet. "Hot Wet Delirious" deserves to be the Charli xcx-adjacent radio hit of the fall, and "Miss Delicious" is a true banger. This reinvention continues to be rock solid, so make some time for this. Songs of Note : "Hot Wet Delirious," "Miss Delicious," "Michael." "Waschesalon," "Metamorphia" Artist : Today Junior Album : Stranger Days Quick Thoughts : A sort of indie rock love letter to the 20...

...and a bit of July, but don't tell anyone. Artist : Cheekface Album : Podium Quick Thoughts : Cheekface is prolific, unique in their sound, and still somehow puts out winner after winner. This album actually does mess with the blueprint a bit, with some different vocal choices and some sonic additions (like the record scratches in "Hostile Street"). Overall, though? Another great listen from your favorite local band. Songs of Note : "Hostile Street," "MFT," "Black Site, "U Can't Do It," "I Decline" Artist : Homeboy Sandman and Jack Splash Album : Resonance Frequency Quick Thoughts : I generally enjoy what Homeboy Sandman does, but this collaborative listen is likely to become one of my favorites of his catalog. Lots of interesting samples compliment his flow perfectly and it creates a really fun album that's worth your time. Songs of Note : "TWENTYFOURSEVEN," "Weed Stores Everywhere,...

Artist : Josaleigh Pollett Album : If I Let it Quiet Quick Thoughts : Josaleigh Pollett had my favorite album of 2023 , and there are several songs from that record, three years later, that remain in heavy rotation. I'm not going to say, after a few days, that If I Let It Quiet is better, but I am obsessed nonetheless. On what is functionally their third fuill-length collaboration with Jordan Watko / Crowd Shy, it's incredible to see Pollett's songwriting and presentation leap forward from album to album. The lush electronics underpinning so many of these songs are perfect : the ambient bed below "Cherry" feels like a sequel to "YKWIM," "Bed of Quiet" incorporates some Chris Walla guitar work for some modern crunch, "The Witness" trades Pollett's understated, lower-register vocals with a truly full sound behind their lyrics, and even lead single "Radio Player" feels whole and complete as it builds toward its end....

It's been a minute (or seven or so years) since we've heard from Stef Chura, a favorite around these parts. Reading about her new album, however, is sort of like that Vince McMahon meme for me where each detail about it is more and more exciting: new album in October - produced in part by Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo - featuring multiple Elephant 6 alums - with lead single, "Danny," featuring both Mike Mills and Peter Buck of R.E.M.? Be still my heart! The song itself opens with a horn straight out of a Heartstrings -era Beulah record before the familiar Buck and Mills interplay comes in, and Chura sounds as good and confident as ever. Few lead singles have gotten me quite as excited as this one does, and it's a song I'm already hooked on. Dancing Alone on the Concrete is due out in October via Saddle Creek, and in the advance notes about the album, they write: Stef Chura’s been through a lot in the last seven years. Maybe you’ve been ...

Artist : Styrofoam Winos Album : Any River Quick Thoughts : As a lifelong R.E.M. fan, any time a band wants to lean into a folk-adjacent jangly pop, I'm on board. Styrofoam Winos leans hard , and it works really well. I loved so much of this album, whether it's leaning into the western "You'll Never Take Me Alive" or the pastiche of "Pearls," and it's a great summer soundtrack in a lot of ways. Worth the time. Songs of Note : "Pearls," "Somebody Wants to Send You a Message," "Next Thing," "You'll Never Take Me Alive" Artist : Girl With a Hawk Album : Regenesis Quick Thoughts : I don't have a lot to say about this album, but I do think it's a really compelling, friendly listen. Lots to love throughout, a bright record with a distinct voice and a ton of heart. Really enjoyed this one on repeat listens, check it out. Songs of Note : "I'm In Love With My Friends," "N...

Artist : Tujiko Noriko Album : PON Quick Thoughts : I try to give the first impressions of music with this type of post, but I find Tujiko Noriko to be difficult to describe in comparison to others. It's not quite experimental, but it's not ambient, either. There's a lot going on here, and all I know is that I keep coming back to it and finding something new to love. Worth your time, if only to see if it's your thing. Songs of Note : "Only on Love," "Knife of Yondr," "Boku Wa Obake," "Kareki Ni Hana," "Quarz Rework," "Kazeyo Pon," "Kikoeru Pon" Artist : Pussy Riot Album : CYKA Quick Thoughts : Yes, this is a proper album, and the first full-length from the Russian protest group, and it's great. It has the anger and rage you'd expect, but is also sonically interesting, with hints of electroclash and hyperpop mixed in. Given that Putin is still kicking around, Pussy Riot remains ...