If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Troi Irons Album : Lost Angels Quick Description : Latest album from the folk-adjacent singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : This defies a lot of expectations. Overall Thoughts : I liked Troi Irons’s first album a lot. This new album is a solid shock to the system in many regards, with some truly interesting choices alongside some mainstream plays. The cynic in me wonders about the production options here, but the fan in me sees this as a bold and adventurous step forward that’s ultimately worth hearing. Recommendation : A good listen this week. Artist : Amy O Album : Shell Quick Description : Power-poppy indie rock. Why You Should Listen : Her first album was good, this might be better. Overall Thoughts : I thought Amy O’s previous album was pretty solid, but I am fully impressed with Shell on first listen. Guitar-centric indie pop with some great melodies? Can’t really go wrong here. It’s definitely got an indie sensibility, so if you’re looking for...

Due to either Spotify delays, learning of acts later, or general incompetence, there are some solid albums we missed along the way. I figured I'd take a few minutes and highlight some of those releases and list the rest: Kanye West - The Life of Pablo : If Beyonce hype was #1 this year so far, Kanye was #1a. The story of this release is going to be in textbooks in ten years time, but taken as a cohesive, complete album, it's hard not to see this as the masterpiece it truly is. There are a lot of layers here (which is typical for a modern Kanye record), and this is definitely a more interesting and more accessible record than Yeezus was. Ultimately, though, all this album does is tell me that Kanye West is operating on a level far beyond most other musicians, never mind rappers, and this is something we might not be able to fully comprehend even if he mapped it out for us. This requires multiple listens to even begin to unlock, and I have a feeling this will end up on a ...

Another year is here, which means we get another new year of music. There's some interesting stuff on tap: * Kanye West - Swish and School of Seven Bells - SVIIB : I'm combining these together because I was anticipating these for 2015 and they never happened. Kanye's album, now with a name but no release date, is assumed to be released at some random, unspecified time soon, and who knows what the final product will look like or whether it might end up even being a Tidal exclusive. School of Seven Bells, however, finally has a release date for their final album, and we'll get to hear those final pieces in February. It might be a pretty bittersweet listen, to be honest. * Sky Ferreira – Masochism : Sky Ferreira is known almost as much for her music as the crowd she runs with lately, and it's probably worth noting that her album was great and there's a definite chance for her to set herself apart here. We'll see. * PJ Harvey - TBD: I can't sa...

We're in a new year now, and there are certainly a few albums coming up that I'm very excited for: Kanye West - TBA : Kanye West has had a few listening parties for his follow-up to Yeezus , and there was a lot of talk about it being released sometime in 2014, but that clearly didn't happen. Will it be more like Yeeus , will we get movement more back toward the mainstream, or will it be something completely different? I enjoy Kanye West in part because of his unpredictability, but also because you know it's going to be an interesting listen. Plus, the idea that this album could drop within hours of this being posted or never get released at all is just as fascinating. Easily the biggest upcoming release for me. The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World : While the prerelease singles haven't knocked my socks off, considering how great their last album was, I can't help but be excited about this album coming out in a few weeks. A ba...

No idea how long this Google Music sale is going for , but two albums you should note as being free: Kanye West's Yeezus and CHVRCHES The Bones of What You Believe . Plenty of other great stuff, but those two freebies are worth your time to click.

First listen will probably be late this week/combined with next week, but I did want to draw your attention to a free download of the album World Record Holders by rap group The Go Getters. Who are the Go Getters? A group of Chicago rappers including a young Kanye West. This mixtape is about a decade old, so it's worth taking a peek at here .

Some highlights and thoughts from this week's new releases: Sigur Rós - Kveikur : Sigur Rós is a strange band for me, and not because they do their music with lyrics that are a made-up version of Icelandic, but more because, after the beauty of their breakthrough album Ágætis byrjun and the equally awesome follow-up ( ) , my reaction to them has been somewhere between mixed to negative. The new album is definitely a shift from the most recent albums toward something more like the original stuff we fell in love with, while still having a good deal of more-accessible fare. Will almost certainly remain in my rotation for the foreseeable future. Austra - Olympia : Austra is a fairly recent band for me, they do a sort of dance-pop-alternative thing that typically falls right into my wheelhouse, but the previous Austra releases mostly toed the line between solid, mainstream dance numbers and more glitchy, difficult electronic music. This newest album, at first glance, is much mor...