If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Ben Kweller Album : Circuit Boredom Quick Description : New album from the indie stalwart. Why You Should Listen : Feels like a nice back-to-basics indie record. Overall Thoughts : I think we all loved Ben Kweller when he started out, and I know I felt like I was losing touch with his music as I got older. This new album, though? A very solid listen that feels like the Weezer-esque indie rock we all fell in love with 20 years ago, but with some modern, mature overtones. As one of the first releases of the new year, it's a pretty great way to kick things off. Recommendation : Give this a listen. Artist : Fantasy Non Fiction Album : Fantasy Non Fiction Quick Description : Lovely genre-hopping indie rock. Why You Should Listen : A number of these songs could easily become favorites. Overall Thoughts : Ken sent this one over not long before the end of the year, and I think I was wholly and fully blown away by the second song. There's something truly special her...

For their Christmas song, New Orleans's Fantasy Non Fiction have traded in their alt-rock/pop sound for a much more contemplative, quiet one. "Over It (and it's Christmas Eve)" sees bandleader Rose Cangelosi stepping out from behind the drum kit and over to the piano. This is a bummer of a Christmas song, with Cangelosi reflecting on a troubled relationship on Christmas Eve. The song is solely Cangelosi and the piano, and sounds much more like a cabaret standard than Fantasy Non Fiction's normal sound. Rose Cangelosi says of the new song:  “This song is my  ‘River.’  I wrote it last year around the time I was having some issues with my partner and the holiday spirit was haunting me. I haven’t been super into Christmas for a while, I’m in a place where I really appreciate chosen family potlucks more than sudo-religious capitalistic traditions. My favorite verse is the one about inviting your demons to tea. Its based off of a story my favorite spiritual teacher, Tar...