If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Benjamin Booker Album : Lower Quick Thoughts : Well, this was unexpected in all the best ways. We've been high on Benjamin Booker since he first hit our radar, and he kind of disappeared for a few years. What I don't think anyone saw coming was a raw, hip-hop beat-drenched return that feels immediate and prescient for These Times in particular. I initially thought that this may have been produced by Dave Fridmann of The Flaming Lips in terms of its drums and approach, to give a comparison of sorts. Either way, this is absolutely the best listen of the week and the first truly superior album of 2025. Don't miss it. Songs of Note : "Black Opps," "LWA in the Trailer Park," "Rebecca Latimer Felton Takes a BBC," "New World," "Same Kind of Lonely" Artist : Mogwai Album : The Bad Fire Quick Thoughts : Mogwai is fairly legendary for their brand of shoegazey post-rock, and The Bad Fire continues their basically ...

Artist : Jamestown Revival Album : Young Man Quick Thoughts : I didn't know Jamestown Revival before this week, and my goodness am I glad I tripped up on this. This is Americana that grabs you right from the start and keeps you entranced from start to finish. This definitely jumps around a bit while keeping its rootsy base, but the end result is a collection of sticky songs that I'm looking forward to going back to. Songs of Note : "Coyote," "Young Man," "Slow It Down" Artist : Punch Brothers Album : Hell on Church Street Quick Thoughts : A tribute album of sorts to Tony Rice's Church Street Blues , this is your typical excellent effort from Chris Thile and Punch Brothers. The musicality is off the charts, you know more of these songs you think you do, and it's just a well-crafted effort from top to bottom. Their take on "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in particular is worth hearing. Songs of Note : "The Wreck...

There is so much good music out this week. Artist : FKA Twigs Album : MAGDELINE Quick Description : Left-of-center R&B act back with more interesting tunes. Why You Should Listen : FKA Twigs is among the most adventurous artists in her lane. Overall Thoughts : If there’s one thing FKA Twigs is known for, it’s taking chances. No one in the R&B space is quite like her, and her new album, while still delightfully weird, is probably more noteworthy for how relatively accessible it is. Sure, these aren’t Lizzo bangers but they aren’t impenetrable, either, and that makes a difference here. If you’ve held off up to now, this is definitely a worthwhile onramp, but there’s certainly enough here for fans to really enjoy. (Also “fallen alien” is amazing.) Recommendation : A must-hear. Artist : HANA Album : HANADRIEL Quick Description : Sort-of retro pop music. Why You Should Listen : This is one of my favorites of the week. Overall Thoughts : For as much as I like 90s al...

A very interesting week. This will be quicker than normal, though. Album of the Week : Artist : Rayland Baxter Album : Imaginary Man Quick Description : Well-crafted Americana/folk music. Why You Should Listen : When Ken praised two of the songs on this album, he wasn't kidding - the rest of the album is just as good. Overall Thoughts : Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this album. Whether it's an album of the year candidate remains to be seen, but it's a pretty perfect piece of work and I've listened to a lot of folk music this year. Recommendation : If you listen to one album this week, make it this one. Artist : FKA Twigs Album : M3LL155X Quick Description : New EP by strange off-center artist FKA Twigs Why You Should Listen : You liked her previous album; you enjoy challenging music. Overall Thoughts : I mean, it's an FKA Twigs EP, so you know what you're getting. It's weird and different and it deserves a lot of tim...

If I'm ranking albums this year solely on musical ambition, the first album from FKA Twigs would be in first by a mile. If Portishead and Bjork had a baby that loved R&B, it might start sounding a little bit like LP1 , and that's not a bad thing at all. I have a lot of trouble describing this, and even more trouble trying to pinpoint it. In a way, that's the point - she's getting a lot of credit for her trippy videos as she is for her music, and that's fine but really misses the point about how really great this is. It's a challenging record, for sure, but not difficult to listen to. While none of the songs are likely to be your favorites, as they pop up in the playlists (most notably with "Two Weeks" for me) you're going to get them drilled right into your head again. I don't pretend this album is for everyone - my wife in particular would prefer I not listen to this at all - but it's definitely an album I didn't realize I...

With Jeff out of town, he asked for me to fill in for him. This week we have new releases from '80s, 90's, and '00s acts as well as brand new bands with their first releases. Let's get started! Dilated Peoples - Directors of Photography With their first release in 7 years, Dilated People's are back with a return to form from 2000's Expansion Team. If you like old school 90s conscious hip hop, this is definitely for you. The only problem might be the album's length. For the first 12 or so songs, it is a fantastic album and would get my vote for hip hop album of the year so far. But, at 18 songs and over an hour, it gets pretty repetitive and feels dull towards the end. A little diversity and expansion would have helped the 2nd half of this one immensely. The Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt I know I'm going to sound like a crotchety old man here, but I've just never gotten the whole Gaslight Anthem thing and lumped them into the whole neo-pop pu...