If It's Too Loud...

In what has been a very covers heavy week here at If It's Too Loud..., we have another one. Los Angeles's "cosmic femme punk" Taleen Kali (formerly of TULIPS) has released a cover of Garbage's "#1 Crush" from the 1996 Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet starring film William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.  The original seemed to be every girl's favorite sexy song back when I was in college. Taleen Kali channels that, but cranks up the intensity. It's a hauntingly dark version of the song, keeping the same pace but adding a layer of what seems like a threat. Kali explains her choice of a cover: "I chose to cover '#1 Crush' to marry my love of Shakespeare and my musical heroes, Garbage. This song is how I became turned onto dark alternative 90's music, so it's an honor to pay musical homage to Garbage by releasing our own version of the song for the Halloween season." You can listen to Taleen Kali's version...

A busy release week, but there's a lot of just kind of mediocre stuff. So let's get on with it, I guess... Album of the Week : Artist : Diarrhea Planet Album : Turn to Gold Quick Description : Solid sophomore indie punk effort. Why You Should Listen : The band's name is the worst part of what they do. Overall Thoughts : Diarrhea Planet's debut caught me off guard as one of the better releases within their genre last go 'round, enough so that seeking out the new album was a priority. They have certainly polished things up a bit, but still have that raw energy and enthusiasm that made their debut so great. Not too loud but still a crunchy punkish effort, it's far and away the best release of the week. Recommendation : A fun listen, worth your time. Artist : Darren Hayman Album : Thankful Villages Volume 1 Quick Description : A series of songs from'inspired by British villages from the Hefner singer/songwriter. Why You Should Listen : Hayman ...

(photo credit: Shawn Brackbill) We've been absolutely loving Torres' Sprinter , which was released earlier this year. She's about to go on a tour opening for Garbage, and she's done the rare thing for an opener and released a cover of the headliner. "Special" is probably my least favorite of Garbage's singles, but Torres brings this bizarre and highly welcome change to the track, giving it an almost slacker trip hoppy feel, as sung by a crooner. It's a pretty bold move by an up-and-coming opener, but it works so well.  Torres' tour opening for Garbage starts next week in San Diego, CA. For more information on Torres, including her tour dates with Garbage, be sure to check out her website .