If It's Too Loud...

Right from the start of album opener "Every Time Katie," you know that this album will be different from the usual David Wax Museum releases. While the Mexican influences are still there and lurking, they are far less prominent than they have been in the past. What you get with Guesthouse  is a band trying something else and knocking it out of the park. When a band breaks through based on their breakout performances at the Newport Folk Festival, you don't really expect them to pull off electronic elements well. But they do by hinting at them just enough. The only time this falters a bit is with "Dark Night of the Heart," which put a little too much of a digital effect on their voices for the chorus. It ends up being as much stronger song live, but I would never fault a band for experimenting a little. By the third track, "Guesthouse," you get a true feel for the album. It's more of a celebratory song that defines David Wax Museum at their finest....

For their fifth album, David Wax Museum are back with a significantly tweaked sound. The Mexican influences are mostly hinted at for Guesthouse , and there is a heavy (for David Wax Museum at least) addition of electronic elements. This all works amazingly well. "Dark Night of the Heart" in particular is almost a trip hop track with folk instruments interspersed. "Guesthouse" might be the song that fits into the David Wax Museum catalog the best. It's quite keyboard heavy, but the style fits into their previous songs where Suz plays the accordion. "Time Will Track Us Down" is one of their loveliest ballads, with just an acoustic guitar and David and Suz harmonizing throughout. They even tackle their parenthood with "Everything Changes." It's a subject that has made some of the greatest songwriters of all time stumble on sappiness, but David Wax Museum turns it into a joyous celebration. For me, the standout track is "Singing to...

This Friday is the release date for the new David Wax Museum album, Guesthouse.  To help celebrate its release, this week we'll be looking ahead to the upcoming album and looking back to some of our favorite David Wax Museum related memories.  "Forgiveness" might be the most traditional of all the new songs on David Wax Museum's upcoming album, Guesthouse.  While it is missing the trademark Mexican guitar sound you typically hear on their songs, it is at least half sung in Spanish. Instead of the Mexican guitar, "Forgiveness" includes a very heavily electronic presence. Although it's more of a ballad, it's an exciting shift in sound that is dominating a lot of the band's newer material. Guesthouse is slightly tweaking a band's sound and is a perfect way for the band to continue to grow without being stale. Guesthouse  is due out October 16th. You can pre-order it  here . Also, be sure to check out  their website  for their upcoming mega...

This Friday is the release date for the new David Wax Museum album, Guesthouse. To help celebrate its release, this week we'll be looking ahead to the upcoming album and looking back to some of our favorite David Wax Museum related memories.  "Don't Lose Heart" tackles some truly tricky subject matter for a musician: The hardships of being a musician. The average listener can't exactly relate to the issues of touring, such as "sleeping in a different bed every night," but it does strike the much more universal chord of doing what you absolutely love and not caring about the problems that come up. As someone who sits in a cubicle and fantasizes about more just about every day, it's beautiful to hear from someone who had the guts to take the less common road, struggled through it, and still loves it. You hear too many stories from musicians complaining about touring in their individual buses while staying in $500 a night hotel rooms, and here is th...

Photo by Ken Sears For the first time since discovering David Wax Museum in 2010 they have released a song I wouldn't have recognized as them. "Young Man" is an almost complete departure for the band. The Mexican-infused Americana of their previous four albums is present but barely hinted at. Instead, Wax sings in a style more reminiscent of an old time crooner, backed by electronic elements and synthesizers. There is still the trademark guitar playing and horn section, but it's really nice to see a band that has such a set and familiar style mix it up and branch out a bit. I'm still deciding where this ranks in the David Wax Museum catalog, but it has me even more intrigued for the next album. Right now, Consequence of Sound has an exclusive stream of "Young Man," so head on over there to check it out. David Wax Museum's fifth album, Guesthouse , will be released on October 16. You can pre-order it now , and be sure to check out their tour da...

Photo by Ken Sears With the release of their 5th album scheduled for release in October, blog obsession David Wax Museum have unveiled the title track. "Guesthouse" is a wonderfully positive tribute to all the people that have welcomed the band into their homes while on tour. It has a carnival vibe to it, and also celebrates the Mexican culture that, while embracing it fully in their music, the band has never been fully a part of, but a welcome guest. "Guesthouse" has a very slight growth in it, which shows that Guesthouse  will be another step in David Wax Museum's constant evolution. From album to album there isn't a huge shift in band direction, but when you go back two or three you see an impressive array of growth. I can't wait until October for Guesthouse to be released officially. Guesthouse is due out October 16 on Thirty Tigers. You still have four days to pre-order on their Indie Go Go campaign , and get some very cool bonuses. Make sure ...

Photo by Todd Roeth David Wax Museum are a blog favorite here, so we feel like we should let you all know about their freshly launched Indiegogo campaign. They're looking to help fund the completion of their new album, Guesthouse , along with major fall touring plans. They raised $35,000 in 2012 when they were funding Knock Knock Get Up , so that is the goal this time around. They have the standard reward tiers with digital downloads, signed cds, t-shirts, etc. You can also get some pretty cool unique rewards, like a private Skype concert, VIP live experience, a song written for you, and either a duo or full band house concert (weddings aren't allowed, so there goes my dream of having them play my wedding).  To check out all the details of the campaign, head on over to their Indiegogo page . For some more information on David Wax Museum, there is always their website .