If It's Too Loud...

Not a busy week for releases, but a number of really good ones nonetheless. Artist : Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers Album : Bought to Rot Quick Description : Solo-ish record from the Against Me! veteran. Why You Should Listen : Grace embracing the solo side is a good thing. Overall Thoughts : Laura Jane Grace has basically transcended Against Me! at this point, having become a poster image for transgender people everywhere while still maintaining punk cred. This is definitely more of an alternative rock record, but it puts aside a lot of punk trappings in favor of fun (and sometimes funny, as with the ode to Chicago midway through) music with a message. It may be easy to sleep on this one, especially if Against Me! has never been your thing, but this is definitely worth your time. Recommendation : Best record of the week, easy. Artist : Darren Hayman Album : Thankful Villages Vol. 3 Quick Description : Hefner frontman's historic project lands its third vo...

It's becoming my own personal little cliche, but every time Hero Fisher releases new music I feel the need to reiterate my disdain for current pop music and my surprise at how much I like her latest release. "If I Die and Nothing Happens" will continue that trend, but I'm starting to realize why I like Fisher's music so much. Sure, it's pop music in 2018, but if this was twenty years ago this would be breaking out of the MTV Buzz Bin. This song has much more in common with Poe, Ruby, and Tori Amos's more electronic experiments in the late 90's than it does to Ariana Grande or Meghan Trainor. And, for me at least, that's a very good thing. You can tell right from the name "If I Die and Nothing Happens" is a dark song. Despite this, it's still upbeat with gorgeous moments. And you can dance to it. You can listen to "If I Die and Nothing Happens" below. Hero Fisher's second album, Glue Moon , should be released sometime...

The new single from London's Hero Fisher makes me nostalgic for a very specific time in the mid-90's. There was a time when female artists that were considered alternative (in the mid-90's, EVERYONE was alternative) had some pretty serious pop chops and would release these great songs. They weren't exactly singer/songwriter, they weren't rock, and they weren't electronic, but they had elements of it all. Think of artists like Heather Nova or Tori Amos. That's what "Lonely" feels like to me. It has electronic elements but isn't an electronic song, and it's far too electronic to be a singer/songwriter song. It's this lush and minimalist track that could be called haunting if it wasn't so incredibly enjoyable.  You can listen to "Lonely" below. Hero Fisher's sophomore album, Glue Moon , will be out later this year. For more on Hero Fisher, check out her website .

Out of the two of us, Jeff is definitely the pop fan. A lot of the pop music he sings the praises of I just ignore, knowing it's not for me. There are a few exceptions, but it's a mostly ironclad rule for me. This is why I'm surprised by how much I like this new song from Hero Fisher. "I Let Love" lands in the alternative pop that sometimes squeaks into the mainstream these days. It's well produced and mostly pretty. What pulls me in is the fact that it's mostly pretty. Unlike most pop out there today, "I Let Love" has a swagger to it, with a slight sense of menace just under the surface. Hidden in the pretty pop is a general feeling that something is wrong, and a darkness usually missing in the genre. Plus, it has an interesting story from a songwriting aspect. The song follows different characters throughout their day, like a musical version of David Linklater's Slacker. You can watch the video for "I Let Love" below. Hero Fis...