If It's Too Loud...

An interesting release week this week: Album of the Week : Artist : Beach Slang Album : A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings Quick Description : Does what it says on the tin. Why You Should Listen : You didn't know you wanted to hear this until you got the chance. Overall Thoughts : This had some buzz around it coming in, and I didn't really expect this sort of garagey punk to resonate, but here we are. I can't say there's a ton specifically to point to in this regard, but as a cohesive whole, this was a fast-paced jolt of energy that was definitely the best listen of the week for me. Won't be for everyone, but you should give it a listen. Recommendation : The best of the week by far. Artist : Warpaint Album : Heads Up Quick Description : Latest album from the buzzworthy indie act. Why You Should Listen : Their previous album was a revelation in a lot of ways... Overall Thoughts : ...even if this one misses the mark. It's not bad, but it's so ...

Watching Wrestlemania this past weekend, they threw a musical performance in the middle of one of the more earwormy, yet still kind of frustratingly awful, songs of recent times, "Rise" by David Guetta with singing from Skylar Grey: I had never heard of Grey prior to the performance, nor did I know that Guetta was part of the song at all, to the point where I asked those I was watching the show with whether Grey was the singer or the DJ. This prompted me to Google, and this prompted me to have my mind blown a bit. First, this is Skylar Grey. It turns out that you know of her even if you don't know of her - she co-wrote a few songs, most notably Eminem's "I Need a Doctor" and was nominated for a Grammy for writing Rihanna's part on "Love the Way You Lie." The latter song was outright inescapable a few years back. She's definitely made a name for herself in terms of writing for R&B and hip-hop acts over the years. She was also...