If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Sasha Pedro Boston's Noble Dust have a covers album coming out later this year, which has included surprising renditions of songs by The Shins and Pixies. The third single is "Kokomo, IN" originally by Japanese Breakfast. Of the three songs we've heard so far, this is the most true to the original. While both bands don't sound anything alike, they both occupy the same worlds of indie folk, indie rock, and alt-pop. Noble Dust's version goes a little more into folk than Michelle Zauner's original, but seeing as they're both traditional and alt-folk, the cover stays quite faithful to the original. If you've been a fan of Noble Dust, hearing that they're covering Japanese Breakfast is kind of a dream cover for them. If you're just discovering them now, welcome aboard the bandwagon. You'll like it here. You can listen to Noble Dust's cover of "Kokomo, IN" below. Both Sides Now is due out September 12 on Bridge and Key....

Photo by Pak Bae Japanese Breakfast is one of those artists we haven't covered anywhere near enough, so we're making a plan to change that this year. Luckily Michelle Zauner is releasing a new album this Spring which will make it much easier for us. This marks the band's first proper studio album (previous ones were recorded in improvised set ups in warehouses), and the first single is "Orlando in Love." This new song is an absolutely lush and gorgeous track. It holds the kind of beauty that is nearly painful, and packs almost an entire album's worth of sound and emotion into two and a half minutes. We've obviously been aware and enjoyed Japanese Breakfast for a while now, but it's well past time to fully board the bandwagon. You can watch the video for "Orlando in Love" below. For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) is due out March 24 on Dead Oceans, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Japanese Breakfast, check out the arti...

Artist : Various Artists Album : The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four Quick Thoughts : This isn't a tribute album as much as a collaboration between the late Andy Gill and the artists that came on board to cover their favorite Gang of Four songs. I don't consider myself a connoisseur of Gang of Four, and really only know the big hits (if you can call them that), but this collection is really solid. There are plenty of highlights, but what's most interesting is how well many of these newer acts fit their own sound into the Gang of Four model. The Tom Morello/Serj Tankian one in particular is awesome. Either way, make some time for this no matter where you fall within your Gang of Four fandom. Songs of Note : "Damaged Goods" (by Idles), "To Hell With Poverty" (by HOTEl), "I Love a Man in a Uniform" (by Herbert Gronemeyer and Alex Silva), "Natural's Not In It" (by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian) A...

I spent most of my Sunday at a wrestling show instead of working on a new music post, so this has to be abbreviated. That’s a shame, too, for some reasons to note. Anyway: Album of the Week : Arcade Fire - Everything Now : Album of the week, album of the quarter, and probably my frontrunner for album of the year if it holds up as well as the first listen did. Maybe their best effort even if it won’t be iconic the way their first album is or so universally praised like Neon Bible . If you’re avoiding this for any reason at all, don’t. Great Listens This Week : Little Silver - Somewhere You Found My Name : Features members of Hem in some form, this is a really brilliant listen and one that throws some folksy curveballs. Mr. Lif and Akrobatik- Resolution : Absolutely the rap album of the moment for me. Katie Von Schleicher - Shitty Hits : Tongue-in-cheek title, but this is much better than it lets on. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet : Technically ...