If It's Too Loud...

Image via Facebook It feels like it's been forever since we've had new music from Jason Hawk Harris (aside from his excellent duet with Lydia Loveless), but the drought is over with this new single from his forthcoming album. "Jordan and the Nile" is the kind of country/folk song that would be mainstream if the mainstream had any sense. It's a beautiful and compelling song that sucks you in with how minimal it is. Harris' vocals are the main focus with the absolute bare minimal amount of instrumentation. Even as bare as it is, "Jordan and the Nile" sounds lush and cinematic, and is going to appeal to any fan of Americana as long as they have a shred of taste. You can watch the video for "Jordan and the Nile" below. Thin Places is due October 6 via Bloodshot Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Jason Hawk Harris, check out the artist's website .

Bloodshot Records seemed to have imploded back in 2019, and all was quiet at the label until last year when they seemed to be up to something. Earlier this year, they announced they had resigned some previous artists including Lydia Loveless and Jason Hawk Harris. That was fantastic news by itself, but now the pair have released a cover of Rilo Kiley's fantastic "Portions for Foxes." Harris' Love & the Dark was a favorite album of 2019, and Loveless is one of my favorite current artists. Considering "Portions for Foxes" is one of my favorite songs of this century, and I'm starting to wonder if this was made for me personally. Loveless and Harris just nail this cover. It's a spot on version of a brilliant song. Maybe it's a bit more rock than Rilo Kiley's cover, but not by much. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go daydream about Lydia Loveless and Jason Hawk Harris releasing an album filled with nothing but my favorite songs. You ca...

Our third Christmas offering of the day is one of the more unique you've heard in a while. Bone Sound Inc has put together Slow Xmas, which features some of our favorite indie rockers performing Christmas favorites... but very slowly. Yes, you read that correctly. Slow Xmas is filled with very, very slow Christmas songs. Gymshorts put together a version of The Chipmunk's "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" that is a little country and a whole lotta slow. Elvis' "Blue Christmas" is already a slow song, right? Couldn't possibly be slower, right? Well, Jason Hawk Harris proves it can be slower. The Waitresses' "Xmas Rapping" seems to be the song to cover of the year, and Sad13 (the perfect artist to cover this song) gives us "Christmas Wrapping Slowly." Is this the best Christmas album you've heard this year? Probably not. Is it fun? Maybe? (I'm pretty sure Jeff discovering this will get be banned from his h...

We're huge fans of just about anything Bloodshot Records puts out, so we're thrilled that they recently released a digital only label b-sides, alternate versions, and covers compilation. Pandemophenia is a seventeen song compilation featuring all of our favorites from Bloodshot Records. "I'm Not There Yet" is as good as anything on Jason Hawk Harris's 2019 album Love & the Dark. William Elliott Whitmore has a new wonderfully rough sounding folk tune called "New Skateboard." Barrence Whitfield and the Savages share Soul Flowers of Titan bonus track "Dream of June." ROOKIE adds an acoustic, old-timey version of last year's "Hold on Tight." And then there's the covers. Ruby Boots does a version of Tom Petty's "Keeping Me Alive," which may only exist as an outtake from the posthumous An American Treasure box set. Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers bring us a version of "This Land is Your La...

Artist : David Wax Museum Album : Line of Light Quick Description : New album by a local and blog favorite. Why You Should Listen : This might be their best effort yet. Overall Thoughts : This blog likely doesn’t exist if it weren’t for David Wax Museum, so any time there’s a new David Wax Museum album, it’s an event around here. Ken was more into their last proper full-length, Gatehouse , than I was, but I am so happy to note that the tonal shift of that album comes into a full vision with this album. The Mexican folk influences are subdued enough to be in the background (if they exist at all), and what we have is a band entering a phase of their career where more introspective, atmospheric folk is their game and they’re absolutely killing it. A number of these songs grabbed me really quick, and there are so many gorgeous options here that it’s hard to choose an early favorite. I am absolutely looking forward to coming back to this. Recommendation : One of the best of the w...

Photo via Facebook At this point I think Jason Hawk Harris has officially reached Next Big Thing status. "The Smoke and the Stars" is the third single from his upcoming album, and all three are wildly different, to the point that you could think they were from different artists. "Cussing at the Light" was a fairly typical alt-country song, but with a bit more showmanship. "I'm Afraid" was described by us as 100% country and 100% punk. "The Smoke and the Stars" is a straight up power ballad. It's not a country power ballad, although there is plenty of country in it. This is almost an 80's style power ballad, but updated and nowhere near as cheesy. An artist that can make music this diverse, and nail an earnest power ballad that can appeal to literally everyone? Jason Hawk Harris is someone special. You can listen to "The Smoke and the Stars" below. Love & the Dark , the upcoming album from Jason Hawk Harris, will be...

Photo via Facebook The standard definition of outlaw country is too rock 'n' roll for country, too country for rock 'n' roll.  The latest single from Jason Hawk Harris is somehow 100% rock/punk and 100% country, obliterating the standard definition. "I'm Afraid" is a loud, fast, rambunctious jam that you'll know if you love it within the first ten seconds of the song. Harris sings "I'm Afraid" like a Southern preacher, which is fitting since the song is about kids being afraid of creepy pictures of Jesus. It's such a huge departure from Harris's previous single, the mostly straightforward, laid back country tune "Cussing at the Light," that we're thrilled to hear what else he has in store for us! You can listen to "I'm Afraid" below. Love & the Dark , the new album from Jason Hawk Harris, will be out August 23 on Bloodshot Records. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Jason Hawk Harr...

Photo by Sean Rosenthal Jason Hawk Harris does not have the typical path to being a country musician. He grew up in Houston but now lives in Los Angeles. He is hugely influenced by punk, indie, and Queen. While waitlisted at UCLA for classical composition, he started getting into folk and country with The Show Ponies. It was after releasing his first solo EP, Formaldehyde, Tobacco, and Tulips in 2017 where his life took several dark turns. His mother died from complications from alcoholism, his father was sued by the King of Morocco and went bankrupt, his sister was diagnosed with MS and gave birth to a premature son who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and this led to Harris falling to his own addictions. Now he's recovered and has brought us "Cussing at the Light" from his upcoming debut album. "Cussing at the Light" has a fairly mainstream appeal to it, but with a darker punk influenced edge. I'm reminded a lot of Jason Isbell and the showmanship ...