If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Sarah Linton Dale Crover, the drummer for The Melvins and Redd Kross, has released a cover of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" and The Melvins' "The Bit." It may seem like an unusual choice, but Crover did play a young Neil Young in the video for "Harvest Moon," and co-wrote "The Bit" with Buzz Osborne. The "Harvest Moon" part of the track is shockingly faithful for someone from The Melvins. It's a note for note cover of the acoustic 1992 classic, lacking even the tiniest shred of his other bands' noise or volume. As the track transitions into "The Bit," the noise increases while still being a stripped down and acoustic track. It reminds me of King Buzzo's acoustic tours where he would include Melvins classics. This is a fun pairing of songs from a noise rock icon. Dale Crover says of his new single: "Years ago I played Young Neil Young in the video for Harvest Moon. It was quite a surreal experien...

Photo by Tim Bugbee To commemorate Indigenous Peoples' Day yesterday, Medicine Singers released a brand new single. The collective started by Eastern Medicine Singers and guitarist Yonatan Gat enlisted Lee Ranaldo on "Honor Song." The new song is dedicated to loved ones who have passed, particularly vocalist Arthur Red Medicine Crippen's wife Kathleen and frequent Medicine Singers collaborator jamie branch, who died two weeks before the song was recorded. "Honor Song" is an unbelievably powerful track, combining traditional Eastern Algonquin powwow music with jazz, psychedelic punk, and electronic music. Combining such a traditional form of music with newer more experimental ones could have gone very wrong, but Medicine Singers have created one of the most vital songs of the year with "Honor Song." Even if traditional powwow music doesn't sound like your typical thing, I implore you to take five minutes out of your day to listen to the entire s...

Photo by Nick Johnson For the second single off Marnie Stern's first album in years, Stern decided to get a little strange. Despite being a guitar heavy song, "Believing Is Seeing" isn't anything like what you'd expect from a guitar rocker. There's some interesting hip hop and pop elements, and there are some throwbacks to the blanket term of "alternative" that we used in the 90's for anything that wasn't pure pop. "Believing Is Seeing" may not be an easy track to categorize, but there is plenty of Stern's famous (and fantastic!) finger tapping guitar style for die hard fans to enjoy. Marnie Stern says of her new single: “‘Believing Is Seeing’ is about trying to build a world of music through different sounds, and how you can create your own cohesive universe through these sounds.” You can watch the video for "Believing Is Seeing" below. The Comeback Kid is due out November 3 on Joyful Noise Recordings, and is availabl...

Photo by Nick Johnson It's been a long time since Marnie Stern released a new album. As in ten years long of a time. During that timeframe, she's been the guitarist in The 8G Band for The Late Show with Seth Meyers  and has raised two kids. Now, the guitar legend is back with new music! "Plain Speak" shows off Stern's fingertap method of guitar playing, and is just the kind of oddball indie rock meets guitar hero song we want to hear from Marnie Stern. "Plain Speak" is a joyfully intense song perfect for those who have been wanting to hear new music from their hero for a decade, or for those just discovering the magic of Marnie Stern for the first time. Marnie Stern says of her new single: "‘Plain Speak’ keeps a positive attitude in the face of frustration. Keeping that hope alive is really the most difficult thing for me to do in life, so I try to do it as much as possible in my music. This song is a perfect example of that. Some of the lyrics are ...

Photo by Adam Harding It's virtually impossible to describe the music of Eerie Wanda without using the term "haunting." The Dutch/Croatian artist also known as Marina Tadic has released a new single, "Sister Take My Hand." The new song focuses on her vocals, which sound looped and recorded with effects. The song loops around itself with Tadic harmonizing with recordings of her vocals. Although definitely haunting, the song is more dreamlike and hazy than disturbing. If a song can be warmly haunting, "Sister Take My Hand" is that song. Marina Tadic says of the new single: "This is a song I wrote for my sister.  It's the first song I ever wrote using just my voice and was the last missing puzzle piece to the album." You can watch the video for "Sister Take My Hand" below. Internal Radio is due out September 23 on Joyful Noise Recordings. The album can be pre-ordered here . For more on Eerie Wanda, check out the artist's Facebo...

Photo by Oscar O'Shea There are a lot of Stooges covers out there. Most bands tend to focus on "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "Search and Destroy," "TV Eye," etc. This may be the first cover of "Ann" that I've ever heard. "Ann" is from The Stooges' 1969 self titled debut, and it kind of has that filler feel to it. It's a slow, plodding song that shows off Iggy Pop's Jim Morrison influence and then ends in a psychedelic freak out. In other words, it's perfect for Tropical Fuck Storm to cover. TSM deliver a surprisingly straightforward cover. It may be a little prettier and start off almost pop, but the psychedelic freak out has been replaced by this noise rock tantrum that feels destructive. This one is a ton of fun. You can watch the video for Tropical Fuck Storm's cover of "Ann" below. Moonburn , the new maxi-single cassette, will be out August 26 on Joyful Noise Recordings. Moonburn can be pre-ordered her...

Photo by Anna Tadic If you're an artist who goes by Eerie Wanda, you'd have to work pretty hard to make me not like you. Luckily, the musical project from Dutch/Croatian artist Marina Tadic would be beloved even without the great name. Her latest single, "Sail to the Silver Sun," is hard to nail down. It's a relatively minimalist song that contains elements of alt-pop, folk, indie rock, New Age, jazz, and probably some more that aren't jumping out at me. If this was the 90's, we could just slap the "alternative" label on is and just be done. It's probably best to just call "Sail to the Silver Sun" haunting. Tadic's vocals drone on in an almost upbeat manner, while the music is decidedly downbeat and also droning. It's a compelling song that helps push Eerie Wanda back to the forefront of our thoughts. You can watch the video for "Sail to the Silver Sun" below. Internal Radio is due out September 23 on Joyful Noise ...

Lou Barlow's upcoming solo album is shaping up to be exactly what we want from him at this point. The latest single from the album is as DIY as it could possibly be. He played the drums on this one, and broke out a J Mascis signature squire for some of the guitar work. "In My Arms" is a chilled out folk-ish but definitely not folk song. It's the kind of bedroom indie rock that Barlow has been making for decades now, just updated by musical and recording skill, age, technology, and maturity. It's pretty much the perfect Lou Barlow song for fans of any of his musical projects. You can watch the video (which Barlow made himself) for "In My Arms" below. Reason to Live is due out May 28 on Joyful Noise. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Lou Barlow, check out the artist's website .

We're already looking forward to a new Dinosaur Jr album this month, and now we have an upcoming solo album from Lou Barlow! The first single, "Over You," is a return to Barlow's lo-fi roots. His more recent solo albums are more on the folky side of things, and while "Over You" isn't quite along the lines of his ultra lo-fi early solo or Sentridoh music, it's definitely not the more polished acoustic sound we're used to at this point. "Over You" sits right in the middle of the two sides of Barlow's solo work, being folk-ish and weird lo-fi-ish. It's an ode to his time in California, giving that period of his life a fond send off. You can watch the video for "Over You" below. Reason to Live is due out May 28 on Joyful Noise. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Lou Barlow, check out his website .

Photo by Chris Strong Joan of Arc have been an indie rock staple for twenty five years now. Throughout that twenty five year history, Tim Kinsella has been the only permanent member of the group. The band is set to release their final album in December, and "Destiny Revision" is the first single from that final album. It's a quiet, lovely song that feels deeply intimate. It's the kind of song that lulls you into almost a trance, and then gently pulls you out with the occasional burst of quiet noise, including what may be a guitar solo towards the end.  Tim Kinsella says of the song:  “‘ Destiny Revision’ was a personal song when it was written a couple years ago, about winging it when your life fails to play out as you'd imagined .  Unfortunately that simple sentiment now has a much more expansive and darker resonance as all of us in America face a fascist administration using the pandemic as an opportunity to consolidate power, and we all struggle to imagin...

Photo by Raphael Irie The newest single from Eerie Wanda isn't quite as lonely or dark as "Moon" is. Instead, "Sleepy Eyes" is almost boisterous and jubilant. Almost. "Sleepy Eyes" is decidedly more upbeat, and almost a dance song, if you can consider anything this minimalist and singer/songwriter-y a dance song. It certainly doesn't start out this way. It starts off with some insanely stark guitar work until Marina Tadic's vocals start. Slowly more and more instruments start meandering in, until you finally get an almost dance party. Almost. You can watch the video for "Sleepy Eyes" below. Pet Town , the new album from Eerie Wanda, will be out January 25 on Joyful Noise. For more on Eerie Wanda, be sure to check out their Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by Raphael Irie Eerie Wanda is the creation of Marina Tadic. She was born in the former Yugoslavia, leaving the country during the Bosnian war. Her family sought asylum in the Netherlands, and is where Tadic still lives. Her second album, Pet Town , was recorded with her other two bandmates all being separated from each other. Instead of convening in a studio, each member of the band recorded in their own homes. "Moon" comes from these sessions. It may just be knowing the backstory of the recording, but "Moon" feels lonely. I could see some describing it as haunting, but to me it feels more lonely. However, it's not sad lonely, but more factually lonely. While there is some sadness in the song, it's also positive and confident. You can watch the video for "Moon" below. Pet Town will be released on January 25 on Joyful Noise. For more on Eerie Wanda, be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

We may have had to wait 15 years for a new solo track from Jason Lowenstein, but after last month's release of "Superstitious," we now have another song from his upcoming solo album, "Hey Hey."  While "Superstitious" fell into the darker, slightly discordant side of the Jason Lowenstein realm of music, "Hey Hey" is a bit more light and upbeat. In fact, it's almost funky. Almost. The song starts off with an off kilter country riff which pops back in every so often for the chorus. It's the kind of country sounding riff that would weasel its way into 90s alternative every so often, just subtle enough that country hating kids like teenage/early 20s self wouldn't pick up on the country base of it. "Hey Hey" also has a great Lowenstein guitar solo towards the end.  You can listen to "Hey Hey" below. After a 15 year wait, Jason Lowenstein's second solo album, Spooky Action,  will be released on June 16 o...

It's been 15 years since his last solo album, but next month Jason Lowenstein will finally follow up 2002's At Sixes and Sevens with his second solo album, Spooky Action.  You will probably know Lowenstein best as being the other longstanding member of Sebadoh. While many artists will stretch out and try new sounds or entire new genres on a solo album, At Sixes and Sevens  is more of what you wanted from Lowenstein. It still sounded like Sebadoh, but the louder, more rock side of the band. If "Superstitious" is any indication, Spooky Action will be even more of the same. It's loud, with a killer opening riff, and is heavy on the lo-fi rock. It's exactly what you want it to be, and that's not a bad thing. You can listen to "Superstitious" below. Spooky Action  will be out on June 16 on Joyful Noise Recordings. The album can be pre-ordered here . For more on Jason Lowenstein, check him out on Facebook and his website .

Photo by Rachel Enneking With his 3rd album bearing just his name coming out next month, Lou Barlow has shared the first single, "Moving." It's a very minimal song, with instrumentation consisting of a detuned ukelele and some keyboards. It's a moody song (presumably) about his decision to uproot his life and move from Los Angeles back to western Massachusetts. If 2013's Sebadoh album Defend Yourself  was Barlow's divorce album, Brace the Wave  could be his moving on with life album. It's very fitting that this would be one of his more minimalist semi-acoustic offerings.  Brace the Wave is due out September 4 on Joyful Noise Recordings. You can listen to "Moving" below. For more information, including tour dates, head on over to www.loobiecore.com .