If It's Too Loud...

Back before Kathleen Edwards took some time away from music to run a coffee shop, she had a song called "Empty Threat," with a chorus that threatened a move to America. Her well-received return to music in 2022 was cathartic in its own way, but Billionaire is the alt-country favorite following through on that threat with great results. Billionaire tells a much different story than what she's given us in the past. "Say Goodbye, Tell No One" feels like a confession, "Need a Ride" a way to grapple with one's new home and all the contradictions that come along with it, and "FLA" alongside the title track an admittance that she's come a long way from the Canadian hockey-loving singer-songwriter we all fell in love with 20-odd years ago. This is not damning it with faint praise; Billionaire is perhaps her best record since Asking for Flowers and I say that as someone who believes she hasn't even come close to offering a bad ef...

Artist : Kathleen Edwards Album : Billionaire Quick Thoughts : I've long ended any hope of being objective on Kathleen Edwards. She's been a favorite of mine for 20+ years, and her return to music has been a welcome musical bright spot in recent years. Part of what I love about her work is that her albums have a narrative throughline in a way a lot of other albums do not. Is this her "married and in Florida now" album (I guess moving to America wasn't an empty threat?), it's probably too soon to say, but this definitely has the feel of a trajectory out of a place you've always known to a new life. We've come a long way from "Copied Keys," I guess. Either way, I like this album more and more with each listen, and I wouldn't be shocked if this popped up in my year-end highlights. Songs of Note : "Save Your Soul," "Say Goodbye, Tell No One," "Need a Ride," "FLA," "Other People's Bands...

The Green River Festival is one of our favorites of the year. It always seemed to slide under the radar no matter how great their line up has been, but the past few years have seen it get national attention. They've announced the initial line up of their 2025 edition, and this one is certain to make Green River a destination festival. Headlining the 2025 Green River Festival are indie rockers Mt. Joy, Australian phenom Courtney Barnett, and the already legendary Waxatacheee! They also have current indie favorite MJ Lenderman and the intriguing pairing of Julien Baker and TORRES! Aside from that are other If It's Too Loud... favorites such as Kathleen Edwards, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, and Merce Lemon. As always there are bands we're not as familiar with, but we have seven months to do our research and become enamored with new favorites! The Green River Festival will take place June 20-22 at Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, MA. "Plan Ahead" packages are n...

When a favorite artist takes some time off, you both feel good that they'e doing what they need to do to stay in form but also angsty about the lack of new output. Kathleen Edwards, an all-time favorite of mine, famously quit music and opened a coffee shop. That we recieved new music at all was a pleasant surprise, and that it was this good even moreso. While Voyaguer was a solid record, it didn't feel like Kathleen Edwards in a lot of ways. Total Freedom embraces its title in every way, sounding like the record she wanted to make as opposed to, well, one more song the radio won't like. So you have an opener like "Glenfern" that sets the table, you have lead single "Options Open" that sounds like classic Kathleen Edwards, you have rock-adjacent "Hard on Everyone," and the next thing you know you have a great album. There's some irony that Kathleen Edwards left music at what many saw as the peak of her career, and she chos...

Artist : Kathleen Edwards Album : Total Freedom Quick Description : First album in eight years from the Americana favorite. Why You Should Listen : Kathleen Edwards is one of the best singer-songwriters out there... Overall Thoughts : ...and she hasn't missed a beat. It's been too long, and I gushed about her back catalog in May, so my hopes were high and just every song here lands near-perfectly. The album opens in a good tone, the slower songs are still incredibly compelling, and the total package is one of her better efforts in a catalog without many misses. This is required listening this week, and one of the best of the year. Recommendation : A great listen. Artist : A. G. Cook Album : 7G Quick Description : PC Music head finally puts out a solo album. Why You Should Listen : With 40-odd songs, you'll find something to like. Overall Thoughts : The PC Music brand is very specific and maybe an acquired taste, but A. G. Cook's long-awaited debut dabbl...

With Kathleen Edwards releasing her first album of new music in nearly eight years later this summer, I felt like now was as good a time as any to take a look back at some of her best work so far, so a new Monday Mix for your American Memorial Day is cookout appropriate even if you're socially distancing, and the irony that it highlights a Canadian artist on a national holiday is not lost on me. Edwards has released four albums up to now, and this mix covers all four plus her new release, "Options Open." The mix is best listened to in order, at least the first time around... Failer : Edwards's debut album is represented by five songs here. "Six O'Clock News" put her on the map, "One More Song the Radio Won't Like" kept her there, and the rest show some decent range. Don't sleep on "12 Bellevue," which remains a favorite of mine. After listening to this set, make sure to check out this highlight from her debut (and long...

I can't be objective about Kathleen Edwards. I tripped up on Kathleen Edwards shortly after her debut album, Failer , came out in the United States with a profile in the Boston Globe featuring a promo photo of Edwards collapsed in the street among some beer bottles. Pitched in a way as a sort of foul-mouthed alt-country successor to Neko Case, I fell in love with every song on that album, saw her at TT the Bears, fell in love with every other album she put out, saw her in New Hampshire, and waited impatiently for her to become the next big thing. Then she quit music and opened a coffee shop. If you've been keeping up with this blog for a while, rarely a month goes by in my weekly new release posts where I don't toss out the idea of an artist filling that Kathleen Edwards-shaped hole in my musical heart. Some have come close, but it's never fully happened. Rumors of her reentering the studio have floated around for a while, but yesterday marked her first releas...