If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Laura Stevenson Album : Laura Stevenson Quick Thoughts : It's weird to think that "Master of Art," the song that set Ken and I off on a Laura Stevenson obsession, was ten years ago. Her latest solo effort, her first as a mother and one that is very confessional in the broad strokes. This album is many things, and I feel like there are layers throughout that are going to uncover themselves as I listen more, but one thing I can say is that this is probably her best effort since Wheel and possibly my favorite since Sit Resist . Laura Stevenson is a criminally underrated singer-songwriter, and I wish more people understood how great she was at this. Don't miss this one/ Songs of Note : "State," "Don't Think About Me," "Sky Blue, Bad News," "Sandstorm" Artist : The Umbrellas Album : The Umbrellas Quick Thoughts : This album came out of nowhere this week for me. I don't know how I haven't heard of thi...

Entering into the end-of-year phase... Artist : Hooverphonic Album : Looking for Stars Quick Description : Longtime UK act with a new album. Why You Should Listen : Hooverphonic have a long track record. Overall Thoughts : Somehow I am nearing 38 years of age and never listened to Hooverphonic before. This is probably a little too polished for my tastes on a whole, but there are so many catchy tunes on here that I almost don’t mind. I think “Horrible Person” hooked me in for good, but there are solid hooks throughout this whole thing that I can’t help but recommend it. And for me, I’ll be saving their “best of” for later. Recommendation : Give this a listen. Artist : Deena Abdelwahed Album : Khonnar Quick Description : Well to the left-of-center electronic music. Why You Should Listen : You want a fascinating, rewarding challenge. Overall Thoughts : I spent most of my time listening to this wondering why I liked it so much. In a way, it’s sort of like of you took Ben ...