If It's Too Loud...

Midweek lunchtime tunes for you. Artist : Lady Gaga Album : Chromatica Quick Description : Latest album from the pop megastar. Why You Should Listen : It's Lady Gaga, she's the Madonna of our time. Overall Thoughts : We've come a long way from wearing lunch meat as a dress, but the new Lady Gaga is very much a back-to-basics effort that reminds us why she's the top of the heap when it comes to pop music. The two lead singles from this have both been great, there are other solid parts throughout, and it's just one of the better pop efforts out there this year so far. The question will be whether it ultimately has legs, but for now, it's a great listen. Recommendation : Don't miss out. Artist : Jake Blount Album : Spider Tales Quick Description : Raw roots effort. Why You Should Listen : It's a great record from a local-ish artist. Overall Thoughts : I never had Providence as a hotbed of folk music, but I should really change my perspectiv...

A lot of new releases this week, so we're off to the races! I can't decide on an album of the week because there are SO many different albums out this week and they all fit a different niche. As I started a new job and haven't quite figured out the whole "balance writing about the new releases" thing, I'll give some highlights this week. Hoping to stay on a better schedule soon! Albums I Liked a Lot! : Artist : The Dean Ween Group Album : The Deaner Album Quick Description : Dean Ween has a new project... Why You Should Listen : ...and it's a lot like Ween. Overall Thoughts : Ween is admittedly an acquired taste. I get that they're not for everyone, but man, when they're on? They're on. In 2016, when I'm on the wrong side of 35? It's not amusing the same way "The AIDS Song" made me giggle in my early 20s, but something needs to be said about the fun juvenile songs that are peppered throughout this record. I s...

A pretty busy new release week, all things considered. Lots of interesting stuff, so let's dive in. Future Sound of London - Environment Five : A common theme with the reviews this week will be the expectations that a lot of the artists provide. For example, with FSOL, I've come to expect some pretty good electronic stuff, often understated but uniquely FSOL (and especially with their Environment series). This album slots right in with what I was hoping to hear, and works for me on a whole. Significant fans might quibble with some of it or still wish it was closer to a lot of what they were doing two decades ago, but I really enjoyed this and those who like electronic music and need a break from the new Aphex Twin would be wise to check this out. Mr Twin Sister - Mr Twin Sister : Formerly simply Twin Sister, I expected something a lot different than the dreamy indie pop we got from this. It's an interesting listen, but I'm still on the fence as to whether it...

A lot to get to, and a delay at that? No wasting time! Lady Gaga - Artpop : Lady Gaga has transformed from pop princess to strange cultural touchstone to some sort of avant garde performance art project. Artpop , when taken in the context of her increased interest in a lot of the sort of postmodern, outsider art, is an interesting listen if only because it's so weird in the context of top 40 pop music. I say "interesting" because the album itself isn't really good musically, and I say this as someone who was a fan of her first two albums. This isn't to say there aren't highlights ("Manicure," "Donatella," "Dope") but if you're expecting a "Telephone" or "Poker Face," you're going to be disappointed. On the other hand, I'm probably the only one who would be reading this site and saying "hm, I think I want to know more about the new Lady Gaga album," so maybe I'll just move on... ...