First Listen: New Releases for 5 April

Kind of busy this week, along with some catch-up.

Artist: Chrysta Bell
Album: Feels Like Love
Quick Description: Latest from the artsy Lynchian chantreuse.
Why You Should Listen: This is the most interesting and compelling release of the week, by far.
Overall Thoughts: I’ll admit it: I got into Chysta Bell because of her appearance in the Twin Peaks revival, and I’ve come to really love her music. David Lynch has referred to Bell as his “muse,” and I have to admit that I hear a definite influence in the other direction as well here. Honestly, Chrysta Bell makes me feel the way discovering PJ Harvey almost two decades ago made me feel, and this album gives me true To Bring You My Love vibes in some regards. This album skirts the edges of weird in many ways, and songs like “Everest” and “52hz” are just off enough to be intriguing and different while also feeling fresh and familiar. This is an album I was confident I would enjoy, but this is a definite favorite this week and I truly believe is going to have some real staying power in my rotation.
Recommendation: My favorite this week.

Artist: Molly Tuttle
Album: When You're Ready
Quick Description: Awesome roots music.
Why You Should Listen: Molly Tuttle seemingly comes to us fully-formed.
Overall Thoughts: Molly Tuttle deftly moves between different current ideas in roots music with this album, and it is absolutely one of my favorites this week. Sometimes she sounds like Sarah Jarosz, sometimes she sounds like she walked into a country radio station and dropped the next big thing on their desk. No matter what, she's absolutely nailing what she's doing, and the result is just wonderful.
Recommendation: Do not miss this one.

Artist: Kitty
Album: Rose Gold
Quick Description: Latest release from the internet electro-rap sensation.
Why You Should Listen: Kitty has consistently put out interesting music during her tenure.
Overall Thoughts: Kitty's first foray into producing her own work results in a truly adventurous affair informed by basically everything she's done since the stellar Miami Garden Club. There's her standard electronic rap, but also sounds inspired by her work as The Pom Poms and even some interesting American Pleasure Club inspirations sprinkled throughout. I liked this quite a bit even if it's a bit of a challenge in comparison to her previous work,
Recommendation: Find time for this, it's one of the most interesting listens this week.

Artist: Lady Lamb
Album: Even in the Tremor
Quick Description: Latest from a blog favorite.
Why You Should Listen: Lady Lamb, who has always been good, keeps getting better.
Overall Thoughts: If you’ve been reading us for a while, you know how much we love Lady Lamb here. It has been especially enjoyable hearing her sound transition over the years, and this is a very enjoyable, straightforward release. There aren’t the types of long, Ripely Pine epics, but this is also much more lush and complete than the stripped-down Tender Warriors Club EP. I liked this quite a bit, and I feel like it would serve as a good entrypoint for anyone interested in Lady Lamb, but also something positive for those who have been fans for a while. A solid listen.
Recommendation: A great listen.

Artist: Rose Elinor Dougall
Album: A New Illusion
Quick Description: Latest from the European singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: Dougall has one of the most striking voices out there.
Overall Thoughts: “Stellular” was in constant rotation for me a few years back, and while there aren’t as many upbeat, driving tunes on this new record, it does cement Dougall as an underrated powerhouse of a singer-songwriter. Deliberate songs through with a distinct voice and music that sticks to you as you’re listening, I have a hard time finding any major flaws with this record outside of no song grabbing me the way “Stellular” did. Still, I’ll be spending some solid time with this.
Recommendation: A solid listen this week.

Artist: Priests
Album: The Seduction of Kansas
Quick Description: Long-anticipated album from a favorite act here.
Why You Should Listen: This will consistently keep you on your toes.
Overall Thoughts: We’ve been not-so-quietly going nuts over this upcoming album for some time, and I will say that the small tastes we’ve gotten so far haven’t done it justice. This album is exciting and brash and does not hold back, with a nice little dancepunk 80s aesthetic that reminds me of a lot of music that I love all rolled into one. Just a truly brilliant, manic album that hits a lot of buttons. Definitely something worth checking out.
Recommendation: Worth the time.

Of note:

* Silver Lake 66 - Ragged Heart (Good, mainstream country-roots music.)
* The Suitcase Junket - Mean Dog, Trampoline (Definitely feels like a mainstream play. Great for fans of Father John Misty and the like.)
* Lissie - When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective (Piano takes of her best efforts from the last decade or so.)
* American Pleasure Club - Fucking Bliss (Oddball, cinematic, atmospheric electronic music. Came out last week, features Kitty among others.)
* Cherry Pickles - Cherry Pickles Will Harden Your Nipples (Fun retro lo-fi music.)
* Night School - Disappear Here (Solid, guitar-based new wavey throwback. Really liked this.)
* GIRLI - Odd One Out (Truly exuberant pop music along the lines of Icona Pop.)
* PUP - Morbid Stuff (Indie punk for mainstream listeners afraid of Jeff Rosenstock. This is solid, but not forging any new ground.)
* The Drums - Brutalism (I haven't loved a lot of the output from this band, but this is a really good album.)
* Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
* Control Top - Covert Contracts
* The Proper Ornaments - Six Lenins
* Rozi Plain - What a Boost
* Idlewild - Interview Music
* Mini Dresses - Heaven Sent
* Alexia Avina - All That I Can't See

7 Song Albums:

* Lady Pills - Pink Void (Don't sleep on this, it's very good.)

EPs:

* FACS - Lifelike
* Sharkmuffin - Gamma Gardening
* Partner - Saturday the 14th
* Shovels and Rope - I'm Coming Out
* Jasmine Thompson - Colour

Also out:

* Bill Janovitz - Covers of the Weeks II ("No Surprises!" "Wendell Gee!")
* Circa Waves - What's It Like Over There?
* Mike Mains and the Branches - When We Were in Love

Lady Lamb - "Deep Love"

Photo by Erica Peplin

We're just over a month away from the release of Lady Lamb's new album, and today we have a new song to salivate over. "Deep Love" might be Lady Lamb's most accessible song yet. It's still a Lady Lamb song (not quite indie rock, not quite folk), but towards the end it almost takes on a groovy 80's power ballad feel. Well... not quite, but maybe the demo for an 80's power ballad. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you're guaranteed to love this. Even if it's not, you probably will love it any way. Spaltro (aka Lady Lamb) has this to say about the song:

I had just gone into Manhattan and I felt like an alien seeing all the workers on their lunch break.  I spent my train ride home to Queens, wondering if we’d lost our purpose.  I started singing the first line, ‘I’m not convinced we should strive for midtown,’ and by the time I got to the chorus refrain I was full of a deep, volcanic kind of love which poured out of me and filled the song. It felt like it was writing itself, and when I realized I was singing through tears, I knew the album was finished.

You can watch the video for "Deep Love" below. Even in the Tremor, the new album from Lady Lamb, will be out April 5 via Ba Da Bing Records. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Lady Lamb, check out her website. Current tour dates are below the video.

Wed. April 10 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom *
Thu. April 11 - Montreal, QC @ Le Ministere *
Fri. April 12 - Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel *
Sat. April 13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
Mon. April 15 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
Tue. April 16 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Wed. April 17 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
Fri. April 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
Sat. April 20 - Milwaukee @ Back Room at  Colectivo *
Mon. April 22 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge *
Wed. April 24 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Fri. April 26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
Sat. April 27 - Boise, ID @ The Olympic *
Mon. April 29 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett *
Thu. May 2 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret ^
Fri. May 3 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern ^
Sat. May 4 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ^
Mon. May 6 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall ^
Wed. May 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room ^
Thu. May 9 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^
Fri. May 10 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar ^
Sat. May 11 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf ^
Mon. May 13 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s ^
Tue. May 14 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ^
Thu. May 16 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway ^
Fri. May 17 - Nashville, TN @  The High Watt ^
Sat. May 18 - Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 ^
Sun. May 19 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight ^
Tue. May 21 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings ^
Wed. May 22 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel ^
Thu. May 23 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore ^
Thu.. May 30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere ^
Fri. May 31 - Boston, MA @ Royale ^
Sat. June 1 - Portland, ME @ The State Theatre ^
 
* = with Renata Zeiguer
^ = with Katie Von Schleicher

Lady Lamb - "Even in the Tremor"

Photo by Shervin Lainez

We're pretty obsessed with Lady Lamb here at If It's Too Loud... In fact, she was the very first artist we ever wrote about, so we're obviously going to be thrilled with new music from her. "Even in the Tremor" fits right into Lady Lamb's previous work, even while it sounds nearly completely differently. As soon as the song starts off with just Aly Spaltro's voice and some menacing drum beats, you know we're in new territory. As the song goes on, it does take on Lady Lamb's sense of uplifting, and while this isn't an electronic song, there are some decidedly dance elements to it, making it quite possibly one of the more awkward dance songs I've ever heard. "Even in the Tremor" is an epic song that has quiet moments. 

You can watch the video for "Even in the Tremor" below, and try to figure out how Lady Lamb is the only person in the entire Aztec or Mayan ruin. Even in the Tremor, the new album from Lady Lamb, will be out April 5 on Ba Da Bing Records. For more on Lady Lamb, check out her website. Current tour dates are below the video.

Wed. April 10 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom *
Thu. April 11 - Montreal, QC @ Le Ministere *
Fri. April 12 - Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel *
Sat. April 13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
Mon. April 15 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
Tue. April 16 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Wed. April 17 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
Fri. April 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
Sat. April 20 - Milwaukee @ Back Room at  Colectivo *
Mon. April 22 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge *
Wed. April 24 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Fri. April 26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
Sat. April 27 - Boise, ID @ The Olympic *
Mon. April 29 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett *
Thu. May 2 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret ^
Fri. May 3 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern ^
Sat. May 4 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ^
Mon. May 6 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall ^
Wed. May 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room ^
Thu. May 9 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^
Fri. May 10 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar ^
Mon. May 13 - Austin, TX @ Antone’s ^
Tue. May 14 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ^
Thu. May 16 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway ^
Fri. May 17 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt ^
Sat. May 18 - Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 ^
Sun. May 19 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight ^
Tue. May 21 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings ^
Wed. May 22 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel ^
Thu. May 23 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore ^
Thu.. May 30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere ^
Fri. May 31 - Boston, MA @ Royale ^
Sat. June 1 - Portland, ME @ The State Theatre ^

* = with Renata Zeiguer
^ = with Katie Von Schleicher

Live Shows: Lady Lamb, Gateway City Arts, Holyoke, MA 11/10/18

Photo by Shervin Lainez

My absolute favorite time to see an artist perform live is when they are between albums. They don't feel the need to play certain songs to promote the new album, and you get what they feel like playing and what the audience wants. That's exactly what Lady Lamb's solo show at Gateway City Arts was like.

It was called a solo tour, but really it was Lady Lamb playing a few northeast shows. The main difference between this recent show and her performances for Tender Warriors Club is that those shows were acoustic and this tour was electric. Saturday night's show was a packed house, and what seemed like an insanely young crowd. I'm not sure if it was all ages or not, but it certainly felt that way. But, as young as the crowd was, they were die hard fans pumped to be there. It reflected in Lady Lamb's performance, as she played loosely and was having fun on stage, which is what you really want. She went back to her first official album, Ripely Pine, quite a bit, while playing a few songs from an upcoming album and her cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love." She also played a non-banjo version of "Regarding Ascending the Stairs," which was the first time I have seen the song performed that way.

She even took a couple of audience requests for songs she wasn't completely comfortable playing solo. "Bird Balloons" was the first, which didn't suffer in the least from missing the rest of her band. She was hesitant to play "Aubergine," but more because she hasn't played it for a while. She needed to get the opening line from an audience member, and would verify the next line a few times before officially singing it. It just added to the charm and intimacy of the night. 

She also teased information for an upcoming album and spring tour. If the new songs she played at Gateway City Arts are any indication, this new material will be astounding.

Live Shows: Lady Lamb and Henry Jamison, 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH 2/4/17

Photo by Ken Sears

To support her latest EP, Tender Warriors Club, Lady Lamb is touring around playing acoustic shows in living rooms and other smaller, alternative, more intimate spaces. In Portsmouth, NH, she played 3S Artspace, one of the few traditional venues on the tour. Oddly enough, 3S Artspace is almost five times the size of the Portsmouth venue she played with a full band two years ago, but who can complain with a Lady Lamb show, right?

Anyone who has seen a Lady Lamb live show in recent years knows that there's a point where the band goes away and Lady Lamb plays a few songs solo. This was an entire set of that. In the past four years, I've seen Lady Lamb as both a trio and as a larger ensemble that borrowed in members of Cuddle Magic, Xenia Rubinos, her dad, etc. This was my first time seeing her perform an entire set solo. While her much earlier work might be ideal for a solo act, her last few releases are much more complex and have enough multi-instrumentation that even a larger band than her trio have trouble recreating it fully. This allowed for completely different takes on some favorite songs. She described the evening's rendition of "You Are the Apple" as "wonky," but no one in the crowd seemed to mind. It also allowed for the return of her banjo, which was dearly missed during her 2015 tour. This also allowed a song like "Little Brother" to make a welcome return. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen that one performed live since 2013. After her main set, Spaltro came back for a version of "Crane Your Neck." This just reiterated how special this current tour is.

One thing truly striking about this performance was how many extremely young kids were at this show. Young as in they're probably still in grades with single digits. A few of these girls had made up their own little hand gestures for certain songs. 10-15 years ago (ok, maybe even 5 years ago) this would have annoyed me to no end. Maybe I'm just old and a dad now, but the other night I found this endlessly endearing. It could be because it's great to see kids into any musical artist that didn't start on The Disney Channel. Lady Lamb seemed to appreciate the greatness in this, as she stopped the show to interact with them a few times. Let's see these girls get that type of interaction at a Taylor Swift show.

Opener Henry Jamison played a fairly brief set. It was extremely well received by the crowd, to the point that Jamison mentioned how rare it was to have an audience actually listen. He played a set of fairly standard singer-songwriter fare that was heightened by his ability to actually write a pretty great song. He appears to be in the early stages of a career that has great promise in the next few years. I'd expect to see a decent amount of him here in the future.

First Listen: New Releases for December 2

This might be the last big new release week for a while, so let's dive right in!

Album of the Week:

Artist: Childish Gambino
Album: "Awaken, My Love!"
Quick Description: Donald Glover puts aside the nerd rap in favor of a funky pastiche.
Why You Should Listen: Donald Glover is a must watch/listen/read no matter what.
Overall Thoughts: Looking at this solely as a Childish Gambino project, it's hard not to see it as a strange diversion from what's worked. But if we look at this from Donald Glover as an artist, following his leaving Community and through the amazing FX show Atlanta, it's hard not to see this as one of those sort of essential pieces that needs more time to be unpacked. It's clear he's going for a message, similar to other R&B acts this year, but it's hard not to hear some old style funk as a message in and of itself about Glover's artistry on its own. This won't work for everyone, I understand that, but...
Recommendation: ...this is maybe the most essential recent listen.

Artist: Various Artists
Album: The Hamilton Mixtape
Quick Description: Celebratory mix of alternate/cover takes of tracks from the musical.
Why You Should Listen: You aren't one of the three people left not bitten by the Hamilton bug.
Overall Thoughts: It's impossible to listen to this and appreciate it without a full love for the musical. It's a great musical, maybe the best modern one in ages, but the enjoyment of this will track with your love of the musical. My wife is into this, I'm pretty much set with the version of "My Shot." So I'm not saying don't listen. I'm just saying this is for a specific audience.
Recommendation: Worth a listen, but might not be for you.

Artist: Peter Doherty
Album: The Hamburg Demonstrations
Quick Description: Babyshambers/Libertines solo album.
Why You Should Listen: Shows a more serious side.
Overall Thoughts: I can't say I'm much of a fan of anything Doherty does, but seeing his name pop up this week made it worth a listen and I'm impressed. The word "mature" comes to mind (which is almost certainly related to Doherty's personal troubles) and, while I can't say any song jumps out at me, it ends up being a really good showing. Surprisingly impressive!
Recommendation: Also worth a listen if you're into it.

Artist: Lady Lamb
Album: Tender Warriors Club
Quick Description: A quick, stripped-down EP reminiscent of her early work.
Why You Should Listen: Lady Lamb is a must-listen.
Overall Thoughts: We don't hide our love for Lady Lamb around these parts. Ken's a bigger fan than I am, but we've both loved the direction she's gone since her early start. This EP, however, is some of the best work she's put out in ages. Mostly acoustic/stripped down, very singer-songwritery, but just beautiful from start to finish. I wish there was more, or this would be a strong late contender for one of the best releases of the year for me.
Recommendation: A must listen, one of the best releases of the year.

Artist: Weezy Ford
Album: Bobbypin Graveyard
Quick Description: Sallie Ford's sister does Sallie Ford better than Sallie Ford?
Why You Should Listen: Some solid indie rock in EP form.
Overall Thoughts: Another album I wish there was more of, Weezy Ford offers a great debut EP. Ken covered it in more detail earlier this week, but I can't disagree with much of what he said. The sooner we get a full length, the better.
Recommendation: Another great release this week.

Three more albums came out this week that were okay, but still deserve some mention:

* I Like Trains - A Divorce Before Marriage (solid, sometimes slow, post-rock)
* Soviet Soviet - Endless (Okay-but-derivative indie rock)
* Grace VanderWall - Perfectly Imperfect (Promising debut EP of a poppy singer-songwriter)

Also out this week:

* Smoke DZA ans Pete Rock - Don't Smoke Rock
* Public Service Broadcasting - Live at Brixton
* Scissorfight - Chaos Country

Lady Lamb - "See You"

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Our fandom of Lady Lamb has been extremely well documented here at If It's Too Loud..., so we're thrilled to be able to share a new song with you. "See You," from the forthcoming Tender Warriors Club EP is a throwback for Lady Lamb, of sorts. It's much closer to her more stripped down self released albums back when you could only get her music at shows or Bandcamp. It's not quite as stripped down as her home and video store recordings, though. That seems to be the theme of the entire EP, as it's main focus is on intimacy and vulnerability.

That intimacy seems to be stretching to Lady Lamb's touring, as well. She's just announced dates for her Living Room Tour (although it does include proper club dates as well), and is taking submissions to be a part of it. She's not sticking with just living rooms, so if you have a space that can hold 40-75 people, go here are see if you can host a show!

You can listen to "See You" below. Tender Warriors Club will be out December 1 on Mom + Pop. For more information on Lady Lamb, check out her website. Her upcoming tour dates are below the song.



Thu. Jan. 12 - Charlottesville, VA
Fri. Jan. 13 - Raleigh, NC
Sat. Jan. 14 - Asheville, NC
Sun. Jan. 15 - Atlanta, GA
Tue. Jan. 17 - Florida
Wed. Jan. 18 - Florida
Fri. Jan. 20 - Nashville, TN
Sat. Jan. 21 - Louisville, KY
Sun. Jan. 22 - St Louis, MO
Tue. Jan. 24 - Minneapolis, MN
Wed. Jan. 25 – Chicago, IL ***
Thu. Jan. 26 - Milwaukee, WI
Fri. Jan. 27 - Cleveland, OH
Sat. Jan. 28 - Detroit, MI
Mon. Jan. 30 - Toronto, ON
Tue. Jan. 31 - Montreal, QC
Wed. Feb. 1 – Burlington, VT
Thu. Feb. 2 – Harpswell, ME ***
Fri. Feb. 3 - Portland, ME ***
Sat. Feb. 4 – Portsmouth, NH ***
Mon. Feb. 6 - Providence, RI
Tue. Feb. 7 - Northampton, MA
Thu. Feb. 9 - Hartford, CT
Fri. Feb. 10 – Boston, MA ***
Sat. Feb. 11 – Brooklyn, NY ***
Sun. Feb. 12 – Washington, DC ***
Mon. Feb. 13 - Philadelphia, PA
Wed. March 1 - New Orleans, LA
Thu. March 2 - Houston, TX
Fri. March 3 - Austin, TX
Sat. March 4 - Dallas, TX
Tue. March 7 - Albuquerque, NM
Wed. March 8 - Phoenix, AZ
Fri. March 10 – Los Angeles, CA ***
Sat. March 11 – San Francisco CA ***
Sun. March 12 - Petaluma, CA
Tue. March 14 - Portland, OR
Wed. March 15 - Vancouver, BC
Thu. March 16 - Seattle, WA
Fri. March 17 - Spokane, WA
Sat. March 18 - Missoula, MT
Mon. March 20 - Boise, ID
Tue. March 21 - Salt Lake City, UT
Thu. March 23 - Denver, CO
Fri. March 24 - Omaha, NE
Sat. March 25 - Kansas City, MO
Sun. March 26 - Tulsa, OK

*** means proper club show

Ken's Top 10 of 2015 - #1 - Lady Lamb - After

My love for Lady Lamb's music is very well established here. Ripely Pine, from back when she went by Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, was my favorite album of 2013, plus I've reviewed two live shows just this year alone. 

After is a bit more accessible than Ripely Pine, but that's not a bad thing. There are still the layers within songs that made me love Ripely Pine, plus multiple tempo changes and complete swerves halfway through a song. But this album feels like something everyone but your most top 40 listening friends could appreciate. Just listen to "Violet Clementine" for an example of this. It just keeps progressively changing from a quirky folk song to a bizarro indie rocker. Plus, if you know anyone that can hear "Billions of Eyes" without instantly loving it, you need to stop talking to that person. 

If you haven't, please check out Lady Lamb's After below.

TT the Bear's Memory: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, 2/22/13

Photo by Shervin Lainez

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly.

I almost didn't go to this show. It was on a Friday the same week I started a new job after a couple months of unemployment. I really shouldn't have been spending the extra money on a concert. But then I heard Ripely Pine, which came out the same week. I hadn't had such a strong reaction to a brand new album in years. I was completely blown away by how unique it all sounded, and how every song veered off in completely unexpected directions. I knew I had to finally get out and see her live.

And what a show. The show opened in complete darkness, with her opening with "Up in the Rafters," an a cappella song first heard on Mammoth Swoon. The few people in the audience that were still chattering away immediately stopped and the entire venue gave her voice their full attention. The band (and lights) came on as soon as "Up in the Rafters" was over and started a thunderous version of "Bird Balloons." I always hear people talk about getting goosebumps when listening to certain music, especially at live shows. That had never happened at a show before, but it happened that night, and never since.

The show was also particularly fantastic since she had members of her opening bands (Xenia Rubinos and Cuddle Magic) join her for songs, giving her more complex compositions a complete feeling you can't get with her current three piece configuration. Also, her dad flew up from Texas to join her for a few songs. She mentioned that was the first time they ever played music on stage together. It got a little dusty in there for the next song. After "Crane Your Neck" she commented that she's never had so much fun playing that song and was glad it's now a song you can dance to.

There was a problem with the show that is unique to TT's. Another club, The Middle East, is directly downstairs, and the sound can bleed through pretty heavily during quieter moments. That night there was a Wu-Tang Clan affiliated rapper playing downstairs during Lady Lamb's solo banjo songs, to the point that you could recognize the sample (The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army). That's derailed many shows here, but she joked that her next song's opening line was rather fitting. It was "Regarding Ascending the Stairs" which opens with "I can not think of that song with this music on." It ended up adding to a perfect night of music.

To see the remaining shows on TT's calendar, check out their website. There are only two shows left.

Live Shows: Lady Lamb & Rathborne, Press Room, Portsmouth, NH 5/13/15

Photo by Ken Sears

My days of going to see the same tour multiple dates are pretty much over. I just saw Lady Lamb at one of her album release parties back in March, so normally I wouldn't feel the need to see her two months later. But this is Lady Lamb we're talking about, and the Press Room holds 85 people. The last venue I saw her in, The Sinclair, holds 525 and she sold that out easily. There won't be many more chances to see her in such an intimate venue, so I had to make the trip up to Portsmouth to see her again.

The Press Room has a very odd set up. Shows here take place upstairs from the restaurant, but the upstairs still has tables with people eating. If you get there before the show starts, you either sit at the bar or mill about awkwardly between tables where people are eating while you are constantly in the way of the waitstaff. But the venue is extremely intimate. There really isn't a typical stage. There is a small ledge at the very back of the room where the drum kit sat, but the rest of the band stood on the floor at the same level with the audience, with only monitors and amps designating where the performance area ended and the audience began. In fact, Aly Spaltro apologized to the portion of the crowd that wasn't right up front if they wanted to see her, as she's not exactly the tallest of performers. To rectify this, she stood on a chair during her solo songs ("Sunday Shoes," "Between Two Trees," and show closer "Ten). 

Photo by Ken Sears

It was a remarkable show, with her three piece band sounding remarkably tight. Six weeks of playing together virtually every day will do that. Spaltro's voice did sound a little ragged and tired. She did cancel a couple shows due to illness earlier in the tour, which could have been the culprit. Aside from cutting out a few times, the tour exhaustion didn't affect her voice at all, and it retained the same power she displayed back in March. It was also the first time I saw her without her banjo, but I understand not wanting to lug an instrument from coast to coast for one, maybe two songs per night. "Crane Your Neck" has become quite the set closer (She did play "Ten" immediately afterwards, but it was almost an encore. She would have had to push through the crowd and then push back in order to play a true encore), and I doubt anyone at the show would have had it any different.

Opener Rathborne went to high school with Lady Lamb, which could have gone horribly wrong. Choosing a high school friend to go on tour isn't always an artistic choice, but Rathborne fit perfectly. He was playing with a drummer he hadn't met until the tour started, but six weeks of touring made them tight. As it was a male/female rock duo, it invites comparisons to The White Stripes and Shovels & Rope, so here goes: If The White Stripes are the noisy indie rock version of the blues and Shovels & Rope are the noisy indie rock version of country and rockabilly, Rathborne is the noisy indie rock version of 60s pop. Great stuff, and I look forward to coming across him again someday.

Live Shows: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper & Cuddle Magic, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 3/7/15

As you can probably tell by now, we love Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. She was celebrating the release of her new record, the absolutely amazing After, this weekend with a trio of shows in her 3 hometowns. Luckily enough, one of them was at my favorite venue, The Sinclair. 

Currently touring as a three piece, Lady Lamb opened with "You Are the Apple" from Ripely Pine. I've always heard other music obsessives talk about getting chills and goosebumps from hearing certain songs or artists. As someone who follows music with a compulsion as I do, I never understood that. Seeing Lady Lamb live is the only time I ever have experienced that, and it started right off with the first song. The band went right into the first single off After, "Billions of Eyes," next, and that might just become my song of 2015. It's just an uptempo Dylan-esque ramble with the catchiest chorus of "da da da da da da da da da" that can ever exist. Another highlight off After was "Violet Clementine" which has such an infectious counterpoint duet. Coming back for the encore, they started off with "Crane Your Neck," possibly her best song live, with its false stops and multiple tempo and style changes.

This might truly be the best time to catch a Lady Lamb the Beekeeper show. If the way the crowd received her Saturday night is any indication, she is about to explode. Hell, After was streaming on Rolling Stone's website before its official release. This might be the last chance to see her in such an intimate setting that she is playing on this current tour. Plus, she's still at the level where you can tell how excited and appreciative she is when the crowd sings the words to their favorite songs. The only negative might be that because she's performing as a trio, a lot of the nuances of the songs that come with strings and horns are missing. Luckily she was joined by the horn section of Cuddle Magic for a few songs to help fill that.

Speaking of Cuddle Magic, since I first saw them open up for David Wax Museum in 2011, they've grown an insane amount as a band. Back then, they were a bit sloppy, but still an endearing band. I liked them, but they were a bit too twee for my personal tastes. Every time I've seen them since, they've gotten better. At Saturday's Sinclair show, they seemed to have finally found their sound, which is progressive folk with some slight electronic dance elements. They're definitely a band to watch in the next couple years.

For more information on Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (especially tour dates and ordering her amazing new album), go to her website. For Cuddle Magic, you can find their website here.

First Listen: New Releases for March 3

Some blog favorites have releases this week, and there's yet another situation where there's not a bad album in the bunch. Why waste any more time?

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - After: Lady Lamb's previous album, Ripely Pine, was a top 10 album for both Ken and I a couple years ago, so to say this album was long-awaited would be an understatement. What I didn't expect is to like this one even more than Ripely Pine. The album is still left of center, to be sure, but the music itself has shifted toward a more accessible tone without sacrificing what makes it great. The first two songs alone really won me over, but it's the whole album, and the continued maturity growth of the songwriting that's ultimately going to make it continue being an album I listen to repeatedly. Far and away the album of the week, it will probably be discussed a few more times before this year is out at the very least.

Purity Ring - Another Eternity: The indie electropop entry of the week is by Purity Ring, who offers up their sophomore effort this week. While I didn't quite love how their first album fit in, this one is much more along my personal mindset regarding what I expected. It's still a jarring, interesting listen with certain pop elements that keep it grounded, but it's still out there enough to be worth a good listen if you're up for something a little different. It's almost a shame this is being overshadowed by so many other releases this week.

Buxton - Half a Native: Ken sent this one over to me, and doing a little post-listen research, it seems that this band is better known for a more rootsy sound than the more mainstream folk/americana that this album pushes forward. This is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, and it certainly has a number of moments, but it's also not doing a lot to make it stand out in the crowd. Perhaps it's a grower, but on first listen it's more of a pleasant rootsy piece that readers of this blog would certainly enjoy.

Dorthia Cottrell - Dorthia Cottrell: Ken also sent this one to me, noting that she is in a metal band and this is a folk album. Okay then. You can definitely hear the metal influences in some of the vocalizations and melodies, but, really, it's only there if you're looking for it (meaning I've ruined this album for a lot of people already). It's a good listen, though. Reminiscent of early Cold Specks in a sense. Worth a listen in any regard.

Swervedriver - I Wasn't Born to Lose You: Swervedriver hasn't had an album since 1998, and are widely considered one of the top shoegaze acts of their time. While this album doesn't sound very shoegazey to me in a modern context, the album does feel out of the 1990s in a similar way to the Juliana Hatfield Three album from last week did. It's definitely a time capsule of sorts, and one I both enjoy and need to spend a little more time with overall. Worth a listen for nostalgia purposes alone, never mind with how good the music is.

Of Montreal - Heretic Gloom: The trajectory of Of Montreal continues to be one of the more strange ones to me. Probably the second or third Elephant 6-related band I got into back in my indie music awakening so very long ago, I went from seeing them in clubs a quarter full to riding the wave of an Outback commercial and some semblance of indie popularity. With that popularity came a bit of an identity crisis, as the sort of perky indie pop moved to a more electronic sound, and then outright funk, and then stuff I can't even describe. If it's the last 10 years of Of Montreal you've loved, this album might be a little jarring, as it's the closest to the old, wonderful Elephant 6 stuff we've heard in over a decade. It's still not really weird by any standards anymore, but still weird for popular indie rock, and it's enough of a tonal shift where we might just see a new audience form from it as well. I'm long past my fandom with them to want to see a live show or anything like that, but it's really great to hear Kevin Barnes be Kevin Barnes again in some ways, even if the inspiration for this album is a little more tragic. Definitely recommended.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday: Fine, I'll say it - Chasing Yesterday is the best Oasis album since Be Here Now. (No, I'm not counting the surprisingly great, indie-sounding Don't Believe the Truth because I still think it was an album that someone posed as Oasis for a while for some reason). I didn't mind the first High Flying Birds album, but it was still missing something, and now that Noel Gallagher might seem a little more content with where he stands musically, the result is the album we've arguably been waiting on for 18 years? I just really loved everything about this. Oasis was the first concert I ever went to, they've always had a soft spot in my heart anyway, and this album really brings me back. Absolutely worth a listen.

Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter: Part of what makes Brandi Carlile great is how chameleonlike she can be musically. She seems to slide effortlessly from pop to rock to folk to roots without really betraying anything, and it means she, very often, scratches that musical itch for me without trying. The Firewatcher's Daughter, in a sense, is her most rootsy record since getting some popular attention, but it doesn't stop being an accessible piece of what we might call adult alternative in some circles. A lot of good songs in there, some tongue-in-cheek moments, and we have Carlile arguably at her best. This one is going to be in rotation for me for a while, it's that good. Give it a spin.

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - "Spat Out Spit"

Blog favorite Lady Lamb the Beekeeper has a new lyric video for the second song off her upcoming second album After. "Spat Out Spit" starts out sounding like one of the most straightforward songs by LLtBK, but after a few listens its actually trippy as hell, with minimal instrumentation during verses, a haunting horn in the background, and looped choruses. Between this new song and "Billions of Eyes," After looks like it will have a wildly different sound from Ripely Pine while still sounding like a Lady Lamb the Beekeeper album.

After is due out March 3 on Mom+Pop. You can pre-order the album (including bundles that feature knit hats) on Lady Lamb the Beekeeper's website. She's also mounting a national headlining tour. You can find those dates here.

Ken's Most Anticipated Albums of 2015

Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love: Quite possibly the most anticipated album for all critics in 2015 is the comeback from Sleater-Kinney. They're one of those bands that disappears for a few years and then comes back bigger than ever. Their reunion tour pretty much sold out instantly,with them playing larger venues than before. "Bury Our Friends" is the only song I've heard so far, but it's pretty safe to say that this will be great.

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - After: As excited as I am for this album, part of me is a little hesitant. I loved Ripely Pine so much and gushed about it so heavily, can a second album live up to that for me? But, even if After is merely half as good as her first, it will still be one of the best of the year. Plus, "Billions of Eyes" is a rambling jaunt that sounds like Dylan fronting Neutral Milk Hotel, so it can't be anything short of great.

The Juliana Hatfield Three - Whatever, My Love: I mean, have you heard "If I Could" yet? It's a song that's been kicking around since at least 2004, and it's finally found a home on this new album. There's something purely magical when Juliana gets together with Dean Fisher and Todd Philips. Based on this song alone, she was right to hold back for a decade.

And the Kids - TBD: I've seen the name And the Kids kicking around for a while, but I didn't really know much about them. I had always thought they were pretty generic and dull, based on pretty much nothing. Then I saw them open for Sallie Ford a little while ago, and was blown away by the two songs I saw. They land more on the more danceable side of Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, and are pretty fantastic. I bought the EP that night, and I can't wait to see what they do with a full length.

Faith No More - TBD: I'm not really a traditional metal/hard rock guy, but Faith No More aren't a traditional metal/hard rock band. "Motherfucker" is a weird, weird choice for a first single for their first album in 15 years, but it's Faith No More, so of course it is. I'm most hesitant about this one, since I've been burnt by big reunions before. We shall see...






Other upcoming albums I'm excited for:
Suz Slezak - When the Nighttime Comes (The only reason it's not in my top 5 is I've already heard it, and it's great.)
David Wax Museum - TBA
Justin Townes Earle - Absent Fathers
Frank Turner - TBA
Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves