If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Le Ren Album : Leftovers Quick Thoughts : Probably my favorite listen this week, Le Ren offers a folky effort that excels at really great melodic and musical content. I don't know much of anything about this act, but she seems to be a transport from the 1960s in her overall approach, and this debut is one I'll be going back to very quickly. Songs of Note : "Dyan," "Who's Going to Hold Me Next?" Artist : Julia Shapiro Album : Zorked Quick Thoughts : Julia Shapiro excels in the sort of shoegazey stuff I know I love. This record gives me some real Marissa Nadler vibes, for sure, but it's really its own thing in a lot of respects. I really enjoyed this, it's the right kind of heavy for me this week. Songs of Note : "Come With Me," "Zorked" Artist : Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Album : Georgia Blue Quick Thoughts : This is a charity record for Georgia elections, so know that going in, but a really interesting...

The end of the world is bringing its A game for new music right now. Artist : Nine Inch Nails Album : Ghosts V: Together / Ghosts VI: Locusts Quick Description : Two new surprise entries in the Nine Inch Nails Ghosts canon. Why You Should Listen : It's ambient industrial done right. Overall Thoughts : I was thinking today that if you told me back in high school that the guy behind The Downward Spiral would be one of the best movie scorers in his era and that his more ambient efforts would be the things I'd love the most, I don't know how I would react. But here we are, in 2020, and Nine Inch Nails has quietly become one of the most essential artists of our time and the two surprises this week really show what makes Trent Reznor so important. There's no reason to miss this one anyway, but it's definitely one of the great listens of the week. Recommendation : A must-listen in any week, never mind this one. Artist : The No Ones Album : The Great L...

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen For most music fans, we remember exactly where we were when we heard the news that David Bowie had passed away unexpectedly at the age of 69. I just woke up and was checking Facebook notifications. I saw a friend had posted an article to me, and when I checked I saw a story that David Bowie had died. I thought my friend was a complete imbecile that can't tell a fake article from a real one, and scrolled through my feed. The vast majority of the posts that I saw reported that Bowie had, in fact, died. It took maybe five or six before I believed it. Lilly Hiatt heard the news the night before. In a press release she says:  "The night David Bowie died, I was in disbelief. I wanted to talk to someone, but it was too late to make a phone call. I cried quietly and went to bed. The next day, I picked up my guitar and hit record on Garage Band. I started to sing and those were the first words that came out. I felt like Bowie was giving me a little gi...