If It's Too Loud...

Any time Magic Shoppe releases new music it's time to celebrate. The Boston band specializes in "Hypnotic Reverb Rock," and we've been fully on board for a while now. If you've been here for a while, you know that we also love covers and free music, so when a band like Magic Shoppe releases a free album of cover songs... how can we resist? The seven songs that make up (Not Our) Greatest Hits  make perfect sense for a band like Magic Shoppe. The album opens up with "PDA" from Interpol, and it's the kind of cover that makes me long for the days of Interpol's first album. It's a perfectly faithful cover of the original, but just with Magic Shoppe's harder edge to it. Mercury Rev's "Frittering" is a nine minute epic that even if you're lukewarm at the start will have you rabid for more by the end. My Bloody Valentine is exactly what I would want to hear Magic Shoppe covering, and their take on "When You Wake" is an...

Artist : Suz Slezak Album : Our Wings May Be Featherless Quick Thoughts : It's impossible for us to be objective about one half of David Wax Museum, so I'm not going to even try. Suz Slezak's first solo album is a really gorgeous folky poppy effort, with a few songs that, were there any justice in the world, would sit comfortably on the radio. If you're a fan of David Wax Museum, you'll find a lot to love here, and if you're not, you'll still find a lot to love. It's easily a favorite of the year so far. Songs of Note : "Beautiful Mess," "Blaze of Gold," "Now It Is Morning" Artist : Luna Li Album : Duality Quick Thoughts : Luna Li has been on my radar for a bit, but even this album surprised me. This has a lot of interesting songs, and it's got a bit of an edge to it, too - the song with beadadoobee in particular is a highlight, but her mix of styles and themes makes her stand out in ways other efforts don't...

We're back with Friday Freebie, a collection of free music downloads we've recently discovered. We have four truly great groups of offerings for you, and I think you'll all agree and love them all. As always, if you do download these releases for free, be sure to at least track them down on social media and give them a follow. New Aura - New Aura Hailing from Boston, New Aura have recently released their debut self-titled EP. We noticed them since they share at least one member of another of our Boston favorites, The Magic Shoppe. While they share a psychedelic sound with The Magic Shoppe, they have a self-described sound that is a throwback to "...   the old 'Bosstown' sounds that dominated the city's radio waves in the late 60's and 70's." What's great about them is they're psychedelic without being weighed down by the hippie label, and they're not part of the hard rock leaning psychedelic sound you hear a lot of in modern mu...

Photo via Facebook If you've been paying attention to If It's Too Loud... for any length of time, you're most likely aware of how much we love cover songs, and how much we love free music. That brings us to being huge fans of The Blog That Celebrates Itself and their free tribute albums they put out virtually constantly. Their latest is After Hours, Velvets in Another View, which is a tribute to The Velvet Underground. Immediately we noticed a submission from Boston's Magic Shoppe. For some reason, The Velvet Underground don't really get credit for being an insane psychedelic band, and "Heroin" might be the ultimate example of their psychedelic side. Because of that, Magic Shoppe take on that song. It's a fantastic rendition, staying right along with the original but ramping up the noise and going a little heavier. It's a noisy and perfect way to play "Heroin." You can listen to Magic Shoppe's version of "Heroin" be...

Guys, SO MANY NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK. Albums I Loved : Artist : Mannequin Pussy Album : Romantic Quick Description : Multi-genre indie stuff with a lot of intensity. Why You Should Listen : It's short enough where, even if there's parts you don't like, they won't last long. Overall Thoughts : I think there's one thing keeping Mannequin Pussy from being a great band or Romantic being a great album, and that's the fact that this album ultimately can't decide what it is. Sometimes it has alt-rock trappings, sometimes punk, sometimes hard rock, sometimes emo, but none of it especially flows together. Why, then, did I love this so much? It's so intense and so unlike anything else that it ends up being a really awesome musical adventure. I do hope future albums of theirs picks a sound and sticks with it, but, for now? This is just simply excellent. Recommendation : Definitely give this a listen. Artist : The Brian Jonestown Massacre Album...

A pretty loaded new release week! Album of the Week : Artist : The Prettiots Album : Funs Cool Quick Description : Biting anti-folk debut album. Why You Should Listen : You miss The Moldy Peaches but wish they had been wittier. Overall Thoughts : I fell in love with "Suicide Hotline" a while back, and I listed this as one of my most anticipated albums of this year. I thought it was coming out in April, but here we are with a great debut that is witty and interesting and has some of the catchiest songs we're likely to hear this year. Conceptually, this is just a confessional winner and seems like it hits upon the whole "jaded millennial" theme pretty well (especially in the final track, which is less a song than a treatise of sorts). Overall? A must listen and an early contender for a favorite of mine from this year if my immediate enjoyment is any indication. Recommendation : Simply the best album released in 2016 so far. A must listen. Artist :...

"City Alight (Yeah)," the first single from Boston's Magic Shoppe's upcoming EP, is the very best kind of psychedelic rock. It's the kind of psychedelia that both the indie rock fans and the hippies can like. It's trippy as hell, but has this weird sense of darkness behind it. With its swirling guitars, it sounds like if shoegaze was filled with hippies. It also reminds me a lot of The Beatles' "Within You Without You" minus the sitars. Interstellar Car Crash  is due out on February 5. You can listen to "City Alight (Yeah)" below, and be sure to check out Magic Shoppe's Bandcamp , Facebook , and Twitter for more information. They also have a few tour dates below the song. Feb 03, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA Feb 04, Palisades, Brooklyn, NY Feb 06, Great Scott, Allston, MA