If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Chris Grady As we all prepare ourselves for the release of indie rock legend Mary Timony's first new solo album in fifteen years later this month, she's released a new single off of it. "Summer" doesn't exactly sound like summer. It's a mid-tempo guitar rocker that kind of plods along, driven by guitar solos towards the end. It's definitely a song that sounds like Mary Timony, but it feels like more of a straightforward rock song than we're used to from the artist. It's a very air guitar friendly song that has us ready to hear more as soon as possible. Mary Timony says of her new single:  “I wanted it to be a guitar stomper kind of in the vein of The Kinks, Jethro Tull or Elf and have simultaneous guitar solos at the end. I’m excited to play this one live.  Betsy Wright  of  Ex Hex  will be on guitar, and I can’t wait to rock those twin solos with her! I’ll also be joined by  David Christian ,  Chad Molter , and  Anna Wilson . They are al...

Photo by Chris Grady Legendary indie rock musician Mary Timony is set to release her first new solo album in fifteen years, and just released a new single from it. "The Guest" is about as mainstream of a song as you're going to get from Timony. It's almost a pretty straightforward singer-songwriter track, and even includes a surprising amount of twang. But that's one of the things that sets "The Guest" apart from most mainstream leaning music of the day. As country sounding as the twang is, something about it just seems a little non-country, which won't make sense until you're listening to it. Not many artists can make twang sound like it doesn't belong in a country song, but Timony pulls it off. Mary Timony says of her new single: “I was imagining loneliness as a house guest who keeps knocking on your door. I thought it would be funny to say loneliness is the only one who always comes back.” You can watch the video for "The Guest" ...

Photo by Chris Grady It's hard to believe but it's been fifteen years since Mary Timony has released a solo album. The indie rock legend (besides her solo work, she's also been a member of Helium, Ex Hex, Autoclave, and Wild Flag) is finally back with an upcoming album and a brand new single. The album is the result of the end of a long term relationship and was recorded while Timony was caring for her ailing parents. The first single, "Dominoes," is exactly what we'd want from Timony at this point in her thirty-plus year career. It's a mixture of classic indie rock/pop with a more modern indie groove. While it's rooted in vintage Timony, "Dominoes" could easily come from a younger artist just starting out. Timony is the rare artist that can still sound vital but also like herself three decades into a career. Mary Timony says of her new single: “This song was almost not on the record. We needed one last song, and I found a demo of it I had fo...

Considering how many punk veterans are hanging around DC, I'm shocked we don't get more supergroups coming out of that city. Hammered Hulls are an underground supergroup, made up of Alec MacKaye (Untouchables, The Faith) Mary Timony (Helium, Wild Flag, Ex Hex), Mark Cisneros (Kid Congo, The Make-Up), and Chris Wilson (Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Titus Andronicus). The band has their debut three song release coming up next month, and right now you can hear "Written Words." "Written Words" isn't going to rewrite music. It's exactly what you would expect it to sound like: old school DC punk, which is exactly what you're going to want from these four musicians.  You can listen to "Written Words" below. The self-titled debut from Hammered Hulls will be out August 9 on Dischord Records. You can pre-order a 7" via Dischord and digitally at Bandcamp . Current tour dates (unfortunately just two of them) are below the song. S/T ...

Mary Timony's newest band, Ex Hex , continues on the fun, party vibe of her previous band, the supergroup of 90s indie fame Wild Flag. Rips  is a fun as hell, upbeat album. It's not quite part of the indie dance music movement, but it's danceable as any of those will ever be. "Waste Your Time" and "How You Got That Girl" have a 60s girl group feel. "Beast" is pure mid-90s alternapop, like Velocity Girl or Belly. It's odd that the album doesn't remind me of Helium at all, since that was Timony's band at the same time of the other bands I keep mentioning. It might be because Helium were on the more rocking side of ethereal while Ex Hex are too fun to be called ethereal. The albums veers close to punk, but more like how the Ramones were punk while being a fun, catchy pop band.