If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Snow Patrol Album : The Forest is the Path Quick Thoughts : There was a time where Snow Patrol was one of my favorite bands. Their post- Eyes Open work hasn't grabbed me quite the way their early stuff did even though they've legitimately become one of the biggest bands in the world over that time. The Forest is not a return to form by any means, but it is a collection of compelling songs that demand attention and is worth the time this week on a whole. I'm glad they're as huge as they are, 25 years later, and glad there's still good stuff coming out as well. Songs of Note : "The Beginning," "Everything's Here and Nothing's Lost," "Hold Me In the Fire," "Never Really Tire" Artist : Nada Surf Album : Moon Mirror Quick Thoughts : Nada Surf continues to be one of the indie-rock standardbearers with Moon Mirror , an album that remains as high-quality as basically every album they've put out since ...

Photo by Paloma Bom é If you haven't been paying attention, it'll have been easy to miss that Nada Surf have been one of the most consistently great bands of the last three decades. The band's latest single, "In Front of Me Now," perfectly showcases that. It's just a solid alt-rock song done in Nada Surf's unique style. The new song shows growth in the band's sound. It sounds like a Nada Surf song, but instead of just resting on their name and catalog, they've pushed themselves forward and released a track that stands up with everything they've released before. How many bands have been around for thirty years and are still releasing new music that we can be genuinely be excited about? Matthew Caws says of the band's new video: “We know the pandemic is over, but we made a Covid-era video to save on gas. Made on location (i.e. where we live) in Cambridge, England, Sarasota, Florida, Ibiza, Spain, and Austin, Texas, we bring you ‘In Front of M...

Photo via Facebook We're late to the party on this one, but I couldn't just ignore it, could I? Back in November Pom Pom Squad went on tour with Nada Surf, and it must have gone well since Mia Berrin has convinced Nada Surf's Matthew Caws to join them on a cover of Nada Surf's 1996 breakthrough hit "Popular." This is kind of a huge deal because, unless things have changed and nostalgia has softened their opinion of the song, Nada Surf aren't exactly fans of their big hit. That's too bad, because it's truly a killer song, and Pom Pom Squad prove it. This is a near perfect cover of the original. It's slowed down a teensy bit, and Berrin has perfected the 90's slacker vocals in a way that we haven't heard in literal decades.  You can watch the video for Pom Pom Squad's cover of "Popular" below. The song can be downloaded here . The video is also a recreation of the original, so you need to check it out. For more on Pom Pom Sq...

Matt Pond PA recently got the rights back to their 2015 album The State of Gold. They set about re-recording the album and re-sequencing it. The first redone song available to listen to is "Spaceland." How is the new version different from the original? I'm honestly not sure since the original The State of Gold  seems to be pretty much scrubbed offline. The new version features Matthew Caws and Louie Lino of Nada Surf and is a complete expression of pure joy. It's an indie rock/pop anthem that is endlessly upbeat and positive. It's an absolutely gorgeous song that sounds exactly like Matt Pond PA and Nada Surf joined forces to craft an epic. In an email newsletter to fans, Matt Pond explains the song and new version: "'Spaceland' was originally the last song on The State of Gold. It's a hazy vision of the first club we played on the west coast, a place where dreams and reality collide — beautiful palm trees overlooking littered sidewalks. We sat o...

Artist : Asgier Album : Bury the Moon Quick Description : Gorgeous Icelandic rock. Why You Should Listen : It's lush and beautiful without overdoing it. Overall Thoughts : For music fans of a certain age, it's either Bjork or Sigur Ros, but I'd argue that this album should introduce Asgeir into the modern conversation. This is a complex, wonderful album that kind of surprised me in its form as well as in how much it grabbed my attention. I really loved this in a surprising way and it's the first album in some time that's made me really want to get back to it as quickly as possible. Recommendation : A must-listen. Artist : Isobel Campbell Album : There Is No Other Quick Description : The latest from the former Belle & Sebastian member. Why You Should Listen : This is the best B&S album that wasn't in 15 years. Overall Thoughts : Isobel Campbell's post-B&S career has had its peaks and valleys, but this is undoubtedly a peak. Equal p...

An interesting new release week... Album of the Week : Artist : Sunny War Album : With the Sun Quick Description : Lovely, edgy folk music. Why You Should Listen : You wish Cold Specks's album from last year was more like her earlier ones. Overall Thoughts : On initial listen for this, I was surprised at how the vocal quality and delivery reminded me of Erin McKeown, but the stark nature of a lot of the music also gave me a lot of thoughts to the earlier Cold Sparks albums. This is a really gorgeous folk album with some light strings, great harmonies, subtle guitar work, the whole thing. This might have legs, so here’s hoping this is a breakthrough effort that gets the attention it deserves. Recommendation : A must-listen this week. Artist : Bat Fangs Album : Bat Fangs Quick Description : A side project of sorts that is as fun as it is aggressive. Why You Should Listen : You like your guitar rock with every distortion pedal turned up. Overall Thoughts : A compress...

Photo by Tom Bejgrowicz This year marks the 15th anniversary of Nada Surf's classic album Let Go. The band has an upcoming tour to celebrate. Nada Surf is also producing an album of covers of every song on Let Go with proceeds going to the ACLU and The Pablove Foundation. So far we can listen to one song on the album: Ron Gallo's take on "Happy Kid." Ron Gallo's album, Heavy Meta , just narrowly missed my top 10 of 2017, so this is a perfect combination. Despite Nada Surf curating the album, they seem to be giving bands freedom to make the songs in their own style. "Happy Kid" fits right into Gallo's sound, in that space where roots rock and garage punk fit together. It's definitely louder and noisier than the original, but that's exactly what I would have wanted. You can listen to Ron Gallo's take on "Happy Kid" below. Standing at the Gates: The Songs of Nada Surf's Let Go  will be available digitally on February 2 an...

Another crazy busy week, so another two parter for you all. Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Nada Surf Album : You Know Who You Are Quick Description : Latest album from the veteran rock act. Why You Should Listen : Nada Surf has been perpetually underrated for decades now. Overall Thoughts : You might still only know them via "Popular," which is fine. The issue with that is you've missed out on a ton of great music, including their really amazing album from about a decade ago, The Weight is a Gift . This album? It's absolutely their best since then, maybe even better musically, and just one of the most solid recent listens in a while. In an era where power pop isn't really getting its due, it's interesting to listen to this and really hear a band that's basically mastered what they do. From top to bottom, this is a superlative album and I can't wait to spend more time with it. It's so good, guys. So good. Recommendation : A must lis...