If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Sasha Pedro Boston's Noble Dust have a covers album coming out later this year, which has included surprising renditions of songs by The Shins and Pixies. The third single is "Kokomo, IN" originally by Japanese Breakfast. Of the three songs we've heard so far, this is the most true to the original. While both bands don't sound anything alike, they both occupy the same worlds of indie folk, indie rock, and alt-pop. Noble Dust's version goes a little more into folk than Michelle Zauner's original, but seeing as they're both traditional and alt-folk, the cover stays quite faithful to the original. If you've been a fan of Noble Dust, hearing that they're covering Japanese Breakfast is kind of a dream cover for them. If you're just discovering them now, welcome aboard the bandwagon. You'll like it here. You can listen to Noble Dust's cover of "Kokomo, IN" below. Both Sides Now is due out September 12 on Bridge and Key....

Photo by Sasha Pedro We absolutely adored Noble Dust's 2023 album A Picture for a Frame. Jeff named it his #2 album of that year, and it narrowly missed my own Top Ten. Now, the Boston based band has announced a covers album due later this year, and we can now listen to the first single from that album. It's a cover of The Shins' "Sleeping Lessons," which might be a perfect choice. The original is a bit more spacey and experimental while Noble Dust made it a little more straightforward, but for me it's actually adding to the song. Like with much of Noble Dust's music, it's folk-adjacent music that will probably get labelled folk a bit too much. "Sleeping Lessons" is a reminder for how truly great Noble Dust are as a band, and we're thrilled to hear new music from them. You can listen to Noble Dust's version of "Sleeping Lessons" below. Both Sides Now is due out September 12 on Bridge and Key. For more on Noble Dust, check ou...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. And since we're in outdoor music season, these events are weather permitting. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday August 30 The Sheila Divine, Arto Vaun, and Dyr Faser at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cakeswagg and DJ Whysham at Sonia, Cambridge, MA The Rock Dwellers, Modern Fools, and Noble Dust at Auspicious Brew, Dover, NH Highwater Haulers, Brightwire, and Wyn & The White Light at Askew, Providence, RI Coral Moons, Talk Chalk, and Lady Pills at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Smif-N-Wesson, STL GLD, and Tem Blessed & Blessed Energy at Off the Common, Greenfield, MA Burp, SuckerPunch, ...

Taking place in Somerville, NICE, a fest has been slowly growing and becoming one of the go-to festivals every year despite an increasingly stacked festival schedule. This will be their fourth year, and hyperbole aside, they've grown even bigger and more impressive for 2024. This year will see over eighty bands with ties to Boston playing over four days. They're back to Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theater and The Rockwell for 2024, but they've added a larger outdoor stage for Saturday at the Grove Street lot. The line-up is stacked and features many of our favorites. Vundabar, Palehound, Model/Actriz, Dutch Tulips, Hannah Mohan, House of Harm, Burp, Jake McKelvie, Sweet Petunia, Noble Dust, TIFFY, Vivid Bloom, Zip-Tie Handcuffs, and many, many more are playing. Every single time I look at the poster I notice a band I had previously missed and get even more excited for! And there are still two unannounced bands that are pretty high up on that poster, so let the speculatio...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: Friday March 1 theWorst, Grub Lord, and Psych Ward Disco at The Stone Church Music Club, Newmarker, NH Padded Waltz, Linnea's Garden, and Cars Go West at JJ's Tavern, Florence, MA Tree, Inverter, Old North End, and Samara at The Shaskeen Pub, Manchester, NH Olivia Dolphin, Imposters, Salem Wolves, and Eric & The Nothing at The Parlour, Providence, RI Perennial, Trophy Wife, and Bubble Scary at The Stone Church, Brattleboro, VT Speedfossil, Modern Day Idols, Tad Overbaugh and the Late Arrivals at The Square Root, Roslindale, MA Saturday March 2 theWo...

Sometimes an album from a local act comes out of nowhere, grabs you by the lapel, and refuses to let go. That's what Noble Dust did this year with A Picture for a Frame . In many ways, this album is Jeff catnip - it's folk-adjacent music with soaring instrumental choices, but also inspired by historical letters between the lead singer's grandparents during World War II. The total package creates a timeless-sounding record that feels like it would come out of a brewpub in 2023 or a rural tavern in 1923. It's just a beautiful record, with so many lovely little choices throughout - the distant-sounding trumpet, the strings, the lyricism of songs like "At Sea," the jaunty love song "Abbey" (which is probably my favorite song of the year)... it all just works and needs to be heard to truly appreciate. Noble Dust doesn't have a ton of Spotify listeners, and they're a Boston-area act that deserves to be at the top of everyone'...

Artist : Sofia Talvik Album : Center of the Universe Quick Thoughts : We can't be objective about Sofia Talvik in these parts, but the good news is that we don't have to be. Center of the Universe is the latest album in a series of great, reliable folk records, and songs like "Too Many Churches" and "Two Thirds" present some of her best individual songs in a while. You can't go wrong with Sofia Talvik, and this is as great an entrypoint for her work as it is a wonderful addition to her already stellar catalog. Make sure you find time for it. Songs of Note : "Center of the Universe," "Two Thirds," "Meanwhile in Winnsboro," "Too Many Churches," "Broken" Artist : Beth Bombara Album : It All Goes Up Quick Thoughts : I hadn't heard of Beth Bombara before this August, and I need to say that this album was one of a few that blew my mind this month. There's a raw energy and sharp edge to this ro...

Boston's Noble Dust are a folk band, although that description doesn't quite match their music. Their latest single, "A Picture for a Frame," has all of the elements of folk music, but with it's delicate strings and horns, it adds in more than a little bit of jazz and orchestral music. "A Picture for a Frame" is filled with lush vocals that match the instrumentation perfectly. Noble Dust have crafted an intricate song that is at times quiet and mellow and more raucous at others, while maintaining the same beauty throughout. This is definitely a band to keep a close eye on.  You can listen to "A Picture for a Frame" below. The album  A Picture for a Frame , which was inspired by World War II era letters between guitarist/singer Emily Cunningham's gtandfather while he was stationed in the South Pacific and her grandmother back home in Roxbury, MA, is due out August 25. For more on Noble Dust, check out the band's website .