If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Daniel Bergeron I think we all have those bands that we know we should be more familiar with, but for some inexplicable reason, we just aren't. One of those bands for me is Karate. The Boston band's initial run was between 1993 and 2005 was my prime for going to shows and hearing new music, but even though I knew the name, I just never got into them. Well... now's a good time for me to correct that since Karate is about to release their first new album in twenty years. Their latest single, "Defendants," fits right into the post-rock/slowcore/jazz rock sound that make Karate so beloved. It's the kind of single that makes a newbie like me angry for not discovering the beloved band twenty-five years ago when I should have, but at least now it's inspiring me to go into a full fledged deep dive. From the very surface of my dive, a song like "Defendants" and its B-side 'Silence, Sound" fit right in with their classic releases, showing...

Photo by Daniel Bergeron We don't typically bring you reissues, but when it's something as great as Everyone Asked About You we simply can't resist. The "DIY queer tweemo outfit" from Little Rock formed in 1996 and broke up in 2000. The latest single off of their upcoming career spanning reissue, "A Better Way to a Broken Heart," doesn't sound like what most people consider emo these days. The song title along is pure late emo, and so is the sound of the song. It's more 90's indie rock melding noise and melody in a seemless fashion along with heartfelt lyrics. Despite not knowing of Everyone Asked About You, "A Better Way to a Broken Heart" is making me intensely nostalgic for that time period. Chris Sheppard says of the song: "If one wanted to create a narrative timeline of those songs, this song would fit between 'it’s days like this' and 'everyone asked about you'. ABWTABH is a brief vignette of a late summer...

Photo by Daniel Bergeron Little Rock, Arkansas' Everyone Asked About You are described as a "queer tweemo band." The band formed in 1996 and broke up in 2000, releasing less than two thousand copies of their entire recorded output. Their legend has grown in the last twenty plus years, and they're finally getting their music re-released.  The first song released to re-introduce Everyone Asked About You (or introduce in many cases) is "Sometimes Memory Fails Me Sometimes," and if you have a fondness for late 90's emo, this is going to be gold to you. This fits perfectly with the melodic slice of indie rock that was labelled emo, after the initial burst of emo's aggression or the pure pop it became after 2000. This is perfect for fans of The Promise Ring or Rainer Maria. "Sometimes Memory Fails Me Sometimes" has that awkward beauty and left of center pop hooks that you're going to adore. You can watch the video for "Sometimes Memory F...

Photo courtesy Numero Group We don't cover anywhere near enough soul here at If It's Too Loud..., and it's safe to say that we're fairly ignorant about the history aside from the giants. It's always great when we get to discover some of the more legendary underground performers. Jackie Shane wasn't well known outside of Toronto back in the 1960's, and her last public performance was in December 1971. Jackie Shane was a transgender pioneer, born in a male body and living her life as a woman. Knowing the challenges and controversy facing transgender individuals in 2017, I can't even imagine what it could have been like 50 years ago, especially for a public figure who never hid her identity.  On October 20, Numero Group will be issuing the first ever artist approved collection of Jackie Shane's work, including all six of her 45s and a live performance from 1967. This collection includes extensive liner notes telling Jackie Shane's story in her...