If It's Too Loud...

You might know Derek Smith as the frontman for The Cosmic Vultures, but he just released a new solo single. "Black Angel" is just a straight up great singer-songwriter song with elements of folk and country. It's one of those songs that starts simply enough on the folkier side of music, and builds into a rocker by the end. What really sucks you into a song like "Black Angel" is Smith's vocals. He just has a unique sound to his voice that reminds me of the mid-90's post grunge alternative goes pop period. Plus, there's one of the best twangy guitar solos to come out of Boston this year in the song, and who doesn't want one of those? Derek Smith says of his new single: "I am talking directly to God in this song. Whatever the concept of God is. Real, fake, whatever. I am not flat-out saying what I believe. Though, I am sure people are smart enough to know what and how I feel." You can listen to "Black Angel" below. The single is ...

Boston's Derek Smith has released a song that doesn't quite fit in any genre. "Everyday" is a laid back song that is mostly indie rock, but it has a little too much folk in it to quite be truly indie. But the song isn't folk enough to be folk either. There's some twang to it, but not quite enough to be country. I'm even detecting hints of hippie leaning singer/songwriter in "Everyday." The song is distinctively lo-fi without being a bedroom style track. It's kind of like if G. Love got more into early Sebadoh than the blues. It's a chilled out and interesting hodgepodge of sounds that is well worth checking out. Derek Smith says of his upcoming album: "This record is very 'glass half empty'. I have that specific outlook on life. But I am not always a pessimistic person. I get into my mood and then I write. I don't think I know how to write a song in a good mood. But I asked myself how I could tell a story with songs witho...