If It's Too Loud...

For their 2019 album The Seduction of Kansas , Priests toned down the noise from their 2017 album Nothing Feels Natural for a more dance leaning sound . That is typically the fastest way for me to lose interest, but considering I'm putting The Seduction of Kansas as my #8 album of 2019, it obviously didn't turn me off. That's because The Seduction of Kansas doesn't lose any of Priests's edge despite having a more palatable sound. And it's still plenty edgy and weird: It doesn't take much to be more pleasant sounding than Nothing Feels Natural. "Jesus' Son" is still a guitar driven song, even if it's easy to dance to. The title track may be a straight up disco jam, but it's a dark, not exactly non-discordant one. Priests may be the only band to ever get more mainstream and weird at the same time. Songs of note: "Jesus' Son," "The Seduction of Kansas," "I'm Clean," and "Good Time Charlie...

Priests Photo by Ken Sears For those of us that attended the Priests show at The Sinclair last Thursday, we were treated to two fantastic sets from two great bands. Both sets were surprising: One was far more energetic than expected, and the other was much more laid back. Gurr, based in Germany but their drummer is from Boston, played first. I had never heard of them until it was announced they were opening the show, and I spent a little bit of time with their music before the show. It was good, but nothing that really stood out for me. Their albums are mostly laid back alternative pop. Just a chilled out vibe even on their Gurr Photo by Ken Sears more energetic songs. Live they have a completely different vibe, coming across like Sleater-Kinney being joined by Kathleen Hanna from the "Bull in the Heather" video trying to secretly form Le Tigre. They apologized a ton for laughing too much in songs, and seemed to feel like they were putting on a bad show, but for the...

Kind of busy this week, along with some catch-up. Artist : Chrysta Bell Album : Feels Like Love Quick Description : Latest from the artsy Lynchian chantreuse. Why You Should Listen : This is the most interesting and compelling release of the week, by far. Overall Thoughts : I’ll admit it: I got into Chysta Bell because of her appearance in the Twin Peaks revival, and I’ve come to really love her music. David Lynch has referred to Bell as his “muse,” and I have to admit that I hear a definite influence in the other direction as well here. Honestly, Chrysta Bell makes me feel the way discovering PJ Harvey almost two decades ago made me feel, and this album gives me true To Bring You My Love vibes in some regards. This album skirts the edges of weird in many ways, and songs like “Everest” and “52hz” are just off enough to be intriguing and different while also feeling fresh and familiar. This is an album I was confident I would enjoy, but this is a definite favorite this week a...

Photo by Erika Reinsel This Friday sees the release of the much anticipated new album from Priests, and we have a final single/video before the album. "Jesus' Son" (the title taken from a Lou Reed line which also inspired the title of a Denis Johnson book which was made into a movie starring Billy Crudup) is a groovy dance/rock song. It might be the most straightforward song in Priests's career, almost completely dropping the noise rock sound for pop, but still rock enough to keep me into it. Plus, I don't think Priests will ever drop their guitar sound that, even while sounding mainstream, is still pretty off. You can watch the video for "Jesus' Son" below. The video is a pretty obvious homage to Nine Inch Nails's "March of the Pigs." The Seduction of Kansas , the new album from Priests, will be out April 5 on Sister Polygon, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Priests, check out their website . Current tour dates are below...

The last time we heard from Washington D.C.'s Priests, they had released "The Seduction of Kansas," which was almost pure pop. Their latest, "Good Time Charlie," continues their foray into pop, but not quite as far. The bad has this to say about the song:  “ I like to think of this song a little bit like the Gilligan’s Island Theme song, but for a Hollywood tale of Charlie Wilson. It’s also a little bit about 9/11 but much like Otessa Moshfegh’s My Year Of Rest And Relaxation, the character sketch is more drawn out in its absence rather than presence. I saw a documentary about the history of the United States’ relationship with the Middle East, and there was clip of an 80s lady who looked a little like Vanna White (who turned out to be Joanne Herring) saying how she wanted to get the Mujahadeen guns to fight the communists because she believed they worshipped the same god as her. So I got curious about how this story unfolded, but even more so, how the tale ...

Photo by Drew Hagelin Fans of Priests's debut artsy noise rock album  Nothing Feels Natural  might be shocked by the first single off their new upcoming album, "The Seduction of Kansas," is pure shimmering pop, but with an insanely dark side, and it's just off enough to suck in those of us that hate pop music. It's 100% a song you can dance to (and you should), but it also has a disturbing edge. Plus, the song gets far more highbrow than pop music gets. From the press release for the song: " As journalist Thomas Frank explored in 2004’s  What’s the Matter With Kansas? , the ideological sway of Kansas has often predicted the direction in which the U.S. will move—whether leaning socialist in the 1800s or going staunchly conservative in the 1980s." Yeah, this isn't mindless Swedish produced pop music. This is pop music for the art rock crowd, and we should all be thankful for it. You can watch the video for "The Seduction of Kansas" belo...

Lots of new releases this week combined with some poor time management for this weekend for me means we're going to do a more highlights-based First Listen this week as opposed to the more traditional. Album of the Week : Artist : Stef Chura Album : Messes Quick Description : Liz Phair-style alt-rock. Why You Should Listen : The bar has been set for 2017's music, and it's only January. Overall Thoughts : I spent way too much time saying "this album should not be this good" while listening to it. Ken was really, really into the lead singles, and I thought they were fine and all, but they didn't outright blow my mind. It turns out that Messes makes a lot more sense as a cohesive whole. There's a tone and structure to the album that really needs to be digested and the whole thing just works. Chura knows how to write a song, and the fact that this album largely hits that 90s-alt rock sweet spot in so many ways doesn't hurt, either. Overall, a...