If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Shervin Lainez I'm beginning to love Spotify's Singles Sessions. They typically feature an artist performing one of their own songs followed by a cover. As I'm sure you know, we love covers here at If It's Too Loud..., and considering we love Rayland Baxter and The Kinks, we're obligated to tell you about Rayland Baxter covering The Kinks. (Oddly enough, this is the second cover of The Kinks's "Strangers" we've brought you this year, the first being from Major Murphy .) Baxter's version is completely true to the original, with just the slightest hint of his country/folk sound. We're pretty sure if you're into either Rayland Baxter or The Kinks, you're going to want to hear this. And since you're obviously a fan of both, it's completely a must hear. You can listen to Rayland Baxter's version of "Strangers" below. For more on Rayland Baxter, check out his website . 

Album of the Week : Artist : Jenn Champion Album : Single Rider Quick Description : Latest from the longtime singer-songwriter; first album under the Jenn Champion moniker. Why You Should Listen : You like intense, mature songwriting. Overall Thoughts : I’m racking my brain trying to really describe the experience of this album. It’s very direct, yet still feels ethereal and haunting. It has an urgent aggression to it even in its almost airy and quiet nature. It is especially interesting for the lyrics to stand out and be so blunt when we’re focused on a sound that lends itself to a more metaphoric/allegorical approach. This is my favorite listen of the week because of how it upends the expectations it carries with it, and there’s something kind of cool about that. Recommendation : The best listen in a while. Artist : Cowboy Junkies Album : All That Reckoning Quick Description : Latest from the well-known act. Why You Should Listen : It feels a lot like what you've...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Rayland Baxter seems to be one of those artists that is intent on changing up his sound with every new album. With his new song, "Strange American Dream," he's dropped most of his folk/Americana/country sound in favor of a more 90's singer/songwriter feel along the line of Ben Lee. In the past year or so, we've seen a bunch of our favorite folky artists experimenting with a more mainstream, sometimes even pop, sound, to varying levels of success. "Strange American Dream" is one of the better experiments. It still keeps enough of Baxter's folk charm. While it veers off in a different direction from  Imaginary Man, it's not a complete change of direction. If you've been a fan of his, I can't imagine this knocking you off the bandwagon. You can listen to "Strange American Dream" below. The latest album from Rayland Baxter, Wide Awake , will be out July 13 on ATO Records. For more on Rayland Baxter, che...

A pretty loaded new release week! Album of the Week : Artist : The Prettiots Album : Funs Cool Quick Description : Biting anti-folk debut album. Why You Should Listen : You miss The Moldy Peaches but wish they had been wittier. Overall Thoughts : I fell in love with "Suicide Hotline" a while back, and I listed this as one of my most anticipated albums of this year. I thought it was coming out in April, but here we are with a great debut that is witty and interesting and has some of the catchiest songs we're likely to hear this year. Conceptually, this is just a confessional winner and seems like it hits upon the whole "jaded millennial" theme pretty well (especially in the final track, which is less a song than a treatise of sorts). Overall? A must listen and an early contender for a favorite of mine from this year if my immediate enjoyment is any indication. Recommendation : Simply the best album released in 2016 so far. A must listen. Artist :...

"Mr. Rodriguez" isn't exactly a new song, seeing as we first heard it on last year's exceedingly great Imaginary Man. Rayland Baxter is set to release SOHO EP next Friday, which revisits some of the tracks on Imaginary Man  in a more stripped down version. If this new version of "Mr. Rodriguez" is any indication, this isn't just a collection of acoustic versions of songs you have already heard. The SOHO   EP version is stripped down to bare bones, consisting mainly of Baxter's vocals and minimal guitar layered with a background of reverb. I truly can't say either version is the best version, but instead each lives in its own universe that you owe it to yourself to check out. SOHO EP will be available at Rayland Baxter's current tour dates. If you can't make it, you can also purchase one at the ATO Records webstore . For current tour dates, be sure to check out his website .

We've been pretty gushing in our love for Rayland Baxter's new album, Imaginary Man. In case all that love hasn't been enough to convince you to check it out, Noisetrade is currently offering the Yellow Eyes Tour EP  for a free download. On it you'll get "Mr. Rodriguez" and "Yellow Eyes" off of Imaginary Man  as well as two songs from his back catalog. It's a perfect primer in case you haven't trusted our immaculate taste yet. In order to download a free copy of Yellow Eyes Tour EP , go to Noisetrade. Once you realize how fantastic it is, go to Rayland Baxter's website to order your own copy and find out when he'll be coming to a town near you.

A very interesting week. This will be quicker than normal, though. Album of the Week : Artist : Rayland Baxter Album : Imaginary Man Quick Description : Well-crafted Americana/folk music. Why You Should Listen : When Ken praised two of the songs on this album, he wasn't kidding - the rest of the album is just as good. Overall Thoughts : Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this album. Whether it's an album of the year candidate remains to be seen, but it's a pretty perfect piece of work and I've listened to a lot of folk music this year. Recommendation : If you listen to one album this week, make it this one. Artist : FKA Twigs Album : M3LL155X Quick Description : New EP by strange off-center artist FKA Twigs Why You Should Listen : You liked her previous album; you enjoy challenging music. Overall Thoughts : I mean, it's an FKA Twigs EP, so you know what you're getting. It's weird and different and it deserves a lot of tim...

I owe Rayland Baxter an apology. Back when I reviewed "Yellow Eyes ," another song off his upcoming release Imaginary Man , I mentioned that I had dismissed his previous album. After hearing a second song off of Imaginary Man, I was damn wrong to do so. "Mr. Rodriguez" was inspired by Sixto Rodriguez, the now legendary Detroit folk artist and the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary Searching for Sugarman . "Mr. Rodriguez" is everything I want in a modern country/folk song. While mainstream country isn't even recognizable as country, and alt-country tends to co-opt an old fashioned sound that borders on novelty, "Mr. Rodriguez" takes elements of both to bring you the rare modern folk/country sound. Baxter is a fantastic storyteller in this song, which is going to bring obvious comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. It's a lush sound that is laid back without ever being boring. This has all the makings of ...

I first became aware of Rayland Baxter back when he was playing Newport Folk Festival in 2013, and I just couldn't get into him. I kept trying and trying to get into his album, but I just couldn't. It just didn't speak to me, and somehow seemed almost like a novelty record. With the release of the first song off his upcoming album, everything has changed. "Yellow Eyes" is fantastic. It's indie folk/country at its absolute apex. Fragile and catchy vocals, laid back instrumentation with a beautiful guitar riff along with the chorus, the perfect amount of polish on the production... this song would be the hit of the summer if there was any justice in the world. With one song, Rayland Baxter has turned me into dismissing him to a raving fan. Imaginary Man  will be out August 14 on ATO Records. You can listen to "Yellow Eyes" below. For more information on Rayland Baxter, check out his website  and Facebook or Twitter . His current tour dates are a...