If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Savoir Faire Album : Hopeless Nostalgic Quick Thoughts : I don't know if Savior Faire is making any sort of mainstream moves with their latest record, but this demonstrates once more how absolutely gorgeous this local act's music can be, and how their songs are ready for a larger audience. "Machine With a Dream" feels like a hit, "Think Twice" the sort of pseudo-alt-noir that you come to expect from the act, and I'm just loving everything that's happening here. A great listen for the beginning of the year. Songs of Note : "How It's Supposed to Feel," "Only Fools (Betarseed)," "Machine With a Dream," "In Flux," "Think Twice" Artist : Bonnie "Prince" Billy Album : The Purple Bird Quick Thoughts : I won't lie, Bonny "Prince" Billy hasn't always hit with me. The Purple Bird , however, is very much a traditional country record and it's one that Will Old...

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 September 13 Jedediah Parish and Mike Gent at Q Division Studios, Cambridge, MA DeVotchka and Savoir Faire at The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Buffalo Tom and Belly at State Theater, Portland, ME Bongwish, Mother Fungus, The P.A.'s, and Little Miss Echo at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Feminine Aggression, Perennial, and Juana B Ontop at Holyoke Media, Holyoke, MA Saturday September 14 Moon Over Salem Festival featuring Actor Observer, Hell Beach, dropbear, The Freqs, Oldsoul, Astr...

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: June 14 Jennifer Tefft & the Strange, Lovina Falls, and Little Billy Lost at Fireseed Art Studios, Framingham, MA Vudu Sister and Savoir Faire at Myrtle, Providence, RI Linnea's Garden, Ruby Grove, Cindy Lawson, and Lovewhip at The Jungle Community Music Club, Somerville, MA Bikini Whale, Speedfossil, and Cold Expectations at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Kid Gulliver, True Jackie, and The Satch Kerans at The Square Root, Roslindale, MA Matt Woods, Ted Russell Kamp, and Matt C...

Photo via Facebook "When You're Gone" might be the ideal song Cranberries for Savoir Faire to cover. The Boston singer-songwriter has always added a strong nostalgic sound to her music, and "When You're Gone" could be the most nostalgia drenched song in their catalog. While the original has a 60's meets 90's alt-rock sound, Savoir Faire reaches even further back. Her version has a 50's or possibly earlier sound. It's an indie rock song, sure, but it's more jazz and soul sounding than the original. Not many artists can take a 90's song and somehow change it up to make you nostalgic for an even earlier time, but that's the magic of Savoir Faire. On a Facebook post, Savoir Faire says of her latest cover: "This song started as a nostalgia cover, but ended up as so much more. By the time it was finished, I was in such a very different place as a person than when I started. "I dedicate this song to all of the beautiful people ...

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: April 12 STL GLD, ToriTori, and The Blade-Runners at Sonia, Cambridge, MA Minibeast, Major Stars, Rope Trick, and The Endorphins at The Rockwell, Somerville, MA John R. Miller and The Deslondes at Fete Music Hall, Providence, RI Rock and Roll Rumble featuring Never Gonna Make It, The Ghouls, Cold Expectations, and The Roland High Life at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, Children of the Flaming Wheel, and Pink Lids at Faces Brewing, Malden, MA Matt Charette and The Truer Sound, The Nightblinders, and Old Rochelle at Thirsty ...

Doing Anything Fun 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 February 16 Avi Jacob, Jessye DeSilva, and Jake Blount at Askew, Providence, RI The Rock Dwellers and JVK at 3S Artspace, Portsmouth, NH Perennial, Blind Mellencamp, Burn Kit, and PV at Ralph's Diner, Worcester, MA Julie Rhodes, Sinnet, and Jon Nolan at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Saturday February 17 Bedtimemagic, Crowfeeder, Karate Steve, and The Endorphins at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Scissorfight, Blood Lightning, Evil80, and Catching Hell at Ralph's, Worcester, MA Mephiskapheles, The Prozacs, Threat Level Burgundy, and Green Street Fiends ...

Photo via Facebook Back when I saw Savoir Faire last December, one of the highlights was a cover of Chris Isaak's iconic "Wicked Game." Last week, the Boston based artist released an official version of her cover. The song feels perfectly made for Savoir Faire to cover in her retro meets indie rock style. Savoir Faire adds an even heavier layer of noir onto the cover, which comes across with more menace than the original. Plus, the guitar has more of a surf rock sound than the original, making it sound more vintage than the thirty year old Isaak version. It almost makes the song sound like it could be a long lost James Bond theme. You can listen to Savoir Faire's version of "Wicked Game" below. For more on Savoir Faire, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Sasha Pedro According to a Facebook post, "Machine with a Dream" is Savoir Faire's "... anthem for women's reproductive rights." The gravity of the topic is reflected in the song. It still has the indie rock guitar heavy with nostalgia sound that we love from the Boston artist, but "Machine with a Dream" has an unexpected 1960's futuristic sound to it, like it could be from a science fiction movie from that period. Unfortunately, the dystopian times we currently find ourselves in is reminiscent of 1960's science fiction, so Savoir Faire's latest isn't as retro as you might think. It's also an eerie song, especially with its backing vocals. You can watch the Twin Peaks and Blade Runner inspired video for "Machine with a Dream" below. Hopeless Nostalgic is forthcoming. For more on Savoir Faire, check out the artist's website .

September 16 was the one year anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death. The twenty-two year old died in Iranian police custody after being arrested for incorrectly wearing her hijab head covering incorrectly, sparking protests which are still ongoing. On September 16 (we're far too late to this one, apologies!), Savoir Faire released a new single, "Only Fools (Betarseed)," which transforms an Iranian protest chant into her style of "alt-noir rock." It's a song that is obviously somber, but also hopeful. This is the type of song that can easily suck you in just by its vibe and melody, and then will devastate you with its subject matter. In a Facebook post on September 6, Sarah Fard (aka Savoir Faire) says of her new single: "September 16, 2022, was a day that catalyzed protests in Iran. It is the day that Mahsa Amini was murdered by her own government. People are still protesting and being killed. On September 1st, almost a year since the protests started,...

"Hopeless Nostalgic" could be a way to describe Savoir Faire's music and not just the title of her latest single. She's always thrown back to the past, but on her latest single Savoir Faire goes fully into vintage jazz and soul, but with a modern flair. Aside from her vocals, what pulls me in the most is the drum. It's used sparingly, and it's painfully quiet, but each time you hear the beat it's just striking. The instruments also offer an intriguing sound, and have more of an indie rock tuning than vintage jazz. The whole package is dripping with nostalgia for vintage jazz, indie rock, blues, soul, and more, all while sounding like a fully modern song. We've been digging Savoir Faire's music for a while now, and "Hopeless Nostalgic" may be our favorite song of hers yet. In a Facebook post, Savoir Faire says of her new single: "This song is dedicated to the people I grew up with, that I can look back on the 90s with in both sadness ...

Photo by Sarah Belclaire Savoir Faire is very quickly becoming a favorite around here, and "How It's Supposed to Feel" will show you exactly why. The new single, written from the perspective of a front line worker during the pandemic, combines this jazzy and bluesy sound that is becoming Savoir Faire's trademark sound. And it's a great sound. What makes a song like "How It's Supposed to Feel" so special and unique is her take on traditional music forms. There's an interesting dreamlike feel to the song along with an unexpected indie rock edge despite how smooth the song may sound. This is a special artist that you're going to want to pay attention to. You can listen to "How It's Supposed to Feel" below. For more on Savoir Faire, check out the artist's website . If you're in the Boston area, she's playing a can't miss show with Wyn Doran at The Burren in Somerville on January 21.

Photo by Sasha Pedro Since discovering Savoir Faire back in January, I've been dying to get out and see her live, but it just hasn't quite worked out for me. She's played a decent number of shows, but I unfortunately couldn't make any. Luckily just before the year ended she played a show at the tiny Union Coffee Co. in Milford, NH! How tiny is Union Coffee Co.? In the room with the stage, there were only ten chairs. Sure, there was room for people to stand, but it's a tiny stage and a tiny venue. That and the fact that it was a hometown show for Savoir Faire with the audience made up mostly of people she knew, it was an intensely intimate show. For an artist that normally plays rooms with fifty to one hundred people, it was a special chance to see her play in the smallest room possible. Playing with a bass player, Savoir Faire played a late afternoon/early evening show broken into two sets. She mixed it up by playing mostly originals with a good number of covers, to...

Photo by Sarah Belclaire According to Savoir Faire's Facebook bio, the Boston based musician makes "Indie rock guitar hovering around nostalgia." That is most definitely the case with the latest single. "Alias" starts off as a modern doo wop throwback track along the lines of early Molly Burch. And if that was what this song was all the way through I'd still be gushing about it. Savoir Faire's vocals and guitar work are completely dreamy in this style, and I could easily fall down a rabbit hole of listening to this on repeat. But just as I start to settle into this vibe, the song amps up into more of a rocker while still holding onto the same feeling. It's not a hard left sonic turn, it's more of a slightly unexpected bearing to the right. "Alias" wanders around like this for a while before adding some fabulously intricate guitar work and then closing in a crash much like a Lady Lamb song. Looks like we're going to be paying close a...

I truly hate just lifting a description from an artist's press release, but sometimes they just nail it. According to the press release for Savoir Faire's latest single, Sarah Fard's musical project is "... floating somewhere between jazz and art rock." "Sweet" perfectly reflects that description. Fard's vocals definitely bring the jazz sound, but in the way that Fiona Apple sings jazz. Musically the song definitely has jazz roots, but it meanders throughout a musical spectrum that kind of reminds me of Tori Amos with less piano and a killer guitar solo. "Sweet" is a unique song that deftly delves into art rock while still being accessible to a fairly mainstream audience.  In the same press release, Sarah Fard says of the new song: “'Sweet' is a rejection of the term so often thrown upon myself and other women. Throughout my career, I've been consistently told that I am 'sweet'. Though well intended, the term carries wit...