If It's Too Loud...

We're less than two months away from the release of Hallelujah the Hills' absurdly ambitious DECK project that sees them releasing an album consisting of a song for every card in a playing deck. The latest single from that project is "Crush All Night," which represents the five of clubs. The song features guest vocals from Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz, and it sounds like nothing we've heard from Hallelujah the Hills before. It still sounds like themselves, but "Crush All Night" is a hard rocking, dance friendly track. There are swirls of noise that would make Sonic Youth proud, a driving beat that demands you dance, and all of this is wrapped up in one of the catchiest songs you've heard in ages. And, of course, some absolutely killer noise rock viola. This one is sure to become a live favorite for years to come. You can watch the video for "Crush All Night" below. DECK is due out June 13, and is available for pre-order here . For more on H...

Artist : Speedy Ortiz Album : Rabbit Rabbit Quick Thoughts : Speedy Ortiz and Sadie Dupuis are extremely good at what they do, and Rabbit Rabbit is another solid entry in a long list of them. It's got that angular baseline feel combined with a lot of interesting songwriting and great vocals. Basically nothing unexpected except for how great it is. If you're a fan, you won't be disappointed, and if you're new, this is a great place to start. Songs of Note : "You S02," "Plus One" Artist : Slowdive Album : everything is alive Quick Thoughts : Shoegaze legends Slowdive are back after a six-year absence with another great effort. It's dreamy and hazy in all the right ways, and captures a band still operating at the top of its game decades after their start. A mandatory listen this week. Songs of Note : "prayer remembered," "alife," "the slab" Artist : Jeff Rosenstock Album : HELLMODE Quick Thoughts : Jef...

Photo by Chris Carreon Speedy Ortiz won our hearts as a 90's influenced indie rock band, and has evolved over time to a more poppy style. Their latest single sees the now Philadelphia based quartet get back to their alt-rock roots! "Ghostwriter" is the heaviest Speedy Ortiz have been in years, while still keeping their current, more pop side as well. It reminds me of Whip-Smart era Liz Phair mixed with The Rentals' Seven More Minutes. It's a fun song that feels like a bit of a throwback, both for Speedy Ortiz and just indie rock in general. Sadie Dupuis says of her band's new single and video: "While 'Ghostwriter' ruminates on the horrible realities that stoke my anger—in this song’s case, the death of our climate and the criminalization of environmental protesters—it’s also about trying to live with less rage in the day-to-day. And not always succeeding, but not getting mad about that, either. And sometimes directing that angry adrenaline toward ...

Photo by Sherviz Lainez The latest from Speedy Ortiz seems to combine their two sounds. "You SO2" has plenty of indie rock guitar throughout, which is more in line with their earlier releases. But there is still plenty of the pop sound the Philadelphia based band has been playing with lately. In fact, "You SO2" might be the band's most pop/dance oriented track to date despite how much rock guitar it contains. It's a fun song that showcases everything we've come to love about Speedy Ortiz over the last ten years, and how far they've come as a band during that time period. You can watch the video for "You SO2" below. Rabbit Rabbit is due out September 1 on Wax Nine Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Speedy Ortiz, check out the band's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video. July 28 - Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park Fest July 29 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen (w/ The Good Life) Sep 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Br...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Speedy Ortiz started off in Massachusetts but is now based in Philadelphia (we try to not hold that against them...) We haven't had new music from them in over five years, but they're back with a new single and a reconfigured line up. "Scabs" merges Speedy Ortiz's original, more indie rock song with their newer, more alt-pop infused sound. I've long compared the band with Liz Phair, and on "Scabs" they've moved into a more whitechocolatespaceegg era sound. It's playing with pop and dabbling in it a bit more while still keeping the same indie rock ethos and base long time fans have come to love. After you hear this new song, you'll be desperate to not have to wait another five years for more music. Sadie Dupuis says of her band's new song: “Living in progressive cities and working in the arts, you meet peers doing tremendous organizing work. And then there are neighbors who signal their ‘good’ politics through y...

Our third Christmas offering of the day is one of the more unique you've heard in a while. Bone Sound Inc has put together Slow Xmas, which features some of our favorite indie rockers performing Christmas favorites... but very slowly. Yes, you read that correctly. Slow Xmas is filled with very, very slow Christmas songs. Gymshorts put together a version of The Chipmunk's "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" that is a little country and a whole lotta slow. Elvis' "Blue Christmas" is already a slow song, right? Couldn't possibly be slower, right? Well, Jason Hawk Harris proves it can be slower. The Waitresses' "Xmas Rapping" seems to be the song to cover of the year, and Sad13 (the perfect artist to cover this song) gives us "Christmas Wrapping Slowly." Is this the best Christmas album you've heard this year? Probably not. Is it fun? Maybe? (I'm pretty sure Jeff discovering this will get be banned from his h...

Photo via Facebook In one of the few positive things to come out of the last month, Tanya Donelly has teamed with Russell Chudnofsky and Joe McMahon for "Sunday Series." Every week, fans can let Tanya know through social media what song they'd like the trio to cover, and on Sunday she'll post it on her Bandcamp. This past Sunday saw the very first edition, which somehow also includes Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13). They teamed together for a rendition of Marianne Faithful, which of course also comes with hope that she make a full recovery from COVID-19. They cover the classic "As Tears Go By" which has also been covered by The Rolling Stones and Nancy Sinatra. It's a beautiful song no matter who does it, but a version by Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis? What more could we possibly want? You can listen to Tanya Donelly and Sadie Dupuis's version of "As Tears Go By" below. You can download your own version via Tanya Donelly's Ban...

And the rest! Artist : Dr. Dog Album : Critical Equation Quick Description : The latest from the popular indie act. Why You Should Listen : Dr. Dog is pretty consistent and loved for a reason. Overall Thoughts : People love Dr. Dog and I’ve never 100% understood them, but this record feels like a pretty solid effort from the band. The opening track really grabbed me, and I found the rest of it to be fairly listenable on a whole. I don’t know how fans will feel, but I dug this. Recommendation : Worth a shot. Artist : Forth Wanderers Album : Forth Wanderers Quick Description : Latest from a group I'm really fond of. Why You Should Listen : This is an act that you should know if you don't already. Overall Thoughts : I've enjoyed this band for some time, and the new album is the same sort of sneaky quiet great stuff that I’ve come to expect. This is one of those bands where you listen to a couple songs and start to wonder why this band isn’t more popular. Rec...

Speedy Ortiz are one of our earliest discoveries since starting If It's Too Loud... almost five years ago, and they have been a favorite of ours ever since. Luckily for us (and everyone, really) they have a new album due out in April, and with the announcement of a new album comes a new song! "Lucky 88" is quite different from what we've come to expect from Speedy Ortiz. The 90's infused indie rock sound is virtually gone, and it has a more pop/dance sound, which is closer to singer Sadie Dupuis's solo work as sad13. Now this isn't quite as far as Gwen Stefani reuniting No Doubt just to make them play her solo work, but it's definitely leaning more strongly towards pop than we've become used to for Speedy Ortiz. It's an interesting change in sound that has been hinted at for a bit. It definitely has us intrigued for the new album. You can watch the video for "Lucky 88" below. The new album from Speedy Ortiz, Twerp Verse , will b...

I love Halloween. It's by far my favorite holiday, but musically it always gets the shaft. Sure, you're going to hear "Monster Mash" roughly 1000 times this weekend, but not much else. Last year, I snagged Rodney Anonymous of The Dead Milkmen's Halloween playlist , but this year I decided we needed our own. While metal is always an obvious choice, I tried to keep it to a minimum (Danzig), while focusing on our alternative classics (Jane's Addiction, The Magnetic Fields, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), classic rock (Alice Cooper, Screamin' Jay Hawkins), and some of our newer favorites (Brown Bird, Speedy Ortiz, Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys). Running at just around two hours, it's perfect to put on in the background for parties this weekend or while you're handing out candy on Monday. Enjoy!

Another really busy release week! Album of the Week : Artist : Ladyhawke Album : Wild Things Quick Description : Tight, well-crafted indie rock. Why You Should Listen : Ladyhawke's first two albums are interesting and great, so this was a must listen anyway. Overall Thoughts : I'm a new convert to Ladyhake, who does a type of indie rock I really love. There's a little bit of fuzz on the edges, the melodies addictive, the whole nine yards. While Wild Things is perhaps a little more polished than it needs to be (especially compared to her earlier albums), this is an incredibly solid release with a lot going for it. As with many albums, you'll know if it's for you within the first few moments, but this is really a highlight of the week. Recommendation : Best album of the week for sure. Artist : The Claypool Lennon Delirium Album : Monolith of Phobos Quick Description : Collaboration between Les Claypool (Primus) and Sean Lennon. Why You Should Listen...

This is a ridiculously busy new release week, so let's just go through what we can today, and we'll get to the rest tomorrow. The Ballroom Thieves - The Wolf in the Doorway : Ken sent this over to me saying he felt it was too Lumineers for his taste, but I can't really agree. Yes, it's got hints of the sort of strident folk/rock hybrids that have been so pervasive in the music culture as of late, but the only real negative thing I can say about this debut is that they don't do enough to set themselves apart. They come across a lot like The Wind and the Wave without being so aggressive, or perhaps a less interesting Civil Wars, and, while being good is fine and all, it misses the mark in possibly being great on first listen. Definitely take a flyer on this, though, it may have a lot of growth potential. They Might Be Giants - Glean : I'm perfectly within the wheelhouse of who should be a fan of TMBG. Still, maybe I'm just a little too young to have re...