If It's Too Loud...

Puddles Pity Party is undeniably popular, although I don't know if I've ever quite got it. It's too weird of a concept to be taken fully seriously, but he's far too talented to be a pure novelty. But, if he's going to join with Jake La Botz to cover The Kinks... how can I possibly resist that? The pair take on "Strangers," one of my favorite understated Kinks classic songs. It's somewhat reinvented with a country feel.  Puddles Pity Party says about the recording: " This song was written by Dave Davies. Our pal, Jake La Botz, stopped by the garage. We talked about life and living and his Buddhist meditation practice. Then we decided to play this song. It's been on my mind lately, although I've never played it before. Jake plays a mean guitar, and I love playing that outta tune Ban-Tar or whatever it's called. Let's hear it for Andrew and that Fog Storm 1200! I adore making art with these guys." You can watch the video fo...

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 . 

Photo by Michael Newsted I was completely unfamiliar with Grand Rapids's Major Murphy before we were sent their cover of The Kinks's 1970 classic "Strangers." But, we also didn't know about Courtney Barnett until she covered a Lemonheads song, so they're in great company. While The Kinks's original version of "Strangers" is a very slow piano heavy ballad, Major Murphy speeds the song up a little and turns it into a fairly upbeat Americana track. It's one of those rare cover songs that perfectly straddles the line between staying true to the original but still making the song its own. You can listen to Major Murphy's version of "Strangers" below. The song is currently available for a "Name Your Price" option with all purchases donated to the Fianza Fund which supports immigrants being detained on the southern border. You can get your copy here . For more on Major Murphy, check them out on Facebook and Twitter . ...

Photo courtesy Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts I always try to make it a point to listen to a song that's sent to us before reading the accompanying press release and band bio. While listening to "Strangers" by Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts, I started making connections, like we music reviewers do. You know what I'm talking about. "It sounds like Band X hung out with Band Y at a drugged up rave," etc. The comparison I made for this song was that it sounds like Cheap Trick meets the current crop of more pop Americana that's all the rage these days. Turns out Miles Nielsen is the son of Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, so maybe some things are just hereditary. All family connections aside, you should give "Strangers" a chance. It's a great blast of pop Americana, but more in line with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers than The Lumineers. It's a confessional song about being able to open up to strangers instead of close friends ...