If It's Too Loud...

Everything you read about Sweden's Sweet Teeth (including right here on this site) is going to compare them to both Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr, but with good reason. Their latest single, "Love Panic," has that 90's alt-rock/power pop sound we love here. It has that melody meets crazy noise you find with Husker Du and the wall of guitar noise you get with Dinosaur Jr. This is that absolutely perfect mix of catchy and noisy that pretty much hits all of my music fandom buttons. If that's your kind of thing, too, you're going to adore "Love Panic." Sweeth Teeth say of the new album: ”'Love panic' is by far the most powerpoppy song we’ve ever written, I’m not sure if we’ll ever do one like this again. The lyrics are about classic first date nerves and all the anxiety and joy that love brings, hence the title. It’s influenced by late ’80s and early ’90s alternative rock; from the Sonic Youth-inspired intro, to the line of text saying 'whatever’s...

When I'm writing about a band, I like to have a unique perspective on them and not just mirror what is written in their press release or in pull quotes from other publications. But, as I was listening to the latest single from Sweden's Sweet Teeth, I kept thinking it sounded like Husker Du meets Dinosaur Jr. Reading their press release after, they kept being compared to both of those bands. Sometimes you just can't avoid what everyone else is saying. "No Me" just has that gruff but kinda poppy early alternative punk rock of both Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr. Plus it includes a guitar solo that just sounds like a J Mascis solo, and singer Andreas Axelson has more than a little of a Bob Mould thing going on in his vocals. Of course, if you're going to sound like other bands you could do a lot worse than Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr. Sweet Teeth says of their new song: "’No me’ was, if we remember correctly, the second song we ever wrote and you can sort of hear t...

Odetta Smith might just be re-writing the rules for the traditional female singer/songwriter with a banjo genre. Sure, she's playing a banjo, but I wouldn't call "Sweet Teeth" folk, bluegrass, or even really Americana. There is a bit of a mainstream feel to the song, and it is beautifully done mesmerizing harmonies in the vocals, but I couldn't call it pop or rock, either. Plus, it's banjo music and something about it is distinctively badass. I guess this is the music that comes when an artist grows up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan surrounded by punk and hip hop, going to shows at CBGB's, and being raised on her parent's soul and classic country records.  You can listen to "Sweet Teeth" below. Old Rockhounds Never Die , the new album from Odetta Hartman, will be out on August 10 on Northern Spy Records. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Odetta Hartman, check her out on Facebook and Twitter .