If It's Too Loud...

Album of the Week : Artist : Julia Jacklin Album : Crushing Quick Description : New album from a favorite around these parts. Why You Should Listen : If there's any justice in the world, Jacklin will be much more well-known by the end of this year. Overall Thoughts : While everyone was busy looking at the Dacus/Bridgers/Baker triumvirate of up-and-coming singer songwriters last year, Julia Jacklin was quietly pulling up in the left lane and is poised to own 2019 if her second album is any indication. I had an inkling that Phantastic Fernature, her more rocking side project, might be a little instructive, but I will say that this new album works in a lot of ways her already-solid debut album may not have. The first two songs grabbed my attention , and hearing lead single “Pressure to Party” in the context of the full album gave it some extra heft I didn’t hear in my initial listens. One of the best, if not the best, of the week, and is almost certain to make a number of yea...

Seeing how I was busy for half the weekend, sick for the other half, and, by my count, there were 21 new releases worth covering in some form this week, I'm forced to do a truncated First Listen this week. Top albums I actually heard this week : Metric - Pagans in Vegas : Metric is similar to Muse in the regard that they keep transforming themselves over time and it still generally works. I can't say this is as good as their most recent couple albums, but they're still putting out some of the more interesting music in recent times. The Front Bottoms - Back on Top : Arguably one of the better albums of the week, a great indie rock record of the more traditional type. This band has never immediately caught me, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with it. Meg Myers - Sorry : I talk a lot about the "dark pop" trend happening, and Meg Myers actually got me into it a few years ago with "Adelade," an all-time favorite song of mine. This ...