If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Patrick Ruth For their new single, Boston based band Eldridge Rodriguez have enlisted Thalia Zedek on backing vocals. Getting someone as legendary as Zedek to join you on a song is huge, but "Scars in the Vein" would still be a great indie rock song even without Boston indie rock royalty being involved. "Scars in the Vein" is an insanely catchy indie rocker with more than a few pop hooks thrown in. It's not quite tuneful enough to be considered pop, although it does lean that way. There's some noise here, but mostly it's a straight up rocker with singer Cameron Keibler's vocals merging perfectly with Zedek's. Both of their vocals stand out on their own, but when the two are harmonizing is when the song is truly magic. You can listen to "Scars in the Vein" below. The song will be included on Atrophy  when it is released on Midriff Records. For more on Eldridge Rodriguez, check out the band's website . Eldridge Rodriguez · S...

Nova Arts is a fairly new music venue in Keene, NH that seems to mostly be a coffee shop/cafe and arts space. At first they were booking smaller, more local artists, but recently they started booking larger bands from the area and some national artists. I've been trying to check it out for a while, and once I saw a double bill of J Mascis and Come, I knew it was finally time to make the trip to New Hampshire. This was the kind of double bill that could have gone either way for the headliner. J Mascis went on first. I was a little nervous as to how his set would go since Mascis can play quite loudly even as a solo artist. I've been to Dinosaur Jr shows at more established venues that couldn't handle the volume Mascis can dish out, but Nova Arts was more than up to the task. (Turns out it's a killer venue with a huge stage and lights and sound far better than I could have expected!) There were some sound issues, but those cleared up after Mascis' wife ran out to their...

E, the band of Boston indie rock legends Thalia Zedek (Come, Uzi, Live Skull), Jason Sanford (Neptune), and Gavin McCarthy (Karate), is back with a new single. "Any Information" is just as odd and intense of a song as you would expect from this trio. It's obviously going to be discordant, and this particular song has a guitar riff that sounds like it's driving straight into your skull, but it's also oddly lovely. It might not be at first, but as the song goes on and through repeated listens, you start noticing a strange beauty within. It may be an intensely noisy indie rock song, but there is beauty inside of it if you take the time to look.  You can watch the video for "Any Information" below. The song is the title track of an upcoming EP which is due out April 22. For more on E, check out the band's Facebook .

The impossible to Google Boston supergroup E (consisting of Thalia Zedek, Jason Sanford, and Gavin McCarthy) has released a new album on Bandcamp. Given the pedigree of those involved, Complications  is both surprisingly and not surprisingly accessible. That's not to say E don't get noisy and discordant on this new album, because they certainly do. Complications does a great job of staying experimental and challenging to the listener while keeping some pretty great melodies intact. A song like "Acid Mantle" does a great job of this. It's abrasive at times, catchy at some, and sometimes both at once. "Contagion Model" might be the best song on the album. It's just a classic edgy indie rock/post punk song that will have you singing the chorus of "It's contagious / Pass it around" out loud, so maybe keep your car windows up for that one. Complications is filled with nine songs that are going to draw you in just as much as they push you a...

We have a soft spot for supergroups here at If It's Too Loud..., and if you're a long time fan of the Boston music scene, it's not going to get much bigger than E. E features Thalia Zedek (Come, Uzi, Live Skull, Thalia Zedek Band), Jason Sanford (Neptune), and Gavin McCarthy (Karate). As you would expect, their latest song is a killer burst of indie rock at its finest. "Contagion Model" (which is either the best or worst timed name for a song and includes the chorus "It's contagious / Spread it around") is three minutes of perfection. It's loud and dissonant with guitars that will lock into your mind for days to come. This is the kind of indie rock that dominated my life in the 90's and you don't hear as much of these days. E are poised to take over to become the new favorite indie rock gods for those of us over forty by making us feel young again. You can listen to "Contagion Model" below. Complications , the new album fr...

Peterborough, NH is a surprisingly fun little town in south central part of New Hampshire. One of the things that makes it cool is the annual music festival The Thing in the Spring. Every single year it's shocking how diverse and huge the artists they get are. 2019 is no exception. Running June 5-9, they're bringing such artists as indie rock/electronica artist Dirty Projectors (performing solo), shoegaze/post-rockers Bardo Pond, folk artists Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Ryley Walker, Boston legend Thalia Zedek Band, actor/comedian turned singer Noel Wells, blog favorite The Huntress & The Holder of Hands, experimental rockers Sunburned Hand of the Man, Trinary System (featuring Mission of Burma's Roger Miller), and many more. Shows happen over multiple venues, including the UU Church and a free show on the roof of the Toadstool Bookshop to close out the weekend. For more information on The Thing in the Spring, check out their website . You can get a weeke...

We've got a lot of albums out this week! Enough where we're gonna split this onto two days... Album of the Week : Artist : Thalia Zedek Band Album : Eve Quick Description : Latest album from an artist widely considered to be an underground legend. Why You Should Listen : Best release of the week from an artist that should be heard anyway. Overall Thoughts : I blame myself for not having any prior knowledge of Thalia Zedek or any of the bands she was in. Ken sent this over, though, and wow . This is a methodical, enjoyable listen from start to finish, feeling both complex and straightforward in its structure. The term "underground" often carries harder punkish connotations, but this feels more like some well-structured indie rock than anything, and it hit just right for me. Absolutely worth your time this week. Recommendation : A must listen. Artist : AJJ (Andrew Jackson Jihad) Album : The Bible 2 Quick Description : Latest album from the folk punk a...