If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Old 97's Album : Twelfth Quick Description : Latest album from the alt-rock band. Can you guess which number? Why You Should Listen : Old 97's remain one of the more consistent bands out there. Overall Thoughts : Be real: have they put out a bad album? They have a lot of good albums, and maybe not every one is memorable, but it is such a pleasant surprise every time we get an album anyway, and the band is so consistent in songwriting and quality that it's difficult to think of a band that does what they do better for so long. This is unlikely to be anyone's favorite Old 97's album, but... Recommendation : ...it's likely to be one of your favorites this week. Artist : Alex the Astronaut Album : The Theory of Absolutely Nothing Quick Description : Debut album from an Australian singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : It's bright, gorgeous singer-songwriter stuff. Overall Thoughts : This came out nowhere for me. I hadn't heard o...

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 ...