If It's Too Loud...

For their Patreon, Hallelujah the Hills have a monthly "Hills Cover Sessions" where they learn two cover songs which they arrange and record in a room together over a few hours. This month they decided to release their two covers to the public, and they are The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" and Joanna Newsom's "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie." Joanna Newsom seems more akin to Hallelujah the Hills' own style, and the cover shows that. Their cover of "1979" is stellar, in that it's an almost completely torn down and rebuilt version. While the original is a perfect example of that mid-90's post grunge alternative that was just starting to become dance music although we'd never admit it sound, Hallelujah the Hills' version is a slowed down version that almost grinds to a halt, complete with an almost industrial level of noise and feedback. Leave it to them to take one of the prettiest and most mainstream songs of that era and dirt...

Artist : The Smashing Pumpkins Album : CYR Quick Description : Latest effort by the reconstituted alt-rock legends. Why You Should Listen : It's a solid listen on a whole. Overall Thoughts : Listen, Billy Corgan is who he is. The Pumpkins are better than their critics say they are in this new form. This album is absolutely more Adore than Siamese Dream . This is a double album and probably doesn't need to be. Put all that aside, and listen to this, and there's a solid album in here. Some songs are truly great, and a great reminded of how good a songwriter Billy Corgan can be. Hardcore fans might not dig this, and I don't count myself among them, so I may be approaching this differently, but it's a good album with some truly great moments. Recommendation : Check it out. Artist : Billie Joe Armstrong Album : No Fun Mondays Quick Description : Green Day lead singer with a compilation of COVID covers. Why You Should Listen : Cover songs are fun, and...

Entering into the end-of-year phase... Artist : Hooverphonic Album : Looking for Stars Quick Description : Longtime UK act with a new album. Why You Should Listen : Hooverphonic have a long track record. Overall Thoughts : Somehow I am nearing 38 years of age and never listened to Hooverphonic before. This is probably a little too polished for my tastes on a whole, but there are so many catchy tunes on here that I almost don’t mind. I think “Horrible Person” hooked me in for good, but there are solid hooks throughout this whole thing that I can’t help but recommend it. And for me, I’ll be saving their “best of” for later. Recommendation : Give this a listen. Artist : Deena Abdelwahed Album : Khonnar Quick Description : Well to the left-of-center electronic music. Why You Should Listen : You want a fascinating, rewarding challenge. Overall Thoughts : I spent most of my time listening to this wondering why I liked it so much. In a way, it’s sort of like of you took Ben ...

Credit:  Dominick Mastrangelo In order to help pay for touring, Field Mouse have a special tour store with special items and deals. They're basically crowdfunding the costs of touring. Since we love Field Mouse ( especially Jeff ), and we love covers, we're especially excited for their promised covers LP. They've already shared their cover of the Jurassic Park theme and  Joyce Manor's "Schley," and today they shared The Smashing Pumpkins' "Mayonaise." It's a near perfect cover, to the point that I immediately started listening to Siamese Dream  once it was over, and I can't remember the last time I broke that one out.  For more information on Field Mouse, including dates for their upcoming tour with Hop Along, go to their website . To pre-order their covers LP, and check out all the other offerings, go to their tour shop . You can also listen to their cover of "Mayonaise" below.

Only one on our docket this week: The Smashing Pumpkins - Monuments to an Elegy : The Smashing Pumpkins, since reforming a few years back, had a pretty good comeback album that was probably more underrated than it should have been. This album, though, is probably not worth considering in the grand scheme of things. It's trying to be a lot of things and doesn't quite hit the mark on any of them, resulting in what feels like a soulless version of a band struggling to be relevant in the face of other acts from around their era doing a decent job of crafting comebacks or staying in the present. It's not really worth your time.