If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Nana Yamato Album : Before Sunrise Quick Description : Your new favorite lo-fi indie artist has arrived. Why You Should Listen : This grabbed me within minutes of the first song. Overall Thoughts : I can't be more effusive about Before Sunrise than to say that this is borderline relevatory. Nana Yamato has put forward an album that both can't exist in any other time and yet feels somewhat timeless in its execution. It's indie, it's DIY, but it also feels incredibly deep, with some weight behind it. "Do You Wanna" is great, "Gaito" is great, the whole package is wonderful. I can't wait to go back to this one. Recommendation : Easily the best of the week. Artist : Editrix Album : Tell Me I'm Bad Quick Description : Loud, brash, unapologetic indie punk. Why You Should Listen : Asks a lot of the listener, but to great reward. Overall Thoughts : This was an unexpected surprise. Punk rock, on a whole, can be hit-or-miss for...

A solid week, given that it's the Thanksgiving holiday in the States... Artist : The Staves + yMusic Album : The Way is Read Quick Description : Hauntingly beautiful modern folk. Why You Should Listen : You like the idea of a combination of gorgeous strings and harmonic vocals. Overall Thoughts : I was into the previous Staves album because it felt like a strange modern folk record. Adding yMusic to the mix here gives The Staves some considerable attention-grabbing instrumentation to go with their already-haunting vocals. This is great in a way the Bjork or Sufjan records kind of aren’t, in that the weirdness is enhancing the experience as opposed to being the centerpiece, and the whole package feels a lot more modern and interesting as a result. I want to spend a lot more time with this, but this is absolutely the listen of the week for me. Recommendation : A must listen. Artist : Bjork Album : Utopia Quick Description : Latest from the Icelandic legend. Why You S...

Without any new releases to speak of, we still have a few albums left over from this year that we didn't look at: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Paper Mache Dream Balloon : I'm always intrigued with bands that do the psych rock thing, if only because the Elephant Six pastiche was so well-rooted in that tradition. Out of nowhere comes King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and I think the best way I can describe them is like a throwback to late-1990s/early 2000s Of Montreal in all the best ways. A fun, frolicky acoustic affair that deserves a listen, it's something I wish I heard a long time earlier. Maybe the best of the batch of stuff we missed initially. Absolutely give this a shot this week. Babes - Untitled (Five Tears) : I was obsessed with " ATMO ," a song from Babes's debut EP (and a video that's probably NSFW for most places), for some time. I had missed that they had finally put out a proper album. This band of siblings does the whole ...