If It's Too Loud...

Album of the Week : Artist : Mal Blum Album : You Look a Lot Like Me Quick Description : First album on Don Giovanni from the indie rock singer-songwriter, produced by Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females. Why You Should Listen : It's unlike anything released as of late; you enjoy up-front vocals and confessional-style songwriting. Overall Thoughts : This album surprised me in part because I didn't know what to expect, and in part because what I ended up with was something a lot more interesting and enjoyable than I anticipated. You won't find a lot of Screaming Females influence on here, and it's perhaps closer to Courtney Barnett than your standard indie rock women, but this is still a must listen for this week overall. One of the better albums I've heard of late. Recommendation : Solid release, definitively my favorite of the week. Artist : Eagles of Death Metal Album : Zipper Down Quick Description : Fourth album from the Queens of the Stone Ag...

Possibly inspired by her time spent in Boston, Ex Hex has released a cover of The Real Kids' "All kindsa Girls." It's always fun when a band covers a lesser known band from their early formative years. More local/regional punk bands usually influence people a ton more than the bands that are typically used as major influences. Ex Hex nails this cover. Sure, it's a little more polished and less dirty sounding than The Real Kids' original, but that late 70s/early 80s punk sound is virtually impossible to replicate nowadays. Currently NME has the exclusive stream of "All Kindsa Girls," so you'll have to head over there to hear it. For more information on Ex Hex, they have a website . If you're into The Real Kids, they'll be opening for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones as part of their annual Hometown Throwdown at the House of Blues in Boston on December 27. You can get a ticket here .

(photo credit: Shawn Brackbill) We've been absolutely loving Torres' Sprinter , which was released earlier this year. She's about to go on a tour opening for Garbage, and she's done the rare thing for an opener and released a cover of the headliner. "Special" is probably my least favorite of Garbage's singles, but Torres brings this bizarre and highly welcome change to the track, giving it an almost slacker trip hoppy feel, as sung by a crooner. It's a pretty bold move by an up-and-coming opener, but it works so well.  Torres' tour opening for Garbage starts next week in San Diego, CA. For more information on Torres, including her tour dates with Garbage, be sure to check out her website .

Credit: Carolina Faruolo Bruising began forming last year back when Naomi Baguley and Ben Lewis met at a Leeds nightclub because of Ben's Perfect Pusyy shirt. The two began trading song ideas, and started recording demos in his bedroom. They started playing out, opening for Twin Peaks and Waxahatchee. Now, they're set to release their debut single. "Emo Friends" is truly great. It's a chilled out, upbeat song with these killer, swirling, dreamy guitars. The vocals feel shoegaze but the rest of the song is far too epic to be shoegaze. It truly needs to be heard. "Emo Friends" is out November 20 on Beech Coma, which is somehow not a label based in Dorchester, MA. You can listen to the song below. Also, be sure to check out their website , and follow them on Facebook and/or Twitter .

A pretty stacked new release week this week. Album of the Week : Artist : CHVRCHES Album : Every Open Eye Quick Description : Sophomore effort by one of the most buzzed-about bands going right now. Why You Should Listen : You found their version of synth-heavy indie rock appealing during their first album; you like staying on top of the trends. Overall Thoughts : In a way, CHVRCHES couldn't win with this album. The anticipation was huge, the mythology behind things ever-growing. Somehow, some way, Every Open Eye improves upon the sound we all fell for while still feeling familiar and fresh. No sophomore slump here, and definitely the best releases of the week. Recommendation : A must listen for all. Artist : The Dead Weather Album : Dodge and Burn Quick Description : Latest outing from the Jack White rock side project. Why You Should Listen : You've missed the heavy grit of The Dead Weather; you're totally into anything Jack White does. Overall Thoughts ...

The Persian Leaps are back with their third EP in as many years. High & Vibrate keeps in line with their jangly, fuzzed out guitar pop reminiscent of mid-90s power pop bands, but they're showing a heavy 60s influence with solid, catchy hooks. "Under the Lilacs" has a guitar jangle that will suck you in with a heavy bass buzz hiding underneath. "Dottie, Queen of the West" is perfect for anyone that skipped the whole Blur vs Oasis debate and skipped to Suede and The Charlatans. It's guitar pop in its best form. High & Vibrate is out now on Land Ski Records. You can listen to it via The Persian Leaps' Bandcamp . While you're at it, like the band on Facebook and check out their website . If you're in Minneapolis, you can see them November 5 at Kitty Cat Klub and December 5 at Palmer's Bar. If not, you'll have to be content with watching their video for "Under the Lilacs" below.

Noise rock isn't very fun. It's very serious and it's an art. It's very rarely anything that can be considered party music. Usually that's left to metal, and us noise rock fans sooth ourselves with the knowledge that are music is smart and important while we watch the metalheads have a blast without us. Enter the UK's Let's Talk Daggers. From their forthcoming debut album, A Beautiful Life , "I Love You Dad But I'm Mental" combines the sonic assault of noise rock with the speed and fun of a metal band. They also throw some of Queen's more symphonic elements in. It's bizarre, and ferocious, and a ton of fun. It's not very often noise can be party friendly, but Let's Talk Daggers have figured it out. A Beautiful Life  is due out October 23 on Tangled Talk Records and Milky Bomb Records. You can listen to "I Love You Dad But I'm Mental" below. Be sure to check out their website and Bandcamp for more informatio...

Jeff and I have been loving the debut album from Funeral Advantage, Body is Dead. For a limited time, Funeral Advantage has made the demos for the album free to download. The actual album is full of lush, rich production and sounds. So are the demos, but in a slightly stripped down way. I've always been a fan of hearing the demo along with an album I love, since it's fascinating to hear the songs as they were originally written. It's obviously more lo-fi than the album, but this could have stood on its own as is. Body is Dead (Demos) is available as a free download until September 30. You can get your copy here . And be sure to check out Funeral Advantage's Bandcamp to get an actual copy of Body is Dead, and follow them on Facebook to keep track of their doings. 

Photo by Semi Song Hailing from Nashville, Promised Land Sound are about to release their sophomore album, For Use and Delight. Today, you can listen to a song from it, "Push and Pull (All the Time)." The track starts off as this bizarre hybrid of an Americana-delving Tom Petty and Belle & Sebastian. After about two minutes, it morphs into what would have happened if Gram Parsons had decided to leave the US and joined a psych-folk band in England. It's enough of a great mix and match of wonderful sounds that For Use and Delight  might be one of my most anticipated albums for the rest of the year. For Use and Delight  is due out October 2 on Paradise of Bachelors. You can listen to "Push and Pull (All the Time)" below. Be sure to check out Promised Land Sound on Facebook , Twitter , and Bandcamp . To pre-order the album, head over to Paradise of Bachelor's website . Upcoming tour dates are listed below. Oct 19 - Limelight - San Antonio, TX Oc...

Photo via Facebook I don't think words can even express how fucking badass this cover is. First of all, it's a Bikini Girl cover, which is great to begin with. Then you add the sludgy ferocity of The Melvins with Teri Gender Bender of their summer tour mates Le Butcherettes and you get one of the best things you'll hear all year. The Melvins make "Rebel Girl" that much heavier. I think the only thing lacking is the unhinged on the edge of disaster quality of the original. The track was recorded live for Joyful Noise as part of their "Almost Live From Joyful Noise" series, and we all need copies of this to be made available ASAP. Unfortunately, all 100 copies of the 7" are sold out, so we only have the video for now. For more information on The Melvins, head over to their website . For Le Butcherettes (including their just released last week album), you can find them here . Coincidentally, Bikini Kill just reissued their debut album, Revolution...

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 ...

In case you need a break from streaming Ryan Adams' cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 today, there is a "lost" 7" from The Dead Milkmen and F.O.D. you can listen to. At first the bands claimed it was originally recorded in 1985 and unearthed in a label employee's parent's house, but they're now admitting the songs were recorded earlier this year in an attempt to sound like the bands did in 1985. Now, I can't vouch for the F.O.D. songs. For some reason, I never actually made an effort to listen to them before, mostly because their reference in the Dead Milkmen classic "Nutrition" made me convinced they were a jock hardcore band. Even later on when I found out they were friends with the Milkmen and considered a good band, I just never actually checked them out. They always had this mythical element, and I was pretty sure they weren't actually real. Based on the songs on this 7", they're real and they're good. If you like yo...

Photo by Ken Sears For the first time since discovering David Wax Museum in 2010 they have released a song I wouldn't have recognized as them. "Young Man" is an almost complete departure for the band. The Mexican-infused Americana of their previous four albums is present but barely hinted at. Instead, Wax sings in a style more reminiscent of an old time crooner, backed by electronic elements and synthesizers. There is still the trademark guitar playing and horn section, but it's really nice to see a band that has such a set and familiar style mix it up and branch out a bit. I'm still deciding where this ranks in the David Wax Museum catalog, but it has me even more intrigued for the next album. Right now, Consequence of Sound has an exclusive stream of "Young Man," so head on over there to check it out. David Wax Museum's fifth album, Guesthouse , will be released on October 16. You can pre-order it now , and be sure to check out their tour da...

I personally love it whenever Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses, The Breeders) and Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom, The Needy Sons) work together. We also love covers, so when Bill and Tanya get together to cover The Kinks, we're heavily on board. The two recently recorded an acoustic cover of the 1981 Kinks song "Better Things" with Janovitz on guitar and vocal duties split. Their voices always blend together beautifully, and "Better Things" is no exception.  Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz's cover of "Better Things" is available now on Janvitz's Bandcamp for $1.00. All proceeds go to the Foundation to Be Named Later .  Better Things by Tanya Donelly and Bill Janovitz

Guerilla Toss is back with a brand new EP which might be their most accessible to date. Of course, this is Guerilla Toss, so even their most accessible isn't very. It starts off with "Realistic Rabbit," which features Kassie Carlson actually singing. It's a swirling mess that's beautiful in an odd sort of way. It's the audio equivalent of getting a tattoo: Sure it hurts, but it's not as painful as you expected and it's actually kind of nice in its own way. "Ritual In Light" is almost chill and is funky as hell. "Polly's Crystal" is a bizarre blend of jam band and post punk, which I never thought I'd compare a band to but it makes so much sense. The new Guerilla Toss EP, Flood Dosed , is due out on September 25. You can stream it and pre-order it (including a cassette version) on their Bandcamp . Listen to ""Realistic Rabbit" below, and below that are their current tour dates. Flood Dosed by Guerilla Toss ...