If It's Too Loud...

Gray Bouchard, aka the frontman of Salem Wolves, occasionally releases some solo work apart from Salem Wolves. His latest, "When I Was Yours," is just about as far from Salem Wolves as you can possibly get. It's still rock, and it's still an intense song, but it shares very little sonically with his main band. It's more of an epic song, like it was meant to fill up ampitheatrers in the 90's. It has that big quality of bands like U2 or Live, but with a more grounded, raw feel, like a band that normally played The Rat had some pretty big dreams. You can listen to "When I Was Yours" below. The song is currently available on the Resolution of Happiness // A Radical Resistance Compilation put out by Trimming the Shield Records. It features 19 total songs from bands like The Mammals, Garbage Point, and Ghastly with all proceeds benefiting Lambda Legal . You can get your own copy at Bandcamp . For more on Gray Bouchard and Salem Wolves, check out their ...

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. Once a week we go back and remind you, and help decide if they were any good. Back in the album sales glory days of the 1990's, a record company would throw together some kid of compilation (soundtrack, tribute album, sampler, etc.) without any real regard to basing it on a genre of music. In fact, having as many genres as possible represented seems to have been preferred since the only way to get a copy of the band you loved doing this song was to buy the album. (For any youths reading, this was before illegal downloading, YouTube, purchasing a single mp3 for $.99.)  This thought process runs rampant in If I Were a Carpenter, a fairly random tribute album to The Carpenters released in 1994.   The best known song on here is Sonic Youth...

Atlanta doesn't seem like a place for dreamy space themed indie rock to come out of, but here are Parsons Rocket Project. Their latest song, "Exit Launch," starts off as this brilliant and lush indie rock song reminiscent of Tanya Donelly's solo work, and then, after the first verse, this burst of shoegaze feedback kicks in. The vocals come back, but there's this new amount of noise rattling around in the background. Once the guitars come back in fully, you'll be obsessed with this song. My only complaint is that it's only 2:22 long. That barely gives it enough time to get started before it ends seemingly abruptly. You can listen to "Exit Launch" below. Parsons Rocket Project's self-titled album will be out August 11 on New Texture Records. For more on the band, check out their Bandcamp .

Photo by Ken Sears In its second year (but kind of its first), the United Folk Festival swung for the fences with their line up. They brought in some of the biggest national and local names in modern Americana music for a free show in a park/arboretum in downtown Westerly, RI. The location and set up couldn't have been more perfect. Two stages were set up on opposite ends of a section of the park and alternated throughout the day. There was no overlap and no having to decide between two artists. You only had to turn around and face the other stage between bands.  This did lead to my only complaint of the day. The crowd was definitely the sit on a Langhorne Slim Photo by Ken Sears blanket and lounge kind. There was virtually no energy or signs of enjoyment from the crowd besides some clapping at the end. This could have also been since the majority of artists booked fell into the quiet, mellow end of the folk spectrum. While they were all great (Full disclosure: Bringing a...

Celebrate American independence with a lot of new music! Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Mise en Scene Album : Still Life on Fire Quick Description : A rollicking rock and roll record. Why You Should Listen : With the glut of 90s-inspired indie rock, this is a refreshing straightforward take. Overall Thoughts : I think I loved this two songs in, and I know I loved it by the time I was through the fourth. It's just such a great listen - the vocals move effortlessly between primal rock screams and breathy moody stuff, there's a level of rock excess here that would almost seem tongue-in-cheek if this album wasn't so straightforward and great. One of my favorites this week (I couldn't choose), and one that might be in my end-of-year discussion. Recommendation : A must-listen, surprise of the week. Co-Album of the Week : Artist : Ratboys Album : GN Quick Description : Latest album by the rock act with a little bit of country mixed in. Why You Should Listen ...

Photo via Facebook We've been pretty big on Tristen ever since discovering her opening for Justin Townes Earle back in 2012. Her sound has evolved from her alt-pop country to a more straightforward pop sound. Since I hate pop music, you'd think I wouldn't like her new sound, but somehow I like it even more. Her new song, "Got Some," might be the best she's ever released. It's pop, sure, but it has a weight to it missing in most pop music. It feels closer to what was considered pop back in the 60's while still sounding modern. It has a distinctly Nashville feel without being country. The dueling crunchy and light, poppy guitars working as an almost call and response with Tristen's verses might be my favorite part. It's the kind of brilliant pop song that just doesn't get made enough these days. You can watch the video for "Got Some" below. Tristen's new album, Sneaker Waves , will be out on July 7 via Modern Outsider Re...

It's been twelve years since the last album from The Perceptionists, aka Mr. Lif and Akrobatik. In recent years, Mr. Lif had a near death experience in a tour bus crash and Akrobatik had heart surgery. Both events led to the reunion of The Perceptionists. "Hose Down" is directly inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the near constant reports of police brutality. For a hip hop song, the music is kept to a bare minimum, really barely more than beats. It's awkward sounding and slightly out of tune, which fits the mood of the song perfectly. It's hardly a banger, but it's one of the most tense songs you'll hear all year. It feels the way Wu-Tang used to feel, but more intense. You can watch the video for "Hose Down" below. The Perceptionists' new album, Resolution , will be out July 28. You can pre-order a copy at Bandcamp . You can also get a copy of their previous single, "Grab Hold," for free on Bandcamp. For more on ...

Nothing is Quick in the Desert was originally scheduled to come out on July 4 as a free surprise download. Last weekend, news of the album leaked and earlier this week Public Enemy confirmed the album. Yesterday, Public Enemy released the album early. Public Enemy is one of my top three bands of all time. This is based almost completely on their first four albums. It's not that anything they've released since Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black  has been bad, but I tend to listen to their newer albums once or twice, and then just go back to the classics.  Nothing is Quick in the Desert  is a return to form. Maybe it's because Public Enemy have a lot to be angry about now. While their recent releases have edged into the R&B chorus trap or having references to their earlier work that seemed a bit to cutesy. Listening to a Public Enemy album shouldn't be a fully pleasant experience. Public Enemy should be a bit discordant, like the Sonic Youth of hip hop. ...

Photo via Facebook One of the best parts of seeing a Built to Spill show are the random covers they'll pull out. Some of my favorites over the past 20 years (20 years? Jesus...) have been the Peanuts theme and George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord." Apparently Jason Albertini has kept the covers bug for his other band, Helvetia. While we wait for their upcoming four song EP due in September, the band has released a cover song they're calling "You and I." While that's not the actual title, you'll recognize the song almost immediately. The band blocks out the name of the original band, but will say it's off an album called Let It Be . I assume they don't want to pay for a cover they're just throwing out there for free. Their cover starts as a slightly off tune, quiet kinda acoustic version, and it slowly evolves into a rambling mess at the end. And I mean that in the best way possible. You can listen to Helvetia's mystery cover bel...

I'm pretty sure 95% of the world can agree that the alternative scene of the early 90's was the best that decade had to offer. But, there are some of us that came of age more in the mid 90's that will always have a fondness for that era. The new song from Winter is perfect for us. You could have played "Winter" for me and then told me it was from some band in your local scene put out in 1995, and I would have 100% believed you. It has just enough of that slacker vibe while still being fun to make it feel like that decade. Samira Winter's vocals are alter between that mid-90's breathy thing and actual singing, not to mention the guitar solos straight outta when guitar solos could go back to being guitar solos, but just barely. Plus, the song is called "Jaded," which is the most 90's of all buzzwords. Just when you think it can't get more 90's, there a speaking part right in the middle between two people. Oh, and according to the pr...

Album of the Week : Artist : Meklit Album : When the People Move, the Music Moves Too Quick Description : Soul/R&B with some great musicality. Why You Should Listen : It's unlike anything else you've heard lately. Overall Thoughts : This just came out of nowhere. I’ve never heard of Meklit before today, but I think we’ve found a new favorite here. I think my best comparison to this, to start, might be Janelle Monae if she spent more time with non-electronic instruments and less time singing about robots, but that doesn’t do this justice. There’s such a high level of musicality to Meklit’s take on R&B, to the styles being explored, that it’s just impossible to ignore. On first listen, it was almost exhausting (in a good way) trying to keep up with everything happening, and all I’ve wanted to do since diving in last week is jump back in. Even if this doesn’t end up being one of my favorite albums of the year, it’s absolutely my favorite this week and absolutely...

Petite League now reside in Ridgewood, Queens, but started out in the DIY show scene in Syracuse. Lorenzo Gillis Cook started out playing solo under the name Spark Alaska, once he met drummer Henry Schoonmaker, Petite League were formed. Petite League's latest single, "Sun Dogs," might be the jangliest pop song you ever hear. The opening guitar riff is reminiscent of early Strokes, but in a much more lo-fi way. It somehow sounds like the most polished and produced basement recording of all time. It's all gritty and lush, with one of the greatest uses of "la la la" in a chorus I've heard in years. It's the NYC ooze of The Strokes mixed with the sunshine pop of The Beach Boys, which is one of those combinations you never new how badly you needed it until you hear it for the first time. You can listen to "Sun Dogs" below. Petite League's third album, Rips One Into the Night (the last two were called Slugger and No Hitter ), will...

If you've noticed from my reviews as of late, I've become somewhat obsessed with a certain revival of 90s-era Juliana Hatfield/Veruca Salt-sounding acts. There's a lot of great stuff out there, and I was going to make a playlist for myself before I realized that I could just share it with you guys. So here's a fun mix for your Monday - don't consider this representative, but just a fun start.

Somehow it's been over two years since we've brought you anything from Boston area based Drab. Yesterday they came back into our radar with a new single, "Well, I Wanna Die." "Well, I Wanna Die" is an absolutely perfect song for you if you have a fondness for a certain mid-90's realm of just under the mainstream but right on the edge of creeping out alternative. The song starts off almost painfully slowly, and it slightly builds to a crescendo that never quite comes. You keep waiting for this explosion to be the big pay off at the end, but it just never happens. This builds this insane tension throughout, which is only aided by strings and some odd percussion towards the end. The whole song feels like that dog started hanging out with Rasputina. "Well, I Wanna Die" is available on Spotify and iTunes . For more on Drab, check them out on Facebook .

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. Once a week we go back and remind you, and help decide if they were any good. 1996 was the height of the 90s ska resurgence. It was also the height of the 90s covers compilation craze. Since ska and covers went together beautifully, you got roughly a million albums of ska bands doing wacky covers.  SKAndalous: I've Gotcha Covered  is one of the wackier ones. There's not really any consistent theme. Sure, there are a bunch of tv and cartoon theme songs covered (Perfect Thyroid cover "Sanford and Son," The Jinkies cover "Scooby Doo" because you couldn't do anything in the mid 90s without including Scooby Doo somehow) but there are just as many legitimate songs from the 60s covered (Magadog do "Brown Eyed Girl,...