If It's Too Loud...

23 new releases plus Wrestling Christmas equals a quick hit version this week. Album of the Week : * Jodee Lewis - Buzzard's Bluff : This is some high-quality roots music from someone who has been under the radar far too long. Maybe her best effort yet. Top Listens : * No Thank You - All It Takes to Ruin It All : Don’t let the super independent-looking cover fool you, this is a solid surprise of an album with some great songwriting and many sneaky moments. * Winter - Ethereality : A solid, sometimes dreamy, always fuzzy alt-rock effort. One of the best of the week. * Eels - The Deconstruction : Eels have been up and down as of late, but this is easily Everett’s best and most accessible effort since Souljacker . * Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog : Hop Along does their indie rock thing really well, and this is surprisingly infectious. You will be singing some of these songs later. * Sarah Shook and the Disarmers - Years : We love Sarah Shook here, and this album to...

I normally try to avoid just repeating how a press release describes a song or an artist's sound. It's pretty easy to parrot whatever they tell you it sounds like, and we try to give you a more personal touch here at If It's Too Loud... But sometimes the press release just nails it, and there's no way to avoid making the same comparison. Such is the case with the latest single from Ivan Moult. It's being compared to both Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, and there's no way I can describe "Carried Over Water" without doing the same. It's a heartbreakingly quiet song that will demand that you actually drop what you're doing and listen. Moult's voice combines the pain of Drake and the beauty of Buckley, so listen at your own peril. The entire album follows the path of a romantic relationship, from the joy of the beginning to the heartbreak of a bad break up. You can watch the video for "Carried Over Water" below. Longest Shadow , th...

Photo by Adela Loconte Hailing from Brooklyn, Las Rosas's new single combines multiple standard rock elements in a way I can't remember them being combined. "Christa" is a ramblin' odyssey of a song, combining both Bob Dylan's more country sound and Pavement's laid back indie rock. Yeah, I know. How has that never happened before? They could have just stopped there, but the whole thing is wrapped in a pop sheen, along with a distinct psychedelic groove throughout. Plus, they throw in guitar solos towards the end that come out of nowhere. You can watch the video for "Christa" below. Las Rosas second album, Shadow By Your Side , will be out May 11 on Greenway Records. You can pre-order your copy here . For more on Las Rosas, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp . Current tour dates are below the video. 5/11: Montreal, QC - L'Esco 5/14: Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub 5/15:  Detroit, MI - Marble Bar  5/18: Chicago, IL - Subterranean D...

When Salem Wolves were asked to contribute to a Boston based 80's tribute album, they chose to honor the late Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens. Their version of the 1986 hit "Blood and Roses" has been released, and needless to say it's a must listen. As expected, Salem Wolves's version is rougher and a bit noiser than the original classic. They bring their trademark arena anthem ready garage rock noise to the song, but it's somehow more pop sounding while being harder edged? It's a slinky, groove filled romp in noise, with frontman Grey Bouchard giving into his more pop sensibilities, and coming across like a working man's Brian Molko (Placebo) along the way. It does all of this while staying completely true to the original version. You can listen to the Salem Wolves version of "Blood and Roses" below. The song will be part of BearTone Studios's upcoming 80's tribute album. For more on Salem Wolves, check out their website .

Photo via Facebook What a difference six months and a great new record makes. Back in October (six months to the day!), Caroline Rose opened for Banditos in a modestly attended show at Great Scott . Last week, she came back to the same venue and sold the place out, on a Wednesday no less. I only caught a handful of her songs at the October show, but was intrigued by this new sound and knew I wanted to see more. Most shows I go to tend to be the ultra serious earnest indie rock kind. A Caroline Rose show is definitely not one of those. The stage was decked out in as much red as possible. There were fake red flowers everywhere, red chili peppers decorating her mic stand, a beat up Elmo pinata, etc. While her band dressed in all (or mostly) royal blue, she took the stage wearing all red, including a fuzzy red faux fur coat, and tossing a rose balloon into the crowd. (The coat only lasted two songs.) Unless I missed one, she ignored her previous album, I Will Not Be Afraid, and only ...

Photo by Brittanny Taylor I first became aware of Nova One back when they opened up for Deer Tick back in November . They've recently released their first single, "Your Girl." Turns out Nova One is the newest project from Roz Kaskin of Roz & The Rice Cakes. "Your Girl" expands on the ultra lo-fi 60's girl group sound they showed at Lupo's, but the recorded version is much cleaner sound. The majority of the song features just Raskin's voice and guitar, but it's about as far from singer/songwriter as you can get. Slowly the song gains backing vocals and drums, and the guitar gets a little noisier, but it never loses the beauty and lushness it started out with. You can listen to "Your Girl" below. Nova One's debut EP, Secret Princess, will be out June 8 on Community Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Nova One, check out their/her (?) website . 

I've always found it odd that I gravitate so strongly to British hip hop when most American hip hop doesn't interest me any more. Maybe since it's because many British rappers skip the whole verse/R&B chorus/verse format that has plagued US hip hop for 25+ years. My latest discovery/obsession is London's Kirby Forest. His new single, "Acid Jazz," isn't entirely pleasant. The main sample used is a little off kilter and almost disturbing. But music, especially hip hop, shouldn't always be nice. It's a laid back song that dabbles in trippy at times. That being said, it's definitely not as weird as I'm making it sound. It's a great, solid hip hop song perfect for those of us who just don't get most modern hip hop but like to hear something that isn't 20 or more years old every so often. You can watch the video for "Acid Jazz" below. For more on Kirby Forest, check him out on Twitter and Instagram .

Photo by Edwin Stevens The newest single from Glasgow's Vital Idles is a little too primitive to be post punk, but it's nearly perfect. "A Premise" is filled with both guitars and vocals that drone off just slightly off tune enough to be interesting. Jessica Higgins's voice is front and center over an almost barely heard and incredibly fuzzy bed of instruments. It's a little too full to be truly minimalist, but it's as filled out as you can get and still be considered minimalist. It all clocks in at 1:45, which will leave you needing more but satisfied that it's such a perfect length. You can listen to "A Premise" below. Vital Idles's debut album, Left Hand , will be out June 1 on Upset The Rhythm. You can pre-order a copy here . Fore more on Vital Idles, check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp .

Photo by Ruben Kincaid When you call your band Archie and The Bunkers, you're pretty much guaranteed that I'll give you a shot. Luckily for us all, their new single, "Laura," is completely worth it. Hailing from Cleveland, Archie and The Bunkers consist of brothers Emmett and Cullen O'Connor. They describe their sound as "hi-fi organ punk," and they basically nail it. "Laura" is an insanely fun little song, and is punk in the veins of Dropkick Murphys or Gogol Bordello. In fact, to me it sounds like a couple punk kids were inspired by the oompah band from the Jimmy Kimmel/Adam Carolla incarnation of The Man Show . Like I said, they're an insane amount of fun. You can listen to "Laura" below. Archie and The Bunkers's second album, Songs From the Lodge,  will be out April 20 (a very popular release date this year) via Dirty Water Records. You can pe-order a copy here . For more on Archie and The Bunkers, check out their we...

We're already a quarter of the way through the year! What?! Album of the Week : Artist : Kasey Musgraves Album : Golden Hour Quick Description : Latest from country music's... uh, bad girl? I don't know. Why You Should Listen : Kasey Musgraves is the most interesting mainstream country singer going. Overall Thoughts : Kasey Musgraves is pretty much known as the mainstream country artist that people who hate mainstream country listen to. And while she’s making some serious waves with “Space Cowboy,” songs like “High Horse” suggest a Swiftian pivot in the near future. It’s a great album, all things considered - a lot of the attitude that I always read about finally shows its face for me here in ways her previous records did not but if you listen to Musgraves for her outlaw-adjacent attitude, it’s possibly missing here for you. Still, this is a sneaky great record, and if you've resisted jumping on the bandwagon... Recommendation : ...plenty of room for now. ...

Photo via Facebook We were huge fans of STL GLD's 2017 release Torch Song, so when word started spreading last week that the Boston hip hop group was releasing new music, we couldn't wait. Their new song, "Donut Shop," is mind blowing. I could be wrong since it usually takes a few dozen listens for lyrics to sink in, but it seems much less political song than Torch Song contained. But, hey, sometimes you just want a party jam about donuts, you know? It's as fun of a song as you'd expect when you combine hip hop and Union Square Donuts, with some of the best horn break downs I've ever heard. Musically, this may be the most fun hip hop song I've heard this century. You can listen to "Donut Shop" via Spotify below. While you're at it, check out the equally great b-side "Dbl Mnt," too. For more on STL GLD, be sure to check out their website , and follow them on Facebook .

Although they're from London, Dead Man's Knee sound like Detroit in the late 60's. Mostly. Their debut single, "Pleasure," definitely has a proto-punk sound like MC5 and Death before them. It's definitely a cleaner sound, but that could just be more modern recording techniques. "Pleasure" seems right on the edge of being completely out of control, and almost demands that you check them out live. What Dead Man's Knee adds to their 50 year old sound is soul. With singer Del, they sound like someone merged Motown with MC5, and I think we can all agree that we need that in our lives. Plus, there's a killer guitar riff on the bridge of the song that will make the song for you if you were on the fence. You can listen to "Pleasure" below. Their debut album should be out in late 2018. For now, you can keep track of them on Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by Alexa Viscius Hailing from Chicago, Deeper are set to release their debut album in May. Their new single, "Pink Showers," takes two of our favorite styles and merges them perfectly. As soon as the first guitar notes hit, you'll get a distinct quirky indie rock vibe, the kind we love Archers of Loaf and Pavement for. What separates Deeper from that classification is their post punk adjacent groove. It doesn't quite have that deep base line to truly be post punk, but it's definitely inspired by bands like Gang of Four. It's a great, fresh sound created by molding two classic styles. You can listen to "Pink Showers" below. Deeper's self-titled debut album will be out May 25 on Fire Talk Records. It can be pre-ordered here . For more on Deeper, check them out on Facebook and Twitter . 

Last year saw the end of Matt Pond PA as a musical project. Luckily for the universe as a whole, Matt Pond is still making music. For now, the project is called Spaceland but is subject to change. He's released four "rough demos" for Spaceland songs, and if these are the rough versions, I can't imagine how great the actual releases will be. The first track, "Outside," is a great, upbeat indie rock song that stops well short of being twee. This is my favorite of the batch, and still sounds like Matt Pond PA enough for fans, but different enough to warrant a new project name. It also includes a cover of INXS's "Don't Change." I loved Matt Pond PA's covers, and it looks like that will continue with Spaceland.  You can listen to Spaceland's demos below via Soundcloud. To keep up with Spaceland and Matt Pond's music in general, check him out on Patreon . He's also looking to put listeners' thoughts and dreams to music. If...

Photo by Sasha Lytvyn Just in time for Easter, Passover, the Spring Equinox, and a full moon, MC Paul Barman has released the new single from his upcoming album (((echo chamber))) . "(((commandments)))" is MC Paul Barman's take on The Ten Commandments. I can't quite tell if it's pro- or anti-religion (I have a feeling it's both maybe?) so let's just focus on the music. The track is produced by Memory Man with drums by ?uestlove, the music is reminiscent of the old Sesame Street "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9," which is hammered home by the singing of the Sesame Street song at the beginning and end of the song. Once again, not sure if it's planned or realized after the fact. It's a great song that straddles the line between classic hip hop and classic MC Paul Barman. You can listen to "(((commandments)))" below. (((echo chamber))) , the new album from MC Paul Barman, will be out May 18 on Mello Music Group. It can be pre-ordere...