First Listen: New Releases for December 10

This might end up being the last week for true new releases for some time. The holidays tend to be pretty slow on a whole. If there's a new release to discuss, this post will be happening, but as it stands...

Childish Gambino - because the internet: Let's get this out of the way - it's not Camp. Camp was a revelation in part because it felt a lot different from his earlier mixtapes and felt like a cohesive unit. because the internet is certainly cohesive, and reflects the clear struggles that Glover has publicly struggled with in terms of fame and such. In the Year of Yeezus and a new Jay-Z and the rise of the A$AP mob, this feels like it's struggling to fit in, and it's interesting enough to not be boring, but, honestly, kind of boring enough to not be great. I'm far from done with this album, but it's...different. If you're expecting Camp, you're not going to get it.

Brendan Benson - You Were Right: I was probably a fan of Brendan Benson before I was a fan of Jack White, which I believe is the opposite action for most. I loved his last album, a more folksy, country-rock styled record, but You Were Right drives us back into the more anthemic, orchestral power pop that we've come to expect from songs like "The Pledge" from a few years back. This is a good album, but it feels a lot longer than its 45 minute runtime, which is not typically a good thing. Overall, we're a long ways away from Lapalco, but you might be okay with that.



Also out this week:

* The Lucksmiths - Cartography for Beginners (a best-of package)

Jeff's Best Albums of 2013: #8: Lucius - Wildewoman

As we continue with our looks back at the year, my #8 album of the year is Wildewoman by Lucius.

Lucius is really a band I only know because of Spotify. Sometime earlier this year they launched their often-hilarious discovery tool, and I can't remember at this point what band it compared Lucius to, but it did offer up an EP of theirs for me that I thought was decent. It didn't blow my mind, but I really enjoyed it. It had a fun lo-fi quality to it, and felt like a fun musical project more than anything else. Eventually, I tripped up on their debut full-length, Wildewoman, and I was shocked at the advances they made musically. Where the EP felt like a basement recording with a bunch of Casio keyboards, faux effects, and drum machines, the album was a far more ambitious affair.

Lucius is a five piece with two female lead singers, and so the album definitely has a "this is what a modern girl group would sound like" vibe to it. Very dependent on full-sounding instrumentation and memorable harmonies, the album succeeds in a lot of ways, from songwriting prowess to the music's simple ability to get stuck in my head for weeks at a time. Songs like "Turn it Around" have some of the catchiest melodies and choruses I've heard all year, and slower affairs like "Go Home" and the title track strike a near-perfect balance between harmonization and instrumentation. It's a truly excellent record, and one that is unfortunately going to be overshadowed by more popular, less special retro-sounding acts like Haim when it comes to getting mainstream attention for end-of-year lists.

Lucius's entire album is worth hearing, but the songs above are some of the best highlights. You can stream the entire album below:

This is a Thing That Exists: Macauley Culkin is in a Band That Sings Velvet Underground Songs About Pizza

Well, you have to give Macauley Culkin credit: He really just does whatever he wants and doesn't worry about public perception. He's not showing up in straight to DVD movies or Dancing with the Stars in order to stay in the public eye. The last thing I remember seeing him in was a Sonic Youth video, and that was in 2004. Even so, did anyone imagine him showing up as a member of The Pizza Underground, which is apparently a band that exclusively spoofs The Velvet Underground songs by making them about pizza, "Weird Al" style? Sample lyrics include "I'm beginning to eat a slice" and "I'm waiting for the delivery man." According to their Bandcamp page, Culkin has contributed "percussion/kazoo/vocals" to the recording. Just remember when you're watching Home Alone this month, this is what he's using his residuals for.

Jeff's Best Albums of 2013: #9: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - Ripely Pine

My #9 album this year is a favorite here at If It's Too Loud, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper's Ripely Pine.

This album is so good, so interesting, so utterly different than anything else that's been released this year that it was in definite consideration for the top spot for me. That it's ranking #9 on my list is not a condemnation of Ripely Pine but more a reflection of how consistent a lot of the releases were this year. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper has been recording and releasing music for a few years now, and the Portland, Maine native actually won a Boston Music Award in 2010 for best folk artist.

Ripely Pine is her first proper studio album following a number of home recording releases that were impressive in many ways. You only realize the true potential of what she's capable of with this album though, an album that trades off a more standard modern folk feel with some truly epic instrumentation and motifs. It's difficult to make songs over six minutes long seem immediate and fresh through their entire run time, but on songs like "You Are the Apple" and "Bird Balloons," she pulls it off quite easily.

And she's only 25.

I'm looking forward to whatever comes next, but, for now, we can enjoy what she's offered up this year. Along with "You Are the Apple" and "Bird Balloons," "Aubergine" and "Hair to the Ferris Wheel" are also standout tracks on what's truly a standout album. You can stream the album below:

Lee Ranaldo Taught a Guitar Clinic in NYC

Photo by Catherine Ceresole

This level of amazingness pretty much never happens. Lee Ranaldo, Rolling Stone's 33rd greatest guitarist of all time, ran a guitar clinic in NYC last month. At Other Music he gave a demonstration showing some of his more unusual techniques he has utilized for playing a guitar. Everyone who was able to attend got an up close look at how he uses pedals, drum sticks, a bow, hanging a guitar from the ceiling, etc. Video has surfaced of the event, which you can watch below. The highlights for me were the bored teenager who had to have been dragged by his dad, and Lee telling the crowd not to be precious with their instruments.


Check out Lee Ranaldo's website here. Also, make sure to see Lee Ranaldo and The Dust supporting their fantastic new album when they come to your town.

Dec 10 San Jose, CA — The Blank Club, w Bill Orcutt/Jacob Felix Heule duo
Dec 11 San Francisco, CA — The Chapel, w Bill Orcutt/Jacob Felix Heule duo
Dec 13 Los Angeles, CA — The Echo, w Bill Orcutt/Jacob Felix Heule duo
Dec 14 San Diego, CA — The Casbah, w Bill Orcutt/Jacob Felix Heule duo
Jan 8 Philadelphia, PA – Boot and Saddle
Jan 9 Hamden, CT –  Spaceland
Jan 10 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Jan 11 Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House

Jeff's Best Albums of 2013: #10: Bleached - Ride Your Heart

Over the next few weeks, Ken and I will be offering up our best musical stuff of 2013. I'm getting the ball rolling with my #10 album of 2013, Bleached's Ride Your Heart.

I actually came to this album extremely late. This album came out in April, but I don't recall seeing a ton of buzz about it until somewhat recently, when the video for "Love Spells" starting hitting the music blogs. Ken and I have texted back and forth about what this song, and, really, this album is reminiscent of, but I can't really place it. It's not really Dum Dum Girls, it might have some hints of Best Coast, but whatever it is, it's really caught my ear and became a favorite very quickly. They are going to be part of the Weezer cruise this coming February, however, so if that gives you any idea of the sort of enjoyable poppiness that this band is specializing in for their debut album, take that as you will.

Highlights of the album include "Love Spells," "Outta My Mind," and "Dead in Your Head," but the whole album is really high quality. You can stream it in its entirety on Spotify below:

Sleater-Kinney Join Pearl Jam On Stage! Oh, and Peter Buck Was There, Too...

I have nothing against Pearl Jam, but I'm more than a little sick of them covering Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." Covers are usually special and unexpected. This is done at virtually (if not literally) every show Pearl Jam plays. Also, of Neil Young's entire catalog they choose "Rockin' in the Free World?" Can't they throw out "Cortez the Killer" or "Like a Hurricane" once in a while? It's getting to be their "Freebird" and it's not even their song.

So why am I writing about it you ask? Maybe because when they performed it in Portland recently they had all three members of Sleater-Kinney on stage to perform it. All three members of Sleater-Kinney. They haven't been on a stage together in seven years. I love Wild Flag and all, but Sleater-Kinney reunion please now thank you? Also, Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey from The Minus Five were there, too. Did you ever think you'd see the day Sleater-Kinney got more attention than R.E.M.?

First Listen: New Releases for December 3

We're fully in the end-of-the-year doldrums right now, with a very lean new release schedule.

Muse - Live at Rome Olympic Stadium: Muse is known for being a superlative live band, and they've released at least two live albums now to capitalize on it. This is not as good as H.A.A.R.P., but this assumes live albums are anything but inessential. They never capture the true breadth of a live band's performance, and often end up sounding flat and hollow. Good for hardcore fans, but otherwise you should just skip this.

Throwing Muses - Purgatory/Paradise: The first new Throwing Muses release in a long time, it sounds pretty much like what you'd think a Throwing Muses album would sound like today. It's very heavy on the Hersh tones, which isn't a bad thing, but this might be stronger in the multimedia sense, as the physical release comes with a companion book. As a purely audio appearance, though, it's a nice return for a band that's been gone a little too long.




Also out this week:

* Black Flag - What The... (see Ken's thoughts on the album cover here)
* Glen Hansard - Drive All Night

Highlights from Amazon's December mp3 Sale

Every month, Amazon.com puts up 100 albums for $5 each. Ones that may be of interest to readers:

* She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas
* St. Lucia - When the Night
* Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
* The Velvet Underground - The Very Best of The Velvet Underground
* Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
* Mike Doughty - Circles
* Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
* Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire
* Tom Waits - Anthology of Tom Waits
* Telekinesis - Dormarion
* The Misfits - Walk Among Us
* Old 97s - Too Far To Care

Help Kickstart a Film Starring Daniel Johnston!

There's already been an excellent documentary about Daniel Johnston (2005's The Devil and Daniel Johnston), and now we're getting a short film starring Daniel Jonhston. Directed by Gabriel Sunday, Hi, How Are You will be "... a musical tale of an aging artist encountering psychedelic dreams, nightmares, and characters from his past." What's getting the most attention on the interwebs have been the celebrity backers. Frat rapper Mac Miller coughed up $10,000 for an executive producer credit. Lana Del Rey (she of insane internet overhype followed by insane internet hate over a mediocre at worst SNL appearance) also donated huge. Johnston has always had huge supporters in the world of music, and it's actually great to see a younger generation embrace him so strongly. For more information on the film, head on over to the Kickstarter page.