She Makes War - "I Want My Country Back"

Apparently other countries are in full on protest song mode, too. She Makes War (aka Laura Kidd) is back with a brand new single, "I Want My Country Back." It's a rant against the hate being forced upon British citizens with racism and xenophobia. (Maybe we can relate on this side, too?) Musically, this is pure mid 90s alternative rock along the lines of Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt gone political with a chorus of:
So let’s make Britain great /
Get your fake news from the Daily Hate /
Close your eyes - let them feed you to the wolves /
You deserve it /

Right now you can download a copy of "I Want My Country Back" for free until the British general election on June 8th. It is out on Strataville, and you can get your copy here. Laura Kidd has released a manifesto on the meaning behind the song. That can be found here. For more on She Makes War, check out her website.

no hope/no harm - "Roger Ailes Is Dead"

Considering no hope/no harm features Aaron Perrino of The Sheila Divine, somehow this is the first time we've brought you one of their songs. Last Thursday, the news broke early in the morning that Fox News founder Roger Ailes had died. Somehow, later that very same day, no hope/no harm released a brand new song called "Roger Ailes Is Dead." Perhaps they have an entire series of songs about the deaths of celebrities just on file and ready to go, much like news channels already have obituary videos ready to go for multiple celebrities. Just plug in a few facts at the very end, and they're ready to go.

"Roger Ailes Is Dead" is a bouncy and mopey song, much in the way that The Smiths and The Cure are both bouncy and mopey. The song even borrows the artwork (and most likely song title) from The Smiths' classic The Queen is Dead. Basically, if you have a jones for both The Smiths and the kind of late 90s pre-emo that will probably get lumped into emo even though it wasn't that The Sheila Divine produced, you'll love this song, and most likely the rest of no hope/no harm's just starting catalog.

You can listen to "Roger Ailes Is Dead" below. For more on no hope/no harm (and to purchase the single), check out their Bandcamp and Facebook. If you happen to be in the Boston area, the band is playing a show on June 24 at Great Scott in Allston.

Friday Freebie: Sammy Brue - I Am Nice Singles Pack + PledgeMusic Acoustic Sessions

I just discovered Sammy Brue on Saturday when he opened up for Justin Townes Earle and The Sadies, and then shared the experience with all of you on Tuesday. Almost right on cue, Sammy Brue and NoiseTrade are offering our very favorite thing: Free music!

If you Google Sammy Brue, you're going to find a ton of articles with headlines starting with "13 Year Old Guitar Prodigy..." and "14 Year Old Guitar Prodigy..." He's now 15 and about to release his debut album on New West. To get an idea of his sound, you can download I Am Nice Singles Pack + PledgeMusic Acoustic Sessions. The two singles from hsi upcoming album, "I'm Not Your Man" and "I Know" completely reflect the two sides of Sammy Brue I saw on Saturday. "I'm Not Your Man" is more Americana and roots based, while "I Know" is far more mainstream and pop, while still being a folk song. How you feel about each song will completely depend on your personal preference. Either way, what will strike you is the pure talent Brue shows on both songs. To truly see his talent, there are three songs included from his PledgeMusic session. It's just him and his guitar playing live, and this is the best way to experience Brue's music. It includes "Was I the Only One" (my personal favorite from his set at The Sinclair) and a stripped down version of "I Know" that far surpasses the single version.

You can get your free copy of I Am Nice Singles Pack + PledgeMusic Acoustic Sessions for free via NoiseTrade. I Am Nice, which was produced by John Paul White (The Civil Wars) and Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes), will be out on June 16 on New West Records. You can pre-order a copy on Amazon. For more on Sammy Brue, check out his website.

The Woggles - "Fire Thief"

Even though The Woggles have been around for two decades, I always swear that they've been around for much, much longer. That's because, unlike most garage bands, The Woggles don't sound like a band coming up after the Ramones. They sound like a band that influenced the Ramones. This is pure 60s style British invasion garage rock. Their newest song, "Fire Thief," fits this perfectly. It's melodic music you can dance to. It's polished while still being rough enough to rock. There are harmonies and killer riffs galore. This is the perfect sound for any summer in the past 50 years.

You can listen to "Fire Thief" below. The Woggles' latest album, Tally Ho!, will be released August 11 on Wicked Cool Records. For more on The Woggles, be sure to check out their website.

Gold Dime - "Shut Up"

When I use the terms art rock and noise rock, I'm going to be talking about insanely loud, aggressive, and pretty much unlistenable music. It might be electronic blips, or it could be feedback and insane drums, but either way it's not (traditionally) pleasant music. No one told Gold Dime that.

Gold Dime is a project from Andrya Ambro from Talk Normal. Her new song, "Shut Up," is definitely artistic noise rock, but it's almost soothing. Almost. There is still plenty of odd electronic noise, feedback, swirling guitars, and disjointed beats throughout, but it's bordering on pleasant. First of all, there is actual singing in the song, which is rare in this genre. Also, all of the noise elements are used in small doses, sprinkled throughout the song like little treasures to be discovered as the song unveils itself to you. It's as if noise rock is trying to go top 40.

You can listen to "Shut Up" below. Gold Dime's first album, Nerves, will be out June 2 on Fire Talk Records. For more information, check out Gold Dime's Bandcamp and Facebook.

Courtney Barnett - "How to Boil an Egg"

Photo via Instagram

Any day we get to bring you something new from Courtney Barnett is a pretty good day, even if it's not exactly new. "How to Boil an Egg" was written eight years ago back when she was 21 and doing open mics. While working on her upcoming album, she decided to finally record the song. It didn't fit on the album, so now it's being released as part of the Milk! Records Split Singles Club series.

"How to Boil an Egg" sounds like classic Courtney Barnett, but even though it has been reconfigured and just now recorded, it feels younger than her normal work. The guitars are impossibly jangly, giving the song a bouncy, upbeat vibe despite lyrics like "Trying hard to see the point in anything at all." On second thought, this might be the most perfect Courtney Barnett song yet.

You can listen to "How to Boil an Egg" below. For more on the Split Singles Club, go here. To find out more on what Courtney Barnett is up to, check out her website.

The Prefab Messiahs - "Sometimes Sunnydaze"

After taking nearly 32 years off, Worcester, MA's favorite psych-pop rockers have been much more active and are back with a new digital single and video, "Sometimes Sunnydaze." If you've been paying attention, The Prefab Messiahs bring this great blast of psychedelia to garage rock. "Sometimes Sunnydaze" tone both the psychedelic and the garage rock side of their sound. What's left is virtually perfect late 60s power pop. Think of Alex Chilton, but more on the lines of The Box Tops than Big Star. There are great instrumental breaks sprinkled throughout the song to remind you of the band's more rockin' side. Plus, it's a song about enjoying staying inside on beautiful days, so it's the perfect song for the upcoming season!

You can watch the video for "Sometimes Sunnydaze" below. You can buy it now over at the band's Bandcamp page. For more on The Prefab Messiahs, be sure to check them out on Facebook.

Live Shows: Justin Townes Earle, The Sadies, & Sammy Brue, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 5/13/17

Justin Townes Earle
Photo by Ken Sears

Saturday night was an odd night in the Boston area. It was a painfully chilly night, a full 10 degrees cooler than the seasonal average. Plus, a lot of college students have moved out of the area already. For a large city, Boston can feel like a ghost town starting in mid-May, which can suck the life out of the area. As far as the show went, it ended up starting a full half an hour before the initial announced time for the doors to open. In a really strange move, when I arrived about 15 minutes before Sammy Brue opened, there were three times as many people in the balcony than on the floor. Luckily, the music won out over the oddities of the night to make it one of the best shows I've seen in ages.

The Sadies did double duty as openers and Justin Townes Earles' backing band. They've always been one of those bands that I just couldn't get into. Their albums have been fine, but just nothing that has connected with me. If you feel that way, I implore you to get out to a show. With only 45 minutes for their allowed time, they plowed through songs with the speed and intensity of a band cramming everything they had into 30 minute a 90s Warped Tour set. They just plowed through song after song, making sure that their fans who came out to see them got their money's worth, even with a shorter set. Their longest stage banter was when they called The Sinclair the Royale, another venue across town (which they have never played, oddly enough). The set highlights were their instrumental songs, which blended surf rock and alt-country. Despite not walking into The Sinclair as a fan, I wished they could have played longer.

The Sadies
Photo by Ken Sears

After a break that seemed to be extended, The Sadies came back with Justin Townes Earle (plus Paul Niehaus on guitar and pedal steel guitar). I've been seeing Justin Townes Earle live for six years now, and this married and soon to be dad version might be the best yet. He seemed perfectly relaxed on stage, and genuinely is having a great time. Opening with "Champagne Corolla" off the upcoming Kids In the Street, he settled in right away and owned the crowd. A huge chunk of the set came from 2010's Harlem River Blues, including set highlights as "One More Night in Brooklyn," "Move Over Mama," and show closer "Harlem River Blues." Early on he played three songs solo, including a Carter Family cover, "Gold Watch and Chain," and "Mama's Eyes." "Mama's Eyes" derailed the crowd for a bit because apparently Mother's Day makes Boston super rowdy. The song might have been the highlight of an outstanding set.

Sammy Brue opened the night, a full 30 minutes before doors were set to open. He's young, but he has amazing potential. His songs are a bit schizophrenic, and he seems to have not decided whether he wants to do more traditional folk or a more mainstream sound. I'm personally hoping for the former, but that's just my own personal taste. The kid could go with the latter and be the next Amos Lee. He's incredibly talented as both a player and singer. He easily won over the crowd that showed up early enough in his all too brief set.

First Listen: New Releases for May 12

A much more standard week this week.

Album of the Week:

Artist: Girlpool
Album: Powerplant
Quick Description: Folk rockers turn up the noise a bit.
Why You Should Listen: This is a positive evolution for this duo.
Overall Thoughts: Album of the week this week, even though it’s following a trend of a lot of recent releases I’ve loved. 2017 is quickly turning into the year of woman-led rock music with a message, and Girlpool is lining up for their shot at the throne with this effort, which is bigger and grander sounding than their folk-heavy debut from a couple years ago. Truth be told? I like this version of them more, and I suspect you might as well. Great for fans of their old anti-folk-style stuff as well as those who are looking for the next great indie listen...
Recommendation: ...this is worth some time in your rotation.

Artist: Dharma Bombs
Album: Old Time Romance
Quick Description: Good ol' jazzy tunes.
Why You Should Listen: You miss the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed this album, and this feels pure and right. It's very straightforward, it doesn't have any pretense to it, and it's just a great time all around. If you like jassy, old timey music, this is it. Don't even waste more time reading about it, fire it up.
Recommendation: A must-listen.

Artist: Modern Mal
Album: The Misanthrope Family Album?
Quick Description: A strange concept record of sorts.
Why You Should Listen: This is definitely the most challenging record of the week.
Overall Thoughts: At times listening to this, I realize that I use the term “retro” a lot, and an album like Modern Mal’s kind of demonstrates how meaningless the word can be sometimes. Modern Mal is both anything but and exactly that – an album that equally reminds you of an entirely different era while also taking its own current spin. It’s a good album on a whole, although those seeking a cohesive, unifying idea musically might be a little flummoxed.
Recommendation: It's good, but might not work for you.

Artist: Alex Napping
Album: Mise en Place
Quick Description: Solid indie rock.
Why You Should Listen: This is one that will fly under your radar if you don't listen now.
Overall Thoughts: A holdover from last week’s deluge, Alex Napping hits that sweet spot for female-fronted indie rock. While this is not to the nearly-life-changing level of recent releases like Diet Cig or Charly Bliss, there are a lot of parts here that make the whole worthwhile. A song like “You Got Me” gave me similar vibes to when I first heard Courtney Barnett, and the whole thing shows a ton of great potential for a band I only heard of in the last 36 hours. Check these guys out and keep them on your radar.
Recommendation: A great listen this week.

Artist: Harry Styles
Album: Harry Style
Quick Description: One Directioner heads off on his own direction.
Why You Should Listen: You are open-minded enough to give an ex-boy bander a try.
Overall Thoughts: Harry Styles is best known for being one of the heartthrobs from One Dimension. He’s off on his own now, and I was going to ignore this album because, well, it’s a One Direction solo record. A friend said I should listen and pretend it’s Tame Impala, and I gave it a listen – it’s actually quite good. It’s actually really reminiscent of Travis in many spots, which came as a surprise, and I don’t ultimately know how much creative input Styles had into this entire thing, but, to me, he appears to be positioning himself as a 2010s-era Robbie Williams. This is not a bad thing. Overall, this album *will* surprise you if you’re willing to take the plunge.
Recommendation: This is one of the best of the week. No, really.

Artist: Ingrid Michaelson
Album: Alter Egos
Quick Description: A collaborative EP from the singer songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: You're a fan of Michaelson or whoever else is on the EP.
Overall Thoughts: Ingrid Michaelson is back with an EP with a little help from her friends. I can’t say there’s a ton to say about this, except that it’s a worthy follow-up of sorts to her recent album. If you’re a fan, there will be a ton to like here already...
Recommendation: ...but this won’t bring anyone new into the fold.

Artist: Dreamcar
Album: Dreamcar
Quick Description: Synthy supergroup!
Why You Should Listen: You're wondering what some of your not-favorite bands from the 1990s are up to.
Overall Thoughts: Dreamcar has members of AFI and No Doubt, so that might end the discussion for a lot of people right there. For me, though, this is a surprisingly capable record. It’s not ska, it’s not really punk, it’s pretty radio-friendly alt-rock on a whole. There’s some value to that, sure, but this is unlikely to whet anyone’s whistle if you’re a regular around these parts.
Recommendation: Skip this.

Artist: Paul Weller
Album: A Kind Revolution
Quick Description: Lead singer of The Jam's new solo album.
Why You Should Listen: You're a fan, but that's the only reason.
Overall Thoughts: Paul Weller is legendary in many circles, and this latest album probably won’t win him any new converts, but won’t lose them, either. It sounds largely like what I expected, and I can’t say it did a ton for me or that I have much else to say. Classic acts are always hit-or-miss on new efforts, and this one is not terribly different in that regard.
Recommendation: Not recommended.

Artist: Elf Power
Album: Twitching in Time
Quick Description: Elephant Six act has their first new album in some time.
Why You Should Listen: If you were a fan in the early days, this is worth a shot.
Overall Thoughts: I chalked up Elf Power as one of my favorite bands for a long time. Their run from When the Red King Comes to Back to the Web was an underrated indie run that didn’t get nearly enough play, probably because Of Montreal hit it huge during that same run. Still, their more recent output was really iffy to me, to the point where I wasn’t entirely sure I was on board with this one before I even fired it up. The good news is that this is the most Elf Power-y album we’ve gotten in nearly a decade from the band, and it’s a long-awaited return to form that I am so, so glad occurred. I’m in a different stage of my life now than I was when Elf Power was really doing it for me, but this is the type of sound that hits a lot of nostalgic buttons for me, so welcome back.
Recommendation: I loved this album. You might, too.

Artist: Amber Mark
Album: 3:33 AM
Quick Description: New buzzworthy R&B artist.
Why You Should Listen: This is a name you're going to know.
Overall Thoughts: Amber Mark is a buzzworthy name in R&B right now, and this short album/EP definitely demonstrates why. Songs like “Lose My Cool” are instant classics, while there are other songs here that stretch the boundaries and make things a little more interesting. At only 7 songs, it’s merely a taste, but here’s looking forward to more from her soon.
Recommendation: Worth a listen.

Artist: Ellen Allien
Album: Nost
Quick Description: European DJ back with a new album.
Why You Should Listen: It's a traditional throwback of sorts.
Overall Thoughts: Ellen Allien is a European DJ who has always put out interesting electronic music. Her latest is surprising in that it feels very straightforward in ways her more recent efforts, by my recollection, haven’t. This is a good thing, where a sort of back-to-basics modern-sounding electronic record has a lot of value in an era where people don’t seem to care so much about a driving beat and straightforward sampling.
Recommendation: A solid listen this week.

Artist: Sarah P.
Album: Who Am I
Quick Description: More modern electronic music from the lead singer of Keep Shelly in Athens.
Why You Should Listen: A sharp contrast to Ellen Allien.
Overall Thoughts: It is interesting to contrast Sarah P. with Ellen Allien this week. Where Allien is going traditional, Sarah is going modern, and the result is an interesting listen that didn’t totally grab me, but is interesting enough where I want to take more time with it. The album itself is a pretty solid affair, but with the glut of music in this space, it’s going to struggle a bit to stand out on its own unless you already know her existing band.
Recommendation: Liked this, but it won't work for everyone.


Also out this week:

* PWR BTTM - Pageant
* Son Lux - Bones
* Toss Rundgren - White Knight
* The Bob's Burgers Music Album

Wilco Cover Nick Lowe

Photo via Facebook

I know a lot of people hate Spotify, but when Spotify releases a single that includes Wilco covering Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?," they're all right by me. With the post headline of 'Wilco Covers Nick Lowe," you pretty much know if this will be for you. And, if you think you'll like this, you probably will. Wilco's version is a step or two slower than Elvis Costello's trademark version, which is exactly what you'd expect from the current version on Wilco. It's the most dad rock take on what is a dad rock classic, chugging along with Wilco's trademark new blend of Americana but with enough noise popping up every now and then to keep things interesting. It was recorded at Spotify Studios, and it feels like a live recording, especially when Jeff Tweedy's voice cracks every so often.

You can listen to Wilco's cover of "(What's So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" below. For more on Wilco, be sure to check out their website.