The Van T's - "Bitter Sweet"

"Bitter Sweet," the latest single from Glasgow's The Van T's, brings together a lot of different elements. First of all, it's pure, straightforward rock music, the kind that's almost become a rarity in the world of music. It's the kind of big sound The Donnas kept alive for nowhere near enough years. It also keeps up a funky surf rock bassline throughout almost the entire song. And then there's the vocals. Twin sisters Hannah and Chloe Van Thompson keep the song awash in beautiful, swirling harmonies despite the clunk of noise behind them. Despite the song being a glorious straightforward rock song, it begins and ends in noisy chaos that will warm the hearts of Sonic Youth fans everywhere. "Bitter Sweet" is a better rock song than we could ever possibly deserve.

You can watch the video for "Bittersweet" below. It's currently available for purchase on iTunes and other digital platforms. For more on The Van T's, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

First Listen: New Releases for November 3

Album of the Week:

Artist: Fox Face
Album: Spoil and Destroy
Quick Description: Solid, energetic punk rock.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something a little more authentic.
Overall Thoughts: There has been no lack of female-fronted punk acts as of late, and Foxface definitely comes across as the rawest of the batch so far. It reminds me a lot of Be Your Own Pet, except it feels more authentic? And then I was won over for good with their take on “Toxic,” which was awesome. So this was a favorite of this week, and I can't wait to dive back in.
Recommendation: Good for everyone, great for punk fans.

Artist: Mark "Porkchop" Holder
Album: Death and the Blues
Quick Description: Garage-influenced blues rock.
Why You Should Listen: Another authentic-sounding listen.
Overall Thoughts: This is just a really fun, really solid blues rock record. Definitely some garage elements here, and would have really fit right in 15 years ago but works just as well now. Easily one of my more enjoyable listens this week, for sure, and worth your time even if this isn’t your typical genre.
Recommendation: Give this a shot.

Artist: Mr. Lif and Brass Menazeri
Album: Resilient
Quick Description: A surprising genre mashup.
Why You Should Listen: You enjoy things that are weird and awesome.
Overall Thoughts: This is sort of like if What Cheer? Brigade enlisted a rapper to help them out. I’m so into this it’s ridiculous – Mr Lif is near-perfect as usual, and the instrumentation is different enough in and of itself in this genre to sound fresh and different. Everything about this works, and this has vaulted into my favorite rap effort of the year and deserves to be on some year end lists.
Recommendation: A great listen, nearly my favorite of the week.

Artist: Grace VanderWaal
Album: Just the Beginning
Quick Description: Debut album from the AGT winner.
Why You Should Listen: This much talent can't be ignored.
Overall Thoughts: Grace VanderWaal is the teenage prodigy who recently won America’s Got Talent with her ukulele, and this is a perfectly accessible, radio-friendly pop debut. Shades of early Ingrid Michaelson abound here, and VanderWaal sounds 10 years older than she is already, which means she might be a scary force to reckon with once she truly grows into the artist she may very well be. If you’re turned off by this genre, you’re not going to like much here...
Recommendation: ...but this was definitely a solid listen on a whole.

Artist: FM Belfast
Album: Island Broadcast
Quick Description: New album from the Icelanding dance-like group.
Why You Should Listen: This is weird party music, I guess.
Overall Thoughts: FM Belfast is an Icelandic act that has their own twist on radio pop, and this latest album is actually kind of straightforward in a way I didn’t expect. It’s fine, but as a band that I recognize as one that takes chances, I was honestly surprised that the first listen was not as daring.
Recommendation: It’s a slow week, so give this a shot, but maybe temper your expectations.

Artist: Elephant
Album: Elephant
Quick Description: Debut from a band straight from the oughts.
Why You Should Listen: This is some decent rock music.
Overall Thoughts: What if The Killers were actually a good band that enjoyed psych rock and T. Rex? You might get Elephant, who have a modern take on a retroish sound. I liked, but didn’t love, this album, which is somewhat uneven but really, really good when it works. I really feel like this band would have been super popular during that second post-Strokes wave in the mid-2000s, but on a whole, this is an interesting rock listen.
Recommendation: Worth a listen.

Artist: Blitzen Trapper
Album: Wild and Reckless
Quick Description: Latest from the indie rock favorites.
Why You Should Listen: There's no "Black River Killer" here, but that's all good.
Overall Thoughts: Intentional or not, Blitzen Trapper is channeling Tom Petty a lot here. They’ve been so consistently good for some time now that it’s hard to argue that what they’re doing is getting stale or less interesting, but Blitzen Trapper has absolutely hit its stride as a band and the album feels familiar and comfortable from the first moments of the opening track.
Recommendation: Just a good album across the board.

Artist: Ryan Koenig
Album: Two Different Worlds
Quick Description: Americana-ish folksy record.
Why You Should Listen: This is a little off the beaten path.
Overall Thoughts: If Mark Porkchop is mixing up the blues a little bit, Koenig is offering up a type of anti-americana, harkening to the whole anti-folk thing of last decade. It’s an okay album, but I think it might struggle to find an appeal if you’re one to take the recommendations from this site to heart. It feels a little too ironic? I’m not entirely sure. Either way, it’s worth a shot but you might not dig this as much as you want.
Recommendation: Might be worth your time.

Artist: Blake Hazard
Album: Possibilities at Sea
Quick Description: Some modern pop music.
Why You Should Listen: Might be worth your time if you're looking for something super mainstream.
Overall Thoughts: It is interesting to hear Blake Hazard in the context of Grace VanderWaal. One could theoretically be considered the future of American pop music, while Blake Hazard could be sitting solely in the middle of the current landscape of the non-TSwift kind. She has a great voice, good musicality, but there’s something fairly sterile about the whole affair that keeps this from taking the leap I was hoping for. I would still recommend it, and I’m hoping further listens show a little more depth, but this might not work for those allergic to pop.
Recommendation: Be wary.

Artist: James Holden and The Animal Spirit
Album: The Animal Spirit
Quick Description: Strange, captivating electronic music.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something truly odd.
Overall Thoughts: I didn't know what to expect going in, and I don't completely know what I ended up with coming out, but this was an interesting listen on a whole. Reminded me of the more atmospheric electronic listens when I first got into the genre. You'll know really quick whether you're into this or not.
Recommendation: Give it a shot if you're into it.

EPs of note:

* Billy Bragg - Bridges Not Walls
* GOON - Happy Omen
* Emeli Sande - Kingdom Coming
* Allah-Lahs - Covers #1
* S U R V I V E - RR7387

Belly Covers Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The excitement for the upcoming release of Belly's third album next year continues to build, and while we wait they've given us another gift. Belly has released a cover of "Hushabye Mountain" from the classic 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of those movies I know I watched a few dozen times as a kid but I don't remember even the smallest part of it. Even more surprising that this even exists is how true to the original version (sung by Dick Van Dyke) Belly's cover is. Belly's "Hushbye Mountain" is pure musical/show tune style, with just the slightest hint of Belly's 90's alt-rock god roots. The only real difference is that Belly fall on the creepier side than Dick Van Dyke's does, but don't we all?

You can download Belly's cover of "Hushabye Mountain" over at PledgeMusic for free. Belly's new album (we'll never get sick of saying that) will be out in April. While you're at PledgeMusic, make sure you pre-order your copy. Might we suggest the album download and t-shirt package for a very reasonable $25?

Stella Donnelly - "Boys Will Be Boys"

Photo by Zak Kaczmarek

Stella Donnelly began her career in music in high school where she sang Green Day songs in her band. The western Australia artist has come quite a long way since then with the release of her debut single, "Boys Will Be Boys." This is an important, haunting song. It's a very sparse folk style song, with an accompanying video that should be watched along with the song. As Donnelly told NPR Music: “’Boys Will Be Boys’ was written in late 2016 and is an attempt at making sense of society's tendency to blame the victims of sexual assault and rape and make excuses for the perpetrators. Writing this also helped me work through things that had happened to not only my friends but to me as well, it helped me relieve a lot of the shame that victims are so often forced to feel in silence." The song, although beautifully performed, is one of the most uncomfortable listens you'll experience in a long time.

You can watch the video for "Boys Will Be Boys" below. For more on Stella Donelly, check her out on Facebook and Twitter.

Friday Freebie: Jessica Lea Mayfield - The Sorry is Gone Tour EP

NoiseTrade has been on fire the past few weeks with exclusive EPs from some of our favorite artists. This week they did it again with The Sorry is Gone Tour EP from Jessica Lea Mayfield. Mayfield is about to embark on a tour that was postponed due to a car accident she was recovering from, and to celebrate she's giving away a four song EP exclusively through NoiseTrade. It contains two songs from her recently released album, Sorry is Gone, which will be a contender for us when it comes to best album of 2017. There's also "Feeling Oppressed," which is a b-side exclusive to this release, and a live solo version of the song "Sorry is Gone." Twenty years ago we used to pay $10-$20 for b-sides like these, and now they're just given away.

You can get your copy of The Sorry is Gone Tour EP for free over at NoiseTrade. For more on Jessica Lea Mayfield, check out her website. The dates for her current tour are below. Let's just hope for a rescheduled Boston date.

11/3  Nashville, TN - The Basement East

11/8  Indianapolis, IN - Hi-Fi

11/9  Chicago, IL  - The Empty Bottle

11/10  Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee

11/11  Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry

11/12  Madison, WI - The Frequency

11/14  Davenport, IA - The Raccoon Motel

11/15 De Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews

11/16 Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room

11/17  St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway

11/18  Louisville, KY - Zanzabar

12/1  Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right

BIRDS - "Most Ghost"

Photo by Devon Bristol Shaw

Arriving just a little too late for Halloween is the latest song from Brooklyn's BIRDS, "Most Ghost." "Most Ghost" continues the band's knack for deftly merging classic psychedelia and 90's indie rock. It's starts off with guitar feedback that turns into perfect slacker guitar riffs. The song builds so slowly that you might not even notice. Somehow the guitar solo at the bridge (which feels similar to the Pixies' "Velouria") ends up being the most quiet part of the song. It all closes up with some Mission of Burma style looping, while still being a chill, psychedelic and intense indie rock song and the same time.

You can listen to "Most Ghost" over at What Youth. The song is being released as a split 7" with Stuyedeyed on Greenway Records. You can get your copy here. The two bands are also going on a tour together. Dates for that are below (although I don't believe there is a Boston venue named LuxDeluxe...) For more on BIRDS, check them out on Facebook.

11/4 - Richmond, VA - Hardywood Brewing
11/5 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere (7" release show)
11/6 - Harrisburg, PA - Little Amps
11/7 - Baltimore, MD - The Crown
11/8 - Durham, NC - Slim's
11/9 - Atlanta, GA - Jabroni Fest
11/11 - New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar
11/12 - Nashville, TN (Venue TBA)
11/13 - Cincinnati , OH - MOTR Pub
11/14 - Louisville, KY - The Cure Lounge
11/15 - Detroit, MI - Kelly's
11/17 - Muncie, IN - The Basement
11/18 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class
11/19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Gooski's
11/20 - Philadelphia, PA - Pharmacy
11/21 - Boston, MA - LuxDeluxe

The Prefab Messiahs - "Psychsploitation"

Photo by Plastic Mynd

Worcester's own The Prefab Messiahs have had an interesting career. The band originally ran from 1981 to 1983 and then was pretty much silent until 2015 when they reformed and released Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive. Since then, they've released a couple of singles, and in January are set to release another full length.

Their first song off the upcoming album, "Psychsploitation," is exactly what we want from The Prefab Messiahs at this point. It's a blast of psychedelic garage rock that sounds like it's coming from a band that ran well before the 1980's. It's what I imagine The Monkees might have sounded like if the members had met organically and not on a television show about a band. Hidden in pop hooks and the psychedelic feel are these squealing guitars you wouldn't normally find in this style of music, which just adds to the entire crazed feel of the song.

You can watch the video for "Psychsploitation" below. The Prefab Messiahs new album, Psychsploitation Today, will be out January 26 on Lollipop/Burger Records. For more on The Prefab Messiahs, check them out on Bandcamp.

Jim James Covers The Beach Boys

We're quite open with our love for cover songs here at If It's Too Loud..., and today we bring you one of the most obvious choices for a cover that we've ever brought you before. Jim James of My Morning Jacket was basically created to make complex, dense musical arrangements. He has an upcoming covers album coming out, and one of the more obvious choices is the first song we can currently listen to: His version of The Beach Boys' "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times." The song, originally off Pet Sounds, is a gorgeous, lush ballad, with instrumentation far more complex and involved than it seems on first listen. James' version of the song is an almost perfect recreation, with just a few slight changes here and there.

You can watch the video for Jim James' version of "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" below. It is off the album Tribute To 2, which is a sequel to Tribute To. The first in the series was an EP of The Beatles and George Harrison covers. Tribute To 2 will include covers of songs originally done by Sonny & Cher, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and more. It will be out December 8 on ATO Records. It can be pre-ordered here. For more on Jim James, check out his website.

First Listen: New Releases for October 27

Another busy week as we race toward the end of the year...

Album of the Week:

Artist: Common Holly
Album: Playing House
Quick Description: Surprising alt-rockish debut.
Why You Should Listen: You're fully and completely enjoying this
Overall Thoughts: Album of the week for me and it wasn’t really close. I thought this would be a gentle folky thing from the limited pieces I heard, but it turns out this has a lot of interesting musical wrinkles throughout. Sometimes it’s alt-rock, sometimes it’s some interesting indie pop, but it always kept me on my toes in the best possible way. The album had me saying wow within the first track, and I was hooked by the third. This one is a late surprise entry in the best albums race, and worth your time.
Recommendation: You need to hear this

Artist: Dr. Quandary
Album: Jukebox Buddha
Quick Description: Solid, old-style electronic music.
Why You Should Listen: You grew up in the midst of the electronica explosion.
Overall Thoughts: This felt like a strange little nostalgia hit for me. I was alerted to this because a favorite twitterer and podcaster, Timescanner/Richard Penner, is featured on the first track, but this album in and of itself feels like one of those late 90s genre-bending electronic efforts that I generally love. Has a hint of found audio, an interesting narrative structure on occasion, and is ultimately likely the most interesting release of the week.
Recommendation: Give this a shot.

Artist: Stereophonics
Album: Scream Above the Sounds
Quick Description: Uber-popular British act with a new album.
Why You Should Listen: There are a lot of solid songs here.
Overall Thoughts: Stereophonics probably deserve a lot more attention for their contribution to the whole Britpop thing, and their new album is a good reminder of how a band that’s been around for a while can still feel their age while also remaining relevant. There’s a lot to unpack here on a whole, but the lead single “All of the Night” is a reminder about how solid songwriting can trump a lot of other issues in a variety of ways.
Recommendation: This is a solid listen from an act that has a well-earned reputation.

Artist: L'Orange
Album: The Ordinary Man
Quick Description: A well-regarded producer back with a new album.
Why You Should Listen: One of the more interesting listens this week.
Overall Thoughts: The hip-hop producer is back with another album, and this continues to work as a solid listen overall. I don’t have a whole lot to say about this album in particular except that there’s enough interesting stuff here where fans should definitely be taking a look.
Recommendation: Worth a listen.

Artist: Fever Ray
Album: Plunge
Quick Description: First album in years from the enigmatic singer.
Why You Should Listen: Fever Ray is always interesting.
Overall Thoughts: I was just thinking of Fever Ray about a month ago, as we haven’t heard from The Knife in ages and the last Fever Ray album was years ago. Suddenly we got a surprisingly accessible single and a new album that isn’t as weird as I would have expected. This is good – it feels a little more restrained than previous efforts, however, which might be a drawback for some longtime fans.
Recommendation: A good listen on a whole.

Artist: Adam and the Flood
Album: Move Toward Life
Quick Description: Local indie rap-folk(?)
Why You Should Listen: This is a pretty good mashup of genres.
Overall Thoughts: A localish act, the best way I can describe them is if Cage the Elephant doubled down on what “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” offered. Sort of a weird roots-hop hybrid, it often works and is sometimes a little out there, but if you’re looking for something a little different...
Recommendation: ...this is worth hearing.

Artist: Julien Baker
Album: Turn Out the Lights
Quick Description: New album from a buzzworthy voice.
Why You Should Listen: This was very close to my album of the week.
Overall Thoughts: This is the sort of folky stuff we love here. Julien Baker has an interesting voice and good instrumentation, but what comes across as unassuming at first blush slowly reveals itself to be a lot more by the time I got to the end of it. This is probably the album I am most looking forward to spending more time with soon, and you might find a lot to love here if the sort of Julia Jacklin/Erin McKeown-type stuff works for you.
Recommendation: One of the week's best.

Artist: Daniele Luppi
Album: Milano
Quick Description: Collaborative stuff with an indie bent.
Why You Should Listen: This is one of the stranger listens this week.
Overall Thoughts: This was a confusing listen if only because it’s trying to be a few things at once and it ends up being a rather muddled affair. There are a lot of features by acts we love but something in here just isn’t clicking for me. This is worth a listen because of its mere existence, but I can’t promise you’ll love what you hear here.
Recommendation: Be wary.

Artist: The Wailin' Jennys
Album: Fifteen
Quick Description: Gorgeous old-style roots music.
Why You Should Listen: You know deep down you're looking for that O Brother magic again.
Overall Thoughts: Bringing this up on Spotify, you see a group of country-fied women, and I was looking forward to a rockin’, rootsy time. Instead, I got some super soulful roots music, much of it a capella, with beautiful harmonies and lovely voices. This won me over really fast, and it’s going to defy your expectations, I’m sure.
Recommendation: Listen, you'll love it.

Artist: The Ghost of Paul Revere
Album: Monarch
Quick Description: Rootsy country folk.
Why You Should Listen: You're loving this genre.
Overall Thoughts: On the other hand, this is a record that has some really interesting things happening, but I feel like we’re in the midst of a real glut of folksy, country-style male singer songwriters who aren’t doing a lot to stand out. The Ghost of Paul Revere is fine, but I feel like I’ve heard this a dozen times this year and that’s just not enough to cut it in busy weeks like this.
Recommendation: This is fine, just inessential.

Artist: Henry Jamison
Album: The Wilds
Quick Description: Latest from the country-folk act.
Why You Should Listen: Jamison is a favorite here for a reason.
Overall Thoughts: Henry Jamison is a favorite of Ken’s as of late, and the voice that comes to mind here is a lot of early Elvis Perkins, where you have the whole folk thing going but you’re adding a little something extra on top of it. This is a pretty sweet album, and a great example of trying to find some way to break through when there are dozens doing the same thing.
Recommendation: Worth your time.

Artist: Petra Glynt
Album: This Trip
Quick Description: Strange, off-center indie music.
Why You Should Listen: You wish TuneYards were more accessible but still artsy.
Overall Thoughts: I can't say I have a ton of input on this one. This is a super interesting listen that was really reminiscent of TuneYards in many regards, but is much more mainstream-sounding. I liked this enough, and I think it needs some time to really figure out where I sit on this, but this is absolutely the challenge listen of the week for many.
Recommendation: Be wary, but you might love it.

EPs of note:

* MO - When I Was Young
* SHEL - Undercover
* The Infamous Stringdusters - Undercover, Vol. 2
* Helena Hauff - Have You Been There, Have You Seen It

Other albums out this week:

* Weezer - Pacific Daydream (sigh)
* Sol Heilo - Skinhorse Playground/
* Da Flyy Hooligan - S.C.U.M.
* Powerman 5000 - New Wave
* Bootsy Collins - Worldwide Funk
* Dub Pistols - Crazy Diamonds

Ruby Boots - "It's So Cruel"

Photo by Cal Quin

The latest single from Ruby Boots pounds some of our favorite genres into a single cohesive song. "It's So Cruel"  has the chugging guitars, beat, and attitude of the whole indie rock/garage rock sound. Plus, it's has the grooviness of the 60's go-go boots era personified by Nancy Sinatra and the glam of T-Rex. The whole thing is wrapped up in the twang of outlaw country. And those are just the obvious elements. While blending this many genres into a solitary song might create a listening disaster, this is far from what happens with "It's So Cruel." Instead, Ruby Boots has created what might be the coolest song you've heard in years. Not to mention that she's originally from Australia and now resides in Nashville, which might be the two greatest places for a musical artist to call home.

You can watch the video for "It's So Cruel" below. Ruby Boots' Blooshot Records debut, Don't Talk About It, will be out February 9. The album features Nikki Lane on backing vocals (she's also the co-writer on the album) and The Texas Gentlemen as her backing band. You can pre-order your copy here. For more on Ruby Boots, check out her website.