Weakened Friends - "Blue Again"

We've been following Weakened Friends for so long we feel almost like proud parents bringing you this news: We finally have a release date for their debut full length album! The Portland, ME trio have released the debut single off the album (besides the already heard and J Mascis featuring "Hate Mail") "Blue Again." Weakened Friends have always specialized in a heavily 90's influenced indie rock, but "Blue Again" just straight up brings the rock. It starts off pretty standard alt-rock based, with Sonia Sturino's voice not quite matching the temp of the song as she she seems to get more desperate and frustrated, until she and the song explode. It's absolutely glorious.

You can listen to "Blue Again" below. Weakened Friends's debut album, Common Blah, will be out October 19 on Don Giovanni Records. You can pre-order the album here, including a pretty sweet cd and t-shirt bundle for $24.99. For more on Weakened Friends, check out their website. Current tour dates are below the song.


8.30 - Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse Tavern 
9.01 - Bar Harbor, ME @ Lompoc 
9.13 - Syracuse, NY @ Spark Art Space 
9.14 - Waterbury, VT @ Zenbarn 
10.12 - Bangor, ME @ Bangor Arts Exchange
10.19 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall * 
10.20 - Brooklyn, NY @ Trans-Pecos *
10.21 - Richmond, VA @ The Capital Ale House *
10.24 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade *
10.25 - Asheville, NC @ Fleetwoods *
10.26 - Atlanta, GA @ Smith's Olde Bar *
10.27 - Gainesville, FL @ THE FEST *
10.30 - Paris, FR @ Pitchfork Music Festival  
10.31 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin  
11.2 - London, UK @ The Old Blue Last
11.8 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen *
11.9 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
11.10 - Toronto, ON @ The Monarch *
11.11 - Montreal, QB - Casa del Popolo *
11.14 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showroom *
11.15 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
11.16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits *
11.17 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd *

* w/ Nervous Dater

Public Practice - "Fate/Glory"

Photo by Colin Sussingham & Josie Keefe

The new single from New York's Public Practice might be my favorite thing we've brought you in months. "Fate/Glory" brings you the groove of our favorite post punk songs in a very Talking Heads/Gang of Four way. It also has this sense of fun, almost like a disco party is threatening to break out at any moment. There is also the slightest hints of riot grrrl towards the end, in a sense of noise and menace. So if you want your post punk to be both a fun 70's party and somewhat terrifying, you'll need to check out "Fate/Glory."

You can listen to "Fate/Glory" below. Public Practice's debut EP, Distance is a Mirror, will be out October 26 on Wharf Cat Records. You can pre-order a copy here. Live dates are below the song.


Thu. Aug. 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Rootop (PopGun 10 Year Anniversary Party)
Wed. Sept. 12 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Glove (w/ Bambara)
Fri. Oct. 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Shame)

J Mascis - "See You At the Movies"

Photo via Instagram

Any time J Mascis releases new music will always be a big deal at If It's Too Loud... November will see the release of Elastic Days, his new solo album. Judging by the first single, "See You At the Movies," Elastic Days will be exactly what we expect and want in a Mascis solo album. The first single is much prettier than Dinosaur Jr is. Mascis's solo work tends to be calmer and almost folky. "See You At the Movies" is exactly that, and is even almost orchestral in some places. You add in some of Mascis's guitar solos (a more tame version than Dino Jr's thunderous ones), and you've got a classic Mascis solo track. It's a typically great song, but at this point I'd like to see Mascis mix things up a bit.

You can listen to "See You At the Movies" below. Elastic Days will be out November 9 on Sub Pop Records. There are some pretty reasonable pre-order bundles available, including a CD and t-shirt for $24.99. Those are through J's Kung Fu merch store. If you just want the album, you can get that here. For more on J Mascis, check out his website.

Black Belt Eagle Scout - "Soft Stud"

Photo by Jason Quigley

Black Belt Eagle Scout is the stage name of Portland based Katherine Paul. According to the press release, she is an indigenous queer musician, which definitely flavors her music. "Soft Stud," the first single from her debut album, combines elements you don't normally pair together. It starts off with this crunching guitar riff normally associated with some form of guitar rock. But when Paul's voice kicks in with her light and melodic feel, you know the song won't be what you thought it was going to be. The explosion that was promised at the beginning never comes, and instead you get a lovely mid-tempo song complete with harmony and keys that's more Colleen Green than The Hives.

You can listen to "Soft Stud" below. Mother of My Children, the debut album from Black Belt Eagle Scout, will be released on September 14 via Saddle Creek. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Black Belt Eagle Scout, check her website. Current tour dates are below the song.

Fri. Aug. 31 - Columbus, OH @ Wexner Arts Center #
Sat. Sep. 1 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Sun. Sep. 2 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen ^
Tue. Sep. 4 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Lodge #
Wed. Sep. 5 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
Thu. Sep. 6 - New York City, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
Fri. Sep. 7 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA #
Sat. Sep. 8 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel #
Sun. Sep. 9 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat (Backstage) #
Tue. Sep. 11 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook #
Wed. Sep. 12 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn #
Thu. Sep. 13 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar #
Fri. Sep. 14 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury #
Sat. Sep. 15 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa #
Mon. Sep. 17 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda #
Tue. Sep. 18 - Ft. Worth, TX @ Main at South Side #
Wed. Sep. 19 - Norman, OK @ Opolis #
Thu. Sep. 20 - Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck #
Fri. Sep. 21 - St. Louis, MO @ Off-Broadway #
Sat. Sep. 22 - Davenport, IA @ Village Theater #
Mon. Sep. 24 - Lexington, KY @ The Burl #
Wed. Sep. 26 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb $
Fri. Sep. 28 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive $
Sat. Sep. 29 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records $
Sun. Sep. 30 - Boise, ID @ Funky Taco $
Wed. Oct. 3 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett $

* = with Varsity
^ = with Shortly
# = with Saintseneca
$ = with Guerrilla Toss

First Listen: New Releases for 17 August

Is summer over yet?

Album of the Week:

Artist: Still Corners
Album: Slow Air
Quick Description: Dark, synthy, poppy goodness.
Why You Should Listen: This album sounds so unique and out of nowhere...
Overall Thoughts: I heard "Black Lagoon" early on and fell in love with it, so the fact that we get an album is awesome. It more than exceeded my expectations: it's a dark album without feeling brooding, it has an atmosphere all its own. I'm shocked at how great this ended up being, and I think people who have an affinity for gothy-ish stuff from the 1980s will find a lot to like here.
Recommendation: Easily my favorite this week.

Artist: Mitski
Album: Be the Cowboy
Quick Description: New album from the popular indie musician.
Why You Should Listen: Mitski is making some of the most critically-acclaimed indie music going.
Overall Thoughts: If Puberty 2 was Mitski’s coming out party, Cowboy is the culmination of all the pieces coming together. Much more confident and mainstream, this is a record that is as good as you think it is but loses points based on its relative safety compared to her earlier work. I grade this with a high bar because Mitski herself set it; if this were a debut artist’s album, we’d likely fall all over ourselves on it. Instead, this is a super impressive listen that might not reach the heights she has set.
Recommendation: A must-hear this week.

Artist: Our Girl
Album: Stranger Today
Quick Description: Highly-anticipated (at least for me) debut album.
Why You Should Listen: Our Girl has a unique mix of sounds.
Overall Thoughts: This act had an EP out some time ago that I was really into, so the anticipation for this record in particular is super real. The result is an album that is fuzzy and fun in parts, and reminiscent of a lot you already listen to while not completely being that thing. Rare spot to fill, but Our Girl does it.
Recommendation: A favorite this week.

Artist: Kovacs
Album: Cheap Smell
Quick Description: Interesting neo-soul.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something different and adventurous from what's normally put out here.
Overall Thoughts: I don’t know if there’s a major drive to fill the Amy Winehouse-sized void in the pop landscape, but it definitely feels like Kovacs is trying. I don’t know anything much about this act, but there’s a bit of attitude to go along with the excellent vocals that make this a little more worthwhile than a lot of the retreads out there.
Recommendation: Might not work for everyone, but I liked this.

Artist: Conner Youngblood
Album: Cheyenne
Quick Description: New album from a favorite around these parts.
Why You Should Listen: It's a nice mix of sounds that will be a perfect soundtrack to the end of your summer.
Overall Thoughts: I know I’ve listened to a lot of his recent output, but this new album is resonating with me a little more. Sort of the weird love child of Bon Iver, Wayne Coyne, and Maximilian Hecker, this is an oftentimes compelling listen with a lot of layers I look forward to exploring. It has a very vast, open atmosphere to it that I’m really loving.
Recommendation: Absolutely worth a listen.

Of note:

* Ninja Sex Party - Cool Patrol (musical humor can be hard, and this sometimes works. If you liked Partner, this is similar)
* Death Cab for Cutie - Thank You for Today (I never thought they’d be making semi-interesting adult contemporary fare 20 years later, but here we are)
* Slaves - Acts of Fear and Love (solid rock music, a little uneven at times)
* Mountain Lions - We Are (specifically what feels like an odd/different take on the pop folk that keeps breaking through) might be the thing that keeps it from taking off.)
* Thee Oh Sees - Smote Reverser
* Great Lake Swimmers - The Waves, The Wake

EPs:

* Ludwig Goransson - Black Panther: Wakanda Remixed
* mewithoutyou - [untitled]e.p.

Also out:

* Animal Collective - Tangerine Roof
* Open Mike Eagle - Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes
* The Stubborn Lovers - Mother Road

Live Shows: Mavis Staples, Prescott Park Arts Festival, Portsmouth, NH 8/16/18

Mavis Staples at the 2014 Newport Folk Festival
Photo by Ken Sears

I've seen Mavis Staples twice so far, but each time was at the Newport Folk Festival. Until this past Thursday, I had yet to see her own show, mainly since I'm fairly cheap when it comes to concert tickets. This is the beauty of the Prescott Park Arts Festival: You can see a legendary artist like Mavis Staples for $8.00.

The thing I noticed most about this particular Mavis Staples performance was that it was much more rockin' than I had expected. She chose to stick to much more upbeat and uplifting songs than previous times I had seen her. The quietest song she played was "You Are Not Alone," from her collaboration with Jeff Tweedy. A noteworthy song that was missing from the setlist was "The Weight," which I had assumed she always played. The evening of rock/soul/funk included three fantastic covers: Talking Head's "Slippery People," Funkadelic's "Can You Get to That," and Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth." Each of these covers were completely her own, and if you weren't heavily familiar with the originals, you'd never know they were covers. The gospel side of Staples was also missing, but her voice and music is a religious experience all their own.

Since Thursday was also the day the world lost Aretha Franklin, the performance also included a moment of silence for the lost artist. The majority of the set was made up of songs from The Staples Singers (five total). One of these songs brought the highlight and low point of the performance: During "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend," Staples walked out to the front of the stage to shake audience members' hands. While doing this, she met a baby named Mavis, which delighted her to no end, and was brought up many times for the rest of the set. But, this also led to a ridiculously long line of people waiting to shake Staples's hand and greet her. Literally dozens of people took this opportunity. I know that getting to shake a living legend's hand and telling her how much you enjoy her music is exciting, but this just went on for far too long, even after Staples mentioned that her back was hurting from bending over to greet fans. The woman is 79, maybe we shouldn't make her potentially injure herself for our own amusement. After the song was finally allowed to end, Staples sat down on a bench for a bit and then closed with "I'll Take You There." One of the finest nights I've spent in Prescott Park.

Salem Wolves - "Shake"

My fervor for Salem Wolves has been fairly well documented here at If It's Too Loud..., and based on their new single "Shake," that won't be abating any time soon. "Shake" takes their amped up almost ready for stadiums garage rock and cranks it up a few notches. It's loud, and starts off very reminiscent of MC5's "American Ruse." That quickly goes away, and it becomes a song all its own. "Shake" is a fast, loud rocker with tons of noise and some stutters while it plows forward, stopping for nothing. It's also somehow the most accessible thing Salem Wolves have released so far.

You can listen to "Shake" below. The new album from Salem Wolves, also called Shake, will be out August 25. You can pre-order your copy on Bandcamp. For more on Salem Wolves, check out their website. If you're in the Boston area, you can see them live on August 23 at O'Brien's Pub and September 15 at Brighton Music Hall.

Forgotten Fridays: Propellerheads - Decksanddrumsandrockandroll

I should preface this by saying that there are a handful of albums that kind of define my love for music, and this is one of them.

It's probably not entirely correct to call this album "forgotten," per se, since there are certain songs like "Bang On" that soundtracked movies for close to a decade after this album was released. But when it came out in 1998, it was the height of the whole "electronica" thing in the United States, and while acts like The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers were hitting it big, purer electronic acts like Orbital weren't getting quite a foothold and the sort of DJ/producer culture wasn't quite resonating the same way.

Then came this album. I'm sure it was "History Repeating" that got my attention, since I've always loved Bond themes and Shirley Bassey is a legend and this song is incredible in its own right. But what sets Decksanddrumsandrockandroll apart is just the whole package effortlessly jumps from breaks and big beat to big band to even a symphonic-electronic hybrid of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" toward the end.

A 20th anniversary version came out earlier this year and I only tripped up on it this week. It largely holds up, and I didn't realize how my knowledge of acts like De La Soul and The Jungle Brothers are rooted in their guest appearances on this album. The duo never did another album again - one of the two battled an illness shortly after the album came out and I guess they both kind of went their separate ways - but this is one of those acts that I really wish had done more together. It's such an iconic album for me, and you probably know more of it than you realize. If you're rediscovering it today, congratulations. If this is the first time you're hearing it, welcome aboard.

The Goon Sax - "Make Time 4 Love"

Photo by Ben O'Connor

Despite breaking the internationally recognized rule that only Prince could use letters as words in song titles, Australia's The Goon Sax's new single is pretty great. "Make Time 4 Love" continues the new fangled Australian trend of throwing back to the 90's for inspiration. This time they go back to '97/'98 when bands were throwing back to the 60's and having a groovy/crooner feel to their songs. Singer Louis Forster (To make you feel old, he's the son of Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens) isn't exactly a crooner, but it gives the song a fun, indie vibe. The song is mostly a fairly sparse groovy indie song, except for the use of horns towards to end to help flesh out the song. It's a fun sound, bordering on quirky without quite going over the edge.

You can watch the video for "Make Time 4 Love" below. We're Not Talking, the new album from The Goon Sax, will be out September 14 on Wichita Recordings. You can pre-order it here. For more on The Goon Sax, check them out on Facebook.

Baeilou - "Mourning Mantra"

Photo by Cinque Mubarak

Hopefully you remember when we brought you the haunting, Poe inspired single from Baeilou, "Eleanora." Mia Pixley and her cello Baeilou are back with another single, "Mourning Mantra." The new single seems much more straightforward neo-Americana than the previous one. It's very minimal, and a cello is going to sound a bit out of place in any rock/folk song. But "Mourning Mantra," despite it's tempo changes, is a pretty upbeat pop cello song... for the first minute and a half. After that, the mood shifts dramatically. The song becomes more moody and beautiful, and even when the pace picks back up, it is much more classical than it was previously.

You can listen to "Mourning Mantra" below. Baeilou's upcoming EP, Inside Under, will be out August 24. For more on Baeilou, check out the artist's website and Facebook.