First Listen: New Releases from 24 May

This was a really great week for new music.

Artist: Bloodboy
Album: Punk Adjacent
Quick Description: Smart, radio-ready rock music.
Why You Should Listen: Bloodboy has been skirting the edges of the music world for a while, and this debut album should give her some serious press.
Overall Thoughts: The long-awaited debut after a series of single releases and songs brings an album that feels fully-formed and comes across more like a fifth album in its confidence and quality. Hooks for days on this album that, in a different context, could be a staple on any alt-rock station you can think of. This is a really special listen, and I’m hoping that it gets some overdue accolades as a result. Not only is this one of the best of the week, it may be something that will end up on best of the year lists.
Recommendation: Do not miss this one.

Artist: pronoun
Album: i'll show you stronger
Quick Description: Long-awaited debut by a buzzy indie rocker.
Why You Should Listen: pronoun's early EPs and singles have been uniformly stellar.
Overall Thoughts: Speaking of long-awaited debut, here is pronoun. There have been a series of singles and EPs released in dribs and drabs over the last few years, each one as good as the one before it, and while those who discovered the act early on know many of the songs here, the newer tunes combined with the long-existing predecessors make for another great alt-indie record.
Recommendation: Another solid listen this week.

Artist: Slingshot Dakota
Album: Heavy Banding
Quick Description: New album from a favorite duo.
Why You Should Listen: Slingshot Dakota has few peers in what they do.
Overall Thoughts: I don’t recall when I first tripped up on Slingshot Dakota, but I’ve continually found their brand of Mates of State by way of Saddle Creek (no, Slingshot Dakota is not an Saddle Creek band but sounds like they could be) to be super compelling. This is the first album in some time from the duo, and there’s a lot of polish here to go along with some interesting shifts in sound in many ways. This is probably an excellent entry point for new listeners, but longtime fans should find a lot to like here, such as with songs like “Premeditated” and “Louder.” A great listen this week, and a welcome return from a band we haven’t heard from in a while.
Recommendation: Another favorite this week.

Artist: Cate le Bon
Album: Reward
Quick Description: Latest from the artsy singer.
Why You Should Listen: Cate le Bon is not one to take the straightforward approach, and this comes with its own set of rewards.
Overall Thoughts: I’ve been a fan for a while now (I believe she was an Amie Street freebie back in the day for me), and her latest is a return to form after her truly strange previous album. This effort still maintains the weirdness that permeates Le Bon’s aesthetic, but there is absolutely a more accessible aspect to this that hasn’t been present in her recent work.
Recommendation: I fully dig this, and you might as well.

Artist: Honeyblood
Album: In Plain Sight
Quick Description: Latest album from the Black Honey side project.
Why You Should Listen: This is some great indie pop-rock.
Overall Thoughts: In a week with so many interesting indie/alt albums, Honeyblood does their best to stand out. I’ve been digging a number of the prerelease singles, and the full album has a great tone throughout. Well-produced, solid songwriting, there’s nothing wrong with this album at all. You’re almost certain to find a song or two you’ll enjoy on this, if not the entire thing.
Recommendation: A great listen.

Artist: The Darts
Album: I Like You But Not Like That
Quick Description: Great, garage-style rock.
Why You Should Listen: This is definitely the most energetic record of the week.
Overall Thoughts: This is a great, retro rock/punk hybrid that I really enjoyed. There are a few acts that have danced around this area of late, but the addition of the Elvis Costello-style keys really makes this work for me. Somehow, an early single for this band took over our Alexa Spotify Connect, so I’m glad to hear the full album is as good as I hoped. Different than most of the recent stuff we’ve covered here, but if you have any appreciation at all for this style of music, you’ll love this.
Recommendation: Give this a shot.

Artist: Halfsour
Album: Sticky
Quick Description: Locally-sourced slacker power pop.
Why You Should Listen: Feels wonderfully familiar while still offering something new.
Overall Thoughts: Ken sent this one over and I'm really glad he did. A solid version of the alt-rock stuff I enjoy the most infused with some lo-fi sheen, this is kind of the perfect palate cleanser this week given the amount of variety. This is not one you should miss out on this week,
Recommendation: A solid listen.

Of note:

* Justin Townes Earle - The Saint of Lost Causes (Some of the purest roots sounds you'll hear.)
* Black Mountain - Destroyer (As someone who doesn't care for metal, this was compelling.)
* Echo in the Canyon Soundtrack (Jakob Dylan and friends.)
* Chris Orrick - Out to Sea
* Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club
* The King Khan Experience - Turkey Ride
* Sebadoh - Act Surprised
* Mavis Staples - We Get By

EPs:

* Middle Kids - New Songs for Old Problems
* Orla Gartland - Why Am I Like This?

Also out:

* The Lonely Island - The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience (This is great, but you'll watch it on Netflix once and get the gist.)
* The Stray Cats - 40
* The Aggrolites - REGGAE NOW!
* Flying Lotus - Flamagra
* Morrissey - California Son
* ISA - Debut Album

Jake Xerxes Fussell - "Oh Captain"

Photo by Brad Bunyea

The latest single from North Carolina's Jake Xerxes Fussell is technically a cover, but it's a song from the 1920's, so most of us aren't going to recognize it. "Oh Captain" was orignally recorded by Willis Laurence James for Paramount Studios. Fussell's version keeps the classic folk feel, but he makes "Oh Captain" still sound current almost one hundred years later. That's what makes Fussell's music so intriguing: His ability to sound classic and modern at the same time.

Fussell has this to say about Willis Laurence James: “James spent much of his life collecting and interpreting and writing about African American worksongs, yet few have recognized his short, obscure stint as a recording artist. Turns out he was a trained singer who taught in the music department for years at Spelman College, whose library still holds his archive. I became fascinated with him and his work, so this song is my little homage to Dr. James.”

You can listen to "Oh Captain" below. Out of Sight, the new album from Jake Xerxes Fussell, will be out June 7 on Paradise of Bachelors. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Jake Xerxes Fussell, check out his Facebook. Current tour dates are below the song.

Wed. Sep. 18 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall*
Thu. Sep. 19 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar*
Fri. Sep. 20 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle*
Sun. Sep. 22 - Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley*
Wed. Sep. 25 - Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat*
Fri. Sep. 27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg*
Sat. Sep. 28 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall*
Sun. Sep. 29 - Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus*
Mon. Sep. 30 - Toronto, ON @ Great Hall*
Wed. Oct. 2 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club*
Thu. Oct. 3 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre*
Fri. Oct. 4 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre*
Sat. Oct. 5 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall*
Tue. Oct. 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom*

* = supporting Daniel Norgren

Forgotten Fridays: The Explosion - Flash Flash Flash

Forgotten Fridays is an occasional feature here at If It’s Too Loud... where we go back and find the lost records of our glory days. We played these on our college radio shows, put them on countless mix tapes, and then forgot they existed. We go back and remind you of their existence, and help decide if they were any good.

Flash Flash Flash, the debut album from Boston's The Explosion, made me feel old back when it was released. I graduated college that year, and a brand new punk band (especially one as thrashy and "skate punk" as The Explosion), seemed like something I should have outgrown. I hadn't, and I loved this album. Somehow they slipped my mind until it was just announced that they'd be opening some shows on Bad Religion's summer tour. Of course, not Boston...

The Explosion surprisingly hold up. The songs are driven at a throttling speed, but still keep some semblance of a tune and melody. It's definitely not hardcore, and it's definitely not pop punk. Flash Flash Flash is filled with these great fast and loud punk songs that are nowhere near as embarrassing to enjoy as I pretended they were back in my just graduated from college smugness. It's definitely a lot less embarrassing than the majority of the punk I listened to in college.

Since their split in 2007, The Explosion have played three one off shows. It will be interesting to see if this upcoming run with Bad Religion inspire more.

Trash Kit - "Horizon"

Photo by Samuel Mitchell

The latest single from Trash Kit blends some rather interesting genres. "Horizon" is a melding of minimalist post punk and guitar music from Zimbabwe. It's wonderfully intense and laid back, and mixes the two seemingly disparate sounds together wonderfully. Guitarist/vocalist Rachel Aggs explains the song as "... quite literal, thinking about the edge of the earth - how people interpret the planet, how you can sometimes forget the enormity of the world and the universe and how small that can make you feel." 

You can watch the video for "Horizon" below. Horizon, the new album from Trash Kit, will be out July 5 on Upset the Rhythm. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Trash Kit, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Kitty Kat Fan Club - "You Got Me Modernized"

With the latest single from Kitty Kat Fan Club, I'm tempted to write "It may be called 'You Got Me Modernized,' but it's filled with retro fun!" Luckily for you all, I'm far too talented of a writer for that nonsense.

One of the first things you'll notice are the retro keyboards in the song. "You Got Me Modernized" is propelled by the type of organs in classic garage rock songs from ? and the Mysterians and The Lyres. But it's not a garage rock song. The vocals have that sweet but with an attitude, kinda spoken and shouted sound (especially on the chorus) you normally only get from Kathleen Hanna. And there's even the occasional punk rock horns thrown in. Notice I said punk rock and not ska. You'll get it when you listen.

You can listen to "You Got Me Modernized" below. Dreamy Little You will be out May 31 on Asian Man Records. You can pre-order a copy here. 5% off all sales will go to cat and dog rescue charities. For more on Kitty Kat Fan Club, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Xenia Rubinos Covers The Clash

There are some terrible, horrible Clash covers out there. For some reason The Clash seem to be the band that mainstream pop artists think it's perfectly acceptable to do bland pop covers of. Since Xenia Rubinos tends to lean towards the R&B side of music, I was more than a little skeptical of her cover of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" from the film I'm Leaving Now (Ya Me Voy).

"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is already one of The Clash's most mainstream pop adjacent songs, so it's not a huge stretch to push it the rest of the way into Dullsville. And Xenia Rubinos's Spanish language cover is definitively more pop than the original. But at the same time she ramps up the distortion on the guitar. Plus, she just finds a way to keep the edge of the original. Turns out my skepticism was unwarranted, because this is a completely true to the original version.

You can listen to Xenia Rubinos's version of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" below. For more on Xenia Rubinos, check out her website.

The Holy Circle - "Free and Young"

Photo by Paul Granger

Dad rock gets a lot written about it, but what about mom rock? More specifically, what about goth mom rock? That's how The Holy Circle are described, and I can't really argue. "Free and Young" has a throwback feel to it, almost like Belinda Carlisle or The Bangles, but the dark goth side of that. It's incredibly minimal but with plenty of shoegaze or dream pop fuzz. It feels like more mainstream and beloved music from the late 80's and early 90's, but a bizarre twisted version of that. At least, that's how it starts. By the end the song devolves into a mess of plodding feedback and noise. So the song is basically perfection

You can listen to "Sick With Love" below. Sick With Love, the new EP from The Holy Circle, will be out July 19 on Deathbomb Arc. You can pre-order a copy here. Fore more on The Holy Circle, check out their Facebook.

Sonic Youke Covers Sonic Youth

So... this one is interesting...

Based out of Syracuse, NY, Sonic Youke claim to be "The premier all ukulele Sonic Youth tribute band from Syracuse N.Y." (I'm sure this is a contentious claim, with all the competition for all ukulele Sonic Youth cover bands in Syracuse, NY, but I digress...) The band rose from the ashes of Fugelele, an all ukulele Fugazi cover band, in 2017. The band's Sonic Youth repertoire is expanded to ninety minutes, so they've invested some serious time in this.

How's the music? Shockingly good. These aren't modern bluegrass re-imaginings of Sonic Youth classic songs. These are heavy, noisy, true to the original versions of Sonic Youth songs that just happen to be performed on ukulele. I'm sure the drums help (so much for the all ukulele claims...)

You can watch a live video for Sonic Youke's version of "Chapel Hill" below via YouTube user Karly Grifasi. For more on Sonic Youke, check out the band's website.

First Listen: New Releases for 17 May

A slower week, but with two heavy hitters.

Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen
Album: Dedicated
Quick Description: Latest album from the pop star.
Why You Should Listen: There is a lot riding on this follow-up to her last effort.
Overall Thoughts: For those who are not choosing between Taylor and Katy, this is probably the pop event of 2019. E*MO*TION was so good that it’s unrealistic to believe that Jepsen could top it, and to be clear, she does not. With that said, there is a nice throughline of the sort of 80s/early 90s pop that continues here that Carly Rae does so well, and songs like “Real Love” could end up being one of her long-term classics. If you’re not on the bandwagon yet, I don’t know if this will change your mind, but I am a happy fan.
Recommendation: A great listen.

Artist: Alex Lahey
Album: The Best of Luck Club
Quick Description: Indie favorite with a brand new album.
Why You Should Listen: Her solo debut was amazing, this is probably better.
Overall Thoughts: It’s weird to praise the glossy pop stylings of Carly Rae Jepsen and then lead into the new Alex Lahey album with a complaint about the production value (and specifically how heavily produced it sounds), but considering how good a musician she is and how great these songs are, it is very frustrating to feel as if the production is an exhausting affair in some regards. To be clear, this is a great album and I’ll go as far to say that this is possibly better than her debut (“Interior Demeanour” is going to be an underrated classic, in my opinion), I just question the choices made in some regards.
Recommendation: A great listen in spite of the flaws.

Artist: Kelly Hunt
Album: Even the Sparrow
Quick Description: Great bluegrass music.
Why You Should Listen: Kelly Hunt knows how to craft a song.
Overall Thoughts: This is basically the bluegrass record I’ve been waiting for. There’s a grit to this, a sort of skewed approach, that just absolutely nailed it for me on a whole, and the full album, on first listen, feels cohesive and complete. I can’t recommend any single songs because so much of it just works, but if you like the roots stuff that features around here, and if acts like Sarah Jarosz and the Punch Brothers do it for you, you’ll find a lot to like here.
Recommendation: A favorite this week.

Artist: Lafawndah
Album: Ancestor Boy
Quick Description: Left field R&B.
Why You Should Listen: Reminiscent of Spellling, FKA Twigs, and so on.
Overall Thoughts: I’m unsure if this record exists without FKA Twigs, but I am happy it exists overall. This came out a while back, and gives the sort of off-kilter approach to R&B made famous by FKA Twigs and allows for a wide variety of structures and outcomes. This is a deep and heavy record that I want to spend a lot more time with, as it has some serious growth potential for me.
Recommendation: An excellent listen.

Of note:

* Olden Yolk - Living Theatre (Pretty solid effort.)
* Ioanna Gika - Thalassa (For fans of Marissa Nadler.)
* Injury Reserve - Injury Reserve (A great nerdcore-meets-Clipping effort.)
* Worshipper - Worshipper
* Com Truise - Persuasion System
* Ellen Allien - Alientronic
* Siobhan Wilson - The Departure
* The Head and the Heart - Living Mirage
* Mr. Tophat - Dusk to Dawn Part II

7 Song Albums:

* Michael Christmas - Baggy Eyes
* Kelly Moran - Origin

EPs:

* Elton John Cena - All Rats Go to Heaven (Fun EP.)
* The Jins - Death Wish (They listened to too much Nirvana, but that's more than okay.)
* Keep Shelly in Athens - Sunny Day
* Interpol - A Fine Mess
* Undeworld - Drift Episode 3: "HEART"

Also out:

* The National - I Am Easy to Find
* Kofi the Spiderman - Adventures in NumbNumb Land
* Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Kingfish
* Josephine Wiggs - We Fall
* Lucette - Deluxe Hotel Room
* Palmistry - Afterlife
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The Bad Signs Cover Laura Jane Grace and The Devouring Mothers

Photo via Facebook

The Bad Signs, a goth-country band from Nashville, are working on their debut album. While doing that, they decided to do a fan requested cover of "The Airplane Song" from Laura Jane Grace and The Devouring Mothers. The original version is a straightforward alt-rocker coming it at 2:30. The Bad Signs's version is a 3:02 slow as can possibly be country ballad with the verses spoken at times like an early rock 'n' roll/doo wop song. It transforms the song into a heartbreakingly soul crusher. In other words, it's fantastic.

You can listen to The Bad Signs's version of "The Airplane Song" below. For more on The Bad Signs, check out their website.