Sorry to hit you with back-to-back posts about bands, but I can’t help it, I’m just a music nerd.

I mentioned Superchunk’s new album What A Time To Be Alive about a month ago. NPR First Listen is streaming it now. 32 minutes of powerful, poppy punk. Righteous anger… with catchy hooks. Check it out.

And then there’s Brandi Carlile, another dubbatrubba favorite. NPR is also streaming her latest album By The Way, I Forgive You. 

It’s a real beauty. Brandi’s voice is like no other, and the new release is helmed by Nashville superproducer Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton and pretty much any other “twangy” artist who doesn’t cater to the bro-country masses).

A live in-studio performance of the lead track is below (twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth add so much – they are her not-so-secret weapons). The rest of the album is just as stellar.

OK, I’ll put my headphones back on and quit prattling about music now.