We Speak Music

Mickelson Delivers His Most Personal and Politically Charged Album Yet

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2025

After years of carving out a name as one of the most compelling voices in Americana and folk-rock, Mickelson returns with, If You Can’t Be Right, Be Loud., a record that showcases his ability to dissect the complexities of modern life with unflinching honesty.

Lauded by critics for his genre-defying approach, Paste Magazine describes his music as “the balance between strong, subtle, unexpected, and sophisticated.” On this latest album, Mickelson embraces that ethos fully, weaving together politically tinged anthems and introspective ballads.

A highlight of the album is “Amplify,” a powerful opening track that encapsulates the tensions of the current political landscape. “I couldn’t ignore what was happening around me,” Mickelson explains. “This song, and really the entire album, reflects the frustration so many of us feel.”

Yet, If You Can’t Be Right, Be Loud., is not just a protest record—it’s also a deeply personal journey. “Glowstick” and “Two Flat Tires” explore mental health and addiction with striking vulnerability, while tracks like “Small Town Scandal” lighten the mood with sharp humor.

Mickelson’s meticulous craftsmanship shines throughout, as he not only wrote and performed much of the album himself but also handled the production. The result? A collection of songs that, as Glide Magazine notes, feature “fervently emotive vocals and melodic precision that reminds the ears of Steve Earle.”

A particularly exciting moment on the record is Mickelson’s collaboration with **Colin Moulding of XTC, whose bass work on ‘Only Grey Matter Boiling In My Head’ and ‘Blue Is The Warmest Color’ elevates the songs to new heights. “Having Colin on these tracks was a real honor,” Mickelson says.

With, If You Can’t Be Right, Be Loud., Mickelson proves yet again why he remains one of the most essential voices in modern Americana. Americana UK sums it up best: “The combination of the layered vocals and instrumental textures, along with a tune that feels immediately familiar, is what makes this album anthemic.”

We Speak Music

2AP – Two Alien Planets Find Beauty in the Noise with “Sweet Harmony”

Published

1 hour ago

September 18, 2026

Joni Jones

What if the world isn’t too loud… what if it’s just your head?

Brno-based duo 2AP – Two Alien Planets tackle that familiar feeling in their new single “Sweet Harmony”: a warm, guitar-driven alternative track about finding your way back to the present when your mind refuses to switch off.

It starts with a bright guitar riff and Lenka K.’s airy soprano, sounding almost like a breath of fresh air. Then the song begins to expand. Guitars gather momentum, the rhythm lifts, and Jarek H.’s warm baritone joins the picture.

By the final chorus, it’s no longer one voice trying to quiet the noise. It’s two voices finding their way through it together.

And that’s where “Sweet Harmony” really hits.

The lyrics balance simple, beautiful things — wind, sunshine, rain, a strand of hair in the breeze — against a much less peaceful inner landscape: a “stormy brain,” angry birds and snakes of grief.

There are no wellness clichés here. No promise that everything suddenly becomes fine.

Instead, the song suggests something more realistic: maybe the beauty is already there. We just have to hear it.

Musically, 2AP blend the melodic warmth of alternative pop-rock with a cinematic indie atmosphere. It’s dreamy without drifting away, emotional without becoming gloomy, and driven by the chemistry between Lenka’s soprano and Jarek’s baritone.

Think 90s/2000s alternative warmth meeting contemporary indie songwriting, with enough guitar to keep things moving and enough space to let the lyrics breathe.

The artwork captures the same tension: warm flowers behind a dark fence. Beauty on one side. Something getting in the way on the other.

“Sweet Harmony” doesn’t ask you to tear the fence down.

It just asks you to look through it.