Whitney Ballen, Falls (out now, self-released, whitneyballen.bandcamp.com) Whitney Ballen’s voice isn’t for everybody, but for those who love a quirky tone that’s both sharp and sweet, it’s lovely. Inspired by her hometown of Fall City, Wash., this sophomore release explores both personal struggles and roving adventures through the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Layered over fuzzy guitar, explosive yet controlled percussion, and calculated reverb, the result is a dreamy, at times atmospheric collection of tracks that resonate with the heart. Falls is a haunting, trickling love letter, but for whom it is intended is not quite disclosed. On tracks like “Olympia, Your Bridges” and “Torn,” it seems the recipient could be an actual person. On others, it feels as if Ballen’s subject is Mother Nature. Ballen’s most romantic tune is “Rainier,” a nearly three-minute tearjerker: “Trying my best not to call you/I want to tell you ’bout my coffee/I want to send you pictures of Mount Rainier/I wish you were here.” Ballen is no stranger to the DIY scene, and its rawness is felt throughout. As are her interests: “Wacky, creative mashup poetry; feedback forever; cassette-tape releasing; [and] bedroom-playing bands are what I like to listen to and see live,” says the songwriter. It’s this messy urgency and passion that drives this untidy yet wholly relatable release. KEEGAN PROSSER

Mutiny Mutiny, Don’t Quit Your Day Job (out now, self-released, mutinymutiny.com) When it seems that the world around you has turned to shit, there are two things you can do: get sad or get pissed off. Mutiny Mutiny has chosen the latter. It’s a classic punk-rock move, turning unmitigated frustration into fierce, primal music—accepting angst as your muse. Not all punk rock is equal, however. For every Sonic Youth-, Flipper-, or Buzzcocks-type group are a thousand other bands bashing away creating hollow, eviscerating noise, channeling the angst yet losing sight of the musicality. Thankfully, Mutiny Mutiny’s latest offers a sonic experience that measures up to its message. The music itself is good—damn good. Jason Dean’s guitar alternates among droning noise, soft melodies, and furious thrashing chords, creating a constantly shifting aural landscape, while Jenn Schmidt’s grinding bass remains a steady bulwark, driving the music forward. The group’s new drummer, Stormi King, is absolutely aware her kit comes equipped with cymbals, and she isn’t afraid to use them. The vocal duties are split between Schmidt and Dean, who almost assume an adversarial spirit through each number, to somewhat disorienting effect: The shrillness, the perceivable pissed-off-ness, in Schmidt’s upper register intertwines with Dean’s low-end, shifting mood and feeling throughout the record. The call-and-response trope has worn very thin over the years, but on songs like “Entitlement” and “I’ve Swallowed Alphabets,” it works really well. The lyrics themselves are somewhat cryptic, but delivered bluntly and at a furious pace. Take the album’s final track, “Rapture: Fail,” which opens with “Hallowed be thy/Hollow claims/A kingdom of the mundane/The sacred/The profane/Walked between like drops of rain.” It’s not the words themselves that matter as much as the feeling they elicit in the listener. Don’t Quit Your Day Job is a real advance for Mutiny Mutiny, which already has one solid record on the shelves, 2011’s Constellation. The group draws a lot of comparisons to Sleater-Kinney and Jawbox, but here it’s managed to push the ball forward, further refining its own sound and making more interesting music in the process. (Sat., March 29, 2 Bit Saloon) CORBIN REIFF