Simon Workman Grateful Dead Rare Cuts & Oddities 1966 Rhino/Grateful Dead Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Dead play a young garage band auditioning for a spot on Nuggets. Album Review: Whatever your view of the Grateful Dead (sloppy hippie noodlers or greatest band on earth), many people often dismiss them based on their reputation alone, which … Read more
Various Artists The Rough Guide To Latin Psychedelia World Music Network [2013] Fire Note Says: Latin rhythms meet slightly acidic arrangements—if you don’t like Santana, move on. Album Review: Released as a special 180g vinyl edition for Record Store Day, The Rough Guide to Latin Psychedelia casts a wide net over the genre, throwing together … Read more
Iron & Wine Ghost On Ghost Nonesuch Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Iron & Wine’s fifth LP is an alternative/folk/rock/jazz/pop masterpiece. Album Review: Sam Beam has gone through quite a musical evolution in the eleven years he’s been making music under the Iron & Wine moniker. While his first two albums (2002’s The Creek Drank … Read more
Lapland Lapland Hundred Pockets Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Mellow folk-pop meets lush ambient arrangements on Lapland’s debut. Album Review: Lapland’s bio sheet lists influences from “60s and 70s synth pioneers” to Fleetwood Mac, but the most apt (and surprising) influence listed is “French impressionists like Ravel and Debussy.” As pretentious as this may sound, … Read more
The Shilohs So Wild Light Organ Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Shilohs grab ideas from all over the 60s rock scene, but So Wild never feels disjointed. Album Review: Starting with the standard 60s rock playbook, The Shilohs dig a bit deeper on their debut album to offer listeners a feel-good slice of classic … Read more
Starflyer 59 IAMACEO South Co. Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Starflyer 59 continue refining their sound and redefining consistency. Album Review: Starflyer 59 is the definition of an underground band. Helmed by guitarist and lead singer Jason Martin, they never really hit the mainstream, despite being label-mates with bands that did (Anberlin, MxPx, P.O.D.). Their … Read more
The Cave Singers Naomi Jagjaguwar Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Cave Singers blend classic influences with modern sounds on Naomi. Album Review: The indie-folk scene has become pretty crowded the last few years. Acts such as Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, and Fleet Foxes have proven that audiences still have a soft spot for … Read more
Lost Animal Ex Tropical Hardly Art Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Lost Animal’s debut is an odd mix of ambient keyboards, colorful electronics, and half-sung half-spoken musings. Album Review: Ex Tropical finds Jarrod Quarrell—the sole member of Lost Animal—using a bank of keyboards to craft a ten-track set of strange, atmospheric tunes. Drawing inspiration from … Read more
Ra Ra Riot Beta Love Barsuk Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Ra Ra Riot return with a kinetic, easygoing album that asks: “can robots love too?” Album Review: Ra Ra Riot trades in strings for synths on their third album, a short but sweet set of eleven upbeat, optimistic tracks that barely breaks the half-hour … Read more
Various Artists Reason to Believe: The Songs of Tim Hardin Full Time Hobby Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Filtered through a diverse set of artists, Tim Hardin’s voice comes through loud and clear. Album Review: Oregon folkie Tim Hardin was never a massive superstar. His life cut short in 1980 from a heroin overdose at … Read more
Frightened Rabbit Pedestrian Verse Canvasback/Atlantic Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Pedestrian Verse is an honest, mature album that grows more immediate with every listen. Album Review: On their fourth LP, Frightened Rabbit offers a set of songs that feel like the soundtrack to a late night in their home city of Glasgow. Drawing on the … Read more
Matt Pond The Lives Inside The Lines In Your Hands BMG [2013] Fire Note Says: Matt Pond returns, sans PA, with an immaculately-produced set of 10 pop/rock songs. Album Review: I had heard of Matt Pond PA (Matt Pond’s “band”) before writing this review, but hadn’t really listened to much of their material—they were on … Read more
The Breezes The Breezes Self-Released [2012] Fire Note Says: The Breezes deliver a diverse, eclectic mix of classic rock-style tunes that never take themselves too seriously. Album Review: “Whoo! Explosions!” Thus begins the self-titled debut album from The Breezes, a Montreal-based band whose brand of quirky guitar-based pop swerves wildly from style to style, never … Read more
Blackfeet Braves Blackfeet Braves Lolipop Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Blackfeet Braves take listeners back to the Sunset Strip circa 1968, dragging them through the dusty southwest along the way. Album Review: Most “retro” or “neo-[insert genre here]” acts stay just that: an act, in which the band prefers to mimic the creativity of their … Read more
Tiger High Catacombs After Party Trashy Creatures Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Tiger High play aggressive and spacey psychedelic rock with shades of 90s nostalgia. Album Review: Memphis-based Tiger High’s debut album Catacombs After Party meshes the band’s love for 60s rock and pop with a heavier, more layered sound that gives a nod to … Read more
Black Marble A Different Arrangement Hardly Art Records [2012] Fire Note Says: For those who want (slightly) more ‘joy’ in their Joy Division. Album Review: Influences can be a tricky thing, especially if you wear them on your sleeve as plainly as Brooklyn duo Black Marble does. Chris Stewart and Ty Kube’s debut LP A … Read more