Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman: North American Tour 2017 [Concert Review]

Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman: Fraze Pavillion, Kettering, Ohio – Sept. 12, 2017 The “New” Version of Yes hit all the right notes! As a newly-minted member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame you would think that all would be peace and love in Yes world. In case you haven’t been following … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Dark/Light – “In Our Dreams”

Dark/Light (pronounced DARK SLASH LIGHT) consists of vocalist Candy Schramer, guitarist/vocalist Justin Schramer, drummer Mary Esquivel, and bassist Tarika Hanawalt. The band was formed in Portland Oregon, sometime back in 2013, yet the roots are much deeper. All four members grew up in the PNW, have known each other and played together in punk bands … Read more

Filthy Friends: Invitation [Album Review]

Filthy Friends Invitation Kill Rock Stars [2017] Fire Note Says: Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker joins Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Kurt Bloch and Bill Rieflin to create an alt/rock super-group that’s more interested in the music than name recognition, and the record’s all the better for it. Album Review: You must reach a point, one would guess, … Read more

Hoops: Routines [Album Review]

Hoops Routines Fat Possum Records [2017] Who: Hoops is a Bloomington, Indiana four-piece and Routines is their debut full length. Hoops was born in frontman Drew Auscherman’s teenage bedroom as a solo ambient and beat-driven project but with growth Hoops gained memomentum after releasing three cassette tapes and last year’s self-titled debut EP. Sound: Hoops … Read more

Guided By Voices – “Low Flying Perfection” [Video]

Here is a new video from Guided By Voices for “Low Flying Perfection.” The song is off their recently released and Headphone Approved LP How Do You Spell Heaven.

The video was directed by Sean Cannon and Chris Witzke. Cannon, host of WFPK’s The Guestlist radio show / podcast from Louisville, states: “The narrative for this video hit me all at once, with most of the scenes fully formed in my head. You don’t always get that lucky. I realized pretty quickly the visuals would match the intensity, immediacy, and intimacy of “Low Flying Perfection.” We rushed out to the woods armed with nothing but a camera and an ax. Two hours later, Chris and I captured this story.”

Currently there are still plenty of chances to catch the GBV live show so check out the dates below and book your hotel!

Guided By Voices Tour Dates:
10/6 – Lexington KY – The Burl
10/7 – Marengo OH – Hoof Hearted Brewery
10/14 – Columbia SC – The Jam Room Music Festival -* FREE*
10/24 – Omaha NE – The Waiting Room
10/25 – Denver CO – Bluebird Theater
10/27 – Las Vegas NV – The Bunkhouse Saloon
10/28-29 – The Growlers Six Fest – Los Angeles, CA – L.A. Water Front

David Payne: Cheaper Than Therapy EP [Album Review]

David Payne Cheaper Than Therapy EP Self-Released [2017] Fire Note Says: New Old Fashioned frontman David Payne goes back to basics with this strong 6-song EP. Album Review: Sometimes when inspiration hits and the songs start pouring out of you, the urge to get them out into the world becomes too much to bear. That’s … Read more

Haim: Something To Tell You [Album Review]

Haim Something To Tell You Columbia Records [2017] Who: Trio of sisters from Los Angeles. Sound: Guitar-heavy pop music. TFN Final Take: There’s no doubt that Haim can construct an earworm; they have the talent to tap into the brain chemistry that creates pleasing sensations. This is most evident on the song “Kept Me Crying,” … Read more

Grandaddy: Under The Western Freeway – 20th Anniversary Reissue (1 Yellow, 1 Blue Vinyl | LTD Copies)

This vinyl-only reissue features a gatefold jacket with two pieces of colored vinyl: one featuring the original record, as it was intended, and the other an eight-song collection of demos from 1997, never before released. The demo LP includes sketches of songs that became fan favorites, like “Bjork ELO Xanadu and the Birth of Chartsengrafs” … Read more

Radiohead – “Lift” [Video]

This track was one of most anticipated tracks from Radiohead’s OKNOTOK, their 20th anniversary reissue of OK Computer. The track now has a video which was directed by Oscar Hudson (uk music awards 16 best new director) and features Thom Yorke experiencing life in what the British call a lift also known as an elevator.

The War On Drugs: A Deeper Understanding [Album Review]

The War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding Atlantic Records [2017] Fire Note Says: The War on Drugs creates an accessible yet sophisticated album. Album Review: A Deeper Understanding is the War on Drugs fourth full-length album, and it is also their most accessible album. On previous efforts, Adam Granduciel’s vocals were a make or break … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Melkbelly – “Middle Of”

Chicago’s Melkbelly has already been getting some hype from being on several “bands to watch” lists and the honor of having the inaugural release on Wax Nine Records, a sister label to Carpark Records headed by Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz. With comparisons like The Breeders meet Lightning Bolt this band immediately grabbed our attention. … Read more

Neil Young: Hitchhiker [Album Review]

Neil Young Hitchhiker Reprise Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Neil Young releases a ten song acoustic studio recording from an early, highly productive period in his artistic development. Album Review: In the mid to late 70s, Neil Young had a particularly productive period in his songwriting, it was shortly after the release of the grief-ridden … Read more

The National: Sleep Well Beast [Album Review]

The National Sleep Well Beast 4AD Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Sleep Well Beast is one of the most expansive sounding albums The National has released. Album Review: The National are back with their seventh studio album, Sleep Well Beast, which marks their first release in four years. Right out of the gate, I will … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Brother”

The Rural Alberta Advantage are back! The band will release their new studio album, The Wild, on October 13th via Saddle Creek Records in the US and Paper Bag Records in Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. The Friday Fire Track today, “Brother,” brings back RAA’s intense indie folk with its marching foot stomps and … Read more

PLAX: Clean Feeling [Album Review]

PLAX Clean Feeling Super Secret Records [2017] Who: Austin-based quasi-punk band comprised of members of Spray Paint, OBN IIIs, Skeleton and Sweet Talk. Sound: Clean Feeling may be the best indie-punk album of 2017. Twitchy and heavy in perfect doses. TFN Final Take: Last year I fell head over heels in love with Austin’s Spray … Read more

Antibalas: Where The Gods Are In Peace (Coke Bottle Clear Vinyl | LTD Copies)

Antibalas is back! True to traditional form, Where The Gods Are In Peace pays respect to the forefathers of Afrobeat with compositions spanning nine to 15 minutes in length. With a blessing from the Fela Kuti legacy early in the band’s career, ANTIBALAS has long been revered for re-popularizing the classic Afrobeat sound while adding … Read more

Leah Senior: Pretty Faces [Album Review]

Leah Senior Pretty Faces Flightless Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Leah Senior carries on the folk singer tradition of Joan Baez and the early work of Joni Mitchell. Album Review: Australian singer/songwriter Leah Senior’s second album finds the artist traveling the quiet path of the folk song troubadour’s of years past. Recorded for the most … Read more

Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – “Over Everything” [Video]

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile have joined forces to release a collaboration as unique and unusual as their talents. The new album Lotta Sea Lice will be released October 13th via Matador Records. The record also finds Barnett and Vile grabbing some of their colleagues as well for the album such as Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three, Stella Mozgawa from Warpaint, and Aussie icon Mick Harvey. You can pre-order the record now HERE.

Courtney and Kurt will be touring North America this fall. Their live band, The Sea Lice, is a revolving cast of musicians including Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag), Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint), Rob Laakso (The Violators, The Swirlies, Mice Parade) and Katie Harkin (Harkin, Sky Larkin and touring member of Sleater-Kinney and Wild Beasts). You can check out the dates below.

Upcoming Live Dates
10/11 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
10/14 – Los Angeles, CA – The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (SOLD OUT)
10/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
10/18 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre
10/20 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
10/21 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
10/22 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox (SOLD OUT)
10/25 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre (SOLD OUT)
10/26 – Chicago, IL – Rockefeller Chapel (SOLD OUT)
10/27 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall (SOLD OUT)
10/28 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle (SOLD OUT)
10/30 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/31 – Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall
11/01 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre (SOLD OUT)
11/03 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
11/04 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
11/06 – Loew’s Jersey Theatre – Jersey City, NJ
11/07 – The Anthem – Washington, DC
11/09 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
11/10 – Dallas, TX – McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
11/11 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater (SOLD OUT)

Offa Rex: The Queen Of Hearts [Album Review]

Offa Rex The Queen Of Hearts Nonesuch Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney is a true gem on this new collaboration with The Decemberists. Album Review: Anyone who’s followed Portland, Oregon’s The Decemberists over the last decade or more has likely suspected that an album like this collaboration with British folk … Read more

Jack Cooper: Sandgrown [Album Review]

Jack Cooper Sandgrown Trouble In My Mind [2017] Who: Sandgrown is the debut solo album from Ultimate Painting’s Jack Cooper. He also was in the band Mazes. Sound: Jack Cooper has a super smooth voice that is in the same tone of Dean Wareham (Luna) or Stuart Lee Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian). His delivery is … Read more

Queen Moo: Mean Well [Album Review]

Queen Moo Mean Well Topshelf Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Mean Well is one of the biggest, baddest rock ‘n’ roll records so far this year. Album Review: Clocking in at just under thirty minutes, Mean Well, the second full-length release from Connecticut band Queen Moo, reinvents rock ‘n’ roll in ways you didn’t know … Read more

Oh Sees: Orc [Album Review]

Oh Sees Orc Castle Face Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Orc holds no limits and sounds as free as anything the Oh Sees have released. Album Review: What’s in a name? For John Dwyer, it doesn’t seem to matter much as his OCS/The Oh Sees/Thee Oh Sees/Oh Sees project continues to morph its 20 year … Read more