The Retrospectives have been making some waves across seas and now have a new vintage-inspired rock single titled “Confusion” out for release on June 29th. The Sheffield band takes inspiration from the likes of Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, and The Rolling Stones, as you can see and hear on their new video below … Read more
METZ’s 2015 world tour in support of II, resumes June 24th in Berlin, DE at Cassiopeia and currently ends November 20th in Utrecht, NL at Le Guess Who? Festival. Additional highlights include: October 22nd in Nijmegen, NL at Doornroosje; October 23rd in Amsterdam, NL at Bitterzoet; October 24th in Zwolle, NL at Let’s Get Lost … Read more
Evan Phillips Silhouettes Self-Released [2015] Fire Note Says: Silhouettes is Phillips at his best! Album Review: Anchorage, Alaska is not really a hotbed for new music but it should never simply be dismissed based on its map coordinates. I say this because when you hear singer songwriter Evan Phillips fourth solo record, Silhouettes, you may … Read more
Rose Windows Rose Windows Sub Pop Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Rose Windows return for their sophomore and final album. Album Review: For a band that will only put out two albums, the Rose Windows will always have a special place in my heart. Not only was their debut album, The Sun Dogs, one hell … Read more
We always strive to promote self-released music and today’s Fire Track does just that. Seattle’s Blackheart Honeymoon may tell you that they have been influenced by the likes of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Gram Parsons, but after one play of “Bodies,” I think you will agree that New Pornographers meets Fleetwood Mac is a … Read more
Annabel Having It All Tiny Engines [2015] Fire Note Says: Time to reconnect with your emo feelings! Album Review: At some point do you ever feel like you are too old for a genre of music? I have had those thoughts over the years about emo but always remind myself how I will still turn … Read more
We are happy today to premiere the second song from Kissing Party’s forthcoming album, Looking Back It Was Romantic But At The Time I Was Suffocating. What most people probably don’t know is that Denver’s Kissing Party has been releasing material since around 2006, so they are a real gem just waiting for some deserved … Read more
Heartless Bastards Restless Ones Partisan Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Erika Wennerstrom’s power surged vocals are hard to resist. Album Review: The Cincinnati now Austin based Heartless Bastards return with their fifth full length album, Restless Ones, that will once again dazzle fans with its soulful approach. The band has always been centrally driven from … Read more
Shamir Ratchet XL Recordings [2015] Fire Note Says: Portrait of an artist as a young man. Album Review: There was some story last year about a high school senior who was said to have made millions on the stock market. I don’t know if the reporter got it wrong or the kid misspoke, but the … Read more
Destruction Unit Live In San Francisco Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Exhilarating psychedelic freak-outs from Arizona noise rockers. Album Review: Count me as a huge fan of the Live in San Francisco live series brought to us by John Dwyer and Castle Face Records. The whole series has been remarkable and well worth … Read more
Magic Pie King For A Day Karisma Records[2015] Fire Note Says: So good you’ll want more than just one slice. Album Review: Magic Pie are a Norwegian band that has been around for about a decade now and have been releasing some really solid music mixing seventies indebted classic and progressive rock with a modern … Read more
Here at The Fire Note we love great causes as much as we love great music. One of our main behind the scenes contributors is riding 50 miles on his bike August 8th in this year’s Pelotonia for TEAM HEWIII which has raised nearly $35,000 to date. What is Pelotonia you ask? Founded in 2008, … Read more
Thee Oh Sees Mutilator Defeated At Last Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: After Drop, Thee Oh Sees return to form. Album Review: Thee Oh Sees have always been an interesting band. While—in my humble opinion—2014’s Drop wasn’t a huge success, it wasn’t a total failure either. Drop provided some killer tracks, which is … Read more
Matt Holliman and Evan Reiss are the twin guitar heroes of the Bay area band Sleepy Sun and they’ve teamed up for this side project which happily does not stray far from the mothership. Their sunny, reverb-heavy take on California psych-pop definitely recalls the ease of song craft found on last year’s Maui Tears. However … Read more
Jamie xx In Colour XL Recordings [2015] Fire Note Says: A relaxed build to some truly devastating xx moments, but nothing here rivals the snap of We’re New Here, which feels like a missed opportunity. Album Review: The xx are fun to watch live. Oliver’s big, stage-chewing gait, Romy’s stony confidence. In lesser hands, their … Read more
Muse Drones Warner Bros. Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Muse create another stadium rocker. Album Review: I remember when Muse released their debut, Showbiz (1999), and they were considered a muscular Radiohead. The band quickly separated themselves with their sophomore effort, Origin of Symmetry (2001), and has never looked back. Over their last several releases, … Read more
On September 18, Merge Records will present The Diet, the debut album from HeCTA. Using the idea of combining the notion of “song” and elements from stand-up comedy, and electronic music and a shared love of the electronic form and its many permutations, HeCTA respectfully, playfully explored and experimented to make The Diet. HeCTA is … Read more
Joe Pernice of the Scud Mountain Boys & Pernice Brothers and Budo of Macklemore have formed a new band called Roger Lion. You can read the band’s full bio below courtesy of Joe. Their self-titled debut is out September 18th on Team Love Records and you can now hear the album’s lead single, “A Dead … Read more
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Multi-Love Jagjaguwar [2015] Fire Note Says: UMO redefine what you thought you knew. Album Review: If you would have told me this time last year that I‘d be shaking my ass to a Unknown Mortal Orchestra album, I‘d have called you crazy. Having sprung out of New Zealand in 2011 with their … Read more
Lost Boy? Canned Papercup Music [2015] Fire Note Says: Lost Boy? are a dream come true for 90’s indie rock fans. Bits and pieces of your favorite bands pasted together in a catchy and fun album. Album Review: I have been listening to Davey Jones’ project, Lost Boy? for the last year or so. They … Read more
The Vaccines English Graffiti Columbia Records [2015] Fire Note Says: The Vaccines’ third album has highs and lows. Album Review: The Vaccines are of a proud lineage – the next great rock band from the UK that never quite has the world-beating success that seemed predestined when it hit the scene. The Vaccines have toured … Read more
Warm Soda Symbolic Dream Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Symbolic Dream is a refreshing power pop gem! Album Review: I didn’t love Warm Soda’s last album, Young Reckless Hearts. I felt like it was a pretty big letdown from their wonderful debut album, Someone For You, which ended up being one of my … Read more
You can hear the fierceness of Negative Scanner on today’s fire track in their new single “Would You Rather.” Lead vocalist Rebecca Valeriano-Flores has a PJ Harvey meets Sleater-Kinney sound as her pulsing energy drives this song and makes you want to hear more. Negative Scanner’s punk is for real and “Would You Rather” showcases … Read more
Yes Progeny: Seven From Seventy-Two Atlantic Records [2015] Fire Note Says: 7 complete concerts from 1972 recently unearthed, cleaned up and presented warts and all. Yes! Album Review: 1972 was a very good year for Yes. They had just released Close To The Edge and it was hailed as their masterpiece. After more than forty … Read more
Brandon Flowers The Desired Effect Island Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Brandon Flowers’ second album is for the masses. Album Review: The voice of the commoner has been taken on by Brandon Flowers. This was hinted at in the The Killers’ (Flowers is the lead singer of the band) previous album, the coming-of-age Battle Born, … Read more