White Fence Live In San Francisco Castle Face Records [2013] Fire Note Says: White Fence delivers a red hot live set on Live in San Francisco! Album Review: White Fence has had an incredible two year run. Last year saw the release of both volumes of the Family Perfume album, as well as an excellent … Read more
Los Campesinos! No Blues Wichita / Turnstile Music [2013] Fire Note Says: Los Campesinos! find the right balance between youthful energy and aging wisdom. Album Review: Sometimes familiarity in music is a good thing. Sure I always like to see progression in artists over multiple albums and years but sometimes changing the formula can also … Read more
The new Gap Dream is now up for PRE-ORDER at Burger Records HERE. The glow-in-the-dark vinyl is limited to 500 copies.
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings are set to return to the road for a full North American tour this Spring. This is the band’s first full US tour in over two years. The tour kicks off with a hometown show at New York’s Beacon Theatre on February 6. Special fan pre-sale begins November 12th … Read more
You can now watch a new video for Shearwater’s “I Luv The Valley OH!,” the leadoff track from Fellow Travelers. The clip, directed by Branan Edgens and designed by Kahn & Selesnick, stars band leader Jonathan Meiburg as one of two astronauts stranded after a crash landing in an unfamiliar world. Fellow Travelers, Shearwater’s new … Read more
Jus Post Bellum Oh July Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Jus Post Bellum tell a historical story of war that is hard to turn away from! Album Review: I know that the indie neo-folk sound has been in the spotlight this past year with bands like The Lumineers, The Civil Wars, the Avetts and those … Read more
Death Cab For Cutie Transatlanticism (10th Anniversary Edition) Barsuk [2013] Fire Note Says: Ben Gibbard’s Transatlanticism demos are a great addition to the original. Album Review: Transatlanticism has always been my favorite Death Cab album. Their earlier albums had some great songs, but not all of them were great, and most were either limited by … Read more
Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine TVT Records Released: October 20, 1989 Producer: Trent Reznor, Flood, Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc, John Fryer Length: 48:42 Trent Reznor did not invent industrial music. But with his 1989 debut as Nine Inch Nails he might as well have. When I first heard Pretty Hate Machine I was floored. … Read more
La Luz It’s Alive Hardly Art Records [2013] Fire Note Says: La Luz’s debut is full of surf rock surprises. Album Review: Surfy rock from the Pacific Northwest? Sign me up! The all-female Seattle four piece, La Luz have just released their debut, It’s Alive, and it is a very modernized surf record by heart … Read more
Cage The Elephant Melophobia RCA Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Cage The Elephant’s uneven third LP Melophobia has some great moments. Album Review: Bowling Green’s (KY) Cage The Elephant has returned with their third LP, Melophobia. Cage The Elephant has been a popular band in their first two outings and their sound remains true in … Read more
Midlake Antiphon ATO Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Midlake reboot reasserts their claim to being the best ever soft rock band out of Denton. Album Review: A band in crisis sometimes finds its way and survives. Sometimes even excel. Midlake found themselves without the services of lead singer and songwriter Tim Smith halfway through … Read more
Elephant 6 collective mainstays Elf Power have a new video for their somber psych-folk tune “Darkest Wave.” The visuals are a little on the psychedelic side as bandmembers’ faces overlap and blur in and out of focus. Good indie stuff!
Into It. Over It., the solo endeavor of Chicago songwriter Evan Weiss, has announced a 2014 headline tour with a full band in support of the recently released album Intersections, out now on Triple Crown Records. Upcoming tour dates below. JANUARY 23 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry 24 – Lawrence, KS – Jackpot … Read more
Captured Tracks will be reissuing the first three full lengths from seminal Lincoln, Nebraska post-punk trio, For Against. Originally released by Independent Project between 1984-1990, these releases will see their first vinyl appearance in over 20 years in a deluxe edition limited boxed set. Remastered by Words on Music (by Marc Ostermeier of Should), the … Read more
The featured track today is from Dayton, Ohio’s Smug Brothers. The group has a new EP coming out next month titled Strictly Triggers on Gas Daddy Go! Records. You can now hear the first track, “They Are Fluid,” below from that release. The Smug Brothers are veterans of the Dayton scene and once again feature … Read more
Widowspeak The Swamps EP Captured Tracks [2013] Fire Note Says: The Swamps EP from Widowspeak primes you for their next LP. Album Review: We heard from Widowspeak back in January this year with the group’s sophomore record Almanac (TFN Review). That album saw the group pair down to a duo and for me, although minimal, … Read more
Bottomless Pit Shade Perennial Comedy Minus One [2013] Fire Note Says: Bottomless Pit soldiers on with third slow-burn Shade Perennial. Album Review: When I read the phrase emotional, transcendent post-punk, I immediately become excited. Let’s say it’s an excitement that could only be described as a 12-year wait for the next Dismemberment Plan album—and sadly … Read more
Kodaline In A Perfect World RCA Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Kodaline’s In A Perfect World is a likeable, if familiar, debut. Album Review: Do you know someone who likes Coldplay? How about Mumford & Sons? May I suggest a stocking stuffer for that person? Kodaline’s In A Perfect World is a nice blend between … Read more
Joyful Noise Recordings have the new limited edition album from Jorma Whittaker available for pre-order! Jorma will be his first solo-release since his 2001 debut on Secretly Canadian. The album is only released on vinyl, with 500 hand-numbered copies on “yellow halo” vinyl (aka yellow / black color in color), and all purchases include an … Read more
So I couldn’t get all of my thoughts together on the passing of music pioneer Lou Reed last week so I thought it best to remember and capture his spirit by re-shaping The Fire Note Weekly Top 10. As always we try to steer new and old fans of music towards things we like and … Read more
Arliss Nancy Wild American Runners Black Numbers Music [2013] Fire Note Says: Wild American Runners is booze soaked rock album with a heart of gold. Album Review: Arliss Nancy is the name of a Colorado quintet that just might be the best band of its kind going right now. These guys have picked up the … Read more
Cults Static Columbia Records [2013] Fire Note Says: With their sophomore album, Cults put a pop/rock spin on their west-coast sound. Album Review: With their sophomore album, Cults put a pop/rock, electronic spin on their west coast sound. Most of the songs feature female vocalist Madeline Follin, while other tracks are accompanied by Brian Oblivion, … Read more
Pre-order the upcoming double LP reissue of Sufjan Stevens’ album Illinois on Red & Green Vinyl with a digital download included. This exclusive pressing from Newbury Comics and Asthmatic Kitty Records is limited to only 1000 pieces and will be released on December 10. You can pick up a copy HERE.
Last night on their way back to their native Seattle from a show at Boise’s Korah Shrine, rising surf band La Luz were in a severe accident that totaled their van, destroyed their gear, and incurred injuries to the band members. As a result, they’ve been forced to bow out of their remaining tour dates … Read more
Here is the new Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s video for “The Feeling Kind”. Directed by Morgan Wise, the video features Thao and some friends on the new span of the Bay Bridge in Thao’s home city of San Francisco. The video is also the first film production ever allowed to shoot on … Read more