Hot on the heels of the release of Marnie Stern’s latest record, The Chronicles of Marnia, comes her video for “Immortals.” “Immortals” is a portrait of the duality of Marnie Stern; illustrating both her life as a homebody in her Upper East Side apartment as well as her rich inner fantasy world. The director, Allie … Read more
Twenty-thirteen marks the thirteenth anniversary of the Dandy’s Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia. To celebrate the occasion and in anticipation of the forthcoming special edition release of Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia; The Dandy Warhols have a few special things up their sleeves including a string of performances of Thirteen Tales LIVE in its perfect … Read more
Man Or Astro-man? Analog Series Vol. 2 Chunklet Industries [2012] Man or Astro-Man? return with their second installment of new material in their Analog Audio Series. Two of the three tracks here will appear on their upcoming full length due out this summer. The A-Side here gives you “Communication Breakdown Pt II” that starts things … Read more
Wavves Afraid Of Heights Mom + Pop Music [2013] Fire Note Says: Nathan Williams cleans it up and gives us a solid slab of SoCal stoner punk. Album Review: Given the straight-line creative arc within the Wavves discography, the high gloss production values of Afraid Of Heights should come as no surprise. Following two lo-fi … Read more
Rilo Kiley RKives Little Record Company [2013] Fire Note Says: Rilo Kiley return with a compilation of past goodies. Album Review: I have always thought that Rilo Kiley was a great band. The impeccable vocals of lead woman Jenny Lewis with the tight song structures and playing of the talented Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder … 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
Mikal Cronin will release MCII in May. Listen to the first track “Weight” below. Cronin’s self-titled debut from 2011 was all about endings: the end of college, the end of a serious relationship, and the end of his time in Los Angeles, where he grew up. So it’s no surprise that his sophomore release MCII … Read more
Akron/Family’s new album is now available for pre-order. When you pre-order the album from SC Distribution, you can immediately download Sub Verses in its entirety. SCD also has a deluxe bundle that features the album on limited edition white vinyl double LP and CD formats, a 10″ featuring two new songs: “Soul I Know” and … Read more
Formed in 2008, and after a couple of years lurking on the periphery of Stockholm’s music scene, Let’s Say We Did began to gain momentum with the release of a trilogy of EP’s. In November 2011 the band released their debut, self titled, album produced by Let’s Say We Did and Pelle Gunnerfeldt (The Hives, … Read more
The Milk Carton Kids The Ash & Clay ANTI- Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Milk Carton Kids return with a simple and elegant harmonizing sophomore record. Album Review: It is definitely getting crowded in the world of indie folk and the saturation will unfortunately detract listeners from the quality releases out there. Sometimes simple … Read more
Daughter If You Leave 4AD Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Daughter’s debut album is a quiet, damaged, three hankie affair. Album Review: Some music conjures up a strong sense of color or hue – the dark black of Swans, the Technicolor of Animal Collective, the sepia cast sounds of Beach House or the bright neons … Read more
The Vains Acoustic EP Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: The Vains release a record of acoustic gold. Album Review: The Vains are bound to take the music scene by storm. On their past releases, they presented a fast-paced, hard-hitting sound that reached beyond the typical indie punk style. With their Acoustic EP, featuring four acoustic … Read more
The Joy Formidable will take part in this year’s Record Store Day with a special 12” single release, “A Minute’s Silence.” The B-side of the single is an acoustic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s classic “Badlands” that was recorded live at the Sirius XM studios in NY. The band recorded “A Minute’s Silence” in 2012 during … Read more
North American Tour Dates Announcement & how to take part in the ‘Invitation Onsale’ Mumford & Sons will hit Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Telluride, and Osheaga Festivals this year. Also lined up for the summer are the now sold out Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers in August and September. Now the band has added more dates into … Read more
Thao & the Get Down Stay Down continues to celebrate the release of their critically acclaimed new record We The Common (Fire Note Review) by premiering the fourth episode of Shorts, a short quasi-biopic about the making of We The Common. Titled “Peddling My Wares” and directed by Lauren Tabak, the video can be viewed/shared … Read more
Saturday Looks Good To Me New’s albums in the early 2000s (All Your Summer Songs, Every Night) predicted the reverb-saturated production and girl-group revisitations that indie rock would embrace several years down the road. One Kiss Ends It All expands on those early lo-fi marvels, drawing on the reference points of 60’s pop and early … Read more
The Strokes Comedown Machine RCA Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Strokes continue to evolve on the highly enjoyable Comedown Machine. Album Review: The Strokes are carrying a lot of baggage around these days, the kind of excess baggage that makes it tough to keep putting out records. For starters, they most likely aren’t ever … Read more
Harper Simon Division Street Play It Again Sam Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Harper Simon plugs in on his sophomore effort Division Street. Album Review: I can’t imagine how hard it is to be the son of legend Paul Simon. If I were Harper it probably would have been easy to create a metal or … Read more
Detroit Rebellion Fork In The Road EP Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Detroit Rebellion creates murky garage blues that has potential. Album Review: First things first, Detroit Rebellion isn’t from the motor city. This might come as a shock to you but the duo hails for Providence, Rhode Island. That does not mean that they … Read more
Wolf People have shared the video for their current single “All Returns.” Shot in their rehearsal space in Caledonian Road in London, the video is Wolf People in performance mode; Says director Phil Poole: “Our main objective for the video was to display the band in its purest form, capturing abstract pieces of performance played … Read more
The Virginmarys King Of Conflict Wind-Up Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Virginmarys birth some immaculate rock n roll! Album Review: When a new band of British blokes hit’s the scene, they seem to garner a lot of attention and hype. Whether or not that’s warranted or not The Virginmarys show us that the proof … Read more
Devendra Banhart Mala Nonesuch Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Devendra Banhart’s debut on Nonesuch Mala is muy buena. Album Review: Devendra Banhart’s Mala is his latest release, his first since 2009’s What Will We Be. I came to this album with a recognition of Banhart’s name but not much previous exposure to his actual music. … Read more
The Grenadines The Grenadines Communicating Vessels [2013] Fire Note Says: The Grenadines debut album is a diverse and uneven ride. Album Review: Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, The Grenadines make zero effort to conceal their Southern roots. Fronted by husband/wife team of Michael and Lauren Shackelford, they make a noise approximating a Dixie Yo La Tengo … Read more
With Record Store Day just around the corner, Best Coast announced it will partake in the activities. With the backing of Clarks Originals, Best Coast will release a brand new 7″ “Fear Of My Identity,” available exclusively through participating indie stores. Record Store Day is April 20, 2013.
Trouble Will Find Me, The National’s new album will be released on 4AD on May 20th & 21st. This is the sixth studio album for the Brooklyn band, and follows 2010’s critical and commercial success High Violet. In an interview with UK’s UNCUT Magazine, front man Matt Berninger described the songs as more “immediate and … Read more