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
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
The Sonics This Is The Sonics Revox Records [2015] Fire Note Says: The Sonics return after more than forty years to show modern garage rockers how it’s done. Album Review: When it comes to garage rock bands, you’d be hard-pressed to find a group more legendary than Tacoma, WA’s The Sonics. Formed in 1960, the … Read more
Mikal Cronin MCIII Merge Records [2015] Fire Note Says: How do you follow-up an album of the year? Easy, record another potential album of the year! Album Review: To say that expectations are high for the new Mikal Cronin lp at Fire Note Headquarters is a massive understatement. Cronin’s last album, MCII, came in at … Read more
The Tallest Man On Earth Dark Bird Is Home Dead Oceans [2015] Fire Note Says: The Tallest Man on Earth manages to grow up even more. Album Review: With a name like The Tallest Man on Earth, you’d think that there wouldn’t be room for an artist to grow. Sweden’s Kristian Matsson has managed to … Read more
Robert Pollard Faulty Superheroes Guided By Voices Inc. [2015] Fire Note Says: Uncle Bob’s first solo LP since disbanding GbV (again) is also one of his best. Album Review: Hmmm… Let’s see: last time Robert Pollard pulled the plug on Guided By Voices he seemed intent on focusing all his considerable energies into creating as … Read more
The Tangent A Spark In The Aether Inside Out Music [2015] Fire Note Says: Andy Tillison’s love letter to progressive rock hits all the right notes. Album Review: The Tangent is a strange beast of a band. If Yes were part of the Canterbury Scene of English bands back in the seventies (a clutch of … Read more
Ex-Cult Cigarette Machine EP Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Ex-Cult delivers an excellent, adrenaline-filled punk rock EP. Album Review: I have to say I am quite impressed with Memphis-based punk band, Ex-Cult. Cigarette Machine is a lean and mean EP filled with punk rock rage reminiscent of 80’s hardcore. They have a solid … Read more
Passenger Peru Light Places Fleeting Youth Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Brooklyn duo expands upon their excellent debut with an even better sophomore album! Album Review: I have been sitting on this review for a few weeks, trying to figure out some hook to tie this whole thing together and then I had an epiphany. … Read more
Waxahatchee Ivy Tripp Merge Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Indie stardom hasn’t diminished Katie Crutchfield’s songwriting flame. Album Review: It’s a tricky thing – working on the follow-up to your breakout LP. Many musicians have wilted under the pressure of increased critical scrutiny and fan expectations. Do you return with more of the same or … Read more
Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit Mom + Pop / Milk! Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Barnett is not afraid to say what you think. Album Review: Imagine if someone taped your daily inner thoughts and then put them on a record. Hmm – what kind of crazy would … Read more
Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell Asthmatic Kitty Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Sufjan not only creates his most personal record to date but also one of his best. Album Review: How many times do you really hear an artist return to a past sound? I would say not that many. So many times in reviews … Read more
Evans The Death Expect Delays Slumberland Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Evans the Death enthralls with Expect Delays. Album Review: London’s Evans The Death has returned with their second album, Expect Delays, following up their 2012 eponymous debut. Band members include Katherine Whitaker (vocals and keys), Dan Moss (guitar), Olly Moss (bass), and James Burkitt … Read more
Pile You’re Better Than This Exploding In Sound Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Pile’s third LP continues their trend of incredible releases, and this time they have out done themselves. This is album of the year material. Album Review: Once upon a time, I heard a disjointed, but oddly intriguing LP, Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted. … Read more
Wand Golem In The Red Records [2015] Fire Note Says: The title says it all; Wand’s Golem is a fantastical, heavy monster. Album Review: Please do yourself a favor and shout it from the mountain tops, “WAND IS BACK!” Coming out of nowhere with their debut Ganglion Reef—my number six top album for 2014—Wand devised … Read more
Tobias Jesso Jr. Goon True Panther Sounds [2015] Fire Note Says: The performing singer/songwriter is alive and well on Goon. Album Review: I don’t know exactly how many times I have said it around here but music always is circular. A style that was dominate in the past and then fades away, always seems to … Read more
The Church Further / Deeper Unorthodox Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Further/Deeper finds The Church doing what they do best! Album Review: In the 35 years since Aussie band The Church formed in 1980, they’ve largely been the collaborative effort of Steve Kilbey on lead vocals, bass and guitars, Marty Wilson-Piper on guitars and bgv’s, … Read more
Big Dick Disappointment Dirt Cult Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Their debut album was great…this is GREATER! Album Review: It’s no secret that Big Dick’s debut album was one of The Fire Note’s favorite albums of 2013, in fact, internally we have often dreamed that the Canadian duo would headline a mythical Fire Note Fest, … Read more
Steven Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase. Kscope Music [2015] Fire Note Says: Porcupine Tree frontman offers an inspired and introspective solo effort. Album Review: Steven Wilson is a busy guy. Besides working on his own music he has been on a crusade to remix some of the best-known and most beloved records from the classic era … Read more
Smug Brothers Woodpecker Paradise Gas Daddy Go! Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Smug Brothers newest album is one of their strongest efforts to date. A tight, urgent, and catchy blend of indie rock from rock Mecca Dayton, Ohio. Album Review: Around this time last year, I was reviewing the Smug Brothers’ LP On the Way … Read more
The Neal Morse Band The Grand Experiment Radiant Records[2015] Fire Note Says: Ex-Spock’s Beard frontman puts the Christian themes on the back-burner to create a near masterpiece. Album Review: After six albums with the LA-based retro-prog stalwarts Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse underwent a conversion to Christianity and quit not only that band but supergroup Transatlantic … Read more
Rhiannon Giddens Tomorrow Is My Turn Nonesuch Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Carolina Chocolate Drop Giddens spreads her wings on new solo record. Album Review: Rhiannon Giddens is not a name new to us, she was part of the critically lauded roots/string & jug band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and then signed on as part … Read more
Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear Sub Pop Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Father John Misty takes you on a walk in his shoes. Album Review: In the music business, it is extremely difficult for any artist to stay fresh, relevant or even interesting. When you do find that “creative entity” you should grab … Read more
The Dodos Individ Polyvinyl Records [2015] Fire Note Says: The Dodos play to their strengths on Individ. Album Review: The Dodos are the California-based duo consisting of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber. Their music has been defined through their now six albums as songs full of intricate guitar-playing and drumming. Long and Kroeber seemed to … Read more
Sleater-Kinney No Cities To Love Sub Pop Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Sleater-Kinney have just set the 2015 bar very high! Album Review: These days, it is almost expected that at some point all previous broke up, hiatus and missing bands will all of a sudden announce that they are back. Recently, the reaction to … Read more