Dr. Dog B-Room ANTI- Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Dr. Dog provides a nostalgic trip with their latest album B-Room. Album Review: Dr. Dog’s seventh LP, B-Room, is an exercise in rock history. The Pennsylvania band, consisting currently of Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Toby Leaman (bass), Zach Miller (keyboard), Eric Slick (drums), Frank McElroy (backing … Read more
Elvis Costello and The Roots Wise Up Ghost and Other Songs Blue Note Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Teaming up with The Roots is an obvious next step on Costello’s life-long creative quest! Album Review: Over the decades, the one time punk rocker Elvis Costello has proved surprisingly versatile in a variety of musically diverse … Read more
Raccoon Fighter ZIL Papercup Music [2013] Fire Note Says: Raccoon Fighter keeps the T-Rex flame burning bright on debut album. Album Review: Brooklyn has been home base for so many bands and so many different genres that it is a little surprising that gritty, hipster blues-rock hasn’t really been heard emanating from the Borough of … Read more
The Darcys Warring Arts & Crafts Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Warring is an impressive sounding record, though falls just a bit short of their grandiose goal. Album Review: Toronto art rockers, The Darcys are back with their biggest sounding record yet, Warring, out now on Arts & Crafts. Warring is the bands attempt at … Read more
Kings Of Leon Mechanical Bull RCA Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Kings of Leon surprise with a rock album brimming with passion. Album Review: Me, one minute before starting Mechanical Bull for the first time: “Ho hum, another Kings of Leon album. These guys are from Tennessee. I’m from Tennessee. I used to like them … Read more
Golden Suits Golden Suits Yep Roc Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Take a nice psych/folk pop trip with Fred Nicolaus and his new project Golden Suits. Album Review: There is a lot to like about Fred Nicolaus and his new project Golden Suits. For those who don’t know, Nicolaus is half of the driving force … Read more
The Civil Wars The Civil Wars Sensibility/Columbia Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Civil Wars build on their debut and point toward a viable musical future, should they decide to accept it. Album Review: While we’ve gotten used to the kind of sensational personal drama that makes careers at the expense of the actual music, … Read more
The Dirtbombs Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey! In The Red Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Next stop for The Dirtbombs – Bubblegum rock. Album Review: If you have been following The Dirtbombs since their excellent grooving 2001 soul album, Ultraglide In Black, then you know the band has never been content just staying in one genre … Read more
Obits Bed & Bugs Sub Pop Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Bed & Bugs is the sound of Rock and Roll lifers kicking out garage rock jams. Album Review: It’s hard to talk about the new Obits album, Bed & Bugs, without first mentioning that Rick Froberg (vocs/gtr) was a member of two all-time great … Read more
The Weeknd Kiss Land Universal Republic [2013] Fire Note Says: The Weeknd’s major label debut continues the emo trend in hip hop with mixed results. Album Review: The Weeknd is Canadian Abel Tesfaye. He of the three mixtapes, condensed last year and released as Trilogy, is making his true major label debut with Kiss Land. … Read more
Bill Callahan Dream River Drag City Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Bill Callahan slows life down on the entrancing Dream River. Album Review: Bill Callahan is still best known from his work with Smog but since his first solo record, Woke on a Whaleheart, was released under his own name back in 2007, he has … Read more
MGMT MGMT Columbia Records [2013] Fire Note Says: MGMT fails to electrify with their self-titled third album. Album Review: MGMT has released their third album, which is quite simply titled MGMT. The band’s debut had such singles as “Electric Feel,” “Kids,” and “Time to Pretend.” It is safe to say that there is no such … Read more
The Rides Can’t Get Enough 429 Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Stills, Shepherd and Goldberg debut their blues. Album Review: If you’ve ever found yourself thinking that the world already has too many blues and boogie bands, then The Rides – the collaboration of Steven Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg – is not … Read more
Crystal Stilts Nature Noir Sacred Bones Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Crystal Stilts show off some new sounds to go along with their own signature psychedelic haze. Album Review: Do you guys remember when eMusic used to rule? I sure do, I discovered a ton of great music there from 2004-2010. Sometime in 2007, they … Read more
The Big Sweet Bicycle Nights Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: The Big Sweet grow up on their engaging third record Bicycle Nights. Album Review: I encourage any young lads out there thinking of starting a band to check out the third LP, Bicycle Nights, from The Big Sweet. The Northeast Ohio band’s members are the … Read more
Leeroy Stagger Truth Be Sold Gold Lake Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Leeroy Stagger’s Truth Be Sold is one of the better Americana records you will hear this year! Album Review: I think everyone who listens to a vast amount of music always has one or two artists in their back pocket that are relatively … Read more
Jews And Catholics Civilized Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: If you’re looking for something new, Jews and Catholics can catch you by surprise with Civilized. Album Review: I find it fitting here to start this review off with a religious analogy. Jews and Catholics have their many differences as well as certain similarities. The same … Read more
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Fly By Wire Polyvinyl Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Fly By Wire takes listeners on a tour of Cold War rock and pop. Album Review: Although Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY from here on out) are named after Russia’s president of the 1990s, their music is rooted … Read more
Jesse Woods Get Your Burdens Lifted Guns In The Sun Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Jesse Woods’s latest release is a rare combination of indie, folk, rock, country, and island. Album Review: Jesse Woods’s sophomore album, Get Your Burdens Lifted, is a rare combination of indie, folk, rock, country, and island music. Some songs are … Read more
Felsen I Don’t Know How To Talk Anymore Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Felsen will keep you hooked on their DIY fourth record. Album Review: When Oakland’s Felsen declare that rock and roll is not dead on the opening track of their fourth album, I Don’t Know How To Talk Anymore, you take notice because … Read more
The Vaccines Melody Calling EP Columbia Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Vaccines contine to evolve. Album Review: London’s Vaccines have had their ups and downs with critics since their 2011 debut What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?. I really liked that record but thought their sophomore outing Come Of Age (2012) was not … Read more
MiniBoone MiniBoone Ernest Jenning Record Co. [2013] Fire Note Says: MiniBoone splashes onto the scene with a strong eponymous debut. Album Review: MiniBoone is a five-piece band from New York that has been kicking around since 2008. They have just released their first full-length album but have two EP’s and a 7-inch to their name … Read more
Sara Jackson-Holman Cardiology Expunged Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Fans of quirky, soulful female artists will love Sara Jackson-Holman’s Cardiology. Album Review: With similar fun, quirky, and soulful tracks like that of Ingrid Michaelson, Feist, and Fiona Apple, Sara Jackson-Holman’s sophomore album, Cardiology, provides a variety of beats and sounds. Each track has a different … Read more
Sebadoh Defend Yourself Joyful Noise Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: Lo-fi pioneers Sebadoh return with a brutish and unpolished gem. Album Review: With all the nineties acts resurfacing to reclaim past glories, it’s hard to separate the new Sebadoh album from say, Dinosaur Jr. and Guided By Voices’ recent releases. Comparisons are inevitable and, as … Read more
Laura Veirs Warp And Weft Raven Marching Band Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Veirs offers up a more lushly-produced follow up to July Flame. Album Review: Portland-based Laura Veirs’ ninth album Warp And Weft feels like a natural extension of her excellent 2010 effort July Flame. But where that album felt as organic and natural … Read more