Hooded Fang Gravez Full Time Hobby Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Hooded Fang pack charm and quirk into blistering power pop. Album Review: I know it’s common to chide a band for their overuse of a trope or technique over an entire album. But I won’t do that here: Canada’s Polaris Prize-nominated Hooded Fang not … Read more
Kanye West Yeezus Def Jam Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: Kanye comes at you 90 mph with the impressive Yeezus. Album Review: Let me be the first to say that I am not a regular listener to Kanye West or rap music in general. You may stop reading now or you might just give this … Read more
Jason Isbell Southeastern Southeastern Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Southeastern shows that Isbell is poised and ready to step into the limelight with the finest record of his career. Album Review: When Jason Isbell left Drive-By Truckers, I expected huge things from him, and he delivered right out of the gate with his first solo … Read more
And So I Watch You From Afar All Hail Bright Futures Sargent House Records [2013] Fire Note Says: ASIWYFA create melodic, engaging, (mostly) instrumental rock tunes. Album Review: Instrumental music, especially instrumental rock music, often walks a thin line between being something worthy of your full attention and merely pleasant background music. Thankfully for ASIWYFA, … Read more
Jimmy Eat World Damage RCA Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Jimmy Eat World stay consistent on seventh album Damage. Album Review: Jimmy Eat World have had a good ride. The emo band has outlasted and outplayed many in the genre while maintaining a major label contract and carrying a solid fan base. This is even … Read more
Eisley Currents Equal Vision Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Eisley return with an album that accentuates their best qualities. Album Review: Eisley has been through a lot over the years, from the highs of opening for Coldplay and signing with Reprise Records, to the lows of being dropped from that label, touring issues, and personal … Read more
King Tuff Was Dead Burger Records [2013] Fire Note Says: King Tuff’s reissue Was Dead is a garage weirdo’s pride for the simple things. Album Review: Kyle Thomas (aka King Tuff) is a simple man enjoying the simple pleasures of Brattleboro, Vermont. Way back in 2006 when not drinking endless cups of black coffee, sketching … Read more
Lemuria The Distance Is So Big Bridge Nine Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Lemuria are back with another engaging high energy indie rock record! Album Review: After 5 years I have started to sound like a broken record when reviewing Buffalo, NY group Lemuria but I will tell you that once again, with album number … Read more
The Veils Time Stays, We Go Rough Trade Records [2013] Fire Note Says: After a 4 year absence, The Veils return with yet another batch of elegant rock. Album Review: The Veils specialize in moody, sweeping, cinematic rock, and Time Stays, We Go, shows the band still mining familiar territory and creating yet another record … Read more
Alessi’s Ark The Still Life Bella Union Records [2013] Fire Note Says: With her third full-length album, Alessi’s Ark provides another round of young, indie/folk music. Album Review: The third full-length album from Alessi’s Ark, The Still Life, gives listeners another blend of her folk, indie, and mello sounds. At only 22, Alessi Laurent-Marke’s music … Read more
Scout Niblett It’s Up To Emma Drag City Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Emma Louise Niblett’s decade-long run of excellence continues. Album Review: When most critics talk of Scout Niblett they inevitably bring up Cat Power and PJ Harvey. But it is her work with Bonnie “Prince” Billy and especially the late, great Jason Molina … Read more
Portugal. The Man Evil Friends Atlantic Records [2013] Fire Note Says: A more progressive Portugal goes for bombast on Evil Friends. Album Review: I hate to say it but I have been losing faith in Portugal. The Man. Seeing them live seemed to damage my progressive psyche. I was expecting progressive laden guitar explosions, a … Read more
Surfer Blood Pythons Warner Bros. Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Surfer Blood’s sophomore effort is cleaner but less charming than their debut. Album Review: Surfer Blood’s debut album Astro Coast was one of the best albums of 2010. The four-piece from Florida wowed with their guitar skills and lo-fi production, which combined to form a … Read more
These New Puritans Field Of Reeds Infectious Music [2013] Fire Note Says: Jack Barnett and company – for better or worse – leave Rock ‘N Roll in their rear view mirror. Album Review: This is a hard record for me to be completely objective about – for several reasons. To start with, These New Puritans’ … Read more
Black Sabbath 13 Universal Music Group [2013] Fire Note Says: Black Sabbath reclaim their rightful seat on the heavy metal throne! Album Review: The godfathers of heavy music are back! When it was announced that Black Sabbath was getting the original lineup back together for a new album and tour, the world was shocked and … Read more
Sonny & The Sunsets Antenna To The Afterworld Polyvinyl Records [2013] Fire Note Says: More psychedelic 60’s influenced pop weirdness from Sonny & The Sunsets! Album Review: Sonny & The Sunsets are back, and their latest effort, Antenna to the Afterworld, is their strongest effort to date. It is a record that deals with some … Read more
Filter The Sun Comes Out Tonight Wind-Up Records [2013] Fire Note Says: With feet firmly planted in the 1990s, Filter makes a fresh, nostalgic album. Album Review: It’s safe to say Filter commercially peaked on their first two albums, which produced the singles “Hey Man Nice Shot” and “Take a Picture.” I can still see … Read more
Kylesa Ultraviolet Season Of Mist Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Savannah stoner metal band continue refining their sound with very good results. Album Review: Like fellow Georgian genre-hoppers Baroness, Kylesa is a bit of a paradox. Their early material was heavy on swamp sludge but as each personal tragedy, band shake-up or label change occurred … Read more
R.E.M. Green (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) Warner Bros./Rhino Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Green is next in the R.E.M. reissue series that includes a great live second disc. Album Review: For me, Green started an entire new era for R.E.M. as their sixth full length was all about transition. It is interesting how this record … Read more
Foreign Talks Foreign Talks Expunged Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Foreign Talks shows loads of potential on their debut. Album Review: After generating significant online buzz, Portland-based Foreign Talks’s self-titled debut album has arrived, and while it will no doubt be enthusiastically accepted by those who are into the band’s musical aesthetic (more on that … Read more
Eleanor Friedberger Personal Record Merge Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Sophomore album Personal Record secures Eleanor Friedberger’s full time status as a solo act. Album Review: With The Fiery Furnaces on a hiatus it seems like the perfect time for Eleanor Friedberger to release her sophomore album Personal Record. The record once again highlights her … Read more
Woodsman Orphan My Name Is Ishmael Ali Obscure Me Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Charmingly sloppy backwoods psych-folk for the Elephant 6 crowd. Album Review: Anyone who pays attention to the music scene will have noticed the explosion of bearded folk rock acts that have gained notoriety in the last few years. Fleet Foxes, Band … Read more
City And Colour The Hurry And The Harm 10 Spot [2013] Fire Note Says: City and Colour’s fourth LP is vibrant and forthright. Album Review: City and Colour’s primary member is Dallas Green, former lead singer of the band Alexisonfire (and not the former baseball manager though that would be awesome). City and Colour used … Read more
The Dandy Warhols Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (13th Anniversary Edition) Capitol Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Dandy Warhols celebrate Thirteen Tales with an expanded anniversary edition. Album Review: 2013 marks the thirteenth anniversary of The Dandy Warhols Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia and that probably leaves you saying – so what? Well in … Read more
Rogue Wave Nightingale Floors Vagrant Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The new Rogue Wave serves as a kind of return to form – with mixed results. Album Review: Zach Schwartz (aka Zach Rogue) has had the kind of career most indie rock bands at the beginning of the 21st century could have only dreamed of … Read more