Come 11:11 Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition Matador Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Excellent reissue of the long out print debut album from influential noise rockers, Come! Album Review: Come came roaring out of Boston in the early nineties sounding like an unholy alliance between The Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, and Sonic Youth. Lead vocalist Thalia Zedek, … Read more
Daft Punk Random Access Memories Columbia Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Daft Punk take one giant artistic leap for mankind on Random Access Memories. Album Review: I find it interesting that the first track on the new Daft Punk album is called “Give Life Back to Music” particularly since their last album was the coolly … Read more
Over The Ocean Be Given To The Soil Spartan Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Virginia post-rock band wears their dark heart on their sleeve on sophomore album. Album Review: “I have seen the sky turn black/And a storm is coming.” Those lines from the first song on Virginia Beach post-rock band Over The Ocean’s second … Read more
Christopher Paul Stelling False Cities Mecca Lecca Recording Co. [2013] Fire Note Says: False Cities takes listeners back to that old time religion! Album Review: “Christian” music, deservedly or not, often gets a bad rap. The CCM establishment has given the genre(s) the reputation of being an awful imitation of what was popular a decade … Read more
Man Or Astro-Man? Defcon 5…4…3…2…1 Communicating Vessels / Chunklet Ind. [2013] Fire Note Says: Beam me up! Man Or Astro-Man? are back with another intergalactic screamer! Album Review: It has been nearly 12 years since Man Or Astro-Man? visited earth with a batch of indie surf rock, so the landing of their new long player … Read more
Kingsley Flood Battles Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: With excellent writing, and a mix of indie, folk, and rock sounds, Kingsley Flood’s new album is never boring. Album Review: Although the band is from the states, and plays mostly to the genre of indie folk, Kingsley Flood’s new album, Battles, is at times reminiscent of … Read more
Jimi Hendrix People, Hell And Angels Legacy Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: People, Hell and Angels is another reminder of how close one man and his guitar could be. Album Review: Jimi Hendrix was, has, and always will be an icon. So, the fact that we have the trove of recordings from what could be … Read more
Helldorado Bones In The Closet CCAP Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Grab a whiskey, hat and cigar for Helldorado’s journey to the border on their entertaining new record Bones In The Closet. Album Review: Here is an interesting release from Norway’s Helldorado. The band has been in existence since 2001 and Bones In The Closet … Read more
Beaches She Beats Chapter Music [2013] Fire Note Says: She Beats is an intoxicating blend of shoegaze, psychedelia, and krautrock! Album Review: Beaches is five piece band from Australia, who happen to be the finest purveyors of a style of music that mixes shoegaze, psychedelic music and krautrock and come up with a unique sound … Read more
Denison Witmer Denison Witmer Asthmatic Kitty Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Denison Witmer blends past and present on his ninth LP. Album Review: Coming close on the heels of his last album, 2012’s stellar The Ones Who Wait, Denison Witmer’s new self-titled album feels like both a natural follow up and a conscious return to … Read more
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Howl Bloodshot Records [2013] Fire Note Says: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound craft funk and soul that appeals to the masses. Album Review: Let’s first get one thing straight, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound on Bloodshot Records is an interesting pairing. Normally representing names like Neko Case, … Read more
Shannon And The Clams Dreams In The Rat House Hardly Art Records [2013] Fire Note Says: 50’s rock ’n’ roll meets 60’s garage on this chaotic collection. Album Review: There are lots of “retro-rock” or “neo-garage” bands out there these days who play gritty, 60s-inspired tunes. Shannon and the Clams differentiate themselves from all those … Read more
She & Him Volume 3 Merge Records [2013] Fire Note Says: She & Him embrace a higher profile as Volume 3 maintains their retro swagger. Album Review: It is really crazy how many things have happened to Zooey Deschanel since She & Him’s sophomore record was released back in 2010. She now has the Fox … Read more
The Airborne Toxic Event Such Hot Blood Island Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Airborne Toxic Event swings for the fences with their third LP. Album Review: The Airborne Toxic Event is a frustrating band. It’s difficult for me to reconcile the different directions in which they pull me. At times their songs soar and … Read more
Dead Confederate In The Marrow Spiderbomb Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Dead Confederate makes no attempt to expand boundaries, but still keep everything solid. Album Review: Augusta, Georgia’s Dead Confederate never set out to become the greatest band in the land. Consider that a good thing because if they really were trying then Hardy Morris’ … Read more
The National Trouble Will Find Me 4AD Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The National are a band at the top of their craft doing what they do best! Album Review: I feel there is a prerequisite for starting this review: a glass of red wine-if a red is not your thing then I’m sure a … Read more
The Orange Peels Sun Moon Minty Fresh Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Sun Moon will sneak up on you and set its hooks deep in you brain. Album Review: The Orange Peels are back with their 5th album, and no surprise, it is chock full of indie power pop goodness that is going to put … Read more
The Features The Features Serpents And Snakes / BMG [2013] Fire Note Says: The Features introduce a bit more electro into their rock n roll lifestyle. Album Review: Nashville based The Features have been perfecting their sound over the years and on record number four the group sounds as comfortable as ever as they tweak … Read more
Wild Nothing Empty Estate EP Captured Tracks Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Wild Nothing increase the synths on the Empty Estate EP. Album Review: The best thing about an EP is that you can pretty much do anything you want and get away with it. Jack Tatum’s Wild Nothing has already had two gleaming hailed … Read more
Deep Purple Now What?! Eagle Rock Entertainment [2013] Fire Note Says: Now What?! is an album that sounds every bit as classic as the band who recorded it. Album Review: One of the original titans of British Hard Rock from the 70s, Deep Purple, is back with a new album, and it is well worth … Read more
The Wednesday Club Passing Strange Cath ‘N Dad Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Brainiac Leeds troupe continue work on their Doctorate in learned indie weirdness. Album Review: If you haven’t been familiarized with The Wednesday Club yet and what it is they stand for, they pronounce it clearly for you on the very first song … Read more
The Fire Note receives hundreds of album submissions through the door each year so it is a wonder that we don’t miss more releases that we feel deserve coverage. The reality is that even though we listen to everything we clearly don’t have the time or capacity to write about every single one of them … Read more
Todd Rundgren State Esoteric Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: The State of Todd Rundgren’s Union of Pop and Art. Album Review: Although Todd Rundgren stepped away from his band Nazz to begin his eventually successful solo career in 1970, in the 43 intervening years that lead up to this 23rd solo release, State, Rundgren has … Read more
On The Water False Starts Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: False Starts shows promise, but its title is a little close for comfort. Album Review: There’s plenty to be said for bands who just like to have a good time. Whether it’s weekend guitar heroes playing in a seedy bar or a group of friends … Read more
Huey Lewis & The News Sports (30th Anniversary Edition) Universal Music Group [2013] Fire Note Says: A guilty pop-rock pleasure that is now 30 years old! Album Review: A lot can be said about 80’s music and most of the time it is negative. When I think eighties, my mind always strays to Echo & … Read more