Ghost Funk OrchestraNight Walker/Death WaltzColemine/Karma Chief Records [2022] Before they became firm Fire Note favorites with their first two full-length albums (2019’s Song For Paul and 2020’s Ode to Escapism), and before they became a real-life 10-piece outfit blowing audiences out of the water with their live performances, Ghost Funk Orchestra wasn’t really a band. … Read more
CLAMMCareChapter Music [2022] Melbourne punk power trio CLAMM have returned with a sophomore release in Care that is their most fierce and confident effort to date. Their songs rail against systematic power while funneling all that visceral raw emotion into a positive perspective. Basically, CLAMM keep their shit together and nail everything to the wall … Read more
DawesMisadventures Of DoomscrollerRounder Records [2022] It’s very likely that even if you think you’re unfamiliar with LA band Dawes, you’ve probably heard the band’s omnipresent 2015 single “All Your Favorite Bands,” and probably sung along with its nostalgic chorus that hopes “your brother’s El Camino runs forever/I hope your worlds sees the same person you’ve … Read more
The SadiesColder StreamsYep Roc Records [2022] Toronto band, The Sadies are practically a Canadian indie-rock institution. Playing a mix of rock, country, psychedelia and punk – often in the same song – the quartet has recorded and toured with the likes of Garth Hudson of The Band, Neil Young, Neko Case, John Doe of the … Read more
The Mountain GoatsBleed OutMerge Records [2022] Singer/songwriter John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats have been on a solid run for a while now, and here on their 21st studio outing they’re out for revenge. Well, to be more accurate, just as the band has released concept albums focused around themes like professional wrestling (Beat the … Read more
The ChatsGet FuckedBargin Bin Records [2022] Anyone that follows indie music knows that Australia has been a growing hotbed for all genres of rock and punk for the last six years. While other continents have had an infatuation with pop stars and dance one hit wonders, the Aussies have been keeping it real and have … Read more
Kiwi Jr.ChopperSub Pop Records [2022] With Chopper, Canada’s Kiwi Jr. have now released three consistent indie rock albums over the last four years. This record feels bigger compared to previous efforts even though its ten tracks still deliver a similar catchy jangly rock experience but now the band has expanded into adding synths to the … Read more
Ryan AdamsFMPAX-AM [2022] All art is created within a larger social/cultural/political context, and when an artist makes a personal statement with their art or music, it will also to one degree or another say something about that person’s inner life, thoughts, and may reflect on their relationships, their experience in relation to the larger context. … Read more
of MontrealFreewave Lucifer f<ck f^ck f>ckPolyvinyl Records [2022] If the Polyvinyl bio is to be trusted, Kevin Barnes shaped of Montreal’s January 2020 release UR FUN with the concert stage and live performance in mind. We all know how that went, 2020 the year of the pandemic shutdown, isolation, and closures. When the going gets … Read more
Tony MolinaIn The FadeSummer Shade/Run For Cover Records [2022] Hands down, veteran Bay Area talent Tony Molina writes some of the best under two-minute song bursts you will hear on the indie scene. His solo work released under his own name, since his pinnacle release Dissed And Dismissed (2013), has always been top notch and … Read more
OseesA Foul FormCastle Face Records [2022] John Dwyer has never been one to take something lying down. Just in case you needed a reminder, their latest album A Foul Form should be all the reminder you need. This self-described brain cracker not only decimates the stem, but rips through the listener’s entire senses. This rudimentary … Read more
Elvis Costello & The Imposters w/ Nicole Atkins; The Boy Named If & Other Favorites Tour: Rose Music Center; Dayton, OH; Saturday, August 6, 2022 Elvis Costello has been a singer and songwriter of note for going on 45 years, but as we were reminded at his concert on Saturday night at the Rose Music Center, … Read more
She & HimMelt Away: A Tribute To Brian WilsonFantasy / Concord Music [2022] She & Him is the occasional musical duo that consists of actress and singer Zooey Deschanel, from the TV sitcom “New Girl” and films like “500 Days of Summer” and “Elf,” and M. Ward, who besides making about a dozen solo albums … Read more
WomboFairy RustFire Talk Records [2022] Fairy Rust is the new album from Louisville Kentucky based trio, Wombo. The arty post punk from the band is quick at times but overall styled with letting songs develop at a slower pace. The band excels at not taking any music to an extreme distorted level but let’s each … Read more
The Gabbard BrothersThe Gabbard BrothersColemine/Karma Chief Records [2022] If you have been around The Fire Note for any type of time, you are probably familiar with brothers Zachary and Andrew Gabbard. Not only did Andrew release an excellent solo record at the end of last year but the duo made up two thirds of the … Read more
Andrew Bird / Iron & Wine Outside Problems Tour w/ Meshell Ndegeocello: PNC Pavilion; Cincinnati, OH; Thursday, August 4, 2022 The sky was dark with storm clouds on Thursday evening as fans began to gather in the PNC Pavilion, the smaller venue at the Riverbend/Coney Island park, and while there was a loud crack of thunder … Read more
Amanda ShiresTake It Like A ManATO Records [2022] On 2018’s To The Sunset, singer/songwriter and self-described fiddle player Amanda Shires made it clear that she wasn’t interested in limiting her musical expressions to country music alone. Beyond playing a supportive role in her husband Jason Isbell’s band, The 400 Unit, Shires brought together The Highwomen … Read more
WireNot About To DiePinkflag [2022] When an unofficial bootleg of this collection of band demos and sonic experiments first surfaced in the early 80’s, we’re told that the members of UK post-punk band Wire were none too pleased. But here, four decades later, with the band – three of the original members still intact – … Read more
FloristFloristDouble Double Whammy [2022] Sometimes you put on a record that you just know is going to be fantastic. That was the immediate vibe I had with Florist’s fourth LP as the instrumental track “June 9th Nighttime” opens the album. The track instantly builds a landscape of inclusion that wraps you in its intricacies and … Read more
Steve Earle & The DukesJerry JeffNew West Records [2022] Steve Earle remembers playing the Sand Mountain Coffee House in Houston, TX, when just starting out. He says there was a mural on the club’s back wall with the painted faces of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker; he could see the mural … Read more
Tedeschi Trucks BandI Am The Moon: III. The FallFantasy / Concord Music [2022] The amazing enterprise that the Tedeschi Trucks Band undertook by dropping an EP of material from their massive master-work, I Am The Moon, for four straight months, continues with the 6-song collection, III. The Fall which builds on the musical breadth and … Read more
HooveriiiA Round Of ApplauseThe Reverberation Appreciation Society [2022] Los Angeles psych-rock band Hooveriii (pronounced “Hoover Three”) have returned quickly with their third album A Round of Applause. It is a record that expands out from the more jam-based psych on last year’s Water For The Frogs that presented 7 songs with an average of about … Read more
Tedeschi Trucks Band w/ Los Lobos & Gabe Dixon: Rose Music Center; Dayton, OH; Sunday, July 24, 2022 Generally speaking, journalistic practice requires one to start a concert review with the focus on the established headliner, the artist at the top of the ticket, the reason most fans paid hard-earned money to attend a specific show. … Read more
…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD REVIEW HISTORYX: The Godless Void And Other Stories (2020) / Lost Songs (2012) …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD LINKSOfficial Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp | Dine Alone Records
Jack WhiteEntering Heaven AliveThird Man Records [2022] When Jack White released the hard-hitting rock album Fear of the Dawn, back in April, he promised a second “folk” album was just months away. And for those of us who were curious what White meant exactly by the term folk – was this going to be Woody … Read more