ORB Naturality Castle Face/Flightless Records [2017] Who: ORB hail from Australia and run around with label mates King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard which are both on Flightless and Castle Face Records. Naturality is their sophomore record. Sound: The band is known for their thunderous heavy sludge riffs. Naturality continues this muscle but now finds … Read more
Shagg Shagg Quality Time/Greenway Records [2017] Shagg should be on your radar. This Cleveland band will rock the crap out of you for this entire just over 14-minute record. Their arrangements are chaotic, the music is messy and they can blow your speakers out but all of those things are what I like about this … Read more
Ty Segall Fried Shallots EP Drag City Records [2017] Fried Shallots, Ty Segall’s latest EP, was pulled together from his past recordings and all the profits from its sales were donated to the American Civil Liberties Union. This gives the EP a lack of cohesion but it is still Ty and some tracks stand out … Read more
L.A. Witch L.A. Witch Suicide Squeeze Records [2017] The surf is up and the reverb is just pouring out of L.A. Witch’s guitars. The band’s self-titled debut is a full on groover that will have you swaying and rolling with the distant echoes as Sade Sanchez’s vocals will hypnotize you. The record bubbles up out … Read more
Kelley Stoltz Que Aura Castle Face Records [2017] Kelley Stoltz continues to fly under the radar with his addicting psych indie rock. His newest long player on Castle Face, Que Aura, has a slickness to it that feels natural and seems easy for Stoltz as he incorporates plenty of keyboard snyth floating songs with his … Read more
Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs Burger/Dine Alone Records [2017] Big guitar and big rock is what the newest offering from Toronto’s Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs self-titled record has to offer and it is a hi fivin’ fun ride. The group pulls power pop hooks and punk … Read more
GospelbeacH Another Summer Of Love Alive Naturalsound Records [2017] Fire Note Says: GospelbeacH takes us back to that warm California sounds when jangly beach music met up with the Grateful Dead’s guitars and The Byrds’ vocal harmonies. Album Review: Shortly after the Beach Boys, the California sound was defined by the likes of The Byrds, … Read more
The Afghan Whigs: Bogarts, Cincinnati, Ohio – Sept. 28, 2017 Any time the Afghan Whigs return to play Cincinnati, it’s going to have the feel of a homecoming, and it certainly did last Thursday night at Bogart’s. For lead singer and primary songwriter, Greg Dulli, born and raised in Hamilton, attended U of C, and … Read more
Washer All Aboard Exploding in Sound Records [2017] Who: Brooklyn duo, Kieran McShane and Mike Quigley, expand and improve their sound with this excellent sophomore effort. Sound: All Aboard builds off Washer’s solid debut and ends up being one of the best post-grunge albums of 2017. TFN Final Take: I was already a Washer fan. … Read more
The Cairo Gang Untouchable GOD? Records [2017] Album Review: Untouchable is the first Cairo Gang lp that I would say is top to bottom great. Now don’t get me wrong, Emmett Kelly has made some damn fine albums under the Cairo Gang moniker, but Untouchable is the one for me for sure. I don’t know … Read more
Dude York Sincerely Hardly Art Records [2017] Who: Dude York is a three-piece band (Peter Richards, Claire England, Andrew Hall) from Seattle. Sound: Power pop with a punk rock twist. TFN Final Take: There is a lot to like with Dude York’s debut LP, Sincerely. Two elements really work: the band’s use of tempo to … Read more
This Is the Kit Moonshine Freeze Rough Trade Records [2017] Fire Note Says: This Is the Kit offers a varied and unique rhythmic with Kate Stables expression of alternative folk. Album Review: This Is the Kit (primarily a vehicle for singer/songwriter Kate Stables) lean most naturally toward a minimalist expression of alternative folk where a … Read more
The Killers Wonderful Wonderful Island Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Epitomizing the band behind it, Wonderful Wonderful is grandiose, towering and bound to polarize. Album Review: In a lot of ways, The Killers are the Hillary Clinton of radio rock. Just…hear me out on this. Both have enjoyed wild swings in relevance and popularity during … Read more
Cheap Trick We’re All Alright! Big Machine [2017] Fire Note Says: Cheap Trick is still writing songs they care about, and their fans will too. Album Review: The first thing to notice here is that we have new music from Cheap Trick, recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. There … Read more
The Blow Brand New Abyss Self-Released [2017] Fire Note Says: On Brand New Abyss, The Blow submerges listeners in an accessible and confessional sea of synths, secrets and electro vibes. Album Review: When people think of electronic music, they typically don’t think of warm, soft synths, frank monologues and sparse arrangements. But with Brand New … Read more
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart The Echo of Pleasure Painbow Records [2017] Who: Brainchild of Kip Berman and other touring members. Sound: Indie pop heavily influenced by New Wave. TFN Final Take: 2017 has been awesome for music fans. Many new and returning artists have put out influential stuff. It’s a shame that … Read more
The Side Eyes So Sick In The Red Records [2017] Southern California punk quartet The Side Eyes deliver a very raw in your face debut that rides on the fire inside of 22-year old lead singer Astrid McDonald. McDonald is the daughter of Go-Go’s guitarist-songwriter Charlotte Caffey and Redd Kross singer-guitarist Jeff McDonald so she … Read more
Amy O Elastic Winspear Records [2017] Bloomington-based singer-songwriter Amy O is another strong indie spirit that is showcased on her new release Elastic. She will remind you of Colleen Green, Waxahatchee and even That Dog with her pop rock guitar and likable bouncy voice. I really liked this album as Elastic expands on her previous … Read more
Lung Bottom Of The Barrel Self-Released [2017] Not many bands have the guts to have an electric cello be the focus but that is exactly what we get from Cincinnati’s Lung. Kate Wakefield (vocals, electric cello) and Daisy Caplan (drums), give you a powerful fierceness that never slows down. Lung keep you on the edge … Read more
Benjamin Gibbard Bandwagonesque Turntable Kitchen [2017] If you could only bring along one indie power pop record from the nineties to a desert island there is a good chance a good number of people would pick Teenage Fanclub’s Bandwagonesque (1991). Now, take that record and let a guy like Death Cab For Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard … Read more
Eyelids Or Jealous Butcher Records [2017] Portland, Oregon’s Eyelids bring plenty of power pop sweetness on their sophomore effort Or. The band has a solid resume with members John Moen and Chris Slusarenko working in the past with the likes of Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices), Stephen Malkmus (Pavement/Jicks), Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) and Elliott … Read more
Foo Fighters Concrete And Gold Roswell/RCA Records [2017] Fire Note Says: On their 9th album, Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters deliver big hooks with bold grooves (and somewhat spacey lyrics), pure stadium rock god fodder. Album Review: Dave Grohl has accomplished a rare feat in the modern music business world, playing in two of the most … Read more
Queens Of The Stone Age: Express Live!, Columbus, Ohio – Sept. 12, 2017 Tuesday evening, as downgraded tropical storm Irma was making her way into Southern Ohio, the lawn and concrete pit of the Express Live! outside stage was filling up with Queens of the Stone Age fans. While it rained much of the evening, … Read more
Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman: Fraze Pavillion, Kettering, Ohio – Sept. 12, 2017 The “New” Version of Yes hit all the right notes! As a newly-minted member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame you would think that all would be peace and love in Yes world. In case you haven’t been following … Read more
Filthy Friends Invitation Kill Rock Stars [2017] Fire Note Says: Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker joins Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Kurt Bloch and Bill Rieflin to create an alt/rock super-group that’s more interested in the music than name recognition, and the record’s all the better for it. Album Review: You must reach a point, one would guess, … Read more