Acid Fast Rabid Moon Protagonist Music/Stupid Bag Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Acid Fast conjure up images of a time long, long ago: the glorious post-hardcore nineties. Album Review: Some records hew just a little too close to their influences while others thread the needle by infusing enough personality to make all the rehashing bearable. … Read more
Electric Eye Pick-Up, Lift-off, Space, Time Klangkollektivet/Fuzz Club Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Electric Eye doesn‘t blink with strong debut Pick-Up, Lift-off, Space, Time Album Review: In the world of rock ‘n’ roll the electric eye is usually an omniscient being of fuzzy/metal destruction; just ask Judas Priest, FUZZ, or Black Sabbath. But under the … Read more
Sleepy Sun Maui Tears Dine Alone Records [2014] Fire Note Says: San Francisco psych stalwarts return with an energetic and trippy fourth album. Album Review: Okay, so there’s this five piece band out of San Francisco named Sleepy Sun. Quick: guess what they sound like! Yup. They sound exactly like that. And then some. There’s … Read more
Grass Is Green Vacation Vinny Exploding In Sound Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Grass Is Green make a post-punk record you can have fun with. Album Review: Boston band Grass Is Green take a Fugazi meets Pavement approach on their new record Vacation Vinny which has an instant appeal right from the opening track “Sammy … Read more
Warpaint Warpaint Rough Trade Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Warpaint provide a technically and musically sound sophomore record. Album Review: It took some time with Warpaint’s debut record, The Fool (2010), to really absorb their sound but after repeat listens their smooth but somewhat cold delivery won you over. On the band’s self-titled sophomore return … Read more
AFI Burials Republic Records [2013] Fire Note Says: AFI pleases fans with its 9th album Burials. Album Review: AFI is someone’s favorite band. That person got excited when they heard that AFI was in the studio again to release their ninth studio album in 18 years. (Take a second to let that fact sink in.) … Read more
James Vincent McMorrow Post Tropical Vagrant Records [2014] Fire Note Says: James Vincent McMorrow sings from the heart on his sophomore outing Post Tropical. Album Review: There is nothing better than sheer vocal talent. James Vincent McMorrow has one of those voices that pushes each of his tracks with his floating soft voice and instantly … Read more
Terry Malts Nobody Realizes This Is Nowhere Slumberland Records [2013] Fire Note Says: San Francisco scuzz-punks return with a short reminder of why punk still matters. Album Review: With the demise of Brit-pop sound-a-likes Magic Bullets (from which all three members of Terry Malts sprang) vocalist Phil Benson, guitarist Corey Cunningham and drummer Nathan Sweatt … Read more
Sun Stone Revolvers Spaceship X Optical Sounds [2013] Fire Note Says: Sun Stone Revolvers keep things surprising with the space-soaked grower Spaceship X Album Review: It seems there are a couple of places that Sun Stone Revolvers would like to be welcomed: a vampire rave á la the movie Blade, somewhere nicely hidden in a … Read more
Upset She’s Gone Don Giovanni Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Upset play pop-punk like it should be – tight and catchy! Album Review: Here is a record I sat on stupidly last year. It can be a little overwhelming at times around Fire Note headquarters as releases roll in and sometimes we miss one that … Read more
Roseanne Cash The River & The Thread Blue Note Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Rosanne Cash explores the deep connections that make us who we are. Album Review: It’s been 8 years since Roseanne Cash released the phenomenal Black Cadillac, an intimate reflection on the passing of her parents – Vivian Liberto Distin, the first … Read more
Painted Palms Forever Polyvinyl Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Painted Palms have plenty of “moments” with their debut Forever. Album Review: I don’t know about you but I always feel like I should be more in touch with my cousins. I have one that lives close but most are over 600 miles away. Well distance … Read more
Russian Circles Memorial Sargent House Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Russian Circles puts out an intense, emotional album with Memorial. Album Review: Russian Circles is a three-piece rock/metal band from Chicago, consisting of Mike Sullivan (guitar), Dave Turncrantz (drums), and Brian Cook (bass). Memorial is the band’s fifth album and also served as my introduction … Read more
Julia Holter Loud City Song Domino Records [2013] Fire Note Says: LA art-pop songstress creates a near masterpiece with her third LP. Album Review: Julia Holter certainly doesn’t shy away from big subject matters. Her first album (2011’s Tragedy) was based on Eurypides’ Hippolytus and last year’s brilliant Ekstasis drew from Virginia Woolf (among others.) … Read more
Bruce Springsteen High Hopes Columbia Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Springsteen once again shows his uniqueness among the great rockers of our era. Album Review: You don’t get very far into the new Bruce Springsteen album before you realize that this is not “Wrecking Ball II.” First, the opening title track, an up-tempo splash of … Read more
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Give The People What They Want Daptone Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings return with another soaring spoonful of soul! Album Review: Here is a record that was scheduled to release last August but right at the time Daptone Records announced its arrival Sharon Jones was … Read more
15-60-75 (The Numbers Band) Jimmy Bell’s Still In Town Exit Stencil Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: Unsung Ohio heroes score huge with reissue of Jimmy Bell‘s Still In Town. Album Review: “We’re not interested in making hits,” said 15-60-75 (The Numbers Band) main man Robert Kidney, “we’re interested in making history.” It only get better … Read more
Brendan Canning You Gots 2 Chill Draper St./SQE Music [2013] Fire Note Says: Not enough meat for a feel meal, but You Gots 2 Chill is a nice appetizer. Album Review: Brendan Canning is best known for being one of the key members of Broken Social Scene, and while that band appears to be on … Read more
The Paper Kites States Nettwerk Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Paper Kites build on the success of their Young North EP. Album Review: When I reviewed The Paper Kites previous release, the Young North EP (TFN Review), I noted that the band seemed poised for greatness. The warm, shuffling folky atmosphere of the EP … Read more
Cass McCombs Big Wheel And Others Domino Records [2013] Fire Note Says: An epic 22 song album that is as frustrating as it is thrilling. Album Review: I don’t know much about Cass McCombs the man, but I know a fair amount about him as a musician. As a songwriter, McCombs is able to work … Read more
Gap Dream Shine Your Light Burger Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Gap Dream go down a different path on their sophomore record Shine Your Light. Album Review: Sometimes you know what you are going to get just based on the label that an artist resides on. With Burger Records that style has typically been some … Read more
Crooks On Tape Fingerprint Misra Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Crooks On Tape continue the charm of members previous bands. Album Review: If you are similar to me then you always follow artists you like to their next project. In the case of Crooks On Tape that would be John Schmersal with a resume that … Read more
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Wig Out At Jagbags Matador Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks create one of their most cohesive records to date. Album Review: Do you ever really know what you are going to get with a new Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks record? The answer is no … Read more
The Killers Direct Hits Island Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Killers’ Direct Hits tracks the evolution of the band. Album Review: The Killers have been around long enough to put out a greatest hits album. This collection, Direct Hits, lets you see how The Killers began as a neo-New Wave outfit and turned into … Read more
Jake Bugg Shangri La Island Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Jake Bugg’s sophomore album is a more refined production of the artist’s raw, gritty sound. Album Review: Jake Bugg’s sophomore album, Shangri La, quickly follows his successful self-titled debut. Despite the lack of time between the two albums, Shangri La introduces new sounds and themes, … Read more