Kopecky Family Band Kids Raising Kids ATO Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Nashville’s Kopecky Family Band will surprise you with their complex and upbeat sounding California pop. Album Review: Don’t let the name fool you as Nashville’s Kopecky Family Band (family here = close circle of friends) may sound like the next indie folk band … Read more
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Mosquito Interscope Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Yeah Yeah Yeahs return with the somewhat disjointed Mosquito which still possesses a bite. Album Review: It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since Karen O and Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the indie world by storm with their debut Fever To … Read more
British Sea Power Machineries Of Joy Rough Trade Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Machineries of Joy pleases with its maturity and artistic growth. Album Review: The biggest critique of the 80% of the recorded work of British Sea Power, is that it doesn’t sound like the first album, The Decline of British Sea Power. Well, … Read more
Born Ruffians Birthmarks Yep Roc/Paper Bag Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Born Ruffians give us another fine yet predictable set of indie pop-rock. Album Review: Born Ruffians are just one of those kind of bands: you know, the kind you want to like a lot more than you actually do. They’ve got everything just about … Read more
Deap Vally Get Deap! EP Cherrytree/Interscope/Island Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Deap Vally bring the noise with scorching guitar and killer drum beats on debut EP – Get Deap! Album Review: Don’t believe the hype – isn’t that what people always tell you. That especially holds true in the music business where the next “it” … Read more
The Flaming Lips The Terror Warner Bros. Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Interstellar Oklahomans philosophize about a loveless life on The Terror. Album Review: The Flaming Lips’ The Terror reminds me of the saying “write what you feel.” On their 13th studio album the band most certainly does just that. To quote Steven Drozd, “The … Read more
Fairmont The Grand And Grandiose Mint 400 Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Fairmont deliver one of their most engaging records to date! Album Review: Clifton, New Jersey’s Fairmont is one of the hardest working indie pop bands out there that nobody has heard of. That is hard to believe as The Grand And Grandiose represents … Read more
Mudhoney Vanishing Point Sub Pop Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Mudhoney return after 5 years and guess what – they still have plenty to say! Album Review: There is nothing like a good raw Mudhoney record to bring a person back to music reality. The band has always been one of the grittiest Seattle groups … Read more
Bleached Ride Your Heart Dead Oceans Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Bleached release their debut that emotes the spirit of the 60’s girl group rock while sounding completely fresh in 2013! Album Review: Bleached have a cool name, a cool sound and a cool energy! I know that is a lot of cool but the … Read more
Black Bug Reflecting The Light HoZac Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Equal parts garage and experimental rock, Reflecting the Light is a giant kick in the ass! Album Review: Reflecting the Light is the sonic equivalent of turbo charged truck stop coffee that has been sitting on the warmer for a few hours. It’s dense, … Read more
Mark Kozelek Live At Mao Livehouse Shanghai & Beijing Caldo Verde Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Live Mark Kozelek showcases the true talent of this veteran singer/songwriter. Album Review: Mark Kozelek has worn several hats over the years but when you get a chance to check out his live sets you typically get to hear … Read more
Telekinesis Dormarion Merge Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Telekinesis returns with a bigger sound on third long player Dormarion. Album Review: Michael Benjamin Lerner’s Telekinesis project returns with its third record, Dormarion, and finds the group maturing its sound and confidently delivering an indie rock experience. You may remember that before Telekinesis’s 2011 sophomore effort, … Read more
Jack White And The Bricks Live On The Garden Bowl Lanes Third Man Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Jack White and The Bricks might just be another brick in the wall. Album Review: First things first – I love Third Man Records, I love Jack White, and I love vinyl. So when Third Man Records … Read more
The Besnard Lakes Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO Jagjaguwar Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Besnard Lakes release another beautiful and enigmatic album. Album Review: Full disclosure: I am an unabashed superfan of this group. This puts me in a terrible place from which to listen critically to Montreal’s The Besnard Lakes’ fourth and most … Read more
Warm Soda Someone For You Castle Face Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Warm Soda fizzes over with a catchy power pop gem. Album Review: If you like your music fast and catchy, with a little garage rock power behind it, then Warm Soda is a band you are going to want to check out. Someone … Read more
Colleen Green Sock It To Me Hardly Arts Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Colleen Green charms you with her lo-fi pop punk flare! Album Review: There is a lot to be said about no gimmicks rock n roll and the Hardly Art debut, Sock It To Me, from Colleen Green is another example of how … Read more
Rilo Kiley RKives Little Record Company [2013] Fire Note Says: Rilo Kiley return with a compilation of past goodies. Album Review: I have always thought that Rilo Kiley was a great band. The impeccable vocals of lead woman Jenny Lewis with the tight song structures and playing of the talented Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder … Read more
The Milk Carton Kids The Ash & Clay ANTI- Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Milk Carton Kids return with a simple and elegant harmonizing sophomore record. Album Review: It is definitely getting crowded in the world of indie folk and the saturation will unfortunately detract listeners from the quality releases out there. Sometimes simple … Read more
Daughter If You Leave 4AD Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Daughter’s debut album is a quiet, damaged, three hankie affair. Album Review: Some music conjures up a strong sense of color or hue – the dark black of Swans, the Technicolor of Animal Collective, the sepia cast sounds of Beach House or the bright neons … Read more
The Strokes Comedown Machine RCA Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Strokes continue to evolve on the highly enjoyable Comedown Machine. Album Review: The Strokes are carrying a lot of baggage around these days, the kind of excess baggage that makes it tough to keep putting out records. For starters, they most likely aren’t ever … Read more
Harper Simon Division Street Play It Again Sam Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Harper Simon plugs in on his sophomore effort Division Street. Album Review: I can’t imagine how hard it is to be the son of legend Paul Simon. If I were Harper it probably would have been easy to create a metal or … Read more
Detroit Rebellion Fork In The Road EP Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Detroit Rebellion creates murky garage blues that has potential. Album Review: First things first, Detroit Rebellion isn’t from the motor city. This might come as a shock to you but the duo hails for Providence, Rhode Island. That does not mean that they … Read more
The Grenadines The Grenadines Communicating Vessels [2013] Fire Note Says: The Grenadines debut album is a diverse and uneven ride. Album Review: Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, The Grenadines make zero effort to conceal their Southern roots. Fronted by husband/wife team of Michael and Lauren Shackelford, they make a noise approximating a Dixie Yo La Tengo … Read more
Wild Belle Isles Columbia Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Wild Belle’s debut provides a reggae-infused twist on The xx formula. Album Review: Wild Belle’s primary core is the brother-sister combination of Elliot and Natalie Bergman. They hail from Michigan and have made their debut with the album Isles. Natalie handles vocals on the majority of … Read more
Billy Bragg Tooth & Nail Cooking Vinyl Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Billy Bragg walks the dusty road and gets more personal than political this time out. Album Review: Billy Bragg has never been an artist that America has ever really understood. Mostly because dating back into the early 80’s his anti-folk electric guitar songs … Read more