Pink Floyd The Endless River Columbia Records [2014] Fire Note Says: The Endless River provides a closing gesture for a band. Album Review: Depending on whom you’re talking to, The Endless River is the final album from experimental rock band Pink Floyd, ending a recording career spanning 47 years. Of course, for some Floyd fans … Read more
The Flaming Lips With A Little Help From My Fwends Warner Bros. Records [2014] Fire Note Says: The Flaming Lips and fwends are at it again, adding their special flavor of space bombast to a timeless classic. Album Review: “It’s in the realm of the gods,” says bandleader Wayne Coyne, in an interview with Arun … Read more
Foo Fighters Sonic Highways RCA Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters show their love for American music. Album Review: Sonic Highways is the Foo Fighters new studio record and HBO series that premiered last month. If you are not familiar with its premise it was described by Grohl as a … Read more
Rancid …Honor Is All We Know Hellcat/Epitaph Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Rancid work to rekindle their punk spirit. Album Review: I remember the days when anxiously waiting for a new Rancid record meant something. They clearly are now veterans of the second mainstream punk movement and were always a reminder of how The Clash … Read more
Thom Yorke Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes Self-Released [2014] Fire Note Says: Thom Yorke surprises all with his second, new solo outing. Album Review: The word ‘surprises’ is often a part of the phrase ‘surprises and delights’. Why not here, you may ask? Well, if you consider yourself a fan of Thom Yorke then Tomorrows Modern Boxes … Read more
Generationals Alix Polyvinyl Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Generationals’ Alix is a hit or miss affair. Album Review: Generationals is a New Orleans-based duo that consists of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer. Alix is their fourth studio album (in the last five years) and follows their trend of throwback psychedelic pop. The pair expands their … Read more
Twin Library Historical Tumblers Self-Released [2014] Fire Note Says: Historical Tumblers’ grand ambitions flash by with punk-like pacing. Album Review: Twin Library’s bio suggests that you may enjoy them if you also like Guided by Voices, and there are two main reasons I can see for this line of thinking: the band is prolific (having … Read more
The Kooks Listen Astralwerks Records [2014] Fire Note Says: The Kooks attempt growth! Album Review: For a record I never have need to listen to again, The Kooks’ Listen is actually okay. The sorta-skiffle of the past is cast aside for lots of squawky Bernie Worrell- style funky squelches, lots of “Up With People” choruses. … Read more
PC Worship Social Rust Northern Spy Records / Dull Tools [2014] Fire Note Says: PC Worship stir up a disorienting sonic slurry. Album Review: My first listen to Social Rust, I knew nothing about the band that produced the album. That wasn’t a deliberate choice, really, but once I hit play it made sense to … Read more
sElf Super Fake Nice El Camino Media [2014] Fire Note Says: Matt Mahaffey’s sElf returns to form with new EP. Album Review: What was so 90’s is now new again. Matt Mahaffey, aka sElf, is another artist from that era that makes a return to the music scene here with the six song EP Super … Read more
Chris Staples American Soft Barsuk Records [2014] Fire Note Says: A charming and understated indie-pop/singer-songwriter album. Album Review: The penultimate track on Chris Staples’ American Soft is called “Needle Park,” and it’s really great. The instantly catchy chorus of “Well would I ever lie to you? / Of course I would, of course I would,” … Read more
Morrissey World Peace Is None Of Your Business Harvest Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Surprise – Morrissey returns with plenty more to say. Album Review: With each later era record, Morrissey has always seemed to reinvent himself. Like any career artist, some albums are better than others and for Morrissey, his last record, Years of … Read more
Tigers Jaw Charmer Run For Cover Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Tigers Jaw’s transitional new record finds the band trying to charm a new muse. Album Review: I (very) briefly jumped on the emo bandwagon back in high school—mainly because it was the kind of music most of my friends at the time listened to … Read more
Mastodon Once More ‘Round The Sun Warner Bros. Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Mastodon ditch their space-time distortion with one of their most straight forward yet. Album Review: It‘s a heady question to ask, but how does one innovate in the metal genre today? Do you drop tuning deeper, play slower, or maybe even faster? … Read more
Brody Dalle Diploid Love Caroline Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Ex-punk Brody Dalle returns with a matured rock sound. Album Review: It is crazy how time flies and to realize that Brody Dalle has been in the music scene since her self-titled Distillers debut back in 2000 which was on Hellcat/Epitaph Records. It is also … Read more
Howler World Of Joy Rough Trade Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Former buzz band takes a solid step forward from their debut on World of Joy. Album Review: Howler was a bit of a buzz band a few years ago when their debut album America Give Up was released. It was a tasty slice of … Read more
Roof Doctor Mobile Freedom House Mutt Tapes [2014] Fire Note Says: Quirky indie pop/rock tunes from Philly. Album Review: A five piece hailing from Philly, Roof Doctor already have several releases under their belt, the most recent of which is this short (29-minute) ten track LP Mobile Freedom House. There’s nothing about their sound that … Read more
Coldplay Ghost Stories Atlantic Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Coldplay’s latest Ghost Stories could use more life. Album Review: Coldplay has made their most “Coldplay” album, deserving of the criticism sometimes unfairly lobbed at the band. Their sixth LP, Ghost Stories, has a sleepy, pandering feel to it that is often unexciting and rarely exhilarating. … Read more
Kaiser Chiefs Education, Education, Education, & War ATO Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Don’t write off Kaiser Chiefs yet, there is still some gas left in the tank! Album Review: I’ve never been able to fully buy in to the Kaiser Chiefs, and I have been trying for a long time. Employment certainly had its … Read more
The Both The Both SuperEgo Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Aimee Mann and Ted Leo join forces and form The Both. Album Review: The music fan likes nothing better than a unique musical pairing. Over the years we have seen full length records from Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Pete … Read more
Doug Tuttle Doug Tuttle Trouble In Mind Records[2014] Fire Note Says: Former MMOSS guitarist takes off on a solo trip back to the psychedelic sixties. Album Review: New Hampshire band MMOSS put out two albums and called it quits. About that same time Tuttle and girlfriend (and fellow MMOSS member) Rachel Neveu also broke up. … Read more
Baby Baby Big Boy Baller Club The Gospel Of Rhythm Recordings [2014] Fire Note Says: Fun Atlanta group Baby Baby have a party ready for you on sophomore album. Album Review: When is the last time you listened to a fun record? I am talking about some guilty pleasure, a free spirited pop-punk record or … Read more
Warm Soda Young Reckless Hearts Castle Face Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Young Reckless Hearts should have been a contender, but instead is a bit of a head scratcher. Album Review: Warm Soda’s debut album, Someone For You, was one of those albums that hung around my playlist all year long in 2013. It was … Read more
Kalle Mattson Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold Parliament Of Trees [2014] Fire Note Says: On Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold, Kalle Mattson expands his sound with collaborators. Album Review: Indie folk has always seemed to me to be a hard genre to break into—unless you have really strong songs, the genre itself seems … Read more
Foster The People Supermodel Columbia Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Foster The People steer their kicks in a new direction. Album Review: Foster The People blew up in 2011 with their debut Torches and its infectious track “Pumped Up Kicks” but overnight success is an extremely hard act to follow. Place that pressure with the … Read more