JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Howl Bloodshot Records [2013] Fire Note Says: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound craft funk and soul that appeals to the masses. Album Review: Let’s first get one thing straight, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound on Bloodshot Records is an interesting pairing. Normally representing names like Neko Case, … Read more
Shannon And The Clams Dreams In The Rat House Hardly Art Records [2013] Fire Note Says: 50’s rock ’n’ roll meets 60’s garage on this chaotic collection. Album Review: There are lots of “retro-rock” or “neo-garage” bands out there these days who play gritty, 60s-inspired tunes. Shannon and the Clams differentiate themselves from all those … Read more
Wild Nothing Empty Estate EP Captured Tracks Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Wild Nothing increase the synths on the Empty Estate EP. Album Review: The best thing about an EP is that you can pretty much do anything you want and get away with it. Jack Tatum’s Wild Nothing has already had two gleaming hailed … Read more
pacificUV After The Dream You Are Awake Mazarine Records [2013] Fire Note Says: pacificUV let more sun shine in through the haze on their fourth LP. Album Review: pacificUV is an indie-rock band from Athens, Georgia and After The Dream You Are Awake represents the groups fourth full length. Their 2012 long player, Weekends, found … Read more
Victory Victory Is Music Reserva Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Catchy, if slightly unoriginal, bedroom rock from LA based band, Victory. Album Review: Victory is the project of Robert Fleming, a Los Angeles resident who has clearly studied his Spoon records. So much so, that for the first two listens, all I could think of … Read more
Grateful Dead Rare Cuts & Oddities 1966 Rhino/Grateful Dead Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Dead play a young garage band auditioning for a spot on Nuggets. Album Review: Whatever your view of the Grateful Dead (sloppy hippie noodlers or greatest band on earth), many people often dismiss them based on their reputation alone, which … Read more
Various Artists The Rough Guide To Latin Psychedelia World Music Network [2013] Fire Note Says: Latin rhythms meet slightly acidic arrangements—if you don’t like Santana, move on. Album Review: Released as a special 180g vinyl edition for Record Store Day, The Rough Guide to Latin Psychedelia casts a wide net over the genre, throwing together … Read more
Dirty Fences Too High To Kross Volcom Entertainment [2013] Fire Note Says: Dirty Fences’ first full-length is a nitro-fueled punk ride. Album Review: Dirty Fences is a punk band with roots in both Boston and Brooklyn. Its members include Max Comaskey (bass/vocals), Jack Daves (vocals/guitar), Max Hiersteiner (drums/vocals), and Max Roseglass (guitar/vocals). As described above … Read more
Thee Oh Sees Moon Sick EP Castle Face Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Thee Oh Sees’ 2013 RSD Moon Sick EP has a novel charm. Album Review: What is the Moon Sick EP from Thee Oh Sees? Well I’m glad you asked. This release contains songs that landed on the cutting room floor from the … Read more
Broadheds Broadheds Dangerbird Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Peter Walker returns with a 2 tone spirit and a quick guitar. Album Review: You may know Peter Walker from his band Eulogies or his earlier solo work but Broadheds represents his new gig with James King (Fitz & The Tantrums), Justin Meldal-Johnson (Beck, M83, NIN) and … Read more
BAMBARA DREAMVIOLENCE Emerald Weapon Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Musical chaos crammed between moments of decency. Album Review: While along the same vein as groups like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Isis, BAMBARA’s DREAMVIOLENCE lacks certain finesse. The album starts out promising with “All the Same,” a melodic, ambient track with a very interesting, dreamlike … Read more
Fol Chen The False Alarms Asthmatic Kitty Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The False Alarms has a detached coolness to it that sounds beamed in from another planet. Album Review: Fol Chen is a synth pop band, formerly cloaked in secrecy, but now with the addition of vocalist Sinosa Loa, the band has a face … Read more
Generationals Heza Polyvinyl Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Generationals rock it up a bit more on third long player Heza. Album Review: One thing I can say about New Orleans duo Generationals is that they are consistent. The band can produce indie pop with the best of them and on their third long player, Heza, … Read more
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Specter At The Feast Abstract Dragon/Vagrant Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club mourn the loss of a loved one on the emotional Specter At The Feast. Album Review: There comes a time in every band’s career where life overshadows the music and for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club that … Read more
Grave Babies Crusher Hardly Art Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Far from perfect, but equally far from terrible. Album Review: Here’s the thing about Grave Babies’ Crusher: I couldn’t tell you how many times I replayed this album. I couldn’t decide what to think about it: do I love it or hate it? I have … Read more
Bears! Bears! Bears! All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go Twirl Tunez Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Bears! Bears! Bears! version of dance gloom and doom shows promise on debut. Album Review: The debut LP, All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go by Bears! Bears! Bears! puts me in an interesting predicament. On paper the … Read more
Lady Lazarus All My Love In Half Light Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: All My Love in Half Light is a solid sophomore album warranting Lady Lazarus attention on the ambient folk scene. Album Review: Lady Lazarus is an old soul playing to a new genre of ambient folk. Named from the Sylvia Plath poem … Read more
Golden Grrrls Golden Grrrls Slumberland Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Golden Grrrls take us on a breezy and pleasant trip back to the early nineties. Album Review: Slumberland is home to much of what remains of that oft-maligned genre of indie pop affectionately known as twee. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Sea Lions, … Read more
Mark Kozelek Like Rats Caldo Verde Records [2013] Fire Note Says: It is all about the song selection on Mark Kozelek’s genre hopping covers album Like Rats. Album Review: I have always said that Mark Kozelek has one of those voices which could sing the dictionary and it would be awesome. His emotional tone and … Read more
The Men New Moon Sacred Bones Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Men take a risk again on fourth long player New Moon. Album Review: Last year’s excellent Open Your Heart from The Men took plenty of risks and each and every one of them paid off as it was the post-punk band’s best record … Read more
Shout Out Louds Optica Merge Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Shout Out Louds conjure up the spirits of New Order and The Cure on their 4th lp, Optica. Album Review: On their fourth lp Optica, the follow-up to 2010’s Work, the Shout Out Louds have crafted an album that is equal parts Cure inspired pop … Read more
Atoms For Peace AMOK XL Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: Atoms for Peace’s AMOK takes us deeper down the electronica rabbit hole. Album Review: After fronting the musical monolith that is Radiohead, what do you do with yourself? Maybe you branch off a bit and indulge deeper into some of your favorite musical tastes that … Read more
Psychic Ills One Track Mind Sacred Bones Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Psychic Ills’ One Track Mind might be too honest for its own good. Album Review: I’ve always had a liking toward the psychedelic music genre and enjoy searching out which artist can create the biggest noise wall, which can have the best acid … Read more
The Spinto Band Cool Cocoon Spintonic Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The Spinto Band are back with another batch of 60’s influenced pop nuggets! Album Review: The Spinto Band aren’t exactly tossing out the playbook and starting over fresh with their new album, Cool Cocoon, but why should they? At this point, the band knows … Read more
Tomahawk Oddfellows Ipecac Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Tomahawk shuffles the deck to middling results. Album Review: Things begin inauspiciously. A couple of rock-cliché-ridden tracks kick things off in a way that reeks of rock bands saying things like “kick things off.” Or maybe Tomahawk’s just paying winking homage to classic heavy rockers. Either way, … Read more