Perfume Genius Put Your Back N 2 It Matador Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Another deep record from Perfume Genius that leaves the lo-fi behind this time and displays an entire new level of talent! Album Review: I don’t believe that most people think of albums as sequels but that is the exact way to … Read more
Frankie Rose Interstellar Slumberland Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Frankie Rose makes her best album yet! Album Review: Frankie Rose already has a superb indie resume as a member of the Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and Crystal Stilts plus an excellent solo debut released in 2010. It is a track record that has lead … Read more
Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound SideOneDummy Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Audra Mae turns up the heat with her backing band The Almighty Sound and creates one hell of a sophomore record! Album Review: If you checked out Audra Mae’s debut, The Happiest Lamb [2010], then you already … Read more
Heartless Bastards Arrow Partisan Records [2012] Fire Note Says: The Heartless Bastards once again shine bright with their pulsing rock record Arrow! Album Review: Erika Wennerstrom and her strong soulful vocals are back with the release of the Heartless Bastards fourth album Arrow. After relocating to Austin back before the release of The Mountain [2009], … Read more
Sharon Van Etten Tramp Jagjaguwar Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Sharon Van Etten will win you over quickly on her new long player Tramp! Album Review: If there is ever an artist that is on the verge of breaking out I would say that Brooklyn singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten is close to the top of … Read more
Cloud Nothings Attack On Memory Carpark Records [2012] Fire Note Says: Cloud Nothings evolve again on their spectacular sophomore outing Attack On Memory! Album Review: Sometimes it is amazing how much can change in a year as the ever evolving Cloud Nothings follows up a really good self-titled debut record released last January with the … Read more
Nada Surf The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy Barsuk Records [2012] Fire Note Says: A big sprawling return of an album from Nada Surf that is full of hooks, guitars and energy! Album Review: As Matthew Caws sings the line “This new peace – I can feel it now,” in “Waiting For Something” on Nada … Read more
A Shoreline DreamLosing Them All This TimeLatenight Weeknight Records [2011] I think that there are tons of music fans out there that just really don’t get the shoegaze movement. That is totally fine but this disconnect translates into a much more underground scene that makes it harder to discover new bands for all of those … Read more
Guided By Voices Let’s Go Eat The Factory Guided By Voices Inc. [2012] Fire Note Says: Oh yeah, did you hear? Guided By Voices are back! Album Review: I can’t think of many other upcoming 2012 albums that people have been waiting 15 years to hear, so the new record from the “classic line up” … Read more
Motel Beds Tango Boys No More Fake Labels [2011] Fire Note Says: The Dayton, Ohio music scene is alive and well with the Motel Beds new long player Tango Boys! Album Review: Right from the cool indie swagger of the opening minute long intro, “Theme From Tango”, you get the sense that Dayton, Ohio’s Motel … Read more
Real EstateDaysDomino [2011] Simplistic splendor is one way to describe the sophomore full-length album, Days, from New Jersey’s Real Estate. The album possesses a pure flow that carries the listener seamlessly from track to track, anchored by the soft vocal delivery of singer/guitarist Martin Courtney. His voice engages in an internal struggle with the surrounding … Read more
The Gaslight AnthemiTunes SessionSideOneDummy Records [2011] The new iTunes session from The Gaslight Anthem showcases the band’s influences and provides fans with an excellent studio recording of tracks they may have previously experienced live. It’s probably no surprise that Brian Fallon and the band cover songs from The Who, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, and The … Read more
Wild FlagWild FlagMerge Records [2011] I don’t think there are that many records that we know about a year in advance, but that is how long we have been tracking indie supergroup Wild Flag’s debut. The female four-piece brings a plethora of experience to the party, as Wild Flag consists of Sleater-Kinney guitarist/singer Carrie Brownstein … Read more
The WombatsThis Modern GlitchBright Antenna Records [2011] The Wombats long overdue sophomore record, This Modern Glitch, is another solid entry into the dance rock indie scene with its sharp catchy tunes and big memorable choruses. First single “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)” delivers exactly what you would want from a band like The Wombats, as its … Read more
Manchester Orchestra Simple Math Columbia Records [2011] Fire Note Says: Manchester Orchestra shines on the epic rock album Simple Math! Album Review: Concept albums always scare me a bit because they are typically either really good, really bad or tread water and never find a connection. On Manchester Orchestra’s third album, Simple Math, we hear … Read more
The FeeliesHere BeforeBar/None Records [2011] Twenty years can seem like an eternity for anyone, and for a band, it’s an especially long time. However, in 2011, The Feelies have made a remarkable return with their album Here Before, which features all the original members from the 1986 era. What’s truly impressive about this record is … Read more
Leeroy StaggerLittle VictoriesRebeltone Records [2011] Want to discover a singer/songwriter that absolutely won’t let your Americana ear down? Then look no more and check out the sixth long player, Little Victories, from Canadian Leeroy Stagger backed by his solid band The Wildflowers. I will warn you that Little Victories is one of the best depressing … Read more
The Joy FormidableThe Big RoarAtlantic Records/Canvasback Music [2011] Right from the opening track, “The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie”, you get a solid 7:45 complex song that captures the sonic experience you are in for on The Joy Formidable’s debut full length record. Exploding guitars, pounding drums and walls of sounds are contained all within … Read more
Motel Beds Feelings Fictionband Mechanics [2010] Fire Note Says: Motel Beds create the right indie mix on stereo debut Feelings. Album Review: Dayton, Ohio band Motel Beds successfully blend a shoegaze approach with sprawling melodies, catchy hooks and steady guitar work on their stereo full length debut Feelings. The band relies equally on all of … Read more
Richard Thompson Dream Attic Shout! Factory Records [2010] Fire Note Says: Dream Attic highlights why Richard Thompson just recently received the Les Paul Award at the 2010 MOJO Honours! Album Review: Richard Thompson will always go down in my book as one of the all-time great guitarist singer/songwriters of this era. Regardless of his age, … Read more
Sun Kil Moon Admiral Fell Promises Caldo Verde Records [2010] Fire Note Says: Sit down and reflect with Kozelek’s Sun Kil Moon. Album Review: Sun Kil Moon, aka Mark Kozelek, has always distinguished itself as a different outlet for Kozelek with a much more electric band direction compared to his solo work. Admiral Fell Promises … Read more
Tame Impala Innerspeaker Modular Recordings [2010] Fire Drill Album Review: My first listen to Aussie export trio Tame Impala really didn’t do too much for me. Sure – their debut Innerspeaker has plenty of fuzz and psychedelic 60’s rock but it was so dense that I kept grabbing the record in pieces. Big mistake. Innerspeaker … Read more
The Gaslight AnthemAmerican SlangSideOneDummy Records [2010] The critical acclaim showered upon The ’59 Sound (2008) certainly set a high bar for The Gaslight Anthem, putting significant pressure on them to equal or even surpass its greatness with their third album, American Slang, set to release next week. While the band may not have entirely reached … Read more
Teenage FanclubShadowsMerge Records [2010] It’s hard to believe that it has been 20 years since Teenage Fanclub launched their debut record, A Catholic Education in 1990. They are a band that has experienced it all, from being hyped as the next big thing to signing with major labels and building a solid career in an … Read more
The Hold SteadyHeaven Is WheneverVagrant Records [2010] The Hold Steady make albums not singles. Their work takes time to absorb, multiple listens to like and relies on transitions and pacing to bring it all together. On the groups fifth long player Heaven Is Whenever, all of the previous points come into play. The big different … Read more