Various Artists While No One Was Looking: Toasting 20 Years Of Bloodshot Records Bloodshot Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Happy Birthday Bloodshot Records! Album Review: Twenty years is definitely something to be proud of and for Chicago’s Bloodshot Records they get a standing ovation. Bloodshot has had an endless catalog of great artists that include … Read more
After seeing Mike Savino play drums on his lighted banjo with Kishi Bashi this year I was instantly hooked to his band Tall Tall Trees. The group has been around for about 6 years now and slowly has evolved into a one man psychedelic folk show. Honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way at … Read more
Exit Verse Exit Verse Ernest Jenning Record Co. [2014] Fire Note Says: Geoff Farina is back with a guitar driven band that finds all the right classic rock riffs. Album Review: Singer/guitarist Geoff Farina (Karate, Secret Stars, Glorytellers) teamed up with drummer John Dugan (Chisel, Edsel) and bassist Pete Croke (Brokeback, Tight Phantoms) to form … Read more
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard I’m In Your Mind Fuzz Castle Face Records [2014] Fire Note Says: King Gizzard will give you an entire new perspective. Album Review: Melbourne, Australia band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard grabbed me earlier this year with just their name but when I heard the double release of … Read more
OK Go Hungry Ghosts Paracadute/BMG Records [2014] Fire Note Says: OK Go’s Hungry Ghosts is fun and lively. Album Review: It’s tempting to start a review of an OK Go album by talking about treadmills or Nike+. That is to say, the band may be better known as a marketing concept rather than as creators … 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
Gary Clark Jr. Live Warner Bros. Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Gary Clark Jr. Live is a solid and spirited performance. Album Review: Earlier this year, Eric Clapton was interviewed by David Fricke for Rolling Stone Magazine, as his tribute to JJ Cale, The Breeze, was hitting stores and talk of the guitar god’s retirement … Read more
Circus Devils Escape Happy Jack Rock Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Robert Pollard and the Tobias brothers shift into a calmer gear and create what might be the best Circus Devils album yet. Album Review: Circus Devils never make the same album twice. Whether it’s the claustrophobic horror-rock screeches of the debut, the twisted spaghetti … Read more
Today’s Fire Track features the debut single from LA’s The Bulls. They are a new group that features singer and multi-instrumentalist, Anna Bulbrook (The Airborne Toxic Event), and guitarist, Marc Sallis (The Duke Spirit). It doesn’t take long to hear their influences like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure … Read more
Ausmuteants Order Of Operation Goner Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Aussie synth-punks blast out a fun and catchy record. Album Review: Ausmuteants newest release is on par with their numerous past releases. They deliver a frenetic and essential punk album layered in a cool sheen of synth and humor. Australia has a rather booming punk … Read more
Nada Surf B-Sides Barsuk Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Nada Surf helps round out your collection. Album Review: One of the cooler concert experiences I have had in the past several years was checking out a show from Nada Surf. Their set was solid but it was what happened after the show that was truly … Read more
Deerhoof La Isla Bonita Polyvinyl Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Nobody does avant-garde pop music like the insanely catchy Deerhoof. Album Review: There are two kinds of people in this world, those that get Deerhoof and those that don’t. I feel sorry for those that don’t, because they have missed out on some of the … 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
Bishop Allen Lights Out Dead Oceans [2014] Fire Note Says: Bishop Allen returns with a solid if unspectacular effort. Album Review: Bishop Allen had been on a five-year hiatus until the release of their fourth LP Lights Out in August 2014. The Boston band’s primary members are Justin Rice and Christian Rudder; this album showcases … Read more
Thurston Moore The Best Day Matador Records [2014] Fire Note Says: A thrilling, gorgeous record from an indie icon. Album Review: At this point in his career, which has spanned across the better part of 4 decades, Thurston Moore doesn’t have many surprises up his sleeve. He has done it all, from being in a … Read more
Tweedy Sukierae dBpm Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Sukierae paints a musical portrait of a talented family in a challenging transitional period. Album Review: It’s never been all that obvious that Jeff Tweedy, the creative center of the thriving indie alt/rock band Wilco, ever needed to step out and make a solo album. He was … Read more
Australian psych lords King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are on the verge of breaking out here in the States with their new album I’m In Your Mind Fuzz when it releases November 11th via Castle Face Records. Their new single, “Cellophane,” has a little bit of everything from a psychedelic jam to reverb vocals … Read more
October is almost gone which means that it is time for The Fire Note’s monthly Bandcamp feature! Here are 10 artists that should be on your trick-or-treat playlists. In this edition you will find upbeat sad songs from New York, a calm and cool release from Los Angeles, psychedelic neo soul from Canada and a … Read more
Neighborhood Brats Recovery Deranged Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Neighborhood Brats new album will have you holding onto your wallet and putting your fists in the air. Album Review: Back in February, we featured a 7-inch from front woman Jenny Angelillo and her tenacious lead in LA band Neighborhood Brats. Well the band is back … 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
Swearing At Motorists While Laughing The Joker Tells The Truth A Recordings LTD [2014] Fire Note Says: A welcomed return for Swearing at Motorists. Album Review: If you know your Dayton, Ohio indie folklore then Swearing at Motorists should already be in your memory bank. The band has family tree history with fellow Daytonians Guided … Read more
Zola Jesus Taiga Mute Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Zola Jesus’s fifth studio album continues the trend of a career of strong output. Album Review: Zola Jesus makes pop music for people who like to think. For people who like for their pop to have a sharp serrated edge to it. In that sense Zola … Read more
Foxygen …And Star Power Jagjaguwar Records [2014] Fire Note Says: A sprawling double lp that both excites and confounds. Album Review: The duo of Sam France and Jonathan Rado, who comprise Foxygen, can definitely not be accused of taking the easy path. After breaking up (or not breaking up) on tour for their critically acclaimed … Read more
These days it seems harder and harder to actually be surprised. Our instant world almost never allows that “oh my gosh!” feeling anymore. Well, the trio of Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss, better known as the retired Sleater-Kinney, got us all with their new 3,000-copy, limited-edition deluxe vinyl box set, Start Together, that … Read more
Are you ready for a large soundscape of song to kick off your weekend? That is exactly what our Fire Track provides today from Washington DC’s Black Clouds. From their forthcoming full length album titled Dreamcation, Black Clouds present a mid-tempo instrumental track that flexes its muscles around every corner. Make sure you stick around … Read more