Robert Pollard Faulty Superheroes Guided By Voices Inc. [2015] Fire Note Says: Uncle Bob’s first solo LP since disbanding GbV (again) is also one of his best. Album Review: Hmmm… Let’s see: last time Robert Pollard pulled the plug on Guided By Voices he seemed intent on focusing all his considerable energies into creating as … Read more
The Tangent A Spark In The Aether Inside Out Music [2015] Fire Note Says: Andy Tillison’s love letter to progressive rock hits all the right notes. Album Review: The Tangent is a strange beast of a band. If Yes were part of the Canterbury Scene of English bands back in the seventies (a clutch of … Read more
Ex-Cult Cigarette Machine EP Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Ex-Cult delivers an excellent, adrenaline-filled punk rock EP. Album Review: I have to say I am quite impressed with Memphis-based punk band, Ex-Cult. Cigarette Machine is a lean and mean EP filled with punk rock rage reminiscent of 80’s hardcore. They have a solid … Read more
Passenger Peru Light Places Fleeting Youth Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Brooklyn duo expands upon their excellent debut with an even better sophomore album! Album Review: I have been sitting on this review for a few weeks, trying to figure out some hook to tie this whole thing together and then I had an epiphany. … Read more
Waxahatchee Ivy Tripp Merge Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Indie stardom hasn’t diminished Katie Crutchfield’s songwriting flame. Album Review: It’s a tricky thing – working on the follow-up to your breakout LP. Many musicians have wilted under the pressure of increased critical scrutiny and fan expectations. Do you return with more of the same or … Read more
Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit Mom + Pop / Milk! Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Barnett is not afraid to say what you think. Album Review: Imagine if someone taped your daily inner thoughts and then put them on a record. Hmm – what kind of crazy would … Read more
Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell Asthmatic Kitty Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Sufjan not only creates his most personal record to date but also one of his best. Album Review: How many times do you really hear an artist return to a past sound? I would say not that many. So many times in reviews … Read more
Evans The Death Expect Delays Slumberland Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Evans the Death enthralls with Expect Delays. Album Review: London’s Evans The Death has returned with their second album, Expect Delays, following up their 2012 eponymous debut. Band members include Katherine Whitaker (vocals and keys), Dan Moss (guitar), Olly Moss (bass), and James Burkitt … Read more
Pile You’re Better Than This Exploding In Sound Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Pile’s third LP continues their trend of incredible releases, and this time they have out done themselves. This is album of the year material. Album Review: Once upon a time, I heard a disjointed, but oddly intriguing LP, Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted. … Read more
Wand Golem In The Red Records [2015] Fire Note Says: The title says it all; Wand’s Golem is a fantastical, heavy monster. Album Review: Please do yourself a favor and shout it from the mountain tops, “WAND IS BACK!” Coming out of nowhere with their debut Ganglion Reef—my number six top album for 2014—Wand devised … Read more
Tobias Jesso Jr. Goon True Panther Sounds [2015] Fire Note Says: The performing singer/songwriter is alive and well on Goon. Album Review: I don’t know exactly how many times I have said it around here but music always is circular. A style that was dominate in the past and then fades away, always seems to … Read more
The Church Further / Deeper Unorthodox Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Further/Deeper finds The Church doing what they do best! Album Review: In the 35 years since Aussie band The Church formed in 1980, they’ve largely been the collaborative effort of Steve Kilbey on lead vocals, bass and guitars, Marty Wilson-Piper on guitars and bgv’s, … Read more
Big Dick Disappointment Dirt Cult Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Their debut album was great…this is GREATER! Album Review: It’s no secret that Big Dick’s debut album was one of The Fire Note’s favorite albums of 2013, in fact, internally we have often dreamed that the Canadian duo would headline a mythical Fire Note Fest, … Read more
Steven Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase. Kscope Music [2015] Fire Note Says: Porcupine Tree frontman offers an inspired and introspective solo effort. Album Review: Steven Wilson is a busy guy. Besides working on his own music he has been on a crusade to remix some of the best-known and most beloved records from the classic era … Read more
Smug Brothers Woodpecker Paradise Gas Daddy Go! Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Smug Brothers newest album is one of their strongest efforts to date. A tight, urgent, and catchy blend of indie rock from rock Mecca Dayton, Ohio. Album Review: Around this time last year, I was reviewing the Smug Brothers’ LP On the Way … Read more
The Neal Morse Band The Grand Experiment Radiant Records[2015] Fire Note Says: Ex-Spock’s Beard frontman puts the Christian themes on the back-burner to create a near masterpiece. Album Review: After six albums with the LA-based retro-prog stalwarts Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse underwent a conversion to Christianity and quit not only that band but supergroup Transatlantic … Read more
Rhiannon Giddens Tomorrow Is My Turn Nonesuch Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Carolina Chocolate Drop Giddens spreads her wings on new solo record. Album Review: Rhiannon Giddens is not a name new to us, she was part of the critically lauded roots/string & jug band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and then signed on as part … Read more
Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear Sub Pop Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Father John Misty takes you on a walk in his shoes. Album Review: In the music business, it is extremely difficult for any artist to stay fresh, relevant or even interesting. When you do find that “creative entity” you should grab … Read more
The Dodos Individ Polyvinyl Records [2015] Fire Note Says: The Dodos play to their strengths on Individ. Album Review: The Dodos are the California-based duo consisting of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber. Their music has been defined through their now six albums as songs full of intricate guitar-playing and drumming. Long and Kroeber seemed to … Read more
Sleater-Kinney No Cities To Love Sub Pop Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Sleater-Kinney have just set the 2015 bar very high! Album Review: These days, it is almost expected that at some point all previous broke up, hiatus and missing bands will all of a sudden announce that they are back. Recently, the reaction to … Read more
Panda Bear Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper Domino Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Panda Bear’s latest is more accessible and tuneful. Album Review: Animal Collective and one of its core members Noah Lennox have been on the cutting edge of indie music for the past 15 years. Lennox performs as a solo act under … Read more
Luluc Passerby Sub Pop Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Luluc’s Passerby is a perfect album for a quiet wintry day. Album Review: Luluc’s sophomore album Passerby came out in July of 2014 and went unnoticed in some parts (like The Fire Note, for example). In spite of the Australian duo’s pedigree and lush songwriting, it … Read more
Sturgill Simpson Metamodern Sounds in Country Music High Top Mountain Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Sturgill Simpson’s country album transcends the genre. Album Review: Ask someone what kind of music they like and the response is typically I like everything but…. If you, like me, are wont to respond with “country music” please do not … Read more
Cracker Berkeley To Bakersfield 429 Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Cracker still matters 20 years later. Album Review: Okay, let’s begin with a favorite rock star interview moment. Back in 1994, Cracker was on tour promoting its successful sophomore effort, Kerosene Hat, in an opening slot with Gin Blossoms and headliner Spin Doctors in major … Read more
TV On The Radio Seeds Harvest Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Seeds is a profound journey through pain and loss, and ultimately, spiritual recovery and rebirth! Album Review: TV on the Radio were part of that first wave of “blog bands” that hit it big in the early 2000’s based on the promise of their … Read more