At The Fire Note, our writers are the heart and soul of what we do. We want to give a big shout-out to these amazing folks (past and present) who pour their knowledge and love for music into every piece they write. The time and effort they put in consistently doesn’t go unnoticed by us … Read more
Grandaddy Last Place 30th Century Records [2017] Fire Note Says: After a decade long hiatus, Grandaddy returns with Last Place, and it sounds like they never left. Album Review: Grandaddy main man, Jason Lytle, never really went away; he just parked his main car (Grandaddy) in the garage for the better part of a decade, … Read more
Ty Segall Ty Segall Drag City Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Segall delivers one of the best albums of his career. Album Review: Opening with the thunderous guitar riff of “Break a Guitar” it is immediately obvious that Ty Segall is going to be a pretty special album. Last year’s Ty Segall offering Emotional Mugger … Read more
Drive-By Truckers American Band ATO Records [2016] Fire Note Says: Politically charged album from one of America’s best bands! Album Review: It has been said that the only two things in life you can count on are death and taxes. Well I’m saying there are at least three things, death, taxes, and Drive-By Truckers. The … Read more
Ultimate Painting Dusk Trouble In Mind Records [2016] Fire Note Says: London duo take another leap forward on their third lp. Album Review: Jack Cooper and James Hoare, better known as Ultimate Painting, are back with their third album, Dusk, which is 10 tracks of some of the finest guitar pop you are going to … Read more
Ghost Wave Radio Norfolk Flying Nun Records [2016] Fire Drill Album Review: Ghost Wave hails from New Zealand and is on Flying Nun Records, home of The Clean, The Bats, The Verlaines, and the Chills to name only a few. Flying Nun is a legendary label is what I’m trying to say, they are a … Read more
The Blind Shake Live In San Francisco Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: The seventh entry in Castle Face’s Live in San Francisco series features Minneapolis trio The Blind Shake, who specialize in their own unique style of “take no prisoners” sonic fury. Equal parts garage and noise, with some surf elements thrown … Read more
New Swears Junkfood Forever, Bedtime Whatever Dirt Cult Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: There’s no way that Ottawa’s number one party band can possibly top their last album, the audio equivalent of a kick-ass blaster that was Funny Isn’t Real, right? Wrong, they can top it, and in fact they not only topped it, … Read more
Drive-By Truckers It’s Great To Be Alive! ATO Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Southern storytellers weave their ultimate tale on epic 35 song triple live album! Album Review: A convincing argument could be made that the Drive-By Truckers are the best American rock band of the past 15 years or so. DBT seems to be … Read more
VVHILE More Dirt Cult Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: A shoegaze band from Serbia releases an album on one of the great American indie labels, Dirt Cult? It sounds too good to be true, right? Well it is true, and it’s totally worth tracking down. VVHILE is a duo consisting of Andrija Spicanovic and … Read more
Buck Biloxi And The Fucks Streets Of Rage HoZac Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: Streets of Rage, the new album from Buck Biloxi and The Fucks, will wrestle you to the ground, hold you there and dangle a loogie over your face, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It will either land … Read more
The Libertines Anthems For Doomed Youth Harvest Records [2015] Fire Note Says: This is what became of the likely lads, and it’s as good as you hoped it would be! Album Review: Much has been made of the reconciliation between dual/duel frontmen Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, and even more has been made of the … Read more
DTCV Uptime! Unsatisfied Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: Have you ever wondered what a French-American post punk band sounds like? Well look no further than DTCV (pronounced Detective), for they will provide you with that answer! Similar in style to The Raveonettes, the duo of Fiat Lux and Vivarock have impressive pedigrees, which should … Read more
Albert Hammond Jr Momentary Masters Vagrant Records [2015] Fire Note Says: This confident new solo record from The Strokes guitarist is a pleasant surprise and continues his artistic rebirth! Album Review: The title of Albert Hammond Jr’s new solo album, Momentary Masters, was inspired by a quote from Carl Sagan of all people, in reference … Read more
Ash Kablammo! earMUSIC [2015] Fire Note Says: Irish rockers make a big return with their first new album in 8 years. Album Review: Be honest, how long has it been since you thought about Ash? It’s been quite some time for me as well, but when you think back, wow they had a really nice … Read more
POW! Fight Fire Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: Yes, there is definitely something in the water in the San Francisco area that is causing most of the finest garage rock in the world to be produced there. POW! however, is not your typical San Francisco garage rock band, they spin it off … Read more
Mac DeMarco Another One Captured Tracks [2015] Fire Note Says: Grab a cup of coffee with Mac and enjoy his latest record! Album Review: It’s always a big deal around The Fire Note Headquarters when Mac DeMarco releases a new record, since the release of Rock and Roll Night Club back in 2012, we have … Read more
White Reaper White Reaper Does It Again Polyvinyl Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Exciting debut album from hot new Louisville band! Album Review: I’m always looking for good new bands to champion. If you want to catch my ear and hold it, you better have guitars, hooks, attitude, and tunes. White Reaper has all of … Read more
Nun Nun HoZac Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: Nun are from Australia, and as I am sure many of you know, there has never been a bad band from Australia. They are never not good…period. Think I’m kidding, go ahead try and name one. Add Nun to the roll call of great Australian bands, … Read more
Jason Isbell Something More Than Free Southeastern Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Isbell hits his stride on confident follow-up to his classic LP Southeastern. Album Review: After years of flirting with gaining a wider audience, Jason Isbell finally broke big on his excellent fourth album, 2013’s Southeastern. While that album was his most intimate affair … Read more
Pupppy Shit In The Apple Pie Father/Daughter Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: Pupppy’s debut album, Shit in the Apple Pie, is exactly the kind of quirky pop album that the indie rock world would have tripped all over themselves giving accolades to in the late 90’s-early 2000’s. Cut from the same cloth as such … Read more
Dave Segedy Schrodego Old Flame/Jurassic Pop Records [2015] Fire Drill Album Review: Dave Segedy, who just so happens to be a member of Bloomington, IN band Sleeping Bag, jumps out on his own with the ultra-catchy Schrodego. If Tony Molina’s Dissed and Dismissed pushed all of the right pleasure buttons for you, well then you … Read more
Destruction Unit Live In San Francisco Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Exhilarating psychedelic freak-outs from Arizona noise rockers. Album Review: Count me as a huge fan of the Live in San Francisco live series brought to us by John Dwyer and Castle Face Records. The whole series has been remarkable and well worth … Read more
Warm Soda Symbolic Dream Castle Face Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Symbolic Dream is a refreshing power pop gem! Album Review: I didn’t love Warm Soda’s last album, Young Reckless Hearts. I felt like it was a pretty big letdown from their wonderful debut album, Someone For You, which ended up being one of my … Read more
Mikal Cronin MCIII Merge Records [2015] Fire Note Says: How do you follow-up an album of the year? Easy, record another potential album of the year! Album Review: To say that expectations are high for the new Mikal Cronin lp at Fire Note Headquarters is a massive understatement. Cronin’s last album, MCII, came in at … Read more