Skating Polly Fuzz Steilacoom Chap Stereo [2014] Fire Note Says: Skating Polly‘s Fuzz Steilacoom suffers from a pleasant multiple personality disorder. Album Review: Having just finished my review of the bubbly Tweens album, it seems appropriate to get a bit more down and dirty. Oklahoma City‘s Skating Polly seems to handle that role quite easily. … Read more
Death Vessel Island Intervals Sub Pop Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Death Vessel return after six years with an upgraded sound and Northern outlook on life. Album Review: The first thing you should know about Death Vessel is that the voice behind the music is Joel Thibodeau. This will save you from some embarrassing remark … Read more
Pillar Point Pillar Point Polyvinyl Records [2014] Fire Note Says: An unexpected electro-pop debut from Scott Reitherman’s new name plate. Album Review: When Scott Reitherman formed Throw Me The Statue in 2005 the indie music landscape was still awash with guitar-driven acts. The internet promised that any aspiring artist with a good sound and a … Read more
Cloud Becomes Your Hand Rocks Or Cakes Northern Spy Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Cloud Becomes Your Hand crafts quite the curiosity. Album Review: Here at The Fire Note I‘ve been given some pretty strange albums to review. Of course, that’s fine by me. So when Cloud Becomes Your Hand‘s (their name derived from movement … Read more
The Hotelier Home, Like Noplace Is There Tiny Engines [2014] Fire Note Says: The Hotelier bring emo-punk back to proper form on sophomore record. Album Review: Emo has been back n forth with the cool kids table for a good number of years now but just as much as it is easy to accuse some … Read more
Skaters Manhattan Warner Bros. Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Skaters debut is full of hooks and youthful spirit. Album Review: The promotion blitz behind New York’s Skaters reminds me of the way it used to be with major record labels back in the 90’s. They have received tons of pre-hype from Warner Bros. leading up … Read more
John The Conqueror The Good Life Alive Natural Sound Records [2014] Fire Note Says: John The Conqueror are back with another blues rocking good time! Album Review: Philadelphia’s John The Conqueror are back with another slice of blues rock soul on their sophomore album The Good Life. The title fits as this album has an … Read more
The Notwist Close To The Glass Sub Pop Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Close To The Glass is a warm shot of humanity in an icy digital landscape. Album Review: The Notwist falls under my “Hey what the hell ever happened to those guys, I liked that one album” umbrella. For The Notwist, that one … Read more
Smug Brothers On The Way To The Punchline Gas Daddy Go! Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Smug Brothers offer listeners a mature and hook-laden album packed with incredibly catchy and unpredictable Dayton rock. Album Review: I was a bit surprised when I had read that On the Way to the Punchline was Dayton Ohio’s Smug … Read more
Vertical Scratchers Daughter Of Everything Merge Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Vertical Scratchers are all about sharp and quick indie rock. Album Review: Vertical Scratchers were destined to create indie rock, as members John Schmersal (ex-Brainiac/Enon, live Caribou, and Crooks on Tape) and Christian Beaulieu (ex-Triclops!/Anywhere) resume suggest. Their debut record, Daughter of Everything, is … Read more
Yellow Ostrich Cosmos Barsuk Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Yellow Ostrich reach for the stars and release a truly stellar album. Album Review: Every great album has to have a great back story or at least something to enliven the press release. The story of Cosmos, Yellow Ostrich’s fifth album and third for Barsuk, goes … Read more
Preston Lovinggood Shadow Songs Communicating Vessels [2014] Fire Note Says: Preston Lovinggood’s follow-up is just as strong as his debut. Album Review: Preston Lovinggood’s solo debut, Sun Songs, came out just last year. His newest release, Shadow Songs, as you might be able to detect, is a sequel of sorts to his first album. The … Read more
Beck Morning Phase Capitol Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Morning Phase is a record that has nothing to prove but everything to give! Album Review: It is really hard to believe that it has been 20 years since Beck Hansen stormed into the music scene with his hit debut record Mellow Gold (1994). It was … Read more
St. Vincent St. Vincent Loma Vista Recordings [2014] Fire Note Says: St. Vincent returns with a bold sense of confidence. What does that mean for you? Album Review: “I wanted to make a party record you could play at a funeral,” says Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent of her new self-titled album. Being interesting is … Read more
The Maravines The Maravines Mint 400 Records [2014] Fire Note Says: The New Jersey duo The Maravines are strong out of the gates with their debut release but are heading into a traffic jam on The George Washington Bridge. Album Review: The Maravines are a two –piece, Union City, New Jersey, duo made up of … Read more
Mozes And The Firstborn Mozes And The Firstborn Burger Records [2014] Fire Note Says: Mozes and the Firstborn’s debut brings an excellent mix of garage rock from the Netherlands to your speakers! Album Review: The self-titled debut from the Netherlands, Mozes and the Firstborn took me by surprise when I first hit play with its … Read more