Baroness Live At Maida Vale BBC EP Relapse Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Baroness release a short and sweet live EP which shows why they’re still a force to be reckoned with. Album Review: Savanna, Georgia’s Baroness has been a group with quite a history. Releasing three of the most acclaimed and intelligent metal albums … Read more
Time Cat Space And Time Cat EP Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Akron’s Time Cat turns up the blues rock on their new EP. Album Review: I hate to scold a band, especially when it’s not all that deserved. After seeing this Akron blues duo perform live I had a lot of hopes for their … Read more
Secret Colours Peach Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Secret Colours check all the boxes when it comes to psychedelia. Album Review: Leave it to a band like Chicago’s Secret Colours to right my wrongs and relieve my muddled mind. Debating review scores, struggling for references, and more times than not writing myself into a corner, … Read more
Elusive Parallelograms Fragments Self-Released [2013] Fire Note Says: Elusive Parallelograms show solid chops and song schizophrenia on Fragments EP Album Review: If I were a psychologist evaluating Milwaukee’s prolific Elusive Parallelograms, some of these terms might pop up: schizophrenia, bipolar, post-traumatic stress. By no means am I trying to give Elusive Parallelograms new Fragments EP … Read more
Owen L’ami Du Peuple Polyvinyl Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Chicago’s Owen delivers thoughtfully constructed indie rock. Album Review: I have to admit that when I first heard this album I was very skeptical. I started asking questions: “Can someone be too indie for their own good?” and “Why does it sound like Owen’s emulating … Read more
Wolf People Fain Jagjaguwar Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Wolf People compose a codex entitled: Progressive Rock for Beginners. Album Review: When a band goes after its influences and tries to hit near the roots of the progressive rock tree a few concepts, places, and bands come to mind. Headley Grange being a great place … Read more
Rose Windows The Sun Dogs Sub Pop Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Take Rose Windows as your spirit guide, for they will not lead you astray. Album Review: Sub Pop has acquired quite an eclectic catalog of artists over the years. Nirvana, Mudhoney, Fleet Foxes, The Postal Service, METZ, The Shins, Wolf Parade; it’s no … Read more
Hooded Fang Gravez Full Time Hobby Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Hooded Fang pack charm and quirk into blistering power pop. Album Review: I know it’s common to chide a band for their overuse of a trope or technique over an entire album. But I won’t do that here: Canada’s Polaris Prize-nominated Hooded Fang not … Read more
King Tuff Was Dead Burger Records [2013] Fire Note Says: King Tuff’s reissue Was Dead is a garage weirdo’s pride for the simple things. Album Review: Kyle Thomas (aka King Tuff) is a simple man enjoying the simple pleasures of Brattleboro, Vermont. Way back in 2006 when not drinking endless cups of black coffee, sketching … Read more
Here at The Fire Note we believe in the little guy. The indie mom and pop record stores, the indie record labels being run from basements, and the undiscovered bands all over the world making better music than their influences. This feature is for the little guys. Most of them have records available and they … Read more
Portugal. The Man Evil Friends Atlantic Records [2013] Fire Note Says: A more progressive Portugal goes for bombast on Evil Friends. Album Review: I hate to say it but I have been losing faith in Portugal. The Man. Seeing them live seemed to damage my progressive psyche. I was expecting progressive laden guitar explosions, a … Read more
Naam Vow Tee Pee Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Brooklyn’s Naam works to stand out with their groovy Vow. Album Review: Naam is a band that’s put me in quite a pickle. Their second LP Vow was really trying very hard to get me to like it. With influences ranging from Wolfmother to Graveyard, from … Read more
David Byrne & St. Vincent Brass Tactics EP 4AD Records [2013] Fire Note Says: A free EP from David Byrne & St. Vincent – sure, why not? Album Review: St Vincent and David Byrne, sentimentally speaking, hold a few memories for me. First off, Byrne’s Taking Heads were a big part of my childhood. As … Read more
Queens Of The Stone Age …Like Clockwork Matador Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Queens of the Stone Age …Like Clockwork, hits right on time. Album Review: Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme is—to put it bluntly—the man. He’s accrued many a famous friend, having rocked out with the best from John Paul … Read more
Jimi Hendrix People, Hell And Angels Legacy Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: People, Hell and Angels is another reminder of how close one man and his guitar could be. Album Review: Jimi Hendrix was, has, and always will be an icon. So, the fact that we have the trove of recordings from what could be … Read more
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Howl Bloodshot Records [2013] Fire Note Says: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound craft funk and soul that appeals to the masses. Album Review: Let’s first get one thing straight, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound on Bloodshot Records is an interesting pairing. Normally representing names like Neko Case, … Read more
Dead Confederate In The Marrow Spiderbomb Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Dead Confederate makes no attempt to expand boundaries, but still keep everything solid. Album Review: Augusta, Georgia’s Dead Confederate never set out to become the greatest band in the land. Consider that a good thing because if they really were trying then Hardy Morris’ … Read more
The National Trouble Will Find Me 4AD Records [2013] Fire Note Says: The National are a band at the top of their craft doing what they do best! Album Review: I feel there is a prerequisite for starting this review: a glass of red wine-if a red is not your thing then I’m sure a … Read more
Blackout Beach Blues Trip Soft Abuse Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Carey Mercer’s Blackout Beach goes for the gusto with a sinisterly, theatric aplomb rarely heard today. Album Review: Carey Mercer is a strange animal, the Canadian song craftsman takes many different avenues from being experimental to an almost stripped approach. Whether it’s through rocking … Read more
Georgiana Starlington Paper Moon HoZac Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Georgiana Starlington’s debut Paper Moon is a solid taste of western mysticism. Album Review: Siblings Julie and Jack Hines (Jack, former Black Lips member and both members of K-Holes) have created Neko Case’s “Prison Girls” the album, review over…Of course it’s not over, but when … Read more
Thee Oh Sees Floating Coffin Castle Face Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Thee Oh Sees continue to dominate their little garage of horrors. Album Review: I cannot believe that I’m already talking about a new Thee Oh Sees album. What’s even crazier is, while not as dynamic, still it hits the mark just as their … Read more
Akron/Family Sub Versus Dead Oceans Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Akron/Family goes for a more wide open experimentation with Sub Verses. Album Review: After a friend of mine introduced me to Akron/Family with their 2009 album Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free my interest and excitement grew for what came next. That album for me … Read more
Thee Oh Sees Moon Sick EP Castle Face Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Thee Oh Sees’ 2013 RSD Moon Sick EP has a novel charm. Album Review: What is the Moon Sick EP from Thee Oh Sees? Well I’m glad you asked. This release contains songs that landed on the cutting room floor from the … Read more
Tame Impala Tame Impala EP Modular Recordings [2013] Fire Note Says: Tame Impala’s 2008 self-titled EP is a great reminder of why everyone took notice in the first place. Album Review: Check back to my Record Store Day 2013 list and you’ll find this release at the top. Well there happens to be a good … Read more
Dear Fawn I Played The Queen EP Gas Daddy Go! Records [2013] Fire Note Says: Dear Fawn’s debut EP is a solid combination of musicianship and songwriting. Album Review: I’m proud to say it; I was there for Dear Fawn’s live debut opening up for the Seedy Seeds last summer. It was a nice wowing … Read more