Lonnie Holley: Oh Me, Oh My [Album Review]
Lonnie HolleyOh Me, Oh MyJagjaguwar [2023] Long before Lonnie Holley made any music, he had been discovered as a visual artist and sculptor, initially making … Read more
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: Land Of Sleeper [Album Review]
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs PigsLand Of SleeperRocket Recordings/Missing Piece Group Records [2023] Disciples of the riff fall to your knees and raise your … Read more
Philip Selway: Strange Dance [Album Review]
Philip SelwayStrange DanceBella Union [2023] Philip Selway, best known as the drummer in Radiohead, has released his third solo album revealing an affinity for the … Read more
Inhaler: Cuts & Bruises [Album Review]
InhalerCuts & BruisesGeffen Records [2023] The first thing anyone is going to tell you about Irish band Inhaler is that the band’s singer and rhythm … Read more
Shonen Knife: Our Best Place [Album Review]
Shonen KnifeOur Best PlaceGood Caramel Records [2023] The Japanese female pop/punk trio that is Shonen Knife have been plugging along since the early 80’s, parlaying their … Read more
The 1984 Draft: Best Friends Forever [Album Review]
The 1984 DraftBest Friends ForeverPoptek/Sell The Heart/Engineer Records [2023] The Dayton music scene has no shortage of great bands, from heavy hitters like The Breeders … Read more
The WAEVE: The WAEVE [Album Review]
The WAEVEThe WAEVETransgressive Records [2023] The WAEVE represents a new collaboration between Blur lead guitarist and second vocalist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, who … Read more
Dave Rowntree: Radio Songs [Album Review]
Dave RowntreeRadio SongsCooking Vinyl [2023] 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for fans of the Britpop/alternative rock band Blur. While the quartet … Read more
Belle And Sebastian: Late Developers [Album Review]
Belle And SebastianLate DevelopersMatador Records [2023] When novelist Nick Hornsby wrote that “Sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the … Read more
Houseghost: Another Realm [Album Review]
HouseghostAnother RealmRad Girlfriend Records [2022] Another Realm is the sophomore album from punk group Houseghost out of Dayton, Ohio. The trio is made up of … Read more
Nora O’Connor: My Heart [Album Review]
Nora O’ConnorMy HeartPravda Records [2022] Chicago-based vocalist Nora O’Connor’s list of credits providing backing vocal support, both in the studio and on tour, is as … Read more
Todd Rundgren: Space Force [Album Review]
Todd RundgrenSpace ForceCleopatra Records [2022] Fifty two years into a career that includes more than twenty solo studio albums, another ten with the band Utopia, … Read more
Spoon: Lucifer On The Moon [Album Review]
SpoonLucifer On The MoonMatador Records [2022] In just a few weeks, The Fire Note will publish its writers’ favorites and picks for the best releases … Read more
Dream, Ivory: About A Boy [Album Review]
Dream, IvoryAbout A BoyAWAL [2022] The music of Dream, Ivory is the product of Filipino/American twentysomething siblings raised on the endless musical resource of the … Read more
Weyes Blood: And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow [Album Review]
Weyes BloodAnd In The Darkness, Hearts AglowSub Pop Records [2022] Singer/songwriter Natalie Mering performs under the moniker Weyes Blood, a name derived from her original … Read more
The Tallest Man On Earth: Too Late For Edelweiss [Album Review]
The Tallest Man On EarthToo Late For EdelweissANTI- [2022] Swedish folk singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson performs under the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth, and Too … Read more
Phoenix: Alpha Zulu [Album Review]
PhoenixAlpha ZuluLoyaute/Glassnote Records [2022] It’s been 13 years since French electro/pop/alt/dance band Phoenix released their American breakout album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix with hit singles “Lisztomanio” … Read more
Lambchop: The Bible [Album Review]
LambchopThe BibleMerge Records [2022] Over the decades, Kurt Wagner and his various collaborators have more than lived up to their early claim to the title … Read more
Richard X. Heyman: 67,000 Miles An Album [Album Review]
Richard X. Heyman67,000 Miles An AlbumTurn-Up Records [2022] The speed of the earth as it moves in orbit around the sun is 67,000 miles an … Read more
Archers Of Loaf: Reason In Decline [Album Review]
Archers Of LoafReason In DeclineMerge Records [2022] I know that I was not alone in my excitement when I heard that the original four members … Read more
Sloan: Steady [Album Review]
SloanSteadyYep Roc Records [2022] Steady represents Sloan’s 13th full length album, and its release today coincides with the 30th anniversary of their debut record Smeared … Read more
Lou Reed: Words & Music, May 1965 [Album Review]
Lou ReedWords & Music, May 1965Light In The Attic Records [2022] The standard rock critic cliché often attributed to Brian Eno—he of early Roxy Music … Read more
Daniel Lanois: Player, Piano [Album Review]
Daniel LanoisPlayer, PianoModern Recordings [2022] Here’s a sentence I never expected I’d write: Daniel Lanois has made a quiet, quaint, and charming little piano album. … Read more
Disq: Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet [Album Review]
DisqDesperately Imagining Someplace QuietSaddle Creek Records [2022] Can you imagine what it would have been like to release your debut record days before the forever … Read more
The Cult: Under The Midnight Sun [Album Review]
The CultUnder The Midnight SunBlack Hill Records [2022] If they gave out rewards for perseverance, there’s no doubt that singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy … Read more