reviewed by Michael
If I had to describe Toronto band The Fires Of in one word, that word would have to be “joyous.”
The six-piece band actually bears a sonic resemblance to The New Pornographers- there’s a large sense of community within this group and the music varies between rock and pop in a very natural way.
This album should act as a great mood booster if you’ve had a rough day- the numerous layers of vocals and happy instrumentation should be enough to get your mood up.
The album begins with “Pulse” which has a great guitar intro which quickly showcases male vocalist Graeme Donnelly’s vocal skills. By the time the chorus starts I imagine the whole band or most of the band is singing along with him.
“Dim Star” first introduces female vocalist Lisa Di Diodato’s vocals, which are also very admirable. If I’m still going to continue with the New Pornographers comparison then she would be the Neko Case. Both Donnelly and Di Diodato have great vocals and when they sing together they sound even better.
The lyrics to the songs are also great to listen to. In “Everything is Boring to Me” you can hear why, well, everything is boring. It starts off with “I don’t mind waking up alone/Usually I can’t find my own way home.” In “Muscles In Your Back” you will hear Chris Hayward’s vocals echo as he says “If I’m gonna write a love song/I’ll at least make it true.”
The musicianship here is quite superb, as the band really knows how to play a crescendo. In fact, the building up of the music to joyous climaxes is what makes this album so incredibly listenable.
Great stuff from a great Toronto band that you should probably go and listen to now.
Top Tracks: “Pulse”; “Muscles In Your Back”
Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good) +*swoop*
This sounds pretty much right up my alley. Now, how do I get a hold of it here in the states? They’re not even coming up in any searches…..
Try their MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thefiresof and possibly get in touch with them via Twitter if you have one! Hope that helps a little.
Hey DLee,
As Michael noted you can check our myspace page. You can also buy the album on iTunes. If you search “The Fires Of” it’ll come up and you should be able to preview every song on the album.
The album is also available at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/firesof
Thanks for the interest in the band!
Steve (for The Fires Of)
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