"If someone told me that southern California band News Of The Fire is made up of teenagers and had only been together for five months before recording their first proper work, the “Motions And Hints” EP released in January of this year, I’d have to ask if they took me for a fool. There is nothing on that recording to indicate such little time playing together or that the band members, lead singer and guitarist Dan Fromhart; guitarist and backup vocalist Nico Bergmann; bassist Nick Tellier and drummer Blake LeCroy, aren’t even of legal drinking age (21 in the United States).
What was even more surprising to me was discovering that the band started almost accidently, as a haphazard jam session between Dan and Nick (friends since elementary school) which the remaining two members joined last minute. When I contacted Dan, he told me that he had serious doubts as to whether anything good would come since the band members came from different musical backgrounds (the blues rock of The Black Keys or Jack White, Bombay Bicycle Club or Tokyo Police Club style indie rock, or experimental rock such as Broken Social Scene or Modest Mouse). Like he points out, clearly, he was wrong.
As the sounds on the EP, recorded in December 2010 in Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, inundate whatever you’re using to listen to it (because you are listening to it, right?), it’s hard to imagine that such a solid common ground was found. All five tracks flow incredibly well together and demonstrate a cohesiveness that many bigger bands have yet to show. The band knows their strengths and throughout the 18 minutes that they have your attention, these strengths become more than apparent.
Guitars hit hard and the drums and bass are incredibly warm (thanks to the initial recording to analog tape) as Fromhart’s vocals soar above, leading the band as a good front man should. The best example of the band’s dynamic comes in “1996”, which features a great build and some intricate drumming before the vocals are heard. Then, just as these come in, only the bass is left, creating moments of tension that are released at just the right moment. Halfway through the track some somber cello is added in the background, leading way to a trumpet that really comes out of left field but fits beautifully in the mix (the band really must thank their engineers for the quality of the production throughout the EP) right before a dip in energy and a final rush of adrenaline that carries the song to its end.
The opening and closing tracks of “Motions And Hints” – “Faces” and “Hollow” - are great bookends to the EP, displaying two different styles that the band execute equally as strongly. The former features a heavily strummed guitar on the verses and a simple chorus consisting mostly of “oh’s”, whereas the latter has a gently plucked guitar and a hard-hitting, slightly more intricate chorus.
Fans of early Kings of Leon, The Raconteurs or even the later Arctic Monkeys records, keep News Of The Fire on your radar; chances are you’ll be hearing more about them soon. Be sure to download the tracks mentioned here below, and check out the rest of their EP on their Bandcamp, for whatever price you like (as usual, if you can, be nice and give them some well-earned money)" (Via: listenbeforeyoubuy.net)
What was even more surprising to me was discovering that the band started almost accidently, as a haphazard jam session between Dan and Nick (friends since elementary school) which the remaining two members joined last minute. When I contacted Dan, he told me that he had serious doubts as to whether anything good would come since the band members came from different musical backgrounds (the blues rock of The Black Keys or Jack White, Bombay Bicycle Club or Tokyo Police Club style indie rock, or experimental rock such as Broken Social Scene or Modest Mouse). Like he points out, clearly, he was wrong.
As the sounds on the EP, recorded in December 2010 in Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, inundate whatever you’re using to listen to it (because you are listening to it, right?), it’s hard to imagine that such a solid common ground was found. All five tracks flow incredibly well together and demonstrate a cohesiveness that many bigger bands have yet to show. The band knows their strengths and throughout the 18 minutes that they have your attention, these strengths become more than apparent.
Guitars hit hard and the drums and bass are incredibly warm (thanks to the initial recording to analog tape) as Fromhart’s vocals soar above, leading the band as a good front man should. The best example of the band’s dynamic comes in “1996”, which features a great build and some intricate drumming before the vocals are heard. Then, just as these come in, only the bass is left, creating moments of tension that are released at just the right moment. Halfway through the track some somber cello is added in the background, leading way to a trumpet that really comes out of left field but fits beautifully in the mix (the band really must thank their engineers for the quality of the production throughout the EP) right before a dip in energy and a final rush of adrenaline that carries the song to its end.
The opening and closing tracks of “Motions And Hints” – “Faces” and “Hollow” - are great bookends to the EP, displaying two different styles that the band execute equally as strongly. The former features a heavily strummed guitar on the verses and a simple chorus consisting mostly of “oh’s”, whereas the latter has a gently plucked guitar and a hard-hitting, slightly more intricate chorus.
Fans of early Kings of Leon, The Raconteurs or even the later Arctic Monkeys records, keep News Of The Fire on your radar; chances are you’ll be hearing more about them soon. Be sure to download the tracks mentioned here below, and check out the rest of their EP on their Bandcamp, for whatever price you like (as usual, if you can, be nice and give them some well-earned money)" (Via: listenbeforeyoubuy.net)
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