fire on fire - the orchard
 

http://younggodrecords.com/Releases/Detail.asp?C=1970

This comes out next Wednesday. Former members of Cerberus Shoal doing really folky, stripped back, acoustic stuff. Blows away any freak folk, psych folk, new weird america, and all that shit band that's around. Really talented, amazing stuff, blah blah, Michael Girea buttfucks them, judging from the mp3 samples of the new album and the ep I've heard... if the new album is that good, it may end being my album of the year. Can't wait. I'm definitely going to order this. Highest reccomendation and all that shit.

sounds like something i'll like, i'll check it out!

This is out now everyone. I'll probably upload it eventually... just from one listen, it is one of the best of the year.

prove it.
pervert.

Okay, here's the orchard and the handmade ep, it's a 130mb download but totally worth it for two great albums:


http://www.sendspace.com/file/eppyfq

http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/fir...orchard/23539/

With a widely regarded EP tucked into their belt, Fire on Fire’s first full-length steers the band square into the new roots movement with the confidence of a more established folk collective. Surely the enthusiastic backing of Michael Gira and the similar sounds of alt-folk-gospel label mates Akron/Family helped to ease them into the fold, as the group not long ago was playing progressive art-rock under the name Cerberus Shoal (and were prolific performers to that end).

We’re seeing this a lot these days: more and more bands putting their post-rock heritage on the shelf to take part in the new folk renaissance (take, for instance, Derek Fudesco's move from art-punk Pretty Girls Make Graves to folky alt-rockers the Cave Singers). With a focus on traditional, old-timey sounds and time-honored instruments, Fire On Fire is next in line, but in this case The Orchard bridges the gap through faithfulness to their unpredictable, chaos-oriented past work.

Recorded in the group’s home (all five members live together in a house in Portland, Maine), The Orchard is a grove of traditional folk (namely string) instruments and the many interpretative ways to play them -- and around them. Bluegrass favorites like the mandolin and banjo saddle up to eastern folk fixtures like the oud and tamburitza, and vocalist Colleen Kinsella’s sharp, dissonant harmonies make for interesting -- if not disturbing -- arrangements. Think Grizzly Bear meets the Carter Family.

“Fight Song” is easy and joyful, a choir-addled piece highlighting Tom Kovacevic’s mellow oud playing and Kinsella’s smooth harmonium. Long playing “Haystack” is a good example of the band’s unself-conscious lyricism, scattered with breathy oohs and aahs, “My mind is dirtless/ My dreams are fruitless/ My bed is loveless,” sings Kinsella of loneliness.

You have to be a little impressed that the band has so easily switched gears from a diet of mostly experimental, amped sounds to a down-home, acoustic style of playing. All five members provide vocals and play a range of instruments, recording “old school” style (like a bluegrass band) with just two mics. While Michael Gira is quick to say that it’s “not in the least folky,” it’s hard not to imagine Grandpa whittling a pipe on a front porch in Appalachia somewhere on “Assanine Race,” or David Grisman tinkering on the mandolin on “Toknight.” The elements of folk music are clearly the building blocks of the record, but the wildly creative moments of The Orchard, like fire itself, allows the group room to play.



http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/...e-Orchard.html
On a national level, the music scene up in Maine seems to be under the radar; I, for one, am not up on the happenings in the nation’s far Northeast corner. Enter South Portland, Maine, a town of just over 20,000 residents that rests along the rustic and rugged shoreline of one of America’s most scenic states. From this residential community hails the band Fire on Fire, whose dizzying array of freak folk and Americana has been captured quite beautifully on their first full-length, The Orchard.

The record is cohesive enough that it’s stamped with a deliberate thematic quality, but its density and rich stylistic qualities enables the album to naturally flow and change direction, showcasing a depth and precociousness that is not present in many of Fire on Fire’s contemporaries. Perhaps it’s because, according to the band’s bio on the Young God website, “All five friends live together in a big blue house across from green oil tank # 28 in South Portland, Maine,” that they are able to reign in a delicate musical synergy and translate that on record to share with the world… or at least those lucky enough to hear it.

From the opening, ringing notes of “Sirocco” (“And if we tear this kingdom down / Let it be with a deserving and joyous sound”), through the easy country-folk of “Toknight”, to the eerily soothing final tones of album closer “Haystack” (with the sound of a baby’s pleasant, gurgling fuss scattered throughout), Fire on Fire takes the listener on a ride through the sheer joys and woes of the human experience, offering unrestrained, open commentary on life and all its intricacies. Without getting too freaky as to alienate fans of ye olde folk music, The Orchard is the kind of record that I’m enjoying more and more with every listen. Very impressive for a band whose only previous effort was a five-song EP with a minimal pressing of 1,000 copies—they sound much more centered and seasoned than a group with such a short resume (though they did rise from the ashes of the new folk band, Cerberus Shoal).

Vocal duties are shared by all members, but Colleen Kinsella’s (who also created the album art) vigorous yowl of a voice serves to carry the songs to their heights, harmonizing very well with the more dapper, restrained voices of the male vocal contributors, who provide a center to the record’s fireside frenzy. Gypsy music, folk, Americana, and dark psychedelia swirl and coalesce, the songs built from a wide selection of influences taken from contemporary music and its ancestors, albeit with a slightly twisted, distinctive slant that makes these songs very much their own. Devendra Banhart’s 21st century oddities greets the 1960s earnestness of Fairport Convention and borrows from the adopted Eastern influences of Zach Condon's Beirut in a brightly hued—yet nuanced and deeply shadowed—conglomeration of banjo, harmonium, upright bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, dobro, tambourine, oud (kinda like a lute), nay (an ancient, end-blown flute), tamboritza (think Croatian mandolin), jembe (hand drum), and doumbek (goblet-shaped hand drum).

From such an eccentric collection of instruments, one can gather that this is not music that you can find everyday or everywhere… rather, its unique and robust sounds are a singular consequence of the musical chemistry in the blue house across from green oil tank #28 in South Portland, Maine.

ok i'll give this a listen... hot damn 08 has been so good

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to atsonicpark again.

yeah this is good stuff

Kinda sounds like Joanna Newsom (who I can't stand) and Neil Young (who everyone loves) fronting a band together. So I'm torn.

i just wanted to say that the orchard is a near perfect album. it really puts to shame almost any other "folkish" music thats been hyped the past few years.
this coming saturday night is the premier of my new radio show, and we put on the song the orchard.

Yeah fugazifan. The Fire on Fire/Cerberus Shoal/Big Blood family tree very rarely produces a song that isn't absolutely perfect. Glad you like!

I love the song "Hangman" on the handmade ep.... that's one of the best songs ever written by anyone ever. Starts out like a John Fahey song until weird skippy noise guitar comes in, delayed female vocals moaning and a hoarse guy going, "YOU'VE GOT TO GET YRSELF A FRIEND!!!!!!!" Man, what a fucking jam.

ill check it out now, i havent heard the ep yet, even though it was in the file you posted

thanks for that

*takes a bow*

Fire on Fire, "The Orchard"

 

 

Written by Lucas Schleicher Sunday, 18 January 2009 The promise of Fire on Fire's debut EP on Young God is easily met by their dream-like, somnambulistic follow-up. Less extravagant and aggressive than their previous effort, this Portland Maine-based quintet showcases their softer side with rich and mellow songwriting cut through by pining voices and twang-scored harmonies.
Young God

When I heard Fire on Fire's "Amnesia" (from their EP), I was won over by the psychedelic madness that boiled beneath the song's tuneful hook and bizarre lyrics. The band manifested a crazed energy within the confines of their nuanced songwriting and constantly teetered on the brink of chaos. The Orchard sees the band relaxing and focusing their energy on softer tunes and strengthening their songwriting core. With nothing but acoustic instruments at their disposal, the group recalls the spirit of America's early musical tradition by emphasizing strong lyrical topics and melody-heavy songs. Drunken and haphazard frills decorate the record and keep many of the songs from sinking into pure genre worship. This is not slick, romantic Appalachia; Fire on Fire are rugged and lively musicians who emphasize lurching movements and uneven steps.

The album begins with "Sirocco," perhaps the most rock-like song of the 12 featured on the album. The name comes from the high velocity winds that blow out of the Sahara and pelt France, Italy, and Greece across the Mediterranean. This hurricane-strength wind can disable machinery and invade homes as it blows north and dissipates. "Sirocco" takes its namesake seriously and functions as the album's vital genesis; it is far and away the most energetic song on the album and it propels the record forward with a haphazard bang. Reveling in fragility and decay, the band boldly announce their purpose: "If we tear this kingdom down / Tear it down / Let it be with a deserving and joyous sound." To this end, Fire on Fire employ rambling banjos, scruffy yelps, soothing harmonies, and the familiar sounds of the strummed guitar. They add quirky lyrics, unexpected twists, and exotic nuances to facilitate a hallucinatory sound. Some songs play out in prismatic shifts with uneasy contrasts and others resemble traditional American folk songs as imagined by The Byrds, but at no point does the group allow their songs to fall into an easily definable space. One of the album's highlights, "Toknight," is an almost-believable country/pop hybrid from the late '60s or early '70s. The song's heavy down-beat, plodding rhythm, huge chorus, and subject matter are all drawn from country and rock roots, but I doubt anyone would confuse Fire on Fire with Gram Parsons. Gypsy music seems an equal part of the band's formula, though that may only be an effect of the accordion's prominent position in many of the songs. The band's approach to performance is grounded in a familiar and well-established tradition, but their vision of American music isn't purely historical nor is it purely American.

In fact, an other-worldly quality permeates The Orchard from top to bottom. Collenen Kinsella's voice is a particularly sharp and effective part of the band's sound; her unusual abilities add an absolutely invaluable dimension to the band's timbre and provides some of the stranger songs their strangest edges. It is the use of unusual vocal harmonies and textures that gives many of these songs their unusual character. The vocal performances bare a tribal and spontaneous quality that alters the nature of the music being played and ultimately forms the heart of the record. In any case, Fire on Fire's music is an inventive take on old music; they've adhered to a simple premise and thankfully managed to strike new ground without venturing too far into "freak folk" territory. This is undeniably American music, but with Fire on Fire's distinct and eccentric signature.

Been playing this one a lot again recently. It strikes me how, from top-to-bottom, PERFECT it is.

I couldnt agree more...
this album is fuckin great.
I know its been a while since I heard it for the first time. and I wasnt really attracted by it on the first listen, but it has grown to be a pretty special album for me for special moments, really really good!!!

Hmm I'm listening to some of the mp3 samples and it doesn't seem too awful. Probably something I'll eventually check out.