Saturday, May 9, 2020

Monuments



Fire in the Radio
Monuments
(Wednesday Records)

When I was a young teen working my first job, I saved up all of my money in order to buy a big ole Hi-Fi component stereo system with tower speakers.  It was my pride and joy.  Late at night, I would sit in the dark on a canvas chair in front of the system with my headphones on.  I would stare into console, as I marveled at the power boost a strong FM signal would give to music – an added buzz and increased separation of sound.  I would lose myself in the music and the lights that illuminated the otherwise dark components of the stereo creating a warm glow.  It looked like little city grid in there, or like a little fire burning inside.  My family constantly made fun of me for staring at the stereo with such intent, which could happen at any time and for hours at a stretch.  “Enjoying the view?” my Mom might quip as she passed by my room.  Though some of those components have broken down or petered out over the last 35 years, I still have the same basic system.  It is still an alter acting as a nightlight in my darkened bedroom, and the music it plays keeps me alive.



What does all of this have to do with the new album, Monuments, from Philadelphia band Fire in the Radio?  Other than the fact that their name brought those memories to the fore, the music does make me feel like a kid again.  This is the first I’ve heard of this band, though it is their third LP, and it is filled with punk inspired guitar anthems.  This is the type of thing that used to mystify me.  Like, why isn’t this hugely popular?  These guys rock!  There are chiming power chords, propulsive throbbing basslines, relentlessly upbeat drumming, and sing along choruses everywhere.  The lyrics are thoughtful and can draw out all kinds of personal emotional connections.  Plus the production is big and bright and radio ready.  Yet, here we are.  I found the album via Bandcamp just like most of the other criminally underappreciated artists on there fighting for an audience.

I do not know anything about Fire in the Radio and there is no information about them on the record sleeve.  To me, it sounds like there are two lead vocalists, which is always a strength if you ask me, because it creates a nice unforced variety.  The album opens with an instant favorite “Let’s Get to the Start,” a song about needing to reset after a crippling disagreement.  It reminds me a ton of early Idlewild’s incredible 100 Broken Windows album, as does the excellent “Tulare” and the more Remote Part-ish “This is My Document.”  On the other hand, you’ve got the more difficult (not as straight-ahead), heavier songs such as “Gravity” and “Breaking,” which hint at Bivouac -era Jawbreaker as played by a mid-90s Washington DC band, are still infused with ear appealing choruses.  Speaking of Washington DC, the cranking “Ex-SF” reminds me of Fugazi.  Another highlight for me is the wistful “I Said,” which cruises along like a Chris McCaughan led Lawrence Arms heartbreaker.  I am a sucker for sparse lyrics about quiet moments in time that feel emotionally monumental.  Which brings me to the closing song “Save Me.”  This is exactly the kind of song I was referring to earlier.  This universally understandable song should be massive!  It is so damn catchy, it rocks, it’s easy to sing along with (and to get stuck in one’s head), and it is tragically sad in a desperate identifiable way (“Save me now / save me from the demons I once brought home / I don’t want to be left alone”).

It has been too long since I’ve had this kind of punk rock band come into my life, and there is always room.  It's energizing and exciting.  There's a certain cathartic enjoyment I get out of loud, emotionally charged upbeat songs that are also tender and, at times, heartbreaking.  It doesn’t hurt when the bulk of the songs stick with you and repeat over and over in your head – in a good way.  “Wake me up / It’s time.”

(https://fireintheradio.bandcamp.com/)



Fire in the Radio "Tulare"










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