Fire On Fire - The Orchard

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release
Soundclips

5...according to our Phil on Thu 09 Apr, 2009.

This Fire On Fire CD on Young God is amazing. The thing about Young God (and I'm sure I've mentioned this before) is they only release a handful of things each year but each one is amazing. So much love and effort goes into each release it's astounding. 'The Orchard' is no exception and the music itself on the album is superb. Following top albums by The Angels of Light, Larkin Grimm et al here's Fire on Fire!! They used to be Cerberus Shoal but they've hoofed their electric guitars and noisey rock drums out of the window and replaced 'em with all acoustic goodness. Namely mandolin, accordion, banjo, harmonium, stand up bass etc all mixed up to make some fanciful 'joyously vengeful gospel string band' to quote the press release. I think that sums it up nicely. The other thing it mentions is that this isn't folk music. It's more old timey incantations of early American music and I think that's spot on. In fact despite the songs all sounding traditional 'n all it sounds very modern... I think it's the production you know. Lots of string instruments all chucked together in a timeless fashion coupled with some brilliant songwriting makes a remarkably good album. The songs all have space to breathe and while at times there's a slight jauntyness about them, at other times it can be quite dark. I'm reminded of folks like Micah Blue Smaldone and Neil Young. Check it out cos it's an amazing record. Part of the whole freak/folk/new roots/whatever movement but The Orchard is definitely an album you need in your life if you have an interest in those genres. We think it's going to be CD only as it was originally just a limited release for the Young God site but there's been some pressure for a more general release. Here you go. Worth the wait I'm sure you'll find!

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Fire On Fire used to be the art-punk-prog-chaos collective Cerberus Shoal, but they ditched their electric
instruments, went into hiding for a while, and now play acoustic—stand-up bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonium,
accordion, acoustic guitar, dobro, etc.—and all sing and harmonize on the songs. Live, they do it “old school” and
just use two mics placed in front of them on the stage, like a bluegrass band. They all live in the same house up in
Maine, across from rusting green oil tanks, apparently. They sound like a backwoods, fierce, psychedelic Mamas
and the Papas or a crazed and joyously vengeful gospel string band. They feed off each and propel other as
musicians with a powerful and joyous energy. It’s all acoustic, but it’s not in the least folky. More old-timey
incantations—American music with excellent words, performed with the honed violence of intent that truly great
music requires. —Michael Gira / Young God Records “Fire On Fire hum with ancient things transmuted through
allacoustic instrumentation and a marvelously un-modern chemistry. Deeply felt, highly personal and eloquent as
a homespun waltz.... Raw, beautifully organic voices burrow into heavy places with a sweet step redolent of
Sacred Harp spirituals....” —Jambase.com “… a blend of Appalachian, the Grateful Dead, Strawbs, Incredible
String Band, Patti Smith, madrigalian folk, the Band, even touches of Sammlas Mammas Manna here and there,
importing older pan-European strains … ripe with full-fleshed maturity, often almost shocking in its eruditions,
never remiss in delivering a potent angle on hallowed traditionalism while injecting sly latter-day tweaks and tuneups....”
—Acousticmusic.com