Smoke or Fire - Above The City

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to a band is to have to change your name after seven years of marketing yourself to the world. Unfortunately, Smoke or Fire was forced to do this upon the release of their latest album Above the City. So while the band may seem like a newbie to melodic punk rock scene, they have actually been going at it for some time. After a couple EPs and a folded indie label or two, the band has finally released their debut full-length via Fat Wreck. As much as I hate using generic terms like “melodic punk rock,” I think that probably best describes Smoke or Fire’s sound. Short songs (the entire 12 tracks only last 24 minutes), predominantly full of energy and aggression, but just enough hook to make it sweet to the ears. The band manages to avoid the common punk downfall of having all the songs sound the same, and instead creates enough variety to keep you interested the entire 24 minutes. The problem is this is almost too short to really critique the band’s sound. The production of the record has a somewhat rough (yet quality) sound that I think the band was obviously going for, and the vocals seem to stick to the punk formula of putting feeling before pitch. Don’t get me wrong, I quite enjoy the vocals, but the range is definitely limited and the frequent comparisons to Hot Water Music are very warranted. Overall this is a great record from a band that I think fits into the Fat Wreck roster very well. The only complaint I can come up with is that when all your songs are only 2 minutes long, you may need to put more than 12 on an album. [www.smokeorfire.com]