Customer Reviews

The Golden Hour

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great album, this is what freedom sounds like. Tod A always finds a way to reinvent this band and he has done it now with eastern influences. This one is right up there with their debut "Get Off the Cross..." and "The Man on the Burning Tightrope." I'm not a fan of many "bands" but Firewater combines rock, world music, and sea chanteys perfectly. Drinking songs for the thinking man and a hell of a lot of fun with heavy subject matter.

What I have always respected about Tod A is that he's in the music scene because he has a passion for making music. He doesn't pander to anyone's tastes except his own. Clearly this is a road less traveled and it does make his music slightly less accessible to some listeners -- but if you're reading this then you're likely not one of "those people." If you are new to Firewater then "The Golden Hour" is as a good a place as any to get introduced. Lyrically it's a bit more straight forward than some of their previous works but stands well above "Man On A Burning Tightrope." Firewater has always produced music that is intended to be chewed slowly and then digested in a four chambered stomach. What this means to me is that it takes several listenings to really get the groove of what they are putting forth (note: while some work is 'better' than others, I have never once been disappointed by anything they have produced). On "The Golden Hour" the band returns to form and cranks out some rockin' rhythms and Tod A writes some authentic and righteous lyrics. The video that is included on the disc is a friendly peek into the making of the music. Thank you Tod A and Firewater!

Heard this playing over the sound system at a local brick and mortar establishment, immediately went on the hunt for it. Turns out this is unavailalbe via conventional means, and has to be purchased online, or by special order. So Amazon it was for me.

The minute this baby arrived, I jumped into the car, my favorite listening room, and spun it up. I returned home after running through it a couple times (some songs got more spin than that!) and added it to my travelling case of "must have with me" CD's.

The blending of middle eastern and asian styles with pure American angst expressed with an indy rock sensibility is irresistible...and refreshing! As with all worthy artwork, there is also an interesting story behind its production. The journey of Tod A. through Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia, and India while recording the music, with local musicians, that would be released as 'The Golden Hour,' makes the music all the more compelling.

The Golden Hour is upon us, and it is worthy of a spot in the collection of anyone who enjoys music that is art, and not simply filler for the empty spaces we move through.

Go get you some!!!

Anytime I listen to a new CD, and it ends, and I immediately hit "play" again, that music has found that little spot inside me which resonates strong. Very few bands find that spot.

I was not familiar with Firewater before I heard a couple of the new songs on the local listener-powered radio station KEXP, and I was completely sold on them after buying and listening to this CD. It has all the elements of so many bands I've loved over the years...the references to similarities with Nick Cave and Tom Waits are spot on, and I would also add that Firewater brings to mind why I loved the Pogues. The songs tell you something, and the beat is contagious and distracting. Most of my music time happens with headphones on while I'm throwing pottery. Firewater made me want to stop throwing, get up and dance around the studio. It's definitely a CD I want to share with friends.

Methinks it's time to investigate some of their other work...and soon!

After a few times listening to The Golden Hour, I love it. Thank you Tod A. and Firewater, my wait for something new from you is over. I appreciate why you left the USA to create this album and I really enjoy the world sound you created on your travels. I'm glad you're out there.

The CD is a great deal of fun but a little preachy. Borneo for example is great and a fine stinging commentary of the pres G B administration. Of course soon the administration will be changed and depending on the winner, it could be very un-PC. In general the music and form is international primarily asian/persian in tone. A definite keeper. Borneo is a great tune, fun lyrics and a terrific big band tune. In fact the one song is worth the price. Get it.

I am blown away by this album! I have loved Cop Shoot Cop since I first heard them 14 years ago, and this is the first album by Firewater to be in my player, and it's playing even when the cd stops. Great lyrics, great creative and interesting beats and songs, wonderful vocals. On one or two songs, I feel like Tod A. is about to break, and others he's so nonchalant about the tragic comedy that is real life, worded so poignantly that you picture everything in your mind when he's singing.
Pick up this cd, give a try, it will stir you!

The latest from Firewater is a radical departure from albums past. I have been a huge fan since their first (Get Off THe Cross We Need The Wood For The Fire) and became interested in them because of their Soul Coughing connection. Firewater, however, stands strongly and proudly on its own two legs with no associations needed. The Golden Hour casts aside the back alley drunken ballads, the twisted carnival epics, the Russian dance numbers and most of their former skin for a reinveted hard hitting organic Bollywood rock sound. Tod A and crew travelled a lot making this album, often assembling impromptu sessions with musicians they met on the street that same day.

Firewater easily tells a story, and though it is often a sad one, I always find myself dancing to the tale.

I've been a fan of Firewater since the debut album, and was excited to get my hands on this one. What blows me away about it is that it shows so much musical growth--and logical musical growth at that. You know how some artists "reinvent" themselves every few albums in order to try and stay fresh? (And it rarely works very well, by the way.) But with this album, Firewater has stayed true to their original influences while adding fresh new themes that push the music to a whole new level. Get ahold of this one, put it on repeat for a few hours, and don't say I never gave you nothin'.

I remember happening across firewater's "man on a burning tightrope" one day in my local library. I remember thinking "My what interesting cover art"
so, I took it home and gave it a listen, and I was blown away, it was like nothing I had ever heard before, sheer audible nirvana. I listened to that Cd on a loop for about three weeks straight it was so good, and this one is no different. The music is audacious, fun, heavy, and packs a potent punch in every measure. Tod A. is the unrecognized artistic Genius of our generation. The fact that he used musician from around the world as he traveled only adds to the artistic impact.