Koala Fires

The full-length debut from Cincinnati’s Koala Fires finds the band sharpening the most appealing aspects of 2009’s Sleep Tight, Lucky Grills EP while simultaneously expanding into new territory (full disclosure: I’ve met the Koala Fires’ guitarist, Kendall Bruns, since my original review). The group’s increased confidence is evident from even a passing comparison of “The Friendly Ghost” with its previously released version. By pushing the guitar further down in the mix and emphasizing Dan Johnson’s pulsing bass, they uncover a whole new sense of urgency in the song. “Thunderbugs” gets a similar makeover, and both tracks benefit from higher production values that add depth to the vocal harmonies and sharpen the melodies’ pivot points.

Yet The Beeping in Our Hearts departs significantly from the sugar-buzz pop that defined the group’s previous effort. The band plays with a variety of dynamic ranges, and to good effect. Front and center in many of Koala Fires’ most enjoyable songs is Mike Paolucci’s nimble drumming. His military snare beat unites Kendall Bruns’s crunchy guitar with a moaning saxophone on album opener “Observers.” A portentous drum fill segues the lazy swing of “All the World’s Been Staged” into a satisfyingly grand finale. Similarly rousing is the anthemic “Forever Our Heads Will Burn,” with its steady build-up from Paolucci’s bass-drum-heavy opening rhythm to the song’s call-and-response chorus.

It’s not quite a flawless album. The lyrics are still a bit of a question mark for me, and while they carry a palatable vibe of heartfelt sincerity mingled with 20-something spiritual angst, they rarely gel into a cohesive picture. With the way the songs are grouped, the shortest, peppiest tracks come at the beginning, while the last six songs all linger around the five-minute mark. This adds weight to the record’s back end and sucks some of the momentum out of this otherwise bright and energetic collection of songs. But these shortcomings are easy to overlook when measured against the album’s many charms. The Beeping in Our Hearts is a pleasurable work with plenty of pop savvy to go around.

01. Observers
02. The Friendly Ghost
03. Thunderbugs
04. All the World’s Been Staged
05. Forever Our Heads Will Burn
06. La Belle et la Bete
07. Devil Girl from Mars
08. These Bones Will Dance
09. The Beeping in Our hearts
10. Burn It Down - Tiny Mix Tapes

The full-length debut from Cincinnati’s Koala Fires finds the band sharpening the most appealing aspects of 2009’s Sleep Tight, Lucky Grills EP while simultaneously expanding into new territory (full disclosure: I’ve met the Koala Fires’ guitarist, Kendall Bruns, since my original review). The group’s increased confidence is evident from even a passing comparison of “The Friendly Ghost” with its previously released version. By pushing the guitar further down in the mix and emphasizing Dan Johnson’s pulsing bass, they uncover a whole new sense of urgency in the song. “Thunderbugs” gets a similar makeover, and both tracks benefit from higher production values that add depth to the vocal harmonies and sharpen the melodies’ pivot points.

Yet The Beeping in Our Hearts departs significantly from the sugar-buzz pop that defined the group’s previous effort. The band plays with a variety of dynamic ranges, and to good effect. Front and center in many of Koala Fires’ most enjoyable songs is Mike Paolucci’s nimble drumming. His military snare beat unites Kendall Bruns’s crunchy guitar with a moaning saxophone on album opener “Observers.” A portentous drum fill segues the lazy swing of “All the World’s Been Staged” into a satisfyingly grand finale. Similarly rousing is the anthemic “Forever Our Heads Will Burn,” with its steady build-up from Paolucci’s bass-drum-heavy opening rhythm to the song’s call-and-response chorus.

It’s not quite a flawless album. The lyrics are still a bit of a question mark for me, and while they carry a palatable vibe of heartfelt sincerity mingled with 20-something spiritual angst, they rarely gel into a cohesive picture. With the way the songs are grouped, the shortest, peppiest tracks come at the beginning, while the last six songs all linger around the five-minute mark. This adds weight to the record’s back end and sucks some of the momentum out of this otherwise bright and energetic collection of songs. But these shortcomings are easy to overlook when measured against the album’s many charms. The Beeping in Our Hearts is a pleasurable work with plenty of pop savvy to go around.

01. Observers
02. The Friendly Ghost
03. Thunderbugs
04. All the World’s Been Staged
05. Forever Our Heads Will Burn
06. La Belle et la Bete
07. Devil Girl from Mars
08. These Bones Will Dance
09. The Beeping in Our hearts
10. Burn It Down - Tiny Mix Tapes

This week's free, outdoor "Indie Summer" music showcase on Fountain Square features a great lineup on Friday. National wave-makers Pomegranates (who will be showcasing at the MidPoint Music Festival this September with their labelmates on Lujo Records) and Bad Veins (who have been in the studio working on an album) headline, and newcomers The Koala Fires open the show at 7 p.m. The Fires (which debuted late last month) features Matt Mooney (formerly of Super77), artist/filmmaker/musician Kendall Bruns, Mike Paolucci (Fizzgig) and Dan Johnson (The Bell and the Hammer). The newbie band of vets -- whose approach is said to recall the late '80s/early '90s Indie Rock sound -- is currently working on an EP and LP, with hopes of releasing both later this year. (myspace.com/thekoalafires)

(Mike Breen) - CityBeat

This week's free, outdoor "Indie Summer" music showcase on Fountain Square features a great lineup on Friday. National wave-makers Pomegranates (who will be showcasing at the MidPoint Music Festival this September with their labelmates on Lujo Records) and Bad Veins (who have been in the studio working on an album) headline, and newcomers The Koala Fires open the show at 7 p.m. The Fires (which debuted late last month) features Matt Mooney (formerly of Super77), artist/filmmaker/musician Kendall Bruns, Mike Paolucci (Fizzgig) and Dan Johnson (The Bell and the Hammer). The newbie band of vets -- whose approach is said to recall the late '80s/early '90s Indie Rock sound -- is currently working on an EP and LP, with hopes of releasing both later this year. (myspace.com/thekoalafires)

(Mike Breen) - CityBeat

Connected friends burn with amped-up Indie Rock

BY Ezra Waller

What's the first thing you do when you've thought up a clever band name?

Google it, of course. When Koala Fires singer/guitarist Matt Mooney did this, he was pleasantly surprised that he didn't find any other bands that had claimed the moniker. What he did find, however, was pretty depressing.

"There were all of these stories about Australian bushfires, and it was so sad," Mooney recalls, "because koalas are really slow, so when a fire starts they just climb trees. You can actually hear the ones that are trapped screaming in the forest. So as I was reading through all this tragic stuff the name evolved into this analogy for humanity."

That's heavy stuff from the jovial frontman whose last band, Super77, was the most carefree bunch of crazies to ever bounce around a stage. Since his departure from that group, Mooney has penned about 30 songs, the catalyst that enabled his new group to be gigging regularly and brandishing a cherry EP four months after their inception.

When the guys in The Koala Fires talk about how they always wanted to be in a band with each other, the lineup seems almost inevitable.

As soon as he was courted by longtime friend Dan Johnson (bass), Mooney immediately tapped guitarist Kendall Bruns (formerly of And How, I Invented It!), an art school chum with whom he'd jammed when they were bandless a few years ago. Kendall in turn snagged phenomenal drummer Mike Paolucci, who had recently parted ways with local Power Pop icons Fizzgig.

With the lineup set, it was easy to pick 10 gems out of Mooney's demos. Even amid the silliness of Super77, his talent for crafting great hooks, dramatic arrangements and poetic lyrics was apparent. These songs are open-ended stories with tantalizing imagery pulling them in and out of focus. His writing is as complex and hopeful as ever but with an unmistakable weariness.

"I was probably the saddest I've been in my life when I wrote these songs," Mooney says. "When you're a kid you have this really idealistic world view, and I think I held onto that for a really long time. So they're catchy and upbeat and everything, but there's this melancholy side."

His bandmates have latched onto this duality and developed their sound accordingly. They found musical common ground in the Indie Rock of the late '80s/early '90s, when a strong sense of melody coexisted with raw intensity and dissonance.

"I tend to like bands that don't really have a format, so every song has its own sound," Paolucci says. "I think that's why the '80s is my favorite musical period, because all of the songs all had their own personality."

Koala Fires' songs tend to have multiple personalities. "The Friendly Ghost," from their new EP, Sleep Tight, Lucky Grills, slips back and forth between a churning samba, pounding 2/4 and stop/start Punk rhythms worthy of the Minutemen.

"I think when people say something sounds like the '80s they're trying to say it's more melodic than music now," says Bruns, whose guitar lends texture and depth to the KF sound. "The bass lines really drove the songs. Contemporarily, that's not really the case."

Johnson is more than happy to drive. Even though he claims to enjoy the "mindlessness" of bass, he plays it like a lead instrument.

"I've always been into prettier stuff, though," Johnson says. "I like the Beach Boys. But I'm immediately skeptical of any band that lists them as an influence."

The Koala Fires could certainly make that claim, with all four members contributing strong harmonies and assorted "whoas," and "ahhs." On "Voyager 2," the vocal arrangements sound like they could have been penned by Billy Joel in his "Innocent Man" phase, helping to provide those slivers of inspiration that shine through otherwise cloudy skies.

"Sometimes the koalas get rescued," Bruns reassures. "So it's not all bad." - CityBeat

Cincinnati: home of Skyline Chili, Proctor & Gamble, and the most dangerous neighborhood in America. Well, you can add to that list power-pop four-piece The Koala Fires. Their debut EP, Sleep Tight Lucky Grills, hinges on sharp bursts of youthful guitar rock and post-Pixies song dynamics. It’s a sunny, energetic record, charmingly reflective of their pleasant and (Over the Rhine aside) homey little Midwestern city of origin.

The Koala Fires have all the hallmarks of good pop songwriting nailed down: infectious hooks, well-placed melodic shifts, and, perhaps best of all, songs that are exactly the length they need to be. Of the three tracks, only one just barely crests above three minutes. This keeps the composition tight and doesn’t allow the listener’s attention to wander. Alas, if only more of their peers would listen and take notes.

Lucky Grills opens on its strongest footing. With its angular riffing and call-and-response verses, “The Friendly Ghost” sounds like it would have felt right at home on the next Mission of Burma album. “Thunder Bugs” snatches the opening from The Pixies’ “Something Against You,” but eschews Black Francis-style raging for unassuming catchiness and some very timely chord changes. They conclude their set, hearts-on-sleeves, with “Voyager Two,” a track that recalls some of the more palatable offerings from Weezer’s Green Album. Their influences are obvious, but the songs themselves are so lean and ebullient, it’s easy to forgive them.

If there’s one aspect the band may still need to work on, it’s finding the appropriate energy for the vocals. Singer Matt Mooney’s voice is well-suited to The Koala Fires’ brand of indie punk, but at times (and it is a true rarity for me to say this), he oversells his portion, pushing his voice a little bit beyond his comfortable range. Nevertheless, the band has a manifest talent for crafting memorable riffs. One hopes that future releases will find The Koala Fires further establishing their own voice while still maintaining the tunefulness and concision that makes Sleep Tight Lucky Grills such a genuinely fun listen.

1. The Friendly Ghost
2. Thunder Bugs
3. Voyager Two

by Joe Hemmerling
- Tiny Mix Tapes tinymixtapes.com

Cincinnati: home of Skyline Chili, Proctor & Gamble, and the most dangerous neighborhood in America. Well, you can add to that list power-pop four-piece The Koala Fires. Their debut EP, Sleep Tight Lucky Grills, hinges on sharp bursts of youthful guitar rock and post-Pixies song dynamics. It’s a sunny, energetic record, charmingly reflective of their pleasant and (Over the Rhine aside) homey little Midwestern city of origin.

The Koala Fires have all the hallmarks of good pop songwriting nailed down: infectious hooks, well-placed melodic shifts, and, perhaps best of all, songs that are exactly the length they need to be. Of the three tracks, only one just barely crests above three minutes. This keeps the composition tight and doesn’t allow the listener’s attention to wander. Alas, if only more of their peers would listen and take notes.

Lucky Grills opens on its strongest footing. With its angular riffing and call-and-response verses, “The Friendly Ghost” sounds like it would have felt right at home on the next Mission of Burma album. “Thunder Bugs” snatches the opening from The Pixies’ “Something Against You,” but eschews Black Francis-style raging for unassuming catchiness and some very timely chord changes. They conclude their set, hearts-on-sleeves, with “Voyager Two,” a track that recalls some of the more palatable offerings from Weezer’s Green Album. Their influences are obvious, but the songs themselves are so lean and ebullient, it’s easy to forgive them.

If there’s one aspect the band may still need to work on, it’s finding the appropriate energy for the vocals. Singer Matt Mooney’s voice is well-suited to The Koala Fires’ brand of indie punk, but at times (and it is a true rarity for me to say this), he oversells his portion, pushing his voice a little bit beyond his comfortable range. Nevertheless, the band has a manifest talent for crafting memorable riffs. One hopes that future releases will find The Koala Fires further establishing their own voice while still maintaining the tunefulness and concision that makes Sleep Tight Lucky Grills such a genuinely fun listen.

1. The Friendly Ghost
2. Thunder Bugs
3. Voyager Two

by Joe Hemmerling
- Tiny Mix Tapes tinymixtapes.com