THE FIRE: "Supernova"

Rating: RRRR
Label: Valery Records 2013
Review by Alan Holloway
Although this album arrived with no fanfare and even less information, it seems The Fire have been around for a few years, with this being their third full length album. Another on the ever expanding and ever diverse Valery Records label, The Fire are probably the least Italian sounding Italian band I’ve ever come across.
When you first put on “Supernova”, you certainly get a mixed message. First track “Supernova” will make you think you’ve go9t a band heavily influenced by Muse, but it’s followed by “See You Next Time”, a song that comes right out of the “U2 For Dummies” book. The thing is, it’s as good as anything U2 ever did, a brilliant song in every way. Then you get the single, “Follow Me”, which is a smooth, melodic thumper that deserves to be a hit all over the world but probably won’t be. All through this, and the rest of the album, The Fire sound very, well… British. There’s more than a hint of the kind of music Gun do at their best, all beautifully laid down but with one eye on chart success, evidenced by the fact that the hooks go deeper than a javelin. Vocalist Olly Riva has a great voice, built for stadiums, and the production brings the whole thing out to a tee. Yep - I really like The Fire.
There’s a bit of a drop in quality with the quirky but ultimately unsatisfying Waltzin’ Monnalisa, which I’m sure some will like but it leaves me a bit cold and interrupts the flow of the album like a brick to the face. Towards the end The Fire find it a little hard to keep up the very high standard of the first half, but there’s still a plethora of solid, melodic tracks that fall on the rock side of the Indie divide. “Italians are not just good lovers”, it says on their website, and I can’t disagree with that. Check out the video to “Follow Me” on YouTube, and if that floats your boat you really should buy this album.
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