Burnt Fur
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Burnt Fur

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"Fresh-Picked Music: Burnt Fur 06.26.07"

Burnt Fur is a Boston-based band that, while completely modern, manages to sound retro. Their love for experimental, industrial, and new wave bands from the '80s and '90s shines through in their first single, "Vitriol," and especially in their brilliant covers of New Order's "Ultraviolence" and the Human League's "Seconds." Burnt Fur's tunes are danceable, well-executed, and definitely worth checking out. - A Penton Media, emusicanXTRA


"Interview w/Rebuilding Year Blog 05.24.09"

It's time we show some love to Boston's own new wavers Burnt Fur. The four-piece is working on a new album and an accompanying Ep. They sent us some mp3s from their last LP UNFURL. Burnt Fur will be playing a FREE SHOW at Ramrod in Boston May 27th! Burt Fur was kind enough to email me some information about what they're up to.

Burnt Fur-Warm All Day(mp3) ""Warm All Day" has a much nicer feel! I love the first day it is actually warm in New England every year, so I set out to put the feeling into music. It's a song I've always known I would make as soon as I just had the right gear, so I think the atmosphere the strings and guitars create comes from that feeling. As the album follows a trail from the first day of spring until the end with winter, the lyrics are about new beginnings, meeting new people to date and the warm spring. This song is my favorite track on the album."

Burnt Fur-Homage(mp3) ""Homage" ends our album. By this point in the album the subject matter is cold and aloof. So this song has a jangly, upbeat guitar melody because if we're going to be serious you might as well get to dance to it! The songs on the album compare nature to social behavior, so this song is about how unrepentantly horrible people can be to those closest to them as a parallel to the change from fall into winter which is unforgiving and the end of everything built on the summer. People forgive and it all starts over again but it takes some time."

"Soon! Sometime in the next three months we will release an EP of what we consider to be bright, new wave tracks (title TBA). We're performing the lead track "Reverie" live and it is the last of our jangle/drum machine pop. There will be another "cult favorite" b-side cover (we cover album tracks and b-sides by bands we love on our singles), a demo of a track we accidentally lost called "Blink-Blink," and an original b-side. Our show Wednesday the 27th at the Ramrod in Boston (FREE 21+) is our first promotion of the EP.

We will book only a few shows this year (unless you know, there is demand!) as we're all feeling the recession too, but a free show should be good for anybody and dancing can only help! We have a long set planned.

Next year, we will release our sophomore album. So far we have tracks with titles like "Bad Dates," "Tension," "Broken Window," and "FLEX," it's all very dangerous! With our newest member Jean Kennedy, now three of the members are Sonic Youth fanatics playing electronic music...think where that can go just for a start! We've been making a lot of static noise and layered samples, listening to a lot of dub music, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and using it all to figure out a way to stay electronic and still manipulate the sound like a guitar band can. Our second album should be raw and industrial where UNFURL was pop and new wave."

Posted by ROOFCANO at 2:14 PM - www.rebuilding-year.blogspot.com


"Live Review by Concert Central - 05.27.09 Ramrod, Boston MA"

Burnt Fur Ramrod Boston MA May 27, 2009
May 27th, 2009 by Andrew

Burnt Fur were awesome. Why they were playing at Ramrod, a leather bar, I don’t know (on recommendation of a DJ that works there if the stories are true.) The band found a credible vibe between the Cure (which they credited as an influence) and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The entire set was polished, high energy songs that walked the fine line between punk and new wave. Songs like Warm All Day were at one end of the spectrum while a track like Cats was at the vast other end. But it all worked.

The band traded off instruments and vocal duties and far surpassed expectations in the decidedly un-Ramrod crowd. A cover of The Glove’s Orgy sealed the deal. A magnificent performance. - www.vault.concert-central.com


"Electronic New Wave Returning, Fur Sure 04.11.08"

By Kerry Purcell / Meet the Band | Friday, April 11, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Music News

Hold on to your keyboards. Boston quartet Burnt Fur is starting a new wave of electronic music.

Burnt Fur - the band�s euphemism for being �ticked off� - is frustrated with what members call the �less-polished new wave acts� around town.

�We want to hear our music on the radio,� Burnt Fur guitarist Scott Harrison said, �not some of the fluff that�s out there. It�s too light, absent-minded, and has lyrics that don�t make sense. I�m looking to create something that connects to me mentally, but also something that I can go out on the floor and dance to. (Weak) local acts were a catalyst for us forming.�

In 2003 Harrison and keyboardist Patrik Tirda teamed up to record a cover of Madonna�s �Gambler� as a playful project. The partnership developed into a full band in 2005 after Harrison brought in Ian St. Germain, a childhood friend from their hometown of Lakeville, to play bass and drum pads. Then St. Germain called in a college friend, Shana Slayter of Brockton, to sing as well as contribute on bass and drum pads.

�People want to dance now,� Harrison said. �In the �90s, we had a lot of bands that focused on how well you could play the instruments, but were less focused on fun. We want to go out and dance, and stripped-down electronics are more fun to work with. It�s not all about how great of a guitar player you are.�

Using vintage equipment, Burnt Fur creates samples that are reminiscent of video-game tones and children�s toys. Harrison even changed the circuitry of the classic �80s toy Speak & Spell to get a sound he craved.

To enhance its sound of yesteryear, the band recorded its EPs �Radiate,� �Vitriol� and the recent �Unfurl� on an 8-track machine without any help from computers. It wasn�t easy.

�I was pulling my hair out,� Harrison said, �saying, �Am I going to be a failure?� But I�m really determined when I want something.�

The old-school electronics are combined with traditional rock instruments to create a hard, industrial surface for Burnt Fur�s lyrics.

�Pop bands have lyrics that are often a lot of fluff,� Harrison said. �We are looking to have great lyrics, like �80s post-the Smiths. We�re more of your B-52�s, New Order, Depeche Mode, more than we�re like the Dresden Dolls.�

Burnt Fur�s plan? To make more recordings. And to get even heavier.

�It�s following the same trajectory of the �80s,� Harrison said. �The new wave fun stuff with guitars is coming in now, but it�ll get more aggressive and guitar-heavy. I definitely think there�s going to be a resurgence of industrial music in the next few years.�

Consider yourself warned.

The band: Shana Slayter (vocals, bass, drum pads), Patrik Tirda (keyboards, sampler), Scott Harrison (guitar, vocals, bass, drum pads), Ian St. Germain (bass, drum pads)

The sound: Danceable electronic new wave with thoughtful lyrics

The show: Burnt Fur celebrates the resurgence of electronic music tomorrow, with Cyanide Valentine, the Cold War and Spectator, at Church, Boston


- Boston Herald


"This Month's Soundrack: Unfurl April 2008"

By Tracy Katz:

Those who embrace the DIY approach to music making will always hold a place in our hearts. These albums set the standard for the EM attitude.

1. Various Artists: Wait til the Ice Melts
2. Bob Siebert: Rrrring Tones!
3. Burnt Fur: Unfurl
More crunchy than furry, this debut album from the Boston-based band is a modern take on retro '80s dance and pop.
4. Radio Massacre International: Rain Falls in Grey
5. Evol Intent: Era of Diversion

(page includes full band photo and album cover photo)


- Electronic Musican - April 2008 issue


"Doin' the Twitch 03.06.08"

By Brian Jewel:

Every Wednesday at The Ramrod, DJ Mac spins new wave, goth and industrial tunes in a toe-tapping time warp called Twitch. Next Wednesday, Twitch switches into high gear with live sets from local new wavers Burnt Fur and Daniel Ouellette.

The continuing appeal of the new wave sound, a blend of rock and early electronica, is no surprise to Burnt Fur's Scott Harrison, who says that the rise of cookie-cutter musical acts in the '90s only highlights the passion lurking beneath those shimmering synthesizers that characterized so much of the music of the 80s.

"After Nirvana were a hit, it was more important to the industry to fit into the fad than find the substance in the songs," he theorizes. "In the '80s if dozens of lead singers started mimicking Robert Smith, we would have gleefully crucified them all! The individuals were overwhelmed by the look-alikes in the '90s. I think of my favorite alternative music in this decade as an attempt to pick up where we left off at the end of the '80s."

For Burnt Fur, that means a slightly dark but very danceable blend of guitars and synths, a retro sound reminiscent of New Order but with up-to-the-minute lyrics inspired by the struggle for marriage equality in Massachusetts. Ouellette's style blends high drama and deadpan quirkiness into songs about having a crush on Superman and visiting Monster Island. (Imagine Klaus Nomi covering The B-52s.) The two acts channel the spirit of fun creativity that prevailed in much of the music of the 80s - and that has never gone out of style.

Burnt Fur and Daniel Ouellette play at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12 at The Ramrod, 1254 Boylson St., Boston. 21+, free. Info: www.nightclubramrod.com.
- Bay Windows


"UNFURL CD REVIEW 02.26.09"

Burnt Fur
Unfurl
(New Shiner)

Burnt Fur is a maddening blend of so many dance-pop/New Wave influences that it gets a bit dizzying. You can hear elements of '80s acts like The Cars, U2, The Smiths, Herbie Hancock, The Eurythmics and The Cure, with some crisp, Blondie-esque guitar sounds and even a few Thomas Dolby-worthy drum machine breaks. There are a few newer industrial tannins a la Nine Inch Nails and the Dresden Dolls, and they've even thrown in some vintage video game sounds that I think are from Defender. Really a great effort, with solid grooves and good songwriting—if they dropped a little extra dough to re-do the vocals in a top-notch facility, it'd be a huge hit. —Tom Sturm - The Valley Advocate


"UNFURL CD REVIEW June 2008"

Unfurl, the debut album by Burnt Fur, features an array of songs influenced by vintage new wave to 1980s video games. Using only an 8-track digital recorder, Burnt Fur sought to create a minimalistic �charred� sound in their approach to production despite many intricate layers in their music. Although the album may seem a bit excessive at times in its layers, Unfurl is consistent from start to finish, as it challenges its audience lyrically and musically.

The most impressive aspect of Burnt Fur�s music is their seemingly preternatural ability to use just the right amount of guitar in each song. Guitar tracks come in short punctuated bursts, blending into each song as though they are part of the entire picture rather than their own entities. Burnt Fur�s penchant for creatively using guitar is particularly evident on �D.S.T.,� with its contrasting sections ranging from eerie and ambient to resounding and pronounced.

Burnt Fur�s elaborately crafted songs have the distinct quality of sounding like a complete entity rather then a blend of tracks masquerading as individually-arranged puzzle pieces.

Unfurl is an excellently arranged album that is easier to appreciate with each listen. There are many understated aspects in the songs that may not be apparent upon first listen. (New Shiner)

www.burntfurmusic.com

-Wayne Raymondo - Northeast Performer


"UNFURL CD REVIEW 12.22.08"

James Reilly, southcoast247.com associate editor
December 22, 2008

With popular acts like The Killers and Shiny Toy Guns busting out their arpeggiators and Roland TR-808's, it's clear that the new wave sounds of the 80s are making a big comeback. For some, however, those classic analog noise makers never really went away. Boston-based electro outfit Burnt Fur is a perfect example, whose synth-heavy new wave pop marries the experimental tendencies of Joy Division with "New Romantic" melodies and the fuzzed out, ultra-processed guitars of early 90s electronica. Tracks like the infectious "Radiate," with its cooing vocals and hooky chorus, call to mind classic cuts from Soho synth-pop pioneers, Visage, while the ethereal guitars and Bernard Sumner-esque vocals of "Homage" effectively ape the stylings of Substance-era New Order. Other tracks, like "Pixelated Black," embrace the darker, more industrial side of the Manchester movement, with symphonic stabs, pulsating drums, and flanged-out, atonal vocals. Of course, none of the material in this low-fi e xperiment is particularly original, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable or gleefully addictive. - southcoast247.com


"UNFURL CD REVIEW 01.09.09"

Music that sounds like a collision of the best of new wave, post-punk, and electronica, with a dash of modern sensibility- there you have Burnt Fur, a four-piece band from Boston, Massachusetts, comprised of members Scott Harrison (vocals/guitar/bass/drum pads/synth), Patrik Tirda (synth/samples/drum pads), and Ian St. Germain and Jean Kennedy on drum pads/bass.

Unfurl is the debut album they released in February of 2008. The title track, also a single, features introspective lines like "Moving beyond shape, removal with velocity / I unfurl like I'm living ahead of time" and "They say we don't change / We become more of who we really are" set to gliding, upbeat electronics. "Redux" and "Initials in the Tree" rev up the danceability factor and reveal the darker side of the band, while "Warm All Day" and "D.S.T." venture into shoegaze territory. "Vitriol" and "Radiate" were released as singles prior to the release of Unfurl, and serve as fine examples of how radio playability and catchiness don't require compromising style. "Pixelated Black" is my personal pick for this album's highlight, with incessant drum-beats, perfect splashes of synth, and robotic vocal flanging. The album ends with "Homage", taking back in the soft, bittersweet aura of the first track, and bringing the album, everything full-circle, to a close.

What sets Burnt Fur apart from many of the so-called "new wave revival" or "electronic revival" acts of today is that this is not a carbon copy of the dark dance-hall music of the past; it is respectful of it and offers an expansion and new interpretation of such a sound. This is also one of few albums I have gotten in recent times that actually includes lyrics in the insert, proving Burnt Fur not just to be something to dance to, but also a band for thoughtful consideration. They are currently working on their follow-up album, which I very much look forward to hearing.

Note: I'd like to add that Burnt Fur also covered one of my favourite New Order songs, "Ultraviolence" on their "Vitriol" single: listen here!
- A Future In Noise by Marilyn Roxie


Discography

REVERIE (EP), coming soon spring 2010
Homage (single), release date 06.24.08
Unfurl (debut album), release date 02.05.08
Radiate (single), release date 11.27.07
Vitriol (single), release date 05.28.07

These songs have recently received airplay on WFNX 101.7 FM, WZBC 90.3 FM, WMFO 91.5 FM Tufts Freeform Radio, WMBR 88.1 FM MIT, WMPG 104.1 FM Maine, WCNI 90.9 FM, and WELH 88.1 FM Brown University:

Radiate
Vitriol
Pixelated Black
Redux
Homage
Unfurl

Photos

Bio

10.15.09

BURNT FUR is preparing for a special set of new originals and cult favorite covers for their Halloween night show at Jacques Underground in Boston. This is a chance to hear songs from their up-coming second album early, alongside covers of their favorite spooky songs live this year!

The band has gone through some changes over the past few months which have led to the decision to put off the release of the REVERIE EP until early spring 2010. Currently most of the tracks are recorded, and some are being remixed. The track list of the EP may also change or be expanded before release. Next year BURNT FUR will be ready to perform regularly as a three-piece band, however you can expect guest vocals from Jean Kennedy featured on the EP and at selected live dates in the future.

The songs on their debut album UNFURL (Feb 2008) explore the similarities between nature and the digital age. The band has received positive reviews and interviews by several publications including Electronic Musician, Bay Windows, The Boston Herald, The Northeast Performer, and also on several music blog sites. Three singles were released in support of the album, "Vitriol" (May 2007), the infectious "Radiate" (Nov 2007) and the dark cold of "Homage" (Jun 2008).

The band got their start in 2003 with a purposefully Ciccone Youth-like version of Madonna's "Gambler" which remains unreleased (but can be heard at the band's MySpace page). The band then went dormant for several years until surfacing with their first single in 2007.

At once melodic and challenging, the band launch swathes of electronic noise and furrowing guitars alongside their precise melodies. Reverb drenched electronic drum pads punctuate the beat while Harrison's vocals soar through feelings of elation through frustration. During live performances the members switch instruments between songs, continuously engaging the audience with their multi-faceted approach.

PLEASE VISIT YouTube for videos, for some reason they will not load to sonicbids!