The Files and Fires
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The Files and Fires

New York City, New York, United States | SELF

New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Band Rock New Age

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Show Review: The American Dollar, The Files and Fires, Wess Meets West, Martin Luther King"

The Files and Files played last, incorporating songs from their newly released second album, For People Talk Lightly. The emotion and ambiance surrounding The Files and Fires is truly beautiful. They are able to incorporate elements such as soft, classically influenced piano chords and repetitive snare and crashing cymbals to create a deeply unique, almost eerie, sound. Sam Stauff, guitarist of Wess Meets West, filled in as bassist for the band that night. Clips from Planet Earth displayed on the screen behind them, with cheetahs ripping apart gazelles as the band played songs such as “Red and White.” Though the themes of nature matched fairly well with the wholesomeness of The Files and Fires, I thought the images were rather distracting at times, like when people couldn’t help but laugh at a huge visual of birds mating on screen during their performance. Despite this, the mood was light and personal as fans from the crowd blew bubbles into their set and band members laughed and popped them midair. The band’s new material was handed out for free, creatively packaged in a paperboard sleeve and tied with string. “It turned out really well,” said Tyler J. Smith, whom plays keyboard and electronics for The Files and Fires, “we did a lot of layers on the album so it’s sort of a lot fuller than the live sound, but we try to make it sound as full as possible by adding a lot of noise. I wrote out some string arrangements for two of our really good friends, so we had some violins on it too. I’m really happy with it.” Though no strings were present at the Heirloom that night, the Files and Fires captured their usual atmospheric feeling. “One thing about our sound; we try to be very dynamic, texturally as well as level-wise,” Smith told, “the songs tend to come from some place small and wind up some place larger.” - CT Indie


"The Files And Fires - For People Talk Lightly (Album Review)"

Deriving their name from a passage in Albert Camus classic existentialist novel The Plague, Connecticut based avant gardists The Files and Fires return with their sophomore release, the inquisitively titled 'For People Talk Lightly'.

Formed in 2006 by Tyler J Smith and Ian Tait, the duo went through a diverse array of musicians before sticking with current drummer Mike Howard and guitarist Peter Recine. Their self engineered debut 'Like Ivy' released in 2008, found the band in cautious post, trance rock by numbers mode nearly afraid to express their true musical intent or aspirations. With 'For People Talk Lightly' on the other hand, a blossoming maturity has seeped through and fashioned a record where before you can comprehend its surroundings you are enthralled in its charisma.

The albums intro 'Berliner' and following track 'The Iron Pillars' are deployed almost like tiny currents pulling and drawing you slowly toward the rest of the record, where before long you are drowning in the sonic depths of the sumptuousness and beauty that is 'Let Us Unfold Our Veils in the Wind'. Following a short re-emergence for air with the albums weakest track 'A Miracle Saved Us', it is back to the idyllic depths with the appropriately titled 'The Sea was Left Behind', washing over you with some of the most enchanting and heart warming strings I have heard in some time. 'For People Talk Lightly' is then brought to a close superbly with the impressive grandeur and adroitly precise arrangement of 'And The Day Goes By, But Time Stands Still'.

The Files and Fires, have produced a stunning follow up to their at times lacklustre debut, which demonstrates a band with the ability to develop and be courageous and focused with their choices, a trait often unseen in many young bands these days. And having the pleasure of coming across 'For People Talk Lightly' by complete coincidence makes this very special album that little bit more special. - Stereoboard


Discography

For People Talk Lightly...(2011)
Like Ivy EP (2008)

Photos

Bio

The Files and Fires is an ambient rock band influenced by acts like Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, The Appleseed Cast, and Mogwai. The music is purposely dynamic and often orchestral in scope, featuring a focus on melody through the use of piano, violins, and a full rock outfit. The band has had the honor of opening for The Album Leaf, Lymbyc System, The American Dollar, Kilimanjaro, Fang Island, Aficionado, and A Great Big Pile of Leaves. In 2011, The Files and Fires was asked to play Bomb Fest in Hartford, CT. They shared the stage with the likes of Freelance Whales, State Radio, Portugal. the Man, Titus Andronicus, Wavves, Weezer, and Snoop Dogg.