If you haven’t heard of The Fire and Reason (also known as TFaR), well, today is your lucky day. The amazing duo are Bella Saona and Steve Narvaez, i.e. two of New York’s finest in the music scene. They have come a long way from their eponymous debut EP (available on iTunes) two years ago. Their newest EP, Shut Up, Dance, was available for free on their website and did the job – they left you wanting more. Their new sound is more polished and takes risks – they aren’t afraid to give you some synth with their guitar, but make no mistake, it isn’t new wave or synth pop. They have industrial Nine Inch Nails elements coupled with Bella’s vocals, which are reminiscent of Gwen Stefani a la No Doubt in the 1990s – but even THAT description does it little justice. Shut Up, Dance includes the hit “NME” and it’s electronic mutant cousin remix, “NME V2 TXC” which was remixed by none other than the Parisian DJ Toxic Avenger. Although Shut Up, Dance is no longer available on their site (tear), they have released their CMJ sampler (TFaR performed at CMJ ’08) which includes a few songs from Shut Up, Dance (“It Starts with One”, “NME”, and “Sugar Koma”) and the previously unreleased jam, “Do It Again”.
If you need more convincing, TFaR’s appeal is more than just the NYC scene, they are global. Bella, who is Italian/Brazilian, and Steve, Ecuadorian, bring all kinds of good ish for your ear. Check out the song Preste Atencao, which falls under the baile funk genre. “Mi Corazon” is sung entirely in Spanish but sacrifices none of their musical style – check it out on their MySpace page.
Since their UK tour in 2006, TFaR has mostly performed around the NYC area, but worry not, a US tour is apparently in the works. And for those of you in Chicago who need some TFaR in your life, they will be performing live on December 6th @ the Kinetic Playground.
Be sure to check them out!! And remember, go with your belt buckles hanging low.
Peace,
Bixo