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''March Fires'' is the fourth studio album by the Australian
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Birds of Tokyo Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth. Their debut album, ''Day One (Birds of Tokyo album), Day One'', gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Charts, AIR Independent Album charts and spendin ...
. It was released on 1 March 2013 in Australia, North American, and Europe, through EMI. It is the band's second major-label studio album release, after 2010's ''
Birds of Tokyo Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth. Their debut album, ''Day One (Birds of Tokyo album), Day One'', gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Charts, AIR Independent Album charts and spendin ...
'' and is also the first album by the band not to feature founding member Anthony Jackson, who left in 2011. His replacement, Ian Berney, makes his debut appearance on the album as the band's new bassist. ''March Fires'' received positive reviews, and the album became the band's first number-one album on the
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. It also marked the group's international album chart debut, reaching number 26 in New Zealand.


Recording

Birds of Tokyo began recording their fourth studio album in February 2012, which mostly took place in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California. The band recorded over a six-month period, lasting until July. Kingsize Studio and the Hobby Shop in Eagle Rock, along with the Sound Factory and Oceanway Studios in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
hosted these sessions. A final weeklong session was conducted in October 2012 at the Hoop Hut in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, before the album was completed, later that month. ''March Fires'' is the first album to feature bassist Ian Berney, after founding member and previous bassist Anthony Jackson left the band.


Artwork

The artwork for ''March Fires'' and its singles was created by Australian
graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...
,
art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
, and album artist Leif Podhajsky. His work explores themes of connectedness, love, fear, magic, the relevance of nature, and psychedelic or altered experiences, and uses techniques such as
pattern A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated l ...
,
recursion Recursion occurs when the definition of a concept or process depends on a simpler or previous version of itself. Recursion is used in a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics to logic. The most common application of recursion is in m ...
, balance,
symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...
, and repetition. By utilizing these subjects, he attempts to "coerce the viewer into a realignment with themselves and their surroundings". Podhajsky's work has been described as "striking abstractions of nature – mirrored vistas, engulfing waves, rippling, melting cosmic landscapes". He had previously worked with other bands on albums such as the Vines', '' Future Primitive'' (2011) and
Tame Impala Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker (musician), Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring a ...
's '' Innerspeaker'' (2010) and '' Lonerism'' (2012).


Promotion


Singles

" This Fire" was released as the lead single from ''March Fires'' on 5 October 2012. An accompanying EP, featuring the album track "Boy" and the B-side "Glowing in the Streets", along with a ''March Fires'' cut entitled "The Lake", was also issued the same day. The music video was published the day before, on 4 October 2012. " Lanterns" was released as the second single from the album on 14 January 2013. It has since become Birds of Tokyo's most successful single, peaking at number three on the Australian singles chart, the band's first top-ten single. It was also number one on the ARIA Australian artist singles chart for a total of nine weeks. Additionally, the song was certified platinum, having sold over 70,000 copies in Australia. The music video debuted on 17 January 2013 and was shot in Sydney. "
When the Night Falls Quiet "When the Night Falls Quiet" is the third single from Australian Alternative rock, alternative Musical ensemble#Rock and pop bands, rock band Birds of Tokyo's fourth album, ''March Fires''. The song peaked at #43 on the ARIA Charts, Australian Sin ...
" was promoted to Australian
contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
on 21 April 2013 as the third single from ''March Fires''. An accompanying music video debuted on the same day.


Critical reception

''March Fires'' received generally positive reviews. Sean Palmer of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' gave the album a four-star review, stating that "''March Fires'' is a gem and channels emotion but never to the point of nausea, leaving you feeling comfortable in the pleasant tones of a band that know what they are doing." He noted the stylistic similarities of the album to the band's previous work and wrote, "There is nothing here to shock or bewilder unless you are expecting Birds of Tokyo to return to their alt-rock origins with a hardened edge. If that's the case, you will be in for a jolt of disappointment, as beneath Kenny's words there is an astounding sense of positivity – as though one can climb that mountain, fix that bridge or restore faith." Simon Collins of ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' gave the album three stars, writing, "Synth-laden mid-album tracks "The Others" and "White Leaves" briefly revive listeners, before they are plunged into a downbeat run home to "Hounds"." Rob Lyon of Adelaide street magazine '' Rip It Up'' wrote, "While this album has proved a popular move into a different direction for frontman Ian Kenny and his Birds, I hope they don't completely abandon their rock roots." in response to the light departure from the band's previous works. He praised the album as a singular piece, writing that "From start to end the album is a solid listening experience, offering more with every additional spin. The strength of March Fires is its consistency and how well it all hangs together, with nothing appearing out of place or disappointing. Some may focus on how much the songs sound the same, but for me this one is about taking in the whole experience rather than selected moments." Tom Noyse of ''
The Music The Music was an English alternative rock band, formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey (vocals, guitar), Adam Nutter (lead guitar), Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the releas ...
'' gave the album a positive review, writing, "This newfound experimentation from Birds of Tokyo is fully apparent and it hits hard. The production is quite immaculate and is near the best they have yet created. ''March Fires'' is absolutely brilliant." Like other reviewers, he also noted the band's musical evolution and light departure from their previous works: "Progression is inevitable. To evolve in music, you need to keep ideas fresh and move forward. This is truly evident in the fourth album by Perth-bred alternative rockers Birds of Tokyo." Nick Linde of ''Tom Magazine'' also gave the album a positive review and also touched upon the difference of sound ''March Fires'' presented, writing, "The new album from West Australian band Birds of Tokyo has a little bit of old and a little bit of new." He noted that "''March Fires'' delivers a strong anthemic feel, coupled with the sound from the band that has taken off over the last few years."


Track listing

All songs are written and composed by Ian Berney, Ian Kenny, Glenn Sarangapany, Adam Spark, and Adam Weston.


Personnel

Adapted from the ''March Fires'' liner notes: Birds of Tokyo * Ian Kenny – vocals, lyrics * Adam Spark – guitars, keyboards, vocals * Ian "White Goods" Berney – bass guitar * Glenn Sarangapany – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals * Adam Weston – drums, percussion Other personnel * Dave Cooley – producer * Doug Boehm – engineer * Hugo Nicholson – engineer * Kristian Riley – additional engineer and editing * Andrew Lynch – additional engineer * Jared Hirshland – additional engineering and editing * Chris Claypool – mix assistant * Bryan Hall – guitar tech * Leif Podhajsky – design and artwork * Kane Hibberd – band photography


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Accolades


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Birds of Tokyo albums EMI Records albums