Forest Fire

Initially formed as an alternative folk-rock ensemble split between Brooklyn, New York, and Portland, Oregon, Forest Fire gradually widened their musical reach. Their opening EP, Psychic Love Star, paved the way for the quartet of Mark Thresher, Nathan Delffs, Natalie Stormann, and Adam Spittler to deliver their first full-length, Survival, through Catbird Records in 2008; founder and music blogger Ryan Catbird had casually downloaded the material, found it compelling enough to issue it himself. On the follow-up, 2011’s Staring at the X, the same four members pursued a bolder direction, weaving in elements ranging from Krautrock to the punk approach associated with Television. The band resurfaced in 2013 with Thresher, Stormann, Galen Brenner, and Robert Pounding on board; their third album, Screens, drew from 1970s touchstones such as Joy Division, Laurie Anderson, Suicide, and Kraftwerk.