Tashi Dorji we will be wherever the fires are lit
Tashi Dorji's we will be wherever the fires are lit hits like a confrontation, converting abrasive guitar tactics and political unease into propulsive music that feels both urgent and stubbornly exacting. Across three professional reviews, critics point to the title track and opener “begin from here” as immediate entry points, while “requiem for jonas” and “flowers for the unsung” emerge as hypnotic counterweights that trade raw attack for trance-like repetition. The record earned an 80/100 consensus score across 3 reviews, a signal that reviewers consistently respect its ferocity and focus even as its intensity may test some listeners.
The critical consensus highlights Dorji's lo-fi authenticity, improvised guitar techniques, and a signature abrasive guitar attack that frames themes of American unrest and political critique. Reviewers consistently praise how assaultive textures and repeated motifs transform noise into purpose, with tracks like “we will be wherever the fires are lit” and “begin from here” balancing groove and pulse against slash-after-slash playing. At the same time, critics note the album's experimental intensity and deconstruction of familiarity, where rhythm versus lyricism becomes a deliberate tension and improvisation shapes each song's architecture.
While some reviews celebrate the record as concentrated fight music and a must-hear for those drawn to raw performance, others imply its abrasive approach narrows accessibility. That tension is part of the album's statement: it asks listeners to meet its bluntness halfway. For readers searching for a concise verdict or the best songs on we will be wherever the fires are lit, the critical voice points you toward the title track, “begin from here”, “requiem for jonas”, and “flowers for the unsung” as the clearest examples of Dorji's urgent, deconstructive craft.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
we will be wherever the fires are lit
3 mentions
"we will be wherever the fires are lit by Tashi Dorji"— Dusted Magazine
begin from here
3 mentions
"You will rarely hear the acoustic squawk as hard as it does on these assaultive tracks"— Dusted Magazine
requiem for jonas
3 mentions
"“Requiem to Jonas”, contains an Orcutt-like strangled flurry of notes"— PopMatters
we will be wherever the fires are lit by Tashi Dorji
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
begin from here
we will be wherever the fires are lit
requiem for jonas
center can't hold...
flowers for the unsung
impossible friendship
...and the state sank into abyss
new signals///////
rhythm/refrain
meet me under the ruins
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Tashi Dorji storms through we will be wherever the fires are lit with a feral guitar attack that makes tracks like “we will be wherever the fires are lit” and “begin from here” feel like small skirmishes turned into anthems. The reviewer relishes the assaultive textures and slash-after-slash playing, naming those pieces as the album's best songs because they distill Dorji's confrontational energy. He praises the rawness and abrasive craft, noting how the strongest tracks convert noise into purpose. For listeners asking "best tracks on we will be wherever the fires are lit," the title track and opener are singled out repeatedly as highlights in the reviewer's vivid, punchy prose.
Key Points
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The title track is the best because it most fully captures Dorji's aggressive, attack-like guitar approach.
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The album's core strength is its abrasive, assaultive guitar textures and raw, confrontational performance.
Themes
Critic's Take
Tashi Dorji’s we will be wherever the fires are lit feels like fight music and, in the reviewer’s terms, locates its best moments in “begin from here” and the title track, where broken chords pulse like ambient techno and quick acoustic licks cut through the rhythm. The reviewer's voice prizes the album’s blend of violence and tenderness, noting how Dorji’s slashing, bending, and scraping strings turn anxiety into urgent, articulate music. For listeners asking what the best tracks on we will be wherever the fires are lit are, the critic points to “begin from here” and “we will be wherever the fires are lit” as clear entry points that balance structure and fury. The writing emphasizes technique and political urgency, framing those standout songs as both accessible and demanding exemplars of Dorji’s focused fire.
Key Points
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The opener “begin from here” is best because its pulsing broken chord provides an accessible entry into Dorji’s demanding sound.
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The album’s core strengths are its political urgency and Dorji’s ability to turn technical improvisation into visceral, articulate statements of unrest and hope.
Themes
Critic's Take
Tashi Dorji channels a stubborn obsession with repetition on we will be wherever the fires are lit, where the best songs - notably “requiem for jonas” and “flowers for the unsung” - turn obsessive riffs into hypnotic grooves. The reviewer lingers on how the title track's riff chugs and hiccups, refusing to yield even as it softens, making it one of the album's most compelling pieces. “Requiem for Jonas” is singled out for an Orcutt-like strangled flurry that becomes a dirge, while “flowers for the unsung” balances maddening pulse with arrhythmic explosions. The overall effect is a potent, deconstructive record that rewrites possibilities for the six-string, often by insisting on a single, subtly morphing theme.
Key Points
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The best song, "requiem for jonas", earns its place through an Orcutt-like strangled flurry and dirge-like descent.
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The album's core strengths are its relentless repetition, hypnotic grooves, and deconstruction of conventional guitar authenticity.
Themes
