Latest Posts

Sonny Baker – Easier

May 22, 2017

There’s not much to say about Sonny Baker that hadn’t already been said. The Buffalo musician has been a staple of the local scene for over a decade now, having had associations with more musical acts than I can count on one hand. Between full-band freak outs and introspective singer-songwriter pieces–and everything in between–Baker’s musical resume is impressive for a man only just nearing his 30s, and he just keeps churning it out. Baker’s latest release Easier, a collaborative effort with Chris Groves (Fourem, Applennium) follows suit with his 2015 full-band EP Flesh it Out in that the songs seem to widen the gap between what would otherwise be considered Sonny’s “solo material.” Groves’ role in the batch of songs is as integral as it is backgrounded, providing multi-instrumental support on most of the tracks that propels the music beyond the boundary of a typical singer-songwriter affair. Groves also recorded[...]

Folkfaces – How Long?

May 15, 2017

Folkfaces is a Buffalo band that falls beyond the typical confines of categorization. Their unique blend of americana, folk, and jazz is loud, rustic, and organic; there is an inherent genuineness to their craft. If I were looking for an easy way out, I could slap a “roots rock” label on them and call it a day, but with elements of ragtime, alt-country, and alt-gypsy involved, their music defies that boundary effortlessly. It is best to define them as undefinable, and give them an honest listen. They’d probably like it that way, anyway. Their latest album How Long?  sprawls 8 tracks over their road map of musical genres, and with multiple songwriters and musicians at the helm on any given track, the influence varies greatly. From the back-country banjo charm of “Institution Blues” (this one may sound familiar, as it was released as a single earlier last year), to the rowdy foot-stomping pandemonium[...]

Tonight: Coca-Cola Death Squad

April 20, 2017

Coca-Cola Death Squad, the Buffalo-bred, St Louis-based brainchild of percussionist Cameron Rogers, makes a homecoming appearance at Sugar City tonight. The unique musical project, which harnesses the prowess of two drummers simultaneously, ditches standard time signatures for highly-textured polyrhythms, beats, and sounds. Equal parts mathy, noisy, and downright shamanistic, the drum duo is touring in support of its newest release Brain Power II, which melds all that aforementioned madness into a concise 7 tracks. Rounding out the all local(ish) bill is fuzzy lo-fi duo Space is Haunted and and experimental improv act Rat v Cat v Bat. Additionally, vegan-friendly black bean soup will be available free of charge, while supplies last. Music, soup, and friendship? See you there. Doors at 7pm, $5 suggested donation.

Tonight: Lucy Dacus

April 1, 2017

Lucy Dacus is on the rise. Her trending debut LP No Burden makes indie rock seem effortless, and garnered the interest of multiple record labels before its eventual release on Matador. Dacus’ delivery is exceptionally mature for a 21-year-old; the Richmond-based songstress weaves a warm alto through her hyperaware observations and swirling guitar leads. Fans of Wye Oak, Angel Olsen, or pseudo-locals Bethlehem Steel would dig Dacus. She is an artist worth checking out in a live setting this early in her young career, and tonight is your chance. She makes a pit stop at the Tralf later tonight to showcase her craft. Tourmates Spooky Cool, also from Richmond, will provide opening support with Buffalo dream-pop pals Mutual Friends rounding out the indie-rock gem of a bill. Doors open at 6pm, tickets can be had here for ten bucks apiece.

Various Artists – Coast to Coast: Recordings from the Bedroom

March 27, 2017

Our Album of the Week comes from four different artists this week, in the form of a starry compilation from the Buffalo-bred, San Francisco-based record label Joysdead. The compilation, aptly titled Coast to Coast Vol 1: Recordings from the Bedroom, features prominent local musicians from both sides of the country—Buffalo’s Alex Berkley, Roger Bryan, and Ray Fulton, and San Francisco’s Sean Mikula (formerly of Buffalo). If you couldn’t deduce from the title, the collection features tracks that forgo the crispness of high-quality production for the glorious little imperfections of self-recording. The first thing that struck me about Coast to Coast is just how interpretative the term “bedroom recording” can be. All four songwriters on the compilation contributed very different tracks, making the collection particularly listenable. To Mikula, it is a method of self-recording that involves drum machines, multi-instrumentation, and synths (much like the stylings of his Buffalo baby Besnyo), while[...]

Coral Collapse – Post New York

March 20, 2017

Buffalo dream-pop quartet Coral Collapse has barely allowed a year to pass before offering up some fresh new material, and nobody’s complaining. Drawing comparisons to airy indie contemporaries like Wild Nothing and DIIV, Coral Collapse has built their platform on the same soaring soundscapes, only with an endearing, almost garage-ish charm. And continuing in the wistfulness of last year’s debut EP Hafla, the band’s new EP, Post New York, is a concise 4 tracks of indie-pop bliss and our album of the week. Dream rock bands don’t have it especially easy right now. The genre, in its relatively crowded state, is teeming with bands that follow the indie pop cookie cutter. Many of them are able to craft good solid tracks, but the real issue is standing out. Offering up something tweaked ever-so-slightly—tracks that don’t get inadvertently get lost in the sonic white noise. Coral Collapse finds the perfect balance[...]

Tonight: Local Natives

March 17, 2017

With the Spring season fast approaching, Buffalo’s concert season begins to ramp up right alongside the nice weather. And what better way to help melt the remnants of Stella than a performance by SoCal indie heroes Local Natives? The band has made more than a name for themselves over the past seven years, having chiseled their own eclectic sound into the all-encompassing megalith that is ‘indie rock’. And to help celebrate the evolution of that sound and the release of their newest album–2016’s Sunlit Youth–the quintet will perform tonight at Town Ballroom. Now with three albums under their belt, it should be safe to say that the band is here to stay for a while. From the angular guitarwork of their debut Gorilla Manor to the cathartic transformation into their soulful, electronic-tinged new album, Local Natives have covered a lot of ground, sonically. The show tonight should display some of[...]

Drive Me Home Please – Infinite Tsukuyomi

February 13, 2017

Solo artist Zach Hallenbeck, under the name Drive Me Home Please, creates lo-fi synth jams that explore the inner confines of his mind. Channeling the stylistic elements of  Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and armed with little more than what sounds to be a microKORG and a drum machine, the Rochester-based beats-and-keys bedroom artist has just released his latest album (and our album of the week) Infinite Tsukuyomi via Bangkok Blend Records. Hallenbeck’s music has an innate relatability to it, from the bedroom-y vibes of understated synth progressions to the non-chalant nature of his lyrical delivery. And it is that very simplicity that makes the songs so endearing. With one listen-through, you’re taken for a mini guided tour of the corridors of Hallenbeck’s thoughts “I can tell that things are getting complicated,” bouts of nostalgia “I dreamt that they played MCR in Wegmans,” and uncertainties “and I’m still not so[...]

Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness

January 27, 2017

There’s something about the songcraft of downstate-based singer-songwriter Julie Byrne that appeals to more than just the ears. Her music, at once spectral and tangible, whisks the listener to Byrne’s weightless place of soft melodies and personal experience. And it is this very suspension in which Byrne spends most of her latest album, Not Even Happiness. A sprawling musical simplicity contrasts the album’s deepest exploration of feeling, in what can be considered one of the most striking collections of songs so far this year. Musically, Byrne channels artists like Cat Power, Leonard Cohen, and Sufjan Stevens, all of whom with music that shares innate, personal elements. Not Even Happiness uses that element liberally, with tracks that explore the places, namely the Pacific Northwest, and feelings of Byrne’s most recent years. The expansive skies and ebbing tides of this record almost purposefully paint it a faint blue, with songs that breathe[...]

Mammal is a Mountain Teases Two Singles

January 20, 2017

Central NY folk rock ensemble Mammal is a Mountain is gearing up for the release of their debut full-length Memory Albums, having shared the first single of the new record, along with a solid B-side. The often-rotational outfit of musicians, helmed by songwriter Dan Lynch, melds folk / Americana influence with an unrestrained songwriting style akin to Conor Oberst. The new single, a studio version of a previously acoustic track titled “Thick Mud,” has been fittingly renamed “Ode to Dirty Lovers” and given the full-band treatment. The song’s driving upstroke and gradual crescendo brings out the personal intensity of the lyrics, all topped with blasts of electric organ. A second track, “Backed by the Bank,” complements the single release with somber acoustic vibes not unlike those of the late, great Elliott Smith. Both tracks, though inherently different in tonality, work well together to deliver some A-level hype for the forthcoming[...]

Slumbers – Come Over

December 12, 2016

I drove home in the snow tonight (Sunday). And no, not just a dusting, Buffalo’s first semi-legitimate accumulation this December. The roads were mostly awful; it took me about double the amount of time it normally does to get home from work. But amongst all the fishtailing, wheel spinning, and “am I even on the road right now?” moments, I was strangely calm and collected. With Rochester’s Slumbers keeping me company through my Ford Taurus’ surprisingly decent speakers, my commute was less of a treacherous nightmare, and more of a snow-covered field of dreams. Slumbers’ debut release Come Over is our Album of the Week. Slumbers fills an interesting niche in the Rochester music scene. Their simmering blend of dreamy indie rock is soft without the malleability of other low-volume projects. Vocal duties are expressly shared, and the harmonies are swirling and plentiful. Members Claire McClusky (bass), Sabrina Nichols (guitar),[...]

Evan Meulemans – Lilac Drive

December 5, 2016

Evan Meulenmans crafts songs for people who hold optimism to a high standard. His music seems to be an effortless offering—a mere extension of his obvious inner positivity. The Wisconsin-bred, Rochester-based folk musician’s latest release, Lilac Drive, combines acoustic folk with easy-listening island vibes to arrive at a crossroad both inviting and uplifting. And loaded with support from more than a handful of prominent Rochester musicians, Lilac Drive is our album of the week. Opening track “Wisconsin” introduces the album with a thematic anomaly; the lyrical content details Meulenmans’ home state, while his rhythmic finger-style calls to mind a Hawaiian warmth not unlike fan-favorite Jack Johnson. This island influence find its way into most of the record, most notably “Open Road Lullaby” and the reggae-tinged clincher “Mo’ Bettah.” Yet, solitarily reducing the album’s influence to coconuts and tidal waves would be a glaring injustice, as Meulenmans’ fusion of island folk[...]

Cooler – Phantom Phuzz

November 21, 2016

Through being cool? Well try being Cooler. Buffalo’s emogaze-alternative all-stars return for round two with Phantom Phuzz, a six-track EP of regret, carbonated soft drinks, and that sweet, fuzzy thickness. The album’s carefully crafted tones compete vigorously with lyrical prowess and song structure for prominence, bringing relevant elements of juxtaposition to Cooler’s sophomore effort. Recorded with Jay Zubricky of GCR Audio and mastered by Anthony Delplato, Cooler’s Phantom Phuzz is our Album of the Week. Phantom Phuzz opens appropriately with quiet-loud sweller “Pave Age,” a wordless eruption of articulate guitar leads, volatile drum statements, and of course, the album’s principal element—the phantom phuzz itself. That’s just the thing about the album’s title, it perfectly encapsulates the overarching sonic theme—apparition-esque reverb paired with generous amounts of thick, fuzzy distortion. The resulting combination is largely impenetrable and pure ear candy for fans of early 90’s alternative and the shoegaze subgenre that reached[...]

honey COMA – 7 Songs

November 14, 2016

With such an active, buzzing music scene, collaboration between Buffalo’s local artists is practically unavoidable. Once you take into account the sheer amount of comradery, diversity, and artistry within our fine city, you’re left with nothing but unbridled potential. With that said, it should come as no surprise that Buffalo’s latest local supergroup—honey COMA—has hit the ground full-sprint with their debut effort 7 Songs. Recorded and mixed by Elliott Douglas at Old Bear Studios and mastered by Paul Besch at Quiet Country Audo, honey COMA’s 7 Songs is our Album of the Week. Safe to say I didn’t expect for a second that the sum of equal parts Norelle Christiani (Mallwalkers), Bryan Johnson (Bryan Johnson & Family), and Tom Burtless (Humble Braggers) would end up being a dreary blend of postrock, tense emo-alternative, and slowcore. I mean, take Mallwalkers—an unapologetically raucous dance punk group, toss in BryJo’s fun beach pop[...]

Safe Search – Hobby

August 29, 2016

Here at buffaBLOG, we love it when a release takes us by surprise. With so much of our time spent keeping tabs on forthcoming releases and projects that *are* on our radar, it is to be expected that some things slip through the cracks. So when something impressive seemingly comes out of nowhere, naturally, we’re excited. Enter Hobby, the sophomore effort from the Rochesterian home-recording project of Brian Buggy, or Safe Search. Specializing in an endearing vein of lo-fi freak folk, the album makes a name for itself with its exceptional diversity among the tracks. A full listen-through highlights a multitude of influence; comparisons to Paul Baribeau, Grizzly Bear, Owen, and Radical Face really only grazes the top layer. Safe Search gathers this influence and takes it a step further, melding acoustic fragility with a captivating electric prominence. “Crows” exemplifies this hybridization at its core, capitalizing on an ebbing electric[...]