Album of the Week

Cavalcade – The Switch

October 16, 2017

Rochester’s Cavalcade has been around for a decade plus, an impressive tenure for any band. In that time, they’ve released a handful of LPs, with songs that combine the intellectual indie-rock of The Dismemberment Plan with the profound rock n’ roll vibes of Frank Zappa. Their latest offering, The Switch, is no exception, a six-song offering full of unconventional musicianship with a next-level mindset. On previous releases, Cavalcade took a much looser approach to songcrafting, peppering their songs with worldly percussion and extended, mind-altering jams. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a free-spirited approach, but The Switch sounds incredibly cohesive in comparison. A lush, ever-present organ provides a backbone to these songs, which have transformed from six-minute prog-rock epics into four minute pop songs with an equally unique approach. One of Cavalcade’s strongest assets comes from vocalist Michael Munn’s distinctive croon; his unique timbre makes him the perfect narrator to these delightfully profound rock[...]

Zillion Eyes – Demolished

October 9, 2017

Buffalo sludge rockers, Zillion Eyes are front and center with the release of their latest, Demolished, that came out mid September. Zillion Eyes are no newcomers to the scene either, the project consists of former members of Sonorous Gale and Ancients of Earth.  The trio showcase a solid collection of heavy riffs on this five track outing. For those that may not be familiar with sludge or stoner rock, or for those who have been all over the genre for years, Demolished is a step in a different direction from where the genre usually finds itself. The opening track, “Splendor In The Gas,” sets the pace for the rest of the album and shows some of what sets Zillion Eyes apart. There’s a hint of a 70s space/funk vibe throughout the record that really works in setting off the atmosphere of Demolished. Combined with the slow, crushing riffs, hallmarks of stoner/sludge, the album is chilling experience, in both senses[...]

Total Yuppies – CARE EP

October 2, 2017

Punk rock has a penchant for being uninviting. It’s just the nature of the genre–loud, often incomprehensible yawps from politically-charged bandleaders backed by blasts of noise. I’m not shitting on punk (I enjoy my fair share), but I realize these are some pretty broad strokes I’m painting with. My angle–punk rock is also a vastly multi-faceted genre. Take Total Yuppies for example–their flavor is decidedly punk, yet they somehow remain infinitely relatable and fun to listen to. Their lyrics are accessible, their melodies and progressions at once infectious and gritty. Their latest release, CARE EP, impresses once again, a testament to their ever-tight delivery of material and the quality of the material itself. CARE is our Album of the Week. CARE is both an appropriately and somewhat ironically titled record; the band strays from the emotionally-steadfast plane of punk rock with lyrics and themes that slice with every day relevancy. The 5 song[...]

M.A.G.S. – S/T

September 25, 2017

Our city’s been waiting on this one for a while now. We now have a full-length from M.A.G.S. I repeat: a full length from M.A.G.S. It’s been two and a half years since the band’s debut EP Cellophane made waves in the local scene and beyond, solidifying frontman Elliott Douglas’ status as the posterchild of local indie rock. Between then and now, M.A.G.S. has played a truckload of shows, landed licensing deals, and amassed a sizeable following on social media. Now with their self-titled debut album under their belts, there’s not much that can stop the M.A.G.S. train. Album opener “Real Talk” is a fast and furious blast of garage rock with an energy level to parallel “My Love,” one of the best tracks off of Cellophane (and most popular songs to date). Not surprisingly, “My Love” has been re-recorded and included on the full-length. M.A.G.S. seems to be in[...]

Damian – Back When I Was Marc Bolan

September 18, 2017

“It don’t fuckin matter / it’s so fuckin absurd.” This line repeats several times on the track “To Never Get Back Home Again,” the second track from Damian Weber’s new album, Back When I Was Marc Bolan. It is a sentiment that seems to define the record, as well as Weber’s own outlook. The moody and introspective singer-songwriter, who goes simply by Damian, possesses an unencumbered and carefree unrest that oozes from his music. Weber is a veteran of the mumblecore folk scene, having released several records that, at their heart, embody a bashful yet charismatic, understated quality. Having been bred by the Buffalo indie scene, he now (reluctantly) resides in Brooklyn. With the new scenery comes a new approach; Back When I Was Marc Bolan operates as a sync to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. When viewing his synched up version of the film, it is[...]

Jong SL – Ice Cream

August 21, 2017

Recording under the name Jong SL, Buffalo-based musician Jong Lee has released his debut EP, Ice Cream. With roots as an acoustic singer-songwriter, on this seven track EP Jong’s compositions are rounded out with full-band arrangements and careful production. On top of an acoustic guitar bedrock, he layers influences of R&B, pop, jazz and blue-eyed soul. Ice Cream features 5 original tunes recorded at True Sound Studios, plus home recording renditions of 2 of the tracks that act as a pseudo-behind the scenes look at Jong’s writing and arranging process. The production here is polished, offering a smooth and bright exterior. The instrumentation is varied and eclectic, pairing acoustic guitars with electric ones, piano with electric organ and synth, as well as drum pad samples and layers of speaker candy. Compositionally, his jazz influences can be heard in the chord structures and the way his tight vocals are layered and[...]

Ben Morey & The Eyes – Mt. Doom

August 14, 2017

Rochester is a great city to be a musician nowadays. There is no shortage of fellow musicians, like-minded individuals, and just general support of the arts, and Ben Morey knows it. Though initially planned as a solo album, Morey’s latest–the brilliant and grandiose Mt Doom–fully utilizes this exceptional network of people, a near countless number of musicians coalesced  into what might be considered the city’s greatest supergroup–The Eyes. Featuring contributions from members of just about every prominent act around Rochester, Mt Doom brims with ambition and sparkles with creative influence. Though the album’s official release was over a month ago, physical copies (vinyl and tapes!) begin shipping out next week, so what better time for an album of the week feature? After listening to Mt Doom a few times, it is difficult to imagine the songs as the lo-fi 4-track recordings they were originally slated for. The album is home[...]

Overhand Sam – Longer Legs

July 31, 2017

Rochester’s Sam Snyder is forever a busy musician. Splitting time between playing guitar in Brooklyn’s Maybird (currently gearing up for October tour dates with Portugal the Man and The Babe Rainbow) and his self-written, self-recorded, self-produced solo project Overhand Sam (or OHS) could be a full-time job considering the amount of material both acts pump out. Maybird is riding high on the recent release of their Unraveling EP, produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, and somehow Snyder found time in between to put out a full-length’s worth of the haziest psychedelia bangers I’ve heard in a while. Overhand Sam’s Longer Legs is our album of the week. It’s not nearly accurate enough to call Longer Legs a mere continuation of 2015’s Long Legs, though the similarities exist. In addition to reworked versions of previous tracks “Bitter” and “Nothing Worse Than Waiting,” both records bask in lo-fi excellence, a[...]

Ugly Sun – Painted Post

July 24, 2017

Local garage rock  trio Ugly Sun have wrapped up an impressive first year in existence with an excellent EP in Painted Post that’s a perfect summation of what this band, and the Rust Belt rock revival they’re part of, are all about. Anchored by Trey Hollowood’s post rock-guitar heroics, the sharp and insistent drums of Harrison Crook and his brother John’s versatile bass and unfailingly melodic wail, the four jams on Painted Post are beautifully messed up. Kicking off with defiance and grit, “Marble Eye,” a real winner from their live set, crushes from the start, thanks to warm riffs that also grinds and stomps under a deft, cranked up Beach Boys chorus, while “Soil” is subversive liberation, jangly guitars, and an ode to getting dirty while we can before we ultimately getting dirty with the worms six feet under, an ethos I can thoroughly get down with while the city rapidly[...]

Bold Folly –More Garbage Than Art

July 17, 2017

Buffalo psychedelic garage rock power trio Bold Folly are back with More Garbage Than Art, a larcenous EP of off-kilter punk jams that always keep you guessing and holding on for dear life right from the start. Between our home grown psychedelic bands (Aircraft, Deadwolf) and the touring variety playing the area over the next few months (Foxygen, Mac DeMarco, Flaming Lips, Roger Waters) Bold Folly’s latest offering is a fascinating entry, exploring the darker aspects of the journey. More Garbage Than Art starts with “Dogfight,”  a pleasant shuffling song with soothing surf rock backing vocals that give way to bloodcurdling howls and crushing punk chaos only to reset itself for the increasingly menacing second verse that goes even further, scraping it’s way to splendor before retreating again. The resulting tension continues to unfold on the bleak and vaguely Sabbathesque “I Wanna,” a tribute to watching TV with the closed captioning on in the background while[...]

Tough Old Bird – Where the Great Beasts Are Buried

July 10, 2017

Tough Old Bird’s description on Facebook reads, “good folk for good folks.” It is a simple yet effective statement. Their music has a relatable weight to it that reflects back the small town heart of their native Fillmore, NY. Their latest release, Where the Great Beasts Are Buried, is an EP containing 6 tracks recorded at their home throughout late 2016. The duo of Matthew and Nathan Corrigan draw influences from traditional folk music that maps out dusty and sepia-tinted landscapes with its songwriting, as well as the modern context of rust belt melancholia. They achieve a full and rich sound despite this being a home recording, while still maintaining a stripped-down and raw nature at the core of their songs. Matthew’s instrumental work is delicate yet commanding, while Nathan’s vocals have a road-weary heft to them, especially when paired with the rustic poeticism of his lyrics Americana, blues, indie[...]

Supergoner – A Really Good Friend

July 3, 2017

Buffalo 90s indie rock outfit Supergoner has come back into the light after a break with the release of their album A Really Good Friend. With guitarists Sean Wild and Mike Fuller experiencing fatherhood and drummer Bill O’Connor moving to a farm in Watkins Glen, the band took a bit of a hiatus from Supergoner. The band has been a part of the Buffalo indie scene since 2003, with three of the members coming from the defunct Concubine, and bassist Lisa Yamagishi rounding out the group. A lot of the guitar work on A Really Good Friend pays homage to indie rock in the ‘90s. The guitar solo on “A Lot of Nothing” is reminiscent of the guitar stylings of a Dinosaur Jr. song; loud, smooth and rolling. Heavier guitar work comes out on “White Lines,” with the guitars coming in along the lines of punk, but also returning to the lighter side[...]

Hieronymus Bogs – Lowlives Divine

June 26, 2017

We’ve written about Hieronymus Bogs before. For the uninitiated, the man is as unique as they come. Blending elements of orchestral folk and spoken word poetry, Bogs has made his songcraft well known around western New York and its surrounding areas with an extensive catalogue and touring. Once a Rochester native, Bogs now resides in Truth or Consequences, NM–an area which suits his character well–”my musical direction was pulling me west through the landscapes and sparseness; I think my music sits well in this kind of environment,” Bogs says of his new homebase. His newest album Lowlives Divine builds on his strengths of inspired lyricism over eclectic folk instrumentation for songs that excel in the creation and maintenance of freeing moods and feelings. It’s an interesting thing, moodcraft. It’s one thing to write a song, the structuring of intro verse chorus verse outro. It’s another thing entirely to endow such[...]

Jon Lewis – Exquisite Corpse

June 12, 2017

Jon Lewis is a pretty much a staple in the Rochester music scene. The hard-working musician is more or less a fountain of new material, be it from his well-rounded solo project Jon Lewis Band, or his Wiggles-inspired educational alter-ego Mr. Loops. This week we’re checking out his brand new full-band album Exquisite Corpse, which proves Lewis’ shining time as a musician and songwriter is all but fleeting. Exquisite Corpse drives home the idea that unadulterated indie rock is not dead. So many mainstream acts today aim to reinvent the genre–often times favoring decadence over organic musicianship–in an effort to distance themselves from the ordinary; the result can barely be considered indie rock. This exodus of sorts has left a void–a void that Lewis seems to fit perfectly. With a pop rock sensibility to rival that of Matthew Sweet and hooks around every corner, there is no shortage of catchy material[...]

The Leones – Songs From The Canyon

June 5, 2017

With a turbulent spring doggedly holding out like that one lingering party guest against the full bloom of summer in Buffalo, Songs From The Canyon from ambitious Batavia psych rockers The Leones  arrived right on time last week with a clutch of spacious, heady jams ideal for Album of the Week… and for getting wasted around summer bonfires or driving in the desert or along the 90 at night with the windows/top down. Lovers of hazy, reverb drenched California rock will get a genuine thrill with Songs From The Canyon. Tom Burtless from Humble Braggers guests on the majestic album opener “Coast,” a plaintive country rock ballad journey that’s always in motion, while “Dealer” digs deep with a swirling, introspective piano and aching vocal harmonies before the high flying yet reassuring release of “Home.” There’s a nice War On Drugs vibe sure, but there’s also a real Laurel Canyon thing[...]