Album of the Week

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[...]

Ian McCuen – Songs of Fleeting Permanence, Vol. 1

May 29, 2017

Sometimes it’s not easy to be a musician. There is an element of vulnerability you must subject yourself to in order to find even a marginal amount of success. This, of course, rings true with most aspects of art in general, but there exist certain musicians who go beyond this unspoken requirement, laying all cards on the table face-up in an effort to further substantiate their craft. Ian McCuen is one of those musicians. In his first solo release–the exceptionally reflective Songs of Fleeting Permanence, Vol. 1–McCuen stirs up the acoustic singer-songwriter archetype with an interesting concept series chronicling a pivotal period in his life. Volume 1 of that series is our Album of the Week. It is through McCuen’s Fleeting Permanence series in which one can vicariously live (or relive) these moments of self-discovery. The tangibility of heartbreak, uncomfortable social situations, mortality, regret, alcohol–Fleeting Permanence grapples each of these[...]

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[...]

Orenthal – Rising

May 1, 2017

Buffalo hardcore four-piece Orenthal offer up an energetic mix of melodic punk and thrash/hardcore riffs, full of emotion and moxy on their album, Rising. Released on Buffalo’s independent record label, Insidious Industries, Orenthal consists of Tim Ernst, Chris Delmont, Trey James, and Mike Smith. Rising opens with “Priorities,” a fast paced ride full of thumping bass, punk blast beats and trashing guitars. One of the elements that makes Orenthal stand out is how they throw together hardcore and melodic elements into a cohesive sound. They blend the harshness and abrasiveness found in the heavier stylings of hardcore, with the melodic tones of things closer to emo or pop-punk. Tracks like “Clear Skies” bring together this cohesiveness with precision, mixing the classic hardcore drum blast with a vocals and guitar riffs that drive you to start thrashing and jumping. This is balanced with sections throughout the song that are much lighter, some[...]

Super American – Disposable

April 24, 2017

Disposable (recorded/mixed by Jay Zubricky) unabashedly throws gentle nods to the golden era of late 90’s/early 2000’s pop-rock anthems. Though that pocket of nostalgia can be a tough one to inhabit and present in an updated, relevant way, it’s one that Super American pulls off pretty well on their debut release. This isn’t an album to overthink, and that’s one of the most enjoyable parts. It’s a hook-heavy  collection of tunes with strong vocals and enough lyrical variance to hold a listener’s attention. I envision this record landing in the hands of someone just graduating college, going through a particularly lamentable breakup or entering the summer in an emotional lull, and having the auxiliary power to carry them through that experience. At the same time, it has the mnemonic power to forever remind the person of that period of time whenever they hear a similar melody or guitar lick ( a quality that I feel like a lot of[...]

The Traditional – The Queen of Heaven

April 17, 2017

It’s been a few years since we’ve heard from Buffalo trio The Traditional. Their previous effort was a 10-song monster full of lyrical curses and sharp edges delivered through a haze of second-hand smoke. Last year, the trio headed back into the studio (with GCR wizard Jay Zubricky) and came out with the well-crafted, six-song The Queen of Heaven. If anything, TQOH is indication that The Traditional know who they are, and they don’t give a shit what you think either way. EP opener “Parlez-vous francais” is an archetypal Traditional song, showcasing how this trio has nestled themselves between rock n’ roll’s “rock” and emo’s “hard place.” “Francais,” like most Traditional songs, listens like an angry diary entry from singer/bassist Anthony Musior, whose not-so-subtle poetry is as heart-on-your-sleeve as it gets. “Kerosene” is another must-listen, and is truly brought to life through guitarist Mike Bienias’ furious rock n’ roll chops and the pristine back up vocals from drummer[...]

brat’ya – Nightwalker

April 10, 2017

Buffalo synth-pop producer brat’ya (aka Alek Ogadzhanov) debut full-length Nightwalker is driven by layered, melodic instrumentation and inventive sound design to make for a lush, hook-laden release. The release is brat’ya’s first collaboration with internet savvy / futuristic chillwave label Business Casual. Opening track “Glow” kicks things off with an introspective pop jam with bright synth leads and engaging vocals. Using Daft Punk-esque vocoded vocals on “Goodbye,” brat’ya creates a nostalgic feel with its’ benevolent duet and pensive tone. Whether going for a more downtempo, melancholic sound on tracks like the ballad “Relief” and “Pretend” or more buoyant tracks like the sprightly title track “Nightwalker” and “Radio,” brat’ya’s ability to craft memorable hooks from a wide range of textures makes Nightwalker an immersive listen that reveals a focused collection of compelling pop. While the direct, synth-led leanings are reminiscent of artists like Passion Pit and M83, the dense bass and vibrant drums bring to mind Toro y[...]

Orations – Wych Elm

April 3, 2017

Following up on their previous EP, Incantation, Buffalo quartet, Orations, have released their debut 12” LP, Wych Elm on March 17, through Custom Made Music. Showcasing the variance in 80’s post-punk, Orations’ debut is in part a look back, a revivalist endeavor so to speak, while also being a record that stands on its own merits. Orations is Jess Collins on vocals, Paul Morin on guitar, Jason Draper on bass and melodica, Matt Chavanne on drums and percussion, with additional help from Aaron Ratajczak and Rick Wright. Present on Wych Elm are some of the various iconic sounds that made up a chunk of the post-punk sonic aesthetic from the 80s. Like the jangly, sometimes airy and dreamy guitar, the dark, low, rhythmic bass, and the often brooding, dour vocal delivery. The reproduction of the genre is flawless and the band really wears their influences on their sleeves, including bands[...]

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[...]