Album of the Week

Folkfaces – PLUMS

Buffalo-based group Folkfaces is known for their “Rowdy Jazz & Bluesy Roots.” The band has an irresistible, danceable energy and a remarkable variety of sounds, engaging audiences whether it’s busking on the street, playing in a small barroom, or putting on a large electric extravaganza. The band is influenced by a wide range of musical styles, including folk, jazz, blues, Americana, jug band, and bluegrass. Folkfaces is: Tyler Westcott on lead vocals, five-string banjo, acoustic & electric guitar, and 12 string guitar; Brendan Gosson on vocals, fiddle, and mandolin; Dan Schwach on backing vocals, drums, and washboard; and finally Patrick Jackson on backing vocals, electric & upright bass.  On this project, they got some special guests to help add to their miraculous vibes – for instance, on track two, “Minivan Cowboy,” they have Tim Clarke playing the trumpet; he’s also featured on tracks three & seven as well. Brian “Dr.[...]

Well Born Boot – Riverbottom Nightmare

Buffalo-based band Well Worn Boot takes influence from stylized, western country music within the frame of a ’70s shake rock band. The group draws inspirations from Jethro Tull, AC/DC, GWAR, The Grateful Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Primus, American Legends, Korn, and SlipKnot. In the event that you book the band, you’ll be able to expect uproarious shaking music punctuated by woodwind playing, showiness, humorous comedy, puppetry, and most of all… excitement. The band released their first debut full length ten track album on June 16th, Riverbottom Nightmare, as a mission statement to what their fans can expect to hear from this one-of-a-kind group. The venture of the project begins off solid with the primary opening track, “Boys In The Band,” as the first minute contains shimmering guitar riffs alongside deafening pounds coming from the drums. Not only is it a six-minute track filled with hype about the group themselves,[...]

Starjuice – Sign Language

Buffalo’s own Starjuice is a dreamy punk band performed by singer/songwriter and actor Sidney Flanigan, backed by Corey Wilde on bass, Spencer Eck on drums, and Jeffrey Colson on guitar. The band released their debut EP, Reminders, as a three-track in the fall of 2020 amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, followed by their first full-length, Growing Pains (with former guitarist Jake Maurer) in February 2022. Rooted in punk but embellished by Sidney’s tender and heartfelt lyrics, Starjuice hopes to make you cry for your ex while you mosh in the pit. Their latest offering, the three-song EP Sign Language, was recorded at Skyway Studios out of Nashville TN, as the band wanted to try something new to catch the attention of their fans. The project starts off strong with the first track “Signs,” as Jeff and Sidney open up with snarling guitar riffs; Spencer with his pounding drums; and Corey’s relentless[...]

Pilot-Field – Demo 2023

Buffalo hometown heroes Pilot-Field recently released their debut EP, Demo 2023, on June 9th. The band was formed back in the Spring of 2023 and recorded this project at GCR Audio over the course of four days. Recorded and mixed by Buffalo and GCR’s own Jay Zubricky and mastered by Buffalo’s Davis Maxwell, the band brings strong, upbeat punk rock vibes. The project starts off very electrifying with the first track “Brain Surgeons in Pinstripes.” When drummer Rob Brennan slams his drums in the first couple of seconds of the track, it ignites the sense and drive of the whole project. Each drum strike reverberates through your veins, commanding your body to move in sync with the pulsating tempo. The lyrics from singer Dan McCormick make you feel like you can accomplish anything that you may not have thought you could, reverberating with late ’90s pop punk energy reminiscent of[...]

Hundred Plus Club – Doom and Bloom

Buffalo-based band Hundred Plus Club (HPC) stays on par with their poppy, story-driven music in their latest three-song EP, Doom and Bloom. The band teamed up with Admirable Traits Records yet again to record this project which joins the ranks alongside a number of excellent singles, EPs like 2016’s For You and 2017’s Everybody’s Friend, and a split with their fellow Buffalonians in Cooler.  The opening track and lead single “Garden Cruise” dives into the problems of love (in whatever form it may take) – within the first few lines lead singer Zain Shirazi exclaims, “Love makes, Love makes us cry.” He sings with such a cold and calculated pain that if you close your eyes and imagine yourself alone at night, you’d feel like you can run through a brick wall head on. Essentially, that is the picture that the band tends to draw for their fans; being able[...]

Rosie Quartz – Philophile

Buffalo-based band Rosie Quartz specializes in guitar-driven songs soaked with luscious reverb. Their surfy vibes and easy-going disposition has resulted in a new, three-song project they’ve titled Philophile (i.e. a lover of loving). Throughout your first listen, you’ll feel like you’re on a bicycle riding a hundred miles an hour on a sunny breezy day, your hair flying wildly through the wind. The drums throughout each song brought by Alex Bogart make your head bop unconsciously along with the smoothness of the guitar brought by Adam Cwynar and the deep bass grooves of bassist Ron Walczyk. When Sean Pratt’s voice first hits in the song “Constellation Prize,” you get a sense of fresh air you didn’t know you needed. Overall, their music has a vibe that is very calming and warm that makes you want to lay back and stare at the stars late at night. The project was produced[...]

Dreamhouse. – violencewave

The latest release from local electronic artist, Dreamhouse. is titled violencewave. The album is a forlorn stare into the causes and effects of violence in light of the racially motivated 2022 Buffalo shooting. Regarding the tragedy, Jordan Walker, the beatmaker behind Dreamhouse., said: “I was driving around North Buffalo. It’s not really over there, but it’s about a five-minute drive if I took the right streets.” His girlfriend let him know there was an active shooter at Tops, and that was all he knew until he saw the full news coverage. After this intense experience, Walker dove headfirst into the main theme of violencewave, expressing his feelings while discussing humanity-wide violence. While creating this auditory collage, he sourced samples that represent the inescapable anxiety surrounding violence. The ambient intro track, “dreamers intuition,” features an undulating airy melody, glittery sample splashes, and a toaster oven-like dinging sound that signals the palatable[...]

Speed Dial – i, DUMBASS

Speed Dial bassist, John Carr, comically shout-sings through a low-fidelity telephone crunch, “What up, what up, what up bitch, it’s the dial.” On the other side of the call, the distinguishing lark is met with a gaggle of laughter, a proper greeting to the Buffalo four-piece’s debut EP, i DUMBASS. “Cannonball Waterslide” introduces themes of separation and identity. There is an energetic sense of freedom, but a remaining confrontation as lead singer, Cooper Taylor sings, “I like to think that you don’t know the half of what you claim you do.”  Flaunting a newfound sense of self over saucy guitar lines, Taylor is no longer bogged down by “judgements and assumptions.” Even still, a tender moment and some feverish guitar noodling and lyrics about self-improvement, show that moving forward isn’t that simple. In the remainder of the track, gang vocals shout prior lyrics back at Taylor while his head still[...]

bugcatcher – Slacker

Rochester act, bugcatcher, write big acoustic-indie tunes for little, yet important moments in their debut full length, Slacker. On the intro song, “Roller,” the project’s lead vocalist, songwriter and main member, Jake Denning, questions changes in his life while a tender guitar riff fades in and out. Responding with indifference, Denning’s voice echoes back onto itself with the vacant phrase “well okay, well alright,” as the instrumentation kindles the project’s gentle, slacker rock sound. Denning has multiple meanings for the title, as he feels there is “a malaise to the way the album flow[s], as it’s “generally pretty mid tempo,” yet he also said it took a long time for him to make, “maybe even too long.” He referred to its origins in late 2020, and how he moved around a couple times during its development. A dreamlike short-story-tune, “Daisy Vs The Grim Reaper,” was one of the first completed.[...]

Cooler – Doom Spiral

Cooler, a Buffalo-based three-piece, creates deeply personal, ethereal indie rock fit for the most intimate of moments. Doom Spiral, the group’s 2023 release, is their best work to date. The album centers around themes of opposition and devotion while persistently shifting between a confessional love story. Throughout the project, distance between people is a constantly developing undulation. Cooler braves this emotional disparity while engaging in intricate heart-to-heart discussions. The group fills out their already-strong sound with layers of carefully-laid, familiar guitar lines, sludgy bass flavors, and newfound sleek electronics, resulting in a sound they describe as “dreamo.” The album’s intro, “Gentleman,” was the first recorded with their current lineup, currently consisting of Alley, Jake, and Nick Sessanna. Breaking through the mist, the song’s flagship guitar line is as sentimental as it is catchy, while Alley’s reserved, melancholic delivery dazzles amidst lyrical dejection. “Succulents” is a meditative groover that aims to[...]

Ex-Pat – We Are All Explosives

Nostalgia is often guarded by the thick, indeterminate fog of our own memory. Ex-Pat, a Buffalo recording artist, wades through this fog. His time-warping artwork is genuine, soulful, and full of personality. Echoing the most gossamer, faded shades of 90s shoegaze and downtempo, while melting around your ears like a good-as-gold nugget of 50’s doo wop, Ex-Pat is a notable blend, indeed. His sweepingly good 2015 track, “Confusion,” exemplifies his dream pop experimentations (Check out our previous feature on AM 1400). This song excels in a fibrous synthesis of natural and electronic. It offers a soft-on-the-ears mix of creamy synths, while effectively steering into a folksy, way-down-a-country-road harmonica solo. His latest work, We Are All Explosives, is a four-song project halved by recent creations and older archives. The time-capsule of feeling freely drifts through Ex-Pat’s artistic chronology. Its whispery intro track, “The Call to be Happy,” is a minimalist construction[...]

MIMIC – A Thief, Not A Liar.

Just before Last Call Entertainment’s BJ’s Fest 2022, the now repurposed Eerie Shores Instagram posted a cryptic announcement. The dive-bar event would be the band’s final performance under their original SUNY Fredonia-born title. A following series of posts transitioned the band’s beloved moniker to a new name, MIMIC. With Eerie Shores in the rearview, “The Longest Road,” is a refreshing introduction to A Thief, Not a Liar. The winding acoustic heartwarmer steers into an EP-defining riff. The dramatic debut single, “Careless,” meets deep-seated anxieties with a relentlessly optimistic attitude. Normalizing this way of thinking, the band says that the song is about “finding happiness in areas of negativity; literally seeing rain and walking into it with a smile.” The music video, shot and edited by Brett Ballachino, reinforces these themes. The lead singer, Alex Vasiloff, finds relief from daily stress by making time for friendship. The gang take the wheel,[...]

Carpool – For Nasal Use Only

Since Carpool’s 2020 release of Erotic Nightmare Summer, the Rochester band has played on Audiotree, added a synth player, toured the country, worked with content creator, hate5six, and yelled “quit a job and fuck every single cop” wherever they went. That’s quite a streak for the underdog emo act, nicknamed Carpy for short. Carpool also became experts on saltines, see tour announcement for more information. The group’s emo-rollercoaster-rock sound oscillates between sugary indie-rock, walloping pop-punk, and derailing math pop fluidity. The moshpit-fuse band throw their weight behind important messages, whether they are handing out police abolition zines or approaching tough lyrical topics like substance abuse, mental health and failing relationships. Their latest work, a five song EP titled For Nasal Use Only, challenges listeners while expanding upon their familiar sound. More danceable than ever, Carpool inject their gravely relatable tunes with upbeat synth ebullience. The lead single and intro track,[...]

Neetchy Band – NO POZER

Throughout history, art often strikes a delicate balance between humor and depth. We’ve all got that one friend, always authentically themselves, goofy one second, and deep as hell the next. While listening to Neetchy, a sneering chuckle could easily turn sentimental. With no effort to fit in, the boundary-pushing artist has been doing it his way since 2015 with projects like Cotton Candy Mountains, Songs For, and About You, and Jerry, amongst others (see our previous features on both The Old Me and Y’all Need a Drink). Throughout this time, Neetchy has developed a cartoonish pop rap finesse, emphasizing sticky melodies, did-he-just-say-that lyrics, and his own enigmatic character. Unafraid to try new things, the fringe artist’s early discography draws upon cloud rap, southern hip hop, R&B, and dance-pop along with a host of related sounds. After a few years worth of hip hop releases, an alien-autotune-country sound burgeoned within Neetchy’s[...]

Kod!e – Cycle of Man

On October 1st, 2002, an artist named Kod!e was born into a life of makeshift homes & painstaking anxiety. To celebrate making it 20 years through this journey of life he calls the Cycle of Man, Kod!e decided to drop a 13 track album titled just that on his twentieth birthday, October 1st 2022. The alt rock/hyperpop inspired album has distinctive vocal textures. On tracks such as “Burn This Town” and “STAY AWAY,” the Buffalo-based artist’s vocals carry similar timbre to a chainsaw in a horror film. Respectively, on tracks like “What is wrong with me” and “Descending,” Kod!e’s voice floats through the atmosphere he’s engineered for himself. The wide range in dynamics and delivery over Cycle of Man is what distinguishes Kod!e from peers in the Buffalo alt rock/hyperpop demographic. A music video with scenes ranging from a cemetery to a Buffalo loft for track six, “I Knew it[...]