Album of the Week

superficial. – s/t

September 17, 2019

Speaking for myself a fair part of writing about local music is managing one’s enthusiasms and expectations to try to not get too carried away when something particularly tantalizing arrives via the inbox or emerges on the radar… or failing to do so entirely like I did after listening to Fredonia buzz band superficial.’s eponymous debut EP. Shimmering, mesmerizing, and completely compelling every second of it’s 15 minute running time, it bangs in a variety of ways from start to finish. Now ordinarily I’m not a stickler for rules but when it comes to putting out albums and EPs  there are a few as laid down by giants of bygone ages, and one of them is your first song better hit hard, unless you’re doing an intro in which case your second song has to or else, and superficial. satisfies with a flourish. All swirling synths and organs, “Intro” feels a little[...]

Roger Bryan and the Orphans – Keep You in Mind

September 3, 2019

Veteran americana indie rock outfit Roger Bryan and the Orphans recently released their new record Keep You in Mind. The quartet’s first release since 2017’s 9er EP, Keep You in Mind is quite simply a gorgeous record that further cements Bryan’s status as one of the most talented songwriters in Buffalo’s music scene. Bryan’s deep vocals have an extraordinary ability to feel brooding, exuberant, wistful, or contemplative as each song progresses. The title track, which kicks off the album does a nice job of setting the tone, with an upbeat sound and a thoroughly catchy hook. I must also make special note of the standout lead guitar work on this record by Bryan’s fellow Harvestsum alum David Calos. Another fabulous track is the blistering “Faster Than Forward” which almost begs to be played with the windows down. “Roll It” shows a slower side of the band, with mournful pedal steel underscoring[...]

Chaz Hearne & the Dazzlers – Intelligence is Rising

August 19, 2019

Rochester folk-rock artist Chaz Hearne is back with another album – and this time, he brought friends. There’s strength in numbers in Intelligence is Rising, the musician’s latest release under his collaborative moniker Chaz Hearne & The Dazzlers. According to Hearne, the mantra “Intelligence is rising” came to him while he was visiting what may be the best thing this country has to offer: national parks. Nature is present on Intelligence is Rising, both lyrically and in its instrumentation. While the great outdoors is a recurring theme on the album, the sound has a natural quality to it as well, with a glowing openness and clarity that come from heartfelt songwriting and the innate skill of its personnel. With the opening title track, Hearne displays his signature banjo-picking finesse, but also brings the talent of a long list of other local musicians to round out his sound – including Susanna[...]

A House Safe for Tigers – Space Between

August 12, 2019

If it’s not baroque, then you need to fix it. That is the key to indie two-piece A House Safe For Tigers’ mojo, as is evident with their new release, Space Between. Members Mark Constintino and Brendon Delmont, who each have pasts rich with hardcore-punk and synth-heavy rock, have matured into a more serene sound, but retain the haunting atmosphere of their youth. “Bumblebee,” track one from Space Between opens the door with an upbeat ode to a wonderful person, who has earned the name, ‘”My Sweet BumbleBee.” The synth provides a full metallic melody, while the drums and percussion dig out a smooth groove. Acoustic guitar fills in the background, and the chorus explodes with the band’s well-crafted hook and vocal harmony on the title lyric. A running theme on the album is landscape and mother nature. “Sound Valley,” track number five, opens with an electric guitar riff, dry[...]

Folkfaces – Fat Ol’ Rat

August 5, 2019

Buffalo’s rowdy roots rock quartet Folkfaces just released their sophomore album Fat Ol’ Rat. With their signature blend of raucous jazz and blues, the quartet has further refined their sound since their debut release How Long? in 2017. Anchored by the virtuosic multi-instrumentalist Tyler Westcott, the group also features local sax powerhouse Ellen Pieroni, upright bassist Patrick Jackson, and washboard wunderkind Dan Schwach. It’s fairly easy to hear the influences of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Dave Van Ronk, and Django Reinhardt on the band’s sound, but to stop there would be fairly limiting. There’s also a healthy dose of jazz, jug band, and even punk that round out their very eclectic sound. Without doubt I believe Fat Ol’ Rat is the band’s most successful album, as it captures the high energy and intensity that is ever present at their live shows. An absolute barn-burner from start to finish, Westcott’s rambling[...]

Space Cubs – The 4th Age

July 29, 2019

The future is always now for Buffalo avante-garde electronica outfit Space Cubs, and on their first full length LP The 4th Age the intrepid trio find themselves confronting their future, uncertainty, and immense potential head on, with some inspiring results. Haunting and otherworldly, “The End Seems Easier” is some quintessential Space Cubs, an icy and tightly contained amuse bouche that features Suzanne Bonficio’s ethereal vocals submerged yet floating over an eerie, anxious soundscape before “Summons” drops the listener in the deep end of the pool with it’s hyper self-aware freakout of discordance and droning doom. The lead single and first proper album banger “Sideways” is when The 4th Age really gets going, with a ferocious industrial sound that calls to NIN influenced mid 90’s Bowie/Eno collaborations and the band’s ambitious debut EP. “Circular” is vibey, glacial trip hop floating under mournful melodies and Greenwoodesque guitars that surrenders itself into one of[...]

Ugly Sun – s/t

July 22, 2019

Crunchy, sweaty, rock-n-roll that should be played to summon demigods or while making sweet love under the desert sun has landed in Buffalo. The Crook brothers, John and Harrison, formed the rock duo Ugly Sun and have showed us the portal to a good time with the release of their first album, self-titled, Ugly Sun. The tone of the album begins at the cover. A desert sun setting behind mountains, spends its last few minutes shining down on a group of presumably nude females. If one downloads their album from Spotify, the figures will be blurred. However, I am hard pressed to believe that the brothers made that decision themselves, since their attitudes align with consistently pushing their creative boundaries. “Little Fire,” the album’s first song, and first released track, begins with an airy guitar melody that steadily builds until it combusts into a full on arena rock guitar lick[...]

Everything In Waves – Echoes

July 15, 2019

Hopes and dreams are funny, fickle things. As we get older, we start to reconcile some of our childhood delusions of grandeur. For some, this means settling peacefully into a routine 9 to 5 grind and making the most of your comfort and free time. For others, it’s an uphill battle to cling to what defines you as an individual. It may be different for the doctors of the world, but for the rest of us who have embraced our humdrum day jobs, how many of us are really pursuing our passions for employment? Enter Everything in Waves, a.k.a Anthony Del Plato – a talented and prolific musician from Batavia with 15+ years of songwriting experience. Besides a healthy dose of inescapable hook-writing skills gleaned from the Cobains and Grohls of the world, Del Plato was raised on the atmospheric emo heroes of the late 90s and early 00s – think The Appleseed Cast[...]

Heave – Pike

July 8, 2019

When Heave released their debut EP two years ago, it immediately made waves within the local singer-songwriter community. In the short time since, they have risen to become one of the most exciting new bands in Buffalo’s burgeoning indie scene. Initially the project of multi-instrumentalist Emily Finlan, they’re now a four-piece group with a cult of followers. Pike, Heave’s debut full length record, is a confirmation of their status as new standouts. The album opens with a quick instrumental intro track of gliding electric guitar that leads directly into the upbeat basement punk rocker “Boys”. Throughout the rest of the album, Heave churns through genre changes and tonal shifts seamlessly and with expertise. From breezy and bouncing jazz on “Bevels” to winding acoustic rock on “Paradigm” to apathetic bop “Big Shrug,” and all moments in between, the band turns in a masterful performance. Though it is varied and eclectic, Pike[...]

Maybird – Things I Remember From Earth

July 1, 2019

“Earth weighing you down? Take an intergalactic trip with the latest effort from Rochester’s very own Maybird. Things I Remember From Earth, the band’s first release since 2017’s ‘Unraveling’, which had The Black Keys’ drummer, Patrick Carney, at the producing helm, sends the listener on an upward trajectory that happens to be highly infused with technicolor, rock n roll riffs, and dance grooves. The second track, “To You,” and the first dosage of pop melodies on the album, displays a pleasant view of hedonism. Or better, what to do to reach a person who has become wrapped up in the world of pleasures. The vocal’s plead in a soft voice to “Stick around a little bit longer/Mix it up a little bit stronger/ This is the best I ca do to get through to you.” The sentiment becomes reinforced with high end back up vocals reminiscent of Motown, and then[...]

Post Prom – Nothing Left for Us

June 24, 2019

Summer has officially hit in western New York and that means it’s time to dust off those songs to soundtrack your solstice. Luckily enough for you, Buffalo rockers Post Prom just dropped a new EP that captures that warm weather vibe, and epitomizes the phrase “windows down, music up.” The album Nothing Left For Us features six pop-punky songs that solidify the groups reputation as some of Buffalo’s premiere rockers. The record opens up with the energetic and hook-laden “Tunnel Vision”. That energy carries through “Tiger Beer,” where guitarist and vocalist Aidan Licker laments the loss of a friend who has moved to another city, while celebrating all the precious memories they have together. The nimble guitar work on this track is undeniable as well. Fast-forward to the mid-point of the record and we hit the poppy, moody “Hurt Somebody,” On this track, the band showcases their ability to slow things[...]

Slow Cooker – Do a Kickflip

June 17, 2019

Grab your board and get ready to shred with Buffalo four-piece, Slow Cooker, and their debut full length, Do a Kickflip, a post-hardcore tour de force that will leave your ears happy and bleeding. Since forming in 2015, old friends Ian McCrohan, Andy Krzystek, Joe McGrath and Adam Malchof have carved out a distinct and delightful calamity of sweaty garage rock injected with hardcore punk super serum. The results, as reflected in the hilariously off-putting cover art, are unapologetically unique, individualized and just plain awesome. You can call it “weird,” but the best and most interesting things in life usually are. Do a Kickflip opens with a big bang with the track, “Fix It.” Right off the bat, Slow Cooker pummels you with a one-two knockout punch of righteously avant-garde garage jams complemented perfectly by unmistakable vocals. Singer/guitarist McCrohan delivers resilient lyrics with a frantic flamboyancy and mood swing inflections[...]

Ian McCuen – Songs of Fleeting Permanence, Vol. II

June 10, 2019

Beware the quiet man. When others speak, he watches. When others act, he plans. When others rest, he strikes. Ian McCuen is our modern day quiet man. He began his journey almost a decade ago when he entered an intense six year period of self-reflection and discovery. The light at the end of that tunnel turned out to be an epic three volume set of indie-folk music entitled Songs of Fleeting Permanence. He recently released Vol. II. Volume II’s lead off track, “Drowning,” sets the emotionally heavy tone that serves as the release’s foundation. A vocal melody, reminiscent of a church choir in terms of depth and haunting feel, bolsters the melancholy lyrics. In a near-whisper, McCuen sings, “Keep your head up/treading water/keep your head up/just stay afloat.” “Facade,” the second track, gives the listener reason as to why one may find themselves struggling to not go under. In a[...]

No Glitter – The Old City

June 3, 2019

Rochester based outfit No Glitter released their album The Old City this past February. No Glitter is the solo project of drummer Billy Martin, best known for his work with The Ginger Faye Bakers and Vacation Daze. In 2018, Martin entered the studio after a visit to his hometown of Syracuse, NY. Aside from several guitar solos, Martin recorded all the music on the album. The result is a riff heavy 90s influenced alt-rock sound that deserves to be played loud. Throughout the record, Martin maintains a high energy and demonstrates his ability to write compelling hooks and anthemic choruses. A perfect example of this would be “Window Seat,” which builds a call and response structure throughout the verse and explodes into the chorus. There’s also a fair amount of brooding as well, such as “Ladybug | Little Squid” which drips with stoner metal sludge. A true standout is “Cherry[...]

Wild Once – Perennials

May 27, 2019

There’s something romantic about the concept of perennials. For those without a green thumb, a perennial is a flower that lives for more than two years – sticking around to poke their colorful heads out of the snow or blooming wildly throughout the summer before being murdered by the brutal Buffalo winter year after year. Wild Once knows a little something about rebirth – despite the death of their past projects (Rust Belt Lights, As Summer Dies), they’re still here and they’ve continued to create music. They’re a group of guys on the “wrong side of 30” (those are their words, not ours – see “Perennials”), but there’s a valuable, intangible kind of experience that comes with age. A vague punk influence still shines through here, but Wild Once’s music falls into a nebulous area between emo, pop-punk, and indie rock. Tinges of The Get Up Kids and Transit shine through as equally[...]