Buffalo

1996 Drops “Activist” for Weekly Series

December 18, 2015

1996 of Buffalo’s Valor Club released “Activist,” the second installment in a weekly series called “Immaculate Monday.” Last week saw the rapper drop the soulful, electric “Regal Adonis”, and this week the beat mellows out but 1996 stays charismatic. Built around a muted horn instrumental courtesy of producer Sigma, the beat is a great base for 1996 to mix his flow up. 6’s delivery is intentionally erratic, filled with fluctuations that play off the beat. When the bass pounds, his voice goes up and the hype builds and builds. 1996 does a great job on this song sticking with flow themes, like in the first verse when he rolls through “a” and “b” sounds with some nice controlled assonance. Lyrically, 6 talks of drugs and his reasons for them on lines like “Everything I do, just reflections of the ‘endo, where I’m hoping for the end-o cause the darkness is surrounding[...]

New Masons Release New Single

December 17, 2015

The end of December is always an awkward time to release music – most blogs are doing year-end compilations and best-ofs, music fans are checked out more concerned with visiting family and friends, and generally the atmosphere is not very inviting to new material. With that being said, we are usually too tied up with our own lists and people taking time off to invest time into new music, but after hearing New Masons‘ latest single we decided we had to share. The Fredonia-based band, New Masons, have released their newest single with newly ArcAtlas Records. a record label established only recently out of Fredonia’s Music Business Program. The single “Night Calls” is  an indie-pop gem, with soulful vocals, delicate guitars, an M83 Saturdays = Youth-esque breakdown, and retro Miami-vibes.  If you are a fan of St. Lucia, Ellie Goulding, or Blackbird Blackbird, then you would dig this up-and-coming act. It’s too bad Canary Birds called it[...]

Nylon Otters Reveal Debut Demos

December 16, 2015

At buffaBLOG, we try to make it our duty to keep an ear to the ground for the newest and most exciting in local music. We do this so that when we come across a band with an exciting sound and unique voice we can bring them to you first; Nylon Otters are just such a band. Nylon Otters is a Buffalo-based garage rock band with a distinctly lo-fi 90’s sound and has just released a series of demos. Being a series of demos, the songs have an obvious rawness to them, but across all eight tracks, Nylon Otters demonstrate a real fire and energy to their sound. Tracks like the blistering opener “Parrots” demonstrate their more playful side while “Down Drained” shows a shaggier improvisational side to their sound. The band’s sound can be compared to the trend of recent grungy garage rock from artists like Cloud Nothings or[...]

MileHigh’s M-A Drops Solo Project

December 16, 2015

Buffalo rap posse MileHighMuzik is a frequent feature for for the blog, namely because of their quality output combined with a seemingly never-ending stream of releases. Last December, they released a new track every day of the month, calling it Juugcember, and did the same thing this past summer in Juugly. Heavily contributing to the group’s success is leading rapper/producer M-A, the recent releaser of solo mixtape Feel Trip. The tape fins M-A working with members of his crew, but also take the experimental path that can only come with an independent mindset. The album kicks off the with the “Feel Trip Intro,” a melodic trap ballad of careful production and echoic singing vocals. The track is in the same vein as a Travis $cott song, but is brighter and perhaps with more substance, as M-A calls for his girl to stay with him as he falls. Its evolving construction is greater than that of[...]

Anthony Del Plato Releases Two New Singles

December 16, 2015

Our Batavian buddy Anthony Del Plato surprised us with a new two-song, EP last week, which he has affectionately self-titled. The first track, “Call and Answer,” is a wonderful addition to Del Plato’s canon. The song pairs autumn imagery with winter laments and is bolstered by spiraling guitars and Del Plato’s signature layered harmonies. “Numbers” is an ethereal take on a previously released song, reminiscent of Del Plato’s recent foray into electronica with new project, Tape Drive. As if that weren’t enough, Del Plato is on a roll having recently reunited with his Strings & Chords collaborator Bradley Kujawski for a one-off song under the moniker Junction Hill. Their new song, “Suburban Lawn Envy Blues,” is an upbeat number, despite the rainy weather being sung about. The grass is always greener, right guys?

YLXR Releases “Covergirl” Remix

December 15, 2015

Buffalo electronic R&B producer YLXR balances maximalist synth and drum sequences with saccharine swells and exuberant vocal sample on his latest remix of the 2009 RuPaul track “Covergirl.” Keeping the bass and drum sounds rooted in the club, the artist patiently builds to the spirited drop that finds the woozy synth melody at its most compelling. With an ability to create interesting progressions from minimal beats to sample-heavy breakdowns, YLXR continues to impress with productions that combine pop sensibility with club music’s exultation. Stream/download “Covergirl” below [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/234913496″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: All Them Witches

December 10, 2015

Psychedelic rockers All Them Witches are passing through Buffalo today. The Nashville quartet are quickly becoming front-runners in the underground heavy rock scene, seeing as how they masterfully blend blues, sludge, and stoner rock into long, droning songs. RIYL The Black Angels, Kyuss, or Pink Floyd. Support tonight comes from New Madrid and Rochester stoner rock group (and perfect fit for this particular bill), King Buffalo. Tickets are $12, doors are at 7:00pm, and music starts at 8:15. Clarification: you should not confuse All Them Witches with Buffalo-based mathy duo All of Them Witches, although that would have made for a pretty awesome lineup.

Peach releases new album The Fall of Rome

December 3, 2015

Buffalo production duo 桃 [peach] with only a pair of bandcamp releases to their name are responsible for one of the more unique sounds to come out of the local electronic scene. With their latest album The Fall of Rome, the artists explore sounds rooted in vaporwave, house, and electronica while adhering to the ancient Roman theme with track titles like “Julius Caesar,” “The Ides of March,” and “Fall of the Republic.” Opening with the downtempo, glitchy “Ode to a New Age,” Peach complements fiery drums with lush chords and dark atmospherics while the more house-oriented “Julius Caesar” brings to mind the work of Toronto duo Crystal Castles with its abrasive textures and frenetic synth leads. Their eclectic production skills lend themselves to more groove-based, mellow tracks as well with “Welcome to Rome” and “Crossing the Rubicon” providing a more subdued tone while maintaining the experimental, scatter-brained approach that characterizes Peach’s sound. Perhaps[...]

Orations Share New EP, Incantation

November 24, 2015

With two back-to-back weekends of 80’s dance parties and recent shows from Joy Division, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Replacements cover bands, it’s fair to say that the spirit of the decade is alive and well in Buffalo. So if you miss the pulsating bass lines of New Order’s Peter Hook or the shimmering jangle pop guitar of the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, then Buffalo’s Orations should have you covered. The band just released its sophomore EP/7″, Incantation, and it’s four tracks of invigorating, post-punk gems. Orations show their immense range on Incantation, generating an ability to seamlessly transfer from the dreamy pop sounds of opening number, “Curses,” to the more nocturnal punk sounds of tracks like “Nosedive.” This is no imitation, though. While Orations dig from a plethora of 80’s sounds, there’s no particular band they seem to sounds like. Rather, Incantation is the sound of a band who grew up loving[...]

Don Scuzz and Tech’o Drop “Already” Visuals

November 20, 2015

Don Scuzz has a penchant for aggressive rhymes to compliment his gruff vocal delivery. This remains the case for the Buffalo rapper on the track “Already,” which comes with a new video this week. Scuzz holds nothing back as he kicks off the song its rapid chorus rapping “I ain’t even made it and they wanna do me dirty already, I ain’t gotta say it,if you in the city then I’m just guessing that you heard me already.” The Hooligan Records rapper couples his confident statements with some pretty provoking lyrical content, particularly when Scuzz relays “I’ve just seen my little brother going off the deep end and I don’t know if I’m the solution to the problem or the reason.” Scuzz interchanges his impressive verses with two from the 17-year-old Tech’o, who has some pretty great bars of his own. Standout line “I remember running ’round playing ‘Duck, Duck,[...]

The Modern Age Shares New Single

November 19, 2015

New-to-the-scene alt rock act the Modern Age shared its latest single late last week, the follow up to their debut single “All the Time.” Formerly a duo that consisted of past members of Mosaics and Aria, the retooled act is now a quartet and has been working on tracks over at Paul Besch’s Quiet Country Audio. On “We Belong Together,” the group recalls a less bratty version of Made Violent or a cleaner M.A.G.S., the second comparison being rather apt as M.A.G.S. front man Elliott Douglas does drum tracking on the tune. The Modern Age has already teased its soon to be next track, “Feel It,” set to drop next month, so keep an eye out. In the mean time, listen to “We Belong Together” below.

Dean Chatham Drops Dean’s List 2

November 13, 2015

Eight months after the release of the original Dean’s List, Buffalo rapper Dean Chatham is back with the follow up record, Dean’s List 2: The Aftermath. The project is the first from the Black Sol member since he signed with Style Music Productions, and demonstrates the progression of Chatham as an artist over the last year. Chatham kicks off his scholastic follow up with the smooth opener “Kage,” in which the rapper projects his pride for the rise he’s seen as an artist recently. The original Dean’s List came when Chatham viewed himself as a student, while this project sees a more confident rapper showing off what he’s learned as he’s found his style. This theme of self -discovery and development continues on tracks like “Lucid Dreams,” where Chatham explores his introspective side. “Black Panda” is another substantive track in which Chatham discusses the positive state he’s currently in and how it relates with a darkened[...]

Cadaver Country Drops Debut EP

November 11, 2015

This week marks a new album for Cadaver Country, the freak-folk side project of Pine Fever member Jacob Verghese. The six track EP, titled Vain Brain, follows much in the same vein as the album’s first single (released earlier this year), and finds a unique balance between the endearing weirdo-isms of artists like Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel and the eclectic folk instrumentation of The Decemberists or The Bowerbirds. Tracks like “Divining Light” and “Good Morning, Morning” capitalize on homey Savannah back porch vibes, both with plucky banjo lines and inviting tambourine, the former capturing an interesting storytelling side a la Lord Huron. My favorite of the six tracks, “The Man With the Teeth,” finds Verghese at his most instrumentally articulate, particularly with his impressive banjo work, while lonely sighs of pump organ surface from the background. The whole EP, written, recorded, and produced by Verghese himself, is an[...]

Rich Slave’s J.Dot Drops New Video

November 6, 2015

Buffalo rapper ASlaveNamedDot (of Rich Slave) is continuing his string of dope singles with his newest video for “Outta State,” his final video of 2015. It’s been a busy year for Dot and the Rich Slave crew,  one in which he dropped no less than six videos as well as the August project Slave Talk.  “Outta State” is a feel good track hip hop track in the broadest terms. Playfully braggadocious and heavy on “ayy” ad-libs, “Outta State” is another charming song from Dot. His bars touch on Flava Flav watches, curvy girls, and second place bitches as the trumpet loops in and out on some chill, jazzy production. The video is shot by another rising Buffalo rapper in Don Scuzz. Give it a watch below and stay tuned for more from Dot in the future.

Hy-Fin Remixes and Mashes for Brandy

November 4, 2015

Buffalo producer Hy-Fin has been remixing and reworking some of hip hop’s best tracks from the last 15 years or so. At the tail end of October, Hy-Fin organized the tracks (for the most part originally posted on Soundcloud) into three different projects on Bandcamp, the largest of which being Brandy. The album’s opening track is composed of some wonderfully delicate piano, on top of which Hy-fin throws on the wonderfully delicate Drake and some of his vocals from early breakout single “Over.” Brandy moves forward with some more Young Money work, including more Drake and a chiller, more musical rework of Lil Wayne’s smash “A Milli.” Hy-Fin slides over to the ATL for a remix of Outkast’s “Rosa Parks.” Andre 3000’s vocals really drive this song, as Hy-fin stripped down the instrumental to let them shine. The instrumental also includes some DJ scratches in homage to the original beat. On “Without My Mind,”[...]