Latest Posts

Jeff Rosenstock – We Cool?

March 5, 2015

The opening lyrics on We Cool? are softly sung, “When your friends are buying starter homes with their accomplishments, drinking at a house show can feel childish and embarrassing. People glaring because despite what the advertisement said, drinking malt liquor doesn’t make you young.” This is an amazing preface to the overall tone of Jeff Rosenstock’s latest solo effort. Jeff Rosenstock is the former frontman and vocalist of the now broken up punk / indie group Bomb the Music Industry!  After the band’s breakup, Rosenstock has taken another stab at his own self titled solo project. I will admit, while I have heard off Jeff and Bomb the Music Industry!, I never really gave them a fair listen.  After listening to We Cool?, I am really starting to regret that. The most notable quality  on this record is the honesty in Rosenstock’s lyrics.  From the aforementioned first lines, the album[...]

Dan Deacon – Gliss Riffer

February 26, 2015

I have always had mixed feelings for Dan Deacon. Admittedly, I did not get into his music until his 2012 album, America, was released and immediately started back with his first album,2003’s Silly Hat vs. Egale Hat. His early material is some really abstract, sometimes ambient, and generally weird music that is definitely not for everyone. One track on his first record, “Glass and Metal,” just features smashing and banging metal and glass with added post effects. But the samples he used on these albums were amazing, making the three records incredible sounding, each one its own unique experience.  As he released more albums and his time progressed, so did his sound. That growth is most notable on his his 2009 album, Bromst. On this album, Deacon stayed with some of his sample based tracks, but added a heavy amount of rhythm and melodies, making much of the material catchier. Despite[...]

Adventures – Supersonic Home

February 19, 2015

With no prior knowledge, you would probably have no idea while listening to the new Adventures album, Supersonic Home,  that this band was made up of members of the brutal hardcore punk band Code Orange. Three of the four members of Code Orange decided to ditch the heavy breakdowns and join with two friends to go for a new project, solely for the sake of having some fun. Sonically, the two projects couldn’t be more different. While this is the band’s first full length, the quartet has been releasing splits and EP’s since around 2012. With the help of Run for Cover Records,  Adventures’ first album is now available. While the sounds that Adventures bring on Supersonic Home are nowhere near groundbreaking, the band still managed to put together a pretty solid album. The strong point of Supersonic Home is definitely the songwriting.  The hooks on almost every one of[...]

Jordan Hudkins of Rozwell Kid

February 17, 2015

Since its  2014 new record, Too Shabby, Rozwell Kid has been making waves in the music community. Fresh off of a tour with The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die,  Rozwell Kid is now hitting the road with You Blew It!, including a show with them tonight at the Studio at the Waiting Room.  I had a chance to ask vocalist Jordan Hudkins a couple questions about the band’s music, live show, hummus tendencies, and whats next for the band buffaBlog:  If you were going to explain your sound to someone who had never listened to Rozwell Kid before, how would you describe it? Jordan Hudkins: I guess Indie Rock is the most appropriate blanket term? Powerpop? It’s all Rock and Roll at the end of the day. bB: On first listen, many people would probably peg Weezer as your clearest influence. What are[...]

Tonight: You Blew It! & Tiny Moving Parts

February 17, 2015

What might be considered one of the top “emo” showcases of the year is happening tonight at the Studio at the Waiting Room. The show is featuring two of the more popular bands in the indie-emo genre, You Blew It! and Tiny Moving Parts, as well as the indie band Rozwell Kid, who loves to bring the shred. Fresh off a new 2014 album, Match & Tinder, You Blew It! will definitely have the crowd singing along. Tiny Moving Parts is a fantastic combination of emo, math rock, flashy guitar work, and relatable lyrics, which makes for a very fun live show with a lot of crowd interaction. Rozwell Kid brings one of the most hilarious live shows I have ever seen. Stay tuned for an interview with them later today. Opening the show will be Buffalo natives Alleys and Well Kept Things, which will fit right in on the bill[...]

Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear

February 12, 2015

Almost 2 years ago, Josh Tillman, better known as Father John Misty, released his first full length album, Fear Fun.  After countless recommendations from friends along with finding out that Tillman was the former drummer Fleet Foxes, I was pretty eager to give it a listen. It was a really solid album, and a lot of my friends loved it, but I wasn’t really sold on it. The psychedelic folk sound he brought to the table was interesting, but it was a bit too poppy and bouncy for me at times. The strong point of that record was definitely the songwriting and storytelling, but the presentation was really a turn off at points. Coming into this new record, I Love You, Honeybear,  I honestly wasn’t that excited about it. The sound of his last record had been done by bands before and after Fear Fun’s release, and I thought it[...]

Today : Bill & Jamie’s House, Difficult Night

February 8, 2015

Are you ready for some deathfolk?  Head down to the Nothrup House today for an early matinee show stacked with some awesome local talent. The show begins at 2pm and will feature Bill & Jamie’s House, Difficult Night, Velvet Alphabet, and Jacob Brockway, all from Buffalo.  Bill & Jamie’s House will bring some beautiful,  stripped down acoustic tracks while Difficult Night takes it a more electric route, and should result in a great show. There is no cost listed in the event page, but I would bring a few dollars for the bands just in case. If you’re into folk music, this gig is definitely for you.

Title Fight – Hyperview

February 4, 2015

The first time that I ever heard of Title Fight was in 2012 when I read a review bashing a single from the band’s new record, Floral Green. The write up stated the new track was a complete departure from Title Fight’s current sound at the time, and was not worth even listening to if you liked the band. Obviously, I had to go listen to the song, “Head in the Ceiling Fan.” From what I understood, Title Fight was a punk / post hardcore band, but this track was incredibly slow and dreamy. After hearing that song, I dug deeper into the band’s discography and really became a fan. When the band began dropping songs for new album, Hyperview, I was really surprised. These two new songs, first “Chlorine” and then “Rose of Sharon,” continued on the underwater sounding, dreamy path of “Head in the Ceiling Fan,” and the fact[...]

Cloakroom – Further Out

January 29, 2015

If you are at all into the somewhat relevant pop punk and emo scenes, you are bound to have heard of the record label Run for Cover Records, which is home to bands such as Tigers Jaw, Modern Baseball, Citizen, and Basement,  just to name a few.  One of the label’s more recent signings was the band Cloakroom, a trio of factory workers from Indiana. Cloakroom is one of those bands that is pretty hard to place into a single genre.  The way I heard it best described was slowcore, which seems incredibly fitting. The band is an amazing combination of alt rock, post hardcore, grunge, emo, and shoegaze that when combined, makes for an incredibly punchy, warm sounding record.  With countless bands trying to embrace this sound and seeming to come up short each in their own way (i.e. Title Fight, Pianos Become the Teeth, Whirr, Pity Sex, Nothing,[...]

Pappy Stardust & The Eclectic Moon Sandwich Drops the Grimy EP, Your Local Lizard Band

January 27, 2015

After seeing the title for the new Pappy Stardust & The Eclectic Moon Sandwich EP, Your Local Lizard Band, I had to ask myself, what exactly is a Lizard Band? Pappy Stardust, by the way, is a lo-fi, messy, garage rock collective from our good friend and neighbor city, Rochester. After listening, it really made sense to me in an odd way. The group of revolving members’ latest tracks are an overall grimy combination of really cool, psychedelic instrumentals with heavily echoed vocals, and at times, even a bit of a surf rock. Your Local Lizard Band starts off with the incredibly groovy “The Lizard #3,” highly due to the prevalent plucked bass line and the catchy repeated guitar riff, and ends with the nearly 8 minute, mostly instrumental track, “The Wave,” which is truly a psychedelic monster. Your Local Lizard Band is an overall incredibly fun listen, and is highly recommended. It is available[...]

Toro Y Moi – “Empty Nesters”

January 22, 2015

After their 2013 album Anything in Return, Chaz Bundick and crew, aka Toro Y Moi, have announced a new record titled, What For?.  The record is set to be released on April 7th, out on Carpark Records.  With the announcement of the new album, the band also dropped the new track, “Empty Nesters.” “Empty Nesters” seems to be a bit of a departure from the sound of the last Toro Y Moi record.  While most tracks on Anything in Return are more beat based and have a more R&B type groove, the new single features a surprisingly psychedelic full band pop sound similar to that of Tame Impala or of Montreal.  With the funky, early 2000’s pop vibe the track gives off, it is sure to keep you tapping your feet.

Belle and Sebastian – Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

January 19, 2015

After a nearly five year hiatus, the Glasgow natives, Belle and Sebastian, reunite with the group’s ninth studio album, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. That’s not to say that the members of the band have not been keeping busy though.  In 2014, the lead singer Stuart Murdoch wrote and directed the film God Help The Girl, after making a soundtrack to the film with his musical side project of the same name back in 2009.  The film was way too quirky for my tastes, and I was really worried this new record would have the same effect on me, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was I wrong. Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is sonically a breath of fresh air for Belle and Sebastian. While staying true to emotional lyrics revolving around personal struggle, the band is able to deliver a new record with some of the danciest[...]