Latest Posts

Why We Run – “A Moment To Return”

April 6, 2016

Sydney-based quartet Why We Run released the video for their first single “A Moment to Return,” off their forthcoming album due out early summer. The video is powerful, featuring an elderly man swimming, then Benjamin Button-ing back into retrogressing in childhood over a three minute time-lapse.  Below the surface, “A Moment To Return,” is about a near-drowning experience where lead singer of Why We Run saw his entire life flashed before his eyes. Heavy stuff. Check out these up-and-coming Aussie’s new video below and keep your eyes peeled for their new album. It’ll be a good one.

9 Theory – “Get Up, Dig In, Good Luck (ft. Dawn Mitschele)”

April 4, 2016

Los Angeles based electronic-producer, 9 Theory aka Gabe Lehner, released a new song last week that is making the rounds in our office. “Get Up, Dig In, Good Luck” starts of with a 4/4 heartbeat, soft keyboards, and Moby-like snippets from “Natural Blues” accented by smokey vocals. Singer Dawn Mitschele sounds very much like Emily Haines in Metric-prime, luring the listener in for a closer listen. “Get Up, Dig In, Good Luck” is off 9 Theory’s upcoming six-song EP titled Beautiful Things. Check it out below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/254861891″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Ace of Base – “Don’t Turn Around (MONAKR Remix)”

April 1, 2016

My introduction to Swedish pop sensations Ace of Base came after watching Full House. Stephanie Tanner’s band, GirlTalk (not to be confused with Greg Gillis’ one-man splice machine, Girl Talk), covered one of their singles for a talent show and Uncle Jesse got all stage uncle-y. At the time, “I Saw the Sign” was everywhere and I was happy that Stephanie’s band “made it,” as if a starring role in a show on TGIF wasn’t enough. After months (…and months…and months) of hearing “I Saw the Sign” on the radio, I finally discovered the truth. Michelle Tanner and Kimmy Gibler did not collaborate to write one of the catchiest songs of the early nineties—it was a bunch of Swedish people under the name Ace of Base. This is important because I have a subliminal disdain for Ace of Base because for no reason I felt as though they stole from[...]

Sun Cut Flat – “Warped Buddhism”

March 29, 2016

Right from the start, Sun Cut Flat’s new single “Warped Buddhism” grabbed a hold of my ears and would not let go. The Brooklyn-based collective, fronted by Nick Lattanzi with support from a rotating cast of Berklee-trained musicians, is best described as a mix between early Caribou, Antelope or Nomo. Fans of the aforementioned would appreciate the driving/ethereal instrumentals combined with washed out vocals. Sun Cut Flat’s new EP, titled Obscurities, comes out this morning and is available for purchase over here. In the meantime, check out “Warped Buddhism” below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/254276112″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Wild Year – “Setting Yourself on Fire”

March 28, 2016

LA-based indie rock act, Wild Year, released a single this past month that is totally shareworthy. The track “Setting Yourself on Fire” is starts off like a clean indie popr ock track with lead vocalist Cole Morrall cooing “none of us are what we seem, you’re still talking  without sleep, pictures of me will burn in your hands, you still tell me this was my plan.” Assuming this song is about this song is about the disintegration of a relationship, the chorus is what is most powerful and lingering. If you are a fan of Memory House, Trails and Ways, or Beach Fossils, you’d probably dig Wild Year.  Check out “Setting Yourself on Fire” below.

Lost Kings (ft. Katelyn Tarver) – “You” (Proppa Remix)

March 25, 2016

Without a doubt, one of the hottest pop singles of 2016 thusfar has been Lost Kings’ and Katelyn Tarver’s “You.” It came in just the right time for when Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” was one play away from getting annoying. Almost on cue, Lost Kings and Katelyn Tarver delivered a song that nourishes our need for falsetto vocals, bass drops, Latin rhythm, and an infectious chorus. The song was perfect… until Chicago-producer Proppa got a hold of it, re-worked the song to give it an almost Bag Raiders feel, and made this song absolutely contagious. Take a listen below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/251193042″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Alex the Astronaut – “Half of 21st Street”

March 24, 2016

Aussie native turned temporary New York transplant, Alex the Astronaut, released her first single close to a month ago, and it’s an indie-pop gem. Alex is a passionate story teller, and “Half of 21st Street” is a testament to her skills. The song is a love story (as half of songs are), of two individuals that start innocent and develop into something that is real.  If indie-pop Regina Spektor with an Australian accent sounds appealing, then you’ll be into Alex the Astronaut. Check out “Half of 21st Street” below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/246479469″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Kindatheart – “Perception”

March 22, 2016

Sometimes a song just hits you at the perfect moment and seems almost like you are in a movie. This is what happened to me when I popped on “Perception” by University at Texas  at Austin enrolled ndie act Kindatheart, when I was driving through into the nicest day since November watching dirty snowpiles melt into nothing. The quartet’s sunny sounds is obvious a product of their environment of constant and sometimes brutal Texas sun. If Buffalo’s Bryan Johnson and Family are Lake Pop,  Austin’s Kindatheart is River Pop.

PineSheets – “Sunday Afternoon”

February 11, 2016

Albany’s music scene is severely underrated. Their atmosphere is a lot like how Buffalo’s was in 2012-  minimal legitimate venues spaces for a local band to play and talented musicians constantly talking about moving to another city (mainly NYC). Even with the obstacles put in place, talented up-and-coming acts have been emerging (Slowshine, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Bare Mattress, Jouska, and The Black Ships, to name a few). Enter PineSheets, a wonky one-man producer/singer’s whose sound is something best described as weirdo-sensual. If Mac DeMarco were to write an album to try to seduce a woman wearing high-waisted jeans after binging on How to Dress Well, the after product would be pretty close to PineSheets’ current discography. The R&B Capital District sensation has released a new music video this morning for the song “Sunday Afternoon,” off the forthcoming EP Casual Frustrations out March 5th. “Sunday Afternoon”  in essence is about how much[...]

Gone Fishing

January 4, 2016

We’ve been updating buffaBLOG pretty much daily or every other day for the past almost six years. In that time we have exclusively written about hundreds of local/regional bands, curated many many nights with our show previews, and spent thousands of hours thinking about and discussing music from Buffalo, Rochester, and beyond. We are all volunteers over here, and I’ll be the first to admit it, fatigue has set in. We need to take a bit of a break. We will be back with one or two major posts this month, and then returning with our regularly scheduled program on Saturday, January 30th at Milkie’s where we will have our second installment of Taking Back Saturday Emo Night featuring guest DJs Dennis Ferry (THIS IS AN EMPIRE), Jay Zubricky (GCR Audio), and Kevin Scoma (Mandy K). Here’s a music video of an impressive new rapper out of Buffalo called Neese Rich. See ya’ll in about[...]

Staff Picks

December 22, 2015

To cap off our Best of 2015 coverage, we asked a handful of our staff writers to submit their favorite albums and songs of the year. Make sure to follow all of the blog’s year in review coverage throughout the month of December Cliff Parks Favorite Album Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear I don’t want to go with this album, it was my Album of the Year So Far earlier this summer and I loved the latest from Tame Impala, CHVRCHES, and Neon Indian, but with America currently cracking up, Father John Misty’s sophomore album is album of 2015 now more than ever. Between the ascent of candidate Trump and our nation’s mounting multiple existential crises, Josh Tilman’s ode to love, manhood, and getting hitched to that special someone so you can ride out the American apocalypse together seems right on time, all the time lately. It[...]

It Dies Today’s Nicholas Brooks Shares Demos

December 20, 2015

Nicholas Brooks, the lead singer of Buffalo-based post-hardcore act It Dies Today, released two demos earlier this month. Opening the tracks, I expected to immediately crush a beer can against my head and circle pit in the office, but the demos flavor is Americana at it’s fullest. In “Growing Pains,” Brooks leaves little to the imagination about what the song is about – leading a rugged life, toughing through it, and living life as best as you can. Brooks solo is effort could be classified as blue collar whiskey-rock for the working man that fans of Gaslight Anthem, Two Cow Garage, and Lucero would enjoy. Check out “Growing Pains” below.

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[...]

Just Announced: Titus Andronicus w/ Craig Finn

December 15, 2015

New Jersey raucous punk act, Titus Andronicus, will be headlining at the Tralf with direct support from Hold Steady frontman, Craig Finn, on Monday, March 21st. Titus Andronicus will be touring in support of their fourth and most recent album/rock opera, The Most Lamentable Tragedy. Led by one of the genre’s more intriguing front men in Pat Stickles, Titus Andronicus is returning to the Queen City after an almost year and a half absence. Let’s not let that happen again. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, December 18th, for $16. 

Top 20 Buffalo Tracks: 20-11

December 15, 2015

It’s that time of year again, where we re-think and dissect every local song that we’ve come across organically or via submission. This is our fourth year counting down our top songs and this year, like every other year, has been difficult to whittle down. Like we always remind people, this list is subjective and not the end-all be all. I am sure there are amazing local songs that aren’t on our radar,  but from what we have heard, we as a group have determined blog’s favorite songs of 2015. Yesterday we posted our five songs that ALMOST made the cut.  Here is the top half of our annual top 20 countdown, 20-11. 20. Lesionread – “Addicted” Lesionread (Shawn Lewis) has had a big year. Between the release of the experimental artist’s excellent Greatest Hits! Volume 1, touring it across the country, and slew of local shows (one of which opening for[...]