Latest Posts

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – It’s A Holiday Soul Party

December 1, 2015

It’s not that holiday music stinks per se, it’s the fact that holiday music is bloody ubiquitous for a solid month; weaponized against us every time we go into a store (notably, except for The People’s Wegman’s on Amherst St). There’s also a lot of terrible holiday music out there, which doesn’t go well with the whole ubiquity thing, a shame considering most music fans have a holiday music stash of their own they annually retreat into. Beach Boys Christmas singles, “Christmas In Hollis,” Mr. Hanky’s Christmas Classics, Flaming Lips’ psychedelic Yuletide jams… we’ve all got something  that makes our ears feel warm and fuzzy in the month of December. Enter It’s A Holiday Soul Party, the latest from Daptone Records stalwarts Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a dynamite multi denominational collection of holiday classics that provides some serious emotional release while showcasing the incredible range and power of Miss Jones, and[...]

Gypsy Freight – I’ll hold this close

November 30, 2015

Ariel Piazza is not your run-of-the-mill college rock musician. Writing and performing under the pseudonym Gypsy Freight, Piazza paints emotional sonic portraits in a vein of ambient folk all her own. Her newest release, a full length titled ‘I’ll hold this close, ‘ bleeds with emotionalism, twelve tracks of ethereal folk atmospheric music worth swimming in. The thing about Gypsy Freight is that it’s not far off from what you’d expect if you were to imagine what the project sounds like based on name alone. That’s not to say the tracks aren’t striking (because they are), but the fact that many of the songs sound as if they were recorded in a halfway-haunted grand cathedral is remarkably suiting. Piazza’s voice is both sweet and powerful; this prowess is especially prominent in tracks like “I don’t know what I’m doing but I’m okay” and “building homes,” her Daughter-esque delivery riding the dark[...]

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[...]

North Collins – North Collins

November 23, 2015

You know the saying—“Another day, another rad album of the week from Rochester.” Pretty sure that’s how it goes. At any rate, it holds true this week; Rochester pop-folk duo North Collins having dropped a wonderfully-composed nine tracks of lush experimental folk. With its uplifting male-female harmonies and striking, appropriate orchestration, the self-titled debut fits nicely on a shelf between an Illinois-era Sufjan Stevens and indie-folk contemporaries Mates of State. When Mac first sent me the link to the duo’s bandcamp, I thought perhaps he was making reference to the project’s name; North Collins is also the name of a town neighboring my hometown of Eden, a Buffalo suburb. “Heh, a suitable listen for an Edenite,” I thought, as I opened the link and plugged in my headphones. All novelty aside, North Collins is the real deal. From the very first track, “Western Sky,” I was drawn immediately to the[...]

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.

A Relative Term – The Quiet End of the Space Age

November 16, 2015

Atmosphere isn’t an easy aspect to apply to folk music. The predicament almost becomes a matter of mathematics; include too many layers, and the ambiance detracts from the songwriting itself. But for A Relative Term—the musical project of Mark Longolucco—a sound atmospheric ratio comes naturally. When that ratio is applied to the contemporary folk songs on the project’s latest LP, The Quiet End of the Space Age, we’re left with an immersive collection of tracks that melds thoughtful musicianship with a warm-hearted nature of songwriting that makes it difficult to remain unaffected by. Mathematics aside, The Quiet End of the Space Age has an alarmingly natural feeling to it, despite the lush offerings of keyboard often found filling out the ten tracks. It’s a pretty unique balance—think the rusticity of an early Iron and Wine meets the haunting ambiance of the latest Sufjan Stevens album. Folk contemporaries Mutual Benefit strike[...]

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[...]

common rituals Release Debut EP, form

November 10, 2015

The wistful melodies pervading the music of Rochester Lo-fi/indie pop artist common rituals offer a warm, understated pop sound with alluring instrumentation. form, the musician’s debut EP, includes hazy synth work on tracks like “Spring Break” and “October” which along with spacious percussion make for an immersive listen. The jazzy “Intermission” is reminiscent of French downtempo band Air and provides one of the most atmospheric moments of the release while the acoustic “Maybe (Solar Sky)” leans more towards direct singer/songwriter fare. Listen/download form below.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Paper Mâché Dream Balloon

November 10, 2015

If you haven’t heard of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, here’s a short history of the band’s existence. They formed in 2010 in Melbourne, literally as a side-project/joke band. They released the hard-hitting 12 Bar Bruise in 2012. It was mostly garage-ey psych punk revival. The next year saw two completely different, completely amazing albums released from the band. The first, Eyes Like The Sky, was a spaghetti-western themed album that really is in the realm of spoken word. Float Along- Fill Your Lungs was the second that year, which was more of a pure psych-rock album complete with time changes, lofty melodies, and of course, a 16 minute long song. 2014 saw the band drop two more albums, and in early 2015, Quarters!, a collection of four ten-minute songs that was just recently nominated for “best jazz album” of all things, as a part of the ARIA awards, was released[...]

Bethlehem Steel – Docking

November 9, 2015

This isn’t the first time we’re writing about Bethlehem Steel (BS), so by now, Becca Ryskalczyk’s move to Brooklyn has been well-publicized. We like to take care of our own, even when they move out of town after all. In case you’re unfamiliar, Becca was Buffalo-born and educated at SUNY Fredonia. You may have caught her several years ago on a solo trek across the US with fellow Buffalonians A Hotel Nourishing. Either way, we consider Becca an honorable Buffalonian, even as she’s busy making waves in the Brooklyn independent scene. Docking is the new EP (out via Brooklyn’s Miscreant Records) from this talented three-piece. Though they’ve always had a knack for fuzzy indie-pop (see “Guts” from their last EP, Grow Up), BS has really stepped up their fuzz game on Docking. Opening track “One Giant Fuck Machine” is a poppy, apt introduction to this EP, showcasing the groups’ loosely-wound, borderline lo-fi tunes. Most notable is Becca’s[...]

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,”[...]

VWLS Shares Latest Album, Announces Tour

November 4, 2015

If you happened to be searching the “dumpstep” tag on bandcamp today, you may have stumbled upon the new release from Buffalo drone act VWLS, the moniker of artist Bobby Griffiths. Tournament and Cage is his latest collection of thought provoking, experimental noise, the follow up to his spring EP, Soft Block. With the new album in tow, Griffiths is set to take VWLS on a short tour of the Midwest starting tomorrow, along with fellow WNY acts God of Gaps and Deceiver, as well as Methlab Explosion out of Ohio. You can get the full tour itinerary below. November 5th: Pittsburgh, PA @ Duck House w/ Deterge, SNWV, APE * November 7th: Milwaukee, WI @ The Borg Ward w/ Temper, Subterranean Partygoer November 8th: Grand Rapids, MI TBA November 9th: Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary w/ Izfernor, Bullshit Market, Vullmoxx, Kearne, Hypnic Jerk, GRVD Nov 10th: Dayton, OH @ Smiles[...]