Latest Posts

Major Lazer – Peace is The Mission

June 8, 2015

There is an appeal to Major Lazer even to those that don’t subscribe to the EDM culture. Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do caught some attention in 2009 with one of the strangest combinations of sound heard at that time: reggae mixed with electronic dance music, smashed together with a sense of humor and a cartoon laser-toting Jamaican renegade soldier. It was fun in 2009, but that’s not the case anymore. Peace Is The Mission removes a good amount of the originality of Major Lazer and brings the project into the top 40. Lazer-founder Diplo seems to be travelling down the path that fellow pop producers Calvin Harris and Pharrell have recently went down: producing pop tracks for years, mostly under the radar, and eventually gaining enough cred in the Illuminati circle to release their own hit albums. While this album is probably going to do great in the sales[...]

Of Monsters and Men – Beneath the Skin

June 8, 2015

Nearly four years after their hugely successful debut, My Head Is an Animal, the Icelandic indie-folk/indie-pop quintet Of Monsters and Men has at last returned with a proper follow-up in Beneath the Skin. The record is a rare, near-perfect follow-up that both retains the group’s galloping choruses and effervescent energy while also pushing their sound in new directions. On Animal, the quintet’s melodies were so jaunty and jangely that even tragic songs like “Little Talks” – which seems to discuss communications between two lovers, one living, one dead – came across as bubbly and lighthearted. With Skin, some of alt-rock’s best hook-writers have gotten better at channeling that tragedy and beauty into their music. They still employ their big horn hooks and chants, but they’re done more subtly and artfully. The addition of pummeling tribal drums have also lent the music an oomph and expansiveness that fits excellently in the[...]

Mink – After Hours

June 8, 2015

Though many Buffalo show goers (myself included) may have been heartbroken having to say goodbye to Mink, the band’s posthumous EP, After Hours, could not be a better send off into the graveyard of local bands that were put to rest entirely too soon. Mink has a knack for easing you into a tune then turning you completely upside down. Just when you think you have the layout of a song figured out, they take you on an entirely different route. Between the impressively riffy guitar work from Brandon Schlia and the equally technical drum parts of Ken Culton, a raucous blend is created — one that pleases you and riles you up at the same time. Singer Jaz Frazier’s vocals are perfectly in sync with every change the music experiences. They are smooth and docile when needed, and piercing and powerful when there is an abrupt upsurge in attitude.[...]

mdnt and YLXR Team Up for “Baptize”

June 5, 2015

The pairing of Rochester electronic R&B artist mdnt and Buffalo bass artist YLXR is almost too perfect. The two have a knack for creating music that evokes or comes from a place of darkness, and YLXR”s past production hints that he’d be a great compliment to someone with the vocal characteristics of mdnt. Both artists also use abbreviated names, so that’s pretty perfect too. On “Baptize,” the creative forces unite for a song that deserves any and all acclaim. The mystique of mdnt”s drowning falsetto is paired beautifully with the dips and drones of YLXR’s futurebass production. The imagery in mdnt’s songwriting also deserves specific recognition, as the “reborn” theme of the track puts the picture of something like a water phoenix in the brain.  “Baptize” is the lead single from mdnt’s forthcoming debut EP VII Labors, due out in August. Give it a listen below.

Jon Lewis Releases Lead Single for Panic Rock LP

June 4, 2015

Rochester singer/songwriter Jon Lewis (or Mr. Loops to our young readers) has announced his latest album, titled Panic Rock ( a nod to Watertown’s Black River), set to be released on July 14th. The album was recorded with Lewis’ 1809 Sessions partner, Dave Drago, at the Macedon studio, and features contributions from Rochester musicians Sam Snyder (OHS, Maybird), Mikaela Davis, John Valenti, and others. The album’s first single, “Right Now,” was released this morning. Backed by a care free melody and a 70’s singer/songwriter vibe (CSNY and Loudon Wainwright come to mind), the single is part of a collection of songs that act as a touching nod to Lewis’ close family. “Many of the songs have sentimental value and reflect on loved ones and experiences with my family, says Lewis of the album’s personal meaning. Listen to “Right Now” below (download here) and keep an eye out for Panic Rock to drop in[...]

Jamie xx – In Colour

June 3, 2015

It’s been four years since we’ve heard a new studio album from acclaimed DJ and producer Jamie Smith, better known as Jamie xx. If you’ve never heard of Smith’s solo work, you have probably heard his material in The xx, his primary band. And for good reason, Smith has been skyrocketing in popularity, mainly after his production crediting on Drake’s hit single “Take Care,” and then Smith’s 2011 remix album, We’re New Here, which reimagined Gil Scott Heron’s I’m New Here track by track. That album hinted that Smith was going to go onto big things as Jamie xx, and almost four years later, In Colour is here, proving that he sure can shine on his own What’s remarkable about what Smith does on In Colour is that he writes so many genres into these songs, many that the casual music fan may not know and appreciate, all while making it totally accessible. In[...]

Sammus’ “Three Fifths” to be Featured in Independent Film Rodney

June 3, 2015

Music that comes from a place of social action is often some of the best. Amid a couple of years of perceived police brutality and persecution of African Americans, Ithaca rapper/producer Sammus releases “Three Fifths” for use in the forthcoming independent film Rodney. Sammus made the track to remind us “that black people are whole even though they are often treated like three-fifths of a human by law enforcement.” The “three fifths” element is in reference to the 18th century legislation that equated the lives of slaves to three fifths of a free man when determining representatives in Congress. Her message is represented in the lyrics of the chorus, where she raps “I wonder how much y’all judge is the worth of my soul? I seem to round up three fifths to a whole.” Sammus’ already-impassioned flow resembles that of fellow rapper-activist Kendrick Lamar when she approaches screams on lines[...]

Pleistocene Premieres First Track from Forthcoming 7″ Space Trap

June 3, 2015

Rochester’s fuzzy, female fronted indie rock act, Pleistocene, is prepping the release of its forthcoming 7″ Space Trap, released a music video “Pulp,” one of the four tracks featured on the record. The band plans to release a music video for each of the the concept album’s tracks. For those new to Pleistocene, think Alvvays, Beat Coast, and Speedy Ortiz. The clip for “Pulp” features the band performing in a bustling living room while a pretty serious game of musical chairs, only to be later taken down by one of the more dangerous paper airplanes you will come across. Keep an eye out for some cameos from members of Rochester’s emerging music scene throughout the party video. For those in the Rochester area this Saturday night, Space Trap will be available to pick up at Smugtown Mushrooms beginning at 7pm, while the digital version will be released next Tuesday, June 9th. Watch[...]

Queen City Music Lottery Band, HOTMediummild, Drops Debut Material

June 3, 2015

With 10 new Queen City Music Lottery bands set to make their live debuts this Saturday at Sugar City, a couple of bands have begun to leak their material to the interwebs. One of those bands, HOTMediummild, dropped a 4-track demo, the Mild EP, yesterday afternoon. Featuring Damian Weber (Difficult Night), Norelle Merlo of Mallwalkers and 2014 Lotto band, Scajaquada Creeps, and a very WHAM-like drum machine, HOTMediummild reminds us of Wesley Willis, Kimya Dawson, and Geneseo’s Slackjaw. HOTMediummild (band #8 if you have been following the QCML progress since the beginning) will kick of its set on Stage 2 right around 7pm Saturday night. Listen “Chess Club (I’ll Show You All),” the standout cut from the Mild EP, below so you have a favorite song to clap to.

Florence + the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

June 2, 2015

As humans we would never wish personal turmoil, i.e. a tough breakup, on anybody, most of us having gone through a lot of that shit ourselves. As music-fans, however, there’s nothing better than a breakup, divorce, death of a loved one or mental breakdown, as tragedy has inspired so many artists’ best music. For baroque-y British soulstress Florence Welch, the personal turmoil included a “complicated, on-again-off-again relationship” with both a man and the bottle, culminating in a near mental breakdown during her time off following her astonishing sprint to the top with 2009’s Lungs and 2011’s Ceremonials. It’s also, thankfully for us, culminated in How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – the most intimate, powerful album yet from this vocal powerhouse. She matches soul-barring, confrontational lyrics (see “You were on the other side, like always / You could never make you mine” from lead single “What Kind of Man”) with[...]

Maybird Releases New Single, Music Video For “Turning Into Water”

June 1, 2015

Rochester/Brooklyn psych rockers, Maybird, have released its first single in nearly two years and an accompanying music video to go long with it. The track, “Turning Into Water,” has some Tame Impala freak outs mixed with just a touch of early 90’s Brit Pop (think Supergrass), and is set to be included on the band’s forthcoming Turning Into Water EP, with a proper full length to follow. Directed by band member  Adam Netsky, the video for “Turning Into Water” features the band playing in front of some rather trippy green screens and backdrops as the projections wash over the members while performing. “‘Turning Into Water’ is about a melting feeling of being ignored by someone you admire, and the self consciousness and anxiety that accompany it. The video uses clips of rushing water to visualize that feeling, they start as projections and gradually take over the visual plane in superimposed layers[...]

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love

May 28, 2015

Love is a topic that has been represented in music countless times, and there is no doubt that it will stay that way for years to come. It is also one of the most influential emotions, making you feel so many different and drastic ways, many times leading to an artistic release. In this case, New Zealand’s psych-indie rock outfit, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, shares its take on love’s many complications with the new album, Multi-Love. The opening vocals on the title track are a great indicator of what’s to come. Lead vocalist Ruban Nielson floats in over some simple keys and croons “Multi-Love / Checked into my heart and trashed it like a hotel room.” In general, Neilson tackles the topic of love as a whole (not how love can make himself feel, but how it can make anyone feel), and he does it in a way where he is[...]

Pappy Stardust Reveals Fresh Single “Want You to Know”

May 28, 2015

Pappy Stardust, the Buffalo based/Rochester bred psychedelic garage rock outfit for the solo work of songwriter Steve Leszyk, just unleashed a fresh track upon the masses last week. The leisurely track, titled “Want You to Know,” offers flavorful guitar riffage that grooves, shreds, evolves, combines, separates, and repeats. Leszyk peppers the track with his blues-tinged hound dog vocals, but usually lets the guitarwork do the singing for him, striking a satisfying balance of slack, garage, and psyche. The track reminds me of something an ambitious Devendra Banhart might put out, maybe if he started throwing back shots with Mac Demarco and hit the studio for a day or two. “Want You to Know” is the first single of the band’s upcoming album and is available for free download on their bandcamp page. Keep your ear to the ground for more from these guy(s) in the near future, and blast that[...]

VWLS Releases Soft Block EP

May 27, 2015

Multi-platform artist, Bobby Griffiths, has released his latest collection of ambient drone under the VWLS moniker through his record/media label, Bad Drone Media. The 7-track Soft Block opens with the warm “Early Prighs” and continues to change pace between the ominous “Glass Of Water, Fork In The Sink,” abrasive “Weathervane,” and hopeful “Words Used.” Its a moving collection of experimental music (something the drone genre rarely does to me), and fans of fellow local noise musicians like Logan Locking and Kevin Cain, the latter of whom previously collaborated with Griffiths on last year’s Low Prospects EP, would be wise to give it a spin. Listen to the EP standout “Words Used” below.

Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated at Last

May 27, 2015

It’s something we’ve heard plenty of times in the last few years: John Dwyer has shit out another Thee Oh Sees album. Shit out is not to say that the product is less than grand, rather Shit out is to say that he is some sort of a lo-fi, tape-mongering, fuzz-fanatic who was crafted by the big god upstairs for the sole purpose of creating garage rock masterpieces Religious speculations aside, Dwyer has bestowed upon us the sixth Oh Sees album in the last five years. This one is titled Mutilator Defeated at Last, and it packs the typical Oh Sees punch we’ve been accustomed to being battered with in recent years, just a little bit more relaxed when compared with the previous release by the band, Floating Coffin. Just as past albums have done, Mutilator takes the listener on a journey,  from creeping along with eerie squeaks of echoey electric guitars and cymbal taps to, without warning[...]