Latest Posts

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[...]

Neon Indian – “Annie”

May 26, 2015

Summer is definitely starting to jump, with show announcements and new music, and Neon Indian (aka Alan Palomo) is doing his part with his first new material since 2011’s excellent Era Extrana in the funky and reggae flavored “Annie.” It’s been far too long since we’ve been treated to the expressly psychedelic sounds of Alan Palomo, and even longer since we’ve seen him live in these parts (5 years since Soundlab), and even though there’s no word yet on a new album, this delightful morsel just might be enough to hold you over until beach season.

THICK WINTER BLUD Releases Music Video for “Garden Face”

May 26, 2015

Wondering what to do with all of those leftover Memorial Day condiments? Take a page out of THICK WINTER BLUD‘s book – they made the best of their surplus in the music video for the new song, “Garden Face.” TWB excels at keeping things simple; think the best parts of I Can See Mountains mixed with ear-candy pop rock along the lines of Third Eye Blind or Guilt Show-era The Get Up Kids. There’s also a subtle “Banana Phone” reference… For all you Ebaumsworld alumni.

Hania Yiska – The Beauty Within

May 25, 2015

You could be listening to one of two different artists if you’re giving our latest album of the week a spin. Well, kind of. One of Rochester’s primo electronica artists, Jeffery Hull, writes under a slew of various pseudonyms, his name contingent upon the style and mood under which he is writing. For the purpose of this article, which highlights his latest release The Beauty Within, I’ll be focusing on two: Hania Yiska, which explores his sonic creations with vocals layered on top, and Mad Hugs, which is the artist’s instrumental side of things. It should come as no surprise that Hania Yiska and Mad Hugs are actually very similar; both projects are brainchildren of the same brain. Yet, where there are obvious and innate similarities, there are also small differences that mark an interesting variety in Hull’s electronic craft. While Yiska delves into vocal territory with a pseudo-experimental fervor[...]

Eskimeaux – O.K.

May 21, 2015

I remember a couple of years ago when I stumbled across a collection of demos from Eskimeaux on an “album” titled Igluenza. Eskimeaux was a name I had heard mentioned constantly, being interested in many bands in the budding lo-fi scene out of Brooklyn.  I almost instantly fell in love with the innocence, honesty, and simplicity of those demo recordings.  Digging farther back into the project’s catalogue, I could tell that founding member Gabrielle Smith was certainly onto something from the beginning. When Smith first started what would become Eskimeaux, she was making tracks which were much more avant garde in nature, featuring ambient, drone inspired, experimental electronics.  Out of these humble beginnings, Smith began to embrace more of a bedroom pop, glo-fi sound. After enlisting the help of members of the art collective, Epoch, including Felix Walworth of Told Slant, the project really seemed to find itself After seeing[...]