Latest Posts

Made Violent – Made Violent

February 25, 2015

The hotly anticipated debut EP from local trio Made Violent has finally landed, and it is definitely our Album of the Week. This fine five song collection is what we’ve been waiting for ever since they exploded onto the scene and began their somewhat wacky, but not surprising upward trajectory towards this big label release. These guys turned heads with a few shows locally with their propulsive downtown NYC meets Manchester guitar rock before essentially disappearing from the local scene and reappearing at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and in NME write-ups for the band’s UK mini tour before being signed to Columbia Records. Which brings us to Made Violent, one of the tightest EP’s you will ever hear out of Buffalo, a scintillating collection of bottom heavy guitar jams, joyfully louche and nihilistic lyrics, and delightful harmonies. “Two Tone Hair” kicks it off with a perfect distillation of what[...]

Kid Rock – First Kiss

February 24, 2015

Believe it or not, Kid Rock turned 44 back in January, and he’s not sounding so young anymore. On First Kiss, his tenth studio album, the American Badass stays firmly planted in his front-porch rocker, offering up what might be the chillest, most country-infused music of his long and (somewhat) varied career. Of course it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The Kid’s been moving toward Seger-esque rock ’n’ roll, southern rock and country ever since he sang about putting your picture away with Sheryl Crow, peaking with 2010’s classic rock achievement Born Free. But where Born Free was endearing – almost charming – in its simple, sunny authenticity, First Kiss often feels cloying and repetitive. On the retro boogie-rock of “Good Times, Cheap Wine,” Rock yet again reminds us what he likes – which, in case you forgot, is “good times, cheap wine (and) backbeat rock and roll.” Elsewhere, he’s[...]

AIMES – “Harmonique Cosmique” (Late Night Version)

February 24, 2015

Brooklyn-based electro-afficianado, AIMES, released a new single this month titled “Harmonique Cosmique,” via up-and-coming record label, Wonder Stories. The label put out four seperate versions of the song, including a disco version, a late night version, an AM version, and a beach version, making “Harmonique Cosmique” basically a dance song for all occasions.  AIMES’ latest effort proves the artist’s ability to make a variety of dance music that should serve as ambassador to the genre . Go rent a sexy sports car or spend 8 hours at Uniqlo, just make sure AIMES’ “Harmonique Cosmique” is queued up.

M.A.G.S. – Cellophane

February 23, 2015

“Tonight was beautiful.” posts Elliott Douglas, the musical fulcrum behind Buffalo’s hottest new indie rock outfit, M.A.G.S. The three-word post hits Facebook at 3:11 a.m., shortly after (and undeniably in reference to) the band’s highly successful EP release party at Mohawk Place. The show was destined for success from the day it was announced; M.A.G.S. has picked up a noteworthy amount of buzz around Buffalo since self-releasing a handful of demos late last year, and the bill—rounded out with other big Buffalo acts such as Bryan Johnson & Family, The Slums, and Kharlos—was solid gold. Armed with their riot-of-a-good-time Cellophane EP and a fresh spot on the roster of Admirable Traits Records, M.A.G.S. is here to stay. Cellophane, as a whole, is the purest representation of Douglas’ ability to write hook after hook… after hook. Each of the expertly-arranged tracks brims with personality, whether it’s rhythm guitar played with the perfect amount of upstroke pep or a bass shred[...]

Zealot Teases New EP, Releases Alternative Take of “Spent”

February 20, 2015

The fuzzy, Fredonia bred trio, Zealot, have been hard at work on a debut EP for a while now, with hints that a May release seems doable. Today, the three piece teased the forthcoming EP, which is currently titled Foilage, with a new song called “Spent.” The version that will eventually appear on the EP will have a different sound, but for the alternative take on the track, the trio left the influences of Yuck and 90’s fuzz rock behind, and released a song that would fit nicely on a Modern Baseball or Front Bottoms record, or for a local comparison, think Alex Berkley fronting I Can See Mountains. Listen to the alternative take of “Spent” below and keep an eye out for the full EP later this Spring.

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[...]

Gay Angel Releases First Installment of floral

February 19, 2015

We first stumbled upon Jake Bellissimo’s Gay Angel project in the summer of 2014, impressing us enough to select his song “Gloria!” as one of our favorite Rochester tracks of the year. The chamber pop musician is what you would call ambitious, collecting one of the biggest cast of musicians for his album places i’ll eat, people i’ll eat I have seen on a WNY release, maybe ever. Bellissimo decided to up the ante on his latest work, an expansive four part, 100-track project that would make Sufjan Stevens blush. The first album, floral, pt. 1, was just dropped a couple days ago on bandcamp via Roch label Drunk With Love Records. The remaining albums hope to be released by the end of April according to Bellissimo. For the first floral installment, Gay Angel has continued to hone his orchestral sound, with influences ranging from Owen Pallett to Beirut to[...]

Imagine Dragons – Smoke + Mirrors

February 17, 2015

Night Visions may have blown Imagine Dragons into the upper reaches of the stratosphere, largely on the heels of one unbelievably overplayed atomic-themed song, but a sizable chunk of music critics chided the young mega-stars for their safe, middling pop-rock approach, glossy production, and perceived lack of originality. Naturally, for LP No. 2, ID aimed for more “stripped back … rock-oriented” songs – a common-enough progression for groups in their position, taken by artists from MGMT to NIN. These shots at earthier, heavier and more stylistically diverse music is evident throughout Smoke + Mirrors. But they’re more decoration than excursions – means of dressing up songs that, at their core, are cringingly stale and uninspired. Opener “Shots” is unabashed dance-pop that hits cheese when aiming for cool, the trip-hop spaz of “Gold” falls back all too quickly on its big dull chorus, and ballad “It Comes Back to You” brings[...]

Red Heat Shares Follow Up EP, Poisoning the Grand High Witch

February 17, 2015

Valentine’s Day is a time of love and passion (and mindless consumerism, but I digress), so it seems almost poetic–ironic, even–that Red Heat put out a fresh slew of political punk songs to digest this February 14th. The EP, titled Poisoning the Grand High Witch, is red hot (heh) and dirty, channeling the emotional rawness of an early Cursive or Desaparacidos and the discordant dance vibes of Death From Above 1979. The new release is currently streaming over on Steak and Cake’s bandcamp page and is available as a pay-what-you-want download. Check out “CHOMSKY” below and follow the link for more of this biting goodness.

Joywave Annouces Debut LP, How Do You Feel Now?

February 17, 2015

After exhausting every ounce of airplay out of the breakout single, “Tongues,” Rochester’s synth pop five-some, Joywave, have finally announced the release of its debut full-length How Do You Feel Now?, set to drop on April 21st via Cultoco Music/Hollywood Records. The band has a couple area appearances coming up between now and then, including opening for Big Data, whose hit single, “Dangerous,” featured Joywave frontman Dan Armbruster on lead vocals, on Saturday, April 4th at the Showplace Theatre. The five piece is also set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, March 2nd The band’s latest single, “Somebody New,” has been getting some serious burn on Alt-Nation lately. Originally included on the 2014 EP, How Do You Feel, which also featured “Tongues,” the song will be the lead off track on the forthcoming LP. Listen to “Somebody New” below.

Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

February 17, 2015

Last Friday, Drake surprised fans with a drop of his newest mix tape, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Rumors of the Toronto-born star’s newest project surfaced back in late November, when NBA Raptors’ DeMar Derozan hinted that Drake was working on a new peroject that would be released in January. The end of January approached, to no avail, when P. Reign of OVO and Reps Up confirmed the rumors of the mix tape, calling it some of Drake’s best work. Drake remained silent regarding the news until the 12th, when he posted album art for the If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late on Twitter, teasing fans for another 24 hours before finally dropping the tape. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late combines some experimental elements with other classically Drizzy ones, and the resulting sound is really refreshing. Staying characteristically true to his roots, the mix tape features[...]

Sufjan Stevens – “No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross”

February 16, 2015

Sufjan Stevens fans rejoice! Earlier this morning, we were given a taste of the prolific songwriter’s new album, Carrie & Lowell, in the form of the deliciously dark folk morsel “No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross.” It’s been a while since we’ve heard Steven’s folksier side, and this first single returns to those roots, paralleling the romantic aspirations of his earlier material, namely Seven Swans. The angelic harmonies and delicately cascading acoustic melodies lay a nice foundation that contrasts the darker subject matter this time around. Have a listen below; Carrie & Lowell drops 3/31 on Asthmatic Kitty. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/190647487″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”160″ iframe=”true” /]

Harmonica Lewinski – Naked Brunch

February 16, 2015

Rochester deviant surf rockers, Harmonica Lewinski, are back with a hot new EP Naked Brunch (Reel Time Records) that’s sharp, delightfully nasty, and our Album of the Week. Four hot cuts of off color 60’s inspired psychedelic surf rock engineered to make you feel funny while riding your long board or shaking your thing at a swingers party later that night, Naked Brunch offers some interesting glimpses into what this always entertaining band of misfits might have up their sleeves down the road. While “Titty Citty” and “Black Pussy Blues” are restatements of the HL ethos: wildly careening, off kilter surf rock that’s over the top lewd and sleazily dangerous, “Har Har Bizarre” blows everything up with some superbly wicked vocals and some joyfully licentious lyrics reveling in all manner of bad behavior. Naked Brunch ends with the straight up garage rock of “Boy On Fire,” a super tight single that clocks in[...]

Drake Pulls Beyonce, Drops Surprise Album

February 13, 2015

Friday the 13th, February of 2015. A day that will live in Drakefamy. It was just yesterday that we were all wondering what rap superstar Aubrey “Drake” Graham was cooking up. Early in the day, he dropped “Jungle,” something of a promo video of him walking around his hometown of Toronto, and rumors of a mixtape had been swirling since Drake became increasingly active in recent months. And at about midnight, the hype came to fruition with the release of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Always savvy, Drake went over all of our heads and dropped a full album on iTunes! Surprise albums have been all the rage in hip hop-RnB in the last few years, most notably starting when Jay Z announced during June’s 2013 NBA Finals that he was dropping Magna Carta Holy Grail on the 4th of July. That commercial, with all of it’s Rick[...]

Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker the Berry”

February 13, 2015

It’s not that often a song comes along and actually makes my jaw drop. Every once in awhile, I come across a great song, but it’s rare one is so powerful to shake me to my core. And that’s why I feel so compelled to talk about the new Kendrick Lamar single, “The Blacker The Berry”, because it is that kind of song. A discordant guitar plays over what sounds like repetitious chanting as the track begins, immediately creating an intense hellish atmosphere reminiscent of the production of Kanye’s recent Yeezus album, all before dropping a beat that wouldn’t be out of place on an old Wu-Tang record. Then Kendrick’s voice arrives, full of righteous anger and vitriol. Over the course of three verses Kendrick takes up the role of a young black man who has watched violence rip apart his culture, violence that ceaselessly plagues the black and poor[...]