Latest Posts

Symphonic Electronix Drops New Single, “Lila”

January 12, 2015

Electro-psych producer, Symphonic Electronix, has been dropping music on his bandcamp page since 2011, but it wasn’t until yesterday, after stumbling upon the new single “Lila,” that I started paying attention. The song itself is hard to peg. There is some Tame Impala, latter day Beatles, abstract Joy Division, maybe even some Tortoise all sprinkled in there. I’m still looking for a better comparison, but regardless, it’s a great tune, something that wouldn’t sound too out of place on a future Steak and Cake compilation. Anyways, take a listen to “Lila” for yourself below.

The Traditional – How To Live Without Blood

January 12, 2015

“So I’ll sort through the shorts of this ashtray of my past and smoke one for every time I was happy… I’ll smoke one if I’m lucky.” Harsh, maybe… But it’s just one of many curses that fill How To Live Without Blood, the latest release from Buffalo’s own The Traditional. Singer/bassist Anthony Musior is no doubt this band’s songwriter, filling these songs with powerful personal references and thinly veiled attacks about the heaviest of subject matters. Musior, or “Mewsh” as most of the world lovingly knows him, has been working towards this moment for a long time. That’s not to take any of the onus off of guitarists Ryan Bennett and Mike Bienias, or the pristine backup vocals of drummer Jon Coric… Collectively, The Traditional is one of the hardest working bands in Buffalo. But with only an EP and a split to their name, How To Live Without Blood feels[...]

Panda Bear – Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

January 11, 2015

Since his 2007 album Person Pitch, Noah Lennox’s Panda Bear has been the gateway drug into Animal Collective. Both outfits feature the same qualities: zone-out repetition, upfront rhythms, a swirl of ineffable sounds, and summer camp sing alongs. Their success both lies in combining something confusing with something instantly gratifying, a perfect distillation of modern times. But where Animal Collective’s music seems to occupy a beautiful but more chaotic place, Lennox has always gone for the sweet spot. Originally too hesitant to bring his own songs into the group, Lennox did so upon the urging of other members, and it all eventually came to a head on Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now it seems like Lennox’s music as Panda Bear, at least popularity wise, has surpassed that of his band’s. Following 2011’s Tomboy, an album Lennox wanted to revolve around just guitar, rhythm, and drums, on Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper,[...]

Brian Bishop Releases the Intimate Rock Songs for Slow Dancers

January 8, 2015

Last month, Ithaca based singer/songwriter, Brian Bishop, quietly released a startlingly intimate and powerful collection of original folk songs. Rock Songs for Slow Dancers covers a vast expanse of territory and each song seems to takes on a different mental landscape or setting, from the open and pastoral (“Meadow Love”)  to the maze like surroundings of a library, “Library Love Song,”  from the recesses of desire (“Wake Up”) to the detachment of an individual in a soundless glass elevator (“Like A Child”).  Bishop’s penchant for songwriting and his impressive lyricism is heard throughout.  Definitely an album to explore from start to finish, especially highlights “Wake Up” and “Flowers.”

Harmonica Lewinski Drops New Single, “King MTN”

January 8, 2015

Rochester surf punk delinquents Harmonica Lewinski dropped a new single last week on the brink of 2015 billed as a “hidden gem” on the single’s Bandcamp page, and they’re not lying. Clocking in at over 5 minutes long, “King MTN” takes on an almost epic feel in spite of it’s gloriously louche and trashy vibe, calling to mind David Lynch, vintage John Waters, and Link Wray. The ideal soundtrack for wreckless driving, smoking in the bathroom, and making out in the bushes, “King MTN” is free, nasty, and a fine way to get 2015 started off right. Enjoy.

Another M Gets a Clean Rerelease from Sammus

January 7, 2015

In June of last year, female rapper and Ithacan Sammus dropped Another M, a project reimagining the tale of classic video game character Samus Aran. The main character in the Metroid series, Samus was the first female protagonist for many gamers. Samus’ identity was ambiguous as she marched through the game, defeating anything in sight on her path of heroics. The artist Sammus drew parallels between herself and the character that had surprisingly profound affect of gender stereotypes on Another M. To kick off the new year, Sammus gave us another chance to discover a very cool, yet powerful project with a release of the clean version. The production of Another M has a distinct video game feel to it, a testament to Sammus’ past venture as a producer for games. It’s filled with arcade synths and blips and bloops, along with noises that sound just like action queues in a game. It’s as if[...]

Jacob Peter Releases Wind Song

January 6, 2015

Still catching up from the holiday lull, personally. Takes a lot out of you to get through another year and there’s some stuff that got lost in the mix. Jacob Peter’s Wind Song, for instance. He sent this over a while back and I’m just now getting to write it up. Jacob plays guitar with Humble Braggers, but his solo EP is a different beast. Much folkier, for instance, and much moodier. There are some very catchy pop songs on here (like the opener, “Stella”) but it’s definitely at its most interesting in its broodier, more Jeff Buckley-esque moments  (for example, “The Line Between Us and Being”). Check out the rest of the EP here. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/177561709″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Northern Spies Debut Material

January 6, 2015

If you can’t tell by now, this week is going to be a catch up week for all of the super cool stuff that has come out during the end of the year whirlwind. Today’s “Oh man I should have posted about this three weeks ago” song comes from Rochester’s Northern Spies. Formerly performing under the name Blankets, the quartet hasn’t been around for very long, only forming as a band in spring of 2014. In mid-December, Northern Spies got around to sharing their debut three song EP titled Nothing But Static. The just over twelve minute EP is full of soft-spoken hesitant indie rock with power pop hooks that make it stay in your head and never leave. Check out “No Time To Lose,” and stick around for the other two songs.

The Afterbirth Tycoon Releases Purgatory On Parade

January 6, 2015

Power trio, the Afterbirth Tycoon, have been at it for nearly a decade, however in the past year,we have seen more activity from the outfit. Late last spring, the three piece released Late Bloom, a 10 track studio recorded release, and then last week, they hit us with another garage blue nugget in the form of the six track, Purgatory on Parade. The EP was recorded with Matt Smith at his Hi-Lo Studio earlier this summer, and mastered by John Angelo at Slave Pit Studios in Richmond, VA. “Matt is actually going to be moving,” guitarist/vocalist Jason Pitcher says, “so that will be the last session in his barn, but I hope to continue working with him wherever he lands. It’s always a good time working with Matt: no stress, lots of laughs, and I never hesitate to ask his opinion.” For the most part, Purgatory picks up where Late Bloom left off.[...]

Teenage Satan – Teenage Satan II

January 5, 2015

After a brief holiday hiatus, buffaBLOG’s Album of the Week feature is back in business. For the first time since the distant days of 2014, we have selected a local (or quasi-local) album, EP, or collection of songs that we find to be worthy of merit, and posted it up here for your listening pleasure. This week, for the first week of the new year, our collective ears were caught by the lo-fi bedroom folk songs on Teenage Satan’s second self-titled EP. Teenage Satan (aka Dan Bauer) doesn’t fully abandon the electronic nature of his first effort earlier last year, but he does take a bit of a departure on Teenage Satan II in the sense that he unplugs and picks up an acoustic guitar. The result is a little experimental, a little electronic, but decidedly folk-tinged this time around. Favoring humble organ tones over unearthly synths, Teenage Satan II[...]

Space Cubs Releases New Single

January 5, 2015

One of the dilemmas I come across while writing for this blog is to what to categorize each artist in our internal database. For example, Space Cubs was raised in Buffalo, but now calls the backwoods of the south her home. Should I still categorize her “Buffalo” or should this be “New Music?” Should anyone who has ever lived in Buffalo always be considered Buffalo? Regardless, former Buffalo-based spacey electronica songstress, Space Cubs, the performing/writing moniker of Suzanne Lee Bonaficio, released a new single titled “The Eye.” Normally we are on top of these things, but with the year end round-ups, personal responsibilities, and all-around burning out of contributing to a blog, we missed it. “The Eye,” much like others in Space Cubs’ repertoire, is a new age climber topped soothing vocals. What’s different about “The Eye” is that the vocals are a little more R&B tinged, almost like a[...]

Lesionread Drops “Art All Day” Video

December 30, 2014

Other than end of year lists, staff picks, and best of’s, the holidays are a pretty quiet time for buffaBLOG, so Lesionread’s new video “Art All Day”(which dropped last week) might as well have been gift-wrapped. This time we find the avant-electronica wiz doing what he does best– embracing the weird and keeping it fresh. The new track highlights the post-college starving artist days with a literal, danceable, and relatively humorous approach. His presentation is flavorful; the well-edited video watches like something you might catch on an episode of Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job!, featuring various cameos from other local musicians. Can you spot them amongst the controlled chaos?

Noisey’s “The Rap Monument”

December 19, 2014

After many months of anticipation, one of the most exciting and ambitious rap projects of the year is here. “The Rap Monument,” headed by prodo-wizard Hudson Mohawke and his team, and in conjunction with Noisey and Hennessy, is a 42 minute rap song featuring a slew of 30 rappers. Hennessy’s inclusion is important because you see it about every ten frames, but oh well, it’s liquid gold. This track has something for everyone. HudMo crafted a bombastic, horn-heavy beat that’s emulative of his style in the best way.  He switches it up along the way as to not let it get tiring while everyone gets their shot at delivering the best verse. If you’re looking to listen to a radio giant, Young Thug has his own mini-song in the middle of the track. Industry names like Danny Brown, Pusha T, Killer Mike, and YG have a some great verses. New[...]

Donny Murakami Premieres First Track Off Debut Project

December 17, 2014

Everyone has had a moment where they wish they were someone else, and Rochester rapper/producer Donny Murakami is exploring that feeling in his latest music. “Shock Therapy” plays off of that theme, serving as the lead track on Murakami’s forthcoming project Escapism. Over some driving drums, Donny fantasizes about being a rockstar, porn star, and dope boy, before admitting to himself that he’s a just a broke asshole. Although self-loathing at times, there’s a hunger in Murakami’s voice that shines through confidently amid all the daydreaming. Thematic verses and a catchy hook make for an impressive debut from the Rochesterian. He wishes to be a rock star, but a talented hip hop artist will have to do for now. Stay tuned for more from Donny and be on the lookout for Escapism, slated to drop February 11th.

Panda Bear – “Boy Latin”

December 15, 2014

Panda Bear’s music has always felt like daydreaming, or recapturing that awe struck feeling of childhood. Those deceptively simple repetitions and stoned tempos seem like they could go on forever, and are on full display here. While Animal Collective’s Centipede Hz, and fellow band member Avey Tare’s latest album were too Saturday-morning-cartoons for even their music, the tracks on Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper are great and one of the first releases to look forward to in 2015. “Boys Latin” and its polyphonic lines are like a cubist painting, where everything is broken down into little facets to reveal a bigger picture. Then the next section is the choir boy of one, and the only words you can understand: “Dark clouds resurface again, and a shadow moves in.” In a more just world, this song would be played at FAO Schwarz during every holiday. Watch the video below.