Niagara Falls, CAN (the nice side for those not from the area) bred artist, Molitor, is prepping the release of his new EP, #lonelypeople_Music, set to drop on November 25th. Now based out of Toronto, the 20-year-old musician is making a big synth/disco rock in the vein Walk the Moon, Owl City, or newer Passion Pit. For local fans, think a more driving version of the birD day. Check out the EP’s stand out title track, “lonelypeople_Music,” below.
It seems like it’s every artist’s dream to get his or her hands on anything that came out of the mind of Bob Dylan. Whether it’s covering a beloved song or playing with the man himself, most artists name Dylan as an inspiration and graciously gush over the opportunity to be associated with him in any way. Imagine, then, the chance to interpret Bob Dylan lyrics that were written in the 60s but never realized as songs. That’s what The New Basement Tapes did, and the result is their first album, Lost On the River. The band is made up of big-name artists from big name bands: Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James, Taylor Goldsmith, and Rihannon Giddens. This Traveling Wilburys-esque supergroup composed new music for the decades-old lyrics, and thus had total creative license with arrangements, instrumentals, phrasing, and everything else that makes a song sound good. The whole[...]
With the 2014 emergence of acts like Darksleep and FOTISPORN, Buffalo seems to have quite a few underground electronic producers lurking in it’s shadows, mostly releasing sultry bedroom compositions. Another name to add to the club is home-studio act, Davor aka Davor Majdandzic, a Burlington expat turned Buffalo pioneer. His latest single, “City Night,” is a cut of playful electro pop, dripping in youth and innocence. Take a listen below.
Rochester’s music scene has had an amazing 2014. From breakout national hits like Joywave’s “Tongues” to strong tracks by local staples like Mikaela Davis, Harmonica Lewinski, and Secret Pizza, to name a few. Some good things must come to an end, though, as the city took a hit with the early 2014 announcement that one of the most notable bands in the scene, Cottage Jefferson, would be splitting up, with lead singer/guitarist Jim Hill packing his bags and heading to New York City. When God closes a door, he opens a window though because this morning, Hill shared with the internet his new Brooklyn-spired two track demo, Run, under the project name Slight. Fans of CJ’s fuzzed out college rock can breath easy as Slight manages to conjure up visions of Yuck on the EP’s title track. Listen below.
Buffalo synth pop duo, Royal Tongues (Like A Parrot’s Aaron Bonus and Justin Gammella), is prepping the release of The Balance EP, a seven song release containing the title track and a whole lot of remixes of the single. The most notable reworking of “The Balance” comes from Sycracuse based chamber pop act, Ra Ra Riot. The central New Yorkers turned the original, which would have fit nicely along side Grouplove and Passion Pit, into a mid tempo, Discovery-esque number. The full EP is set for release on December 2nd. In the mean time, listen to Ra Ra Riot’s remix of “The Balance” below.
Indisputably so, the Foo Fighters have steadily led at the forefront of rock music, and after twenty years of making music, it is safe—if not necessary—to characterize this band as an American classic. To what I’m sure is everyone’s delight, the band decided to celebrate its 20th anniversary in an unusual way while making their latest album, Sonic Highways. After years of playing drums for legendary grunge band, Nirvana, David Grohl has long since moved up as front man and songwriter for the Foo Fighters. And although I would argue 90% of the time that the cut-off age for being in a rock band is 40 (take a hint, Billy Joel Armstrong), Grohl forcibly shatters this notion with the debut of the latest album. Sonic Highways manages to accomplish quite a few impressive feats in a relatively compact amount of time. The album’s main allure is not necessarily in the[...]
The words “new music from Interpol” used to not send cringes down my spine. There was a time when this band was still good and that time is long up. Save for the throw-back opening track, El Pintor is another album that lacks the swagger Carlos D used to bring to the band. Still, my curiosity has remained strong whenever anything Interpol related is released,so naturally, the first track/video from Big Noble was at least click worthy. Big Noble is the side project from Interpol guitarist, Daniel Kessler, and upon first listen, its already better than most of Interpol’s last decade. Some of my favorite tracks from the band, “Untitled” and “Next Exit,” relied heavily on dreamy atmospherics, and that’s exactly what makes “Peg” so good. Its contemplative, minimal, and carries a lingering dense of dread that never really shows itself. The video pairs the song with gorgeous shots snowy[...]
Local cult leader, Bryan Johnson (that is why he calls his band ‘Family,’ right?) is one of the hardest working musicians in the city. His band has been a mainstay at local shows for years and with good reason, they are jittery, poppy crowd pleasers. And with the weather quickly cooling, the band has released a last burst of sunshine with its latest EP, Cool Your Jets. Joyful might be the quickest way to describe the bulk of Johnson’s music. Most of the songs on Cool Your Jets move quickly, featuring a bouncy beat and jangling guitars. That beat becomes the driving force behind the EP and really is one of the key features of the band’s unique sound. Impressively, Bryan Johnson and David Hamilton’s guitar playing is equally percussive, driving that bounce forward, and complimenting it well. In step with this is Johnson’s own good natured vocals. The EP evokes scenes of late[...]
What a week it’s been for T-Pain. The premiere hook-man of the late 2000s was the face of the auto-tune era in pop-rap music, but few people knew that there was so much more to this artist. When T-Pain began using auto-tune, it was innovative and creative. As with any fad, at the decline of it’s popularity, auto-tune in pop music was looked at with disdain. We believed (often times correctly) that is was a crutch for those that lacked real talent. There were artists like Kanye West and Bon Iver who received exceptions from this perception, due to their artistic integrity, but T-Pain was thrusted in with the former group. What everyone forgot until seemingly recently was that T-Pain was using auto-tune before nearly everyone else. Auto-tune was popular because of him, but it wasn’t bad because of him. It was bad because people who couldn’t sing tried to[...]
Glasgow electronica wunderkinds, CHVRCHES, continue their rapid conquest of Planet Earth with the release of “Dead Air,” their contribution to the penultimate Hunger Games movie soundtrack. With the have-nots gearing up for war with the fascistic haves of our dystopian future, who better to give voice in song to revolutionary Joan of Arc figure Katniss Everdeen than Lauren Mayberry? The answer is nobody as Lauren Mayberry is clearly growing into the role of feminist icon, giving CHVRCHES a vital edge and value that is definitely on display on this potent single. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack arrives in stores November 17th, while the movie hits theaters on November 21st.
Big Gucci Sosa proves two things; Gucci is still here, and as shocking as it is, Chief Keef is back. Despite constantly being in and out of an orange jumpsuit, Gucci is consistent as ever on this thing. Keef has seemingly spent the last couple years of falling out of Chicago’s drill scene, instead opting for lean-induced, lazily-composed auto-tuned madness. It appears as though Guwop has talked some sense into young Keith Cozart though, because this album features a Keef spitting some of the hardest verses of his career. Opening track “Semi On Em” leaves no one questioning to the mindset of these two trap artists. “Bitch, I’m Gucci Mane, you heard that I go coco-loco/So much money that my pitbull got a diamond choker” the trap god raps as the beat thumps and the bass bangs. Keef’s introductory verse on the project signals the listener that we are getting the throwback version of the still-young Chicago[...]
This week, one of Buffalo’s major music exports, Lemuria, debuted their new single titled “Foggy Smoke,” the B-side off a forthcoming 7-inch. The track is set to be paired with its own 40 page comic, Turnstile Comix #3: Lemuria, documenting the band’s eventful tour through Russia years back. With the band set to hit the road with Into It. Over It. later this month, this should be a nice to morsel to tide over Lemuria fans until the trio’s next proper release. Turnstile Comix #3: Lemuria, and the accompanying 7-inch, is set to be released on December 9th. In the mean time, listen to “Foggy Smoke” below.
Over the weekend, we received an e-mail from Brooklyn-based indie-pop quintet, Gillian. Fronted by former Rochester resident, Geoff Bennington, Gillian is almost the total package, a polished sound with incredibly catchy, developed melodies that fans of Broken Social Scene, Sheer Mags, Los Campesinos!, or The Cast of Cheers would love. The band has two shows in Rochester this winter, with the first being Sunday, December 7th at the Bug Jar. The second is January 23rd with two bands we’ve been talking about this week, Bryan Johnson & Family and Talking Under Water. Don’t just listen to “Out & Out.” The whole EP, The Eyes In My Head, is phenomenal.
Ever since John Tillman stole the show while opening for Youth Lagoon a couple years ago at the Town Ballroom, I have been pining for some new music, and a proper follow up to 2012’s Fear Fun, from the former drummer of Fleet Foxes. Last night, Tillman’s alter ego of Father John Misty took over the Late Show with David Letterman stage with a massive string section to play the ballad, “Bored in the USA,” a cut from his forthcoming new album, I Love You, Honeybear. Tillman once again proves he is one of indie-rock’s best showman, frequently making himself comfortable on his piano as he casually laments on the dejected states of many of today’s post-grads and millennials, something the crowd seemed to eat up by the sounds of the laughter and applause. I Love You, Honeybear is set to drop on Tuesday, February 12th. FJM also announced some tour dates to[...]
Garrett Klahn hasn’t lived in Buffalo in nearly 20 years. “I just moved back at the end of the summer.” Klahn says. “My mother is here, so for the past 20 years I’d come home for at least two holidays every year, and for weddings, babies all that normal shit. So I was here a lot.” Klahn is best known for his involvement in a little band from New York City, Texas is the Reason, as well as a multitude of other projects. Klahn is now back in his native city of Buffalo calling the Elmwood Village and Allentown neighborhoods home, which do not resemble the humble districts they once were in his younger days. “The changes are black and white really.” He says of the now bustling Elmwood Village neighborhood. “I left in ’93, and then you didn’t really venture much past Lafayette.” So what brings Klahn back to[...]