Latest Posts

Talking Under Water Releases Debut Single, “Tossing & Turning”

November 3, 2014

Yesterday afternoon, Rochester alt-rock outfit, Talking Under Water, premiered “Tossing & Turning,” its debut single and title track to its forthcoming new EP. Forming this past summer, the quartet is comprised of front man Dave Chisholm, Alex Patrick of the Absolutes, Stephen Roessner of Pleistocene/Small Signals, and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra cellist Elise Hughey. The four-piece’s “Tossing & Turning” is a theatrical number with a flair for the dramatics, with smokey verses that explode as the song’s bombastic chorus is unleashed. Fans of the Black Keys, Muse, Cage the Elephant, and even Dead Man’s Bones (minus Halloween) should all find something within the track to peak their interest. Tossing & Turning will be released on December 2nd. In the mean time, listen to the single below.

101010 – We Are The Movie

November 3, 2014

Another month, another farewell album. Listening to an album known to be a band’s last is always a bittersweet experience, and 101010’s We Are The Movie was no different for me. The Buffalo band, having formed in 2012 from the ashes of Americana act Vox Humana, are no longer playing together, but, as a final gesture of good faith, decided to digitally release their swan song album for the fans of their decidedly post-rock loudness. Each of the respective members will be focusing on different projects beyond 101010’s dissolution; keep your ears to the ground. Though the curtain has called for 101010, We Are The Movie satisfies, and should not go unrecognized. Enter our Album of the Week. We Are The Movie explores the various intricacies of post-rock and shoegaze, landing somewhere between the cosmic thickness of 90’s band Hum and the hard-hitting fervor of Chevelle. But the album doesn’t[...]

Nevergreens Releases Latest Cinematic EP, it’s already paradise

November 3, 2014

Local chillwave producer, Matthew Reilly aka Nevergreens, released his latest EP, it’s already paradise, this past weekend. The musician has been quietly dropping cinematic, instrumental scores on bandcamp since early summer. EP opener, “graduation,” is a jubilant track backed by warm synths and live drums, recalling some of M83’s more uplifting pieces from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Stream the entire EP here, and check out “graduation” below.

Brass Pro and the Waterfront Revivalists Offer Try-Outs

November 2, 2014

Wanna join Brass Pro and the Waterfront Revivalists? They are having a “Try-out” PIZZA PARTY tonight  at 7:30pm at  at 1250 Niagara St. Are you asking yourself what Brass Pro and the Waterfront Revivalists are? Well, you can read the statement from the group below to find out the answers. In the words of the “walking rock band” themselves… “We have successfully played two gigs as a rag tag group and we are excited to keep this project going but we need members to really make a bang. If you are curious about joining or have a slight interest in how this group operates, please join us. It won’t be as much of an audition as a meet up to gain more members, talk about what our bands goals, what music we should cover, and what events we should crash. Bring an instrument if you have one. We know some possible rental opportunities and we have a few pieces of[...]

Slap Bracelets – “The Wendigo”

October 30, 2014

New York City based shoegaze duo, Slap Bracelets, is comprised of Debbie Chou (vocals/bass/ keys) and Chris Gersbeck (vocals/guitars/bass/programming). The band has the ability to be both sweet and dreamy (listen to “The Wendigo”), but can also put on the edge to a more raucous classic punk sound. Expect a mix of Depeche Mode, Lower Dens, and Haim, and you are good to go. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114147567″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Baxter Roy Long Releases Acid-Folk Collection, Palms on the setting stone

October 30, 2014

Former Denver resident, Baxter Roy Long, recently moved to Buffalo, and upon settling in, released an 8-track collection of dreamy, yet challenging acid folk, titled Palms on the setting stone. While most of the album was recorded in the Pacific North West, the lone locally recorded song, “Whale calls at night,” may be the most ambient, sounding like early, ethereal Animal Collective or Young Prayer era Panda Bear. You can stream Palms on the setting stone in its entirety over at Long’s bandcamp page. Check out stand out, Collections of Colonies of Bees-esque, “March of Saginaw,” below.

Camp Counselors Releases “Sighs” on Halloween Compilation No. 2: Gatherings

October 30, 2014

Spookytacular WNY expat, Kyle J. Reigle, records under the moniker Camp Counselors and for the second year in a row, released another track to producer’s yet-to-be-created slasher flick. The creepy new single “Sighs” has the same feel as Camp Counselors previous works, pairing well with fog coming from the ground, being unsure you locked your door on a windy night, and irrational fears that Freddy Krueger is actually a real person that wants to kill you. The track is included on Halloween Compilation No. 2: Gatherings, the second annual seasonal collection released via Reigle’s Snowbeast Records label. Gatherings also includes contributions from Teen Daze, Psychic Twin, and Medina native, Seismograph. Listen to the full comp here, and check out “Sighs” below.

Comfy Releases New Singles

October 29, 2014

Utica, New York’s Comfy is a band that’s buzz, unlike Ebola, has been spreading all over New York State, from the jampacked DIY shows in Brooklyn to the dimly lit basements of Buffalo and every cool house show in between. Last week, while prepping for their super legit slot on the Miscreant & Father/Daughter co-sponsored showcase at Silent Barn, Comfy released two new tracks, “Dreamy” and “People Talking.” The band’s sound is in the same realm of Swearin’, The Babies, and Krill with a hint of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. With a forthcoming EP set to be released soon via Miscreant Records, Comfy is a band that you should have in your band vocabulary because there is a chance they may be playing top secret show in Buffalo at some point this week.

Skirts Debut First Single From Semesters EP

October 28, 2014

Rochester garage-pop act, Skirts (formerly the dorm room outfit Meanagers), dropped the first single from its forthcoming EP, Semesters (Dadstache Records), early this afternoon. Led by a bouncy surf rock lick, “Pink Hair” features a peppy, playful melody and bursting guy/girl vocals from Hayden Ford and Brianna Battista. The single and new EP are follow ups to the great, basement session filmed by Genesee Live this past summer, which you can view here. Listen to “Pink Hair” below and keep an eye out for Semesters later this fall.

Psychic Teens – “Face”

October 28, 2014

We all should thank Andy Czuba and Sugar City for bringing Psychic Teens to Buffalo many moons ago. The Philly outfit have been on the Queen City’s inhabitants radar since its deafening performance at buffaBLOG’s Herd Fest this past summer. Some ears are still ringing. The trio of brotherly love has just released its new single “Face,” accompanied by B-Side “All.” The former is a heavenly juggernaut of bliss born into the realm of post punk, layered with shooting gallery echoes, distortion, and compounded percussion. Here is hoping that “Face” is just the precursor for the follow up to 2013’s Come.  [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/172353634″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The Flaming Lips – With a Little Help from My Fwends

October 27, 2014

Trashing an album like this is not easy, mainly because of how insanely easy it is. That Wayne Coyne, amidst accusations of cultural appropriation, unchecked egomania, and sad self-parody, would record an acid-damaged track-for-track cover of fucking Sgt. Pepper’s with Miley Cyrus reveals either a profound lack of self-awareness or an eager attempt to destroy his band’s legacy. It sounds like a joke your skeptical friend might have made about the band when you tried to get him to just hear The Soft Bulletin. As a long-time Lips defender and fan, I found the move exciting in its sheer audacity, and went into my first listen of the album with much hope. I’ve always been secretly kind of psyched about the Wayne-Miley friendship, and figured that the ballsiness of the project would warrant its existence. And it’s never fun to hate on something this ridiculous. But when I first listened[...]

Handsome Jack – Do What Comes Naturally

October 27, 2014

There is always a lot of talk about the hardcore and punk scene in Buffalo, but what about the blues? Bands like Johnny Nobody, Mr. Boneless, and in particular, Handsome Jack? As for the latter, the Lockport four-some hasn’t released a proper full length since 2011’s Super Moon, but in Do What Come Naturally, which Handsome Jack celebrated the release of this past Friday at Mohawk Place, the wait was certainly worth it. Once again, my brothers from another mother  prove that Buffalo’s got soul. Do What Comes Naturally is a red-eye flight and a universe away from Super Moon. I guess you could say the boys did some growing up. Where as Super Moon sounded like an overly extended ballad, Do What Comes Naturally is rough and hard around the edges. The band, now cocksure and headstrong, lays it all out on the table, letting the listener know exactly what they are working with.” From the[...]

Damian Preps Remix Album, Releases Re-Worked “They Fill The Space They Believe In”

October 27, 2014

Earlier this year, local mumblecore artist, Damian Weber, released one of our favorite local releases in You Don’t Need It, which, as the year starts to near its completion, has the staff over at the blog already arguing over which track should make our year end, best of list. I personally am pulling for the title track… Regardless, over the past weekend, Weber released a re-working of one of the album’s many standout songs, “They Fill The Space They Believe In.” The song is the first leaked track of a complete remix album he plans to release soon, titled You Don’t Need Shit. The new take is layered with nervy guitar picking and warm, subtle keys, adding a dreamy quality to the already celestial slow-burning rocker. Listen to the original take on “They Fill The Space They Believe In” over at Damian’s bandcamp page, and check out the remixed version below.

Andy Pothier Releases New Track, “Signs”

October 23, 2014

Earlier this week, local folk troubadour, Andy Pothier, released the first single from this forthcoming, untitled album. The bare boned “Signs” is another lovely number from the Pine Fever drummer, sounding like hushed Conor Oberst or weary, stripped down Hiss Golden Messenger. Keep an eye out for future tracks from Pothier’s new album, and in the mean time, listen to “Signs” below.

Stepfriends Releases New Album, All We’ve Got

October 22, 2014

The dudes (and dudettes) in Buffalo emo-pop collab-group Stepfriends have just digitally released their debut full-length album All We’ve Got. The eleven-track record, mostly recorded at The Square Studio in Syracuse, gives emo a little soul–think a jazzier Into It. Over It. with a dash of Circa Survive. Vocalist Johnny Lucas has a smooth and solid range, and his clear, handsome tenor takes the forefront in many of the songs. The tracks are expertly arranged; some of my favorite points on the record are the atmospheric bridges and breakdowns that give All We’ve Got it’s unique sound. Check out the angular riffs and crisp drumwork on track “Renovation” below, and go visit the band’s Bandcamp page for digital downloads and vinyl preorders.