Latest Posts

Pogo – Younghood

June 25, 2014

Mostly everyone understands the idea of a sample or snipped included in a piece of music. The point, if the musician gets it right, is to relate the clip to the thematic vibe of the music or lyrics. Many hip-hop artists do this successfully (Wu-Tang Clan, Aesop Rock) as do electronic musicians (Ratatat, Ott). One unique thing about Australian electronic artist Pogo is his usage of strictly taking samples from movies, television shows, and film scores to create a new composition. He is certainly a master at collage, and perhaps a Pop artist. A few years back, he created a famous mash-up of the score of Alice In Wonderland simply titled “Alice.” The YouTube hits skyrocketed, and I even remember stumbling upon the shocking goodness of the piece. With his latest release, Younghood, he doesn’t stray too far from his down-right trippy instrumentals. First track “Kermit Clouds” samples the voice of Kermit The[...]

Total Control – Typical System

June 24, 2014

Just when the world thought it had enough modern 80’s synth-rock reincarnations to sort through, Australia’s Total Control releases Typical System, an album that churns out all the goth-rock nuances in all the right places. But with any genre-replicating album, it matters more what the band does to update the style, rather than what they do to pay homage to it. With that being said, Typical System is a good listen, however hampered by a lack of innovation. Speaking of what Total Control does to sway from their 80’s inspirations, the most prominent difference is in the album’s production. Instead of toting reverb soaked drums and overly compressed instruments, the band utilizes a more modern mix style, bringing the vocals and guitar to the forefront while keeping the backbeat and groove more secondary. This results in making the songs sound more present and reminiscent of Depeche Mode’s more plug-and-play records.[...]

Harvest Sum Releases 10th Anniversary Compliation

June 23, 2014

This past Saturday at Nietzsche’s, long time local label, Harvest Sum, celebrated ten years of music in Buffalo. In conjunction with the anniversary party, which was put on as part of our weekend long Herd Fest, the label released a compilation of previously unreleased, new, and rare tracks from Harvest Sum’s past and present. Featuring cuts from Wooden Waves, Roger Bryan & the Orphans, Fourem, Applennium (who, BTW, may have had the best performance of Saturday night), and more, the 8-track comp is a great way to familiarize yourself with one of Buffalo’s best music treasures, which hopefully will still be running strong in another ten years. You can download the entire compilation over at Harvest Sum’s facebook page. While it’s downloading, check out the stunner of a closing track, “I Hope You’re Well, Brother” from Fourem, below.

Besnyo – Worry

June 23, 2014

I was conned. The year was 2008, and I had made my way downtown to see my fellow Eden-ites in A Hotel Nourishing play a show presented by Harvest Sum at Nietzsche’s. Alex Berkley had just finished playing his acoustic solo set, during which he had repeatedly suggested that the audience buy his new record, Worry, at the merch table in the front. Having enjoyed his set and completely oblivious to his clever ruse, I weaved my way to the merch table and paid for my copy of Worry. It wasn’t until later that night that I realized, somewhat shamefully, that the CD that I paid for was not the work of Alex Berkley. It was the work of Harvest Sum heavyweights Besnyo, and I am happy to say that the embarrassment resulting from my gullibility dissolved away just a few short minutes into their set that night. Worry is buffaBLOG’s[...]

Sea Planes Release Latest Single, “Right Now”

June 20, 2014

After a year plus wait between Sea Planes’ debut single and its superior follow up, the Rochester synth-pop duo has dropped its third track in the anthemic “Right Now.” Similar to last month’s “Young At Heart,” the new track finds the pair sticking with the big 80s sounds of drum machines, arena ready guitar solos, and shouting choruses. Fans of the Killers and M83 should like what they hear, especially as those “oh oh ohs” take us through the bridge. Check out “Right Now” below and visit Sea Planes’ bandcamp page to listen to past singles.

Cove Explores Humanity’s Strongest Emotion On love.gained/love.lost.too

June 20, 2014

The Essential Vitamins Crew (EVC) of Buffalo boasts “no additives or preservatives,” and that’s exactly what EVC member and hip hop producer Cove has testified to on his latest album love.gained/love.lost.too. The release is a follow up to Cove’s Love.Lost/Love.Gained. release of last February, and it follows a similar soundscape. Cove keeps the track name nearly as simple as possible. Most of the titles are just their number, with the exception of a few dates and the album’s closer. Track “two”begins with a quote from Love and Basketball, in which the main characters as children begin dating. Throughout the album Cove rips scenes depicting different stages of love from movies and uses them as interludes to further portray the album’s themes. “Apr.20” was hardly the pot-smokers anthem one would think considering it’s name. Cove chops up the same vocal sample we’ve heard on Black Hippy’s “Black Lip Bastard” remix, and combines[...]

The Get Money Squad Drops Debut Single, “Back Again”

June 20, 2014

Last night, Quinton Brock of Network and producer Jon Bap debuted an interesting new project called The Get Money Squad. The pair is prepping the release of a debut EP and have shared their first single, titled “Back Again.” Those familiar with Network’s Death Grips inspired live shows will be pleasantly surprised to hear laid back, chiming guitars, and the smooth vocals of Brock, drawing comparisons to the latest albums from both Mac DeMarco and Ducktails. Check out “Back Again” below and keep an eye on the band’s soundcloud page for future tracks.

Local Onlys Drop Mt. Wister EP

June 19, 2014

Jacob Smolinski is one busy man. In addition to leading the charming yet now disbanded group, The Cascos, he is involved with numerous bands, side projects and his own independent record label, Lips Records. Unlike his other bands, however, which seem to exist from the sheer fun of playing and recording, Local Onlys stands out as Smolinski’s most serious and polished endeavor into songwriting. Their new EP, Mt. Wister, shows the band at their most mature yet, but luckily still sports their preppy tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. What struck me the most from the EP is the band’s range of different styles, moving comfortably from quiet acoustic ballad (“Komono”) to fast punk rock (“Ode to an RA”) while still maintaining Smolinski’s signature jumpy pop sound. After only a little less than a year since the band’s formation, it is refreshing to note the other members influence on the songs, particularly[...]

Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence

June 18, 2014

Even if you aren’t a fan of the mega-pop star Lana Del Rey from small town Lake Placid, New York, you’ve heard her hits–“Young & Beautiful,” “Blue Jeans,” or “Summertime Sadness” rolling through the speakers of bars, clubs, and beaches (I can assume, some of her favorite spots). Her mesmerizing, grandiose voice is what sets her out from the overproduced run of the mill pop stars, much like Gwen Stefani did when her solo album dropped. The release of 2014, Ultraviolence, still feels like Ms. Del Rey, with a turn in musical accompaniment and the inclusion of longer ballads that she is prone to record. Throughout the record, Lana Del Rey opens up her locations, citing Brooklyn, the West Coast, Florida, and perhaps Texas in the Western-inspired song “Black Beauty.” Thematically, the content is driven much like her former albums, focusing on money, sex, cheating, and fame. More so than ever cheating[...]

Street Eaters – Blood::Muscles::Bones

June 17, 2014

Blood::Muscles::Bones, the second full length release by Bay area band Street Eaters, reads like an ominous autobiography for the Berkley duo. How long can they withstand this experimental jet set lifestyle? A global tour schedule that has taken the band around the world at whiplash speeds. However, don’t romanticize their demise just quite yet, because Blood::Muscles::Bones may be the rawest, post-punk record to come from the West Coast in some time. Let me put it this way: this is the record that Kathleen Hanna and Dave Grohl got to never make. It was a project they always talked about before they both started believing their own legends. Blood::Muscles::Bones is juvenile in the sense that it is uncompromising and idealistic. You won’t find any unnecessary bridges, extra verses, or choruses. They’ve cut all of the fat, lacerated the gizzards, smothered them in hot sauce, and gobbled them up, just to wash it[...]

How to Dress Well – What Is This Heart?

June 17, 2014

In sharpening his craft, Tom Krell has ventured out on a journey of self-reflection on his alter ego How to Dress Well’s third studio album. Condensed within the album’s twelve songs, Krell has set out to answer the very question that the albums title asks: What is this heart? It turns out this question can’t be objectively answered, but does surround the predominant element of human nature’s continued exploration for love. Staggering and affirmative, What Is This Heart? is a record that stands as his most fearless, risk-filled collection yet. Starting with single “Words I Don’t Remember,” Krell challenges the senses in a way unlike that of his previous releases by taking of the mask to his inner thoughts and revealing full-hearted, personal inhibitions. Although the song itself is approached with the same type of recognizable chord progressions and lo-fi fuzziness, there’s something unmistakably visceral about the overall combination. Almost[...]

Fashion Expo 1990 – Fashion Expo 1990

June 16, 2014

Despite being recorded between 2007 and 2008, the material that makes up the debut of Buffalo electronic duo Fashion Expo 1990 is much more reminiscent of the sounds that dominated the clubs and dance music during the decade of their namesake. With melodic piano lines inspired by house and jazz, along with synth textures and acidic bass lines that pay homage to various historical dance music scenes, the self-titled record is a compelling amalgamation of classic influences arranged in a manner that captures the same energy and enthusiasm that characterized the timeless sounds of that era. Back in 2007, Miles Kirsch, keyboard player for indie rock outfit Difficult Night, composed much of the album with help from Mike Bassette as the two regularly played the material out in the following two years. While the project was initially intended to be solely a live act, delaying the release of any recordings. Fashion[...]

Fotisporn Releases “D Frenzy” Single

June 16, 2014

Speaking of Buffalo vaporwave acts, another interesting track popped up over the weekend from the underground genre in the form of “D Frenzy” from electronic artist Fotisporn. The dark, disco single samples Billy Ocean’s “Carribeen Queen” while backed by smooth horns and has some serious Darkside vibes. Keep an eye out from future releases from this mysterious project. In the mean time, listen to “D Frenzy” below.

clipping. – CLPPNG

June 13, 2014

Before I start this review I just wanna touch on one thing real quick. The whole phenomenon of bands/music groups,  cutting out vowels in song/album/artist names or replacing them with Vs, is so played out. I can’t stand the name of this album, just make it a self-titled. It would’ve been cool like two years ago, but now it looks like the name of a random soundcloud artist. I digress. Clipping. is a trio consisting of rapper Daveed Diggs, and producers Wiliam Hutson and Jonathan Snipes. Hutson and Snipes both hold industrial-electronic roots with other bands and projects, and they craft the noisey in-your-face music that the band is known for. Diggs provides the raw, violent imagery to accompany the music, and he truly is a great technical rapper. Their Facebook page sums up their sound as “music for the club you wish you hadn’t gone to, the car you don’t[...]

Arvid Releases Old Factory Living

June 13, 2014

Early last month, one man garage act, Arvid, released his lo-fi, debut album Old Factory Living. Recorded on a 4-track cassette player in the Rochester musician’s attic, the 90s alt-rock inspired album is ideal for fans of like era staples Stone Temple Pilots and the Presidents of the United States of America, as well fresher San Fran garage rock acts like Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. Track 7, “Stage Fright,” sounds like a Mac Demarco/Ducktails collaboration that you wish would actually happen, while the Spaghetti Western-flavored “Wasted” could have been placed on a Tarantino soundtrack without missing a beat. You can download Old Factory Living in its entirety at Arvid’s bandcamp page. In the mean time, listen to the stand out, opening track “Phantoms of the Night” below. Old Factory Living by Arvid