Latest Posts

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

The Modern Electric – “All We Have Is Now”

June 12, 2014

Cleveland natives, The Modern Electric, took over our office speakers this morning with their driving single “All We Have Is Now.” Part manlier Keane, part vaudeville Jens Lekman, and a pinch of Spoon, the band’s sound is both whimsical and exuberant, channeling classic rock legends like Jeff Lynne of ELO. The Modern Electric will be making a stop in Rochester next Thursday (6/19) at Sticky Lips as part of their national tour. This post is geared to our Rochester readers and Buffalo readers that like driving 80 miles to see bands. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/69973526″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Newish Star Releases Look Both Ways

June 12, 2014

I didn’t know what to expect when I dove into Look Both Ways, the early-June release from fresh Buffalo act, Newish Star. As I examined their bandcamp page, I noticed there isn’t a track on Look that touches the two-minute mark, so the moments before that initial listen-through were saturated with a nervous curiosity. Safe to say the songs—frenetic Dinosaur Jr-style explosions of noisy energy—warrant the quickness. It works. The opening track, “Super Double Jackpot,” touches on the all-too-familiar feeling of helplessness with lyrics like “So you tried, and you gave it your all / but the only thing that matters is the control of it all”, as the song races to the finish line, raucous and proud. Other highlights include the 36-second-long punk number “No Way Out”, the satiating riff-work of “Newbody,” and the whistle solo (yes, whistle solo) a midst the bumbling chug of “Runnin’ Rich.” Although proclaimed[...]

The Antlers – Familiars

June 12, 2014

Since Hospice emerged as a narrative record of tremendous emotional force in 2009, The Antlers have consistently defined themselves through their weightiness. There is no hip posturing, no casual cleverness, and very little pop sensibility to the music they spin forth from what Isaac Brock might call “the dark center of the universe.” Although Burst Apart, The Antlers’ more contained follow-up to Hospice, found the band exploring tight song structures and stepping away from the glorious concept album fullness of their previous release, Familiars, the act’s fifth record, returns to the musical looseness of Hospice while applying a vague conceptual framework. Familiars lacks the immediate thrust and devastating intimacy of Hospice’s tales of cancer, regret, and trauma. It also lacks Burst Apart‘s comparative accessibility. And yet Familiars is as gorgeous a flutter of genuine feeling as one can wish for from Brooklyn’s most cathartic conveyors of human desperation. Frontman Peter Silberman’s vocals remain extraordinary[...]

The Tins Premiere Music Video For “They Aren’t Evil” Single

June 11, 2014

Herd Fest act the Tins have announced the release of their latest EP, Young Blame, set to drop on July 29th. The EP is currently available for pre-sale here, but luckily, the band has released the music video for Young Blame‘s first single, “They Aren’t Evil,” earlier today to give us a taste of the new material. The single moves away from some of the more new wave vibes of their last LP, Life’s A Gas, and enters a DOM-like melody territory. If you wish to hear the new tracks before streaming begins on bandcamp, you can help celebrate the release of Young Blame with the trio on Friday, July 11th at Buffalo Iron Works. The release show will also serve as a tour kick off (see full itinerary below) that will take the threesome across the U.S.. More confirmed dates will follow. July 11th- Buffalo N.Y – Buffalo Iron[...]

Darksleep Releases 電効営み

June 11, 2014

Over at the blog offices last week, we stumbled across the  impressive, debut LP, 電効営み , from vaporwave artist Darksleep. The album immediately had us thinking of works from Oneohtrix Point Never, Crystal Castles, and even some Purity Ring, and while we have no idea how to pronounce 電効営, the album quickly grew on us. Check out the entire release over at Darksleep’s bandcamp page and in the mean time, listen to album’s stand out track, “Left on the Curb,” below.

Edwang Shines On Collaborative Effort With Duce

June 11, 2014

Buffalo born producer Edwang has honed his craft remixing and mashing up other rap songs, but he’s stepped in a new direction with this collaborative effort with rapper Duce. The Duce Bootlegs is a project full of poppy hip hop goodness that reasserts Edwang’s staying power. He’s crafted complex beats that still allow the freedom of an emcee to flow over. The bouncy keyboard on “True Hollywood Story” sets the tone for the rest of an album that never takes itself too seriously.  The beat in “Pirate Booty” is based around a upbeat west-coast guitar riff, and the rapping is basically Duce rattling off pirate references in each line. His best rapping probably comes in “Old Joe,” where Duce narrates the unfortunate experience of catching an STD. Edwang continuously impresses on the beats, and flashes his experiences in productions by including some pop culture bites for skits between songs. Aziz Ansari’s[...]

First Aid Kit – Stay Gold

June 11, 2014

First Aid Kit, composed of the elven-queens Klara and Johanna Soderberg, hit an Internet nerve after they placed their cover of hit Fleet Foxes song “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” on YouTube back in the year of 2008. Shortly before that, they had already re-recorded their first EP, Drunken Trees, with the help of their school-friend’s father, Karin Dreijer Andersson, who is one half of The Knife. At this milestone, the young ladies were the age of fourteen years old. Fourteen is a pinnacle year, especially from a developmental standpoint. You’ve survived the castrating year of thirteen of endless questioning and doubt and latched onto a form, an outlet–whether that’s singing, sports, writing, etc. You see glimmers of your passion. You swim this sea without the poisoned expectation of achievement. Perhaps, this is the best blessing. Continuing on this vein of relinquished expectations is a good way to be. First Aid[...]