Latest Posts

A Hotel Nourishing Releases First Single From Empty Gesture EP

August 19, 2014

I remember my introduction to the Buffalo music scene. I drove from my hometown in central New York to catch a glimpse of Say Hi to Your Mom in the dark Sound Lab basement in the middle of a snowstorm. The Wishes and the Glitch was an amazing album. Anyways, upon arrival, I realized I was in Buffalo like an hour before the show even opened it’s doors (Buffalo time was foreign to me) so I had to wait outside in my car for an hour, then inside alone in a booth for an hour, then standing up front until eventually I caught the first band, A Hotel Nourishing. I initially had thought they were a touring band based on how tight they were as a duo, with Cameron Rogers’ lightning fast, thunderous drumming coupled with Sonny Baker’s wry energy and sprawling guitars. The night capped off with me nervously introducing[...]

J. Cole Releases Track in Response to Events in Ferguson, MO

August 15, 2014

J. Cole is the first big activist coming from the world of hip hop regarding the tragedies outside of St. Louis. This past Saturday, an unarmed black teen was shot to death by a police officer. Facts are muddled. The police say 18 year-old Michael Brown was assaulting an officer, reaching for his gun. Witnesses say Brown was running for his life from an officer who started the interaction with his gun drawn threatening to shoot. Some people of Ferguson reacted honorably with events like candle-light vigils, but others complicated the problem recklessly looting stores and vandalizing property of their own community, a community that already had big-enough problems at hand. It’s a tricky issue. Four nights of clashes between police and protesters followed, including the use of rubber bullets and tear gas. In the last couple days, tensions have settled and it looks as though the community will try[...]

Charles Bordeaux Releases Latest Track, “Hungry Hands”

August 14, 2014

The rather anonymous and low key Buffalo producer/singer-songwriter Charles Bordeaux has recently released a new track on his bandcamp. Featuring jazzy keys, some basic beatboxing, and lovely backing vocal harmonies, “Hungry Hands” is a smooth down-tempo number which puts Bordeaux’s velvety style of singing on full display. As it evolves, it crosses into new-wave territory, introducing crisp high hats and bouncy square synths. Never superfluous, the track retains a steady sense of warmth and ripeness throughout, making it the artists most mature release up to date. Check it out.

Strawberry Boys Release First Single, “Got It”

August 14, 2014

Earlier this week, we received an e-mail from Rochester-based electro-pop twosome, Strawberry Boys. In the message, the sender described Strawberry Boys’ sound as a “boy band but serious.” The single, “Got It,” is slow building, but soon evolves into an Architecture in Helsinki-like backing coupled with vocals of Proto Zoa, the fictional band from Disney’s Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. Although Strawberry Boys prefer to release their music under a veil of mystery, I would not be surprised if familiar names are behind the project. Check out “Got It” underneath these words.

Chae Hawk Releases Cinematic Vid for “Dinner Plates”

August 13, 2014

Love is complicated. Break-ups are complicated. Relationships are complicated. Continuing with that theme, Chae Hawk releases this 7 minute epic music/movie video for “Dinner Plates.” There’s a hawt Penelope Cruz lookalike, a couple of scorned lovers murdering each other, some pseudo-zombie action, and an impressively cool Chae Hawk back tat. Featuring beautiful black and white cinematography, this has got to be one of the highest quality local music videos we’ve seen in some time. Coupling that with a typically dope musical release from the Team Radio emcee, this is a vid you’re sure to enjoy.

Rustie & Danny Brown – “Attak”

August 11, 2014

Rustie and Danny Brown collabed on a song together, which isn’t the first time. With Danny’s lyrical flow and Rustie’s electronic masterpiece, “Attak” is a complimenting blend of high energy. The official video was released today. As URL increasingly seeps into the IRL world, this video uses superimposed text, suggestive emojis and rolling lyrics that are reminiscent of having fun with 3D word art in the early days of Microsoft Word. It’s perfect. Rustie – Attak ft Danny Brown (Official Music Video) from Music on Vimeo.

Brimstone Blondes Sign To Admirable Traits, Release First Single

August 11, 2014

Brimstone Blondes, a new wavy (save the synths), post-punk revivalist four-piece, will see their debut EP, Age of Consent, released later this month via Admirable Traits Records, a label with Buffalo and Brooklyn roots. The album’s first single,”Social Smokers,” premiered this morning. Backed by peppy, crunchy chords, Matthew Danger Lippman (think David Byrne and Fred Schneider of the B-52’s), one of Buffalo’s most charismatic and confident frontmen, snarls his way through the frantic number, one of the seven new/revisited tracks to be found on Age of Consent. Long time live staple, “Get Lifted!,” also appears on the EP, given a fresh makeover from Brandon Schlia, Steak and Cake Records founder and Age of Consent producer. The band will celebrate the release of Age of Consent next week, Thursday, August 21st, at Buffalo Iron Works with support from Harmonica Lewinski and Wooden Waves. The 18+ show costs $10 to enter. Admission will include[...]

Buffalo Sex Change – Buffalo Sex Change

August 11, 2014

When I first heard of Rochester garage post-punk band Buffalo Sex Change and their self-titled, debut album, my initial reaction was mostly just trying to figure out their highly specific and provocative name. Fairly early into the album, however, I was having a hard time imagining the two-piece being referred to as anything else. With a gritty lo-fi drums, androgynous sounding vocals, and a distorted guitar sound that can only be described as dark and dirty, the band explores music rooted in a liminal phase, never quite clear of itself. And yet, the general mood of the record comes off confident, as if the members are aware of and quite comfortable with their own liminality. With only two members, BSS does well with filling in the space of sound, particularly with Phil Pierce’s guitar playing, which switches from Buddy Holly licks  in “Gender Unknown” to early Jesus & Mary Chain/Kevin[...]

buffaBLOG Premiere: Work Drugs – “Free To Roam”

August 7, 2014

We’ve been a fan of Work Drugs at buffaBLOG since their 2011 sleepy dream-pop single, “Rad Racer,” so we were beyond excited to jump on an opportunity to premiere their latest single, “Free To Roam.” The band is comprised of electro-pop, Philadelphia-by-way-of- Florida, synth workhorses, Thomas Crystal and Benjamin Louisiana. “Free To Roam” is a featured track on band’s  eighth album in four years, RUNAWAYS, with a set release in early October.  The single, from a flavor sense, is more in the realm of “Double LIfe” than “Rad Racer.” It’s bouncy, carefree,  and accessible, similar to if you let Two Door Cinema Club produce a Phoenix album after sitting down with the latest Cherub release. For a local recommendation, they would be perfectly nestled somewhere between JOYWAVE and Humble Braggers. The subject matter of “Free To Roam” is about young love, hitting the country side, and discovering a new color with[...]

Son of the Sun’s Zak Ward Drops First Single From Upcoming EP

August 6, 2014

After quietly disbanding late last year, members of Buffalo’s longtime act, Son of the Sun, have gone in a couple different directions. Drummer Brandon Delmont recently released a fantastic album along with fellow, former Girlpope member Mark Norris under the moniker of the Lindbergh Babies while guitarist Joseph Stocker is currently outfitting Buffalo’s sharply dressed men at the Elmwood Village’s tailored suit shop, Bureau. As for SOTS’s former lead singer, Zak Ward, a new EP is coming our way in the near future, titled That’s What You Get. The EP’s first single, “Who You Really Are,” was just dropped this morning via Ward’s soundcloud page, and it’s pretty great. A cut of sun kissed alt-country covered in some wonky effects, the tune features the aformentioned Delmont on percussion. “Who You Really Are” calls to mind M Ward, Summerteeth era Wilco, or Woods, and is a wonderful musical addition to the dog[...]

Small Smalls Releases Minute Long “Poolside” Jam

August 6, 2014

After remaining quiet for most of the summer, minimalist synth-pop act, Small Smalls, has resurfaced this morning with the quickest poolside jam you will find in Buffalo this year. Clocking in at just over a minute, “Poolside” has a frantic Small Smalls channeling Le Tigre for a perfect addition to your late summer pool party mix-tape. Also, the single’s artwork is fantastic. The song is nearly over by the time the ripples in the pool settle so listen quickly below.

Cleanse光777 – 6怪談

August 4, 2014

A Buffalo producer that goes by the moniker Cleanse光777 has released an EP packed with darkly manipulated vocal samples, delay effects, and droning melodies. Sonically, the tracks are reminiscent of releases put out by Triangle Records, a label noted for a coherent repertoire of artists who channel a distinct sound. Some have dubbed this sound as “witch-house,” a genre which combines elements of old-school hip hop and trap, slowing it down to slug BPM, topping it with exquisitely amplified reverb. Think of a hypothetical scene from a David Lynch movie in which some mysterious and grotesque creature is slowly rising from a swamp. The track titled “blueけち火,” could serve as the soundtrack to this imagery. In fact, most of the release could accompany this ambiguous story-line, following the shot as it shows creature X  continuing on to trudge through the surrounding town, eerie and desolate in itself, peeking into a[...]

Buffalo Sex Change Releases New Music Video

August 4, 2014

One of the new, WNY releases that we are eagerly awaiting in the blog offices is the debut LP from Rochester, post-punk duo, Buffalo Sex Change. Set to be released tomorrow on 585-based label, Dadstache Records, the album currently has three songs available to stream on the label’s bandcamp page to get a little taste before the entire album drops. Late last week, the pair released the music video for one of those three songs, “Holy Ghost Fire,” a gothic-folk number that would not sound too out of place on the new Mr. Boneless record. Check out the black and white video to the song below, which mostly features a woman lackadasically lassoing.

Spoon’s They Want My Soul

August 4, 2014

After reading a few advance reviews of Spoon’s new album, it’s become apparent that one of the main storylines writers have latched onto is how this is a relatively difficult album to write about. This seems to be for two reasons. First, because Spoon has so consistently been churning out excellent music over the past 15 years, there really isn’t much to say other than, “it’s another great Spoon album.” Second, Spoon has so consistently been churning out excellent music over the past 15 years, that so consistently sounds like nothing other than itself, (a sound which is notoriously difficult to describe – there are not that many adjectives akin to “sparse,” there are only so many ways to describe guitars that sound “angular”), there really isn’t much to say other than, “it sounds like a Spoon album.” Both of those things are most certainly true. This album sounds amazing,[...]

Issa Gold – Conversations with a Butterfly

August 1, 2014

Issa Gold (formerly Issa Dash) is a Flatbush rapper who joined fellow rapper AK in forming the Underachievers. The two are members of the Beast Coast collective along with Pro Era (Joey Bada$$’ crew) and the Flatbush Zombies. The Underachievers identify themselves as  “Indigo Children” based on their experiences with psychedelics and their inherent ability to be  cooler than everyone. It’s no lie to say their indigo subject matter can tire pretty quickly, but they do have a very good project in Indigoism to get behind. Conversations with a Butterfly is the first solo release from Issa, who is often looked at as the lesser rapper of the two. Issa is a pretty interesting guy if you follow him on Twitter as well. He shares his vast wisdom with his legion of Indigoians (new word), and is never afraid to talk about how smart he is. He even reads books! The[...]