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Listen to New Tracks from Difficult Night, Fashion Expo 1990, and Damian

November 24, 2014

Last we saw Difficult Night, the slacker quartet was making the most of a soggy Porch Fest afternoon by delivering a set from a crowded Richmond Ave apt. One unknown song from that day, “Ex-Lover” premiered last night on the band’s soundcloud page. The song is led vocalist Shane Meyer’s typically desperate pleads. No word on whether the band is set on releasing stand alone singles or if an album is in the works, so keep an eye out. In Difficult Night related news, keyboardist Miles Kirsch continues to stay busy with his once dormant dance project, Fashion Expo 1990. Since resurfacing earlier this year, Kirsch has dropped a couple collections of 90’s acid/house inspired tracks n bandcamp, and late last week, released a couple tracks from Fashion Expo’s forthcoming album, Club Bleek. The first of the two tracks, “Thunder Coast,” features Fashion Expo’s trademark infectious keyboards and pumping beats.[...]

Passion in Constellation Drops Latest Track in “We Want It All”

November 21, 2014

Local electronic producer, Passion in Constellation aka Chris Alan, released his brand new pure pop track titled “We Want It All.” The single is a collaboration with Cara Doyle, a local singer that has been completely under our radar up until now, but with this production with Alan, Doyle is definitely on our map. As far as the song goes, it’s an upbeat pop-gem, similar to a purer Grimes meets the synth pop stylings of Charlie XCX. “We Want It All,” on surface level is all about capturing the night, making the most of it, and taking command, but underneath it’s skin, the song is a lot deeper than this. The verses are millenial-tinged, singing about wrapping your fingers around a crystal ball and grasping love, life, and spirit.  With this latest production, Passion in Consellation continues to prove himself as an extremely skilled producer with the ability to operate solo[...]

Hip Hop Duo, Mega Powers, Release “Countdown” Straight from the Studio

November 21, 2014

Smooth raps and and some fluttery jazz can be a wonderful fusion, and lucky for us a couple of Buffalo artists are doing exactly that on. Broadcasting “Countdown” from inside the booth, emcee Ideal provides a calming presence to contrast some really low-key thunderous horns courtesy of producer jacebeats. The beat is so much more than just thunder, as jace chooses to interchange the boom of the trumpets with more floating horns. At times, all the brass drops out and some New York boom bap drums make their way from Queensbridge to the Queen City beat. Ideal is effortless on the beat changes, as he hypes us up for an upcoming collaborative project with jacebeats, which Ideal alludes to at the start of the vid. If “Countdown” is any sort of preview, it’ll be a great release from the Mega Powers duo.

Hussalonia Releases Well Timed Holiday Benefit Tune, “Soft Drink”

November 20, 2014

Those hoping to catch Hussalonia’s the Founder in the flesh tonight will have to make other plans as the Lannie Flowers/Nude Beach show he was set to open for was the latest local show lost to #snowvember. Luckily for us, the Founder has a way of giving to those in need. Last night, Between the Snowflakes, the latest installment from the Robot Holiday collective, was released upon bandcamp. The reoccuring project, which features long time local musicians likes Dee Adams, Brandon Delmont, and the Founder himself, has been releasing holiday and winter themed proceeds albums for over a decade. “Soft Drink,” the Founder’s lead contribution to Between the Snowflakes, sounds like Britpop at a luau, and could be a nice alternative to Bing Crosby’s “Mele Kalikimaka” as Clark Griswold day dreams out of his window in Christmas Vacation. Giving what has been going on in the Buffalo area over the last[...]

Jackson Cavalier & The Fevertones Drop Devil’s Undertow EP

November 19, 2014

Quietly last night, rollicking Rochester folk outfit, Jackson Cavalier & The Fevertones, dropped its latest, two song EP, Devil’s Undertow, its first new material in nearly a year. The band has been pretty low key over the last year, working on new songs while keeping busy with live gigs. If you are new to the alt-country quartet, think Deer Tick and go from there. Locally, bands like Pine Fever and Mr. Boneless would pair nicely with the Fevertones. Also, listen carefully and tell me you don’t hear a touch of Iggy Pop’s “Passenger” in the EP’s title cut. Gravelly vocals, peppy harmonica and strings, and a toe tapping beat make “Devil’s Undertow” a very late edition to my list of favorite Rochester tracks of the year. Check it out below.

Ariel Pink – pom pom

November 18, 2014

For all the thinkpieces, accusations of misogyny, and clickbait-facilitated outrage his words have inspired this year, LA rocker Ariel Pink’s message is quite simple. It’s not trolling or mean-spirited publicity-hounding so much as a deeply-felt need to tow the line for the rock ‘n’ roll outcasts. He is of a lineage with both Frank Zappa and Kim Fowley (the latter of which has two co-writing credits on this new record), contrarian sonic experimentalists with a knack for combining irreverent language, ingratiating melodies, and harsh noise experiments. The publicity campaign Pink launched this year around his new double album pom pom – which included everything from singing with a New York childrens’ choir to asserting in an interview, facetiously, that he was “raped in the ass” by a dominatrix – has proven oddly perfect for setting the tone of the record. While pom pom offers no apologies for Pink’s irreverent behavior,[...]

Mountains and Valleys – Mountains and Valleys

November 17, 2014

This week’s AOTW feature comes at us all the way from Syracuse. We here at buffaBLOG are finding it increasingly difficult to ignore such compelling music from artists in WNY’s surrounding areas, and thusly, are expanding our reach. This week, neo-folk troubadour Merritt Harris and his collaborative project, Mountains and Valleys, has caught our ear, and for good reason. The indie-folk collective has just pulled the sheet off of their self-titled debut—a beautiful and cohesive collection of songs unmistakably suitable for those with curious, introspective souls. Also notable is the fact that the record is a full twelve tracks in length and each track holds up strong. In today’s digital age of online-only 3 – 6 track EPs, splits, and singles, it’s refreshing to see a full twelver every now and again, and the amount of work that went into this one is palpable—to say the least. Mountains and Valleys’ sound[...]

EVC’s Cove Releases New Track

November 14, 2014

Multifaceted producer Cove is always reliable for dope new material. His latest track, “It’s the jawn!!!,” is a high energy instrumental that keeps the head rocking. Stuttering organ synths and a distant voice encourage you to “Come on!” throughout the length of the song. Bringing forth feelings of inspiration and drive, it’s the most recent instrumental track of Cove’s to evoke emotion. A member of the ever-talented Essential Vitamins Crew, Cove is behind several standout tracks, and crafted the wonderfully moving album love.gained/love.lost.too., one of my favorite projects of the last year. “It’s the jawn!!!” is another notch in the talented belt of Cove, an artist that breeds consistency and intuition.

Molitor – “lonelypeople_Music”

November 14, 2014

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.

The New Basement Tapes – Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes

November 13, 2014

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[...]

Undergroud Electronic Producer, Davor, Drops “City Nights” Single

November 12, 2014

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.

Slight – “Run”

November 12, 2014

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.

Royal Tongues’ “The Balance” Remixed by Ra Ra Riot

November 11, 2014

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.

Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways

November 11, 2014

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[...]

Big Noble – “Peg”

November 10, 2014

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[...]