Latest Posts

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[...]

California Cousins Release Limited Edition Tour EP

July 31, 2014

Fresh off of a huge show with Pentimento and currently on a summer tour, California Cousins have just released a new three-song demo. The Rochester emo band has been on our radar since the dissolution of the now-defunct buffaBLOG favorite, Keeler. This set of songs is perfect for fans of riff-heavy emo and hardcore. The demo is currently free, but only for the duration of California Cousins’ summer tour. Listen to opening track “Your Backyard” below or follow the link to Bandcamp for a free download.

Lesionread Shares Latest Track, Preps Next Wonk Sesh

July 31, 2014

Going under the working name of “Jordan,” although technically untitled, the latest track and live staple from electro wunderkind Lesionread (aka Shawn Lewis/Sean Louis), is a nervy, four-on-the-floor jam. Those who have seen the former art student’s show over the last year should be familiar with the song, but if you haven’t, then listen below and enjoy while you can. Lewis is known for removing music from the web at a moment’s notice. In other Lesionread news, the latest installment of our co-presented Wonk Sesh,  a live video series capturing some of the more left-of-the-dial touring bands coming through Buffalo, will be taking place this Sunday, August 7th, at 362 Baynes. Sunday’s taping will feature Boston’s Lord Nathaniel, along with local acts Copy Manager and Barf. Full details can be found here.

Facility Men Release New Four Song Collection, Futility Men

July 31, 2014

It really goes without saying that Buffalo’s punk / hardcore scene has been, and still is, one of the best around. From hardcore vets Snapcase and trailblazers Every Time I Die to the raw sounds of newer bands like Pentimento and The Traditional, B-town is home to some pretty talented acts. Maybe there’s something in the water. Local garage punks, Facility Men, a quartet including current and past members of White Whale and the Orphans, have just put out Futility Men, an energetic 4-song EP that fits in well with that Buffalo standard. The EP, recorded at Hi/Lo studios, sits somewhere between the old school punk vibe of Dead Boys and the discordant energy of The Vines. The songs all riff pretty hard and are surely capable of inducing some good whiplash at higher volumes. Check out the bass-driven hook of highlight “Strange Places” below, and head over the bandcamp[...]

Ezamädi Releases New Fire Following Performance at Teamwork 2014

July 30, 2014

Back on the 20th, he performed with Chae Hawk and Nameless at Teamwork 2014, and earlier this week, Buffalo rapper Ezamädi released the new track, “Coltrane.” Just the second song we’ve heard from him on his soundcloud,  Ezamädi’s baritone voice speculates on philosophy and human interaction on an understated jazzy beat. Featuring lines like “I could paint a picture so vivid that you could live up in it, and I don’t like you looking in that’s why my soul is tinted,” it’s got the lines that will make a rap head go “Sheesh,” and the lyricism that can get respect from fans of all music. Complete with a dope beat switch up halfway through, this song is  can’t miss for one of the city’s up-and-comers. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/160274547″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Orcales – Divination

July 30, 2014

There is something so satisfying about exploring the darker side of things. From Houston, Texas, Leroy Bella – monikered SINES – has released the Divination compilation, under the Oracles label. The compilation features a variety of artists that bring a heavier and hauntingly intriguing vibe. This album is not the type where I am going to break down each track one by one. The tracks, unique in their own way, makes the compilation just that: a product of previously separate items coming together to create something bigger. This one specifically inspires visions of dark alleyways strewn with faint, hazy light. One you would want to dance down. “As the influx of cross mutations of club music became more and more evident to catch the ears of party goers. I wanted to bring my take with a spin on it and see how it would do showcasing a label with predominately[...]

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Hypnotic Eye

July 30, 2014

When you woke up on the morning of Tuesday, July 29th, 2014, you might have noticed that the grass was a bit greener, and the air was a bit cleaner. There’s an easy explanation for that: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released a new album! Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but after four years since the last Heartbreakers record, it was about time for one of the most consistently great rock bands in the world to finally get back in the studio. I can happily report that the results are good: Hypnotic Eye is yet another strong Heartbreakers record, and furthers Petty’s status as the most reliable songwriter in rock (if you’re wondering, Jack White is second, Dave Grohl is third). The buzz about this album in the months before its release centered around the idea that Petty would be returning to the sound of his[...]

Jenny Lewis – The Voyager

July 29, 2014

“The voyager is in every boy and girl, / if you want to get to heaven / get out of this world.” On July 29th, Jenny Lewis released her first solo effort, The Voyager, since the sensual alt-country album Acid Tongue of 2008. I expect a lot from Jenny Lewis. I expected sci-fi to blast us off and let us escape, I expected sex to ground us, I expected sliding guitars to remind us of where we come from. Yet, squarely in the middle of the album, she croons, “Forgive me my candor.” The Voyager probes, sent on their mission in 1977, are the furthest that human-made objects have ever been from planet Earth. They famously contain a disc, a Golden Record each, an audio-visual capsule of life on our planet. These records are at once extraordinary and accessible: they contain greetings, mathematics, measurements, silhouettes, and songs. Yet, in order for their beauty to be unpacked,[...]

SW/MM/NG – “All I Want”

July 29, 2014

If you were one of the few people who caught Arkansas five piece, SW/MM/NG, last fall at Nietzsche’s, you were treated to one of indie rock’s best up and coming acts. Nearly a year later, the band is prepping the release of their forthcoming debut LP, Feel Not Bad, as its first single debuted yesterday. Titled “All I Want,” pleading, worn down vocals are backed by celestial dream pop guitars and steady percussion, sounding like a spacier version of Real Estate or Beach Fossils. Feel Not Bad will be released on Tuesday, August 26th. Listen to “All I Want” below.

Common – Nobody’s Smiling

July 25, 2014

Longtime G.O.O.D. music signee and legend in his own right, Common, is an interesting player in the rap game. His career started a couple decades ago under the name Common Sense, and his song “I Used to Love H.E.R.” is looked at as one of the greatest achievements in rap music history. He has a host of Grammy nominations, and a couple of wins. He’s also a successful actor, currently starring on the T.V. show Hell on Wheels, a Don Moretti favorite. He’s got borderline classic albums like Be (executive produced by Kanye, those were the days) and The Dreamer/The Believer, but he’s also had a few duds on his discography, especially when he tries to go instrumental like with 2008’s Universal Mind Control. Whenever Common sticks to the script, you can count on a thoughtful, poetic effort from perhaps Chicago’s most lyrical emcee ever besides maybe Lupe. Black history, activism, and Chicago social commentary plus a[...]

Cages – Vivipary

July 24, 2014

Under the tag of “punk” on bandcamp, but self-described as a “cohesive and undefinable act,” Buffalo-based Cages exists outside of any typical structure or classification. The group consists of vocalist Nola Ranallo, guitarist David Bailey, and now bassist Patrick Bolger, but until recently, Cages has had no major release. Their previously unreleased 2012 album Vivipary has just made it’s debut through Black Dots record shop, however, and it is considered by the band to be their their “most defining output to date.” Void of any specific form of style, Vivipary draws more upon the experimentation of tonal harmonies, shared primarily by the guitar and vocals. Immediately from the start, Ranallo’s vocals stand out as highly expressive, sometimes exploding into shrill cries, other times resolving in low end atypical melodies that fade in and out of the mix. The harmonies present in many of the tracks (particularly “Into Germination”) personally bring[...]

Alleys Release Sophomore EP, One Day I’ll Find A Solution To All Of My Problems

July 24, 2014

Buffalo NY’s Alleys are a band that embraces sadness, and judging by the recent successes of quasi-discordant emo bands like Dads or The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, their new EP is bound to bring them places. Running Around Records has just released One Day I’ll Find A Solution To All Of My Problems, yet another great EP recorded at GCR with Jay Zubricky. The five-song EP highlights Alley’s penchant for hyper-depressing lyrics over blasts of clean-ish guitar and spastic drums (with only a hint of a bassist, who they tend to borrow from other Buffalo emo kingpins Figurehead). Check out the quick finger work in “Dusty Sings the Blues” below.

Alvvays – Alvvays

July 24, 2014

Entering through the indie pop door by way of Vivian Girls and Best Coast, Toronto’s Alvvays have arrived on the tinny, reverb-loving scene with their first LP. Like CHVRCHES, Alvvays recognize the Google-friendly potential of the letter “v” when borrowing a common word and stylistically recasting it as a band name. Unlike CHVRCHES, Alvvays rely strictly on a traditional rock n’ roll set up, mostly avoiding synthetic sounds in their garage-twee tunes. For a debut record, Alvvays is modest but consistent. The band is young, taking its first tentative steps out. As they jangle forward into the unknown, they move lightly and carefully, never stumbling. Lead singer Molly Rankin has the sort of sweet, near-childlike voice that indie music lovers have always been welcoming of. Rankin’s lyrics populate the emotional ambiguities she delves into with concrete details. The band’s lead single, “Marry Me, Archie,” opens with a memorable jab at a marriage-allergic boyfriend: “You’ve[...]