Latest Posts

Jason Being – Glory

October 25, 2024

Jason Being is fresh off the release of his latest offering, Glory, a seven-song mix of folk, alternative, and rock music through an especially twangy lens. The singer/songwriter recorded the album at Temple Cabin Studios in scenic Naples, NY, not too far from our lovely, metropolitan Buffalo area (but probably closer to our neighbors in Rochester). A quick view of the rural location and cozy cabin vibes give enough insight into what you might get with a listen to Being’s new album… Expect classic compositions with a strong narrative, delivered with a backbone of acoustic guitars and emphasized with a bevy of various instrumental flourishes. Opening song “Glory” has a bit of a spaghetti western feel, with it’s tremolo-laced electric guitar accompaniment and bouncy rhythmic swagger. In the background, an interesting bongo track blips and boops alongside a rustic shaker. Soon, Being’s bluesy baritone comes in to bring it all together.[...]

Pena – Pocket Sized Pocket

October 24, 2024

Pena is the moniker of Rochester-based Isaiah Welch-Novels, who has just released their latest offering, Pocket Sized Pocket (PSP). Inspired by Rob Crow (of Pinback, Thingy, and solo-project fame), PSP is an understated and mysterious project built primarily around Isaiah, a four-track tape recorder, and his acoustic guitar. Any fan of Crow’s extensive discography knows his work is all-encompassing, including found sounds and a creative aesthetic that some might describe as “low effort” (check Pena’s bandcamp tags for proof)… but others see as genius. Pena follows a similar path – expect perplexing sound clips, room sounds, and other artifacts as you make your way through this intriguing LP.   The album opens with a wash of white noise on “Recycling Song.” Right away, Pena’s hallmarks become evident – noisy, direct-to-tape recordings; lyrical meandering; and pleasant-but-somber guitar riffs that don’t stick around for too long. In fact, there’s only one song on PSP that tops[...]

Niall Summerton – “Tear Me Apart”

October 24, 2024

North-Yorkshire based Niall Summerton roughs up the smooth edges of his debut on his latest single, “Tear Me Apart.” The indie crooner plays with simmering vibes that still somehow feature blown-out instrumentals. It makes for a low key experience that still capture sthe best bits of of urgency and anxiousness that post-punk is typically known for. Perfect for folks who at one point loved their Big Muff (TM) to death, but now enjoy a calming (but still cool) playlist during their 9-5. Check out “Tear Me Apart” via Soundcloud (below), or, add it to your favorite Spotify playlist. Niall Summerton · Tear Me Apart

MANY EYES – The Light Age

October 17, 2024

Keith Buckley is verified Buffalo royalty. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few decades, Keith was the charismatic frontman of Every Time I Die, the pride and joy of Buffalo hardcore, for 20+ years. His latest output comes in the form of MANY EYES, which feels like a natural continuation of his iconic presence and eccentric energy. Their debut LP, The Light Age, is a ten-song offering that both acknowledges the past and looks toward the future – fans of of Buckley’s previous work will find plenty to sink their teeth into here, as long as they can take a few new sounds, ideas, and mindsets in stride. While it’s almost impossible to separate Buckley from his previous catalog (especially for us Buffalonians), this does feel like a catharsis of sorts for him – see below:   “This is an expression of who I am…[...]

Pilot-Field – Songs From South Buffalo

October 14, 2024

There’s no shortage of great punk rock bands in Buffalo – Pilot-Field joined that canon earlier this year (and also last year) and has continued to create fun and excitable nuggets of pop-punk with intent. The band of two McCormicks and two Brennans has just released a two-song EP, Songs From South Buffalo, continuing a trend of simple-but-effective punk rock songwriting that focuses heavily on big melodies set to fast tempos. The album kicks off with “Sweet Home,” an ostensible double-meaning title that references both the very-shoutable chorus refrain and a Buffalo-adjacent locale… And while Sweet Home (the locale) is more of a North Buffalo haunt (I digress). “Home sweet home, home sweet home, far from you’s where we belong” The track is all about being content with your circle. It suits the blasting drums and full-throated guitar of “Sweet Home” perfectly. They continue this same energy on song two, “I[...]

Virgins – “g l i s s”

October 13, 2024

Irish rockers Virgins have been described as “deafening dream pop” (aka, shoegaze) – either/or is a perfect descriptor of their newest single, “g l i s s.” With fuzzed-out guitar that would make the 90’s version of William Patrick Corgan salivate, Virgins slam through this near six-minute anthem with an impossible amount of noise. Winding guitar riffs whirr as reverbed-out vocals soar in a perfect amalgam that will please fans of My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins, and everything adjacent. Be sure to add “g l i s s” to your favorite Spotify playlist.

Michael Zucker – Absinthe

October 11, 2024

Michael Zucker is nothing short of a prolific musician with an incredible resume. Perhaps best known as founding member/guitarist of video-game-rockers This Place is Haunted, the Denver-based musician plays in multiple other bands (Musuji, ZEW, Living Easy) and has amassed a catalogue of over 40 solo releases (including a faithful reproduction of the Super Mario Bros. 3 soundtrack using guitars, drums, and bass). His latest offering, a six-song EP called Absinthe, is what you might expect to hear from a seasoned songwriter – expect complex compositions layered with sounds, noise, and everything in between. While a casual listener might find some of this challenging (in a good way), advanced listeners will feel like they’re listening to eternity encapsulated. “Blood Wound” is a wild introduction to Zucker’s music. The song starts out with some ambient chaos – pulsing, bizarre percussion; 80s darkwave synth swells; and twinkles of clean guitar wash over you[...]

Matches Laces – Matches Laces EP

October 10, 2024

Chronologically speaking, Matches Laces may be a name that’s new to your ears, but a deeper dive will tell you it’s actually the moniker of a Buffalo music scene stalwart. Mike Santillo has been kicking around town for more than a decade as 1/3 of beloved Buffalo-based indie rockers The Tins. Santillo’s desire to combine organic and synthetic sounds has resulted in a batch of eight new songs, affectionately self-titled the Matches Laces EP. Soothing, vintage-sounding synths fill every space on this release – expect lots of rigid arpeggiation and mechanical drum machine percussion being combined into something surprisingly warm and human-sounding. Matches Laces first strikes a flame with album opener “Didn’t You Lie To Me?” With its pleasing ascending chord progression and Santillo’s falsetto vocals, fans of MGMT, Passion Pit, and Tame Impala will find themselves smitten. Throughout the song, arpeggiated synths twinkle brightly over a simple-but-effective bassline while puffs[...]

SUKH – Heading East

October 6, 2024

Fun-fact, singer/songwriter SUKH may be the first bona fide doctor/musician that we’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing here at buffaBLOG. In his decade-plus career, SUKH has drawn from his experiences in the medical field to create a hopeful and uplifting brand of pop rock. His latest offering is the eight-song LP Heading East, and we think you’ll agree – it’s exactly the kind of music I’d want my doctor creating. If Heading East is your introduction to SUKH, a listen through his impressive catalog might surprise you – his 2022 album Age of Strangers is dark, almost anxious at times, with spiraling guitars, introspective lyrics, and minor-chord mentalities (see the jaunty blues-inspired “Don’t Fall Behind” or the crushing crescendo of “Rendezvous”). Heading East feels like a genuine shift in both tone and mindset, full of lighthearted pop rock songs that go down with ease. Let’s just say while Age of[...]

Home Videos – “Instant Coffee”

October 4, 2024

Rochester’s Home Videos describe themselves as “slacker tapehead indie nonsense,” which is a funny way of phrasing “intimate and heartfelt indie-emo.” While their previous efforts seem to be more rooted in a barebones acoustic approach, they’ve recently announced that “they are loud now,” as evidenced by latest offering, “Instant Coffee.” The single features both a loud and a quiet version of the song, the former of which smarts of late 90s emo greats (think the lighter side of Texas Is The Reason or Sunny Day Real Estate) with an Elliot Smith/Heatmiser feel. The song (like all their songs) was tracked live on a 4-track recorder, giving it a warm and organic vibe. Make yourself some coffee (preferably instant) and put this one on – it really is the perfect soundtrack to usher in the upcoming fall weather. You can find both versions of “Instant Coffee” via the Bandcamp embed (below),[...]

Bad Bloom – “onion”

September 30, 2024

Rochester’s Bad Bloom has been on our radar for years – frankly, it would be impossible not to hear them. The husband-and-wife duo specialize in huge, fuzzed-out shoegaze (or grungegaze, as they’ve affectionately and aptly called it), and their latest single, “onion,” continues that trend. Like it’s many-layered namesake, “onion” sounds like dozens of tiers of guitars and basses layered thick with Smashing Pumpkins-esque intensity. Singer Kate Rogers’ glassy-eyed delivery is soaked in the perfect amount of reverb in that classic, gazey way – lucky for us, it’s a bit more in the forefront mix-wise than your archetypal shoegaze tune, giving it a poppier, more accessible feel. A closer contemporary comparison would be a band like Pity Sex (especially on a more upbeat number – “Acid Reflex” comes to mind), or something more along the lines of Gleemer or Launder. You can find “onion” on all your favorite streaming sites,[...]

Roger Bryan and The Orphans – Days Or Nights​/​That​’​s Life!

September 25, 2024

It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Buffalo-based act Roger Bryan and the Orphans “elder statesmen” – for the last 16+ years, Bryan & co. have been crafting ragged, heartstring-healing Americana. Their latest album, Days Or Nights/That’s Life! (DONTL), is a 10-song continuation of their ever-growing catalogue. Expect songs that sound rusty (in a Rust Belt sort of way), soaked with harmonica, vintage organ tones, and crispy Telecaster-esque crunch that you might expect from someplace where the music tends to be a little more twangy. DONTL kicks off with the rambling “Remind Me,” which immediately highlights the aforementioned instrumental suite that makes Bryan’s compositions so heartwarming. Screaming harmonica soars overtop an open chord jangle, falling into a pocket of alt-country emotion that feels hopeful, lovelorn, and lightly restless. Bryan’s hushed but impassioned vocals are an obvious pull here, and while this is certainly more Wilco-coded than late-90s pop rock, I do[...]

Wexford – Silent Key

September 22, 2024

Who knew?! There’s more to Sandusky, Ohio than a bevy of excellent roller coasters. In this case, we’re talking about Wexford, a quartet with a veritable laundry list of expertise and talent. Their latest offering is Silent Key, a 13-song collection that combines their backgrounds in hardcore and metal with a reverence for alternative, post-hardcore, and OG emo. A listen through Silent Key is a peep hole into their varied influences, ranging everywhere from Social Distortion, to Fugazi, all the way to System of a Down. With said influences, it should be pretty obvious that this is an aggressive, guitar-forward album. Lucky for its listeners, it’s one that feels like a happy amalgam of its influences, rather than a reproduction of them. Wexford kicks off Silent Key with a verified banger, “Change Your Mind.” Here, we’re introduced to the mainstays of their sound – chugging guitars and blistering beats that absolutely bleed[...]

Fuzzrod – III

September 20, 2024

Rochester’s Fuzzrod is a no-nonsense kind of band. In a world full of twinkly and ethereal lo-fi beats to study and chill to, Fuzzrod’s latest EP, III, might function as the exact opposite. Sure, there’s a time and a place for mood music, but there’s no substitute for heading out to the Bug Jar on a Friday night and having your eardrums destroyed by a dimed Big Muff. Fuzzrod aims for a happy medium – produced by drummer Stephen Roessner (as always), III is a rare, fuzzed-out record that focuses on songwriting as much as its fun, punked-0ut live energy. It’s intentionally five (5) songs in length – a “healthy dose to support daily use” for those of us relegated to our nine to fives. “Map of Outside” kicks off the album with a spitty guitar riff, spring-loaded with plenty of retro punk energy. The sludgy tones here are masterfully captured[...]

Bee Eigen – Sanguine

September 7, 2024

Nevada City-based singer/songwriter Bee Eigen is fresh off the release of her latest EP, Sanguine. A short-and-sweet four-song offering, Eigen specializes in heartfelt, bare-bones compositions that are lyrically driven. These songs are stuffed with clever verbiage that conjures razor-sharp imagery, leaving you feeling breathless and dewy-eyed. There’s no disguising anything here and that approach feels intentional – these songs are stripped-down to mostly acoustic guitar and Eigen’s winsome vocal character. With such a personal-sounding release, it’s best to hear a bit from the artist themselves – here’s an aside from Bee about where the inspiration from Sanguine came from: “The bliss of nothing. Uncertain footing and mourning old identities. The disgusting need for external validation. Life and all of its bittersweet qualities. These are some of the themes explored in my debut EP, Sanguine. Written over a span of 3+ years, these songs explore the ways in which my identity has[...]