Over the blog's near four year existence, we have had anywhere from the occasional contribution to regular staff writers come from a handful of Buffalo acts, including Merchants, the Tins, Early Attic, and Brother Keep. Yesterday, when Steak & Cake released the label's newest album, I Wrote This Song For You Fifty Years Ago, from new act Inquiring Mind, I realized we had another great musician on staff, that being one of our newest writers, Jaz Frazier. Now in all my talks with Jaz, she never once mentioned she was a musician, and in particular, that she had that voice. In hearing the recordings, though, I'm glad she kept this pet project to herself, as the surprise of the release was nearly as good as the release itself.
Looking at the contributor list on the album's bandcamp page, you pick up on sense of community behind the recordings. Some guitar tracks from a fellow local musician, lyrics from writing peers, and even vocals from some of Frazier's cohorts (including this sleepy guy) from Gate Circle Wine & Liquor, the shared "homebase" of fellow Steak & Cake artists Rackmastas, all are scattered over the album's 8 tracks. And over those 8 tracks, Frazier sure puts her broad musical taste out on the table. Punk, alt-country, electro pop, and other genres are all covered surprisingly well.
Now if you are frequent Steak & Cake listener, you can tell right away that this is a Brandon Schilia production. That is not meant to take anything away from the record, but Schilia has certain quirks, like signature writing and production, that you can't help but notice when listening to the label's ever growing catalog. What makes this stand out though is the strong vocal presence of Frazier, whether she is channeling her best Karen O on the Yeah Yeah Yeah like "Thomas versus Boo," or conjuring the smokey soul of Amy Milan on "Oliver at the Chinese Place."
That community vibe I touched on earlier is perfectly demonstrated on the album's closing track, "Pie versus Cake." The playful, group harmony led song, which recalls Kevin Drew's campfire singalong tune "When It Begins," could easily have been a silly throwaway tune, but rather had me thinking of how fun this project was for Frazier and crew.
I Wrote This Song For You Fifty Years Ago has proven its worth to be considered as one of 2013's stronger Buffalo releases, and we look forward to hearing future collaborations between Schlia and Frazier, and any other musicians that Gates may be employing for that matter.
Nice one Mac. I'm glad someone caught this!