The fall is a big times for new releases. This summer seemed like very little happened after Yeezus in terms of big exciting releases, even sleeper albums seemed kind of scant for a few weeks there. Coming off of that, the sudden onslaught of new music can be overwhelming. No worries, because your friendly bloggers here at buffaBlog are providing you with some quick recommendations to help organize your month of music listening and purchases. By bloggers, I mean me, so a friendly blogger at buffaBlog is here to help. October has a little bit of everything, culminating in the much hyped release from Arcade Fire. But until then, there are exciting new releases from Danny Brown, Glasser, Cass McCombs, The Dismemberment Plan, and many more.

October 1

Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven: Oneohtrix Point Never will release another collection of his rather hard to pin down work tomorrow, his first album on the legendarily innovative Warp Records. Mixing the ambient and the upsetting, Daniel Lopatin's ongoing electronic project is sure to be one of October's most interesting and engaging releases.
October 8

Danny Brown – Old: You can already stream this record but it officially comes out on October 8. Danny Brown finally makes his long awaited follow up to XXX. Earlier released tracks off this record suggest this record will be ridiculous, adding to an exciting year for hip hop  (Drake, Kanye West, A$AP Ferg, Earl Sweatshirt etc. etc.). Brown seems to be pushing himself further, taking his music in dizzyingly and delightfully weird directions.



Glasser - Interiors:  Following up her well received debut, Cameron Mesirow aka Glasser, returns with  Interiors. Another record you can stream before it's official debut, Glasser writes spacey/spookey electronic songs that straddle the border between catchy and haunting, which leaves you with the same end result I suppose.

Summer Camp – Summer Camp: Summer Camp’s new record appears to be a nice burst of synth pop in a year filled with such bursts. “Fresh” is definitely a sleeper jam for 2013 with a clean rhythm and a almost disco feel. Definitely an easy dancer should you need something for your upcoming costume party. The album will be a great mix of new wave and disco and a definite crowd pleaser. Hard to tell if this will get a lot of attention when it comes out, but  it should.



October 15

Cass McCombs – Big Wheel and Others: It’s been a while since McCombs released Humor Risk, 2011’s nearly flawless collection of folk rock. Early singles have been exceptional so expect this record to be more of the same, which will go nicely with the changing leaves and oncoming chill.

The Dismemberment Plan – Uncanny Valley: This is more personal for me than anything else coming out in October. I first discovered the Dismemberment Plan in high school and they shaped my music taste in a number of ways. Their work has stood the test of time in such a way that I grew into instead of grown out of their music. After an immensely successful reunion tour, the group recorded their first new album in over 12 years. I am certainly apprehensive to see if their return matches up to their past accomplishment but I also have to keep reminding myself that I could never repeat the connection I made to their music at 16. So, we will see if they hit me in a different but equally impactful way as I approach 30. Early indicators point to this being a possible yes.



Heavenly Beat – Prominence: Heavenly Beat, formerly of Beach Fossils, follows up their 2012 debut, underrated in its own right, with another collection of hazed over wistful pop songs. The first single was a solid note of growth for John Peña, and I am confident the album will contain more of the same. 

October 22 

Ducktails – Wish Hotel EP: Matthew Mondanile’s side project has proven to be one favorite records of 2013 (it is true, just ask Mac) so it is exciting to see him releasing another album, albeit an EP in the same year. A decidedly lower key affair than The Flower Lane,  Mondanile returns to recording alone. However, the first single, “Honey Tiger Eyees,” was as blissed out and grandiose as anything Ducktails has done previously.



Omar Souleyman – Wenu Wenu: A star in the Middle East, Souleyman has slowly been gaining recognition in the West for his ecstatic and poppy take on traditional music. For his wider US debut, Souleyman enlisted the production of Four Tet, whose own musical style seems a perfect match. The first single, “Wenu Wenu,” a joyous and epic party stomper, should give you a good idea of what to expect from the album. Certainly something I am anxious to hear.

October 29 

Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time: Sky Ferreira was recently in the news for  being caught with massive quantities of heroin(along with the lead singer of DIIV, oh the scandal!!). Ok, maybe it was not massive, but it was a bit of heroin, certainly more than average…I think. Anyway, Ferreira is set to finally release her debut full length after a year of smaller releases. The first single  featured Ferraira doing what she does best and that is performing infinitely catchy low-key pop.
Arcade Fire – Reflekor: Hey, did you hear Arcade Fire are releasing a new album? Do you have the internet? Ok, then I don’t have to do much for this one. James Murphy produced their 4th record which promises to be more heavily influenced by Haitian music and features a more groove centric sound. “Reflecktor,” the first single, might be one of my favorite songs of theirs to date.

Album to Avoid

Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rivals: It’s been a longtime since I had second hand embarrassment from someone else'smusic but that is how I feel when I hear new music from Sleigh Bells. I really liked them in the beginning but their music has worn thin about as quickly as their first show in Buffalo a few years ago (they played for 20 minutes if you were curious). Every time I hear something from this album, I wince involuntarily. At this point, Sleigh Bells has pretty much exhausted their schtick and I am certain I heard one of their riffs on a Kid Rock song back in high school.

Favorite Album of 2011

Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High EP:  This was an easy one. More than anything else this year, the He Gets Me High EP never left my car stereo (yes, in addition to vinyl, I ALSO still buy cds). The Dum Dum Girls play the kind of music I want to hear. Melancholic indie rock with pop sensibilities and just the right shade of cool. All four tracks on the EP are stunners from the glass sheen brilliance of the title track to their epic cover of the Smiths "There is a Light that Never Goes Out". The Dum Dum Girls ventured further from the tracks with this release as they headed towards a more hi-fi approach, compared to their previous album, I Will Be. Very few bands can make that leap, keep their credibility intact and still deliver the goods. Almost ten monthes after its release I'm still listening to it on the weekly.




Honorable Mention

Handsome Jack - Supermoon:  I was reluctant to include a local on here. I didn't want people to think I was playing favoritism, and another writer on here already listed a local as their honorable mention (shout out Steve! That Found record is really, REALLY good too!). Fuck it. Handsome Jack's new album, Supermoon, is great and if you've heard it you wouldn't disagree with me. "Turn to Dust" is worth the price of admission alone. When I listen to that track, I'm transported and that's the sign of really good music. It's reflective, on point, and along with the rest of the album, so perfectly produced. In fact, it's one of the most natural records I've heard this year. HJ's sound has certainly matured over the last few years, but I think it's a welcome change and I hope the guys keep putting out quality records like this.




Favorite Song of 2011

"Country Line" by Cass Mccombs:  Confession time. 2011 was a pretty rough year for me. A lot of personal changes, re-examining of views, and reflection. Anyone who has ever went through a breakup or lost a loved one finds that song that speaks directly to them and the lyrics take on an almost human form. "County Line" was there for me when I needed it the most. From the soft, subtle keyboards to the almost whispered vocals, "County Line" has a sense of longing and urgency that's impossible to fake. Cass Mccombs gets my vote for songwriter of our generation with this one.




Honorable Mention

"Life in Paper" by Fucked Up:  David Comes to Life is arguably one of the best releases of the year. This track in particular hit me like a ton of bricks. I love how the song swells and swells and then explodes with an almost patriotic fervor. The lyrics are poignant and honest. Every time I hear the opening line "Who can I trust, all I see is an empty sky, who can I trust, what goods a God who can't hear my cries?", I can't help but be moved.




Favorite Concert of 2011

Jessica Lea Mayfield, Johnny Corndawg at Mohawk Place (8/11/11):  I had zero expectations for this show. I'd never heard Johnny Corndawg and listened to Jessica only casually. I was incredibly blown away by both acts. Johnny Corndawg had a raw, old school country vibe that pulled me right in. He was eccentric and charming and wrote damn catchy songs. Likewise, my eyes never veered far from the Jessica or her band. The sound was pitch perfect. Fresh vinyl at its best. After the show, I bought both groups entire discography.


Jessica Lea Mayfield: Kiss Me Again by -gaga


Honorable Mention

TSOL at Mohawk Place (6/08/11):  TSOL are legends for anybody who follows punk rock, and they're one of my favorite bands. I had seen them twice almost ten years prior and they killed back then. But they were older now, in their forties, and we all know that retro acts tend to blow chunks live. All I can say is that the spark is still there. They played all the old stuff (as expected) as high velocity as a group of teenage kids (not expected). If you weren't there, you'll never know.


Tsol - beneath the shadows - 06 - glass streets by darcy wonder

Coming just six months after the highly regarded Wit’s End , Cass McCombs delivers Humor Risk, an album that aims to be a much lighter, happier affair than it’s predecessor.  His catchy, folk-infused melodies and distant vocals are all right where they’re supposed to be, but this time around something is missing.

The detachment that characterizes McCombs vocal approach is representative of his lifestyle.  Somewhat of a transient, he has bounced around the U.S. to places like New York, Baltimore, the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco, and as such must feel like an outsider looking in.  He succeeds most with this style on songs like "The Same Thing" and the Wilco-esque "Love Thine Enemy", but falters with "To Every Man His Chimera", a track that could’ve easily been trimmed down, it sounds effortless but not in a good way.

As with Wit’s End, McCombs has chosen to keep Humor Risk  brief, just 8 songs, so it may be fair to view the 15 total songs he’s released this year as one whole statement.  Put up next to his work from this past April, Humor Risk  falls short.  The driving rhythm of ‘The Same Thing’ and the cheerful feeling of "Robin Egg Blue" are nice, but McCombs doesn’t sound as involved with this record.  Wit’s End was a bleak mind-fuck overflowing with emotion, but on Humor Risk everything seems to breeze by too easily.

The fact that Cass has released two very distinct albums this year is something to be admired, but inevitably there must be a winner and a loser.  Wit’s End was a major investment time and emotion, just six months later he sounds thankful simply to be alive, and as such Humor Risk  feels a little bit like a stint in rehab, a timeout to heal all the open wounds.  Still, McCombs is one of the most talented singer-songwriters around today and there’s no reason to think he won’t be back on top of his game soon.

Grade: C+