buffaBLOG - The Buffalo music blog: staff picks

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buffaBLOG's Best of 2013: Staff Picks - Favorite Songs Part 1

Jeannette Chin

DJ Koze - "Marilyn Whirlwind"
Being someone who likes to listen to electronic music because of the puzzle-piece like configuration of its elements, for me, the release of "Marilyn Whirlwind" marks the debut of a new level of possibilities in bass production. Through the blocky, symmetrical template of its 4/4 thud (via an almost engine-rev like bass and kick), Koze cleverly weaves in a diverse catalog of sounds as the track progresses. And further listens reveal subtle tempo changes and bass chord progressions. It's one of those tracks that appear repetitive on the surface, upon starting it, yet four minutes in you find yourself still listening to it. Pure audio alchemy.

John Hugar

Nine Inch Nails - "Came Back Haunted"
While How To Destroy Angels, and the soundtracks to The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo were certainly compelling, it was great to see Trent Reznor recording music under the Nine Inch Nails banner once again. This was easily the best track off of Hesitation Marks. In classic NIN fashion, the tension build up in the first verse, then is released in the chorus, like pent-up rage being spat at the listener. A well-deserved hit, and Reznor's best single in years.

Cliff Parks

Daft Punk - "Lose Yours"Lose Yourself To Dance (feat. Pharrell and Nile Rodgers)
Sure "Get Lucky" was the song of the summer before "Blurred Lines" shamefully overshadowed it, but "Lose Yourself To Dance" was it for me this year. Nile Rodgers laid down the best guitar riff of the last few years for this Soul Train line dance worthy jam, and reminded us all why Johnny Marr named his son after him. Daft Punk's ambitious Random Access Memories was loaded with information and an album with a mission, but this jam was it's most straight ahead, pleasurable, and irresistible nugget.

Steven Gordon

Shark? - "California Grrls"
A YouTube Vortex that either started with Thee Oh Sees or FIDLAR eventually introduced me to Shark? and the song “California Grrls.” It's a dark, guttural surf song made by tongue-in-cheek New Yorkers about a certain west coast sub-species. SPOILER: it's about girls from California. Super snide and catchy and accessible, too; it accounted for probably like 80% of my data plan the last couple months. Maybe I should have just paid for it instead of repeatedly smartphone jukeboxing it, but oh well ya live and ya learn. As a side note, “Minotaur” by Thee Oh Sees and “Cocaine” by FIDLAR are super-close runner-ups.

Jon Krol

The Impossibles- "Come Back"

I have to give props to fellow buffaBLOG writer, Mike Moretti, for turning me on to this band, and in particular, this track. Heartfelt lyrics, a beast of a chorus, and hooks that made my head spin, I probably listened to this song a hundred times this year. As someone who grew up loving that early 2000's brand of emo-flavored indie rock this was the clear-cut choice. I could have chosen a song that was abstract (esoteric lyrics and the like), or a b-side cut. Perhaps a track without the obvious pop inclinations. But at the end of the day, I know what I like. And this song spoke to me.

Ryan Wolf

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - "Higgs Boson Blues"
Following my flip-flopping attitude toward my mid-year list, I am swapping out "Ya Hey" for "Higgs Boson Blues." Perhaps the Nick Cave and Vampire Weekend releases are not so different after all as they both deal with spiritual angst, dread, and longing in the Digital Age. Nonetheless, the chilling "ooohs" that propel the "Higgs Boson Blues" plunge deeper into the unnameable than most anything on Vampire Weekend's magnum opus (no easy feat).

The song icily reminds us that Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Johnson, Miley Cyrus, missionaries to Africa, and physicists at the superconductor in Geneva all inhabit the same world, where no thought, idea, or action is truly separable from any other. Great men die, pop stars float in swimming pools, and the universe carries on, fundamentally unaltered by our species' cultural shifts and scientific investigations.

Runners-Up: "Ya Hey," Vampire Weekend; "Afterlife,"Arcade Fire; "Down Down the Deep River," Okkervil River; "I Sat By the Ocean," Queens of the Stone Age

Nick Sessanna

Weatherbox – “Big News”
I have been repping this song all year and I don’t care who knows it. Between the impossibly irresistible guitar riff and singer/mastermind Brian Warren’s abstract-yet-relatable lyrics about how the entire world hates him, there’s really nothing about this song that isn’t flat out awesome. Listen and try not to get the alliterative “who got my bed bangin’ on the back of the board” stuck in your head for the next few hours. Recommended for fans of angular indie rock and 90s emo purists looking for something contemporary with sharp edges. Fans of Archers of Loaf, Say Anything, or Manchester Orchestra won’t be disappointed.

Click here for Part 2.

2 chainz, 2012, bass, beach house, best of 2012, EDM, flosstradamus, girl unit, james, Kendrick Lamar, lumineers, major lazer, phedre, purity ring, staff picks, the game, Toronto, trap — 0 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - James Wild

It was really hard for me to pick favorites this year. Though I agree with both Mac and Steve G. that this year lacked by comparison in quantity of good albums and good songs, the quality of music produced this year, I believe, reached new heights. When it comes to choosing albums, songs, and shows what are the boundaries? Are there any? I listen to Mixtapes, EPs, whatever. Can an EP count as an album? Shut up. OK there a few things I tried to abide by. One being that my "Favorite Shows" are my favorite shows that I saw in Buffalo in 2012--this is buffaBLOG after all. Everything else are my real favs. There are a few surprises. Here is the music that aroused me in 2012.

Favorite Albums of 2012

1. Beach House - Bloom

Bloom topped many people's "best-of" lists in 2012, This haunting and epic portrait of life I did not fully comprehend until seeing Beach House live at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. After gluing the live translation of this work into my brain went on repeat in my earbuds. Earbuds didn't do it justice. The music on this album is so rich and so beautiful, that it would be hard for even an armadillo to ignore. This needs to be listened to at a high quality level. It makes a difference. Bloom speaks to me more than Beach House's last album Teen Dream. Not the soupy lyrics--but how the sound speaks to me-- how the guitar cries out to my heart! I think something that you can listen to and enjoy from start to finish is what makes a great album. Bloom is enjoyed fully only after side B plays all the way through, and you hear the needle bumping the bridge of the record.

2. Purity Ring - Shrines

Perhaps one of my most memorable moments at Mohawk Place was talking with Megan James and Corin Roddick of Purity Ring after their show in August 2011. They were so energized and wanting to talk with the small crowd after the show. Since then they have received much deserved attention. When Shrines came out I had already heard just about every song on it. Their debut album was mostly the songs I was already too familiar with. So why did it not detract anything from me liking it? Because it is of thoughtful composition. A great album celebrates the process of evoking emotion from the listener. Shrines is another album from 2012 that does that for me.

3. Phèdre - PHÈDRE

The most known unknown. Phèdre is a mysterious Toronto based "band" that unleashed this sexually imbued music as their debut, and it is truly one of my favorites from this year. The songs are short. There aren't that many. Phèdre drowns pop music in a vat of red wine and gold glitter. The feeling I get when listening to this is comparable to the same bit of glory that occurs when doing a tiny bump of K after a long night of using MDMA, which I'll never ever do again Mom. Often when I hear "In Decay" I find myself erect as if Zoey Deschanel was nibbling on my earlobe.

Honorable Mention:

The Game - Jesus Piece

Though only a few weeks old, this was the rap album I was waiting for! I really liked releases from 2 Chainz, and Kendrick, and Rick Ross this year, but none of them were comparable to this as a FULL album. This is the type of Hip-Hop album that I listened to in high school, provocative story telling. It has everything you could ask for. For me it was a toss-up between this and 2 Chainz-Based on a T.R.U. Story. I chose this because I knew it would turn some heads, just as it turned my head when I first heard it only a few weeks ago. The Game basically admits to knowing who killed Biggie on the album. He doesn't snitch, but he is extremely deliberate about everything. Consider that the only thing I really relate to is defining one's own character. I have never driven a phantom before.

Favorite Songs of 2012

1. Major Lazer - "Original Don" (Flosstradamus Remix)

This was the song...er...track that started it all. I mean the Fosstradamus remix. In my opinion it started the Trap<->EDM movement that flourished this year. I happened to like the original Major Lazer song too, but this remix literally took over and was played at every hip dance party. Admittedly it lost it's luster as it became overplayed. And the "Damn son, where'd you find this?" sample got to be downright annoying, but the impact that this song had on an entire movement that is still going on is undeniable.

2. 2 Chainz - "I'm Different"
Truly my favorite song of the year. 2 Chainz basically explains to the world why he is unique. The way that he raps is idiosyncratic. "I'm Different" is a shinning example of that.

3. Girl Unit - "Club Rez & Ensemble" (Club Mix)
Girl Unit is more known for their more bassy singles. When they put out the Club Rez EP this year I was delighted. To any lover of EDM music I urge you to listen. There is a cacophany of styles and sounds in these two particular songs is so well thought out. "Club Rez" takes me to a nightclub in my fantasy land. It is the type of song that makes you raise your head and hands towards the sky in a direct connection with the gods. And "Ensemble" is equally as hair raising, from the dancefloor of a celestial discotheque.

Favorite Show of 2012

2 Chainz at Town Ballroom on December 3, 2012

Every time I see a Hip-Hop show I always set the bar very low. There's too many variables, shitty sound, bad mics, arrogant performers. 2 Chainz put on the best Hip-Hop show I have seen in Buffalo. He commanded the stage like a good actor. Esentially he is an actor. Maybe that's why I like him so much, because of what a charachter he is. That night's performance was intelligent and catered to Buffalo. Per his instagram and twitter he seems to genuinely enjoy and put in the effort needed for his performances, and he certainly did so for Buffalo that evening.

I was so blessed to see so much good live music this year. I even got to see the Lumineers in front of a packed small crowd at Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto at NXNE, and now they're nominated for two Grammys including Best New Artist! Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago was absolutely amazing. But the best part about this year is how much local music scene is bubbling. Seeing and hearing bands and DJs do their thing in their city is so gratifying for Buffalo and for all of us. Here's to good fortune, good health, and good music in the next year!

best of 2012, cloud nothings, Damian, hospitality, japandroids, love scenes, mount eerie, porcelain raft, purity ring, sharon van etten, st vincent, staff picks, Sufjan Stevens, the men, tom, year end list — 1 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - Tom Dennis

2012 brought in a flood of diverse and superb music in the national outlook, but it was also a prolific time that gave rise to a thriving local music scene. On top of all that, Buffalo racked in some incredible live acts and has seemingly put itself back on the map as a regular tour bus trail-marker. Yes, year-end lists are indeed the vanity of vanities when it comes to music and entertainment commentary, but let's face it, they're fun as hell and fill a certain journalistic void that is pretty harmless compared to the Facebook Year in Review feature. So without further ado, here are my favorites of the year:

Favorite Albums of 2012

1. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory

With Dylan Baldi's newfound approach to corrosive post-hardcore rock it seems he has forever deserted the lo-fi tendencies of his previous bedroom recordings and taken up with surges of Strat, feedback, and a hair-raising belt that is intense as it is awesome. As a result, the band not only garnered a shit-ton of ink, but also expanded their touring output tenfold while more recently asserting that a new album is on it's way as early as next year (see 2013 wish list).

2. Hospitality - Hospitality

While it didn't make many year-end lists, let alone assemble half its due esteem in record reviews, Hospitality's debut self-titled record is certainly one of the most comprehensive debut records I've heard in some time. Each track, from the 50's singsongy "Betty Wang" to the choral tranquility of "Sleepover", play off each other, and as a result the album lends itself to the stresses of the twentysomething as Amber Papini sings of all the doors and locks that seem to plague the age. I've heard from many people that there were a lot of good albums this year, but no truly great albums. Those people need to hear this drastically underrated album.

3. Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend

I can distinctly remember listening to Strange Weekend for the first time at the beginning of February and thinking it was a special album. I knew it was going to be an aural impact to the year, as it was even further impactful as I saw mastermind Mauro Remiddi play an incredible show at The Ninth Ward during the summer. With it's delicate vocal melodies, wistful arrangements of synth and organ, and convoluted percussion, Strange Weekend masks itself as a modest album, but wields big ideas of relational wandering, beginning with practical images of heartbreak and slowly blurring the edges as it strangely grows more dreamlike and vivid.

4. The Men - Open Your Heart
With their third record, Open Your Heart, The Men proved they can't be pigeonholed into the abrasive indie-punk box that so many had sustained them to before. Diving headfirst into an array of stylings from the abyssal yells of "Animal" to the sprawling guitar licks surrounding "Country Song" to the true country virtue of "Candy", The Men have covered all the corners, even if their tight Brooklyn quarters confines them to just four.

5. Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
As one of the many artists who decided it would be a good idea to release two albums this year, Phil Elverum dropped a couple gems with Clear Moon and Ocean Roar. With his soft-spoken lyricism and uncanny ability at delivering vocals via underlit instrumental arrangments, Elverum is a poet, seer, storyteller, and historian. The framework of his music is relative to the soul of Anacortes, WA where he resides, and from the Mountain called Eerie he extracts an abyssal sound that grows stronger with each listen.

6. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
7. Chromatics - Kill For Love
8. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
9. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
10. Purity Ring - Shrines

Favorite Local Albums of 2012

Like I said, there was a stunning amount of great local music released this year. Below, I've listed my favorite five local albums of 2012. Coincidentally, I also reviewed each of these albums this year. Next to each you can click 'review' to read what I had to say about each!

1. Damian - Soul Night (Review)
2. Cemeteries - The Wilderness (Review)
3. Love Scenes - Blissed Out Youth (Review)
4. Sonny Baker - Here Are Those Freaks You've Been Asking For (Review)
5. Anthony DelPlato - 8 Old Vines (Review)

Favorite Tracks of 2012

1. Purity Ring - "Fineshrine"
Megan James' spellbinding vocals and lyricism melted with Corin Roddick's stellar hip-hop beats create a unique sort of track that is both incredible beautiful and catchy as hell. Hit the repeat button for this one.

2. Cloud Nothings - "Wasted Days"
This 8-minute epic contains a bonechilling line that will forever be etched into the brain of any listener: "I thought I would be more than this."

3. Porcelain Raft - "The Way In"
I first heard this song via a YouTube video of Mauro Remiddi playing it on an organ in an old church. In it's purest form the song is a hymn, a prayer. The opening words contradictory to Remiddi's actual globetrotting experience: "Advising people not to travel far."

4. Grimes - "Oblivion"
Clair Boucher has spun a dark yet poppy web with this track that seems to have made a lot of year-end track lists, and with good reason. Boucher's floaty vocal approach coating textured synths are deceiving as she sings, "If someone could break your neck / Coming up behind you always coming and you'd never have a clue."

5. Japandroids - "The House That Heaven Built"
With it's anthemic guitar riffs, background chants, and tempo-setting snare Japandroids have created a rock song for the ages in "The House That Heaven Built".

6. Gambles - "Trust"
7. Grizzly Bear - "Yet Again"
8. Father John Misty - "Fun Times In Babylon"
9. Julia Holter - "In The Same Room"
10. Earl Sweatshirt - "Chum"

Favorite Music Video

Emily Kai Boch really knows what she's doing. First she directs a truly stimulating video for Grimes' "Oblivion" and then she takes on Grizzly Bear's "Yet Again" for an invigorating narrative of a struggling figure skater as she bears the weight of adolescence.

Favorite Show of 2012

Sufjan Stevens at Asbury Hall, December 18

In one word, the show was life-changing. Every other word I have to say about it is in a review I wrote, which you can read here.

Honorable Mention: Porcelain Raft at Babeville, Cloud Nothings at Babeville, St. Vincent at Town Ballroom.

2013 Wish List

1.) I was certainly sad that one of my more favorite bands in recent years Girls had split up. In the coming year, I am hopeful for frontman Christopher Owens' new solo album Lysander and wish that his tour includes a stop in WNY or Toronto.

2.) As you read above, I named Cloud Nothing's Attack on Memory my favorite album of the year. Last week, news broke that the band had already written songs for the new album and that it basically just needed to be recorded. Here's to hoping they hit the studio hard this coming year and that we get another awesome album from the group in the fall.

3.) All these rumors about Arcade Fire working with James Murphy are exciting, and also feel a bit over-hyped. Hopefully 2013 brings another great collection of music from the Montreal band and that Murphy's input stokes his fires to release more of his own music as well.

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buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - Mac McGuire

I want to start this post by thanking fellow blogger Steven Gordon for making this point before I could: 2012 was not that great of a year for new albums. It just wasn't. That's not to say there wasn't a lot of really good albums, but it was very hard for me to find a handful of truly great albums. Look back at 2011: Bon Iver, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, The Rip Tide, Burst Apart. Now those were great albums released by artists at the peak of their careers. I just didnt see that in 2012(Grizzly Bear's Sheilds though is pretty damn perfect though). This year was a more about singles for me, in fact one of my favorite songs of the past decade was released this year, so thats gotta say something at least. Anyways...

Favorite Albums of 2012

Port of Morrow by the Shins
A five year hiatus, side projects, and a gutting of the band surely made most Shins fans a bit nervous for this much awaited release, especially after the band's uneven third album Wincing the Night Away, but Port of Morrow proved what most of us probably already knew. James Mercer IS the Shins, and as long as he is on board, the band is in fine hands. With their most fully realized sound to date and some great backing musicians now in the fold (Richard Swift!), the Shins reclaimed their indie pop crown while releasing some of the best tunes of their catalog. From the startling blast of power pop in "Simple Song" to the heartbreaking "Taken for a Fool" to the Oh, Inverted World throwback "September," Port of Morrow confirmed that the wait was most certainly worth it.

A Thing Called Divine Fits by Divine Fits
No album snuck up on my more this year than the debut album from the indie rock super group. Featuring members of Handsome Furs(Dan Boeckner) and Spoon (Britt Daniel), both bands I have always just kind of liked (although Boeckner's others super group Wolf Parade is killer), I thus expected to just kind of like Divine Fits. Shame on me though as this collection of new wavy garage rock pulled the best elements from both acts, resulting in an album full of tense and urgent moments and some great swagger.

Heaven by the Walkmen
The graceful aging of the Walkmen has been one of my favorite developments in rock over the past decade. Those brash, young brats found on their debut album are long gone, having since been replaced by seasoned family men. Normally, this does not bode well for a band, especially one who once released the raucous, blitzkrieg of "The Rat," but the Walkmen are not most bands. Heaven, the band's 7th studio album, features it's fair share of delicate, intimate moments ("We Can't Be Beat", "Line By Line"), but long time Walkmen fans will be pleased that all of the signature elements are still in place, including Hamilton Leithauser's snarl and their seemingly endless love of sleigh bells ("Nightingales").

Favorite Songs of 2012

"The House That Heaven Built" by Japandroids
From the moment I first heard this song back in April, I knew nothing could touch it for the rest of the year. And if you don't believe me, click here. The crushing lead off single from Vancouver duo's sophomore LP Celebration Rock featured arena made riffs and the chorus of the year(both a fuck you and an act of protection to a former lover). "The House That Heaven Built" put Japandroids on the map and they nearly owned the year because of it. When I look back on this year in music down the road, this is the song that will define 2012 for me.

"Impregnable Question" by the Dirty Projectors
The prettiest and most touching song on Dirty Projectors most accessible album to date. "Impregnable Question" stripped away the manic harmonies and swirling percussion for a tender song of loving and longing. I have always been a sucker for a great ballad anyways. This live clip has a little more bounce to it, but you get the idea...

"Motion Sickness" by Hot Chip
A soaring start to the British dance outfit's latest and most consistent album. While I am not one to dance all that often, "Motion Sickness," at the very least, kept my head bobbing for a good part of the year.

"I Belong In Your Arms" by Chairlift
Chairlift released an electro bubblegum pop classic in "I Belong In Your Arms." The song is nothing if not romantic, and that chorus, especially the second time around, is an absolute rush.

"Yet Again" by Grizzly Bear
Nearly every track on the Brooklyn chamber pop act's new album Shields could have made this list, but the thrilling "Yet Again" cemented its spot from the first strum of Daniel Rossen's guitar. The track features vocalist Ed Droste's finest performance on the album, but most importantly, proves percussionist Chris Bear to be Grizzly Bear's secret weapon as he leads the track to it's chaotic final moments.

"So Long You Pretty Thing" by Spiritualized
I absolutely love songs of nostalgia; songs of looking back at once was and reaching for that last grasp of one's youth(see Arcade Fire's The Suburbs for example), but not all of these songs will accept what lies ahead. In "So Long You Pretty Thing," the closing track to Spiritualized's comeback album Sweet Heart, Sweet Light, not only does J. Spaceman accept his future, he embraces it. Years of partying and excess will eventually catch up to anyone, as noted in the song's bittersweet plea for help, but after nearly meeting his end, Jason Pierce comes to terms with aging and bids adieu to to his rock and roll lifestyle in the song's triumphant final act.

Favorite Show of 2013

Sufjan Stevens at Babeville's Asbury Hall (12/18/12)

Tom Dennis' review said it better than I ever could, but Sufjan Steven's holiday showcase was one of the most bizarre, cheesy, over the top, touching, feel good, and more than anything, magical concert experiences of my life.

2013 Wish List

1) I wish that the long awaited Thom Yorke/Flea/Nigel Godrich Atoms for Peace project lives up to the hype. With their debut album AMOK set to drop on Feb 25th, we won't have to wait long to find out. The first single "Default" sure is a nice start.

2) I wish that Broken Social Scene will announce the recording of a new album. Unfortunately, the band has been on an indefinite hiatus since the fall of 2011, and with nearly everyone of their members involved in various side projects, there certainly isn't any rush.

3) I wish that this new Jim James single is a sign of good things to come. The My Morning Jacket lead singer drops his debut solo LP, Regions of Light and Sound of God, on Feb 5th, and if the first single "Know Til Now" is any indication, that bad taste left in your mouth from the last two MMJ albums may finally be washed away. The track is six plus minutes of spacey soul/funk that MMJ previously featured on the the stellar Z and the uneven Highly Suspicious. Lets hope the rest of the album holds up.

best of 2012, Cliff, staff picks — 3 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - Cliff Parks

2012 felt like a transitional year for Buffalo's music scene, and for the most part I liked what I saw in the tea leaves: the homegrown scene continued to flourish and diversify, WBNY's ongoing evolution as a radio station, the emergence of the Outer Harbor as a venue with possibilities, Thursday at the Harbor's bold line-up choices that eschewed pap, and during the spring and summer, a killer slate of well attended shows, featuring national and international acts. There was a point in late summer when I even started to wonder if there's a paradigm shift potentially in the offing for Buffalo's music fans towards something new, interesting, and simpatico with what this here blog is about. In other words, a good year, with the only real downer was news that we're losing the Mohawk Place next month as it leaves a big as of now unfilled hole in Buffalo's live music scene, a troubling prospect, indeed, heading into 2013. Still, I'm going to focus on the positives of 2012, and what better way to do that then a 2012 Best list:

Favorite Albums of 2012

1. Beach House - Bloom. Following 2010’s sublime dream pop masterpiece, Teen Dream was going to be difficult, but Bloom takes Beach House to even greater heights with it’s majestic sound and elegant songwriting while retaining the intimacy that marked Beach House's first three albums. On Bloom, Victoria Legrand’s hauntingly beautiful voice is even more assured and powerful, and Alex Scally’s exceedingly tasteful guitar work is beyond impeccable on this wonderful collection.

2. Twin Shadow - Confess. If George Lewis Jr.'s debut, Forget, sounds like it was recorded in a Brooklyn bedroom, this excellent follow up sounds like it was recorded at Prince's Paisley Park: another important statement from this developing artist.

3. Tame Impala - Lonerism. The majestic straight up 60's psychedelia ala, The Beatles' Revolver of this Australian import, was refreshing and irresistible.

4. Father John Misty - Fear Fun. A refreshing slab of literate 70's AM radio rock, the kind they just don't make anymore.

5. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange. An inspired and up to the minute slice of new r&b that's honest, visceral, and soaring. I wasn't too sure about Frank Ocean at first, but Channel Orange is a monumental debut of potentially Marvin Gaye like proportions.

Best 2011 Album of 2012

Caveman, Coco Beware. This album came out in late 2011, but I only picked it up after Caveman's exception show at the Ninth Ward in March when I'd become a believer in their tuneful Grizzly Bear meets Beach Boys sound. With so many indie bands opting for obtuseness, Caveman's melodic and rhythmic directness was most pleasing.

Favorite Songs of the Year

Of Monsters and Men- "Dirty Paws." This indie rock sea shanty from Iceland's version of Arcade Fire (before Arcade Fire went electronic) is a joyful noise that makes me feel all warm, fuzzy, and ready to brave a stormy ocean or crazy Buffalo weather.

Tennis- "Origins." In many regards the perfect Tennis song: fuzzed out guitars, a meaty rhythm section, biting interpersonal lyrics, a wall of sound, and sweet, breathless vocals from Alaina Moore.

Yeasayer - “Henrietta.” While Fragrant World ended up being a bit underwhelming, this lead single initially gave me hope, with it's slinky r&b and soaring electronica.

Sun Airway - "Over My Head." For their sophomore album, Philadelphia art school refugees, Sun Airway, fused shoe-gaze balladry, indie electronica, and a string section together to heartbreakingly beautiful effect, and "Over My Head" is its achingly sweet denouement.

Childish Gambino- "Heartbeat." When I first heard "Heartbeat" I didn't know it was Childish Gambino and therefore Donald Glover, star of Community and son of Danny "I'm too old for this ____" Glover. I liked the lyrical flow and fire and live band sound, and after I found out it there was all of that behind it I liked it even more, and it became my song of the summer. I should also note that the Childish Gambino show at the Town Ballroom was for real, and most enjoyable. [Update: Apparently Donald Glover is in no way related to Danny Glover. At least, that's the word on the street and Wikipedia... but that's just ridiculous from a narrative standpoint.]

Opening Acts of the Year:

1. Father John Misty, Youth Lagoon, Town Ballroom, July 10. Almost immediately we knew we were in for something special as Josh Tillman pranced, preened, and summoned the fire, turning his opening set into a foot stomping, kick ass revival. That Father John Misty's show next month in Rochester falls on the same night as the last show at the Mohawk is a cruel, cruel double whammy.

2. I Break Horses, M83, Town Ballroom May 7
3. Sun Airways, M83, Hammerstein Ballroom, October 2. M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez is a dab hand at picking opening acts because both bands set the table and set the scene for the headliner perfectly. I Break Horses in particular is welcome in Buffalo anytime.

4. Aircraft, Caveman, Ninth Ward, March 24. Aircraft's psychedelic pop sounded absolutely perfect in that brick basement.

5. Daedalus, Yeasayer, Town Ballroom, August 1. You may have noticed that I don't generally go nuts for the EDM DJ scene. Daedalus is the exception; his set was mesmerizing, almost acrobatic, and emotionally resonant and satisfying.

Favorite Shows of the Year:

1. M83, Town Ballroom, May 7. I'm not ashamed to say that this show is my show of the year, even if they were playing along to a backing track. I am unabashed in saying that it lived up to my expectations after months of anticipation, and that seeing an international act like M83 at the height of their power playing Buffalo felt somehow unreal yet absolutely right. For the record, I wanted to be a wanker and call M83 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC in October my show of the year, but the largely soulless New York crowd SUCKED (except for cousin Rebecca and the dancing/ rocking out fans in the upper corner of the balcony who knew what to do). The Buffalo show however was delirium and joy, and it felt like the Town Ballroom could've powered the city. Who knows? Maybe it did.

2. St Vincent, Town Ballroom May 5. When I think of this show I picture Annie Clark standing up there with her guitar under that spotlight, the deserved focus of our rapt attention and adoration. She owned us with her shiny art funk, sweet guitar playing, pure charisma, and killer songs; and we got to witness something. Postponed from December, it was worth the wait.

3. Roger Waters, The Wall, First Niagara Center, June 21. Mind blowing. Roger turned The Wall into a joyful, humanist experience without compromising it's bite and visceral impact. Also, the FNC felt super chill that night. Nobody got hassled or hassled anybody and everything just seemed Zen cool.

4. Beach House, Kool Haus Toronto, October 13. I couldn't wait for Beach House to come to Buffalo so I went to them, and it was well worth it. Beach House cast a mighty spell for an hour and a half of haunting jams from Teen Dream and Bloom.

5. Caveman, Ninth Ward, March 24. My hair stood on end, standing in that wonderful basement club watching Caveman. The best $10 I spent all year.

Honourable Mention: Yeasayer, Town Ballroom August 1; David Byrne and St Vincent, Williamsburg Park September 29

2013 Buffalo Wishlist:

1. Beach House. Of course I want to see them again. Plus, Beach House's 2010 Town Ballroom show deserves a local follow up.

2. Twin Shadow. Twin Shadow, at the Town Ballroom. Nuff said.

3. Toro Y Moi. Long overdue.

4. Tame Impala. Dreaming is good...

5. The Black Keys. Being a bonfide Rust Belt city, Buffalo is Black Keys country, and frankly they stiffed us this year.

best of 2012, gorman, staff picks — 0 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - Brian Gorman

Putting your opening paragraph in italics makes it seem more introspective, like the narration in Shawshank Redemption. This is my year end list, it was tough to narrow down. If I were to write it next week it would likely be completely different, but such is the promiscuous nature of music. I didn't include any local acts, but if you're hungry for some Buffalovin' I really dug music from Canary Girls, Cemeteries, Signo Vinces, Go Exploring, Settlers, Surrept, Love Scenes and Sonny Baker. I would've given a shoutout to the M83 show as well, but I prefer attending live concerts as opposed to watching a lithe French dude mime to backing tracks while hitting a girl in the face with a water bottle.

...did you read that in Morgan Freeman's voice?

Best Album:

In Our Heads by Hot Chip
In my review I called In Our Heads Hot Chip's first honest to goodness masterpiece, and it still holds up. I've listened to this album more than any other in 2012, and it's not leaving my shitty iPod shuffle anytime soon. Hot Chip have always been crafty songwriters, but have never sounded as cohesive as they do on In Our Heads, maintaining their defining quirkiness on synth pop anthems like "Night and Day" and "Don't Deny Your Heart", while at the same time making way for longer, patient tracks like "Flutes" and "Let Me Be Him". Hot Chip have opened up their sound, eschewing their sarcastic neuroticism for bold, resonating songwriting.

Honorable Mentions:

Wonky by Orbital
Cemented by a show stealing set at Moogfest, Orbital's first album since disbanding in 2004 showed a renewed creative vigor that seemed lacking on The Blue Album and The Altogether. The duo returned to the old school analog gear that defined their sound and crafted a vibrant set of new songs that were equal parts nostalgic and innovative (dubstep excursion aside...).

Myth by Geographer
One of 2012's most underrated releases. Geographer's soaring falsetto vocals over layers of synths and heavily effected cello lines make for a uniquely varied production style. It's emo enough for your girl yet rocking enough for your super manly balls. It's surprising that a three piece is responsible for such a lush listening experience. Hooray technology!

Six Cups of Rebel by Lindstrøm
A stylistic shift somewhat telegraphed on his collaboration with Christabelle, Lindstrøm's long awaited follow up to the atmospheric Where You Go I Go Too ditched the warm blanket of patient, arpeggiator driven grooves in favor of frenetic disco funk. The album received mostly puzzled, mixed reviews, which is understandable for such a goofy departure. Featuring Lindstrøm's own treated vocals, dissonant transitions and drum freakouts that would feel at home on a Buddy Miles live album, it's one of the most adventurous, unpredictable listening experiences I've had in some time. If that sounds like your bag, we'd be friends.

Best Tracks:

"Are You At Peace?" by Birds & Batteries
The San Francisco based band followed up the stripped down Panorama with a return to their more expansive, electronic driven tendencies on Stray Light. This song captures the band perfectly straddling those two sounds, coming off a bit like Neil Young with synths.

"August" by Catcall
Technically this song has been out for a few years, but Catcall's debut full length The Warmest Place wasn't officially released until this year. This has a ridiculously catchy hook and was the soundtrack to many a summer drive.

"Poison" by Rocket Juice and The Moon
Damon Albarn, Flea and TONY FUCKING ALLEN. It's like the music gods made a super group just for me. Albarn's brit pop ballad approach over one of the greatest living rhythm sections would make my best of list any year.

"Best Friend" by Dent May
The ultimate beach album, Dent May's Do Things should come with a bottle of suntan lotion. Laid back beats, tasteful synths and a gorgeous bass tone make for a top notch production, but it's May's rootsy vocal delivery that gives the album a timeless warmth.

"Swing-jump" by Applennium
Okay, I lied before when I said there was no local music on my list. This isn't local band affirmative action or anything, this song is just that good. Where's that album?

Best Music Video:

"Time To Dance" by The Shoes
It's Jake Gyllenhaal murdering people set to dance music. France...

Best Concert:

Wildlife w/ Aircraft at Mohawk Place
Toronto based band Wildlife played a show last year to roughly five people at Buffalo's soon to be extinct live music mainstay. When they returned, they made several great decisions. One: this time the show was free, and two: they got Aircraft to open. If you haven't seen Wildlife yet, you're in for a treat. It was one of the most energetic sets I've seen from any band (and I'm a Disco Biscuits fan, yes I admitted it) in what is now being entered into the nostalgia bank of another great night at a lost venue. Props to mshot for taking this video:

best of 2012, sdobek, staff picks — 1 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - Steve Dobek

2012 was a transitional year for me. I moved from Chicago to upstate South Carolina to pursue my dream of farm ownership and complete independence from the poisoned, processed mess that is the corporate food system…Anyway, thanks to the magic of the interwebs I was able to keep myself abreast of what was going on this year even though I live in a musical desert now. So, without further adieu I give you my favorite albums from 2012, plus a couple of other things too.

1) Chromatics – Kill For Love. Without a doubt my most listened to album of the year. Chromatics’ vision of a disco filled future in decay is sure to remain a constant in my headphones.

2) John Talabot – ƒIN. This Barcelona producer has a serious knack for melody. His deep house meets pop beats were simply one of the best things I heard all year long.

3) Wild Nothing – Nocturne. Jack Tatum & Co. ramped up the production value on their second LP and the result was a tight, focused bunch of dream pop that is simply beautiful.

4) Big K.R.I.T. – Live From the Underground. Delivering on the promise of a slew of free mixtapes, the major label debut from this Mississippi native is a collection of raw Southern hip-hop. It featured an impressive list of guest stars and most importantly K.R.I.T.’s immense talent behind the production.

5) Swans – The Seer. I still haven’t fully recovered from listening to this album. It’s a tremendously awesome mind fuck.

6) Zammuto – Zammuto. The Books may be no more, but Nick Zammuto’s new band, the aptly named Zammuto, quickly made me forget about that.

7) CFCF – Exercises. Michael Silver’s latest album as CFCF further cemented his reputation as a talented electronic musician. The classical influence heard throughout the record makes it sound like he is the composer of the future.

8) Main Attrakionz – Bossalinis & Fooliyones. Is this what a cloud of weed smoke sounds like? I think so.

9) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes. One of the most eclectic minds in all of indiedom got even weirder on this album. ‘Baby’ was probably my favorite song of the whole year.

10) Windy & Carl – We Will Always Be. The gentle ambient compositions of this husband and wife are the stuff of dreams. Simple, elegant, and above all else, gorgeous.