One of our goals this year as a blog was to expand our knowledge base of local bands eastward towards Rochester. In 2012, we have listened to hundreds of songs from Rochester acts, discovering back catalogs and finding some of our new favorite bands (High Drags). Through our investigations, we found Rochester's top 10 songs of 2012.
10. The Demos - "Primitive"
This sunny single by Rochester indie-pop sextet is great. Released over the summer presumably as a preview to a forthcoming album, "Primitive," will get you swaying.
9. The Gifted Children - "Our 'Hobby' is a Bust"
Rochester indie rock veterans, The Gifted Children's "Our 'Hobby' is a Bust," is the most upbeat track off the recently released EP No One Will Know We Were Ever Hear. This track is a half- kidding lament for a self-aware, aging indie rock band. For a band to still have it after close to 17 years as a project is an impressive accomplishment in itself. An easy way to describe it, this track would be the upbeat works of Pedro the Lion meets Broken Social Scene.
8. YOU WOMEN - "Oak Island"
SPORTS offshoot, YOU WOMEN's track, "Oak Island," is almost as if Girls went 80's goth (in a "Goodbye Horses" type of way). This track's four-to-the-floor drum beats pump you up combined with a catchy chorus make it all good in the hood.
SPORTS offshoot, YOU WOMEN's track, "Oak Island," is almost as if Girls went 80's goth (in a "Goodbye Horses" type of way). This track's four-to-the-floor drum beats pump you up combined with a catchy chorus make it all good in the hood.
7. Archimedes – “Three Washed Hands”
Dreamy and dreary Owen-y three-piece with complimenting male and female vocalists recorded by buffaBLOG favorite, Anthony DelPlato. It’s beautiful.
6. Kitty Snowpants – “Diana”
Jangly retro “ooos” and “aahs” pop with Chicago indie rock undertones make “Diana” catchy, enjoyable, and a must-have for the top 10 songs out of Rochester in 2012.
5. The Dads - "9 beats"
Mid-nineties, indie rockers The Dads' track, "9 beats," is awesome, for lack of a better term. The quartet's sound is somewhere between Guided by Voices and No Age, and we at buffaBLOG are pumped they are back together.
4. Meanagers - “Tongue-Tied”
Dorm room, rock duo Meanagers' track, “Tongue Tied,” is angsty garage rock played by dudes in their 20s. It’s best described as a mix between Free Energy and Wavves, and needs to be on this list.
3. KOPPS – “Bastard Baby”
“Bastard Baby” gets you pumped up. Those who attended the buffaBLOG holiday party can attest to this. Rising Rochester diva, Patricia Patrone, and master programmer, Kyle O’Hara, put together a hit with this track. Just wait for the sax.
2. Mikaela Davis – “Michigan & The BQE”
Mikaela Davis is a very talented youngster in the Rochester scene. Davis, a harpist, has songs that are on par with that of Sufjan Stevens. Her track, "Michigan & The BQE," is just an example of her ability to craft outstanding multi-instrumental compositions.
1. Joywave – “True Grit”
I think it would be impossible to have a countdown of Rochester’s best tracks without including Joywave. This electro pop outfit arose from The Hoodies ashes an into our hearts with their new wave hybrids. "True Grit" is without a doubt the best song from Rochester in 2012.
