Showing posts with label best of 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best of 2013. Show all posts
, , , , , , , , , , , , — 0 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2013: Staff Picks - Favorite Albums Part 2



Steve Gordon

 Connan Mockasin - Caramel
New Zealand's Connan Mockasin is what would happen if you made circa-1997 Radiohead drop acid with Syd Barrett and Ariel Pink. Bizarre and haunted, jazzy and demented, lo-fi bedroom space rock. Fill that bedroom with some baby-making, and you have his 2013 album, Caramel; all the aforementioned artists, with a little bit of Brothers Johnson on top. “Lysergic Sex Funk” is how a friend once described it, and I can't beat that. “I'm the Man, That Will Find You” is a standout track.

Travis Kowalski

Mayor Hawthorne - Where Does This Door Go
Where Does This Door Go is an album deeply focused on delivering modernized retro-soul vibes and contemporary hip-hop party jams that are predominantly inspired from Mayer Hawthorne’s previous DJ career. What makes this album stand out this year is how with three albums now under his belt, he still continues to progressively evolve as an artist by using heavier experimental instrumentals while also staying true to his disc jockey roots with his omnipresent neo-soul beats. Above all the other tracks on this album, his collaboration with Kendrick Lamar on “Crime” emerged to be among one of my favorites this year. The great thing about this song is that it doesn’t over complicate itself and brings out an infectious chorus with slick pop/hip-hop rhythms to give it that cool edge. 



Jaz Frazier

 The Malones - The Malones
If there is any one album that I abused, it’s easily the Malones’ self-titled album. This album got me through my day, through my night, and through mornings when I was pushing through an unforgiving hangover. It certainly helped that the shows these guys [Steven Floyd, Elliott Douglas, and Brandon Schlia] performances were EXPLOSIVE. If during their set you were too winded to shout the lyrics anymore or too achy to troll the floor, the crowd would carry you, in addition to an energetic Douglas hopping into the audience making them all go ballistic. The live performances were transmitted so well into their recorded work, making this my most-loved album of the year.

Jessica Brant

 Lorde - Pure Heroine
This saucy songstress from down under struck a chord with me--and everyone else--when "Royals," a nod to, and dodge from, all things ostentatious hit the radio waves. She left the world asking, "Who on God's earth is this beautiful soul with golden brown tendrils, doe-like eyes and the voice of an ethereal fairy?" And then we all found out it was a 17-year-old high school kid singing us to shame. Each listen is like opening a scrapbook from high school days past, complete with sloppy prom pictures, gushy love letters, and torn-up concert tickets...Oh, to be seventeen again. Most notably described as the reigning queen of "confessional bedroom pop," Lorde compiles an impressive track list filled with silky harmonies and free-spirited hip hop and electronic beats. Feel the power in her gloriously arranged "Glory and Gore," and the bubbly dance rhythms of "Tennis Court." This girl can brag all she wants; she is the true queen bee, taking pop where it needs to be. Lorde is now, and Lorde is the future.


Michael Torsell

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
This really was Vampire Weekend's year. While I am still changing my mind over my best track of the year (I picked Vampire Weekend but now I think that honor belongs to "Play by Play" by Autre Ne Veut), I have been pretty sure about this choice despite my best attempts at second guessing myself. Modern Vampires of the City is an accomplished modern pop album with no weaknesses. It is a rare flawless feat of clever songwriting and memorable lyrics and it is my album of the year. 



Mac McGuire

 Local Natives - Hummingbird
Man this was difficult. Last year, all I did was bitch that there were so few good albums released. This year, all I did was bitch that there was TOO MUCH good music to pick from. I bitch a lot. My selection for album of the year could have been one of many albums: Okkervil River's nostalgic shout out to the 80s in The Silver Gymnasium, Yo La Tengo's best album in years in Fade, The Men slowly becoming The Band on New Moon, or probably a half dozen others. You get the idea. 2013 was a damn good year in music.

 So why Local Natives' Hummingbird? I don't even like the band that much. Their debut album, Gorilla Manor, was alright. Fun, sunny harmonies. Some nice percussion and jagged guitar work. But at the end of the day, I thought I heard it all before. I never thought that band had this album in them. The production skills of Aaron Dessner (The National) hang heavy as tight compositions and layers of emotion are found on every track. Plus, the band has the luxury of having two of the best singers in music today, Kelcey Ayer and Taylor Rice, as co-frontmen, and Hummingbird gives each the chance to shine on their own, from Ayer's devastating ode to his passed mother on "Columbia" and the stirring "Heavy Feet" to Rice's uplifting "Ceilings." Throw in some of the best drum work this side of the Walkmen, and you not only have my most pleasant surprise of 2013, but also my favorite album.



If you missed Part 1, click here.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , — 1 comments

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



Jon Krol

 David Bowie - The Next Day
Bowie disappeared for nearly a decade before returning with the best album he's released since the 70's. A dynamic, familiar-yet-still-reaching, piece of work that only adds to an already great legacy. Bowie is the representation of all things great and powerful in music. His is art, pop, love, loss, thrill and despair. This album, like Bowie's best, somehow manages to straddle the line between mainstream bubblegum and seedy-city sleaze without compromise. And "Valentine's Day" is one of the best songs he's ever released. Period.


Ryan Wolf

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
I am going to flip-flop what I said earlier in the year. Though I admire Modern Vampires of the City and Push the Sky Away about the same artistically, and both albums have resonated for me throughout 2013, I have to give a slight edge to Vampire Weekend that I granted to Nick Cave a few months ago only because of this: I listened to Modern Vampires more times. The music remains as devilishly catchy as it is profound.

 In the end, what I dub the greatest album of 2013 barely matters. But the bold existence of Modern Vampires of the City seems meaningful. Not only did the album turn a good band great, it brought spiritual questions to the forefront of the alternative and indie music scene in a playful but ultimately sincere way. Vampire Weekend did not simply name-drop biblical references for poetic cred: they dealt with contemporary religious crisis as if their very souls were on the line. When the market gets hip, the hip get hungry for something more than merely being cool.
Runners-Up: Push the Sky Away, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds; Reflektor, Arcade Fire; Perils from the Sea, Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle; AM, Arctic Monkeys


John Hugar

Janelle Monae - Electric Lady
This was not an easy choice -2013 had a ton of albums that could have taken the top honors in a lesser year, but no album in 2013 could match Monae's Electric Lady in terms of sheer ambition and creativity. Imagine if Prince, Outkast, ELO, and Funkadelic all made an album together, and you'd have a rough idea of what were dealing with. Anthems like "Q.U.E.E.N." and the title track manage to be political while not losing anything in danceability, while "Dance Apocalyptic" might be the most purely fun song since "Hey Ya." Really, though, there isn't a weak track on this album. With 19 tracks and a run-time over an hour, the album never drags or ceases to be interesting. A brilliant record from an artist who is probably just getting warmed up.



Nick Sessanna

 Pity Sex – Feast of Love
Almost all of my favorite albums are “growers…” That being said, Feast of Love is an excellent album that I really wasn’t expecting to grow attached to. Looking back, had I not given this album the chance it truly deserves, I really would have been missing out. Between the blissful shoegaze of lead single “Wind-Up” and the more subdued bass fuzz of “Keep,” this is an album truly appropriate for all moods. Call it “emogaze” if you will; it’s dirty enough to get you excited when you are happy and moody enough to satisfy any level of deep depression. The true strength of this album comes from co-lead singer Britty Drake – you’ll never hear her belting it out gospel-style, but her delivery on gems like “Hollow Body” is one of the saddest and unreasonably beautiful things I have ever heard. Recommended for fans of noisy shoegaze like My Bloody Valentine, straightforward fuzz rock like Smashing Pumpkins, or pretty much anything emotive you’d expect to hear at a basement show.



Ailsa Forlenza

 Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II 
Ever twist in circles while sitting on a swing? So tight that it seems the ropes are about to break, and then when you release, the whirred rush of the world undoes itself and perception ceases for a blissful moment. The release is what this album feels like to me. Guitar riffs that blur and swish a daydream paintbrush across a sonic page, and lyrics that push the boundaries of this album into a psychedelic realm. II lifted my subconscious and implanted a sweet reverie that I can access as soon as I hear "I wish that I could swim and sleep like a shark does/ I'd fall to the bottom and I'd hide til the end of time…"

Cliff Parks

Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe 
This debut from the Glasgow electronica is pure perfection from start to finish, a smart sugar rush of exquisitely crafted pop songs built around tasteful synths, undeniable beats, and the stunning vocals of steely Lauren Mayberry. While it wasn't a banner year for woman power and feminism in pop music, Chvrches' Mayberry proved to be a fine and much needed exception. Brilliantly sequenced and executed, this freshmen album came out of nowhere, and ended up owning me this year.



Tom Etu

 Tomahawk - Oddfellows
A "supergroup" of musical weirdos, Tomahawk had been silent for years until throwing this rock in the faces of music lovers who like their experimental rock with a side of fucked up. Oddfellows is not the best album of 2013, but it was widely overlooked and light needed to be shed on its grotesquely deformed underbelly. The lyrics take you into the regret of a jailbird and the patience of a sniper, with a few sprinkled references to kinky sex. It almost follows a deranged plotline. Duane Denison can still rock out with his Jesus Lizard out, and Mike Patton can still roar and then croon like a gentleman quicker than you can have a heart attack. The addition of bass player extraordinaire Trevor Dunn to the line-up gives this album a slinky jazz vibe. Sexy and repulsive. 


 For Part 2, click here.
, , , — 1 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2013: Guest Post - Aaron Folmsbee


Editor's note: For our best of 2013 coverage, we once again reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For today's installment in the guest series, Aaron Folmsbee, singer/guitarist of Marine Biologist, submitted his best of list. 


 MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2013:
10. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
I can’t say Reflektor is my absolute favorite albums of 2013, and I can’t say that it’s my favorite Arcade Fire album…but it certainly shows what can come of indie music in the hands of true song-spinning geniuses. This is heady, powerful rock, mixing Arcade Fire’s iconic loud folk anthems with world dance beats. It’s definitely deserving of many listens.

 9. James Blake - Overgrown
Having a lot of respect and adoration for an artist’s first album can really set someone up for disappointment when their sophomore release first hits their ears (see Bon Iver) – but Overgrown is an instant success. Both bleak and building, it locks you in from the first few seconds, when lonely piano chords break into a pounding bass. The soul just doesn’t stop.

 8. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Whenever, If Ever
When I received the good word from a short article written for Pitchfork that 90s emo was back, I REJOICED. Cap’n Jazz and American Football, Mineral and Moneen – all the CDs I had bought and burned flooded back into my ears. Among them was a new record by a band whose name I refuse to type out in full more than once per page. Whenever, If Ever is a sweetly energetic album with all the moves of the young dreamer. Shouts, keyboards, cello, and trumpet all recall the emotional days of yore – I almost wanted to grow my hair out and swoop it over my eyes. I did wear my Chuck Taylors and buy a skateboard.

 7. Local Natives - Hummingbird
I would not have guessed by Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor, whose rich harmonies, blissfully existential quips, planetary shouts to the Sun, and inclusion of a cover song that I’d deem more powerful than the original, that their sophomore release could ever be so sad. Hummingbird is powerful in the opposite way (or maybe in a light-and-dark, night-and-day complimentary way) of Local Natives’ first album, but fits perfectly into their voice and their sound.

 6. Perfect Pussy - I have lost all desire for feeling
There is something about this band. There just is. Their tape is a mess. Guitar, bass, and keys are all a murky wash of noise; the lyrics upon its first dozen listens are unrecognizable. It’s a raucous dash of untitled tracks from beginning to end, in less than thirteen minutes. And yet every time I listen to it, I listen two, three, four, five times in a row. Give it a listen. They’ll be at the Bug Jar in January and I refuse to miss it for anything.

 5. Portugal. the Man - Evil Friends
Portugal. the Man proved a few things with Evil Friends. (1) They don’t have any intention of backing down the rock and roll in anyway, (2) their sound can convince a heavy-hitting producer (Danger Mouse) to put his name on a rock album, even after he turns them down at his doorstep, and (3) It is possible for a band to continue to produce amazing albums, even on their eighth release in eight years.

4. Laura Stevenson - The Wheel
Laura Stevenson, a former member of Long Island’s Bomb the Music Industry! (heart!), described herself in an interview with NPR as an “unfunny Woody Allen” (double heart!) The Wheel is obsessed with misery and mortality, but it carries moments that are so upbeat and filled with catchy hooks and melodies. Not to mention that what most artists use to build a song into an album ender of epic proportions, Stevenson accomplishes in the opening cut.

 3. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
Vampire Weekend took their preppy sound, literate style, pop culture references, and Wes Anderson grandeur to an entirely new level with Modern Vampires. This is Vampire Weekend perfected, in my opinion. It takes all the modesty of their debut, mixes in the eccentric rhythms of Contra, and adds some truly heart-aching moments, such as in “Obvious Bicycle” and “Hannah Hunt.” This album really re-ignited my love for the band.

2. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
I got into a philosophical (a drunken) conversation recently about how long a band should continue to make music, and how eventually, after a couple albums, a downward spiral in quality is bound to take place. My rebuttal to this statement was simple: The National. This band shows that over fourteen years, a group can continue to make successively admirable albums. Trouble Will Find Me contains some of the most powerful lyrics that I have heard in a long time (probably since their previous album, High Violet). Love, solace, sentiment, remorse, contemplation, acceptance, longing, alcohol, and adventure all exude from this album, which gave it a devastatingly heavy rotation on my iPod.

1. Mikal Cronin, MCII

This year, rock & roll genius, multi-instrumentalist, and Ty Segall Band bassist Mikal Cronin released the perfect power pop record. The guitar work alternates from quiet acoustic to twelve-string fullness to clean electric strums to harsh, fuzzy, buzzing drive. Piano and violin flood the songs with the most exciting, eloquent, and evocative solos. Its lyrics are meaningful, important, relevant, entertaining, and shoutable. This is an album you listen to LOUD with both arms in the air instead of on the steering wheel, like Titus Andronicus’ The Monitor or a particular song by Neutral Milk Hotel (I don’t think anyone can help themselves from singing “I LOVE YOU JESUS CHRIST” at the top of their lungs whenever they hear it). Songs like “Weight,” “Shout It Out,” and “Peace of Mind” quickly put Cronin on my list of artists to see before I die (or before I go deaf). In an ideal world, he’d drop into some dive like Sportsmans Tavern, like Kurt Vile did a couple years ago. It’s not reinventing music, but it’s changing lives. This is a summer album of high feelings, but in the bleak midwinter, I’ll be spinning it in optimistic anticipation for when the car windows can come back down again.


THE TOP ALBUMS BY BUFFALO ARTISTS:

 1. The Malones - The Malones
In 2013, there was a band called The Malones. You might have heard of them. I never thought that I’d be completely, absurdly star struck by the guy who gave me a free cup of coffee after I met him at the Steak & Cake backyard barbecue, but ladies and gentlemen, it happened. This is (was? Is?) the tightest, most energetic, and exciting band to hit Buffalo in a long time. I may never get “Dirty Soap” out of my mouth again as long as I live.



2. Space Wolves - Space Wolves III
I can’t count the number of times this summer I shouted, “You look so pretty in your pony dress!” I also can’t count the number of text messages between Carson Cain (Marine Biologist, Sperm, Aaron & the Burrs) and myself that read, “SLEEPING PILLS AND BEER.”


3. Mallwalkers - Shake the Rust Off
What is it about Mallwalkers that brings me back to when I first experienced the Talking Heads? It’s energetic, fun, masterfully artistic, brash, bold, and creative… It’s an album made by true showmen-and-women who know how to make a big-world sound out of local flavors.



4. Aircraft - Sonic Boom 
Aircraft’s first full-length is a real force of reckoning when it comes to songwriting. It contains enough pop for the crowds to catch on, and enough psychedelic and experimental sounds to make it too interesting to turn away. “Through the Storm” still carries enough weight to knock me off my feet, even after the dozens of times I’ve seen them live in 2013.



5. JOHNS - House of Wrongheads
I first got the chance to see JOHNS open for The Men at Mohawk Place at one of their first shows (maybe it was their first show?). I think there were between twenty or thirty people in the crowd at that point, but they had everybody supremely captivated.



~ Post by Aaron Folmsbee
, , , , , , , , , , , , , — 1 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2013: Staff Picks - Favorite Songs Part 2


Travis Kowalski

 Lorde - "Team"
Even if you overlook the worldwide hype and praise New Zealand teenager Ella Yelich-O’Connor aka Lorde has received this year, it’s easy to see why her music has made it into countless international playlists. Her first single “Royals” introduced everyone to an amazing vocal ability and perceptive writing style that was inherently missing in the pop landscape, but it was her second single, “Team,” that instantly became my favorite song this year. Within the first few seconds of the song, Lorde demands your attention with a soft whisper of “Wait ‘til you’re announced. We’ve not yet lost all our graces.” Swirling synths and polished vocal work only add another dimension to Lorde’s limitless musical capabilities, which really aim to prove how she’s looking to not only inch her way into pop music, but instead swiftly move all the way to the top. Amidst newfangled pop classics like “Team” that goal seems very possible. 

Ailsa Forlenza

 Beats Antique - "You The Starry Eyed" (ft. Lynx & Sorne)
On their album A Thousand Faces Act I, Beats Antique musically explores the hero's journey, from the initial call to crossing the threshold into the underworld. "You The Starry Eyed" is a beacon of hope, urging the hero to plod forward. Lynx's angelic wavers glide over a sonorous synth landscape in a gentle duet with Sorne. It's inspiring, with lyrics like "Push on through the night/ like the ones who came before you," and an epic dance groove, verging on the edges of electro-glitch. 



Michael Torsell

Vampire Weekend - "Ya Hey"
Winnowing down a year’s worth of albums is difficult enough but winnowing everything down to one standout track is even worse, especially in a year filled with stand out tracks. That said, I am going to say that my top track remains Vampire Weekend’s “Ya Hey,” off of their seminal third album, Modern Vampires of the City. The song’s sweep works well as both a single and within the larger record, with a dramatic bounce and scope that raises hearing someone artfully transition songs at a rooftop party to a biblical level. “Ya Hey” (itself an inversion of 2003’s song of the year “Hey Ya,” which I just noticed was 10 years ago…weird) remained on top throughout the summer and fall and it sits comfortably as my song of the year for 2013.



Jessica Brant

The Neighbourhood - "Sweater Weather"
There are only a few songs I can name that I've broke out in dance to in my room. "Sweater Weather" is one of them. It's just a super sexy song, the perfect indie rock gem with a hip hop twist. The guitar narrates the story, the drums keep it treading. Elegantly written and beautifully arranged. 



Mac McGuire

Duckails - "Letter of Intent"
One of my favorite developments of 2013 was Ducktails front man (and Real Estate guitarist) Matthew Mondanile's move out of the bedroom and into a full fledged band. The Flower Lane tapped into some of the 80s soft rock sounds that Destroyer used on Kaputt and paired them perfectly with Mondanile's signature, laid back guitar work, and no song captured that fleshed out sound better than "Letter of Intent." It's funny that the moment Ducktails ceased to become a bedroom recording project that Mondanile released his most bedroom appropriate song yet. Led by the dreamy vocals of Jessa Farkus and Ian Drennan, "Letter of Intent" is a coy, yet seductive number, practically begging you to get lost in its smooth, jangle of guitars and wispy horns. It's absolutely perfect. While I listened to no song more this year than "Letter of Intent," I couldn't end this post without giving some credit to Washed Out's "Don't Give Up," Okkervil River's "Down Down The Deep River," and that glorious coda on Vampire Weekend's "Hannah Hunt."



Tom Etu 

Well Worn Boot - "Ballad of Billy Klubb"
"Ballad of Billy Klubb" is a good appetizer for those uninitiated into the world of Well Worn Boot. Become enthralled with the tale of the animal they call Billy Klubb, and rediscover the flute as an important instrument in heavy music. If you can sit still while listening to this, you’re probably a tree. These wild men don’t fuck around. Do not listen to this song while driving a car unless you are prepared to run red lights. 



Scott Mancuso

 The National - "Pink Rabbits"
This is my favorite song of the year. I think it gets everything right in order to be a good song. It has a well-written melody, it’s well-sung, the instrumentation is varied and interesting to listen to, the music builds on itself in a way that sounds natural and not-at-all forced and expands and contracts in proportion to the emotional tenor of the song’s narrative, and the lyrics are extremely clever and poetically repetitive and subtly tell a story that is painfully sad in a way that is not maudlin or dramatic or self-pitying but that is humble and honest and feels exactly like the hollow, insignificant ache of being a “white girl in a crowd of white girls in the park.” It gets exactly right the ways that physical and emotional distance can play tricks on each other and make the person in your head "sitting in a fainting chair drinking pink rabbits" feel like they're stabbing you with a voodoo doll while the person you're dancing with (the same person, whom you're now holding "way too high off the ground") feels like they're a million miles away as you listen to Bona Drag on repeat, take another swallow of whiskey, and listen to the sound kick out.



If you missed Part 1, you may read it here.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — 0 comments

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.
, , , — 1 comments

buffaBLOG's Best of 2013: Guest Post - Brandon Schlia


Editor's note: For our best of 2013 coverage, we once again reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For today's installment in the guest series, Brandon Schlia, founder of Steak & Cake Records, submitted his best of list. Steak & Cake recently released Sampler IV, the label's yearly compilation. 

 I read through last year's posts and saw that we were all happy to be back on the map as a city that deserves attention for it's music. This year I feel like we're in a sophomore transition. The things that were good are getting even better and by early next year, I think some of our hometown sweethearts will see some serious attention on a national level. The talent here is undeniable and platforms like buffaBLOG create access for the rest of the world. Thank you for doing all that you do and for having me back as a year end contributor.

 I decided to do my TOP SIX for both NATIONAL and LOCAL recordings.

 LOCAL:

 1. Cemeteries - Hisk Husk
Where did this guy come from!? Sometimes it seems like he's making exactly the kind of music I look for on a national level, and here it is right in the backyard. This album was released in 2013 but it's actually a rarities collection covering the past few years (plus he also goes by Camp Counselors now). There is definitely a goth influence, but to me it sounds more like an EDM horror film soundtrack. Most of the melodies are brooding and disturbed but gorgeous and severe. Sometimes it sounds a lot like Grizzly Bear, sometimes I hear Elliott Smith. He's at his best when he's combining genres on songs like "Antiques" or "Old Soul" and the drums flush the sound out to resemble a full band, albeit at the hands of one man. I find myself comparing Cemeteries to Caves, an artist on the S&C roster. I guess there's a place in my heart for solo projects that try and blend the beautiful and torturous through atmosphere and delivery. It's a real "in your head" kind of album and I suggest headphones and a long walk at night under a light snow if you want to hear it just right.
 

2. Thom Daly - Thinking Mans Dance Music
Ever listen to a record where the musical mind behind it sounds like they're only comfortable when they're multitasking? Thom Daly has the kind of neurotic edge that makes his music unbelievably engaging. I keep listening to it thinking, WHAT THE! I actually say that out loud often when I have it on the background. Take the Beatles, make them play jazz music, and add in a penchance for noise and abstraction. He's self indulgent in the sense that you don't get much consistency, but you get to see where his head's at, the full range of his influences, and his dynamic capabilities. I don't know much about him but either he's a very talented horn player or he has some session player friends. I've searched for a jazz indie crossover in the local scene and here it is! This is probably the best Buffalo record you never heard of.

3. Del Paxton - Worst.Summer.Ever. 
I'm sure this is going to be on a lot of year end local best of lists, and deservedly so. Dylan England makes hard hitting, classic emo rock and he's been doing it for the past 10 years that I've followed his bands. He writes the kind of lines you hear and simultaneously think: "that's exactly how I feel!" & "man I wish I could have come up with that!" Add to that Greg McClure & Zack Schoedel, two friends who spent years playing together in the Ithaca scene before transplanting to Buffalo. With combined skill and history of these three super talented instrumentalists, I knew it'd be a favorite. It might be trendy right now, but these guys have been playing this music from the beginning and I'm happy they're here doing it right and giving Buffalo a good name. Also, I have to mention that my good friend Adam Korbesmyer engineered this record and his touch is exactly the kind of 4th member influence needed to make one of the best records of 2013.

4. Space Wolves - IV
A two piece surf band that writes 2 minute pop hits and releases self recorded albums on cassette that you can buy at locally owned record stores? They're a poster of the DIY ethics of 2013 and I'm grateful Buffalo has a band like this. They'll play any show anywhere and I like that attitude; I also like having that many opportunities to see them live because they're so exciting to watch. The telephone receiver microphone is a great touch and being there is like time traveling to a garage show in Palo Alto, CA, 1971. Although I've listened to all their records in passing, "Break Up" made this one stick. I can't wait to hear what happens for them in 2014. (Also definitely listen to "Ethel").

5. Hussalonia - Double Fantasy 
Hussalonia has a record called Percy thrills which is a reference to Paul McCartney's alter ego, Percy Thrillington. Here, we find him recycling the title of one of Lennon's most recognizable solo efforts with Yoko. The influence of the Beatles on the founder's output is undisputed but I like it when he drops a hint on who he's focused on channeling. This one struck me as especially well executed with all the fat trimmed. The longest song is only 2:52. He sets up the melody, hits the refrain, drops a bridge and hammers the outro. Aside from the posted song, definitely listen to "Waiting Still," the album closer.

6. Snowbeast Records -  Halloween Compilation #1: Ritual
I love compilations and will explore even the most flimsy in search of a few standout tracks. When this sampler came out from Snowbeast, I was surprised to find that everything on it was super cool! It's definitely got that dark sound we've come to know from one of it's co-founders (Kyle from Cemeteries/Camp Counselors) but it also showcases some great 50's punk (Kreeps) and my personal favorite, the sultry female vocal led "Never Let it Die" by Psychic Twin.

NATIONAL: *disclaimer: two of these records were not released in 2013 but when it comes to national band,s I usually organize my year by what I found and not by when it originally came out.

 1. James Rapp  - Twenty Moon
He sounds like Julian Casablancas and Father John Misty but with a more understated songwriting approach. Every track is the best, you gotta hear it all.

2. Luke Temple - Good Mood Fool
9 songs and 39 minutes of 1985 to the max. A sort of John Hughes tribute if his films featured psychedelic drug trafficking. Go in this order: "Florida," "Katie," "Those Kids"

3. Sirs - Sirs EP
90's by way of 50's indie rock with surfy elements from my good friend's brother's band. This record is mixed just right, its guts made of classic rock and roll sound. Polaris + Joan Jett + Pavement + Breeders + Braid + Get Up Kids + Ozma.

4. Kirkis - Purplefruit for X-Ray Vision
Like a couple jazz fusion greats played with a DJ that was doing live samples of their improvisations. Like the Eastmen Student Jazz Trio if they tried to pull off J Dilla's Adult Swim soundtrack live.

5. Elephant and Castle - Analogue EP
Imagine you time traveled to a house party in Alabama in 1974 and you took mescaline for the first time and listened to the soundtrack to Foxy Brown mixed with the Polish spiritual compositions of Krsysztof Penderecki and danced your ass off. 

6. The Magic in Threes - The Magic in Threes
Sexy black women in high heeled boots is what this sounds like. Makes me feel like I'm Snoop Dog high at the Playboy mansion. Start with "I Got Warrants" and then start over from the beginning and listen to the whole thing. 


~ Post by Brandon Schilia
, , , , , , , , , , , , , — 16 comments

buffaBLOG's Favorite Buffalo Tracks of 2013: 10 - 1


Well, here we are, our top 10 Buffalo songs of 2013. I took some time last night and re-listened to every song that we included on our countdown of Buffalo's best, and at the end of the night, I realized Buffalo is in a pretty good place right now when it comes to music. We have a great variety of bands all making entertaining and even, at times, genuinely thought-provoking music. A friend and I were talking the other day about how it is easy to knock local music. Statements like: "it's good...for Buffalo," are so casually tossed around because giving ourselves credit is sometimes really hard. The Super Bowl losses, lack of jobs, the weather, frequently color our opinions and are just projected onto our music scene. We end up thinking that if one thing is going to suck, then it's all going to suck.

 Growing up here has made me an eternal pessimist, but you can feel the city changing for the better, and I think our music scene is a perfect example of that. Why can't there be great bands in Buffalo? What is so different about this city than any other? Creativity flows just as fast as Blue Light you know. This was a great year for Buffalo music and I am proud to be part of it in some way or another. I hope you enjoy our top ten list as much as I do. It was a lot of fun to make. See everyone in 2014.
- Mac McGuire, Editor-in-Chief

10) The Malones - "Clenched Fist"
Even if you only casually follow buffaBLOG, you probably know that The Malones were probably one of the bands we covered most this year, and for good reason. With a sound that mixes the best aspects of The Strokes and Hot Hot Heat, these veterans of the scene (including Steak & Cake records mastermind Brandon Schlia) released their debut EP this year, and it was excellent. We decided on “Clenched Fist” for our top 20. The song doesn’t even breach the two minute mark, but when singer Steven Floyd yelps that his “ears are tape recorders and his mouth is a microphone,” you can’t help but get riled up. Oh, and I won’t forget to mention the band's secret weapon - Elliott Douglas’ delicious Steak & Cake bass lines. - NAS



9) Jack Toft - "Jump Up and Down"
Jack Toft had an amazing 2013. Between his numerous music video appearances, collaborations with up-and-coming emcees, and dropping singles so fast that buffaBLOG just simply could not keep up, Toft found time to partner up with producer TEEN WOLF to make an exceptional full-length album, TEENWOLF AND JACK TOFT. “Jump Up and Down” is arguably the most listener friendly track on the an already very listenable album. The song is abstract rap-pop where Toft hypes the listener to, well, jump and down, while also incorporating his signature delivery of one-liners, Allentown observations, and dated cultural references. Toft's partnership with TEEN WOLF spurred Toft's momentum this year which is on course to translate well into 2014. "Jump Up and Down" makes you want freak out with your buds, jump uppin' down and bust your nuts. - MJM



8) Bryan Johnson & Family - "Mt. Vesuvius"
Bryan Johnson & Family are Buffalo’s resident surf rockers. Despite Johnson's omnipresence in the Buffalo scene, he had yet to release a large batch of recordings of his songs until this year. BJ released “Mt. Vesuvius,” which might be one of the catchiest joints to come out of Buffalo in the history of time (perhaps even since the tragedy at Pompeii). With the surf rock tag, there are hints of Beach Fossils, Surfer Blood, and even a bit of Cloud Nothings. Regardless, BJ&FAM has perfected their surf rock sensibilities. Trust us when we say this is one of the best choruses of the year; 'I feel like, I feel just like Mt. Vesuvius' will be stuck in your head for days. - NAS

7) Failures' Union - "Between"
Indie rock veterans/mainstays Failures’ Union have always been known to deliver and definitely did not go against the grain with the lead single, “Between,” which is from their late 2013 full-length, Tethering. "Between" made its internet debut via music video in late August, resulting in the buffaBLOGGERS spending the tail end of the summer rocking out to heyday '90s indie rock. The video also sparked an internal blog debate as to whether or not Will Sasso makes a celebrity cameo at 1:00, but that's not very important. What is important is that Failures' Union is brash Americana for a blue collar city like Buffalo. They are the rust belt's Hold Steady and with age/experience, Failures' Union continue to become more refined. - MJM 

6) Forealists - "Livin' It Up"
For a city that seems to be dominated by punk bands and the latest wave of emo rock, the emergence of the party pop group, Forealists, this past summer was just the right amount of fun for the fairly pessimistic city. The funk/R&B/soul, hell even a little boy band, flavored outfit's debut single, "Livin' It Up," surfaced this past August with quite a bit of local buzz. The relatively simple music video, which mixes in performance cuts and the band 'cruisin round town' in a convertible on a pleasant summer day, became equally addicting. Who the hell is that guy in the mask by the way? No matter. "Livin' It Up" is a blast because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Sunny synths, great harmonies, and some of the best bass work in town make it hard for even the most anti-pop of people (that would include yours truly) to hate one of the more surprise hits to come out of Buffalo this year. - MPM



5) Cinnamon Aluminum - "Girls in Disguise"
Cinnamon Aluminum has always been an unpredictable enigma, both as performance artists and musicians. Sometimes their songs are surface level electronic tracks, while others are best described as upbeat acid/jamtronica fronted by a nun with a strap-on dildo. Regardless of your favorite flavor of Cinnamon Aluminum, it’s undeniable that this band has a gift for commanding attention. Knowing this, we were pleasantly surprised to find “Girls in Disguise,” nestled as track four off of the band’s farewell EP titled Guys, Warlords. Girls. “Girls in Disguise” is enchanting dance-punk track featuring front man Hurricane Relic mumbling/babbling about girls lying/wearing disguises accompanied with Kristachuwan’s smooth jazz saxophone and a !!!-like percussion backing provided by Kid on Purpose. If you told me that "Girls in Disguise," was from the latest batch of DFA signees or a James Murphy production, I would believe it. It's that good. - MJM



4) Marine Biologist - "Allegro"
I noted earlier in this post that what I loved most about Forealists' "Livin' It Up" is that the song didn't take itself to seriously. It was a fun tune about, well, having fun. Now, take what I just said and throw that out when it comes to Marine Biologist. This post-rock four piece is dead serious and wants you to know it. Take the opening track to their devastatingly good EP New Works. Formally under the rather long working name of "WE'VE SEEN ALL OF THIS BEFORE. NOTHING IN THE WORLD IS NEW. IT'S ALL BEEN DONE," "Allegro" is a stirring call to arms with a slow building intro of muted riffs and big drums. Front man Aaron Folmsbee spends the first minute of vocals reminding us how fucking boring life can be: 'We've seen all of this before. Nothing in the world is new.' Hell yes we have! "Allegro," thematically, recalls the stuck-in-the-suburbs dread of Arcade Fire's Funeral or what many post-grads must be thinking after that first job honeymoon fizzles. Think the heavy emotions of the Antlers backed by post-rock heavy weights Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky, and you have yourself Marine Biologist. - MPM



3) Smart House - "Car Ride"
Things have been a bit quiet on the Smart House front as of late, but earlier this year, the four piece electro pop act captured our attention with their incredible debut single "Car Ride." Led by the Ogadzhanov Brothers, Alek and Staz, Smart House recalls the sunny side of the Cure and just enough Wild Nothing to get you dancing. You can't listen to "Car Ride" and tell me you don't hear a lot of "Pictures of You" in that guitar or even a sans vocals "Boy's Don't Cry" in the song's first half. When we talked about this song at the year's half way point, nostalgia seemed to be the driving factor of our love for "Car Ride." For me, I am reminded of those endless nights as a teen in Amherst with nothing to do and nowhere to go, but everything still ahead of me. Those nights were perfect. I can almost pin it down to the exact second in song, right around that sun peaking through the haze moment at the 1:57 mark, where those feelings emerge. "Car Ride" reminds me of a time in my life when things were so much more simple, before bills and 9-5 jobs, before the thought of marriage and children were running through my mind, a time I still wish I could go back to every now and then. - MPM 



2) JOHNS - "Worm Wall"
When we got hold of the pre-release zip file of JOHNS’ House of Wrongheads, there was an instant excitement that 2013 was going to be a great year for Buffalo music. “Worm Wall” is the first track on House of Wrongheads, and is a droning, dissonant work of beauty with an eerie sense of urgency. From lead singer Johnny Toohill’s ghoulish 'ooo' ing introduction, to the band’s one-chord jam session breaking out at the two minute mark, and ending with drummer Ryan McMullen’s tribal drum outro, this haunted-garage rock five-piece has made one of the best songs we’ve heard in years. - MJM

1) Del Paxton - "Motion Sick"
Well, it’s unanimous. Del Paxton captured our hearts this year with Worst. Summer. Ever., a six song EP of perfect emo-meets-math-rock masterpieces. It was hard to pick only one, but in “Motion Sick,” Del Paxton gradually crescendos out of their soaring, angular indie rock into a blissful, reserved sing-along, complete with jazzy drums and far-off harmonies. This EP perfectly encapsulates where the emo genre was headed before it was bastardized – Del Paxton is able to be introspective without being sad. The blend of emotion, complexity, intelligence, and just the right amount of pop sensibility helps this album appeal to almost anyone you can think of. Emo enthusiasts, fussy musicians, gear nerds… even punks. I think we can all agree on one thing, Del Paxton brought it home this year. This is music that makes you want to fall in love. - NAS 

If you missed songs 20 - 11, you can check them out here.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)