Tonight a new DIY spot in Allentown under the name Dreamland will be hosting a jam packed DIY show that we are really excited about. On the bill is  The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt, a band I've personally been trying to catch since 2010, an act that's stage presence commands attention. It is high-energy, spastic, and fractured weirdo indie pop comparable to Dan Deacon leading a cult. 

Indie rapper / alt-rhymesmith / all-around-Allentown staple, Jack Toft is also on the bill playing tunes from his latest release/collab with Chauncey Tails titled (kooky azz) cartoon world. In between acts, Chauncey Tails will be djing keeping the vibe super trill. As you may remember from our early January post, Chauncey was listed as one of our top five-ish acts to watch in 2014. 

Also playing is Brattleboro, Vermont's Great Valley. The band's descriptor compares them to the "soundtrack to a children’s show version of Twin Peaks," to which I can agree and not really come up with a better alternative. Great Valley reminds me of Ariel Pink's 80's laced throwback jams.

This mega-bill also has Orlando's Michael Parallax, who's semi-sullen yet super-posi electro-pop jams are similar to that of School of Seven Bells, an upbeat xx, or a depressed Chunk of Change EP. 

Last but certainly not least is experimental Nietzsche's stalwart, Pam Swarts will be sure to bring the noise if anyone else has left it at home. Doors are a very early 5pm and donate to the out of town band fund. 

TERROR PIGEON LIVE from theterrorpigeon on Vimeo.

 

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.

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

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

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

When someone asks you to go to a rap-rock show, the best course of action is probably to do a murder. Maybe a suicide, too, just to be safe. But despite the 90s' greatest efforts to destroy two otherwise good genres of music, it's not all bad; not all rap-rock is gonna make you look like a goon in every middle-school picture. Check out Milwaukee rapper JUICEBOXXX, who adeptly mixes early 80s hip-hop, hair metal riffs, and a bit of eccentric indie-pop, with sounds that wouldn't seem out of place on either License to Ill or Odelay. You could thank bands like Ratatat or Sleigh Bells for bringing big guitars back into pop and hip-hop without treading the terrible music threshold, or even rappers like Das Racist for doing fun, tongue-in-cheek hip-hop without any pretense for radio-ready, ringtone pop. Or, you could just check out JUICEBOXXX when he fronts a live band in Buffalo tonight at Facility (25 E. Huron, 4^th Floor, 7PM), on a stacked bill that also includes Extreme Animals, Schwarz, UVB-76, NPLSK, and Jack Toft.

These are the facts. So, like, we are doing another party/show this weekend at Duke's (10pm), and Jack Topht is playing. Another fact is that Jack Topht is a genius Buffalo rapper guy, and I don't know why it took us so long to do a show with him on the bill. If you're not familiar, he does these real smart, sardonic, stupid raps to sequencer beats (with superfluous airhorn). It's like if Calvin Johnson did a collab with Das Racist and it was so stupid that you feel like a shithead for having tried to be smart all along, but fuck that, you have a good time listening. Eh, I don't know how to describe it - check his Soundcloud page below ("I'm a faggot commie 'cause I voted for Obamie" is one of my favorite rap rhymes ever), and get ready to dance/laugh/think/not-think when he does our show this weekend.

~Photo by Nicole Cooke

Jack is back, and once again, he spits in the face of convention with his latest work That Friggin Boo-Yah Tape. Released for free on his bandcamp site two weeks ago, the album is a fun fuck-you to normalcy. The Buffalo rapper is a an underground sensation that has made rowdy the best of parties with his freeform artistry of “doing-raps.” When Jack gets on the mic at a party, a case of PBRs gets crushed, and when he’s freestyling a verse outside of the Pink, you stop to listen. 

That Friggin Boo-Yeah Tape is encompassing of these live moments, and is ridden with interesting beats. Many of the beats were done by other Buffalo musicians including on the the opening track “Go Back to Russia.” The beat produced by Mario of UVB-76 centers around a sample of the recognizable clicking sound made by the volume button on Apple devices. This is so hilariously fitting for Jack’s lovable goofball lyrics about dissing some fool and telling them drunken Barney Gumble style to GO BACK TO RUSSIA! 

Unorthodox compositions are accepted and appreciated on this tape. My favorite track is “Big Bag of Funyuns.” The beat on this track was produced by Rouille, and has more of a classic NYC-subway swing. Jack comes in off the intro and lays down a spit-like gab similar to a Danny Brown tirade. Then, the beat rides out and off of the rails.

“I Wanna Live in Your Crotch Girl,” the finale of this controlled chaos, is the summary of Jack Topht’s dirtball swagger. I mean that in a completely complimentary way. You know how wet hipster girls are get when he gets this grimy live. Basically he’s just being real as fuck here, saying that even if you’re pussy’s bloody, we’ll fuck on a towel. It doesn’t get much more real than that yo.

If this kind of gutter-punk rap is too distasteful for you than leave Buffalo. Jack is just being Buffalo. He is mixing the segregated oil and water to make some very flavorful dressing, much like the culture of the Queen City. 

That Friggin Boo-Yah Tape is available for free download on Jack Topht’s bandcamp site. You can also watch the music video for “Brown Chair” featuring Dr. Ooo.