No, not REALLY. Jack is too awesome to be dead.

Need proof? Look no further than "I'm Dead Now," the bitchin' new track that recently appeared like an apparition onto his soundcloud page. Jack Topht raps hard with his signature nasal voice over a sick beat made by his cousin Chris. The song is 'in the style of Ghostface Killah,' and Jack kills it faster than a speeding bullet. "I'm Dead Now" is chock full of off the wall randomness and sexual references to make you moist. The infamous air horn kindly provides the outro. Turn your speakers up and prepare to get excited.

Somewhere hidden in the depths of my subconscious is a memory bank of samples. When I hear songs like "Our House" by Madness, memories of riding in the car back to my childhood home rush to the forefront, our little blue house planted smack in the middle of S. Collingwood Avenue in the city of Syracuse. Whenever I hear Spin Doctor's "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," I think of how my parents used to sing that to me; lyrically inappropriate, but in my naïveté they just loved how I'd dance around as they repeatedly called me "little miss."

About a week ago, Brooklyn based DJ and producer David Heartbreak released a new track "Dave's Diner." After pressing the orange play button I time-warped but for some reason couldn't quite figure out why those female vocals were so familiar. Until suddenly I remembered.

Remember Suzanne Vega? For those who do not, Drake used her song "Tom's Diner" as inspiration for his track "I Get Paper." But what I love about Heartbreak's rendition is that it's the most true to the original. Ambient bass with hip-hop influences and an overall throwback feel has had me hooked on this one.

Fun fact: For those Seinfeld fanatics, the "Tom's Diner" Vega sings about is in fact Tom's Restaurant in New York City. The street side shot was used each episode to introduce the group's regular spot.

Just recently, First Aid Kit has become an object of my affection.  When I initially discovered them through future bass producer baauer's remix of "Winter Is All Over You," their vocals and solemn lyrics sucked me in like a black hole.  Next thing I knew I found myself waking up to the shining sun with The Lion's Roar playing from my battered stereo system.

The Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg started in 2007.  Of course I grew a liking to them since their music is folk soaked in solace with just a hint of positivity.  You could only imagine my excitement when I heard they were coming to Buffalo nearly immediately after finding this newfound love.  Read our artist spotlight of First Aid Kit to find out more about them.  And if you crave something a little heavier, check out the baauer tune from our weekly remix last week.  

Tonight - July 30, 2012
Town Ballroom (681 Main Street)
doors at 7 pm
tickets available at the door $16
all ages

@FirstAidKitBand
First Aid Kit on Facebook

Remember 2007?  Two things were released: the iPod nano 4 and an album by Feist that was more then likely being played through those tiny earbud headphones.  When she came out with the happy-go-lucky and colorfully choreopgraphed video for "1234," Feist skyrocketed in 2007.  The mirrored iPod commercial had American consumers not only running to the Apple store to check out the new toy, but buying (and realistically burning copies of) her beautifully produced album.

Since the beginning of her music career in the 1990s and with the production of four albums, Leslie Feist became a music icon with her album release of The Reminder.  The album sold 1,000,000 copies and earned four Grammy award nominations.  This Canadian singer-songwriter is not limited to just a beautiful voice; she has also contributed to instrumentals with acoustic and electric guitar, piano, and the banjo.  Her website speaks volumes to her personality.  A section dedicated to charity, photos, status updates and a quirky video of a kitten with her namesake that's up for adoption - "Mushaboom" sounds in the background as the cat rolls around and hides in a paper bag.

She is currently on tour for her most recently released album, Metals, which the New York Times ranked #1 album of 2011.  In addition to Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Estonia and the Pitchfork Music Festival, Feist will be performing tonight in Buffalo at the Erie Canal Harbor, part of the Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor summer concert series.

Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Erie Canal Harbor
Tickets are only $20 at the gate




And a little remix Feist featured on her website.

Buffalo's DJ duo SwaggleRock has been upping their production game over the past few months, especially Steve Brown, otherwise known as DJ eSBie.  At a slightly slower tempo and with the incorporation of some new sounds, his bootleg of Grimes' "Vanessa" is an impressive rendering of the track released by the Canadian indie artist on the Darkbloom EP.  Tinkling bells paired with her angelic vocals brings a chilled out variation to the quick heartbeat of the original.




@_ESBIE_
DJ eSBie on Facebook
SwaggleRock on Facebook

Southern trap bass with deliciously hypnotic chopped and screwed vocals, Sines (Leroy Bella) has got it. Straight out of Houston, Texas, the areas cultural influences have inspired his dirty South dripping tracks released on multiple labels including Ministry of Sound, Echodub, L25, Formant (a dubstep label he established himself) and others.  His own label, Freshmore caters to a variety of bass music.  The label's blog is aesthetically pleasing for the urban eye; images of french inhales, fanned out hundos, videos, mixes and street fashion and art can be seen when scrolling through, along with the Buffalo Field Day flyer.  The feel is exactly how his tunes sound; grinding, sexy and powerful with a dark vibe.


He is also a part of the Gritsy crew.  Gritsy, Houston's popular dubstep and bass music movement, brought dubstep to the city in 2006.  Professionally produced videos of their parties with headlining artists such as Excision, Rusko and 12th Planet are exhilarating to watch.  Last summer Sines dropped our very own Stuntman's tune "Get Low" at a summertime Gritsy show; he'll also be opening for Sines on Saturday.  It's clear Houston goes hard but I'm sure Sines will be pleased with Buffalo's loving dedication to our city's music scene and our own crew, the Queen City Cartel.

Sines on Facebook and Twitter.






A Gritsy party...

Sines will be performing on Saturday May 26th, for Field Day presented by the Queen City Cartel with support from New Era and vitaminwater.  Allen Street will be closed off and Duke's, The Bend, and Sample will be participating in the day-to-night festivities.  There will be six headlining performances with support from over 30 of our local artists.  From 2pm-4am this is most definitely not an event to miss.  Keep up with our coverage, we'll be featuring a spotlight each day per headliner.

For more information check out buffalofieldday.com and the Facebook event page.

Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" has hauntingly beautiful and truthful lyrics. The indie track's vocals speak of a relationship that not only has gone wrong but the tendency that the other half becomes so distant that they are next to nothing anymore - merely a memory that no longer exists. It is the perfect anthem for that stage of clarity and near acceptance that someone who was there, well...just isn't. The lyrics provide comfort for those who are okay with an end but acknowledge the cowardice of the other and brings that unique mixture of realization and disappointment. Not to mention Kimbra's backing vocals are perfect and may bring you to your feet, over exaggeratedly mouthing along with the words or perhaps belting them out.

AnnaLove, DJ and producer based in Austin, Texas came out with a remix that holds a different sound but still manages to translate similarly. She captured the emotions and brings them out in more intense colors through familiar sounds. By using trap drums, high-pitched synths found in hip-hop tracks slightly reminiscent to Lex Luger's signature tag, and a sound effect that reminds me of Flux Pavillion's remix of Jamiroquai's "Blue Skies", the track transforms into a clearly rap-influenced piece.

It's well-crafted and has an interesting sound. No wonder I fell in love with it the moment I heard it; not only does it keep the powerful lyrics intact but also has this newly established hood evocation that I'm more then often getting down to. Enjoy.



Here's the original and the official music video.

Listening to Blackmill sparks visions of vast scenic landscapes and to me are the sounds of falling in love and heartbreak. It is melodic dubstep where you can thrive in solace or relish in ecstasy. Not the most well-known producer, his tracks deserve even more recognition then they already get. The ambient nature of his music makes it perfect for almost any minute moment in your day-to-day.

A quotation from the Scottish producer himself, Robert Card explains “Blackmill is the name of the house where my Grandad and Grandma use to live. I'm hoping to get enough support and the funding to be able to buy this house back. Since they passed away we had to sell the house. It's the place where I grew up and loved more than anything so I'm making this music to help get a part of my childhood back that should of never been missing.”

It is not the heavy, grating and sometimes exhausting dubstep that is seeping into the pores of the mainstream. The overall feel is euphoric and energizing. Some of his tracks, for example “Evil Beauty”, has magical elements that may bring about a feeling of longing for something lost. The journey of emotions that his music can take you on will bring smiles or maybe tears. It may have you closing your eyes and nodding along. It’s emotional. While at the same time uplifting your consciousness, it brings you face to face with yourself, and the core of your heart. It may make you content with the world around you, but it may at the same time have you day dreaming about another beautiful world. It makes me want to fall in love again.