Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop, and even hard rock slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable, popish and highly corporate. I hereby call this new breed of music “Poser Rock” and I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs & Rock n’ Roll” into “Yoga, Vitamins and Nikelback” Of course millions of musical lemmings don’t know the difference and trust me when I say not everyone is entertained. Talking to many music fans out there the response is overwhelming. Give me something new, something fresh, something real. So across my desk slides the new CD by Australian band The Buffalo Crows (Black Tooth Grin) a band that hails from Newcastle. Their recordings showcase the eclectic songwriting approach: from brooding, musically-involved pieces to simple, minimalist moody tracks to full on grove studio creations all contained therein, recent recordings presents a no holds barred collection of songs. It may not be the most modern sounding collection to digest, but its rewards are manifold, and at the center of each piece and every arrangement is an effective, if often simple, melody. Theses recordings find a band like The Buffalo Crows channeling (rather than being inspired or influenced by) a wide array popular-music-history’s critically renowned American classics like The Derek Tucker Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Faces and The Average White Band. I can also hear Chinawoman, Crime and the City Solution, EKV, and Soulsavers. When I spun this CD I must admit what I heard put a smile on my face and had me wanting to go to the nearest pub and get into a brawl. It’s a flowing record that delivers solid songwriting with a hard rocking-bluesy feel. The Buffalo Crows remind me of a modern day Neil Young with a classic rock aftertaste. You will also hear a side of Alternative Rock, and even straight up Hard Rock and Hard Boiled Blues along the way. If you like the above bands you should definitely check out this CD. My favorite track is probably “Day After Day.” This CD from The Buffalo Crows is invigorating. Invigorating in the sense that it will lift your spirits, and give you a sense of hope that real rock music is not officially dead yet. This CD is a solid release with many solid grooves with a guitar driven sound and entertaining vibe that is nitty gritty and at times thought provoking. The Buffalo Crows is one band that gives us a fresh glimpse of what Rock music is supposed to sound like and takes us back a few years — before everything started sounding like — well like NICKELBACK.
SOUNDCLOUD Link: https://soundcloud.com/buffalo-crows
Joshua Beach edited by Mindy McCall
Review Comments: indiemindymccall@gmail.com
