THE ETHER: Jettisoned to the stratosphere with Continental Drifft

Listening to Continental Drifft's third album 'Prequel'

Continental Drifft's sound is like a psychedelic experience. Always elusive and hard to pin down. The fuzzy four piece that has been cruising the Rochester scene for a couple years. Their tunes bring a modern garage rock flair to the acid jazz genre. Their music seesaws and shimmys through various influences. Quick shifts from garage rock, to blues, to jazz, to indie are common. Strung together with reverb-heavy grooves and uncommon lyricism.

Their latest album 'Prequel' released late February. It's the first influx of new music we have heard from the band in two years. It is a much needed alien transmission from our sludgy space cadets.

A center theme the band enjoys playing with is a strange one: Space Wizards. Continental Drifft acts as our cosmic bards telling us tales from a far away place. Each release in their discography is more like a chapter in a book. Each song gives us another look into a fantastical fictional world.

Their first album ' Wizarding War' sets the stage. The tracklist includes 'Emergency Broadcast,' 'Kids Go To War' and 'Take To The Skies'. The lyrics are about exactly what you think. References of away stars and robbed mystics are peppered throughout the album. The band described second album, Genesee Johnny, as a 'heart-rending, nightmarish vision of mystic nihilism'. It serves as a dystopian Mad Max-esque sequel to the first. The solemn heavy tones bring to mind sci-fi cities shell-shocked and ravaged by war.

Unlike the Star Wars prequels, this one is worth a damn. Continental Drifft jettisons us back to the beginning. 'Prequel' is a spacey psychedelic journey through the cosmos. The album takes a cheerful tone, much like the first. Vocalist, Shane Driffill, croons and groans his lyrics fitting well into the hallucinatory instrumentals. The feedback and pedal loops are theremin styled. Mike Converse is a rocket of a drummer firing off rapid percussion each track.

The guys bring it back to earth a few times breaking character of sci-fi storytellers. Rochester-heads will notice Easter egg references to bars and local locations throughout the album. The song 'Melancholia' is all about meeting a girl in the South Wedge. Though told in true Continental Drifft fashion. The story line of the song seems to shift timelines and add oddity to an otherwise simple topic.

The main appeal of this music is how well all these elements weave together. The songs can talk about insect rebellions and rocket ships without being cartoonish. The band bends and warps different musical genres into one immense sound. An individual style hard to find anywhere else. Even party songs with the usual themes of sex, drugs, and loud music contort into something new. The band keeps you guessing in the best way. Continental Drifft is the music that will be playing on the jukebox in the restaurant at the end of the universe.

• Song to listen to: Kinter Kings
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ContinentalDrifft/
• Bandcamp: https://continentaldrifft.bandcamp.com/album/prequel

Joe Palmateer is a freelance writer and music columnist. He previously founded the Rochester Insomniac Magazine and now knows too much about local music to stop writing about it. You can contact him at joe.palmateer@allwnyradio.com.

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THE ETHER: The gentleman rapper is back

Reviewing M Dot Coop's solo album 'Finally, I Can Vibe'

M Dot Coop is a journeyman musician who always has his fingers in the Rochester music scene. He holds a stunning resume from solo projects, featuring spots, his work with Audio Influx, and a successful hip hop show series called 'Let's Be Friends'. His newest release 'Finally I Can Vibe' is his first solo album since the Suede Elbows EP in 2013.  If album's title is implying that Coop was held back up until now we are in for a good time.

To say the kid gloves are now off is a bold statement. Luckily, M Dot Coop does not fail to disappoint. 'Finally, I Can Vibe' is a personal manifesto wrapped up in interesting beats and wordplay. The gentleman rapper has a tongue-tying delivery that no one has reproduced. His sharp clever delivery forces you to listen to each verse a couple times to catch everything. The instrumentals send out ethereal vibes. The beats behind this album would fit during the climax of an action movie. The whole album flows and sways. Each song intertwines with one another.  The effect is the whole album seems to take on a life and heartbeat of its own. 'Finally, I Can Vibe' is best enjoyed with dim lighting and a thick haze of smoke.

There is not a wasted second in this LP. A gang of talent backs up the verbal virtuoso throughout this project. Local heavy hitters Chris English, I.Am.Tru.Starr and DJ Tim Tones all make appearances on the album. The backing talent adds a whole other level to an already beautifully complex album. The combination of head-bobbing beats and cerebral lyrics makes 'Finally I Can Vibe' a motivating force. The album gets your blood flowing and fills your head with dreams. His rhymes cover a range of topics but all boil down to the main theme: Work. It can best be summed up by M Dot Coop's own Bushido Code. The word 'Deli' which Coop peppers into his choruses, song titles, and the name of his entertainment company is actually an acronym. It stands for Dedication, Experience, Livelihood, Integrity. There is not a better way, to sum up, M Dot Coop's attitude and style than that.

• Song To Listen To: Show World feat I.Am.Tru.Starr
• Website: mdotcoop.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/mdotcoop/

Joe Palmateer is a freelance writer and music columnist. He previously founded the Rochester Insomniac Magazine and now knows too much about local music to stop writing about it. You can contact him at joe.palmateer@allwnyradio.com.

GURNETT: Kill the Clock's latest is upbeat, energetic

Kill the Clock is a local, four-piece pop punk outfit from Buffalo. Their new EP "To All My Friends and Family" is upbeat and energetic, with complex rhythms and a professional-sounding mix (with one exception, as noted below). You can hear many influences of their genre in their music, which calls to mind Good Charlotte, Brand New, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Relient K, and Stiff Little Fingers.

Opening track “Fighting the Weather” features great harmonies and backing vocals and is the best mixed track on the EP -- too bad it's only 55 seconds long. It feels like as soon as it starts to grab you, it abruptly ends. I would have loved to have heard this song fleshed out some more; as it stands, it feels like an unfinished segment of a song. The second track, “Rookie with Potential,” pushes forward with cool, distorted fuzzy bass and driving drums, while “Welcome Back Weekend” inspired me to do some air-drumming in my living room. “The Red Flower” ends with some tight lead guitar hooks but isn't very catchy or memorable on the whole. The title track closes out the EP. The mix seems a little muddy for this track, as the drummer's toms sound completely lost and the vocals are too loud; otherwise it's another not-particularly-memorable track.

To All My Friends and Family is upbeat and catchy. That said, it sounds just like every other pop-punk/emo band of the last 15 to 20 years. While the lyrics can be witty from time to time, it's filled with too many of the banal cliches that mark the genre.

From their videos, Kill the Clock looks like they'd deliver a fun and energetic live performance, but to be truly memorable, you have to take the genre and add your own flair to it, not just follow in the footsteps from the last 20 years. They clearly have the chops to be a valuable contributor to the local music scene, but they need a sound that is truly their own.

Find Kill the Clock on Bandcamp at https://killtheclock.bandcamp.com/

Ryan Gurnett has a B.S. in Music Industry from The College of St Rose. He has worked as a studio engineer, live sound engineer, producer and sound editor and has been a musician for 25 years. He is currently the bassist for The Lady, or the Tiger?. Email him at never_really_been@hotmail.com or find him on Twitter @SirWilliamIdol.

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GURNETT: Conscious has strong start in hip-hop scene

With only one year as a rapper under his belt, 21-year-old Conscious is a surprisingly adept, emerging player in the local hip-hop scene. His debut mix tape, "Waking Up the Neighbors," offers interesting rhymes, honest lyrics and a smooth flow that speak to his inspiration by artists like Drake. As with most debuts, there's room for improvement, but it's definitely a promising start.

The opening track “The Come Up” is a great showpiece for Conscious's Macklemore-like lyrics:

It's like we feed of negativity to function/
I feel purified when I'm away from it all/
If wasn't for this music/
There would be holes in the wall

The lyrics feel honest, the flow is tight and the hook --

No one said it will be easy/
People stay some people leave me/
But I will never/
No I will never lose my mind

-- is all sorts of catchy. That said, the track does have some production flaws. The beat is repetitive and only changes mildly during the hook. The backing lacks a certain inspiration, like someone just pressed the 'on' button on a drum machine. And while Conscious adequately handles singing the hook (with the aid of auto-tune), it would have been more interesting to hear another voice on the track. Some pretty female vocals could have made the song stand out more.

Similarly, “Notice Me” is a decent track but not terribly memorable. Another singer would pump up the hook and really reel listeners in. It's the addition of extra embellishments like this that could take several tracks on this album to a higher level.

Tracks like “Mario Andretti” take the mood from honest to boastful, which doesn't create as strong of an impact. The keyboards are infectious and the hook (while a little cheesy) is catchy, but this brief track has its production issues as well; the backing vocals on the hook sound like a first-take attempt missing any effects that might have made it more interesting.

“Back On” featuring Jake Lilly is the standout of the mix tape. Where some tracks sound like they were rushed in the studio, this song arrives radio-ready. It'll make you bob your head, tap your feet or whatever it is you do when you get into your groove. Conscious sounds great on this track and flows well, and Jake Lilly completely owns his verse. I love the hook, I love the groove, I love the track, period.

The final track, “Latly”(sic), highlights the best of what Conscious does: upfront, personal lyrics. Another ready-to-air track, its production is slick and well thought-out. Conscious handles the hook adeptly and the lyrics ring sincere. This is a song that many people can relate to

Lately I've been searching for a purpose/
Lately I've been feeling worthless

Overall, the seven-track "Waking Up the Neighbors" is a strong start for Conscious. At just 21, if he keeps improving like he has in his debut year, he could be a standout in Buffalo and beyond. Some fixable production complaints aside, his tracks have a strong flow and sense of rhythm, and when the production hits its sweet spot, the sound is polished with hooks that'll stay in your head and beats that'll make you move. If you're into honest, slice-of-life hip-hop, you should check out this mix tape. The future looks promising for Conscious.

For more on Conscious, check out his Facebook and Twitter.

Ryan Gurnett is a local musician with an appreciation for other local music. Email him at never_really_been@hotmail.com or find him on Twitter @SirWilliamIdol.

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LOCAL SPIN: The Hovelists release new single 'My Dear'

Hailing from modest roots in Olean, local act The Hovelists have recently released their new single, "My Dear," which can be found here. The track, while starting out slow, is a song that can find its place among the right listeners if introduced correctly.

There are a few minor downfalls with this song. The verse and chorus have trouble identifying themselves from one another which makes the song sort of ramble on as if you were listening to a three-hour lecture about neuro-molecular studies (and I don’t even know if that is a real thing).

However, the song actually turns out to be pretty cool; not catchy, not “fun,” but cool. The vocals throughout the verse have a good way of flowing in and out of each other through echoing and harmonies. There’s darkness in this song that can only be acknowledged through lyricism and unique instrumental qualities. Listening to this song made me think of bands like Brand New and The Used.

Judging from this band and their first single from their new album, expect a dark-sounding album separating itself from the rest of the local music scene. These guys sound different, and different is good – especially in an environment where your success is based on how much you are able to stand out. Overall the song is good (not great) but I am excited to hear what else this band will release in the future.

The Hovelists are currently performing regionally and recording tracks for their first full-length album “Error of the Second Kind.” The album will be completed this fall and is scheduled for release in the spring of 2017.

Rating: 7/10

James Burns reviews local music for All WNY News. Catch his column every Monday. And contact him at james.burns@allwnyradio.com.

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LOCAL SPIN: Musmah: Buffalo music scene’s best kept secret

If you’ve never heard of local rapper Musmah, you’re not alone. The Nigerian rapper is fairly new to the local music scene having only been living in the U.S. for three short years. However, the young talent is well-known in his home country as his new single Designer has hit No. 27 on the charts.

The song, while talking about living a life of luxury (which a lot of rap songs do) separates itself with a catchy, jazz-like vibe. The instrumental background offers a calm, relaxing sound while Musmah shows his ability to rap in a fluent, flowing fashion. Emulating the sounds of Future throughout the hook of the song, the single shows that, if exposed, it has the potential to be something we could hear on the radio right now.

With the rap game growing and continuing to flourish, Musmah is an artist that you should look out for not only on the the future. If local scene, but potentially bigger stages in you are a rap fan and get the opportunity to see him perform live, do not pass it up. Musmah is expected to release his second EP sometime in September.

Check out Musmah’s hit song Californication here.

Rating – 9/10

James Burns reviews local music for All WNY News. Catch his column every Monday. And contact him at james.burns@allwnyradio.com.

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LOCAL SPIN: The Rifts storm onto Buffalo music scene with new demo

Hailing from Buffalo, The Rifts are one of the newest bands on the local music scene.

Emulating the sounds of classic rock, newer alternative rock and modern funk, the Rifts have exploded onto the Buffalo music scene with their new four-song demo.

The first song on the demo is titled Killing Time. The track is highlighted by a powerful chorus and short yet effective guitar solo by lead guitarist Cory Clancy.

The best song and lead single on the demo is entitled Make No Mistake. The verses have a very Strokes-esque effect on them with a very heavy, muffled sound. Throughout the first verses and chorus the song is catchy while not having any pop-like implications. The song then picks up into a very fast tempo in which there is another guitar solo by Clancy ending the song.

The third song on the track is called Balladia. This song, cleverly enough is the only ballad on the album. The soft verses in the song bring to life the chorus of the song in which front-man Brendan Hoare’s voice is projected through your speakers.

The final track on the album is entitled Rush. Nothing about this song stands out compared to the others, the chorus is good, not great but the instrumentals behind the song are some of the most interesting to dive into.

Overall this demo shows The Rifts are still getting used to each other. While there is a lack of chemistry that other bands show after years of playing together, this band shows potential when it comes to reaching that peak. This band is good and they will probably be really good in about a year. If you haven’t seen this band play live then do it. The growth of the Rifts will be something that the Buffalo music scene cannot hide from.

James Burns reviews local music for All WNY News. Catch his column every Monday. And contact him at james.burns@allwnyradio.com. 

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