Album Review: "At Best Cuckold" by Avi Buffalo

At Best Cuckold

For today's review, we will be slightly less metal. Actually, that's not really accurate. We will be significantly less metal.

In fact this review isn't metal at all.

There's just been so much of it sent to me lately so that is what I've been writing about lately, but it was never my intention to be a metal site.

Today's review subject, Avi Buffalo, is a group of younger musicians who were in high school while they were recording their first album, but that was 2010, and today we're looking at 2014.

Now they are releasing their sophomore effort, At Best Cuckold on SubPop records. Should listeners be concerned about the dreaded sophomore slump?

Avi Buffalo

This album evokes many images, feelings, and adjectives.

The songs are light and airy. There is not a denseness to these songs. The music is allowed to breathe.

The vocals stretch wide and they have a very wide wingspan.

Sung primarily in a faux falsetto, they have an interesting strength to them and when called for, they go lower in tone to the upper baritone range.

The guitar is jangly and sparsely played.

There is as much guitar on this album as there are pockets of people on Tattooine. It's an interesting dichotomy when considering that the songs feel jangly. How many songs can you name that feel jangled when there's very little actual music in them.

The arpeggios inhabit the tracks, the vocals howl, wail, and plead. Music that can take you out of the moments you wish to escape are precious and this record did just that for me and it will do that for you.

Release: 9/9/14
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Sub Pop Records
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