aaamusic | On 13, Aug 2011

Buffalo Killers

‘3’

Alive Naturalsound / October 24^th 2011

CD / download / blue and purple vinyl (500 copies of each colour)

“I love Buffalo Killers – really f**king good songs.” Chris Robinson in Mojo

“I bought a copy and was stunned, like ‘holy shit!’ They transformed from a good garage rock band to light years ahead of what they were doing in terms of songwriting, arrangement and harmonies.” Dan Auerbach – The Black Keys

“What the Jesus and Mary Chain were to the ’80s, Buffalo Killers may well be to this decade, brilliantly bringing the beloved sounds of yesterday into a new millennium.” All Music Guide

“Rooted in great sweaty and swampy blues-rock inspired by ’60s garage rock and psychedelia” The Cincinnati Post

On October 24th Alive Naturalsound continue their relentless campaign of stunning releases, with ‘3’, the third and self produced album from Cincinnati trio Buffalo Killers. The LP contains twelve amazingly well-written songs, adorned in shades of Haight Ashbury, Laurel Canyon and contemporary US indie rock.

Fans of the The Magic Numbers, The Band, Vic Chestnut, Ron Sexsmith, Traffic, The Sand Band plus Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young) should find much to adore in ‘3’.

These killer tracks are perfectly paced and structured creations, rhythmically bouncy and harmony-rich, with elegant guitars that weave, sparkle and drive the melodies, giving the album a distinctly desirable feel.

‘3’ opens with the majestic ‘Huma Bird’ before blasting into the invigorating, groovy rock and roll of ‘Circle Day’. A versatile set, the songs contrast but gel brilliantly as a whole.

There are dynamics aplenty as the band flow effortlessly from the countrified soul ode ‘Cry My Last Breath’ to the beautiful, flowing ‘Lily Of The Valley’. ‘Move On’ sounds like a far more accomplished version of Primal Scream’s ‘Cry Myself Blind’ and features fellow Alive luminary Brian Olive on sax duties.

Buffalo Killers are brothers Zachary (bass/vocals) and Andrew Gabbard (guitar/ vocals) plus Joseph Sebaali (drums). Zach formed the five-piece garage rock band Thee Shams in 1999, which included the other two future members of Buffalo Killers.

Thee Shams released four albums on four record labels before the Gabbards broke up the band in late 2005. In early 2006, the brothers recruited Thee Shams keyboardist Sebaali to play drums, thus forming Buffalo Killers. The new band’s sound was a more polished version of Thee Shams’ minimalist garage rock and soon drew comparisons in the US press to Blue Cheer, Mountain and The Rolling Stones.

Buffalo Killers quickly signed to Alive Naturalsound Records after sending a EPs worth of tracks on a burnt CD with just their telephone number and name on. The label liked the recordings so much that they asked to release them as they were. These songs were the foundation of what became their self-titled debut album, which was released in October of 2006.

Buffalo Killers drew the attention of Chris Robinson, who invited the band to open a string of dates for The Black Crowes. That road trip spawned the songs for the band’s second long player, ‘Let It Ride’, produced by The Black Keys’  Dan Auerbach.

The recording session took “only a few days”, says Dan, who downplayed his role in making the album: “These are the kind of guys that don’t need a lot of help when it comes to making records or sparking their imagination.” Auerbach adds that his most important contribution was in “capturing the raw live sound of this band”.

Most recently, BK collaborated with Kelley Deal (of The Breeders fame), on ‘Sing For Your Meat: A Tribute to Guided By Voices’. It’s only a matter of time before Buffalo Killers are held in the same high regard as these seminal bands.

www.alivenergy.com

www.buffalokillers.com