The enigmatic rock band known as, Buffalo Mend is fronted by songwriter, Zac Bench, and hails from the western half of the USA. And that is all we know.
Previous album such as Shelter and Blue Mode set the table for their latest 19-track mega album, the southern-style guitar-rock lover’s dream, Center Street. Bear with me as I had a hard time picking just one favorite track. So, in an unprecedented showing of indecisiveness, I picked four. I believe after listening you’ll agree, it’s that good.
HERE’S WHAT WE DUG MOST…
Opening with the slow, bluesy, southern-rock sounds of, Hellhounds, Bench preaches the end of days amidst a sea of grimy electric licks and we are instantly reminded of Gov’t Mule…
“And his father tried to bring the water down the mountain…”
One man, one acoustic guitar in, 18th Century Blues, feels like Neil Young in this nostalgic track.
The live, lo-fi production in Peter Rabbit’s Lament works like warm, slow molasses. There’s some subtle, psychedelic elements here as well. The overall pace and mood has a Junior Kimbrough-esque appeal to it.
OUR FAVORITE TRACK #1… 1923, the album’s most beautiful and heartfelt offering pairs nothing more than two electric guitars with Zac’s classic timbre. It’s a slow and somber look back at old mistakes, laced with hope to avoid them one day in the future…
“You said the weatherman’s been calling it, all day…”
One Wind is a great example of what heart can add to a simple piece of music. It’s just lovely, and we really dig the lo-fi drum track.
OUR FAVORITE TRACK #2… Bench’s Dinosaur Jr reference jumps out the speaker in, For The Birds. Slow, grungy distortion meets crying licks in this subtle break-up track of epic proportions…
“I guess I should know
Couldn’t figure you out
I didn’t say, what I didn’t doubt
And I know you, gone so it sounds
And you know me, lost in the clouds…”
OUR FAVORITE TRACK #3… A beautiful ballad in ode to the omnipresent notion of love, Free Train, works its magic in minimalist fashion, the way all magic does…
“And I got no where to go
But they say that love is everywhere
It’s everywhere…”
OUR FAVORITE TRACK #4… Help A Friend has a touch of Petty and Mad Season to it. The heartwarming melancholy of this man’s music is really something…
“He’s gonna need you
I’m gonna need you too
Help a friend…”
Girls, money, booze, and gluten. You absolutely MUST listen to the slow unwind of, Life…
The bright and poetic, My Heart, feels like something off of Harvest Moon. At just 2:42, it’s an instant replay.
Concluding this wonderful project is, Sally, one more broken-hearted ballad from a man who seems to own the blue print. Slow, grimy chords, simple rhythms, simple licks, and Zac’s Petty-esque vocals send us on our way…
“…oh tell me, Sally
Was it broken from the start?”
IN CONCLUSION…
Lo-fi, hand-crafted magic. Utterly and beautifully tragic. A reflective and honest piece of sonic poetry. Buffalo Mend’s third studio album, the gorgeously melancholy, 19-track super project, Center Street, hits you in the chest, time and time again, track after track, with slow southern riffs, and substantive, relatable writing.
The album is blood, guts, love, loss, tragedy and hope all bundled up into one perfectly rough-around-the-edges package. The unpolished, lo-fi production—ESPECIALLY in the drums & percussion—only adds to the charm as each song’s minimalist composition needs nothing more than Bench’s prose and an ear to listen to it all. It’s an instant candidate for our top 10 albums of 2020. Check out Center Street below.
WHOSE LOVECHILD…?
Neil Young meets Gov’t Mule with a twist of Petty…
BELOW: Listen to Buffalo Mend’s album, Center Street, and connect with them online. Please support Buffalo Mend by visiting them online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music! And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!
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