Bands that ride in the groove of established musicians may not change the industry, but they can certainly produce some fine ear candy.
The Stay Low's latest release "The Red Budget EP" resonates with Explosions in the Sky, Do Make Say Think, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. For the talented quintet, that's not such a bad thing.
"Red Budget," the band's second release, is a collection of six sonic landscapes that slowly uncoil and crescendo, growing more poignant with each listen. The EP serves as the perfect soundtrack for traversing the town at night or tripping on elevators.
The Stay Lows heave words to the wayside, relying almost exclusively on their instrumental talents. What few lyrics are contained in a song remain indecipherable, permitting the band to issue wordy titles to their tracks.
Similar to when Godspeed slapped cruise missiles on the cover of "Yanqui U.X.O.," The Stay Lows attempt socio-political commentary with titles like "That's What You Get For Talking About Science" and "The Zombies Have Laptops."
Unfortunately, the idea of packing one's opinion into a verbose song title has already been done like dinner. Post-rock bands should just name their songs after Cheeto flavors; the results would be just as effective.
Longwinded track names aside, The Stay Lows possess an undeniable maturity in their music. Their eclectic, roving harmonies are addictive but never feel repetitive. "Requiem for Ventura Boulevard" emotes a feeling of terminal loneliness in a crowded city. "Shooting The Breeze With An Air Rifle" conjures manic feelings of being a rabbit in hunting season.
The band also has numerous local ties. Alex Etringer (acoustic guitar) and Jeff Delmerico (bass), both writers for UB's former music newspaper the "Prodigal Sun," employed Rick Kowalski on drums after meeting him at the UB dorms in the late '90s. Today the band performs almost exclusively in Buffalo.
The Stay Lows' next performance takes place on the Friday, Oct. 28 at the Mohawk Place at 10:30 pm. At only $6, the talented band promises both a moving performance and a free copy of "Red Budget."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
