Sometimes, I cruise the internet when I’m jonesin’ for new music. Sometimes, you just need something different than that album you’ve been listening to since you found it in a record bin.
When I’m not switching between Fitz & the Tantrums’ Pickin’ Up the Pieces or the self-titled album from The Head and The Heart, I lurk on Youtube. That is exactly where I happened across Young Buffalo, a duo of twenty-somethings hailing from Oxford, Mississippi. These cats draw influence from diverse sources: from San Francisco garage bands to Bowie, with a dash of The Smiths and the Beach Boys thrown in there as well.
The band is Ben Yarbrough and Jim Barrett. Yarbrough and Barrett have been playing together since 2004 or 2005, but Young Buffalo wasn’t born until 2009. When asked about the origin of the name, Barrett said, “The name was something I was using for solo recordings, and when we got together and starting practicing and were going to play a show two weeks after we starting practicing and hadn’t come up with a name that we liked, we just sort of kept it. We weren’t even meaning to keep it, but it just sort of stuck.”
Their sound can be described as “harmonious noise pop,” according to Yarbrough. Of the effect on their sound brought about by live performance, Barrett says, “It’s different live than what we’ve recorded—it’s bigger and louder; it’s not as nice and clean-cut and polished as our recordings. It’s a little bit rough around the edges. It was hard for us to play that every night and then try to hold back and focus on the vocals. Our last few shows have been kind of drum and guitar driven, which are different than our recordings, which are more focused on vocals and more rhythmic, you know.”
If they weren’t in music, you’d find Yarbrough in the classroom teaching English, whereas Barrett could be found behind the wheel of a big rig driving across country. Maybe he’d listen to the same stuff the band’s currently noshing on while driving around the US- Bowie, some crank call CBs and a few comedians thrown in there, too.
The verdict? Not only is Young Buffalo skilled at writing catchy tunes that make you move your hooves, they’re also pretty rad dudes and big vinyl fans, so we love ’em all the more. “We definitely prefer vinyl,” said Barrett, “it’s not such an instant way to listen to music, it’s more an experience. And it’s a work of art, with the whole packaging and everything. We’re definitely supporters of that. Last night, we went to an awesome record store, and we bought a bunch of records: rap, Def Leppard, all that shit. Bill Cosby. Eddie Murphy. Some awesome ones.”
So TVD readers, if you’re jonesin’ for some new music that is sure to knock your socks off, head out to the Beachland Tavern tonight and catch them. From there, they’ll be heading to Chicago, so if you’re out that way, you know what’s good, too.
