Rapidfire Reviews: If Kansas Had Trees, RXKNephew, Buffalo Tom

Published: June 12, 2024 by the Editor

If Kansas Had Trees – Where you thought you were

At the end of this month, If Kansas Had Trees will open One Step Closer’s Everything you kiss record release show alongside Koyo, Arms Length and other Wilkes-Barre locals Choice to Make. They adapt naturally, like their first LP Where you thought you were triangulates the happy medium between pop-punk and emo, blending the best qualities of all these groups.

On tracks like “Stubborn” and “My Memory,” If Kansas Had Trees trades in the kind of mathematical, acrobatic guitar licks associated with contemporary emo, and grafts them onto the kind of snotty hooks that pop-punk bands of the beginnings The 2010s were writing; the latter is one of the band’s best tracks, where they really play on the contrast between the verses and choruses. The singles “Decay” and “Swallow” do similar tricks; the former is a classic mid-tempo pop-punk track, but “Swallow” is a highlight: they lean into 2010s nostalgia and draw inspiration from the “soft grunge” of the era, reminiscent of early LPs of Turnover and Basement. If there is a weakness in Where you thought you were, that’s it: much of the record is clearly indebted to so many other artists of the recent past. But If Kansas Had Trees is a young band, and this is only their first album, and to be honest, most of the bands that inspire them haven’t released such strong debuts. They grew into themselves, and If Kansas Had Trees will do the same.

Disappointing / Average / GOOD / Great / Phenomenal

Nephew of RXK – Until I’m dead 2

RXK Nephew invoiced for its 2023 project Until I’m dead as his studio debut, and although he’s released thirteen projects since then – eight last year and seven this year – he’s ultimately kept up well. (By the time you read this, he’s almost certainly dropped even more music.) The production on Until I’m dead 2, as on the original, is handled entirely by frequent collaborator RX Brainstorm, and the two are now well versed in each other’s strengths. As always, the beats are eclectic, but Brainstorm brings a ton of house influence this time around, like on tracks like “Proud of Me” and “Walmart,” and “My Money” features one of the more club-y beats- ready by Neph. hit. Other tracks are more elegant, like the cascading synths on “Aint Tiktok’n” or the starry, airy rhythm “Intro (Heartless & Relentless).”

Until I’m dead 2 gives us a glimpse of the Rochester rapper at his most restrained; “Body” features Neph at his most mellow, adopting an almost R&B cadence, and it matches the energy of the “Intro (Heartless & Relentless)” beat by retreating into a conversational, deadpan flow. Lyrically, while still hilarious, Neph doesn’t shy away from more personal topics: tributes to his grandparents, his uncle and his parents, and apologies to his daughter. It’s easy to think of RXK Nephew as a punchline rapper, but all along Until I’m dead 2 he turns out to be much more than just an American terrorist.

Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal

Buffalo Tom – Jumping rope

Buffalo Tom had a huge influence on emo bands of the 90s (Christie Front Drive and Mineral in particular were avowed fans), but they failed to establish themselves among emo fans in the same way that other founding groups like Superchunk or The Smiths. . Certainly, it may be easy to understand why; Buffalo Tom has a softer and more folk sound, but it’s still a shame, like on the group’s tenth LP. Jumping rope they’re still as powerful as they were when they were bona fide college rockers.

Jumping rope is probably the band’s most stripped-down album, with the band relying much more on acoustic guitars and soft, undulating harmonies than in the past; opener and lead single “Helmet” is something of a red herring, one of the liveliest tracks on the Jumping rope. The light and boisterous “New Girl Singing” that follows is a more apt summation of what to expect from the album, but it also manages to feature one of the album’s greatest choruses. The album is most successful when the songs manage to breathe without extinguishing the hooks; “Pine for You” and the pairing of “Our Poverty” and “The Belle of Borderline Dismay” are great examples of this. Unfortunately, “Compromise” immediately kills the momentum; similarly, “Recipes” is a by-the-numbers folk rocker. On fourteen titles and more than 50 minutes, Jumping rope may drag, but its highs are high enough to warrant a spin – they’re as good as anything Boston’s indie legends have ever done.

Disappointing / Average / GOOD / Great / Phenomenal

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Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison

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