Andy Gabbard
Fluff
Alive Records [2015]
Fire Note Says: Andy Gabbard comes at you with a 90’s rock guitar in his hand.
Album Review: Have you ever sat in your room and just thought of making a record? I don’t even care if you can play an instrument, remember one lyric or even been close to a stage but I think everyone at some point has dreamed of cutting some tracks. That feeling and fantasy is the vibe I get off of Andy Gabbard’s debut Fluff.
You may already know Andy as the guitarist and vocalist for the Cincinnati based Buffalo Killers but here he steps out on his own and gives you a rush of fuzzy 90ish type rock. The record is a fast ride with not much reservation our restraint, which is really why I like it. This album has the nostalgia of the alternative rock heyday that starts on the opening title track. The first guitar and skins you hear on “Fluff” comes at you like it could be a new Nirvana track while “Supernational” is right out of the Superdrag playbook. Gabbard’s more sensitive side shows up on “LYSM” which stands for “love you so much,” as he sings the chorus with somewhat of a Matthew Sweet impression.
Of course, you can’t take the buffalo out of this killer completely as you can easily hear his band potentially playing more than one of these songs. Fluff succeeds because it has no expectation. With the Buffalo Killers still looking for a bigger audience over at Sun Pedal Recordings, Andy is free to do here what he wants and that is simple – rock out. The entire throwback comparisons are not a knock on Fluff by any means as it is an album that gets a quick foot in the door because it sounds familiar. Don’t mistake that familiarity as a reason to ignore it because the album is a pure fun and sounding alternative rock record. If that is not your thing you probably will want to move on but if you dig that era, enjoy the Buffalo Killers and/or just want to get lost in the buzz – Andy Gabbard is your man and Fluff will meet your needs!
Key Tracks: “Fluff” / “Supernational” / “More”
Artists With Similar Fire: Superdrag / Dinosaur Jr. / Matthew Sweet
Andy Gabbard Twitter
Buffalo Killers Website
Buffalo Killers Facebook
Alive Records
– Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
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