Johnny Nobody, 

Mayday!

Catamaran

Peanut Brittle Satellite

Utah Jazz

10. Son of the Sun - To us, Son of the Sun is the hardest working band in Buffalo. While most bands just wish to be famous, Son of the Sun actually tries to do something about it. They've played in front of large crowds at Artpark, released a stellar debut album, toured parts of the US, and played on local radio stations.  If 2010 was this successful for them who knows what will be in store for 2011.

9. Billy Drease Williams - Mr. Williams is no stranger to success. He's previous accomplishments are so numerous, we don't even have the space to mention them all here (just look at his wikipedia page).  But with around 1 million hits on YouTube for this videos 'Just Doin' It' and 'Run', 2010 might be his biggest year yet. The local emcee who released the critically approved LP Good Morning Amy continues to break new ground and move Buffalo's underground hip hop scene forward.  

8. Love Scenes - the youngest band in our list doesn't have a whole lot on their resume. No LP to speak of, no EP, no bandcamp or reverbnation page. Just about the only thing the band does have is a great name and an infectious sound that's easy to love and hard to forget. Their unique brand of bright eyed electro pop is so current, so fresh, that my only worry is that get passed over as some typical hipster band. Because honestly, this band is anything but typical.


7. The Fucking Hotlights - The Fucking Hotlights have terrorized this city all year long. With crunchy guitar, drums and bass that sound like instrumental Primus and vocals that command your attention The Fucking Hotlights have a sound that's impossible to ignore. Their in-you-face style can be a bit obnoxious if your not ready for it, but even at its most repugnant moments, TFH hit you like sonic sledgehammer to the face, and will leave you impressed.


6. Handsome Jack - A staple of the local music scene in recent years, Handsome Jack bring rockn'roll back to its long forgotten roots. Long hair, scruffy beards, ripped jeans, and a 1970's garage band sound, nothing makes these gents happier than some whiskey and a ripping guitar rift. Their self released EP prologue was a buffaBLOG favorite and helped earn this band our # 6 slot.


5. (at sea) - few bands have a sound as spacious and expansive as (at sea). Even fewer band use banjo's, saxophones and wood blocks to craft this sound. This year (at sea) opened up for major acts Bear in Heaven & Timber Timbre. They played enough local gigs to keep us happy but still wanting more. And most importantly, they introduced us to a very organic and exploratory sound that we didn't even know we were missing but now can't live without.


4. Bearhunter - If you took the best aspects of 90's indie college rock and infused some modern refinement you would get the sound of Bearhunter.  Like an older brother introducing you Dinosaur Jr, or Pavement, this band knows a thing or two about rockn'roll you may have forgotten.  This year, the band released their sophomore LP 'Still Life Terriarium' which frankly blew our socks off. And even though the band could have easily stopped there, they still continues to write new material for almost every show.


3. The Tins -  Next to Son of The Sun, no other band has had the amount of success on blogosphere as The Tins. In addition to being mentioned in NME, the band became a favorite of Something to Shout For, The RocknRoll Report & recently made PMA's top 100 songs of 2010. With an appearance at this years CMJ and number of kick ass local shows, The Tins have been making a name for themselves everywhere they go. Like a mix of Interpol, Yo La Tango, and Wilco with Beatle-esq tendencies The Tins have had a tremendous sound and have established themselves as a premier Buffalo band.


2. Arctic Death - There are a lot of reasons Arctic Death became one our favorite bands of 2010. They create songs are short and simple. They use stripped-down guitar rifts, perfectly timed drums and accentuating bass lines. They have clever lyrics that sound crystal clear and are easy to understand. But of all these things, perhaps our favorite reason we like Arctic Death are the unique vocals of John Crook that are in the same vain as John Forgerty or Caleb Fallowhill. Vocals that are so indispensable they become the identifying trait of the band and the signature sound that separates them from everything else. When all of these aspects are combined, the result is a sound a fresh as spring water and as rockin' as The Strokes. Cheers to you Arctic Death!


1. The Bird Day - This one pretty much comes as no surprise. Of course our favorite band of 2010 would be The Bird Day. I mean,We even use a picture of them in our header. We blogged about them an hour ago. plain and simple, we <3 the bird day. Since the first time we heard the debut LP 'Collect Vibrations' earlier this summer we were hooked. Shimmering snyth layers on top of break dance drum beats, vocals samples and easy to listen lyrics, honestly whats not to like. Its about time a band from Buffalo tries to emulate the pop-synth indie rock sound that's become so popular in the last 4 years. A band that's willing to try to be the next MGMT, or Passion Pit. The band isn't perfect, The the vocals are sometimes to soft  and each songs is a little predictable, But they're young and have all the potential in the world to make something of themselves. Already the band has been mentioned in fashionindie & bigstereo and was featured on Blalock's widely popular play list. Best of yet, the band doesn't stay still. They continuously write new material(see below) and opened for national bands like The Besnard Lakes & Freelance whales. So here's to you Bird Day. Have a good 2011

Find more artists like the birD day at Myspace Music