Buke and Gase
Function Falls
Reviewed by Erin Sullivan
Hailing from Brooklyn, Dyer and Sanchez use their unique instruments and voices to create such a one of a kind EP. According to a write up on Brassland.com, a Buke is “a self-modified six-string former baritone ukulele” played by Arone Dyer who sings her heart out on most songs. A Gase is “a guitar-bass hybrid of Aron Sanchez’s own creation.” Most new listeners will probably be dumbfounded by this, because it’s so awesome to be named after two instruments you created.
The first track on Function Falls is “Misshapen Introduction” which begins with the gase and buke playing and then Dyer enters singing lyrics that you can’t really understand, because of the music playing behind her. At times her voice has this funky sound to it and you can hear how deep her voice really is at the bottom of her register. Throughout the song, there are futuristic noises that almost sound like buttons being pushed on a machine. Listeners will really get a feel for what the whole album will be like through listening to this song.
“Tending the Talk” is the most rock song on the album and sounds a little eerie as the song plays. It starts with this continuous music playing that could get annoying, but then it stops. Her voice starts out really high and then gets lower and lower as the song plays. Between the drums, the gase, and Dyer’s deeper voice at parts the entire song sounds heavy and it drags out. Dyer sings “Let’s drag this out” throughout the song so it fits perfectly.
The album ends with an funky rendition of New Order’s “Blue Monday”. The instrumental music in the beginning is a bit edgier than the original, but it works the rest of the album. You can really hear the Sanchez playing a repetitive rift that fuels the song and the Dyer plays a futuristic part on her buke that echoes right before she sings the memorable lyrics. The original sung by Bernard Sumner features his deep voice with is so different from Dyer’s higher pitched voice.
Buke and Gase have a full-length album set to release in early 2013. We can’t wait to see what’s next from them, because it will definitely be memorable.
Rating: Bad Ass
