If you’re in the mood to catch some new music this week, here’s a suggestion. Buke & Gase, the experimental New York-based duo, will be at Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night to kick off a national tour in support of their new album, “General Dome.” Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez first attracted attention in 2010 for building their own instruments. The sophomore effort, which was released today, seems to be convincing at least some critics that there’s a lot more than a gimmick behind Buke and Gase.
NPR’s Stephen Thompson writes:
…Without overtly evoking celebration, there’s an air of delight in every tiny sonic bombshell, as Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez maneuver their homemade instruments through songs that rumble and clamor and grind with unmistakable electricity. On 2010’s Riposte and the new General Dome, out Jan. 29, Dyer and Sanchez construct their odd, sinewy anthems out of a few unusual ingredients: the “buke” (an electrified six-string baritone ukulele), the “gase” (a guitar-bass hybrid, given a new spelling on General Dome to stave off mispronunciation), handmade amps, effects pedals, and percussion that revolves mostly around stomping. But any gimmickry is merely a means to a raucous, hypnotic, alluring end…
The whole album is streaming today on NPR’s “First Listen” blog. You can see Buke & Gase tomorrow at 9 p.m. at Bowery Ballroom ($15).
