General Dome

Buke and Gase have set the bar impossibly high for 2013 indie rock. Comprised of a Buke, a baritone ukulele, and a Gase, a guitar-bass hybrid, the duo of Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez combine to make angular and staccato music that remains eminently listenable and relatively pop-friendly despite its otherwise odd description. Opener “Houdini Crush” establishes an energy that the two manage to perpetuate throughout the entire record, a feat considering their self-imposed limitations using handmade instruments and foot percussion to create their sound. Led by the formidable voice of Arone Dyer, who sounds like a punk-furious Tori Amos if she fronted The Ex, General Dome manages to charm even while it intimidates with heavy, if melodic, instrumentation. For a band that literally marches to the beat of their own drummer, this album is exceptionally catchy.