It's Me - Musique

Rumanian Buck Is The Solo Project Of Aaron Lazar Who Is Lead Vocalist For Brooklyn NY Rock Act The Giraffes. Singer/artist Aaron Lazar The Man Behind The Mic In Brooklyn’s Own The Giraffes And The Art In Tzgani Design Brings Us His Newest Gift To Those Out There Looking For Something Interesting In This World Full Of Repetition Rumanian Buck. In A City Where Almost Any Sound Has Been Recycled And Repeated Over And Over Again Then Once More For Good Measure Lazar Has Again Proven He Always Has More To Offer. Starting Off By Messing Around With The Program GarageBand On His Laptop While On The Road With The Giraffes Lazar Has Built Up His Homemade Sound Into Something Layered With Style And Soul Yet Still Sounding More Beat Up Than Clean Cut. He Notes That The Sound Is Somewhat Similar To That Of Tom Waits Who Is Known For Using Unconventional Sounds And Methods Of Recording That Are Considered By Many According To Lazar To Be “wrong And Ghetto.” Lazar Was Exposed To Waits’ Method While Both Were Working With The Book Of Knots On Their Second Album Traineater Back In 2006. While Noting The Similarities Lazar Says Jokingly “The Only Reason He’s Doing It Wrong Is Because He Wants To Not That He Has To.” Recorded In His Own Home With No Fancy Studio-Style Setup Lazar Has All He Needs. The Heart Of Rumanian Buck Is Really The Drums – A Percussion Sound Working Off An Eastern European Gypsy Style That Was Originally Played On His Girlfriend’s Exercise Ball As A Bass Drum And A CD Case As A Snare. According To Lazar “The Drums Come First Then The Vocals Then Anything Else... I Live In A Noisy Neighborhood So Sometimes I’ll Get Random Shit That Comes Through While Recording Too.” He Adds To His Raw Sound By Using Some Old Guitars – One Being An Acoustic With A Broken Neck And Another A Brandless Electric Given To Him By His Grandmother When He Was 16. Lazar Also Uses A Lot Of Rhythmic Clapping Along With Any Other Wild Sounds He Sees As Fitting Including Keys Plates And Even Quarters. While Describing How He Works Up A Song Lazar Explains “I Almost Never Have A Plan I Just Like Playing Around With Things... It’s Actually A Lot Of Fun.” Though Some Of The Songs May Not Have The Happiest Subject Matter Throughout The Entire Album You Can Really Hear That Lazar Is Truly Enjoying Himself. Starting Off With “Slippercrumble ” One Of The Heaviest Songs On The Album Lazar Throws You Right Into The Rumanian Buck Feel. With A Simple But Heavy Guitar Riff A Beat That Sounds Like Playing Drumsticks On A Table Lots Of Clapping And Distorted Vocals This Song Is An Instant Favorite. The Following Track “It’s Me ” Is One Of The Catchiest Songs – Between The Opening Riff Intro Lyrics And The Style Of The Chorus Which Varies Each Time And Sounds Sung In One Breath! It’s Guaranteed To Be Stuck In Your Head. Another Standout Track Is “Crack In My Tooth ” Which After The Rush Of The First Couple Of Tracks Mellows Down With Lazar’s Voice Undistorted And Singing Slowly Backed With Just A Few Acoustic Notes And A Low Beating Sound. The Second To Last Track Is “Tineretze.” The Intro Is Somewhat Hypnotic With Its Sliding Guitars And Later With Lazar Dubbing Himself In Humming In The Background. As One Of The Sadder Tracks Seeming To Reflect On Some Of The More Recent Difficult Times Experienced With The Giraffes This Song Is Actually Far From Depressing. Opening With The Lyrics “Remember When You Were Told You’d Save Rock ‘n Roll Now You’re Getting Too Old You’re Moving Slow Nobody Says That You’re Clever No More ” It Can Seem Like This Song Is About To Bring You Down. But By The End The Song Has More Of An Uplifting Sound Which Is Revealing Of The Kind Of Person Aaron Lazar Is – An Artist Musician And Individual Who Keeps Looking Ahead To Something No Matter How Hard This World Has Been For Him. Seemingly Short At Seven Tracks But Running Near Forty Minutes Rumanian Buck Stands Against The Most Polished And Primed Albums Out There With Its Genuine Character And Soul You Can Hear In Every Note Every Clap And Every Random Sound Playing Through Your Speakers. Rumanian Buck’s First Performance Was Dec. 6 2008 At Meatlocker/Meatspace In LIC With Members Of Beat The Devil And The Big Sleep. read less