Buck Starball

When he’s not smoking plastic wrap, local lo-fi electro freak Buck Starball is yelping drug-addled Isaac Brock-ish lyrics over artfully programmed beats and instantly catchy synth lines – producing what could aptly be labelled “modest house.”

From start to finish, They Took Your Drugs Away is a weird, hooky, often comical bedroom slam-dance party. While it’s tough to single out hits from the consistently strong tracklist, party-starters Space Station, Holiday and Dude Jackets are total fucking winners, no question.

Additionally, the dark Bum To The Drum sounds like Skinny Puppy covering Now I Wanna Be Your Dog, while closer Our Last Year builds to a deliciously optimistic synth line that you’ll catch yourself humming in the shower.
Buck Starball’s CD release goes down Friday (August 15) at the Smiling Buddha Bar.


NOW | August 13-20, 2008 | VOL 27 NO 50
- Now Magazine Toronto

Smiling Buddha Bar isn’t a great dance venue by any stretch of the imagination, but that didn’t stop super-fresh electro MC Buck Starball from getting bodies sweaty at his banging inaugural live performance.

Perhaps inspired by David Bowie’s various stage personas, Buck appeared in a crazy costume and flanked by a freaky bearded angel sidekick/hype man who only added to the blissfully bizarre spectacle. Shrouded in smoke and backed by laptop sequences, the duo sounded like someone crafting super-catchy bedroom electro while simultaneously enduring a bad acid trip.

Capped off by weirdo anthem Dude Jackets, Starball’s amazing set completely transformed the normally bland venue into a place I actually wanted to be. Local party promoters searching for a killer live act should look up Buck ASAP.

Sat, Aug 16

- Now Magazine Toronto

5 BUCK STARBALL
They Took Your Drugs Away (independent)

Insanely (or maybe just insane?) catchy trippy electro-indie-rap from the still criminally-unknown drug-addled producer/MC.


(For the full list go to http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=166559)
- Now Magazine Toronto