New Buffalo

Sally Seltmann has the sort of cool, even voice that communicates maximum emotion with minimum effort; it's a common trait among Seltmann's indie-folk contemporaries, but the girl who goes by New Buffalo inhabits it better than most. Close-mic'd and occasionally double-tracked, the Australian singer-songwriter's best asset is her calm croon, a subtle instrument that oscillates between a Feist-ian hiccup, a Cat Power-y purr and a childlike whisper that nods to twee-er pastures. Somewhere, Anywhere, Seltmann's second album as New Buffalo, peels back the layers of gauzy electronic bells and whistles that characterized 2005's Last Beautiful Day, allowing her elegantly constructed melodies to take center stage.

Seltmann has matured in the years since Last Beautiful Day, and she's now able to wring multiple shades of melancholy from her piano and voice. Somewhere, Anywhere shifts patiently through styles, easily encompassing the Gilbert-and-Sullivan bounce of "City and Sea," the cocktail jazz woodwinds of "It's Got to Be Jean" and the bittersweet indie pop of "Emotional Champ," the album's breathtaking centerpiece. Lyrically, Seltmann seems to have dug herself (at least partially) out of the depressive hole that informed much of Last Beautiful Day's self-help poetry. Simple gestures like "It's True"'s chorus mantra of "you are / it's true" imply a simple, existence-affirming optimism that suits Seltmann's newfound musical economy.

—Todd Goldstein
08.28.07

Like Britain's Los Campesinos!, the Australian indie electronic outfit New Buffalo are expanding the artist roster of Canada's increasingly impressive Arts and Crafts label beyond its roots as the house organ of Toronto's Broken Social Scene and their many offshoots. But unlike the debut Los Campesinos! EP, which somewhat awkwardly marries the trademark Broken Social Scene post-rock sound to an indie pop band that has more in common musically with the likes of Art Brut, Somewhere, anywhere. is the work of a musician who has found her own voice. Sally Seltmann, who for all intents and purposes is New Buffalo, has roots in the Aussie indie pop scene of the early '90s, but Somewhere, anywhere. is a sparse and primarily electronic album of dreamy, minor-key tunes that trade in subtlety and delicacy. Seltmann plays nearly every instrument, with her piano at the base of most of the songs; at times, as on the quirky, childlike "City and Sea (Lady Nameless)," Seltmann's piano and coolly inviting vocals are almost alone, with only occasional vaporous trails of electronics shimmering across. Elsewhere, Seltmann accompanies herself with flute, accordion, and other unexpected musical accents, but throughout, her immediately appealing voice and abstract, poetic lyrics remain at the forefront. Fans of early Kate Bush, Emily Haines' solo records, and Laura Nyro's trio of classic albums will find much to appreciate here. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide