I don’t know the best way to describe Buke and Gase, but I think that is part of what makes them so interesting. This is a duo of a woman named Arone Dyer and a man named Aron Sanchez and I highly encourage you all to give a listen to their unique sound.
The distinctiveness of Buke and Gase’ derives primarily from each member’s main instrument. Arone (who is also the singer) plays a six-string baritone ukulele and Aron plays a guitar and bass mixed together. Both built their respective instrument. If you haven’t guessed, this is what gives the duo its name: Baritone + Ukulele = Buke and Guitar + Bass = Gase.
I love a good portmanteau, and more importantly, I love a good sound. With Buke and Gase, I can have both of those loves satisfied. The instruments do not sound like a conventional rock band and their hybridity gives the duo a larger, fuller sound. Not content to simply have inimitable instruments for the sake of it, a song like “Medulla Oblongata” shows that Buke and Gase is very explorative and seeks to push the boundaries of typical pop/rock music in exciting ways. I should mention too that Arone has a special voice and they are somehow also simultaneously playing percussion. Taken together, I like how everything continues to shift dramatically over a short time. The song has an energy and inventiveness I do not hear in a lot of other music, at least not lately. I dig that and I hope after you play the song, you will too.
Buke and Gase – Medulla Oblongata
For more, their album Riposte is available here, and you can listen to other songs at their myspace page here.