In 2015, when Avi Zahner-Isenberg announced the end of Avi Buffalo, he said that although the band life was not for him, he would continue making music and maybe even release some, joking that “I will probably honestly be 40 or 50 when that happens and extremely fat.”
Well, the songwriter-composer-producer-guitar whiz is still only 29, and he’s looking mighty trim in recent photos on social media. And this week brought a new Avi Buffalo song, “Skeleton Painting,” a epic 6 1/2-minute journey through the hallowed halls of orchestral and prog rock. The scope is Floydian.
To rewind: Avi Buffalo burst out of Long Beach (reluctantly, as it turned out) as a teenager, hailed as a prodigy. In 2010, he released a self-titled album for Sub Pop, followed by “At Best Cuckold” in 2014. Both earned deserved acclaim. Since he checked out of the band life, he has dabbled in ambient and improvisational music, collaborated with artists such as Litronix and Ari Prado, toured Europe and pursued painting. He’s also playing in the new band Sink Drinkers.
“Skeleton Painting” was some two years in the works. It was recorded in living rooms and various studios, including the Lab Studio in Highland Park (with Frankie Siragusa engineering) and Woodshed Music in Long Beach. Production comes courtesy of DeRock Tucker (who also played bass) and Dave Andersen, and the lavish arrangements feature strings by Meg Webb and woodwinds by Dave Dillon.
Dense lyrically and complex yet warm sonically, “Skeleton Painting” feels like some sort of thesis, a song that begs to be read as well as heard.
The Fat Angel Sings 