Bandcamp is one of the great music distribution platforms out there. It provides the most equitable treatment to artists who sell music on the platform of anyone out there. This Friday, May 1, Bandcamp is waiving their cut of all sales on the site. There’s no better time to purchase some music and support the artists you love.
Don’t know where to start? Well you’re in luck. If you have cash to burn, we can tell you where to spend it. We’re purposely avoiding albums we already wrote about, but the archives of the website are another great place to find suggestions (especially check out our label profiles for some great tips). Consider these recommendations a starting place; for everything we highlight here, there’s a whole label and/or artist’s catalogue to discover behind it. So don’t stop here, spend some time and explore!
We’ll start with some from yours truly (you can find more stuff on my Bandcamp profile), and then bring you some guest contributor recommendations for the occasion. I’ve highlighted some releases I particularly like, and shouted out the labels that put them out as well (along with links for your browsing pleasure).
S.A.P.T. | SOLOIST ANTI POP TOTALIZATION I first discovered S.A.P.T. via a recommendation from Call and Response Records head Ian Martin on contemporary Japanese music. This is weird, interesting underground Japanese techno-punk. If you’re not sold, just check out this live set performed recently under quarantine
PURE X | PURE X The return of Pure X was unexpected but truly a delight. This album is perfect for sitting inside your apartment and watching clouds slowly drift by (it’s the only way I’ve listened to it thus far). A modern take on slowcore to get lost in, brought to you by the folks at Fire Talk Records (and, spoiler alert, this isn’t the first time we’re gonna be talking about them here).
HISS | BIG HEET The recently dropped second album by the Philly band is well worth checking out, in addition to its predecessor On A Wire. At some points angular and at others just noisy, the record never ceases to surprise the listener. I’ve been able to give it one listen this week, and I’m excited to give it some more listens once I get it tomorrow.
COLLECTION | MORBID OPERA Perhaps the greatest riot grrrl band to come out of Florida (before riot grrrl was even a thing), Morbid Opera were active in the 80s in the Miami area. This record, a lovingly compiled compilation of their full recordings, is an interesting relic from the punk era that at times sounds like Patti Smith, The Cramps and more. Well worth checking out.
XV | XV Released last year (and almost impossible to find) XV is a band from the Detroit area. It’s an album those who like their rock’n’roll lo-fi and raw. Recently made available on Bandcamp, it’s high time more people discovered them.
STACEY’S SPACEY | MARCIA CUSTER Anything from the folks over at Unifactor is worth checking out (releases by Shells and Moth Cock are personal favorites), but we’re partial to this tape. It’s like a nightmare version of Sesame Street put to music. What’s there not to love?
GULU CITY ANTHEMS | OTIM ALPHA Dance the fastest you’ve ever danced in your life. Traditional African wedding songs reinterpreted with software bursting at the seams with joy. Check out the rest of Nyege Nyege Tapes offerings if this strikes your fancy, you can’t go wrong with anything they’ve put out.
THE BEGINNING & END OF CEREAL KILLER | CEREAL KILLER Frenetic hardcore from Australia thats stadium ready. You can learn everything you need to know about this album from the first track. The hooks are massive, hitting that sweet pleasure center of your brain. It’s the document of a band gone too soon (this was, literally, the end of the band).
ESSENTIALS | PATIO Another missive from Fire Talk, released last year. Patio make the most with the least. The songs are sparse and austere, but are never anything less than engaging. Reminiscent of classic British post punk records (think Pink Flag-era Wire) it still manages to be something all its own. One of my personal favorites of last year, now’s your chance to grab it.
DRIP MENTAL | FIRE-TOOLZ Fire-Toolz throws everything but the kitchen sink together on this release, and its true magic. Brutal metal and noise rub up against hyped up pop. A track like “All Deth Is U [CODENAME_FINAL TOUCH LOCATION]” tells you everything you need to know, with death metal vocals screamed over a driving beat. It’s the internet being dripped (pun intended) straight into your ears. Grab this one in preparation for a new Fire-Toolz tape coming next week from favorites Hausu Mountain (or, even better, just get both).
AUTO-PAIN | DEEPER The final entry from Fire Talk on this list, Deeper unleashed this gem right as COVID-19 was ramping up in the US. The record is invigorating take on the post punk genre, full of piercing guitars and strong riffs. Written in the wake of the death of one of their former bandmates, it’s a powerful album that should not be missed.
MAKE ME KNOW YOU SWEET | PENDANT West Mineral, a label run by ambient great Huerco S, brings you some of the finest ambient music today. This album is a release by his alter ego Pendant. Given the existential dread hovering over all of us, there’s no better time to throw on an album like this and stare deep into the void. Luckily this void is warm and inviting
ROLLIN’ ON | JESSE DANIEL A modern take on the Bakersfield sound, and one of the finest country albums to grace my ears this year. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering “Should I listen to more country music?”, let this album convince you the answer is yes.
EZ MINZOKU | FOODMAN The folks over at Orange Milk Records release some of the finest underground electronic music today. Orange Milk releases strike just the right balance between experimentation and pop instincts; anything they release makes for adventurous and fun listening. This particular record, by Japanese footwork experimentalist Foodman, is a great example of that balance. Check out releases by Giant Claw for another highlight in their back catalogue.
THE FREELANCER’S BLUES | DOUGIE POOLE Yes, I know I said I wouldn’t cover any territory that we’d already covered. We did a label profile of Wharf Cat two weeks ago (and seriously, just go buy their whole back catalog. You won’t regret it). But this forthcoming record by Dougie Poole is something special. A spaced out take on country music for city slickers, it’s destined to become a classic. Pick it up now so you can tell people you liked it before it was cool.
SNAPSHOT OF A BEGINNER | NAP EYES Any Nap Eyes album (or, for that matter, anything that Paradise of Bachelors touches) is well worth your time. This newest album by Nap Eyes is an exercise in empathy. These are songs written by kind souls, looking for the good in humanity. It’s a balm for these trying times.
THE COOL GREENHOUSE | THE COOL GREENHOUSE A band that has been building buzz for years with one off singles and a few EPs, we couldn’t be more excited for this album to come out. A offbeat take on the classic British DIY Messthetics sounds (combined with some Parquet Courts-esque flair), this album is gonna hit hard when it lands later this month. Be warned.
VARIOUS SINGLES | GODCASTER Godcaster is the latest signing to Ramp Local, one of our favorite labels out there. We couldn’t be more excited to hear what Godcaster have in store on the LP (hopefully hitting our ears later this year) but until then we’ll need to make due with the singles that have appeared so far. These tracks that are packed with angles and hairpin turns, and are never anything less than exciting.
And now for the guests. First up, great friend of the site Noa:
WHY’D I HAVE TO GET SO HIGH | SHELLSHAG The DIY punk duo has been together for over twenty years, making it about damn time to listen to Shellshag. This album has the fuzzy guitar/fuzzy feelings ‘5 1 and change’ and part-banger/part-ballad ’90s problem’.
WORLD’S STRONGEST DOG | LONG NECK Adept lyricist Lily Mastrodimos weaves thoughtful nature imagery with determined self-exploration as the band rips through a thrilling half hour of passionate indie rock. Self-released this month!
ALL OR NOTHING | SHOPPING On their latest, London post-punk trio Shopping smartly channels a fury with society into something vivid and danceable, with sharp guitar and bass filled out by synths and contrasting vocals.
DARKWORLD GLEAMING | TWIG TWIG Soft and shimmery experimental pop from multi-hyphenate music maker Zubin Hensler, the third twig twig album is comforting in its tenderness as it balances anxiety and hope.
And finally, we have this magnum opus from friend of the blog Hugh:
“I was asked to provide a list of recommendations for tomorrow’s fee waivin’, a request I immediately ran too far with. After a lot of whittling down these are the things I ended up with. I’m not sure why, but I stand by them all, they’re all very good and well worth supporting. There are two lists: one of releases, for those who don’t have the time to go Bandcamp spelunking, and one of labels, for those who were already planning on donning their headlamps.”
Releases:
HITS DE VERÃO VOL. 1 | BADSISTA “SPECIAL SPEEDY BLENDS BRAZILIAN ELECTRONIC MUSIC FROM THE GUETO OF SÃO PAULO TO YOU” says badsista. Need I say more? Absolute fire.
GET OUT OF THE WAY | THE BEEPS Brief but superb release from a newish Philly punk band, dropped quietly late last year. Fun and furious, sardonic in all the right places. See also: Soakie’s self-titled ripper from earlier this year.
SCRAMBLERS | CONTAINER The latest from the greatest. Recorded, mixed, and mastered in a day. Wholesome and depraved dance noise gnashers from Ren Schofield to chew you up and spit you out. Perfect for the faint of heart, time to toughen up. (See also the latest from Schofield’s own Plastic Bags label, Modern Food, an “electro-acoustic techno-punk” duo date between him and Horse Lords bassist/computer music maestro Max Eilbacher.)
ONE FOOT ON THE GROUND SMOKING MIRROR SHAKEDOWN | CP UNIT I keep circling back to this new one from prodigious alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos. Occupying a nexus of all things groovy and skronky of New York’s downtown legacy (despite being based in Brooklyn), the stellar band expertly, effortlessly mutates between/around/over/through noise rock and avant- jazz forms. With players on loan from Guerilla Toss, Ryan Power, and Jaimie Branch, its a perfect gateway drug for traversing the ever-merging NYC free music spectrum.
TALK TO ME | EDITRIX This short+sweet release from Wendy Eisenberg’s “avant butt-rock” band is further evidence of her stylistic (and literal) dexterity when it comes to all your shredding needs. It’s over a year old but I only just discovered it, where have I been all this time?
***Hot tip: Eisenberg is also apparently dropping some new solo demo material on her personal Bandcamp page on Friday for just 24ish hours. You will want it I’m sure.
IKI | FUJI||||||||||TA A real stunner hanging in a liminal zone between dreamy and woozy; a quarantine platinum hit for sure. The first widely available release (at least in this hemisphere from what I can tell) from the Japanese sound artist Yosuke Fujita is also the culmination of a decade of research and exploration. Its four expansive pieces find him testing the potentials of a pipe organ he built in 2009—just eleven pipes and an air pump modeled after a traditional blacksmith’s. Its melodic, hypnotic ebbs and flows offer a pleasant sense of dislocation, while its steadily insistent rhythms imbue it with an elemental force.
FROZEN | KLEIN The latest labyrinthine outing from the UK-based artist, destined to be another certified hit of quarantimes. Yesterday a roommate brought up the act of listening to music blindfolded, how blocking out other sensory stimuli alters his listening experience. Upon waking this morning I caught wind of this album, so I tied a sock around my eyes and sank in. Klein continues to hone her inimitable sound, pulverizing R&B tropes and setting them adrift in her expansive musique concrète atmospheres.
MUSIC FROM SAHARAN WHATSAPP 04 This year Sahel Sounds has been dropping a new EP from artists in the Sahel region of Africa every month, each recorded on a cellphone and transmitted via WhatsApp. They’re all pay what you want and 100% of the sales go to the artists, but the catch is they’re only available for one month. I managed to snag February’s installment of lovely domestic dispatches from Kara Show Koumba Frifri and Oumou Diabate. April’s offering (which I believe will be available until mid-May) is some great Northern Malian blues from Alkibar Junior.
PICKLED DAWN | OMEED & THE NATURAL SCENE Omeed Goodarzi has been steadily dropping excellent releases for the cosmically-inclined for years solo and with a rotating cast of Vermont’s finest psykick musical voyagers. His latest features greats like Chris Weisman, Ruth Garbus, and Hollow Deck’s Mia Friedman and very much lives up to the promise of its personnel. If you’re really looking to transcend be sure to check out his beautifully hallucinatory Zoltar Hid All the Locks as well.
WHISPERS: LOUNGE ORIGINALS I’m a sucker for the weird schmaltzy stuff. This may be my favorite release yet from Numero Group satellite Cabinet of Curiosities.
Labels:
bison This London imprint run by Abby Thomas only has four releases under its belt, but scoreboard says they’re four for four so far. With an expressed “soft focus on experimental song,” it’s already proven to be a vital font for the genre agnostics among us. I don’t want to play favorites with competition this fierce, but Kumio Kurachi’s Sound of Turning Earth brought me to the label, so. The Jim O’Rourke produced gem is made up of arresting folksong about the minutiae of daily life, with tunings inspired by the koto. Kurachi has been active in Japan since the ‘80s, but has had little exposure beyond, so this album is a huge step towards amending that egregious oversight.
Other recs: All the other bison releases, they’re all quite different, making us all the better for it.
CHINABOT “People are often fed a singular image of ‘Asian music’, but each of our cultures is varied and complex… Chinabot is a space for Asian artists to play with their ideas and cultural hybridities. By doing so we hope to create another narrative in contemporary music from Asia and its diaspora.” So often small, limited run labels dealing largely in cassettes are vanity projects, extensions of their curators sonic interests and musical networks. That’s not a bad thing by any means, but it’s still refreshing to come across one with a clearly stated, crucial mission. Chinabot’s been making good on theirs for the last three years and show no signs of faltering. Their latest tape, Brooklyn-based experimental rapper OHYUNG’s PROTECTOR, is a frenetic joy, perfect for climbing the walls at 4AM with weeks between you and the last time you went outside.
Other recs: Laughing Ears – Metamorphosis 形变; Seaketa – Gion ぎおん; Pisitakun – SOSLEEP; FAUXE – I K H L A S
PTP Geng’s PTP (fka Purple Tape Pedigree) imprint/artist collective offers a wide range of heavy musics borne out of gestures of “audio therapy and self-love.” It’s music for sitting with brutal realities in the hopes that you’ll stand up better for it. At turns meditative and incantatory, others harsh and pummeling, it’s gorgeously grim music for just plain grim times, the value of which should not be overlooked. Their latest release from Iranian-Canadian brothers Saint Abdullah, Where do we go, now?, might be the duo’s best release yet (and all proceeds are going to the New York Immigration Coalition). I also highly recommend checking out YATTA’s WAHALA, a remarkable 2019 highlight “about being black, being trans, and being African on foreign land… about the tension, splitting, mania, psychosis, and depression that work like a symphony of Bop It!s to keep me alive.”
***I do believe the label has suspended shipping on physical releases (with good reason), but consider it buying your future self a present.
Other recs: lojii – lofeye; Dis Fig – PURGE; Armand Hammer – Paraffin; Bonaventure – FREE LUTANGU
Unseen Worlds This one’s been good to me for over a decade, and unlike a lot of still- thriving reissue labels that started in the early-to-mid aughts, they’ve kept their catalog concise and approachable. It speaks to the care they seem to put into selecting each title. With a focus on “unheralded and revolutionary, yet accessible, avant garde music,” each is an anachronistic relic, rich in the histories they illuminate but oddly timeless. The name really does feel literal; everything they’ve introduced me to over the years has opened up entire scenes, styles, and histories I’d never glimpsed before. Now that you have nowhere to go, why not take a journey?
***As of writing they’re having an insane Pay What You Wish deal (that includes vinyl!) on their Bandcamp that extends to absolutely essential releases like Maria Monti’s Il Bestiario—a metamorphic art-song treasure with arrangements by Alvin Curran and accompaniment from Steve Lacy—and Jacqueline Humbert and David Rosenboom’s liberationist cabaret as J. Jasmine, My New Music.
Other recs: Michael Vincent Waller – Moments; “Blue” Gene Tyranny and Peter Gordon – Trust in Rock; Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe; Girma Yifrashewa – Love and Peace
Zabte Sote Despite sparse documentation, Iran is home to a thriving network of experimental electronic and noise artists. With its dedication to Iranian composers, Sote’s Zabte Sote label is fast becoming a vital resource for anyone interested in discovering some of the nation’s most exploratory artists. You can’t go wrong starting with the Girih series, an excellent primer of the musical landscape (see also Unexplained Sounds Group’s excellent 2017 compilation Visions of Darkness). Rojin Sharafi’s Urns Waiting to Be Fed was a top ten album of 2019 for me without a doubt, some of the most inventive, intensive trans-dimensional electro- acoustic noise out there. The latest release, Temp-Illusion’s Pend, promises blistering “hard electronic funk” laced with an underlying dread, one that’s been stoked by endless threats of cataclysmic war.
Other recs: Like bison, this is still a young label with a slim but consistently essential catalog. All worth your time.