Round-up Best of Bandcamp: October 2014

“Come and pick me up, my oven’s broken and my car is fucked.” Taken from album opener ‘Angel From Space’, this is one of many hexes LVL UP have to deal with on their excellent new full-length ‘Hoodwink’d’, the latest release from the also-excellent label Double Double Whammy. It’s a thoroughly depressing record when examined lyrically: chocker-block with lines about being stoned alone (from the aptly titled and blisteringly catchy ‘Stoned Alone’), pining for the past, existential crises, crippling anxiety and generally moping around. So just like any other melodramatic emo album then? Not exactly. LVL UP tackle these feelings as happy-go-lucky punk rock songs, grimey around the edges yet sugar-sweet on the inside. Their hugely melodic guitars are often crunchy and are at times Smiths-esque, swirling around their shoegaze-laden, grunge-tinged first world problems. It’s a surprisingly upbeat record and is highly addictive as a result, and songs like the brilliant ‘I Feel Okay’ will be swimming around eardrums this winter as often as raindrops.

‘Brown Horse’ is the split LP by R. L. Kelly and Spencer Radcliffe, two resolutely analogue musicians from Los Angeles and Chicago respectively. Released on the ever excellent Orchid Tapes (home of Alex G who Kelly has also collaborated with), it’s not often you see a split record of this length with both artists offering up six tracks each. But its two halves work in favour of quality over quantity, and while Radcliffe’s music is more akin to Daniel Johnston in its eccentric melodies and daydreamy sensibilities, Kelly’s is more concise and straightforward, drawing comparisons to Frankie Cosmos and Radiator Hospital in her playful approach. It’s easy to get lost in everything these two artists do, and as the days grow shorter ‘Brown Horse’ grows as a record that’ll keep you warm at night. Listen to Kelly’s ‘I Don’t Like Remembering Anymore’ in particular if you’re after a dose of heartbreak.

Now is the time for Brighton’s Chalk, exactly the kind of band who deserve to break through from Bandcamp-based persistence. With a full-length under their belt already, follow-up ‘How To Become A Recluse’ is the kind of fully-fledged indie rock Tellison and Copy Haho perfected at the turn of the decade, occasionally revisiting the tinges of math rock and emo both of those bands played around with too. ‘Everyone’s Problem, No One’s A Problem’ is a jittery headbanger, bobbing along with an uneven rhythm that’s got sing-along written all over it. Elsewhere on the record, you’ve got achingly beautiful acoustic ballads like ‘There Are Certain Things We Haven’t Told You’ as well as sprawling, The Xcerts-esque heart-wrenchers such as ‘Your Twisted Up Tale’. Those into the emotionally inclined indie rock that’s graced this country over the past few years would do well to pay these guys attention.

Once again, Bandcamp offers up a pristine hidden gem that comes with little to no information about the artist involved. But that’s what it’s all about, right? Sporting a strong vintage photo as its artwork, ‘Family Vacation Demo’ by dæphne is a four-track EP released by the Houston-based Funeral Sounds, the home of previous Best of Bandcamp stars Nouns and the also excellent, Joyce Manor-ish Donovan Wolfington. Opening track ‘Winona Ryder’ is an elegant, confident shoegazer, bathing in the same melodic moonlight that Swedes Makthaverskan did earlier this year but with the stars shining bright and the reverb turned right up. The juxtaposition between those crunchy lead guitars and the stellar lead vocal, as well as the way the tempo rushes forward just before the end are absolutely grin-inducing. Plus they have a song called ‘Driving Down a Highway Blasting Weezer’, so they’re instantly winners, right?

Tags: LVL UP, Best of Bandcamp, Listen, Features