Round-up Best of Bandcamp: September 2014
DIY rummages through countless new releases to pick out Bandcamp gems.
For the past few years, Bandcamp has bit-by-bit revolutionised not only the way we consume music, but the way we discover it too (see DIY’s Discovery piece as proof). Once upon a time masses would sift through rows upon rows of LPs in the comfort of a local record store, and while this tradition isn’t something that’s disappearing exactly, an ever-expanding digital world is constantly opening up new pathways for us to explore. Rather than packing up a dozen records down the high street on a Saturday afternoon, there’s now the option of rummaging through Bandcamp tags and adding an abundance of independent music to wishlists. In this feature, DIY does the rummaging for you. This is the Best of Bandcamp.
Catch up with July’s picks - including Tawny Peaks and Porches - and August’s choices, ft. Viet Cong and Horsebeach.
High Pop - Holy Smokes
The new release from Connecticut’s High Pop marries up the nostalgic factor of Wavves’ extremely lo-fi early material with the intensity and execution that Ty Segall has become renowned for. In places, anyway - this record definitely gives in more ways than one. ‘hey kid’ is a playful indie pop number for example, bouncing around sweetly with a catchy melody that’s as effortlessly as a great Girls song. ‘summer means nothing without you’ on the other hand brings Alex G to mind, mitigating its sadness with a pre-autumn vibe. It might have been two years since High Pop’s last output, but holy smokes! covers every end of the do-it-yourself spectrum, reaffirming the duo as connoisseurs of crumpled-up pop in the process.
dear - EP
Who knows who the voice behind dear is, but in a way, that’s part of the charm. She’s a “cool gal who’s interested in aliens and likes to write music” from Louisiana, and that’s all you need to know. The music speaks for itself - beautifully crafted dream pop that floats between shy toy synthesisers and intricately picked acoustic guitars. There’s a strong Daniel Johnston vibe to the musicianship, but dear excels beyond your typical bedroom expectations; transporting you to a whole other world of melancholy and sadness that takes place on a gloomy beach at the end of the night. Think Frankie Cosmos writing music late at night in a way that won’t wake anyone else up, or a spontaneous jam session brought upon after a bout of melancholy and sadness recorded on a gloomy beach.
Crywank - Embarrassing Early Recordings
We can all be a little self-deprecating sometimes, but Manchester’s Crywank are being a little hard on themselves with ‘Embarrassing Early Recordings’. A self-explanatory collection of initial tracks and b-sides, frontman James Clayton claims he “embarrassingly americanised” his voice in order to try and emulate his favourite musicians on most of these, but he’s his own worst critic. The tracks are a delight, and with sixteen of them available for a quid you’d be silly not to get stuck in - fans of hearty music that tackles the struggles of love and life and everything in between will find a lot to love in Clayton’s anti-folk strumming, and newcomers will find a doorway to one of Manchester’s best kept secrets.
Los Angeles Police Department - S/T
If there’s one artist who’s making ripples on Bandcamp this month, it’s Los Angeles Police Department. A prolific member of the LA music scene and an even more prolific member of the site itself, Ryan Pollie’s highly anticipated debut album under the moniker is nothing short of excellent. Painfully fragile like a wobbling object in an antiques store, this self-titled collection of eleven tracks gracefully wanders from one moment to the next, combining layers of gorgeously strummed chords with Pollie’s masterful bedroom pop aesthetic that’s more wide-eyed and ambitious than anything he’s recorded before. Those who have been enjoying the ethereal pop of Bellows, Mutual Benefit and Small Wonder will find a lot to love here.
With Bob Vylan, St Vincent, girl in red, Lizzy McAlpine and more.