As another month passes, bandcamp continues their unwavering support of artists that continue to struggle, but hopefully soon, we will be back going/playing shows. Either way, here's 7 suggestions for yr listening pleasure.
Nightshift - Zoë
Ya, yea, ye, I've already written about this in the previous recommendation post buuuuut I hadn't heard the whole LP (and has only recently been released in full), and wow, this is so so so good. The restrictions of lockdown in their process has really elevated their songwriting, more based on loops, and mantra like vocals with hints of jazz, krautrock, post punk and early 90s post rock all tucked together for maximum results. I love how the guitar isn't a main focus, its all about the pulse. It's probably just me but they kinda remind me of a less abrasive Pram. Everytime I listen, I pick up on new lil momemts, that sometimes contextualize the song in a different light, like in "Outta Space" catching the lyric "There's no air in outer space" makes the song feel more errie. Another lil moment I love is how in "Spray Paint The Bridge" how it keeps circling back to the fluttering 3 note clarinet part that pushes up against the verse creating this levity I really like. This record is just dope, experimental without being pretentious, but with subtle vocal and instrumental hooks. Fire.
https://nightshiftgroup.bandcamp.com/album/z-e
Landon Cadwell - Bicycle Days
2 haunting, wonderous, pastoral and beautiful ambient/new age adjacent tracks from Landon Cadwell. This tape has been my morning go for the last month since I got it. Each track is around 20 mins, and its totally engaging, evolving and blissful. He weaves recurring melodies through the songs runtimes to evoke nostalgia for youthful moments of excitement, reflection and what it felt like the be on your bike as a kid, feeling free. Its quite lovely and cant wait to hear what he has coming this year on Moon Glyph and Trouble In Mind.
https://mockrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bicycle-day
Dravier - Earth Mirage
LA really feels like the hub of great ambient, new age, experimental electronic music, its wild how many great releases have come out from artists here. Dravier is no exception, creating a mixture of ritualistic rhythms, new age swirls of synth soundscapes. Unlike another Not Not Fun release Coral Club, which felt like humid tropical landscape, Earth Mirages sound like an traveling through the cosmos to land in a alien rainforest from another dimension. Their are elements imo of kosmische as well, that really makes for a far out listen.
https://dravier.bandcamp.com/album/earth-mirage
Grand Veymont - Grand Veymont
Would like to shout out Steve from Moon Glyph records for putting me onto this French groop, he knows I fuck with dreamy vocals over a motorik beat. What you get here is a slightly broody krautrock/kosmische with lovely vocals sprinkled thoughout, with a more avant leaning presentation. Imagine if Broadcast (haha era bleeding into tender era) had foregone pop and focused more long occulty hypnotic jams. Its def in same zone as Erasers, Zomes and early Smoke Bellow.
https://grandveymont.bandcamp.com/album/grand-veymont-2
They Are Gutting A Body Of Water - Destiny XL
Hallucinatory mutant gazey noise pop/rock that goes hard, I'm so excited Citrus City is issuing this on cassette. This is one of the few bands I feel like "get" MBV, its crushing, in yr face but not in an overly masculine way, driving, dreamy, but at times very abstract with the inclusion of hip hop beats/production to break up the feel. Its someone from one of the best "shoegaze" bands Blue Smiley. I like on bandcamp the stream is side a and side b to force you to listen to it as complete sides, its flows similar to a Spirit of the Beehive album. Its like a liner lucid dream. Anyway, good gaze is hard to come by, and here's some.
https://citruscityrecords.bandcamp.com/album/destiny-xl
Fievel Is Glauque - Gods Trashmen Sent Right To The Mess
Found this on bandcamp daily, its a kaleidoscopic combo of bossa nova, lounge, fusion and indie pop. Its kinda sits at a cross section between Astrid Gilberto, Belle & Sebastian, Cortex and a lofi beat tapes. Its mostly 90 to 120 second bursts of exuberant energy, subtle grooves and dreamy but confident vocals. Its all record live, to tape so it gives me that quality I love about early Patsy Cline recordings. There's hints pointing in a more experimental direction here and there, I hope they mine that more in the future. Honestly, lots of potential here, excited to hear what they do next.
https://laloi.bandcamp.com/album/gods-trashmen-sent-to-right-the-mess
Pram - North Pole Radio Station
Its still early in the year, so not a huge pool of releases have come out yet that I'm feeling super hard, and I tend to include older stuff, and this is a perfect place to start for the uninitiated to one of my favorite bands Pram. Easily one of my favorite discoveries over the last five years, and super influential to Dummy. North Pole Radio Station is Pram's fourth LP, and in my opinion their best entry point. Early Pram much weirder, dissonant and abrasive, until Sargasso Sea which saw them mellow on the somewhat aggressive Can inspired noise/post rock, into a dreamy almost exotica band. With NPRS they become more accessible, pop folding in elements of bossa nova, lounge, dub, library music, jazz and psychedelic pop and swirling it all together into a cohesive and brilliant listen. The vocals are the thing that normally turn people off, but I love the soft coo of Rosie's voice. The LP is just a beautiful journey through a weird little self made wonderland
https://pram.bandcamp.com/album/north-pole-radio-station
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