Tag: bandcamp

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Quick links: Middle Ages cat names, Turkish Funk, Java price increases…

AI-generated picture of a cat staring at a computer, in a woodcut / watercolor style.

A couple of quick links today for your enjoyment:

That’s it for today, we now return you to your regularly scheduled Internet.

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“Con Todo El Mundo” – Khruangbin

Album cover, "Con Todo El Mundo" by Khruangbin. Features a beige cover with a small photo of cows standing in a field with the title of the album underneath.

Took a little detour on revisiting my top 100 albums but we’re back with Con Todo El Mundo by Khruangbin. It’s easy to see why this album didn’t make the cut in 2016: It wasn’t released until 2018.

I think I stumbled on Khruangbin via an NPR Tiny Desk concert. It was an instant click, love at first sound.

The band’s sound is a fusion of influences from around the world. Largely instrumental, you’ll be able to pick out a lot of pop, funk, surf guitar, psychedelic and other influences that all come together to form something really special.

Con Todo El Mundo is still my favorite Khruangbin album, though they’ve been quite prolific since its release with Mordechai, Mordechai Remixes, Texas Moon, and last year’s Ali. (Plus a few singles thrown in and contributing to Paul McCartney’s McCartney III Imagined with a remix of his “Pretty Boys.”

But this album just has that extra something that puts it over the top. Listen to “Lady and Man” for example. It’s got a monster funk groove, some vintage 70s guitar work, with a background chorus that you’ll be singing to yourself long after the album ends.

“Maria Tambien,” is a slinky number that always has me dancing or tapping my feet. Such solid percussion and bass work, it’s deceptively simple and draws you right in.

My favorite track, though, has to be “Evan Finds the Third Room.” Yes, this is the Third Room. Yes. Mark Speer’s guitar is nimble and perfect, Laura Lee’s bass and DJ’s drumming plus a little spoken word chorus make for an instant classic.

They’ve had quite a bit of attention since 2018, but if you haven’t caught up with Khruangbin yet, start with this album. I had the good fortune to snag tickets to see them at The Lincoln in Raleigh at the tail end of 2018 before they really took off and started doing much bigger shows. They’re just as good live as they are on record, which is to say amazing.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=906393946 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

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Coming soon: Instrumental album from Robyn Hitchcock

Cover of "Life After Infinity" by Robyn Hitchcock. It features the title in cursive, with a fish on a blue background with a rose superimposed on top of the fish.

The past few years I’ve been seeking out more and more instrumental music. Khruangbin, The Comet is Coming, Material, Pharoah Sanders… but I wasn’t expecting to add Robyn Hitchcock to that list!

Robyn has released a few instrumental tracks in the past. I Often Dream of Trains is bookended by two short instrumental tracks, “Nocturne (Prelude)” and “Nocturne (Demise)” that are hauntingly beautiful. But the vast majority of his catalog includes his unique vocal stylings. (If you’ve never listened to Robyn, you should correct that immediately. But if you want a description, just take equal parts John Lennon and Syd Barrett with a dollop of Bob Dylan and there ya go.)

Anyway, I was excited to see the announcement this week that he’s releasing an all-instrumental album Life After Infinity in April. Two tracks are already live on Bandcamp, and you can pre-order the album there in the format of your choice. Unless your choice is 8-track, in which case you cannot, but why would you?

“Celestial Transgression” reminds me a lot of the aforementioned Trains. “Come Here, Little Ghost” has a twangier, folkier feel than I’m used to with his music. Maybe a touch of bluegrass? That’s the genre that comes to mind, but admittedly I’m not a big bluegrass listener so I could be way off target there.

At any rate, I love both tracks and can’t wait for the full album to drop in April.

 

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Listen to this: Steve Lawson “Episode 50: A New Hope”

Steve Lawson album cover, "Episode 50: A New Hope."

Fresh new music for the first week of the new year, Steve Lawson’s Episode 50: A New Hope is two epic-length tracks of introspective goodness.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3423306477 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

I’ll turn the floor over to Steve to describe the release:

Turning 50 after 5 months of chemo to try and get rid of Lymphoma was a milestone rich with symbolism and all the feels. Especially having just had such good news about the success of the chemo. So here we have the soundtrack to that milestone.

I’ve been following along with Lawson’s updates on his journey to treat Lymphoma and I’m glad to learn he’s reached the finish line with his chemo regimen. Here’s hoping that he’s got a long stretch of good health ahead.

You can feel the optimism and relief in the music. It’s definitely worth a listen the next time you have a bit of quality listening time. Sounds great in headphones. Happy birthday, Steve, and many more!

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Last Bandcamp Friday of 2022! Eliza Rickman, Mdou Moctar, Asian Dub Foundation

Access Denied (album cover) by Asian Dub Foundation

It’s the last Bandcamp Friday of the year, which means Bandcamp forgoes its cut and artists get the entire price (minus some processing fees). Not sure what to get? Check these out!

Access Denied by Asian Dub Foundation

The band describes this album thusly: “Access Denied is an avalanche of wildstyle jungle punk, orchestral drum’n’bass, Indo-ragga dub and militant-lyrical soundclashing confronting themes surrounding Brexit, hostile border policies and the climate crisis.” Sounds about right.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1341704025 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Crystal Disc by Sleeping Pandora

Instrumental album, very chill in a guitar-heavy way. Kind of Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” meets trance or something. Great to work to.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2473375058 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

“I Put A Spell On You” by Eliza Rickman

Single track from one of my favorites, Eliza Rickman. Cover of “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, with Rickman’s unique voice. How can you go wrong there? You can’t. Go grab it.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1013795220 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Niger EP Vol. 1 & 2 by Mdou Moctar

Two fantastic “mixtapes” of “field recordings” of Mdou Moctar playing live all over the place, house concerts, weddings, rehearsals. Sounds like something a band might put out on a “deluxe edition” to pad it out, but it’s all 100% worth listening to, start to finish. Oddly, Vol. 1 doesn’t have a share/embed link, but you can still check out it out online. Recommend both EPs, and the entire catalog.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=456071327 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Need more ideas? Check out my collection and wishlist.

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Listen to these: Steve Lawson, Etran de L’Air, Brian Jackson & Automatic

Agadez by Etran de L'Aïr album cover

The past few months have been a little less productive in terms of finding new music, but there’ve been a few gems I’ve been wanting to blog about.

Steve Lawson is a prolific solo bassist out of the UK who has an enormous back catalog on Bandcamp. I picked up a subscription to the “Steve Lawson Listening Club” a while ago and still haven’t quite made it through everything. Recently Steve was diagnosed with a low-grade lymphoma and has been undergoing chemo and promoting the subscription more actively to help with costs and engage with fans while dealing with cancer.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2755664994 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

As mentioned, his catalog can be a bit daunting so he’s put together a few “Best of Steve Lawson” compilations to help spark discussion and serve as an intro to his music. I think they’re fantastic and a great place to start if you enjoy melodic, bass-heavy, often instrumental tunes. Don’t know Steve personally, but he also comes across as a person I’d quite enjoy hanging out with given the opportunity. Maybe I’ll get the opportunity someday, but in the meantime I feel like I’ve gotten a good glimpse of his soul via his music – and there’s a lot of beauty there.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3894968066 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Encourage you to check it out and spring for the digital albums or yearly subscription if it appeals to you.

Agadez by Etran de L’Aïr

Not too long ago I stumbled on Mdou Moctar via Bandcamp and have had an ear out for more music in that vein. A friend on Twitter happened to mention Etran de L’Aïr, which gives me much the same vibe.

Their Agadez release from February this year is full of bright, joyous songs with infectious melodies. According to the Bandcamp description “Etran de L’Aïr play in a pan-African style that is emblematic of their hometown, citing a myriad of cultural influences, from Northern Malian blues, Hausa bar bands, to Congolese Soukous… Agadez retains all the energy of a party.” Sounds about right!

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=314328480 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

This is Brian Jackson by Brian Jackson

Brian Jackson is probably best known for his work with Gil Scott-Heron, which might have something to do with the fact that 1) that work was fantastic, and 2) he’s not exactly a prolific solo artist. Case in point, he released This is Brian Jackson in May this year, which is his first solo album in more than 20 years.

To the extent any album is worth a 20-year wait, I suppose this one is. It’s a nice blend of jazz, funk, soul and more that sounds contemporary and classic at the same time. You could’ve released “Little Orphan Boy” in the 80s and it would’ve sounded right at home. Sounds great today, too. Let’s hope we don’t need to wait until 2042 for the next album…

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2715014125 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Excess by Automatic

Automatic‘s Signal (2019) caught my ear a while back with the track “Suicide in Texas.” That record’s been in rotation since, so I was pleased to find that they’d released a new album last month Excess. It’s full of sparse, synth-y goodness with deadpan vocals, but strangely engaging energy. Like an old person, I ordered the CD and actually popped it into my car’s CD player immediately for the round-trips driving our resident teen to driver’s ed. It’s a great commute album, and I keep summoning it for workday music too.

If you’re a Gen X’er with a love of 80s minor key, unrushed synth-pop this will scratch that itch without sounding derivative or repetitive.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3747845906 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Happy Sunday listening. Got a recommendation for me? Hit me up in the comments. I’m always on the hunt for new or new-to-me music.

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Saturday sounds: Nightmares on Wax, Buckethead

Nightmares on Wax "In a Space Outta Sound"

Two discs from the back catalog to talk about today, In a Space Outta Sound by Nightmares on Wax and Forgotten Library from Buckethead.

In a Space Outta Sound (2006) by Nightmares on Wax (★★★)

The entire album is a fantastic trip, but “I Am You” is a must-listen cut that brings a lot of intensity to an otherwise chill album. In a Space Outta Sound is a downtempo journey into laid back beats, sparse (but excellent) vocals and dabbling with textures to draw the listener in. This is the type of album that I like to put on before bed to wind down and clear my mind.

Available on Bandcamp, strongly recommend giving it a spin and letting it work its magic. Make sure you’re able to give it its due and a full listen in one sitting.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=3448535628 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Forgotten Library (2013) by Buckethead (★★★)

A few years ago I bought Buckethead’s full digital discography on Bandcamp. At the time, that was 269 releases. I’m still working my way through that collection.

With that sort of output, you might wonder whether Buckethead’s “Pikes” and other albums could possibly be that good. I’ve definitely found a few that aren’t to my taste, but his discography has far more hits than misses.

Case in point, Forgotten Library. This one reminds me a little bit of Metallica’s Master of Puppets and …And Justice for All period, minus the vocals. Buckethead splits his time between acoustic and electric on this album, with very little filler. There are a few grunchy bits but they’re minor. Absolutely worth a listen for anybody who appreciates guitar shredding.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1707332795 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

(Ratings follow a slightly modified Robert Christgau scale.)