Bandcamp Counselor: April 2017
By Cameron Deuel
Bandcamp is the single greatest music discovery platform in existence because it grants you instant access to an ecosystem of music in virtually every genre from artists around the world. You could accidentally click on an album under the Recently Sold section and discover your new favorite band. You might also quickly recognize that lo-fi didgeridoo two-step isn’t your jam. (Or maybe it is, and you find acceptance among the didgeridudes and didgeridudettes!) The goal of this column is to point you in the direction of great releases from the last month that flew under the radar. Here are a few from April that are very accessible and good.
Baby Ghosts – A Surprise Party
A Surprise Party, which fittingly dropped without any prior announcement, is a perfect burst of pop punk euphoria. Salt Lake City quartet Baby Ghosts pen catchy songs where creatures live in ceilings and closets and it’s kind of frightening until you realize that you’re actually one, too. Like all great surprises, this tape is unexpectedly great and ends way too soon.
RIYL: Surprises (duh), Sheryl Crow, goofin’, funnin’
https://babyghosts.bandcamp.com/album/a-surprise-party
Jeremiah Jae – Pt. 2 Smoke Ride Trill
Chicago’s most prolific beatsmith, Jeremiah Jae, returns with yet another collection of his signature murky, spindly boom-bap. The song titling system – Pt.1, Pt. 2, etc. – adds an extra layer of mystery but ultimately encourages multiple uninterrupted listens. Pt. 2 Smoke Ride Trill is a safari through a hazy and sometimes hostile environment. Enter at your own risk.
RIYL: Marshawn Lynch, found poetry, shadows, feeling like you’re being watched
https://yellowmaskcxllective.bandcamp.com/
Otoboke Beaver – Love Is Short EP
The latest EP from Kyoto’s Otoboke Beaver is a brief demonstration in the kind of charming, off-kilter punk that only exists in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Taking their name from a love hotel, the four-piece swiftly tests out basically every punk subgenre in the span of six minutes, generating a colorful whirlwind that instantly sweeps you away and you’re better off for it.
RIYL: Patterns, variety, chaos, Sex Bob-Omb
https://otobokebeaver.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-short-ep
Pinky Pinky – Pinky EP
Pinky Pinky rule because they could have been in heavy rotation on a pop radio station in the 1970s but all three members are under 20 years old. The band’s debut EP showcases their ability to be students of the genre while developing their own style, and they’re clearly on the verge of big things.
RIYL: Used vinyl, all ages venues, vintage sunglasses, summer in LA
https://pinkypinky.bandcamp.com/album/pinky-pinky-ep
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