Bandcamp Counselor: January 2018
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!) As your Bandcamp Counselor, the goal of my column is to point you in the direction of great releases from the last month that flew under the radar. Here are a few outstanding releases from January.
Family (Chapter 1) by Azekel
Though Azekel has yet to rise to fame under his own moniker, he’s already made quite a name for himself as an artist by performing with Gorillaz, touring with Banks, and receiving an incredible cosign from Prince himself. Family (Chapter 1) is an entryway into what is sure to be a rich and full career of innovative soul and R&B.
RIYL: Journaling, Nostalgia, Ultra, hole-in-the-wall vintage clothing stores, family gatherings
https://azekel.bandcamp.com/album/family-chapter-1
Unearth by Crater
Seattle’s Crater returns with a sophomore album chock full of chilly synth-pop in the dead of winter. Unearth is an examination of familiarity, comfort, and lack thereof, but most of all it’s an excellent release that holds your hand while reminding you that we’re floating on a rock in space, which more than earns a slot in your current rotation.
RIYL: TRON, being alone but not feeling lonely, capes, any episodes of Planet Earth that focus on icy terrains
https://craterbabes.bandcamp.com/
Dream Wife by Dream Wife
Dream Wife rules because when they sing “Let’s make out!,” the chorus to the album opener, it sounds like a threat. When Dream Wife makes out the fire department comes and people scatter. There are no survivors. The trio makes themselves at home in a sweet spot between early 00s garage rock dusted with punk for their entire debut album.
RIYL: Meet Me In The Bathroom, distressed leather jackets, using every color heart emoji, the way pizza is animated in A Goofy Movie
https://dreamwife.bandcamp.com/album/dream-wife
Offerings by Typhoon
Typhoon is capable of lifting you off the ground and then keeping you there for an hour while they perform an album called Offerings. You are ensnared by a rich, lyrical thicket and become audience to one of the most underrated mythologies in modern music. Make time for this album.
RIYL: Momento, coming of age road trip stories, layering, tomes
https://wearetyphoon.bandcamp.com/album/offerings