Don’t be alarmed: We’re done with our April Fools’ shenanigans (although you gotta admit that the Southern University High School Band Camp was absolute fire). After several intense meetings and many hurt feelings, we decided to keep Bandcamping as is, because it’s underground enough for us (and because we don’t have a good enough pulse on the high school band camp scene to produce a weekly column about it). So, here we go, with our favorite albums we found on Bandcamp this week.
5. Buried by Sofi Lofi
Genre: indie rock, lo-fi
If you like: Black Mountain, Sleater-Kinney
Buried is an album that sounds like it wants to be sludgier and more metallic than it is, but that desire is nicely balanced out by a more easy-breezy, California-influenced vibe that puts it in a worthwhile middle ground. There are times when it takes off and it’s time to get a bit nuts, but there’s also plenty of opportunity to lay down and vibe out.
4. Hi Five by LADADA
Genre: surf pop, indie rock
If you like: Best Coast, The Black Keys
AC/DC makes hard-edged songs about rock and roll, and it works. Similarly, indie surf rock-influenced bands like LADADA make jangly, sunny, vaguely psychedelic music, and it works. We’re in.
3. Have You Lost Your Faith In God? by Bür Gür
Genre: indie pop, experimental, electronic, indie folk
This is an album that’s simultaneously tough to digest and hard to put down, something like a first experience with Death Grips: You might not know (or know and hate) what you’re listening to at first, but after your ears get used to it, there’s a beauty that’s gradual but no less potent. For example, “Bad Waves” alone seems to go in three different directions, but after a few plays, it somehow finds a way to come together and make sense.
2. GONE EP by Keanu Blunt
Genre: alternative hip-hop
If you like: Yung Lean, Bones, DeJ Loaf
There seems to be a trend of outsiders making hip-hop waves in recent years thanks to their offbeat styles that are a refreshing departure from normal. Sweden has Yung Lean, and Lithuania has Keanu Blunt. The two are very similar: Guys who don’t seem like they belong, but quickly prove that even if they don’t fit in, we’d benefit by making room for them.
1. Public Programming by Patch The Programmer
Genre: electronica, instrumental hip-hop
If you like: Blockhead, Pretty Lights, Sound Tribe Sector 9
Any album that opens with a track that features a Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule sample is cool with me. Blockhead is a truly apt comparison here, which is absolutely a compliment because that producer, aside from his solo instrumental albums, has produced for the likes of Aesop Rock, Murs, and Open Mike Eagle. Patch The Programmer’s sample-based tracks are very soul-influenced, and while they would sound great with an MC rapping on top, they do more than just fine on their own, whether as background ambience or at the forefront of focus.
And now for two albums that we also liked and were nearly ready for top-5 inclusion.
Honorable Mentions
Most Life by The Waterboatman
Genre: indietronica, lo-fi
If you like: Postal Service, Baths, Bon Iver
T R O U B L E by woodpigeon
Genre: indie folk, alternative
If you like: Badly Drawn Boy, The Decemberists
That’s all for now, but until our next week, let us know in the comments which of our selected albums were your favorites, what we missed, and what we should look forward to. If you missed out on last week’s list, you can find it here (and the complete Bandcamping archives are here).
