In case you were curious that’s me in deep thought about
this very Bandcamp Bonanza article. What albums do I have to leave off the
list? This is the truth. You may wonder how I have enough time to listen to all
this music, but the reality is I’m only scratching the surface, and these are
only a fraction of the total amount I listen to on a regular basis. It is,
however, a great reputation of my taste and what I look for on Bandcamp. Take a
deeper dive into the vault HERE and read the most recent recommendations below.
SLIFT – UMMON I can’t muster up the words to describe my feelings on this new album by Slift. Came a little out of nowhere for me and turns out they have a cult following. I can see why. Ummon has catapulted its screaming psychedelic fury to the top of the AOTY list for 2020. The groove is gnarly and the amount of noise this 3-piece puts out is astonishing. And how about that gatefold album art? I picked up a copy of the black vinyl myself. I don’t always pay for international pricing, but when I do its because it rocks.
MOTHER’S GREEN – CAUGHT IN A VIEW This album was originally released several years ago and is now recently made available on bandcamp. The band dates back over a decade and combines a Soundgarden meets Sasquatch vibe to create an invigorating heavy rock sound. I never got around to listening to this one much but did enjoy the first album also on bandcamp back when it was released. Cool band to check out.
THEO KATZMAN – MODERN JOHNNY SINGS: SONGS IN THE AGE OF VIBE Ranging from funke This new album spans the gauntlet on musical influence and style ranging from soulful country to funk fueled pop to cosmic Americana. One moment I’m hearing the toe taping groove of Michael Jackson the next we’ve got down home Americana in the vein of Isbell, all encompassed with deep soul and heavy funk.
ROSE CITY BAND – SUMMERLONG Pre-order alert, Rose City Band set to release ‘Summerlong’ at the tail end of this spring and poised to be the summertime album of the year. This Portland psychedelic folk band has got it going on. There is a good chance I’ll be sporting the album in my collection with that splatter vinyl prior to its release. Pretty stoked based on the preview tracks. There’s a hint of jam band, shades of Americana, traditional country balladry, all wrapped up in a warm ray of melody.
ME AND THAT MAN –NEW MAN, NEW SONGS, SAME SHIT, VOL.1 This one is on pre-order and a new one for me. Turns out this Nergal guy is kind of a big deal. While I may not be totally into his main band, this solo stuff completely blew my mind. I pre-ordered the vinyl from his website after hearing the preview tracks. Anytime a band can successfully combine heaviness with an Americana and folk essence I am in. This has a gritty and soulful vocal tone and a dark and powerful melody from what I can gather on the preview tracks. I cannot wait to get a full listen. WOW!! From the PR wire (this should sell itself without even listening. I urge you to listen though): “…..consisting of menacing lyrics atop unfiltered blues, gothic-laced folk, outlaw country and Americana-influenced anthems. The enthralling album visits a completely new spectrum of dark desert vibes and sees noteable heavy music icons such as Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Brent Hinds (Mastodon), Matt Heafy (Trivium) and Siver Høyem (Madrugada) join the pact with the devil.”
ROSY FINCH - SCARLET The serrated riffs rail against melodic vocal howls resulting in a outwardly gruesome aura highlighted with both intricate groove and sensuous attitude. This is bloody tight!!
KINGS OF THE FUCKING SEA –DEATH DEALER / DIOSA LUNA Another abstract Nashville band pushing the limits of status quo with a noisy output of experimental psych meet frenetic blues. Nashville ain’t just about Country. Those that know much have known that for a long time.
INNER ALTAR – VOL III This was released just over a year ago but was mentioned to me recently which spurred another listen and an updated blurb on bandcamp: “Sultry sprinkles of Sabbath inspired doom scattered with snippets of Danzig meets early Pentagram, all while sounding original and quite provocative.”
HORSE OPERA – NOTHIN’ TO LOSE Stumbled upon this band via the singer, Will George, who has another solo album. I believe it was on my feed as a bandcamp recommended album based on my collection and activity on bandcamp. I checked into him, which dug me further into his main glorious band Horse Opera. There’s a little bit of blues, a smidgeon of punk rock and a whole lotta traditional outlaw country. I really dig the soulful elements infused within the rockabilly bassline.
BROWNOUT – BERLIN SESSIONS The serrated riffs rail against melodic vocal howls resulting in a outwardly gruesome aura highlighted with both intricate groove and sensuous attitude. This is bloody tight!!
-The Huntsman
