Hope you all enjoyed the best of the year lists submitted
earlier this month. Now that madness is over, we’ll just go ahead and get right
back into the goods. Its not going to end anytime soon and I hope you don’t
mind. All you gotta do is sit back, relax and wait for Saturday when Bandcamp
Bonanza hits the net. Or you could follow along with me over at bandcamp
directly and stay up to date with everything that crosses my path. Either way,
we bring you ten albums that made an impression recently in 2018 Camp with another
highly anticipated kick off to a new year in bonanza absurdity.
Troll Teeth – Boiled Alive Troll Teeth emit an extremely catchy output of heavy rock. I was expecting something more punk oriented based on that album art, which is really cool, and was delighted with the warmth of the fuzz and psych tinged grooves within.
Foot - Buffalo Foot trample us with an extremely heavy bisonic groove. The vocal melodies delve into Layne Stayley territory with a harmonious landscape throughout, including spacious riffs, progressive twists and turns and a penchant for methodical, precise head bangage.
3rd Trip – Scale of Confusion Man, these guys are a trip. 3rd Trip lays down a sonic barrage of Herculean riffs exploding with psychedelic force and cosmic atmosphere both lyrically and vocally. For fans of Black Space Riders, Craneium, and that ilk.
Tusmørkejuvel – Tusmørkejuvel That fuzz tone is undeniably catchy. I could easily handle a second helping of these fat riffs.
Slomind - Metamorphoseon Metamorphoseon throttles us with hard charging melodic hooks, infectious chorus lines, ripped and serrated vocals with a nostalgic radio geared groove. Can’t deny Slomind’s charm on this new outing.
Sugarfoot – The Santa Ana Tom Petty worship under the California sun-baked sky, these sweet foot compadres ride in with text book Cosmic Americana and I am thankful for discovering this on another peer’s end of the year list. So killer. Entire discography on vinyl ordered.
Weedpecker – III This album will go down as one of the year’s best albums splitting the ranks of labelmates Elder, who charted the best of the best in 2017. Highly expansive, meditative at times, and heavy without being noisy. III progresses on from what II left us hanging with. An album to get lost within, chill out to, and more or less accept for what it is. A compelling work of art both sonically, and texturally.
Bark – Year of the Dog There is something about this one that wore itself out in my wishlist. The vocals are sultry and wry, the atmosphere is haunting and bone-chilling. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of one of my bandcamp favorites from Champaign, Illinois, Neoga Blacksmith with its tones and eclectic grooves, or it’s the combination of male/female (husband/wife) vocals and dynamic song structure ranging from lo-fi punk to dark Americana, but either way I need to buy this as its worn its welcome of free streams in my wishlist.
Blue Dream – Volume Won At ‘Name your price’ at bandcamp, Volume Won is a no-brainer. Coining themselves as ‘Heavy Psychedelic Space Funk’, the Chicago based rockers have proved that it’s possible to sound fresh and clean while dabbling in both stoner rock, blues, and even funk. It’s an impressive sound and a welcomed progression from the DEMO which put them on my radar a couple years back. They are for real and Volume Won is great bang for your buck.
King Buffalo – Repeater Repeater is a repeater in terms of quality, I had to go there. The 3-song EP and first release since their stunning album Orion, back in 2016, exceeds all expectations your typical 3-sng EP. Clocking in at around 25 minutes, the band manage to fill up an entire disc of wax with mind-numbing psych and texture rich grooves. An extension of Orion and a welcoming return for what seemed like ages. Apparently, their live shows are to die for.
-The Huntsman
