By Lara Kinne–
Another Bandcamp feature allows listeners to purchase and download albums by choosing their own price. Zero is a tempting option for a free pass, but fans should feel obligated to support these artists anyway, even if it means giving an extra penny. Here are a few to invest in:
Al Lover | allover.bandcamp.com
California-based producer, Al Lover, always keeps rock and hip-hop in close quarters. Following-up last year’s acid beat experiment, Satanic Tambourines, he continues to extend through the back pages of psychedelia on its second half, Heavy Hippies. Backed by fuzz-clad percussion, funky cyclic sound collages are manipulated from instrumental beats into altered compositions. With this fresh brew, Al Lover writes himself a page in the catalogue of experimental hip-hop. Leave the genre margins out.
First Listen: “Mind Melt 1400 A.D. Swag.”
Lightning Bolt | lightningbolt.bandcamp.com
“I Found a Ring in My Ear” is the first installment of The Lightning Bolt Practice of the Month Club, an ongoing series of recorded sessions courtesy of one of the loudest bass-and-drum duos playing today. Be prepared for plenty of discordant, musical ad-libbing strewn into a chaotic twenty minute jam. No edits, no worries.
See also: The sounds of drummer Zach Hill
zachhill.bandcamp.com
Lately Kind of Yeah | latelykindofyeah.bandcamp.com
In his debut, multi-medium artist Nathan Rich salutes listeners into the grim dream world of Claradence. These somber confessions swell underneath clean sheets of finger-picked guitar, sample embellishments and lo-fi vocal harmonies, resonating like desolate, self-comforting chants. Listeners depart feeling consoled by the delicate melodies that bury fragmented revelations of emotional complexity. Even the harshest words meld into gorgeous sentiments.
First Listen: “Attractive Room.”
Aaron Ross | aaronross.bandcamp.com
While most know Aaron Ross for fronting math-noodlers Hella on There’s No 666 in Outer Space, he’s already built a collection of transformative solo albums since his start in the folk-rock world. Keeping close connections with Hella guitarist Spencer Seim in the noise-folk collaboration, Amaranth, has heightened the volume of his personal records. Last year’s Autopilot and Personal Hell travel electronic waves that give Ross’s voice a stronger channel rather than just a single guitar track. Shapeshifter is a record before this transition, capturing Ross in an intimate self-exploration.
First listen: “The Mountain.”
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Graphic illustration by Nate Malchow/The Louisville Cardinal
