The Prologue ...
There are plenty of indie rock n roll recommendations in my monthly round up that I have discovered over on the Bandcamp site. I have included links below so you can support the emerging bands during these troubled times. Last week I was gutted when another talented young musician Joe Astley put his music career on hold given he couldn't secure gigs under the lockdown restrictions. Joe says he plans to come back with a vengeance when the pandemic is over but it is another reminder that bands need music fans support more than ever before. If you've got some spare cash then you can help them with some physical sales. Crank up this Spotify playlist and then read on...
1) Fracture by Flip Fantazia
Douglas & Tim from Flip Fantazia presumably lifted their name from the lyrics of the Canterloop single by 90's acid jazz hip hop group Us3. In May 2020 Flip Fantazia released their top notch electronic psychedelic debut album which is a real pleasure to listen to in full and each track wanders in a different direction without disintegrating. Go and buy yourself a digital or limited edition vinyl copy from their Bandcamp page. flipfantazia.bandcamp.com The downbeat disco track I've selected to open this month's playlist would fit neatly on Air's Moon Safari.
2) Low Sun (Space_Kid Remix) by Moonlight Parade
Moonlight Parade's mate - the mysterious Space_Kid strikes again with his fourth remix of the band. The first three were brilliant so my hopes were high for this remix and it doesn't disappoint. Some of Space_Kid's previous remixes can be found here... moonlightparade1.bandcamp.com
3) Classic Weekender by Sterling
Debut single from Manchester's Sterling celebrating the joys of getting wasted all weekend. Personally I'm at the getting up early to drive to kid's sport stage of my life so classic weekenders are few and far between for me but I have fond hazy recollections. Still classic weekenders are still popular and available (subject to local lockdown restrictions).
4) Valleys by Working Men's Club
I only discovered Working Men's Club last week on Bandcamp but I am fascinated with their sound. They have released a handful of singles over the last two years and their debut album is out on 1st October. Imagine Joy Division fronted by Mark E. Smith mixing post-punk with dance music. If you imagined New Order I don't blame you but listen to their songs as my words don't do them justice. workingmensclub.bandcamp.com
5) Glyn by Polyhymns
Polyhyms describe themselves as a mix of folk pop and electronica. This organ based instrumental track reminds me of the type of cut we used to get from The Charlatans during the Rob Collins era. polyhymns.bandcamp.com
6) The Game of Love by Crimson Bloom
Crimson Bloom have just released the shimmering Chasing Gold song as a new single, but as I'm so cutting edge I included it on last month's blog. Instead I want to draw your attention to The Game of Love from their second album Finer Times In Other Worlds. It features menacing hushed vocals delivered over a chilled funky baggy jam. Do yourself a favour and pick up both Crimson Bloom albums from Bandcamp. crimsonbloom.bandcamp.com
7) One of These Days by Thrillhouse
Brighton's Thrillhouse like to protect their identity by blurring their faces on promotional photos. Then they admitted it allows them to pretend to be younger and more handsome. A strategy I may adopt myself. Thrillhouse are a fantastic band with five singles under their belt. One of These Days was their debut.
8) Get Ready by The Skints
I've loved The Skints for several years now and after hearing Get Ready, the latest single from this London reggae band, I discovered it was a cover. The original was released in 96 by the Californian band Sublime. I wasn't aware of Sublime's existence until now but they made some interesting music mixing reggae, ska, hip hop, punk and surf rock. Sublime and The Skints are both worth further investigation if you enjoy your reggae. the-skints.bandcamp.com
9) Evacuate by The Shop Window
Based in Maidstone, the Shop Window sing a song about setting down roots after many years living in different cities. Their advice is to "Evacuate this anxious state and keep calm". My advice is listen to their four singles on theshopwindow.bandcamp.com
10) Loving Only Gets You Down by Little Strange
Little Strange are yet another Manchester band and this track has a pleasing glam rock stomp to it. I have been playing this regularly for about three months and it still sounds fresh to my ears.
11) Weight of the World by GreenCircles
GreenCircles are another of my favourite acts discovered this year. Weight of the World is taken from the Start Again EP. Start Again and all previous singles (including some exclusives) can be found here greencircles1.bandcamp.com This haunting arrangement of a tender song is reminiscent of an early Smiths records.
12) Get Rid by Liam Hillyer
Speaking of The Smiths, Widnes songwriter Liam Hillyer does an excellent cover version of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want which he says is his favourite song of all time. Liam has just released the more rocky Get Rid as the follow up to Marquee.
13) Bring Me Love by The Heavy North
Soulful blues rockers The Heavy North are, as the name implies, both Heavy and Northern. What more do you need to know? Play it, dig it and buy it here... theheavynorth.bandcamp.com
14) Shivers by Thom Southern
Irish rocker Thom Southern's debut single is a catchy anthem and drenched in layered guitars. I heard a snippet of an acoustic version of Shivers and hope he releases the full acoustic version sometime. Apparently Thom is the brother of Lucy Gaffney who has featured several times on my monthly playlists this year. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this talented family.
15) Everything Is An Attempt To Be Human by Afflecks Palace
The fourth, final and title track from their second EP. They formed as a Stone Roses tribute band, but have emerged as a quality band penning their own original tunes. Afflecks Palace have released 8 songs so far and all are brilliant.
16) Love Comes In Waves by Andy Bell
Hypnotic chiming guitars and a wonderful song taken from the forthcoming debut solo album from the Ride founder who has been very productive during his lockdown. Former Oasis bandmate Gem Archer plays on several tracks on Andy's new album. andybell.bandcamp.com
17) Through The Valley by Tash Sultana
Australian artist Tash Sultana with a wonderfully chilling cover. Tash has been a big deal in Australia for the last four years and she is currently working on her second album. If you like this check out her early singles. tashsultanaaus.bandcamp.com
18) Cathedrals of the Mind by Doves
It's so good to have new music from Doves after a gap of eleven years. This is one of the standout tracks from the new album The Universal Want. When I saw Doves had a song called Cathedrals of the Mind I thought "That's gonna be absolutely brilliant". I love being right sometimes.
19) Can Love Be This Thing I Found by The Explosions
The debut single from Glasgow band The Explosions. Sounds like the Jesus and Mary Chain to me but they describe their sound as a mix of Madchester and 60s rock so eagerly awaiting further Explosions.
20) Coming To Get You Nowhere by This Is The Kit
Kate Stables is an English folk rocker who has spent the last few years touring as a part of US band The National. Coming to Get You Nowhere is taken from her new album due in late October. I am a huge fan of her previous album 2017's Moonshine Freeze so looking forward to this. thisisthekit.bandcamp.com
The Epilogue ...
I hope you've got this far down the page given all the distracting links.
For anyone new to Bandcamp - just head there, create an account and follow the artists you enjoy. You can buy digital downloads or physical products and the artists get 85-90% of the takings. The first Friday of each month in 2020 Bandcamp will waive their fees so the artists get it all. So if you plan to buy some stuff on this site do it on Friday 2nd October 2020 to maximise the profits for the artists.
Two bands featured this month (The Shop Windows and Polyhymns) were tip-offs from my Twitter mate @MobyTanner and my final recommendation is to follow The Rebirth Of Cool his excellent music blog where he introduces loads of new indie bands with a greater frequency than my monthly schedule.
Cheers Danny / @oldindiekid1
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