Welcome to the triumphant return of Bandcamp Friday! What is Bandcamp Friday, you ask? Bandcamp Friday is the first Fridays of every month where Bandcamp waives their normal fee so that more money goes directly to the artist. That means it’s the best day of the month for you to support independent artists. Here’s just a small sampling of some of the artists you can support today when your money goes even farther.
Mosara
Mosara is a doom/sludge band from Phoenix, Arizona.
The band recently put out a new single called “Amena” which is the follow-up to their album Only the Dead Know Our Secrets from last summer, and which, the band suggest, may be the first look at their yet-to-be-titled third LP. It’s currently streaming on their Bandcamp.
In typical sludge fashion, “Amena” is a long, slow, droning metal track with classic, metal vocals. Yet still, there’s something almost grungy in the guitar solos, like an Alice in Chains song being played in extreme slow motion. There’s also a little bit of a prog vibe in how complex this song is, creating something with a lot of intention. The result is a sludge track with everything you’ve come to love about sludge, but with some of its own extra flavor as well.
Follow Mosara on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.
Echo Gecco
Echo Gecco are an alternative rock band from the UK. Their Bandcamp declares their “intent to fuse indie and prog by way of hectic, eclectic live shows.”
They put out a self-titled album late last year Eingang Records Limited, and it’s currently streaming on their Bandcamp where you can also order it on CD or vinyl.
Opening track “The Walk” has a bit of a funk-pop feel to it at first before that pop structure ultimately breaks down into something darker and more chaotic, snapping back and forth between chaos and structure. Then “Pot of Coffee” combines a punk rhythm with a sort of bluesy guitar to create something genuine and gritty with a distinct pop sensibility. “Sit Down (I Don’t Wanna)” brings back that funk style in a really fun way. Album single “No Help Tonight” actually seems to contrast a ska beat against some classically bluesy and rock style guitar into something truly joyous. Closing track “Lonely Man” takes that funk impulse and slows it down a lot into something sensual and deeply romantic.
Be sure to follow Echo Gecco on Facebook, Instagram, and the site formerly known as Twitter whose new name doesn’t totally make it sound like a porn site.
Monty
Monty is an experimental artist from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Monty recently put out a new EP called আবোল তাবোল or Abol Tabol. It’s currently streaming on the artist’s Bandcamp.
The album kicks off with “Oh Noble Farmer !” which makes a track out of feedback distortion that the artist manages to render into something that, at times, borders on musicality. Then “Haunted Games” creates a terrifying soundscape of noise and silence that balances out into something sparse yet somehow foreboding. Then “Smoke Smoke [Interlude] ft. kirikirime” introduces some actual sung vocals but still creates something that’s somewhat of a stretch to call music. Finally, “CORRUPTED WIRES OF A BRUTAL CITY” creates something much more musical, but with that same sense of atmosphere building that’s carried through the rest of the album. Fans of experimental and ambient noise will really appreciate this album.
Flowers for Burial
Flowers for Burial are an abrasive hardcore act from upstate New York.
The band recently dropped a new EP called Animus on Protagonist Music and it’s currently streaming on their label’s Bandcamp where, at the time of this writing, there’s one copy remaining on cassette.
The EP consists of eight tracks, all of which are under two minutes, creating a nice listen for anyone with a short attention span. “Glass Ceiling” really finds the punk impulse in noise and powerviolence to create a brief flash of rage. “Defective” slows things down a little for the album’s second-longest track (exactly 90 seconds) that still slams as hard as anything else on the album. “Youth” is exactly a minute and creates some classic hardcore sound with a surprisingly mathy beat. The title track is the shortest track on the whole album and wastes no time jumping into the extreme vocals and even more extreme guitars. Finally, trapped is the album’s longest track at 1:54, and most of that time accounts for the power chords in the instrumental intro. The track itself is a violently short burst of punk energy with, again, a surprisingly mathy beat.
Cult of Sobek
Cult of Sobek is a power doom trio from Edinburgh, UK.
They recently put out a new EP called Petsuchos. It’s streaming right now on their Bandcamp where you can also purchase it on CD and cassette.
The opening track, which also serves as the EP’s title track, is slow to open with some ambient bass creating a mood before the song erupts into a powerful guitar riff with otherworldly vocals. Then “Lord of the Crocodile” similarly goes back and forth between creating ambient mood and exploding into a cathartic explosion of chords and emotion. Closing track “Maneater,” far from being a cover of the Hall and Oats classic, is instead a long, droning, heavy-as-hell song that creates a solid wall of noise for the better part of seven-and-a-half minutes, with one brief breakdown creating a false ending before the tune picks back up. This is classic doom for any true lover of the genre.
Follow the Cult on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.
—
There’s plenty more band to check out and support this Bandcamp Friday. Please do your part to support independent artists like these.
Photo courtesy of Echo Gecco
