Hey guys. Here's my latest list of brilliant Bandcamp recommendations for you all...
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Hana Stretton - Soon (2023)
GENRE : lo-fi folk, psych folk, field recordings, experimental
RECORD LABEL : Brierfield Flood Press / Restless Spring
This is unique, mysterious and endearing collection of songs that drift languorously somewhere between lo-fi psych folk, avant-pop and field recordings.
Hana Stretton (a.k.a Hana Williams) is an Australian-British multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, and this is her debut album. It's a fuzzy and meditative journey through warm hazy fields, bathed in gentle morning glow. These songs are subtle and tender, hushed and intimate, airy and dreamy, baffling and intriguing... In this album, Williams has managed to strike a wonderful balance of straight-up (albeit unconventional) delicate acoustic songs, quiet piano croons, vocal lullabies and ambient instrumental passages... all to the beautiful backdrop of nature field recordings. This music floats slowly and softly on warm spring breezes. Whilst William's vocals and lyrics tend to remain pretty buried within the mix, this somehow adds to the ethereal beauty and abstract quality of this album's atmosphere.
'Soon' is a stunning album of quiet intrigue and sleepy splendour. These songs are magical dreamscapes, full of beautiful melodies and subtle enchantments. A strange but wonderful listening experience. Brilliant stuff.
Stream/Download the album here...
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Hania Rani - On Giacometti (2023)
GENRE : modern classical, piano music, experimental, electronic
RECORD LABEL : Gondwana Records
This is an album of beautiful and delicate piano music, composed in the solitude and isolation of the Swiss Mountains. These compositions are wonderfully enchanting, eerily poignant and achingly tender.
Hania Rani is a pianist, composer & musician who was born in Gdansk (Poland) and splits her life between Warsaw (where she makes her home) and Berlin. This album was written as a film score for a documentary on the art and life of Alberto Giocometti, who was a legendary Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. You can read the backstory and Rani's own artistic statement about the album at the Bandcamp link below...
Composed in the surrounding silence of the Swiss Mountains, these recordings are minimalistic and bare, yet gorgeously sweeping and cinematic, invoking feelings of tender longing and plaintive drift. These pieces are centred around Rani's delicately dampened piano playing, and subtly accompanied by soft swells of cello and glistening sparse electronics. The simple chords and improvised melodies fill the soundscape like gently falling snow, lulling the listener into a sweet surrender.
'On Giacometti' is a dreamy and soulful journey of quiet contemplation and pensive reverie. It's a beautiful exploration of the power of space, and a captivating album of gentle compositions that simulatenously sooth and haunt. A great modern classical work of art.
Stream/Download the album here...
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Cober - Beautiful Dissent (2023)
GENRE : pedal steel, singer-songwriter, ambient folk, alternative folk
RECORD LABEL : East Cape Calling
Here's an album of stark and minimalistic compositions, centred around the hazy and tranquil sounds of the pedal steel guitar. The chords and melodies drift slowly and dreamily through soft lonely soundscapes...comforting like a warm embrace.
Cober is the solo music project of Sheila V. Bommakanti. She creates lush and otherworldly music utilising pedal steel guitar, and minimalist song structures. In this album, Bommakanti was drawn to the pedal steel guitar as her vehicle of choice for taking us on this wonderful slow-moving ambient folk journey. Embellished with subtle yet tasteful effects, the steel strings alter between repeated melodic patterns to intriguing improvisations. These songs are mostly instrumental occasionally accompanied by her fragile and soulful voice, but primarily focused in on the airy and ghostly sounds of the wonderful steel strings - bending and blending notes into each other to create luscious swells of tranquil ambient noise. There is also some 6-string & 12-string acoustic guitars in there, as well some subtle flourishes of electric mandolin, bass and synth to fill out theis sweet sonic environment.
'Beautiful Dissent' is a sublime and alluring album of heartfelt stripped-down compositions performed on such a marvellous musical instrument. The sound that Bommakanti creates with it is gorgeous and captivating. Highly recommended.
Steam/Download the album here...
https://eastcapecalling.bandcamp.com/album/beautiful-dissent---
Ali Murray & Cornelius Corvidae - Split EP (2023)
GENRE : psych folk, gothic folk, acoustic pop, singer-songwriter
RECORD LABEL : Dead Forest Records
Here's a wonderfully dark split EP of haunted psychedelic folk songs from two unique and underappreciated songwriters who live on opposites sides of the globe - Ali Murray from Scotland, UK & Cornelius Corvidae from Minnesota, US. All four songs (two from each artist) are stripped down and minimalistic, wonderfully raw and bare...
The first half of the EP consists of two spooky cosmic folk horror songs from Cornelius Corvidae. Gothic and surreal, eerie and stark - these songs seem to sprout from the shadows of strange buildings, misty mountains and creepy alleyways. I love how the music seems to pay tribute to 70's trippy psych-folk whilst maintaining contemporary pop sensibilities, resulting in such a unique and alluring sound. Haunting arpeggiated acoustic guitars battle with swirling spooky synths while Corvidae's vocals and words paint twisted images of tormented individuals lost in gothic landscapes.
The two songs from Ali Murray are more gentle and dreamy, but steeped in just as much frustration and sadness as the songs that came before. They seem to drift over grey barren fields, and enrapture the listener with their wispy mournful ambience. Loneliness and desolation are a trademark part of Murray's sound, and these two songs are a brilliant example of this. Delicately-plucked acoustic guitars and shimmering synths lay the dreamy sound foundation over which Murray's wistful vocals tremble and soar majestically. A beautiful blend of dark psych-folk and moody dream-pop.
This is a delightfully haunted EP of two criminally unrecognised singer-songwriters doing what they do best. Great stuff. Highly recommended.
Stream/Download the EP here...
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Ekin Fil - Dora Agora (2022)
GENRE : experimental, ambient, musique concrete, drone
RECORD LABEL : Helen Scarsdale
This is an album of spectral ambient guitar compositions from Turkish artist/producer Ekin Üzeltüzenci (aka Ekin Fil) that ripple and drift dreamily through barren soundscapes of a dark hazy solemnity. Veiled in lonely haunted atmospheres, these songs are a poignant mixture of ethereal drones and raw eerie psych folk.
With the exception of a couple of wonderful shoegazey electric guitar instrumentals, the central focus of this album is stark strummed acoustic guitar, with the ghostly accompaniment of spooky organs, wistful synthesizers and of course Üzeltüzenci's enchanting voice, which floats in an out of the shadows in a misty and vaporous fashion, sonically blending with the instrumentation so meticulously. The music is structureless and minimalistic and bare, lending itself entirely as a beautiful backdrop to still moments of deep introspection and lonely thoughts.
'Dora Agora' is a wonderfully haunting and meditative listening experience. Its shimmery sound design, ghostly atmospheres and fractured arrangements embed themselves within your psyche and ring out with an airiness that's not of this world. A stunnning album, and another great release from the Helen Scardale label.
Stream/Download the album here...
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Kathleen Frances - Through The Blue EP (2023)
GENRE : moody pop, minimalist pop, piano, singer-songwriter
RECORD LABEL : sevenfoursevensix
This is a delicious little EP of sparse minimalistic pop ballads, intimately centred around vocals and piano. Songs filled with betrayal and loss, beauty and sadness, nostalgia and hope...
Kathleen Frances is a songwriter and producer from Bristol, England. In this stunningly reductive and bare debut EP of hers, carefully-arranged arpeggiated piano melodies and Frances' sullen baritone voice intertwine and mingle into rich delicate songs that both mesmerize and comfort. The EP goes through an interesting range of emotions, with Frances' deep soulful voice at the forefront (where it definitely belongs) whilst the music itself sits firmly and nicely in that piano ballad territory, which is evelated by its lush production. The tone of these songs are moody and sombre, but not gloomy. The heartbreak, uncertainty and dread is cleverly juxtaposed with a certain calm acceptance, and the quiet hope that things will get better...
A beautifully broody EP. Highly recommended.
Stream/Download the EP here...
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Tiny Microphone - Other Cities (2023)
GENRE : pop rock, singer-songwriter, indie pop
RECORD LABEL : self-released
Sometimes I get in a certain mood where the only music I crave is good, simple, hooky pop music. I knew within seconds of playing this album that it not only satisfied that craving, and ticked all the right boxes for me - I also knew that I'd be back for more, and more, and more...
Tiny Microphone is the music project of Portland-based singer/songwriter Kristine Capua. With this album, Capua has constructed and arranged a beautiful collection of simple infectious pop rock songs, full of yearning and quiet joy.
Musically, it's a rather delicious mixture of jangly guitar pop and slow shoegaze-y indie rock, with the central focus of the songs being Capua's beautiful honeyed vocals and bittersweet lyricism. The sparse instrumentation of these compositions, along with the lush sparkly production make these songs burst forth in such a glorious and radiant light. I also found the moods and emotions throughout the album to be delightfully balanced, and makes for a really satisfying listening experience.
'Other Cities' is a delicious slice of poppy goodness, and a dazzling and wonderfully comforting collection of songs. If you can't at least enjoy the song 'Lighting A Fire', then there's something seriously wrong with you. Fantastic stuff. Highly recommended.
Stream/Download the album here...
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Delphine Dora - Live @ Igreja Santa Isabel, Lisbon (2022)
GENRE : experimental, drone, psychedelic, folk, improvisation
RECORD LABEL : self-released
Delphine Dora is a prolific musician, composer and improviser from France. This album (if you can call it an album) consists of a series of beautiful and haunting vignettes that were performed live in a catholic church and sequenced into one 24-minute long composition.
Dora's solo performance is mainly centred around her exquisite organ drones, and occasionally embellished with stunning vocal loops and subtle field recordings, which gives the whole thing a bit of a psychedelic folk flavour.
The atmosphere of this recording constantly fluctuates from being dark and elegiac to being rather meditative and sweet. The minimalistic arrangements, improvisational organ flourishes and free-form structures are spellbinding and breathtaking. The music itself is like a desperate cry coming out of some unknown darkness.
The raw power and beautiful dynamics of Dora's playing, along with the majestic reverb of the church makes for a soaring and transcendent piece of music that enraptures you completely and leaves you wanting more. A gorgeous release from a brilliant artist. Delphine Dora is a force to be reckoned with in the field of experimental improvisation.
Stream/Download the album here...
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BLOOD RHYTHMS - GOOD GRIEF (2023)
GENRE : drone, industrial noise, noise, ambient noise
RECORD LABEL : NO PART OF IT
Click play on this album and allow dark, swirling, haunting drones, shimmering feedback and monstrous waves of squalling industrial noise herald you towards surreal inner landscapes of bleak foreboding and ominous terror, which Blood Rhythms consistently do so well.
Blood Rhytms is the collaborative duo of renowned noise artists Arvo Zylo & Leslie Keffer. The creation of this album came about after the loss of a loved one. These sinister drones and waves of immersive noise are slowly-mutating and hypnotic, howling and growling away as they gradually intensify and become a wild raging tempest of sound.
Apparently there are ''healing frequencies'' contained within the sound, proving that it's not all doom and gloom. On the contrary, this album can be the perfect antidote to coping with unspeakable loss, if you let it.
'GOOD GRIEF' is a bleak and unrelenting journey through a terrifying world of desolation and dread, a hallucinatory excursion into the deep dark pits of grief and loss... and a damn good album. Highly recommended.
Stream/Download the album here...
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Willebrant - Scott Was Here (2023)
GENRE : lo-fi ambient, drone, guitar music, soundscape
RECORD LABEL : Shady Ridge Records
Here's a collection of calm reflective compositions made from mostly soft arpeggiated guitars, subtle field recordings and floaty synths. Gentle, breezy melodies and serene swells of luxurious ambience languish and drift, slowly and peacefully, creating these beautiful and meditative soundscapes to completely lose yourself in...
Willebrant is the ambient/field/drone project of Naarm/Melbourne bassist and producer Karl Willebrant. In the nine brief and fleeting compositions that comprise this album, Willebrant tried to capture the solace of his surroundings during the quiet tranquil hours of the day - namely early morning and evenings. These songs are quietly contemplative, gently emotive and dreamily smooth...mixing glistening fingerpicked acoustic guitar/ukelele melodies (slightly reminiscent of Jim O'Rourke or Mark Kozelek) with soft fretless bass drones, sparse piano notes, beautiful field recordings and placid lo-fi synth ambience.
'Scott Was Here' is 23 minutes of soft tranquil beauty. A dreamy and reflective soundtrack to the quiet moments in a noisy and hectic world. Great album.
Stream/Download the album here...
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The Humble Bee - Susurration (2022)
GENRE : piano music, modern classical, lo-fi, tape loops, ambient
RECORD LABEL : Dauw
This is an album of beautiful airy lo-fi piano music - quiet and fragile, minimalistic and delicate, subtle and devastating... soft tender melodies, drifting and slowly dancing through dust-filled rooms before disentegrating into nothingness...
The Humble Bee is the solo music project of Craig Tattersall who is an artist/composer from Salford, UK. This album is centred around two long-form ambient piano compositions, and mixed with tape loops, gentle field recordings of Autumn birdsong and soft ethereal ambience. The lo-fi hissing tape noise and fractured performances give this music the feel of something delicate and ephemeral, teetering on the verge of total collapse...of something being lost forever...
Its sparse melodies, captivating atmospheres and quiet transitions tug at the heart strings, and have a wonderfully spellbinding effect that draws you in close and doesn't let go for its entirety.
'Susurration' is a beautifully hushed dreamscape of brittle memories and deep yearning. This brilliant and emotional collage of lo-fi modern classical, poignant sound art and crackling ambience makes for a deeply immersive and emotionally intoxicating listening experience, and an album that you're going to want to listen to over and over and over. Great stuff.
NV-9 - Echoes in Tile (2023)
GENRE : ambient, drone, abstract, soundscape
RECORD LABEL : Drale Records
This album consists of two 15-minute improvisations of swirling ambience, melancholic drones and ethereal melodies, echoing off tile walls and merging into soft, sad, beautiful textures.
I don't know anything about NV-9, and it doesn't really matter. Their debut album 'Echoes in Tile' is a mesmerizing abstract ambient album that seems to have gone completely unrecognized. Performed and recorded in a tile room (which is evident in the atmosphere and reverb of the music when you hear it), these two tracks are mostly comprised of guitars and synths playing simple melodies, which have been looped and stretched across the duration of these two magnificent dreamscapes. Perfect music for thinking and reflecting...
'Echoes in Tile' is a sweeping and hypnotic album of immersive dronescapes that beg for repeated listens. I admit that it's an odd decision to want to perform and record ambient music in a tile room (of all places) but it gives the sound that unique and distinctive quality which helps separate this album from everything else. An emotional and meditative listening experience. Highly recommended.
Stream/Download the album here...
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