Listencorp review image for bandcamp friday

Liam Murphy

July 3, 2020

Tracks in this feature

Tracks in this release

It’s bandcamp friday, you know what that means!

As Bandcamp prepare to waive their revenue share for the fourth time, a whole host of artists and labels have prepared special releases, announced limited edition merch and even agreed to donate to some fantastic charities.

Here are some of the best things we could find for you to purchase whilst helping artists or supporting a worthy cause:

Physically Sick 3 – Allergy Season x Discwoman

Record label Allergy Season have teamed up with Discwoman to provide this huge compilation. 27 songs long and featuring the likes of SHYBOI, OSSX, AYA and many more, Physically Sick 3 provides a fantastic selection of electronic sounds.

Take the opener Body + Mind by Anz. It starts with heady percussion building tension before an undulating voice summons a commanding and hypnotic rhythm. The track develops from here, the voice shouting with passion from the throng of a crowded dancefloor.

All proceeds from this fantastic compilation are donated to Equality For Flatbush, an organisation that has been fighting racist police abuse and gentrification since 2013. Equality For Flatbush mobilises direct aid when necessary, recently ensuring Brooklyn residents have groceries and supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3050353647/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://physicallysick3.bandcamp.com/album/physically-sick-3">Physically Sick 3 by Physically Sick 3</a></iframe>

https://physicallysick3.bandcamp.com/releases

Zwansound – KOMPLEXSELEK VOL2

Just because a lot of places are bringing out new and exclusive things, doesn’t mean that the massive wealth of fantastic music already on there should be off limits.

Zwansound’s album came out on Pedicure Records at the very end of last year but still sounds so fresh. The pinballing effect that the producer achieves, not just from track to track, but sometimes midway through a track is perennially engaging and plays more like a mix than an album at some points.

This release is available for any price you want to offer, so see it as a blank cheque for a donation to the fantastic Pedicure Records.

https://pedicurerecords.bandcamp.com/album/pd099-komplexselek-vol2

Pharma – NMESH (on Acid Red or Psychedelic Vinyl)

Pharma was released nearly 3 years ago now. The double album provided a dizzying journey into the concept of drugs in general. Exploring their effects, and their wider influence on society and culture at large. NMESH employed his cut and paste sampling style effortlessly here, as public information film soundbites clash with jungle beats and warped vocal hooks.

The label Geometric Lullaby have seen fit to immortalise the experience on a double LP. The choice is between a bold Acid Red design or a more Psychedelic blend of colours.

https://geometriclullaby.bandcamp.com/

Blue Rise – Quicksails (or anything from Hausu Mountain)

Available on preorder, Blue Rise lacquers a new release with modular synthesis to create a rich and rewarding sound palette. The opener Cypress careers from a simple algorithmic melody to a vibrant soundscape, writhing with life and screaming with synthesised passion.

In fact, anything from Hausu Mountain is worth buying. Their roster is absolutely flawless with releases from RXM Reality, Davey Harms and Fire-Toolz available. And they have promised to get the money to the artist within a week or donate to a cause of the artist’s choosing.

https://hausumountain.bandcamp.com/

Anything from Father/Daughter Records

The fight against institutional racism has intensified over the last month or so. As people set about trying to affect change faced by black people, we can’t forget the oppression faced by the black transgender community.

Father/Daughter Records have promised that all digital revenue from Bandcamp Friday will go to artists, with $1 from every item sold going to Martha P. Johnson Institute to help raise money for black trans people.

They recently released a fantastic compilation of pop tunes in memory of Adam Schlesinger, a talented musician who sadly lost his life due to Covid-19.

The compilation features a roster of hugely successful artists including Nada Surf and Motion City Soundtrack.

https://fatherdaughterrecords.bandcamp.com/album/saving-for-a-custom-van

You Live Forever – Son Moon

Son Moon’s latest EP is a unique journey into the afterlife. Through a mix of sample-based musicianship and ambient melody-making, the artist illustrates a breathtaking look beyond the corporeal realm.

All sales of You Live Forever (which is name your price) will be going towards Tommy’s, a UK-based charity funding research into miscarriage, still birth and premature birth. 1 in 4 women lose a baby during pregnancy or birth and this situation is only exacerbated by the current pandemic. They want every parent to have the best possible pregnancy outcomes and to take home happy, healthy babies.

https://virtua94records.bandcamp.com/album/you-live-forever

Anything from Virtua94 Records

The Philadelphia-based label has made a name for itself over the last 3 years releasing a dynamic range of vaporwave material. Enraile’s SPACEWORLD 2000 for example is a wormhole of hard-hitting beats and inventive sampling. There is a joyousness in the album that is hard to come by in the often morose world of vaporwave.

The label have agreed that all money spent on their releases this Bandcamp Friday will be donated to the NAACP.

https://virtua94records.bandcamp.com/

Music in Support of Black Mental Health – Various Artists

Mike Paradinas and Lara Rix-Martin have curated a thoughtful compilation of tracks by an array of fantastic artists for five fantastic charities. This example from Konx-om-Pax found deep within the compilation’s 28 tracks is a timid piano venture. Notes play out into a cold atmosphere as euphoric sounds swirl in the space above the listener.

The collection of songs is bombastic in its style so there is something for everyone, with big names from Ital Tek to John Frusciante.

Proceeds from the sale of this compilation are going to Nilaari, Black Thrive, The Loveland Foundation, BEAM and National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network.

https://musicinsupportofblackmentalhealth.bandcamp.com/releases

Eyeliner – Drop Shadow

A whole 5 years after Buy Now was released on Beer On The Rug, Eyeliner is back with a new project on Orange Milk Records. If the preview track is anything to go by, this long-awaited releases promises to be a journey through a MIDI-constructed world, alive with crisp instrumentation.

In all honesty, you should preorder the cassette just for the album artwork alone.

https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/drop-shadow

My Girlfriend – SSTR11​/​12″

Apron Records have fished out some exclusive vinyl copies of My Girlfriend’s debut project release on Subsubtropics Records coincidentally in time for Bandcamp Friday! SSTR11/12″ is a smorgasbord of styles, chaotic in places and slick in others, full to the brim with intuitive melodies.

https://mygirlfriendsp.bandcamp.com/album/sstr11-12