Bandcamp Picks of the Week 1/20/16
Bandcamp is a dense swamp of music with lots of incredible content lurking in the muck. Luckily, you’ve got the Crossfader music staff diligently hacking through the weeds every week to bring you promising new EPs and LPs available for your listening pleasure with Bandcamp Picks of the Week.
Courtney Barnett – LIVE AT ELECTRIC LADY STUDIOS
Genre: Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Favorite Tracks: “Scotty Says,” “History Eraser,” “Avant Gardener”
As the Courtney Barnett hype train continues to plow on, this little live EP will be essential listening to keep yourself up to date on the recorded antics of the beloved Aussie singer-songwriter. What’s particularly notable about hearing these tracks performed live is how they draw out Bones Sloane’s satisfying bass playing and how they demonstrate what an accomplished guitar player Barnett really is on top of her incredible abilities as a lyricist. Like most things Barnett does, there’s a stripped down, no-frills, earnest streak to this record that makes it welcoming and familiar from beginning to end, although Barnett does add a certain urgency to her live renditions of “History Eraser” and “Scotty Says” that keeps the tracks feeling fresh. You can stream LIVE AT ELECTRIC LADY STUDIOS and purchase it for $5 here. [Carter Moon]
Couch Slut – MY LIFE AS A WOMAN
Genre: Noise Rock
Favorite Tracks: “Lust Chamber,” “Rape Kit”
A hard-hitting little blast of destruction from an up-and-coming Brooklyn noise-rock act, MY LIFE AS A WOMAN is surprisingly impactful, not so much for its metal and hardcore influences as its raw, anxiety ridden vocals. It’s rare to find heavy music this willing to be vulnerable and mix in moments of softness amongst the total annihilation of the eardrums. That same vulnerability only adds to the primal sense of terror permeating throughout this EP. The anger at play here is much more nuanced than often heard in music this heavy. The vocals often feel like they are being sobbed from a position of absolute grief and agony rather than fury and somehow take on all the more power for it. There’s clearly more going on here than the typical glorified violence of most noise rock and hardcore to make this EP a consistent curiosity well worth your time. You can stream it and purchase it for $6 here. [Carter Moon]
Carter Moon
Carter Moon grew up in the desolate Evangelic capital of the world and responded by developing a taste in counter culture, which eventually bloomed into a love for filmmaking and screenwriting. Carter has average opinions on most things, but will defend them adamantly and loudly until no one else wants to bother speaking up. He runs Crossfader's podcast, IN THE CROSSHAIRS.
