Bandcamp Picks of the Week 1/6/16
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.
Co)))ltrane – CO)))LTRANE
Genre: Mashup
Favorite Tracks: “Alabaman Caveman,” “Agharthan Ascension 1/4”
This is an admittedly niche release considering that it’s a mashup of saxophone aficionado John Coltrane and drone metal kings Sunn O))) , but a stellar example of internet mash-up culture bringing two widely disparate musicians together to create something entirely new all the same. The devastating walls of guitar noise prove to be an elegant canvas for Coltrane’s more rapid fire and manic saxophone work. Coltrane takes on a new menace he never would on his own, while Sunn O))) becomes surprisingly more poignant. Why these two artists pair together quite so well comes down to what makes them both so effective: creating absolutely transportive sonic landscapes that can launch the listener into another dimension. You can stream it and name your price here. [Carter Moon]
Gnarwhal – SHINERBOY
Genre: Math Rock, Garage Rock
Favorite Tracks: “It’s Cute and They Match,” “Have Fun Tomorrow From Ozzy/Stella”
As dirty in its production as it is masterful in its musicianship, SHINERBOY is a warm and overwhelming blast of garage-inspired math rock that comes around only rarely in indie music. This is an album where two friends pour their souls into their music, and even when things get lyrically heavy, there’s an obvious undercurrent of infectious joy. While a lot of this record could be dismissively labeled as simply “fun,” digging a little deeper into the record through multiple listens reveals an album that really is about celebrating life in spite of its struggles, something much more profound than having fun. You can listen to it here. [Carter Moon]
