Crossfader

Bandcamp Picks of the Week 3/16/16

by · March 16, 2016

Are you spiraling in a directionless, meaningless void with no good outlet for new music? Want to stave off the inevitable death of art by directly supporting the people who make it? That’s what Bandcamp Picks of the Week is all about.

bandcamp picks of the week summer salt driving to hawaii

Summer Salt – DRIVING TO HAWAII

Genre: Surf Rock

Favorite Track: “Driving to Hawaii”

Summer Salt are a trio of dudes making surf rock in a place that is decidedly landlocked (Austin, TX), but if you can embrace how silly that is, you can embrace this silly, lighthearted EP as a whole and enjoy it for what it is. The record pays clear and regular homage to the Beach Boys while combining their sound with a little more contemporary jangle pop, so it’s a perfect delight to gently waste away a sunny afternoon. This is one of those EPs where the band does slight variations on the same song six times, but Summer Salt has their formula down so well that it’s really hard to fault them for it. You can groove to this record here.

bandcamp picks of the week ulaan passerine

Ulaan Passerine – THE GREAT UNWINDING

Genre: Ambient Folk, Drone

Favorite Track: “Unwinding,” “The Holy Fools”

A lot of people tend to balk at the notion of listening to 17 minute songs, but this record by Ulaan Passerine is a perfect example of how longer form compositions can be enormously gratifying in a way that more traditionally written three or four minute songs simply can’t be. The winding, varied, and layered emotional journeys Ulaan Passerine manages to take the listener on simply wouldn’t be possible if not for the expansive amount of time he leaves himself to compose each track. Different instruments will fade in and out as the driving force of the track, but it’s how they counter and respond to each other that makes the listening experience so lavish. These are songs that breathe with a simple elegance and grace; anyone should find THE GREAT UNWINDING a soothing release. Expand into nothingness with Ulaan here.

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.

You may also like...