Bandcamp Picks of the Week 8/24/16
Bandcamp Picks of the Week here, bringing you two more great albums available for streaming.
Christian Michael Filardo – FAKE LEATHER
Genre: Noise
Year: 2015
Favorite Tracks: “Late Night Phone Call,” “Gentle,” “Still Smiling”
This is my strangest Bandcamp discovery to date, and I have absolutely no recollection of how I came across it, but hey, that’s what this platform is for! It is irresponsible to claim that noise is anything but subject to the ears of the beholder, as it is a genre that lives and dies with subjective interpretation. What speaks to me about FAKE LEATHER is the fact that it possesses a notable amount of human emotion and conflict in what is typically an arctic genre. Loosely structured around synth chords, FAKE LEATHER provides more of a thematic anchor than most, and despite the mixing abuse, there is an inescapable sense of melancholy and nostalgia present that ends up being comparable to a much more basely angry Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Picture yourself drifting through the jagged shards of every memory that has ever made you sad. You can listen to it here.
Slaughter Beach, Dog – DAWG
Genre: Emo, Indie Rock
Year: 2015
Favorite Tracks: “Real Annie,” “Dawg,” “Toronto Mug”
I’ve overused my clarion call of, “C’mon, kids, it’s summer, break out those emo records,” so I’ll spare you, but admit it, you want to be the person with the unknown, lo-fi emo 7” that’ll impress those internet cuties. Well, to you, dear reader, I give you Slaughter Beach, Dog! Hailing from the current musical wellspring of Philadelphia, Slaughter Beach, Dog pay obvious homage to Modern Baseball considering that they’re a side project of guitarist Jacob Ewald, but appear to also be well versed in noisy power pop a la fellow East Coasters Diet Cig and Sheer Mag. In fact, I actually prefer this to Ewald’s main project, as things are a little less aggressively preoccupied with pedestrian angst and woe, eschewing all of the acquired pop punk tastes of Modern Baseball. Possessing a varied sense of songwriting capabilities, whether it be the slow build of “Bed Fest” or the pensive, math-y groove of “Dawg,” Slaughter Beach, Dog is an enjoyable, to-the-point effort that’s worth a spin. You can listen to it here.
Thomas Seraydarian
Crossfader is the brainchild of Thomas Seraydarian, and he acts as Editor-in-Chief.
