I just got into Bandcamp recently and I really want to expand my knowledge base on music. Most of what I listened to was either popular 80’s rock or several subgenres of EDM, but I’m slowly (re)introducing some genres like: Jazz, Country, Folk, and maybe Hip Hop.
Toss me a suggestion if you got one.
King Gizzard and the lizard wizard.
- Paper mache dream balloon
- polygondwanaland
- changes
Their use of micro-tones is awesome, Flying Microtonal Banana is a fantastic album!
Always the right answer
Their range is so impressive. I especially have been enjoying Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava! One of my favorite albums of the last year, and has some elements of jazz fusion/funk (though I guess you wouldn’t exactly call it a jazz album lol).
Can’t go wrong with King Gizzard https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/
Well, I could drop recs all day, so I’ll just limit it to a few random albums I like.
- No collection is complete without the Legendary Buck 65, who came out of hiatus last year. Super Dope is good, but you can always check out his other releases.
- this beautiful nerd core delight: Burgonomic by Word burglar
- Somos Maquina
- VvvV The Wreck and S/T
- Gypsophila
- Who cares by Jessica93
- GY!BE
Ups for God Speed You Black Emperor
All masterpieces in my opinion:
Rock/Pop: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie
Instrumental: Eulogy for Evolution by Olafur Arnalds
Hip Hop/Rap: A Grand Don’t Come For Free by The Streets
Rock: Brothers by The Black Keys
I recommend to you: Mammal Hands.
Fantastic. I suggest Go Go Penguin as well.
Second that
For country and folk you should check out the labels “paradise of bachelors” and “Tompkins square”. Good mix of new and reissues. There’s a book called “penguin guide to jazz” that can help you cherry pick some albums to listen to to figure out which types of jazz / which players you like. For rock check out what came out in the 60s and late 70s. 77-80 was a wild time for rock/punk! I don’t know edm… have you tried “gas”? He’s got some great albums.
I’d check old album reviews from tinymixtapes (sadly defunct now). They had a section called “Eureka!” that was a fantastic way to stay abreast of new albums, especially electronic and hip-hop.
favourites of mine in the folk category:
- Solas an Lae - The Light of the Day by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin & Ultan O’Brien A simple combination of a powerful voice, beautiful fiddle and some really moving songs. https://eoghanultan.bandcamp.com/album/solas-an-lae-the-light-of-the-day
And if you like that there’s also:
- The Deepest Breath by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin https://eoghanoceannabhain.bandcamp.com/album/the-deepest-breath
Also worth checking out:
- Anything by Lankum: The first folk band I got into on bandcamp, aka the start of a terrible addiction. They play traditional music with entirely their own style. Pulls your head and feelings all sorts of ways. Some of it is quite bleak but all of it is great. https://lankum.bandcamp.com/
But if by folk you were specifically thinking of the Scottish smallpipes then of course you want this incredible album:
- Carry Them With Us by Brìghde Chaimbeul https://brighdechaimbeul.bandcamp.com/album/carry-them-with-us
Edited: bloody formatting!
It makes me so happy when I see someone else recommending Brìghde! I got sold on The Reeling years ago because I read about it on Quietus, and she has been a fav of mine ever since.
Ooh I’ve only heard what she’s put out on bandcamp so far, will need to look out that album too
https://1001albumsgenerator.com
Companion to the subreddit by the same name. Generates an album a day. Based on the book series “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”
A fun way to find new stuff you may have missed.
If you’re interested in Country and Folk but have the range of taste you seem to, you should definitely become aware of Punch Brothers if you’re not already. Basically experimental bluegrass, I’d recommend any of their albums but Phosphorescent Blues might be a good start. The frontman Chris Thile’s also part of Nickel Creek and their new album has a very Punch Brothers feel to it as well.
Ooh completely agree on the recommendation of Punch Brothers. I’d also especially like to thank you for the tidbit of info about Chris Thile being a member of Nickel Creek! Haven’t heard of this band before but will definitely be checking them out.
It was where he got his start 20+ years ago, but both him and Sara Watkins (the fiddler) went on to do some interesting stuff to say the least. Their new album was sort of a reunion.
Dijon - Absolutely described as alternative r&b. It feels very funky and is amazing from front to back. I’d try ‘many times’ to get a feel for the album style
Check out Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain”
For folk I’ve gotta recommend The Mountain Goats! Specifically their earlier stuff, the newer is maybe a little less folk and more just indie rock (but also very good). The Sunset Tree and Tallahassee are what people usually recommend for the first album, but We Shall All Be Healed is my absolute favorite, and what I’m recommending.
This album specifically deals with themes of struggle and addiction. They have this very “everything is fucked but we push through” way about a lot of their songs that I just love. My favorite song off this album is Letter From Belgium. This band is an amazing source of emotional support through hard times and the community is fantastic!
“All of the songs on We Shall All Be Healed are based on people John used to know. Most of them are probably dead or in jail by now.”
I recently reorganized my vinyls, and came across a female fronted power trio of some cool bands:
Jex Toth Jess and the Ancient Ones and The Devils Blood
All play retro-inspired rock, and all are very nice.
Also, Tenhi. Tenhi is love.
I grew up only listening to rock and had a lot of preconceived notions about hip hop until my friend got me interested in a group called atmosphere. Very relatable to most rock songs and has a different type of beat then a lot of stereotypical rap music. After that check out some other artists on the rhymsayers label, I have really been feeling Alsop rock’s drums on the wheel. If that piques your interest just keep exploring, there’s a lot of creative artists in the hip hop genre! Some more suggestions old Kanye albums, Tyler the creator, wu tang klan, method man, Kendrick Lamar, Doom, Mac Miller, a$ap rocky, kid Cudi, Freddie gibs, Denzel curry, Logic, Pasha T.