During the pandemic, one online marketplace has emerged as something of a hero.
With record shops closed, paid gigs all but vanishing and streaming services offering very little by way of payment, selling music online has become many artists' main source of income.
Bandcamp is one of the most popular places to do that and, since March, the website has been waiving its revenue share for a full 24 hours on the first Friday of every month.
It’s been a great success so far, with more than £15m spent during the four previous editions of what has become known as Bandcamp Friday.
This week, it’s happening again. It’s set to run on August 7 from midnight to midnight pacific time — that’s 8am on Friday to 8am on Saturday over in the UK. If you’re hoping to get involved from another time zone, check out isitbandcampfriday.com.
Here, we’ve chosen some new releases to check out and buy on Bandcamp this Friday. Of course, it’s only a tiny drop in the ocean of music that’s currently available on the website, so once you’ve listened through our choices, it’s time to have a delve yourself.
British Sea Power — Various releases
Cumbrian indie favourites British Sea Power are making all the releases on their own label, Golden Chariot Records, available on Bandcamp from this Friday. According to the band, that will entail “all the six EPs from the Machineries of Joy era, Happiness EP, box set releases” and more. For devotees, it’s a treasure trove.
The Microphones — Microphones in 2020
Phil Elverum, the lo-fi master known for his work as Mount Eerie and as part of various other projects, is resurrecting his Microphones moniker for the first time in 17 years for this record. Released through his P. W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. label, the album is an intriguing prospect: just one song, spread across 44 minutes. Expect plenty of sonic experimentation and deep feeling.
Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids — Shaman!
Idris Ackamoor, who made his name by expanding the horizons of spiritual and Afrofuturist jazz back in the 1970s, is making the most of a second lease of life alongside his influential collective, the Pyramids. Their last album, 2018’s An Angel Fell, was sublime, and it’s followed up by this release. “The album unfolds over four acts with personal musical statements about love and loss, mortality, the afterlife, family and salvation,” Ackamoor says.
Duval Timothy — Help
South London artist Duval Timothy is a multi-pronged artist — he’s done everything from cookbooks to installations at Tate Modern — and this latest project is the latest exploration of his musical facet. The first two singles, Fall Again and Slave, are both stunning, subtly complex pianos that build gracefully. The album is set to tackle mental health, the overhanging effects of slavery, and much more.
Alison Mosshart — Sound Wheel
Known for her work with The Kills and Dead Weather, Alison Mosshart is heading out as a solo artist. And she certainly seems to be doing things on her own terms — rather than ape the sound of her past musical successes, she's releasing Sound Wheel, a 47-track spoken word record, that's been inspired by "cars, rock n’ roll, and love".
