Aron Bergen - 2013 - Hide My Soul

Classical

[FOR FREE]

http://aronbergen.bandcamp.com/

• 5 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Cold Hands

Impressions

I'm putting my classical pants on for this one, as Aron Bergen knocks it out of the park with his piano-focused neoclassical Hide My Soul, a five track EP of original compositions that hit on all the right, ahem, notes for me at the right time. It might be in part due to how shitty the weather has been here for the past month, but the somber mood Bergen's piano melodies create really connected with me from the get go, and the song titles would lead me to believe that might not be just a coincidence. These songs are low key affairs, with the piano (or violin) doing just enough to get you on board, but never demanding a laser-like focus on each note. Hide My Soul displays what I feel is quite the talent for composition and musicianship on Bergen's part, as well as production skills. The music doesn't seem exceedingly complex (to someone who knows nothing of the piano or violin I admit), though the strings are more involved than the piano most of the time. Bergen works within this walled garden extremely effectively. Single notes held just long enough often carry as much weight as entire songs would elsewhere. That Bergen also plays in some strange time signatures makes sure certain elements of these tracks stand out in your mind well after you've turned it off. Of the tracks, “Cold Hands” is the closest thing to a true “surprise”, with the piano taking a backseat to the synths and strings for a short change of pace (and it's probably my favourite track of the bunch). That I still dive right into these a week on from my initial depressing interaction with them also speaks to just how versatile Soul's classical is. A piano for every occasion.

Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherer - 2011 - Hans my Lion

Gypsy Folk Opera

[FOR FREE]

http://flyingfoxandthehuntergatherers.bandcamp.com/album/hans-my-lion

• 11 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Hans My Lion Part I, Hammer, Winter

Impressions

I fully expect most people to dislike this record on their first listen, considering I have wrestled with my opinion on it for over a year as well. Gypsy folk, opera style, isn't something you encounter every day, and while the vocals support that style magnificently, they also manage to sound quite a bit outlandish and alienating in some tracks for first time listeners. Its plainly unfair however, to judge this record based on that notion, since every aspect of these tracks is fitted to this overall style which managed to grow on me once I understood the concept. The sometimes pompous instrumentation, exaggerated and distinctive vocals and narrative lyrics all fall in line with the operatic style they went for here. Hans my Lion starts out very energetic and then eases off a bit without completely losing the tension towards the end of the record, always managing to keep the listener interested in whats to come next. Its one of those bands you'll either love or hate, but I dont think its fair to downrate a band only for serving a niche, if the concept is as convincingly executed as it is here. Its also one of those bands that shows why we venture out into the depths of unknown music, showing off a style you wouldnt get served on mainstream channels. I dare you to listen to Hammer and try telling me it isnt catchy. Are these songs a bit weird? Sure. Are they fun? Hell yes.

june - 2013 - june

Acoustic folk

[FOR FREE]

http://junemusic.bandcamp.com/

• 4 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Ghosts, El Paso

Impressions

Acoustic folk musician june’s self-titled release is as light and as refreshing as the month. The four-track EP’s qualities lie in its bare-bones intimacy (reflected in its instrumentation and supported by production that lets the down-home strains of the guitar and june’s airy, raw vocals feel as big as any first-rate country stage) and the quality of the songwriting. Driven by a gorgeous acoustic guitar line, opener “Ghosts” is far brighter than its title lets on and features an uplifting, sincere chorus that should win the hearts of many lonely Internet dwellers. “El Paso” is more of the same, with its focus primarily on the lyrical themes of lost love and redemption and the sound limited to guitar and the vocals. The other two songs on the EP are similar, but there’s something charming to music this personal all the same, and at a lean eighteen minutes, june certainly isn’t asking for much. Alas, if there’s one slight misgiving, it may be that his music is just a tad too slight, too straightforward to flourish in a crowded music world. Considering the promise of what’s here, we should hope that isn’t the case.

Buckeye Knoll - 2013 - Lovecreek

Folk rock

[FOR FREE]

http://buckeyeknoll.bandcamp.com/album/lovecreek

• 11 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Slow Moving, Open Your Eyes, Back To You

Impressions

It's a shame that so much good music gets turned down for a perceived lack of ~!artistic importance!~: with as much ironic pretense as those tildes and exclamation points can muster, it seems that sometimes, listeners look less for how an artist can connect with them than how cool it'll look on their Last.FM page. Oakland-based folk-rock band Buckeye Knoll should put a smile on the faces of even the most jaded fans, though. Its music is both enthralling and deeply personal, thanks to the flexibility of the soul and jazz-influenced ensemble and the straightforward but irresistibly earnest lyrics. Recent release Lovecreek charms with its understated virtues: tracks like "Slow Moving" and "I Am Who I Am" bridge intimate details with rabble-rousing choruses, strong dynamics, and stirring instrumental arrangements replete with handclaps, slick drum rhythms, groovy guitar solos, and rich harmonies. The band is what it is without reservation, and neither should listeners be afraid to embrace the joy blooming in music like this.

Hunt Breathing - 2013 - Plantae

Experimental folk

[FOR FREE]

http://huntbreathing.bandcamp.com/

• 9 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Sequoia Sempervirens, Cupressus Macrocarpa

Impressions

The world of lo-fi music on Bandcamp can be interesting. You have those who believe “lo-fi” is a synonym for “a tag for those 30-second song covers I sang to kill time while I was on the toilet last night.” On the other hand, you can stumble on something you’ll never find outside the lo-fi underworld: something completely visceral, completely intimate…and in the way it lets the cracks in its armor shine, something that surpasses structured beauty and enters the realm of pure musical experience. So if you asked me to describe Hunt Breathing’s Plantae to you in technical terms, I would likely be unable to do it. The closest I can get is probably a description of its conceit: almost every track here is named after a different plant, and each is left free to grow organically. There are no choruses to speak of. The vocals are more texture than they are text, serving more as a sign of human life lurking in the foliage of guitars and fuzzy noise that is Hunt Breathing’s stomping ground (the occasional hints of other flora on the periphery, like a weepy harmonica bit on “Cupressus Macrocarpa”, prove a rare and therefore refreshing treat). If you’re looking for something fully-formed, packaged in cellophane and waiting to be devoured, this ain’t it. But adventurers should find plenty of wildlife here to observe—and hopefully nurture.