If you've been on board with us since mid-2014, you'll remember I used to do a segment called Bandcamp Buried Treasure. I'd hunt down records for "Buy It Now/Free Download" price on Bandcamp and post up a brief article about one of my finds every Friday. It was a lot of fun, but ultimately the rules of the feature became too constricting for me to consistently talk about music I only had the utmost faith in.
Now I've got a way around that. Here's how the new segment works!
- Now monthly, I'm going to post up a bunch of albums that came out during this year you might have missed or forgot to get around to.
- The albums are not all "Buy It Now/Free Download," nor are they specifically hosted on Bandcamp. Get ready to throw your money at your screen!
- Each entry will include either a full album stream or a great song off an artist's new record.
- If you don't see an album you enjoyed from this year on the list, leave a comment letting me know I should listen to it! If it didn't come out by today, then I purposefully did not include it this time. These are only albums that came out between January 1 and May 31 this year. The next feature will deal with albums that came out between January 1 and whatever the next quarter start date is, etc.
Ready?
Rorcal – La Femme sans Tête
Rorcal released La Femme sans Tête as a 10th anniversary thing on their Bandcamp and have made it fully known that the whole composition was recorded in a very short amount of time… which is insane considering how damn good it is. The song is split into three movements and has this really organic, syrupy flow to it that builds and builds into some monolithic sound that fully encompasses your ears in a wall of gorgeous noise. Take the time to listen to this one.
Amputory – Ode To Gore
I'm really picky about my death metal because I feel like a lot of it these days is just a contest to see who can play faster. That being said, Amputory dropped out of that contest and has entered the one about seeing how much catchy, groovy riffs can be stuffed into one record. Ode To Gore reeks of classic death metal, but it's a record where you'd turn it on and immediately know that you're listening to Amputory. Thanks, Norway! You'd never disappoint me.
Mondo Drag – Mondo Drag
Keyboards! So many keyboards! The whole retro-rock/metal revival things of the past few years has interested me, but no band has grabbed me quite like Mondo Drag has. This is everything the revival has been doing well with a whole lot of added Yes and Deep Purple thrown in there. These guys are clearly passionate about the music they make and succeed in tossing a modern edge into the works. Mondo Drag should be on your playlist for today, tomorrow and the rest of the month.
Öxxö Xööx – Nämïdäë
I came pretty close to not even listening to Öxxö Xööx's Nämïdäë because it's a very silly name, but I caved because I liked the artwork… it happens. I'm glad I did too because the music is a strange blend of opera, doom metal and generally uncomfortable heaviness tied up in a disorienting bow. This is another one of those records that I suggest you don't sample so much as you do take the time to listen all the way through. It's worth it, but you might also go a little insane in the process.
Dopethrone – Hochelaga
Dopethrone! In the event you were looking for some seriously heavy stoner metal with putrid vocals, then Dopethrone has you covered. Dudes cut down the song times quite a bit on Hochelaga but sacrificed zero-percent of its awesome, heavy, dense riffs in the process. If you're looking for drone then check out the band's earlier material, but Hochelaga is a little more straightforward than that and it works our perfectly.
Dorthia Cottrell – Dorthia Cottrell
Windhand's frontwoman Dorthia Cottrell does not get nearly enough love here on the Internet, so let's remedy that egregious mistake right now. Cottrell has acoustically serenaded listened in Windhand's music a little bit, but this is Steve Von Till levels of ambient, relaxed listening. It's a lot more concentrated on telling stories through lyrics and creating an atmosphere through which to tell them. Overall an awesome, very different listen.
Want more? Check out previous posts!
- 7 Albums You Probably Missed So Far In 2015: April Edition
- 11 Albums You Probably Missed In 2015: The First Edition
Until next time!
