What the Bandcamp Daily editors are listening to right now.
Afterimage
Faces to Hide
Compact Disc (CD), 2 x Vinyl LP
Loathe as this lifelong New Yorker is to say anything kind about L.A. (sorry/not sorry?) even I must admit that, every now and then, they get lucky and produce a great rock band. One of those is Afterimage, a band that existed for about 20 seconds but nevertheless produced a short, searing body of work that captures the grimmer, bleaker side of the City of Angels. The songs on Faces to Hide slide in perfectly alongside the early days of Factory Records—sparse instrumentation consisting mainly of short, stabby guitars, bone-dry drums, and the magnificent, baleful croon of frontman Alec Tension. On “Relapse,” guitars claw the edges of a song like skeleton fingers trying to scrape their way out of a sarcophagus, and “Satellite of Love” (not that one) has a panicky urgency that quickens the pulse. Augmented with a healthy helping of live tracks and demos, Faces to Hide is an icy monument to a band more people should know about. And also: If you’ve never picked up a record from Independent Project, let me use my last few words here to encourage you to change that. The packaging is gorgeous—letterpressed chipboard intricately folded, with gorgeous inserts and heavyweight vinyl. Every release is gorgeous, and this one is no exception—so much the better, in this case, to hide the fantastic gloom that awaits when you drop the needle.
–J. Edward Keyes
Clinic Stars
Only Hinting
Compact Disc (CD), Vinyl LP
If ever there was a group destined for Kranky, the decades-old Chicago label responsible for depressive classics by Grouper and MJ Guider, then it would surely be Clinic Stars. The Detroit-based duo of Giovanna Lenski and Christian Molik—who split instrumental and vocal duties—traffic in those moody, wispy strain of guitar music that’s since become the institution’s signature; atmospherically rich yet dynamically featherweight, their songs combine the tempos and bare-bones percussion of slowcore with the sanded-down fuzz riffs, whispered vocals, typical of ’90s dream pop. Their Kranky debut, Only Hinting, is the perfect record to usher us from summer to autumn: a bittersweet comedown resculpted into an alluring dream sequence that, between the porous rhythms and the tempered dynamics, feels like it could go on forever. Recommended for fans of Carissa’s Wierd, Cocteau Twins, and obviously, any other Kranky band you can think of.
–Zoe Camp
Desert Camo
Desert Camo
On their first album as Desert Camo, producer Heather Gray and rapper Oliver the 2nd stake out terrain somewhere adjacent to Common’s iconic Like Water for Chocolate or Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night, pairing sparkling, jazz-informed production with sharp verses that acutely observe both the outer and inner landscape. The symmetry between the two performers is striking: Gray is adept at isolating the exact moment of a song that’s bursting with enough character to captivate—the three-note guitar skip-up-the-octave on “Laws of the Land,” the flute that darts mosquito-like across “Eyes & Ears”—but is not so busy as to distract. And Oliver’s verses are the perfect blend of specificity and abstraction; on the moody “Aggravated,” he slides from using bleary, impressionistic imagery to recall being caught in a rainstorm before a late-night hookup to, in the very next set of verses, contemplating mortality with bracing bluntness: “When I die, spray my ashes on the wall in graffiti.” On both fronts—beats and rhymes—Desert Camo works best when you lean in close, richly textured arrangements supporting verses that inspire thought.
–J. Edward Keyes
Esa
A Muto
2 x Vinyl LP
Freshly revived by Australian label Isle of Jura, “A Muto” is one of the crown jewels of ’80s Cameroonian pop music. It was originally released in ’86 by Esa—the duo of singer Stephan Dayas and producer Martin Socko Moukoko—who filtered the disco and soul rhythms imported from the West through makossa and ambassa bey, two Cameroonian folk subgenres known for their brass arrangements and fast, electric bass-propelled arrangements, respectively. Why the song became a smash in their backyard, aside from the brustling bass grooves, Michael Jackson-esque yelps, and other catchy accouterments is no surprise. By parlaying the thrill of discovery associated with the cultural flux of that decade into a stylistically expanded, but unmistakably Cameroonian, tradition, Esa paved the way for mokassa artists to come. Isle of Jura’s package impeccably remastered from Moukoko’s original tapes and bundled alongside three alternate versions (instrumental, a “dub-instrumental,” and minimalist “keys mix”), is your opportunity to experience this timeless boogie for yourself. Do it!
–Zoe Camp
Knitting
Some Kind of Heaven
Vinyl LP, Cassette, Compact Disc (CD)
In the 90s alt rock smorgasbord that is contemporary guitar music, it’s become apparent that some kids like shoegaze and other kids like Nirvana. Knitting are squarely in the latter camp. Sounding a bit like a less caffeinated Pardoner or a moodier Veruca Salt, on Some Kind of Heaven the Montreal group thread the needle between hooks and noise more readily than the Midwestern teens working in this same indie rock-ish milieu are doing at present, preferring to make their music likable first, cool second.
– Mariana Timony
The Lijadu Sisters
Horizon Unlimited
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD), Hat, T-Shirt/Shirt
In honor of the legendary Lijadu Sisters’ 1979 album Horizon Unlimited, whose “Come On Home” has earned them a well-deserved 21st-century renaissance, Numero Group has teamed up with Yeye Taiwo Lijadu to reissue their final album on vinyl and CD, remastered and restored in high fidelity. Not only that, these pioneers of Nigerian pop will be receiving a long overdue reissue campaign of all five of their studio albums from the 1970s. Combining Afrobeat with a groundbreaking, original fusion of funk, reggae, rock, disco, and soul, twin sisters Yeye Taiwo Lijadu and the late Kehinde Lijadu were outspoken in their politics, addressing political unrest and misuse of power in their lyrics and lives, all while fighting for fair treatment in a male-dominated landscape. Despite its optimistic title, sunny melodies, and jubilant talking drums with their distinctive rubbery intonations, Horizon Unlimited is pretty radical in its messaging. The chanted refrain “Get out!/ Fight!/ Trouble in the streets!” opens the album before divulging an irresistibly funky bass groove on “Orere – Eleligbo.” Crucially, Numero is including first-ever transcripts of their lyrics in both Yoruba and English with the record’s physical release, shedding a much needed light on the Sisters’ messages. Here’s to hoping Yeye Taiwo finally receives the level of commercial success she deserves.
–Stephanie Barclay
Young Scum
Lighter Blue
A new record of songs about male feelings front loaded over a jangling 12-string from Young Scum, who did the same thing very well back in 2018 and ended up on our best records of the year list for their trouble. Heartbreak rather than ennui is the subject matter this time around but the music remains sensitive and charming, all close harmonies pooling over webs of chiming guitars stretched over a fuzzy low end. If you enjoyed the last one from Chime School and wished there were 10 more records like it, good news: There are and Lighter Blue is one of them.
