This isn’t a competition. It’s a collaboration.
This isn’t a competition. It’s a collaboration.
Not too long after Bandcamp first introduced their fan accounts—and around here someone swooned like a real fan boi—I started doing a feature on the blog called "Fandcamp".
The concept was simple: whenever I saw a charming fan review underneath a Bandcamp album I also fancied, I would take the fan's words and the album embed code back over to the blog and turn it into a quick and fun album post, one that didn't require me to keep trying to scrape the bottom of my standard issue music blogger ‘100 Different Ways To Say That You Like Something Again’ barrel. Because that struggle gets real real, real fast.
I also liked how #Fandcamp continuously introduced people to the fact that anyone can write their own little album reviews for anything purchased on Bandcamp, and that one can discover a lot of great, often obscure stuff by checking out the Bandcamp collections of other people (here is my personal one, for an example). The Music Feed is a pretty handy perk of having a fan account on Bandcamp too, if we're listing things.
“Dan Reeder has such a soothing voice… sometimes you don't even realize that he's singing about how his lady won't give him a bj on his birthday or the flaws of a beach ball.”
“Immersed in a sea of musical textures. A million moments realized. Transported.”
“cheekface pulling thru once again with a collection of songs that make anxiety, bagels, elections and noodles seem cool af”
“Char's writing here mines memory for the sweetness only reckoning and forgiveness can bring. Her strongest suite to date, she sings with more confidence than ever on themes of certain fallibility and radical acceptance. She conveys courageously the beauty of not knowing what's next or what any of it ought to mean. With every song she sounds grateful for each breath and experience.”
“This album's got me going down Wikipedia rabbit holes about college radio stations.”
“Beautiful interplay of twin guitars, two wonderfully harmonised voices delivering songs with something to say. ‘a-sides’ has much to discover, cleverly crafted by so little. An amazing achievement.”
“Skyway Man has the kind of grooves that will have you unironically reintroducing words like ‘groovy’ back into your regular vocabulary. For example, you may find yourself telling others “this record is really groovy, man” quite often.”
“Mystifying Yugoslavian guitar pieces, its loneliness carries across space and time.”
“Pleasant surprise finding this artist. Bordeaux… who would of thought to find some of the best Country I’ve heard in a while.”
“This is delightful, brings me back to a time when music of this nature had a little fun with itself. Looking for a brief respite from the landslide of heavy weight issues, 'Continuous Portrait' will provide some off-centered, yet uplifting shelter.”
“A timely set of poignantly biting songs full of an extremely apparent passion for the old-time style. Excellent commentary on these surreal days we're living through.”
“Released days before his 80th birthday, Michael Hurley's wisdom and dusty attic soulfulness is on full display on this inspired addition to his timeless collection of oddball folk recordings.”
“From Calgary to Glasgow via Helsinki and Reykjavik... 'you pass through, you pass through'. Loved this from the opening bars - like escaping from a prison.”
“Perfect for when you’re sad and you need a soundtrack to make the air hurt too.”
“My first time listening felt like watching a magic trick- astonishing, perfectly executed, and an absolute joy. Who knew music could be this good?”
“Time and again, R.A.P.'s work just fills me with awe and joy and appreciation for our world, and also some affectionate sarcasm aimed at our struggle to impose order on it.”
“I love this album. Totally cool and hypnotic with interesting textures and nuances. Great music. Fascinating lyrics and story-line. Love the guitar licks and that angelic voice. Such a good album.”
“Truly a very autumnal album, percolating with rural nostalgia and pastoral dreaminess. You can almost feel the late afternoon sunshine on your bare arms, as perfect field recordings of birdsong and creeks flow past while zither melodies and strums wash over you. Absolutely gorgeous.”
“This wonderful and moving album flatters the growing up sadness (you might have wanted to skip) but will make you better as a human being.”
“A gorgeous, shimmering set of songs that combines ultra-smooth pop sounds (recalling the softer moments of Destroyer's "Kaputt") with sweet ambient textures. Fantastic songwriting work, as well. A joy to listen to, and a clear early contender for 2021's album of the year.”
“A really special release from Chad. Feels looser than most of his recent major releases, in a very satisfying and intimate way. The freewheeling, exciting experimentation is all here, as usual, and the songwriting on point.”
“What a happy surprise to have new music from Daniel Bachman to start the year! Joyful tunes.”
“The guitar work on display here is just phenomenal. little waterfalls and whirlpools swirling around your head for 40 minutes. You can't beat that!”
“Ryan's albums have been great comfort lately as my family has had more than it's fair share of tragedy. Beautiful sounds, most comforting. Thank you for your art.”
“Every song is just gorgeous, the best of Indie-pop distilled into this album. Imagine Pulp-Jarvis Cocker singing Morrissey lyrics with Belle & Sebastian as the backing band... thats halfway as good as this.”
“The song titles alone were enough to purchase these 9 little tracks. In all seriousness though, a really nice find from Asheville and a sound not so commonly found in that music rich blue ridge city.”
“Fantastic -- as if Chrissie Hynde were backed by Crazy Horse, with incredible songwriting depth.”
“1993 was a very good year for hip-hop, with many classic album releases. Although this album doesn’t get anywhere near the recognition it deserves, I couldn’t imagine my life without it.”
At one point, this Fandcamp idea had its own Tumblr (since discontinued) and Twitter (since ditto'd). I even bought the FANDCAMP.COM domain because I was thinking of starting a whole ‘Fans of Bandcamp’ sort of site. But, as is often the case with ideas you’re not sure how to monetize or pull off because you’re just a socialist music blogger, the time required to both pursue the new idea while keeping old ideas going doesn’t really exist. Unless you want to sacrifice some other areas of your life (like actual jobs or actually sleeping). So I scaled the ambition back to just a blog tag.
But here’s the thing: I still really like this Fandcamp thing & even as just a blahg tag it’s still a great way to share/discover nice things for one’s ears.
“Kassi Valazza's voice is a red-hot nickel ball slowly working its way through a cube of ballistic gelatin. This LP is a gently wound path of close-cosmic-country with a B-side that actually defies gravity. If you thought her first release was a winner, well... engage your core and hang on to your javelinas, she's just done one better”
“Imagine a Sun Kil Moon record pressing pause on 'Inherent Vice' to grab another sixer out of the fridge and roll a joint on the back cover of a Bukowski novel.”
“This long awaited, shooting star of an album, has at last dropped into our cosmos and it is pure beauty! Every song demands presence; they conjure and set the soul aflame. Dean's talent, artistry and vulnerability is much needed in this world and his record is a gift to humanity.”
“Amidst all the chaos Quelle Chris comes through with another weird life-affirming series of beats and observations. QCs great album streak very much intact.”
“Sonny shows us that he can still kick out the classics like the old days while keeping it fresh and fun with lyrics and melodies that are forever getting caught in the folds of your brain. And is there a record with more beautiful cover art released this year? No. No there's not.”
“Bought this sucker out of the blue, not knowing nothing about who it even is. Top notch Pub Rock bard songwriting that makes me wish I was British in the 1970s. LOVE THIS MYSTERIOUS (to me) "BAND"!”
“Going to need to hear more from this pairing, no duds on this record.”
“Feeling restless, cracked or caught in irreversible circles? Find your Tomberlin and quietly sink into life’s softer sides.”
“Bella is worshiped as the goddess of nature and heart break on my home planet of Melmac.”
“All the mystery of the desert at night, compressed into a rare jewel of an album.”
“One of my favorite albums of all time. An amazingly produced and written album. I seriously believe Willie Ev is a pioneer in a new sound of hip hop. I have never heard beats or rhymes delivered like this before. Ever.”
“Strong Tom Petty vibes with an indie slant. Jeremy writes witty, slightly weird (in a great way) songs and sings them with an honest, no BS style. This is an underrated gem.”
“There is this wonderful thing about Ryan's music that just makes me feel at peace with myself. Dust is no exception. Once the first note hits I'm in a different world. The perfect record for some escapism when things get a little too much.”
“It’s like a dream. At times it even feels like an epic voyage across the Mediterranean isles. And the bouzouki adds tremendous flair too. I just can’t get over the sound they’ve created!”
“The vocals are smooth enough to make Shakespeare’s three witches Q U A K E”
“Algia Mae is a living legend. Her spunk comes through in innuendo-soaked lyrics and perfect Piedmont finger picking.”
“So beautiful. This has pulled me back from panic attacks a few times recently. What a treat. Cheers CC.”
“No-one writes melodies like Tele Novella right now. Melodic, unpredictable, and bolstered by gorgeous & clever arrangements.”
“Their best album in a decade. Truly amazing that even after 30+ years JD is still writing songs that can stand up there with his all-time classics.”
“This record is gonna have a huge impression on future generations of creators. Truly one of the most inspiring things I've heard in a long time, nothing short of a MASTERPIECE.”
“A friend of mine sent me this album and said "This might be the perfect punk album" and you know what I think he's right.”
“A classic piece of electronic music, still sounds fresh and haunting after all these years.”
“Her tone, her cadence, the way she articulates the sound of the words is captivating. I think of Violeta Parra (!!!), Vashti Bunyan, Aldous Harding, Joni Mitchell when listening to her.”
“Earth Trip brings us another round of country-fried cosmos layered in brooding bass, dreamy slide and twangy jam. Every bit as compelling as Summerlong was last summer.”
“My first exposure to Mount Eerie, didn't realize how often I would come back to the catharsis, and now the nostalgia of the simple worries from the before.”
“It’s not just the extensive vocabulary in his poems. It’s not just the wise n visceral imagery in his verses. I't’s not just the humor or incredible ear for production he brings to the table. Or the air of beautiful purpose felt in his words. It’s an all-encompassing balance of each of these wonders at once. This the type of album that will make a thinker act....and make an actor think.”
“Like a vivid & most pleasant dream, guitar notes suddenly appear twinkling all around, before slowly settling into a snug, winter warming ambient folk blanket. Honestly this album has made my weekend.”
“Swirling guitar textures that burn like blue fire in my chest cavity.”
“Jamaica has been blessed with great singers so you might have missed him. Used to sing lead in The Techniques (check them out!) and these solo sides are more than welcome.”
Which is to say, I still really like that people can write short little reviews underneath the Bandcamp albums they liked enough to buy with their actual human money. Just the act of purchasing something in today's world of 'There's Probably An App For Getting That For Free / With Less Money That Doesn’t Go To The Creators' is a stronger review than 1000 words could ever muster. Throw in a few perfectly imperfect barbs to provide a little purchase decision context—like, "the beauty of this album hits you like a baseball bat" for example—well that's just some good word of mouth to ears.
So I’m gonna just keep posting Fandcamp on here whenever I come across a good one in the wild and I invite you to use the #Fandcamp hashtag on wherever you hashtag as a way to share any good fan reviews you find on Bandcamp too (even if you just use it as a way to share your own music or your friends music or your own reviews, that still counts as a ✓ in the positive column).
Because shoutout people that still buy music.
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