This Friday, 8/4/2017, Bandcamp will be donating all their revenue to the Transgender Law Center. I'm planning on buying a bunch of stuff from them that day, I hope you join me in supporting both human rights and musicians at the same time. Here's today's music.
Astronoid, "Trail of Sulfur"
In the wake of Deafheaven's Sunbather, I've noticed more bands that are working in that same area: incorporating elements of black metal, but removing some of the ugliness that's usually associated with the genre. It's sort of partway between the old genre of shoegaze and black metal. Astronoid (and this track) is a good example. You have some of the hallmarks of the genre in terms of the tempo and drumming, but none of the shrieks or noise that you might otherwise get. It's an interesting hybrid.
Six Finger Satellite, "Laughing Larry"
Punk band in the vein of Gang of Four, I only have their debut record on Sub Pop. They stood out both from the rest of their label mates at the time as well as the bulk of the rest of the underground with an angular sound rather than the gruff stuff that was in vogue at the time. In looking at their discography, they actually put out a ton of stuff, and I'm going to look into their later releases.
Yellow Eyes, "Streaming From The Undergrowth"
Ah, here, good example, shuffle. Here's a recent release that you can compare to Astronoid which is unquestionably black metal. You can hear the similarities, but everything is uglier than Astronoid is playing it.
Lupe Fiasco, "Outro"
Is there something wrong with me that I like shoutout tracks? I do, though. This one goes too long, however.
Fountains of Wayne, "Elevator Up"
Unabashed Cars revivalists, Fountains of Wayne's first three albums are just wall-to-wall glorious power pop. "Stacey's Mom" is their best known song (hilariously getting them a Best New Artist Grammy, despite it being from their third album), but all three records are filled with the same kind of super catchy tunes.