Bandcamp Friday
Short public service announcement: Today is Bandcamp Friday—a Covid-born measure turned fan favorite: For every song or album you buy on the plaform, Bandcamp waives their revenue share and passes 100% of the funds to artists and labels. So dust off that wishlist of yours, and consider transfering some of the entries on there into your collection.
If that is too short notice, maybe Is It Bandcamp Friday? prevents the next one from sneaking up on you.
What I bought today:
- Leave My Name Out by LMNO. An underground hip hop classic.
- Plastik Azur by chiptune mastermind Klirre
- The Righteous & The Wicked by Belgian pop punk force For I Am
- Complete Discography of Rotze. A band of a friend of a friend with superb humor.
- Shackitistan by Shacke One. Finest boom bap from Germany.
Thanks, Shrinking
No hip hop or punk rock today. More like staring out the window and contemplating life stuff.
- Lighght by Kishi Bashi
- First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National. Did not know them before. But thanks to Shrinking, now I do. Episode 4 of season 2 features Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers). What a beautiful song.
- EP II + Skisser by Alice Boman. Not sure what to make of her yet, but I had to have the opportunity to listen to Waiting on repeat for the next bazillion weeks. Thanks again, Shrinking. (Season 2, episode 8.)
Women Power
In honor of tomorrow’s Feministischer Kampftag (International Women’s Day) I bought these albums today:
- Gefühle by The toten Crackhuren im Kofferraum (dead crack whores in the trunk). Bling bling punk pop—that’s what the tags on the Bandcamp page say and I think that’s accurate. I’ve been a fan since they opened for Antilopen Gang in 2022.
- Escape by Future Palace. Although I already own the vinyl, I also wanted to have the digital album for my mp3 player. Maria Lessing is one of the most versatile singers in recent post-hardcore.
- Bury the Lede by Dessa. I haven’t listened to it yet, but a new Dessa release is always a welcome addition to my music collection. Blind purchase!
You can find the other Bandcamp Friday dates on Bandcamp Daily.
Cam Cole
Well, this one was easy; the full digital discography of Cam Cole—or should I rather say, CAM something—is 50% off! That’s 17 releases for around 35 quid inluding VAT and a little additional contribution in my case! Thank you, Ted Lasso, for introducing me to this smashing blues rock Wonder Kid [sic].
Songs that Cam plays on the Ted Lasso show: Away, So Blues, and the blows-the-fucking-roof-off track Mama from the linked video clip above.
Shazam Brought Me Here
Switching phones got me to sift through my Shazam tracks. Some of them date back to 2016 … Ten years of musical serendipity. That’s so wild! For two of those tracks I bought the respective release for Bandcamp Friday today:
- Go Solo led me to buy The Pleasant Trees (Volumes 1, 2 & 3) by Tom Rosenthal. His full digital discography is 20% off at the moment.
- Kernkompetenz lured me into buying the eponymous album by Game Boy techno whiz and Klirre buddy TRIAC.
I also stumbled over Kristian Rink’s Bandcamp Friday recommendations via UberBlogr.
Jeder weiß, dass es scheißkalt wird im Winter
Phew, barely made Bandcamp Friday. Thanks, time zones! The title translates to “Everybody knows that it’s gonna be fucking cold in winter” and comes from Pascow’s song Gottes Werk und Teufels Beitrag. Observing how both temperature and public dicourse get more and more frosty here in Germany, this line works in more than one way. Winter is coming, time for punk rock.
- Sieben by Pascow. I like their more roughly produced early works and smoother releases like Jade or this one. One of punk rock Germany’s finest.
- Schmaltz and Brave Faces Everyone by Spanish Love Songs. Indie punk rock that interleaves devastating sadness and invigorating optimism. Not unlike how I feel these days. But hey: Onward. Forward!
Music by Friends
This Bandcamp Friday was easy because I listened to my talented punk rock friends of Bellyacher and Eaten by Snakes less than a week ago. I bought their latest records (digital + vinyl) without hesitation.
- The Largest Gap by Bellyacher. I just love Claudia’s voice and her range from soft to roaring.
- Peace and Love by Eaten by Snakes. I think The Thermals are one of the greatest bands ever and Eaten by Snakes are the next best thing. The front cover artwork even is by Hutch Harris! Music-wise this is a thing of beauty, too, from first track to last.
I am also very happy to report that Bandcamp Friday will return in 2026!
A Mixed Bag
The first Bandcamp Friday purchase of 2026 is a nod to the random happenstances that are music recommendations and my eclectic taste in music.
- Macrowaves (including the absolute banger Skylight) and Firing Squad (new-ish track feat. Method Man) by Rob Overseer. Haven’t listened to this gentleman in a long time, but zines.fm episode #18 and Arne Kamola brought him back on my radar.
- Rust Belt by BBGuns. Recommended by UberBlogr neighbor Torsten Hartmann; a mean flow over rocky beats. Their first album Rawlaw LP is available for pay-what-you-want.
- Lovesongs for Haters by The Sensitives. Because they are wonderful and I will get to see them live at Sonic Ballroom on 2026-02-27 alongside Nosebleeder.
- Decisions by The Blackout Argument. To complete my collection of „the German Boysetsfire.“