We’re all big fans of the more established acts out there, but some of the most exciting music being made today is produced by DIY artists and offered up for free listening on distant corners of the internet. On Bandcamping, we dig up a couple of gems, old or new, released and streaming for free on the online platform.
Attic Abasement – Dancing Is Depressing
Album: Dancing Is Depressing
Released: April 2010
Free to Download?: No
Style: Songwriter, Indie Pop, Acoustic, Lo-fi
For Fans Of: Silver Jews, Beat Happening, Bill Callahan
If it’s not apparent enough from our RIYL section of sorts directly preceding this here blurb, Michael Rheinheimer’s Attic Abasement project very clearly lies in a distinct family of bookish, gruff-voiced singer-songwriters. Though the instrumentation relies more heavily on spry weaving guitar lines than many of Rheinheimer’s storytelling compatriots, where Attic Abasement’s (and very clearly this record’s) massive success lies is in his messy, clever lyrical sentiments. Opening the record with a couplet as bold as “I can’t think with my dick/and my body ain’t no temple” may sound distinctly Hoppus-ian in it’s surface level sophomoric implications, but “Australia” quickly spirals into an existentialist meander. It’s as perverse and irreverent as The Vaselines and as profound and all-encompassing as Will Oldham. True brilliance encapsulated in a forum so often overlooked by the overwhelming majority of music fans.
Choice cuts: “Australia”, “Spread The Word”
–Colin Joyce
Michael Parallax – Vicious People EP
Album: Vicious People EP
Released: March 2011
Free to Download?: Yes
Style: Electronic, Psych-pop
For Fans Of: Animal Collective, MGMT, Dan Deacon
The real story of Florida electropop hero Michael Parallax is all about his live show: complete with showers of glitter, costumes, and a Dan Deacon-ish floor-level set-up, the communal hippie raves that this guy throws together are the work of a true DIY stalwart. Unfortunately, the energy Parallax brings to his shows haven’t always translated on record – in fact, most of his best live material draws from his 2009 release ha ha hallelujah!, a record marred by muddy production and obscured vocals. Last year’s Vicious People EP isn’t home to as many of Parallax’s live hits, but the improved production and wider stylistic range make it his best work to date. Fans of Animal Collective and Dan Deacon’s communal pop will find a lot to like, even if Parallax’s synth-drenched aesthetic is much less a Merriweather Post Pavilion wannabe than it is a noisy take on Oracular Spectacular.
Choice cuts: “Wolves”, “Vicious People”
–Ryan Stanley
