Crate Digging is Uproxx Music’s monthly exploration of the depths of DIY music distribution platform Bandcamp, in an effort to unearth some hidden gem albums that just might find their spot among your favorites.
If you know somebody who complains that all modern music sounds the same… well, for one, that’s a weird uninformed take and they clearly wrong. Secondly, though, direct them here, because the five albums that rose to the top of the Bandcamp crop this month come from all across the spectrum. There’s ’70s-style pop-rock, an electronic-disco modernization, heavy blues rock, Brazilian electronic music, and soaring contemporary indie rock. May was a strong month, so let’s dive in.
5. Michael Rault — It’s A New Day Tonight
[protected-iframe id=”b00d1950ef410acbdddcf1ea0b79cc3f-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=304770076/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/” ]
On the second album from Toronto’s Michael Rault, he shows why he’s found himself in the company of high-profile friends; he’s opened for the likes of Charles Bradley and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. He’s clearly a songwriter steeped in the styles of ’70s folk- and pop-rock, and songs like album-opener “I’ll Be There” show that as long as it’s done well and not like a ’70s-themed Halloween costume, it’s a timeless sound that translates well to 2018.
4. 88 Palms — Love Safari EP
[protected-iframe id=”f9c1c0c0b31152c214bb1eb01b2771a0-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1687071648/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/” ]
Speaking of throwback sounds, 88 Palms has taken the sounds of ’70s disco and ’80s electronic and melded them into a contemporary sound that makes you want to dance. Humans have been dancing since the dawn of time, and a good beat will make you want to do so, but it’s especially effective when the instrumentation around the rhythm is as fleshed out as it is here. The EP has high production value, and the longer songs can stay in their groove for minutes without stagnating.
3. Mr Bison — Holy Oak
[protected-iframe id=”9c47d4f42c9f6c580fbb727b7676d053-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4171293764/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/” ]
There’s a nuance to heavy rock music that’s lost on a lot of bands who think turning it up to 11 is enough to get the job done, but not Mr Bison. On their latest, the Italian group knows how to manage all that fuzz, and channel it into interesting progressive structures, cultivating an aesthetic that’s somewhere near Baroness and Black Sabbath. The title track, for example, goes through various swells, hooks, and build-ups over the course of seven minutes that makes you want to take every turn at a thousand miles per hour.
2. Ibiza Pareo — Bailemos Juntas
[protected-iframe id=”55e68468fe16533fb613c1c3d364121a-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=636386377/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/” ]
The Argentinian duo understands that, when it comes to electronic music, you can’t bury weak songwriting in layers of synths and hope to get away with it. Ibiza Pareo knows how to craft an engaging beat and they do it sounding like a more minimal Cut Copy, with shades of a more electronic-leaning Tame Impala. Album opener “Somos Agua” is instantly catchy, even if you don’t understand what they’re saying, and that high synth line in the hook is so simple that it’ll be stuck in your head all day.
1. Greatest Lakes — Divisions
[protected-iframe id=”343bd7e7e58effa02e69f5c1da70d08c-60970621-76566046″ info=”https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1192320898/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/” ]
That soaring indie folk-rock sound popularized by the likes of Band Of Horses and My Morning Jacket is often imitated but rarely is it done so this well. Milwaukee’s Greatest Lakes knows that it’s about more than just the aesthetic, as they actually have some strong songs here, like the epic album opener “Forest,” which sounds like just that, as well as the light and horn-laden “Set Sail,” among others. Simply put, this is an indie rock album of supreme quality, one that both fits in well with its genre and serves as one of its finest examples.
