Remedy Melodies 03: Bandcamp Friday
Remedy Melodies is something like a lyrical advice column. Based on reader-submitted confessions, the Sunstroke team crafts a personalized playlist to lift, fit or change your mood.
Want Remedy Melodies for yourself? Tell us what’s on your mind— anonymous or not!
By Alex Ramos
It feels like a year has gone by since the globe first turned upside down, since we stayed in to keep the virus out. Like millions across the United States, I lost work to COVID-19. I struggled with the idea of not making money at first; it’s not like the bills I had to pay were going to stop because I suddenly couldn’t work my barista job. The transition from being outdoors and productive at every moment of each day, to facing the world through a webcam was just as merciless, too. The panic and anxiety nested in my brain comfortably, with my body struggling to keep up. Without the care and consideration of my family— who have been encouraging me to take this turn of events as a well-deserved break— I would not be writing about this as calmly as I do. Out there, many do not have the wherewithal to take this public health crisis as a recess, to reduce the load they would otherwise be taking on. Some just have to wait. Artists, musicians, performers and their crews are bearing the brunt of that wait, as tours, concerts and showcases are cancelled or postponed.
Bandcamp Friday launched in March as a response to this. On the first Friday of each month, Bandcamp waives their share of revenue for any purchases made through their marketplace. In short: the money you pay for music, tapes, CD’s, vinyl and merchandise go directly to the artists you choose to support, all in a matter of 24 to 48 hours. Over the first four Fridays, listeners and fans collectively pooled $20 million(!) for artists and labels.
In lieu of our regular blurb-and-playlist format, I’ve listed a few of my favorite recent tunes (and Bandcamp Friday purchases), accompanied by a short review, to check out below. If you’re in a position where you can and want to pay for music, I encourage you to do so! There’s also no shortage of name-your-price or pay-what-you-can ($0+) options to consider, if you’re short on change but want to spread it out to as many artists as possible.
Cover Art by Sasha Kelley
Dig A Pit – Wizard Apprentice
I first saw Wizard Apprentice perform at a local recording studio, where one of the engineers on staff was holding a series of concerts. My partner had recently written about Wizard Apprentice for a local blog, and invited me to see the show. With the lights off— save for a few spotlights and a projector casting video— Dig A Pit was performed in its entirety. It rubbed off as purely conceptual at first, with its minimalist, atmospheric sound (which she describes as “digital folk”). Upon closer look, the record is truly an intimate exploration of trauma, anger and healing, expanded on with movement and video art. With or without the performance aspect, Dig A Pit continues to grow through the cracks as a work of art that deserves your attention and respect.
Cha Cha Palace – Angelica Garcia
Angelica Garcia is a recent discovery, and I don’t quite know where to place her music in my head yet, but it’s there, and it’s amazing. Cha Cha Palace melds ruminations on culture, family and identity with a dynamic, jazzy vocal performance and genre-bending instrumentation that shifts from rock, to electro-pop, to latin pop. Garcia’s style is elastic, but calculated; there are recurring images (the Guava tree!), and she controls her voice to elicit the exact emotions she needs from the listener. “Jícama” is the clear standout, even with a playtime of under a minute and a half, with lines like “I been trying to tell ya’ but you just don’t see / Like you, I was born in this country” paving a path forward.
Photo by Tammy Nguyen
~~~ – Ana Roxanne
Ana Roxanne’s music feels very familiar. It incorporates sounds that are braided into my memory: hymnal echoes you’d hear from a distant church choir; chimes that recall the late afternoons of my youth; the idle chatter between my elders I’d overhear. This project has a sublime presence to it, a spirit of knowing and gentleness that resonates through its synth, vocal and organic textures. As a womxn artist whose practice is enlivened by the relationship between the creative and the spiritual, ~~~ brings exuberant joy on each listen.
Sum Little Songs – LoveSoph
Like ‘lo-fi,’ the term ‘bedroom pop’ only means so little these days, after being espoused into an aesthetic within mainstream pop spaces. Still, now and then, I’ll get the itch to listen to something under that umbrella— something sweet and straightforward. LoveSoph was there at the right time for me with Sum Little Songs. It’s a quick listen that lasts a lot longer, and feels a lot warmer, when all you’re up to is laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. “Warm and Fuzzy” and “You’ll Feel Better in the Morning” are two tracks perfect for that same, lazy melancholy.
Cover Art by Sammy Ray Nelson
Red With Love – Pom Pom Squad
In “Red With Love,” Mia Berrin’s voice is yearning personified. It walks the line between power and submission, wavering in her desire. “What you want is / What I want and / I can’t seem to get enough,” she sings. The song’s urgency feels like getting dropped into a deep pit, or not being able to outrun the object of your affection. Falling is inevitable. Pom Pom Squad had just played Noise Pop earlier this year when I first heard their music and began warming up to it. I completely regret not attending the show, and I think COVID-19 squashing their SXSW plans is one of the music scene’s greatest losses. “Red With Love” embodies the massive potential Berrin’s project has, complete with cherry red aesthetics that sport glitter, shimmer and shine. Pom Pom Squad forever.
By virtue of their platform, Bandcamp Friday primarily focuses on artists, musicians and independent labels. While crucial to the creative ecosystem, it misses plenty of other important participants: tour crew, managers, engineers, music venues, household names and independent record stores. In the spirit of our own collective, we endorse looking into the spaces closest to you first— whether that is an all-ages DIY venue, a family-owned record store or a local collective of artists trying to wade the waters of a global pandemic— and directing your energy to helping them survive through this challenging time. Community comes first.