Today is Bandcamp Friday again, and even though that site is in its death spiral, thanks to it being recently bought out by the moronically named Songtradr, we still want to help the artists that could benefit from a day like this. So here’s a few selections of great new releases you can pick up today while Bandcamp waives its fees and lets the artists and labels keep each cent that they earn. (Now if only Spotify could learn to do the same, but I digress…)

Tacoma Park – “What About Collage”

John Harrison and Ben Felton, of the electro kosmische boogie outfit, Tacoma Park, consistently prove themselves to be some of the most experimental and exploratory artists working within their specific corner of the music world. On their latest long-form single, “What About Collage,” the duo recreated the freeform soundscapes that are hallmarks of their live shows within the studio. The results are outstanding.

With never ending synthesizer patterns cycling hypnotically around minimalist guitar noodlings that eventually give way to zen drones, this 40+ minute suite is an entire journey for the mind and ears from start to finish. This is a track you can get up and dance along to and also meditate to. The piece’s accompanying art film/music video only heightens the track’s surreal and otherworldly qualities. It’s a fascinating and enthralling watch, and it certainly deserves to be played at art galleries. Check it out:

Beautiful, transcendent and always a joy, Tacoma Park’s monumental single is a trip and then some. Click here to order yours from Bandcamp today.

Various Artists – Measure, Pour & Mixtape: Music for Cooking (Spinster Sounds)

The good folks at Spinster Sounds have assembled a stunning roster of artists from all across the vast spectrum of folk and experimental music to celebrate and explore the connection between music and cooking. With the likes of Lou Turner, Michael Hurley, Magic Tuber Stringband and many others, this album is like a sonic cookbook inspired by well-worn recipes, the meditative process of food preparation and the communal experience of both cooking and eating with others.

Hearing tracks like the beautiful “Grain Song,” by Sally Ann Morgan and “Union,” by Bells, reminds you of just how sacred and eternal the acts of harvesting and assembling ingredients, cooking for yourself and others, and feasting truly are. Much like music, there are rhythms and improvisation to be found in these acts, and these artists emphasize this connection as well as the musical quality of the actual sounds of cooking (check out “Bill Hensley’s Hoppin’ John,” by MTSB, which is kind of like the old time fiddle music equivalent to “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast.”

Give it a listen and give it a taste.

Various Artists – STOP MVP: Artists From WV, VA & NC Against The Mountain Valley Pipeline (Warhen Records)

Warhen Records today will be releasing this incredibly powerful benefit album for the Appalachian Legal Defense Fund in support of all those who’re fighting against the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Music still has teeth and can still empower hearts and create change, and don’t let anybody make you think otherwise.

Across two CDs, the likes of Rosali, Yasmin Williams, Magic Tuber Stringband (hey, longtime no see!), Daniel Bachman, Dogwood Tales, The Modern Folk Trio Band and many, many others pour their souls into this project, and crafted songs for the people and the land that will all surely be affected by this cruel pipeline.

All proceeds from the sale of this album are donated to the Appalachian Legal Defense Fund, so if you’re interested in this record and what it stands for, then please be sure to buy it today, since it’s the last Bandcamp Friday of the year (or ever?) and the Fund will receive every penny you spend on it. Click here to get your copy now.

The Electric Nature – Live in Athens + Live in Troy (Null Zone Tapes)

For the drone music lover in all of us, The Electric Nature has some new dark, sprawling live tapes to completely zone out to.

Live in Athens features eerie gothic dreamscapes rich with thunderous guitar and echoing cries of fuzzy feedback. Despite sounding like a four-piece unit, this is just Michael Potter and Michael Pierce battling it out on guitars. This should certainly be used as a soundtrack for a nightmarish silent horror film from the 1920’s.

Live in Troy, meanwhile, leans heavier into the drone zone, and features Eric Hardiman on guitar, Zoots Houston on lap steel and Michael Potter handling guitar, synths and samples.

The second track on this album is a howling industrial jam with feverishly psychedelic meanderings that truly steals the show. It’s a mind-blower of all time. Click here to get Live at Athens, and here for Live at Troy.

Gary Peters –Beginnings: Collected Pedal Steel Works (Scissor Tail Editions)

This album is the first ever full-length LP collection of the works of Gary Peters, an astonishingly talented pedal steel guitarist from England, and it is long overdue.

This record reveals a more minimalist approach to cosmic roots music, as Peters plays his instrument without any effect pedals or any added studio production trickery. Instead, the earthy expansiveness and interstellar vibes you hear and feel in Peters’ music purely come down to the subtle and ethereal way he handles his instrument.

That being said, this album features Peters accompanied by synthesizers and other astral sounds, which firmly plants the album into the realm of ambient country/cosmic Americana. Fans of SUSS, Chuck Johnson and Tangerine Dream NEED this record. Click here to get yours.

David Cordero & Carlos Ferreira – Silent Articulations (Aural Canyon Records)

Our final recommendation of the day comes from our buddies at Aural Canyon Records. This is somewhat of an ambient dream team duo, with Spanish modular artist David Cordero and Brazilian experimental guitarist Carlos Ferreira combining forces for the first time.

The two sound sculptors compliment each other’s styles beautifully by conversing with one another through emotive explorations of tones and textures, which stretch out into grand soundscapes that you can get lost in. There is a joyful mood through these recordings, of which might be indicative of how pleasantly the two artists got along and enjoyed creating together. There is harmony here, and it is unquestionably a balm for any stressed or weary soul.

Aural Canyon will also be releasing an equally beautiful album by City of Dawn today, and their last two releases, Delta Waves by Stønefruit, and Somewhere Else by Saapato, have been constant fixtures in my home this autumn, so be sure to grab those albums, too, if you haven’t already.

-KH