There's no better way to ring in a new month than supporting artists on Bandcamp Fridays. Every first Friday of the month since March, Bandcamp has been waiving its revenue share on all music and merch sales on the platform. These days have been a godsend for touring musicians who are out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the prolonged shutdown of live music; according to Bandcamp, the campaign has brought in well over $20 million for these artists over just a few installments. Since the pandemic started in March, people have bought more than $75 million worth of music on the platform, which has surely helped out with rent checks or bill payments for hundreds if not thousands of working creatives.
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And because it's another Bandcamp Friday, it's also time for the VICE staff to throw some suggestions out there on what to buy. We've been rounding-up some great Bandcamp buys since they started the promotion (and we've also highlighted our favorite songs every month so if these recommendations aren’t your thing), so if you're not sure where to start, try these out. As summer ends and autumn approaches, we’re recommending some plaintive, mellow, and still exciting releases from acts like Jon McKiel, Katie Von Schleicher, Corey Flood, Narrow Head, and more.Not much is known about who's behind Sault, the radical British experimental soul and funk collective. But whatever their elusive origin and makeup, their songs are brimming with defiance and resonance. Their latest album, Untitled (Black Is), was released in June as the world reeled from he unjust deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, and reflected on the systemic racism and police brutality that preceded and led to those killings. The album is a celebration of Black art as much as it is a protest against those evils. Songs like “Masterpiece” boast an understated groove and soulful backing vocals, while “Don’t Waste My Time” dives more fully into party-starting funk. But more than the genre-signifiers, it's the lyrics are that are most biting. On “Wildfires,” as a vocalist sings, “You should be ashamed/ the bloodshed on your hands,” the lines stick with you. “Take off your badge," they command. "We all know it was murder/ Murder, murder/ Murder” — Josh Terry
Sault, Untitled (Black Is)
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Narrow Head, 12th House Rock
Katie Von Schleicher, Consummation
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Ulver, Flowers of Evil
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Corey Flood, Hanging Garden
Power Trip, Live in Seattle 05.28.2018
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