Banner image courtesy of Bandcamp.
Today is the fourth Bandcamp Friday of 2021, and possibly the last one? Bandcamp only announced February, March, April, and May dates for Bandcamp Friday in 2021. The event was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic putting a swift end to in-person concerts for an unknown amount of time. Possibly (and hopefully) that ‘unknown amount of time’ will be ending soon.
In last month's blog post, we shared that “the future of in-person, live music performance is still a bit shaky.” Now one month later, it’s seeming slightly more stable. At The Cedar we now have eight shows slated between late-August and December of 2021. Other Twin Cities venues are doing the same: the ball is rolling! Of course, we don’t know what will happen between now and then. All we can do is hope for the best, really. In the meantime, it is still so important that we buy music directly from musicians who graciously share their art with us, as touring is still not a reliable and sturdy source of income.
Check out our playlist of song selections for May 2021 below, and remember that if you purchase them on Bandcamp today, the artists will receive approximately 93% of the revenue. To date, Bandcamp Friday’s have generated $52 million dollars directly to the people making it! Even if Bandcamp Friday doesn’t return on June 4th, we still encourage you to buy music there and through other methods that get money directly to the artists. On non-Bandcamp Fridays approximately 82% of the revenue reaches the artists which is still wonderful!
There are a variety of genres and sounds for you to choose from! Read a bit about each song and find the direct Bandcamp links hyperlinked below:
In a time where rumination has been hard to avoid for most people, Adrianne Lenker softly singing “I wanna kiss, kiss your eyes again / wanna witness your eyes looking” feels relatable. Thinking tenderly on a past relationship has been a past-time for many throughout COVID-19. “anything” showcases that in a beautifully bittersweet way.
With the cadence of a 2000’s r&b girl group member, Erika de Casier sings smoothly about valuing manners in a lover on “Polite.” The Portuguese-born, Copenhagen-based singer shares this message over a very Sade-esque instrumental: “Such a pity I thought you were so nice / If you wanna be my type / You better start being polite.”
Minneapolis musician Friendship Bracelet’s “Machine With Broken Lizard (feat. Jan Stroup)” really reflects its title. This instrumental electronic song highlights gorgeous electric guitar from Jan Stroup and feels quite dark and reptilian, à la Mezzanine by Massive Attack.
“Pour Dampness Down in The Stream” is a mesmerizing journey that is worth your time. New York based guitarist Ryley Walker teamed up with Tokyo-based Japanese psychedelic band Kikagaku Moyo to make this song and “Shrinks The Day.” The guitars are the stars here and they’re supported by sounds of wildlife, among other instruments.
“Send Me” is a stripped-back song where Tirzah’s warm vocals shine brightly (until the last 20 seconds or so where the guitar steps into the spotlight). On the London artist's Bandcamp page, the song is described as exploring “recovery, gratitude, and new beginnings.” With “heal” being the word repeated the most throughout the song, these themes are made clear.
Valerie June’s song “Smile” is a celebration of happiness. In her description of the song on Apple Music, June shared that “as a Black woman, looking at my people, we’ve had to continue to be reborn. And sometimes there have been times where all we had was a smile and just to say that’s not going to be taken.” The song is upbeat and groovy: definitely encouraging smiling, along with dancing.
Yaya Bey’s “the root of a thing” (explicit) is a luminous study of heritage. The repetition of “But I got my walls up / I really, really wanna love you” after touching on her relationships with her parents feels quite wise. Bey is speaking to the origins of one's fear of loving someone else — hence “root.”
If you do buy some of these songs, please let us know via email, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! Happy listening!