Review - A Bandcamp / Soundcloud Round-Up pt 3

Time for another look at what's out there in Bandcamp / Soundcloud land.



Kicking off we have Baby Jesus from Sweden who are releasing their debut self-titled cassette (and digital download) on Ongakubaka Records. What Baby Jesus give us is some hi-octane, kickass garage/psych punk with more than a nod to the forefathers - 13th Floor Elevators, Sonics and Stooges etc - and plenty of reverb and fuzz. Sweden has a rich heritage when it comes to garage punk/rock (The Maggots, The Nomads, The Stomachmouths, Demons amongst many others) and soon we can add Baby Jesus to that list. The album is out on 20th April on a nice looking gold cassette (limited to 100) or download, all via the Ongakubaka Records Bandcamp page - get on it!





Paul Hayworth is a UK musician who, over the course of 20 years, has been building a "Lo-Fi Quadrilogy" and 'Phantom Nomad' is the fourth in the quadrilogy. What really sets this undertaking apart is the breadth of the vision and ambition - there are videos for each track on the LP thus presenting us with a 60 min film, the artwork (by Nicole Marie Boitos) are concepts around lyrical ideas in the music, drawn by hand and painted in watercolour, and the four covers of the LPs form a panel of artwork....this project is obviously a labour of love and single-mindedness and is to be lauded. Musically 'Phantom Nomad' is a mixed bag of straight up blues rock, some nice psych tracks (touches of The Bevis Frond), some folk, some prog and some experimental electronica. To be honest, some tracks I didn't particularly like but some I liked very much. It's an ambitious project and I take my hat off to Mr Hayworth. 'Phantom Nomad' is available via Paul Hayworth's Bandcamp page or through the delightfully named electrocuted Wilma tunes.





Peter Forbes does a nice line in acoustic, lo-fi jangle that at times bring to mind west coast sixties and at times some eighties Paisley underground stuff. The 'Love Is All Around' EP is available via Peter's Bandcamp page. The standout track for me is the opener 'She's So Cool' - a jaunty, summery tunes that has a real eighties vibe.





Something I stumbled upon very recently is the ambient, spacey electronica of Simon Slator. With more than a hint of Tangerine Dream, it is lovely stuff - this is why I love the internet so much....it opens up avenues to find some great music. Slator's music is atmospheric and tranquil, full of some wonderful drones and electronica reminiscent of the groundbreaking kosmische artists - Schulze, Froese etc. Great stuff! Slator's music can be found on his bandcamp page where it is available on a 'Name Your Price' basis....but music as good as this deserves reward!