For this one, I'm going to start by focusing on the latest release, and get a little bit into the most recent prior ones.I'm always happy to give an artist a chance when he's a fellow Wisconsinite. The music scene in Madison is often overlooked for reasons I can't understand. For years, I've heard from a diverse assortment of very talented artists that fail to gain the exposure they deserve. Hopefully, the Bandcamp model is giving artists like Sanxion7 an opportunity they might not otherwise have.
I realized with that last post that I never really established what qualifies as a "new" release as opposed to a "retro." Initially I wanted to review new releases within a week or so of hitting stores, but since I tend to go for long periods without posting, that doesn't always apply. Also, I sometimes don't have time to let an album sink in during that amount of time.Therefore, let me state for the record (no pun intended) that I will generally use the term "New Release" to apply to an album that has come out within the last 2-3 months, that I started listening to shortly after release. If a review is backlogged anymore than that, it will just be a "Review." I'll limit "Retro Reviews" to anything around 4+ years old. Sound like a deal? Too bad, it wasn't an offer. My house, my rules. :-P
I'm starting off my series of Bandcamp reviews with what is so far my favorite work amongst the electronic stuff I've checked out.Having designed sound for stage productions and at least one piece for an independent film (which unfortunately didn't make the final cut) gives Dragonfly Lingo's Mitia Wexler a bit of an edge in implementing the concept for his debut album, Offscreen.
So, what do you* really want to know about this magical, cheap website, Bandcamp? The same thing as with any other such site. I know exactly what you're expecting: all that cheap and free music in one place...the music is pure SHIT, isn't it? Fear not, for I am preparing to answer that question in a few future reviews.It seems to be a fairly common perception that cheap/free = crap, and that's often quite accurate. But bear in mind that due to BC's pricing model, the artist is likely making MORE from sales than with a major label! Don't assume that an artist on a site like this isn't talented enough to get on a major label. There's some quality shit here; it's not all amateur-hour, basement-recorded, glorified karaoke garbage.Now I'm sure there doesn't need to be another rant like this on the Internet, but I'm going there anyway. Most major labels are bullshit. Everyone should know by now that big labels don't sign artists based on their talent, but based on how well they will sell. That is a financially sensible strategy, but it's also a weakness. There's a lot of talent not signed to major labels, and a lot of it is on BC. And yes, there's shit as well. This is equal opportunity, just as the Internet should be. This model is not an alternative, not just a place for artists to go when they can't make it to a major label. It's a replacement. It's what the future of this fucking industry should be.If you need recommendations to get you started, keep an eye out during the next week or two. I have at least 4 BC albums that need reviewing, and I'll be looking for more as well. The first one is coming tonight.
Every now and then, a music-oriented website comes to my attention and really impresses me. MySpace started out as a nifty idea for the independent artist, but the potential for abuse and shift in direction was obvious from the get-go. When I first found mp3.com over a decade ago, it was a fantastic site for discovering lesser-known artists, but they whored themselves out pretty quickly.I finally found the perfect spiritual successor to mp3.com, and it looks like they've implemented a solid model with great potential. It's the perfect example for the direction the music industry should be taking in the age of the Internet. The name of the site is Bandcamp, and when I first discovered it about two months ago, I decided right away that it should be the subject of my first website review. After giving it some time and thought, here are my observations.
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