Singles can
be looked at a number of different ways in today’s digital age. Sometimes I
think of them as a waste of space and that unless the band is putting out the
single as physical product such as a 7-inch vinyl package, the digital single
serves up little purpose as the listener can just as easily stream the entire
record on any number of streaming platforms. Gone are the days of relying on
the radio to expose you to a new band via the route of having a hit single to
garner the mass attention. On bandcamp, I’ve seen the single a number of
different ways. Today I’ve featured a few recent singles or teasers if you want
to call them. Either way, the songs beckon a thirst for more and a temptation
to pre-order the imminent full album.
First up we
have the latest single ‘Superburn’ by a killer heavy psych band called Psychic
Sun. I’m sure I’ve featured their last full length album ‘Death Rattle’
on the bonanza before but can’t quite remember. The song starts out with
brooding fuzz drenching the speakers low and slow ready to torch the skin with
a blistering vocal harmonies humming to the tune of Alice in Chains. The fuzzadelic riff sequence
staggers between tripped out madness and high end melody as the song fades into
obscurity nearing 5 minutes. Superburn gives the impression that Psychic Sun is
on a mission to seduce a heavier audience with this single and surely begs for
the hope of a future full length.
Staying true
to the psychedelic spirit of Psychic Sun, let’s get lost in the new single by
Canadian heavy psych lords ‘Biblical’ called ‘Mature Themes’. Biblical is a
band that I hold in high regard and their last album ‘Monsoon Season’ topped
my year end charts with its hazy combination of groovy stoner riffs and dreamy
psychedelic shoegaze. I’ve had the pleasure of getting access to an early
private stream of this new album and can confirm with confidence that it is
going to melt your mind with an extreme overload of tripped out madness. ‘The
City That Always Sleeps’ is up for preorder
here and the single gives a good hint of what to expect on the new album as
the music has indeed matured in the sense of traveling beyond the realm of
sanity. Check out the video too if you really want to lose your shit.
Switching
gears from the heavy hippy grooves and unbuckling down a dusty dirt road I’m
recommending this brand new find I just stumbled upon. ‘Bucking the Tiger’ by a
band called ‘Quarter Mile Thunder’ has won my heart with its dark and sultry Americana vibes. In fact,
I preordered the album on wax based in part by hunch and in in full by the
strength of the song available. The song has the spine tingling, hair raising tendency
as the tremolo laden vocals lament to outlaw atmospherics. If you know me at
all you do know that I have a sweet spot for this sort of
alt-country/rock/Americana music. I am extremely excited to hear the whole
album and can expect a vinyl package in the mail someday that I’ll surely
forget is coming and be surprised.
Well hell,
no sense in leaving the wagon trail of honky tonk dreams as there just so
happens to be another twangy treasure to strum one too. That being the new
single by LA rockers ‘Jesus Sons’ called ‘Livin’ Easy’. This is a true single
format released on cassette tape and includes 2 songs off their upcoming full
length ‘TRES’ due out this fall. Again, these guys let loose a doozy of an LP
called Bring
it on Home back in 2015, still available on wax, and are back with what
sounds to be even more of a cattle driving affair. I have been tempted to grab
the tape and will surely be kicking myself if I don’t as at the moment there
are 8 left for a whopping $5 plus shipping. Check it out and break in your rope
to lasso up the new one TRES out later this year.
Bringing it
back home the last single for today’s feature comes from deep in the dunes of
Russia from a killer band called ‘Lucifer in the Sky With Diamonds’. The new
single, ‘Silent Echo’, is intense and continues on their high voltage
progressive desert rock they’ve made a name for themselves with. The Red Fang
resemblance remains intact this go around, and for fans of the genre I
encourage you to scope these dudes out. Their last album ‘The Shining One’
was a bandcamp deep cut favorite of mine last year, and based on the new tease,
the new one is going to surpass the high expectations awaiting.
Whether you
love them or hate them, singles in today’s market certainly do get listened to.
Whether the bands and/or labels are just trying to stick with tradition or the
bands legitimately don’t have enough material written yet and want to get some
buzz rolling, it’s hard to tell. One observation I’ve noticed is it seems I am
much more accepting of a single if it’s part of an actual
physical package such as a 2-song single on cassette or vinyl as compared to a
single that is clearly just a song sitting within a full album visible to view
on bandcamp. At that stage just release the whole album and give us some
incentive to pre-order the full album. It’s obviously done and just rotting on
the shelf in the meantime. But the most important part is to make sure the
single(s) is representing who you are as a band and where you are going with
the album. Nothing worse than hearing a single only to find out the full album
sounds completely different. Not common, but I have seen it happen. In those
cases, just wait until you are ready to release the full album and let her rip.
Folks are making their way back to album listeners these days with the ease of
streaming an album to preview before you buy. In order to compete with the
competition you’ve got to join them and what better place to get acquainted
than bandcamp.
-The
Huntsman
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