Bandcamp Picks

Maybe it's not news, but it's new to me: Relapse Records has joined smaller labels like Profound Lore and Nuclear War Now in uploading the bulk of its releases to Bandcamp.  Candlelight Records has uploaded albums from their US imprint but not their main European signings.  Notable hold-outs to the free music party are Earache, Century Media, Nuclear Blast, and Roadrunner; apparently the big fish still think that posting their music online is hurting CD sales.  I personally love Bandcamp; my hope is that it quickly replaces Myspace as the way bands choose to promote their music.  The UI is certainly more user friendly, it's easier to share and embed songs on social networking sites, and I feel safer purchasing albums through Bandcamp, since I can use Pay Pal rather than whatever the hell it is Myspace is flogging.

Anyways, some great releases you can listen to in their entirety and purchase much cheaper on Bandcamp than anywhere else:

Orange Goblin
The "meat and veg" of doom metal (their words, not mine) have released their heaviest album yet, A Eulogy for the Damned.  I was already a fan after hearing their first album, but seeing them play the outdoor stage at Maryland Deathfest while the sun set behind them redefined the perfect Sunday afternoon for me.


Null
A band that I know virtually nothing about, except that they like to drone in a Justin Broadrick kind of way and have a nifty op art logo. I lucked into their cover of the much missed Angelic Process, and loved it.  The album also features covers of Katatonia, Burzum and Xasthur.


The Angelic Process
And speaking of The Angelic Process, Profound Lore uploaded their brilliant and incredibly moving swansong Weighing Souls With Sand.  I consider this album essential listening, though for some you can buy individual tracks and not the full thing.  What gives?

Origin
How can anyone not view Relapse uploading most of their past releases unto Bandcamp as some kind of coup for digital music? Especially as it includes the best death metal album of the last 10 years, Origin's Antithesis.  Classic albums from Relapse's other "alumni" like Neurosis, Unsane, and Mastodon can be found here.