Bandcamp Friday comes but once every 30 days or so (the first Friday of each month), and it’s a very welcome thing indeed. For those not in the know, Bandcamp is the place to buy/stream your music if you want more of your money to go to the musicians you love and support. On most days, an average of 82% of your Bandcamp cash will go directly to the artist or label. Come Bandcamp Friday, that goes up to 93% (the missing 7% is taken by financial processors such as Paypal).
In short, if you’re in the mood to make a purchase, Bandcamp Friday does good things for pretty much everyone involved.
With all that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of 10 recent albums and singles (actually 20, as we couldn’t stop ourselves – scroll to the bottom for extras) we’ve either been listening to incessantly, have recently recommended, or will be recommending in the near future, to help you make your Bandcamp Friday purchases. Some of these aren’t even out yet, but by pre-ordering on this most auspicious of days you’ll be helping the artists with promotional costs for the music they’ve been brewing for so very long.
Credit cards at the ready…
A Tarot of the Green Wood – Burd Ellen
This one’s not out until Halloween, but you can pre-order it now. A Tarot of the Green Wood flickered into existence during a residency at the Sage Gateshead. Debbie Armour explains that it, “explores ideas of transmission, memory and hidden meaning… I’ve recently become drawn to the idea of finding parallels between interpretation of traditional song and the art of divination.” Look out for our review, coming very soon.
Bandcamp page: A Tarot of the Green Wood
Gracious Wings – Jackie Oates
“If you think you might enjoy about 50 minutes of really well-delivered music,” wrote Rachel Wilkinson in her Tradfolk review of Gracious Wings (out today), “all performed by superb musicians and spearheaded by one of the loveliest voices in folk, then I recommend Gracious Wings to you wholeheartedly.” What further incentive do you need?
Bandcamp page: Gracious Wings
The Space Between – Bonfire Radicals
“The Brummie prog-folkers and World Music maestros return with an album that promises to break hearts and crack floorboards in equal measure.” You can read Alex Hurr’s full review of The Space Between here. It’s not out until September 30th, but he assures us that they’re, “an exciting band to keep an eye (and an ear) on”.
Bandcamp page: The Space Between
LAS – Brìghde Chaimbeul, Ross Ainslie, Steven Byrnes
We’ve yet to write a review for this album; it only popped into our consciousness this very morning. It’s quite the thing to wake up to. After an hour with LAS, we’re feeling pretty windswept and ready to head North to where the pipes drone freely. If you like your folk music wild, unkempt and truly in the moment (whether that moment be past or present), you’ll be wanting to click on the link below.
Bandcamp page: LAS
REVEL – Tarren
“Tarren delivers a hearty, tub-thumping delight that should establish their place as festival favourites for as long as they fancy keeping it up. Expect virtuosity, frenetic tunes, and one or two traditional songs that seem fitting for our uneven times.” You can read our full review by clicking here. The album – and it really is a banger – is out on August 29th.
Bandcamp page: REVEL
Long Time to be Gone – Nora Brown
“Seemingly an album of off-cuts from her previous record, Nora Brown’s third album is a moving, intimate collection that will warm your belly while leaving you slack-jawed by the musician’s sheer effortlessness. A 16-track treat that vinyl collectors should snap up before it’s too late.” You can read our full review here, and check out our interview with Nora by clicking here.
Bandcamp page: Long Time to be Gone
Six Static Scenes – Jacken Elswyth
And while Nora Brown has you in a banjo mood, check out Jacken Elswyth’s fascinating take on the tradition. “Taking the rattles and buzzes of old field recordings as her inspiration, Jacken Elswyth has created a banjo album that explores the energies and frissons most of us barely notice. A unique album, unlike anything else on the British folk scene in 2022.” You can read our full review here.
Bandcamp page: Six Static Scenes
FREY – Tamsin Elliott
“One of the most accomplished debut albums we’ve heard in a long time, FREY is not strictly a collection of traditional music, but the influence of tradition pulses through every track. We think Tradfolk readers are going to love it.” We reviewed Tamsin Elliott’s FREY back in June, and we loved it. Having seen her live at FolkEast recently (and filmed her as part of our FolkEast X Tradfolk Sessions), we reckon this is a name that ought to be known far and wide.
Over the Border – Frankie Archer
Regular Tradfolk readers will know how unashamedly excited we are about the music of Frankie Archer. ‘Over the Border’ was the first of her recordings that caught our attention, and she’s since gone on to make two equally-as-intriguing follow-ups, the latest of which is out next week. A huge talent – definitely one to watch.
Bandcamp page: Over the Border
Rosa – George Sansome
“Like many folk singers,” George Sansome told us in a recent piece about ‘Rosa’ [Roud 17776], “I love looking through archives and books for traditional songs I’ve not heard before (I call them, ‘new old songs’), and I find a lot of joy in the process of taking these songs off the page and singing them. ‘Rosa’ is a song that I learned in this way.” His beautiful performance of the song with Owen Spafford came out as a standalone Bandcamp single in August. Well worth a few of your hard-earned pennies.
Bandcamp page: Rosa
Also worth checking out…
- Nick Hart Sings 10 English Folk Songs
- Jon Wilks, The Cruel Mother [Roud 9]
- Ellie Gowers, Dwelling by the Weir
- The Often Herd, Where the Big Lamp Shines
- Stick in the Wheel, Perspectives on Tradition
- Fern Maddie, Ghost Story
- Shackleton Trio, Mousehold
- Johnny Campbell, Winter Hill Trespass
- Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones, A Year Too Late and a Month Too Soon
- Angeline Morrison, The Brown Girl and Other Folk Songs
