Evidence's "Unlearning Vol. 1"

1. Thy Catafalque “Vadak”
2. Massage “Still Life”
3. Evidence “Unlearning Vol. 1”

Bandcamp is an online music platform used largely by independent artists and record labels to stream songs and sell merchandise. It’s also a vibrant virtual community teeming with interesting sounds just waiting to be discovered. Each week, I’ll highlight three releases available on the site that are well worth your time and attention. If you find something you dig, please consider supporting the artist with a purchase.

Thy Catafalque, “Vadak”

One of the best heavy bands of the past several years is actually just one guy named Tamás Kátai, a musical genius from Hungary who records and releases albums under the name Thy Catafalque. His most recent, “Vadak,” just came out in late June, and it’s a ripper! Generally speaking, Kátai’s work is categorized as metal, and it does feature pounding drums and big guitar riffs and harsh vocals. But it also features traditional folk melodies and spirited synthesizers and jazzy passages and other decidedly non-metal elements. And it all works together in a way that feels completely seamless.

Massage, “Still Life”

A couple months ago, the L.A. band Massage sunk its hooks into me with a track called “Made of Moods,” a slice of dream-pop perfection built from Teenage Fanclub-esque guitar jangle, a loping vocal melody and measured melancholy. (Seriously, give it a listen. It’s one of the best songs of 2021 so far.) Then I heard “Half a Feeling,” which skillfully softens the sharp edges of The Jesus & Mary Chain backbeat and got me excited for the whole album. Well, folks, on June 25, Massage released “Still Life,” and it definitely delivers on the promise of those first two tunes. Fans of indie-pop in all its sweet, sad, shoegaze-y forms should check this out immediately.

Evidence, “Unlearning Vol. 1”

To some, Evidence may be best known as a member of the respected indie-rap crew Dilated Peoples. But the veteran L.A. MC’s solo work has been consistently good-or-better, and his last full-length — 2018’s “Weather or Not” — was one of that year’s best albums in any genre. Now, he’s back with a follow-up that’s packed with more of his kind of hip-hop: lean, thoughtful, steady, overcast, unhurried, well-crafted, sample-heavy. With production by The Alchemist, Nottz and Evidence himself (among others), plus guest verses from fellow underground spitters Boldy James, Navy Blue and Conway the Machine, “Unlearning Vol. 1” spills over with left-of-center rap goodness.