1. Various Artists “The Magical Mystery Psych-Out — A Tribute to The Beatles”
2. Mo Troper “Revolver”
3. The Beatles Complete on Ukulele — Various albums

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.

Various Artists, “The Magical Mystery Psych-Out — A Tribute to The Beatles”

Like half my Twitter timeline, I spent several hours of my Thanksgiving weekend watching the Beatles documentary “Get Back” on some streaming service my kids made me get. It was equal parts boring and fascinating and it sent me on a Beatles bender. The Beatles are not on Bandcamp, of course, but you can find their music there on releases such as this solid tribute to the Fab Four by a bunch of good psych-rock bands. Highlights include Sugar Candy Mountain’s faithful rendition of “Rain,” The Vacant Lots’ Devo-ish approach to “Julia,” The KVB’s murky, motorik-beat take on “Taxman” and Kikagaku Moyo’s extra shaggy “Helter Skelter.”

Mo Troper, “Revolver”

Portland power-pop wizard Mo Troper is one of my favorite artists at the moment, regardless of whether or not he’s covering a Beatles album in full. If you’re unfamiliar with him, check out his excellent 2020 album “Natural Beauty” or its follow-up “Dilettante,” which just came out in October. In between the two, Troper decided to just go ahead and record all of The Beatles’ 1966 landmark “Revolver” in his home, playing all the instruments. No big deal! Troper’s own music owes plenty to The Beatles, so it’s no surprise that he treats these tunes with care and respect, or that he has the chops to carry off such an ambitious project.

The Beatles Complete On Ukulele, Various albums

Quoting this Bandcamp profile: “Every Tuesday from January 20, 2009 until July 31, 2012 The Beatles Complete On Ukulele released a new recording of a Beatles song featuring a ukulele sung by a different artist. These albums are a compilation of those recordings.” All of the band’s albums are covered here, from “Please Please Me” to “Let It Be,” and to be clear, these are not all recordings of just a person singing and playing a ukulele. (That’s what I expected.) In fact, the style of the artists involved ranges from country to pop to hip-hop to lounge music and beyond. Is it all good?

No! But some of it is, and more to the point, it’s fun to poke around and hear all the different approaches to The Beatles’ genius.