1. Ivy Sole “Candid”
2. MJ Lenderman “Ghost of Your Guitar Solo”
3. The Reds, Pinks & Purples “Anxiety Art”

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.

Ivy Sole, “Candid”

I struggle to connect with hip-hop like I used to. Unlike many people, I don’t think this is because hip-hop was better when I was younger than it is today. It’s every bit as vibrant and vital a genre as it was in 1994. But there is just so much out there it’s hard for me to keep up, and with very limited free time, I have to prioritize my listening more than ever before, so I’m sure I’m missing great stuff. Anyway … the new album from Philly MC Ivy Sole is excellent. It has everything that draws me to hip-hop: Heavy beats, plenty of melody, sturdy rapping and rhymes that let me in and make me feel like I’m getting to know the person delivering them. Ivy Sole effortlessly bounces back and forth between rapping and singing, and either way, her willingness to talk about her own fear, insecurity and vulnerability is refreshing.

MJ Lenderman,

“Ghost of Your Guitar Solo”

Last week’s Bandcampin’ made reference to a bunch of young-ish bands playing twangy indie rock, including North Carolina’s Wednesday. Well, I’m still on that kick, which means Bandcampin’ is, too. This week’s obsession: “Ghost of Your Guitar Solo,” the 2021 album from MJ Lenderman, who also happens to be one of the architects of Wednesday’s sound. His solo stuff is a treasure trove of fuzzy guitars, country-ish sounds and lo-fi aesthetic, and he has a way of making killer songs sound tossed off. (This is a good thing for those of us who like music that sounds tossed off.) Lenderman has a new solo album coming out in April and it’s going to be great. Until then, I’m digging into his back catalog.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples,

“Anxiety Art”

If you’re looking for a new favorite band and you don’t have an aversion to downcast, homemade pop-rock songs, let me point you to The Reds, Pinks & Purples. The RPPs are really just one guy, Glenn Donaldson, who records his music in his San Francisco kitchen and basically never misses. Or at least he hasn’t missed yet. “Anxiety Art” is the first RPPs album (released in 2019), and there have been three more since, and all of them are warm and comforting collections of jangling guitars, lovely melodies, sighed vocals and occasional synth accompaniment. I would suggest sampling one of them, and if you like it, buy everything in this incredible one-man band’s catalog.