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1. Rob Stenson “Gold Mountain EP”
2. Mark Cone “Now Showing”
3. Earl Sweatshirt “SICK!”

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.

Rob Stenson, “Gold Mountain EP”

Recently, I have been mildly obsessed with the clawhammer style of banjo playing. I don’t really know why. There is something about its gentle, melodic sound that is very appealing, especially right now. Anyway, in 2013 a guy named Rob Stenson, who founded an audio software company, sat down in Los Angeles and recorded eight tunes in about half an hour. You can hear them on this EP, which is quiet and intimate and calming, even when a dog barks in the background or a car passes by.

Mark Cone, “Now Showing”

Thank goodness for punk rock. If we didn’t have it, what would we have? A bunch of stuff that stinks! I’m kidding, of course, but I don’t know what else to say about this bizarre and awesome album from the wild-eyed alter-ego of Jack McDermott, best known as a member of Massachusetts punk outfit Urochromes. Here, he is not Jack … he’s Mark Cone, and he makes minimalist synth-punk on a cheap Casio keyboard and a drum machine, plus a lot of shouting. It might be a bit primitive, but Cone is great at getting super catchy sounds out of the keyboard. This thing is like a robot carnival from the future going off the rails.

Earl Sweatshirt, “SICK!”

Remember when Earl Sweatshirt was supposed to open for Tyler, the Creator in Bend in 2013, but he bailed at the last minute to play a big festival on the East Coast? That was a bummer, but it’s hard to hold a grudge against one of the best rappers alive. As of its release date , Jan. 14 , Earl’s new album “SICK!” is on Bandcamp, and it’s short, but it’s packed with compelling beats and dexterous rhymes. His last album, 2018’s “Some Rap Songs,” felt a little sluggish in spots, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue here. The preternaturally talented MC sounds alert and engaged, and when Earl Sweatshirt is engaged, very few are better.