Bandcamp Picks of the Week 12/15/2023

It’s our Bandcamp Picks of the Week, featuring memorytown’s hazy indie rocker IT TAKES FOREVER and Pejzaż’s diverse electronic sequel LIST II!

memorytown – IT TAKES FOREVER

Genre: Rock

Favorite Tracks: “Gone Bad in the Boneyard,” “Sink”

memorytown was introduced to me, as I’m sure it has been for many, as the solo project from Gladie member (and your favorite indie rock band’s favorite mixer/engineer/producer) Matt Schimelfenig. His debut album under the moniker, IT TAKES FOREVER, is a remarkable collection of crunchy guitar parts and saccharine, down-on-your-luck vocal melodies, with waltzes and shuffles and noise ballads that work as simple deconstructions of the modern Philly indie rock sound by a guy who’s been a part of shaping it for a while. From the sweeping forlorn haze of opener “Gone Bad in the Boneyard” to the sparse, lo-fi ride-out “Crystal Metal,” it only takes one listen for IT TAKES FOREVER to reveal itself as one of 2023’s best rock albums.

And yet, I can’t help but fixate on the near-uncanny sonic alchemy on display when considering IT TAKES FOREVER next to albums Schimelfenig has worked on in the recent past, like Cave People’s WIND BURN, Miri Devora’s I THOUGHT IT WAS LOVE, and Steady Hands’ CHEAP FICTION, but especially Gladie’s DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE IN UNTIL YOU’RE OUT. In fact, the more and more I fall in love with it, most of the allure of memorytown, is, oddly, the compendium nature of it. When I investigate my own obsession, the only conclusion I can draw is that because it was perhaps brashly introduced exactly as the solo project from a member of Gladie, and that it kinetically sounds and feels just like how you’d imagine it would based on that description alone, a strange recency bias nostalgia grabs hold, framing IT TAKES FOREVER less as a solo project and more as an extended universe. Even the name memorytown feels appropriate for something so wistfully all-encompassing. Like DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE IN UNTIL YOU’RE OUT before it, my obsession continues to intensify. Fall under its brilliant spell over on Bandcamp. [CJ Simonson]

Pejzaż – LIST II

Genre: Downtempo, Ambient, Balearic Beat

Favorite Tracks: “Duchy Lasu,” “Po Godzinach,” “Wizje”

In the realm of electronica, no subgenre provides more gorgeous atmospheres than downtempo. The style’s nocturnal polish, with dusty trip hop flourishes, makes it emanate vignettes of secluded urban journeys—aesthetics that are grimy, just as they are alluring. Poland’s Bartosz Kruczyński adopts the latter on LIST II, his second album of 2023, and a late-in-the-year standout. It bookends September’s LIST I, a similar sound collage endeavor sporting more vibrancy and soft rock leanings. Meanwhile, late November’s LIST II is a nighttime stroll through Eastern Europe, musically recalling Dido’s solemn debut. Be that as it may, Kruczyński’s work is distinctive for his impressive sampling.

Across its duration, no track sounds too similar, which helps prolong the engagement. A clicky typewriter swiftly invites the raw steel strings of “Duchy Lasu” to set the album’s tone. Its guitars chirp above monolithic dark ambience—a stylistic staple for LIST II—as disconcerting violins lunge through a bewitching percussive climax. The more worldly “Imperium Znaków” showcases Kruczyński’s skills of filling up a soundstage with acutely fashioned field recordings. LIST II is also a chillout record, so it makes sense that Kruczyński showcases Balearic influences—the one-two punch of the jittery “Ogród” and stilted, near-bossa nova groove of “Serce” are both reminders of his Polish essence.

The culmination of the LIST series lies in “Po Godzinach,” borrowing all of the aforementioned musical facets to create the definitive chilled, laidback trip hop groove. As its fluttery synthesizers whirr and twinkle, and echoey pop rock guitars rumble, it does one thing best—foster relaxation. On the Dido comparison, her serene voice or that of her contemporaries would greatly accompany this song—but the beauty remains in Kruczyński’s backing track, having neatly assembled a stream of minute sounds. The tune is polished with the same care for a romantic candle-lit dinner—deceptively simple, yet rewarding for the two parties—for Kruczyński’s craftiness as an artist, and the listener’s pleasure of hearing it.

The final three songs are fuzzy, ambient soundscapes, with chalky acoustics that engulf the listener in their solemn, yet stress-relieving haze. It is hard to pick a favorite: “Dziennik Pisany Nocą” recalls the spacious metallic guitar tones of ML Buch, whereas the female harmonies on “Linia Piękna” conjure an ascendance to another plane. “Wizje” is my immediate choice: a simple, four-minute beatless dirge sculpted from a genesis similar to Aphex Twin’s haunting “Rhubarb (#3)”—unadulterated emotional devastation. Such spellbinding ambience is the ultimate musical therapy for coming to a head with dejection. To replicate that gigantic, humane poignancy is a commendable feat for any artist. “Wizje” is the elegant ribbon that encloses the dark and brooding meditation across this installment, and best farewells the LIST series. The ethereal power of downtempo and its associations are, certainly, celebrated in the work of Pejzaż in these fleetingly beautiful moments. Experience the wistful and intricate soundscapes of LIST II on Bandcamp. [Dom Lepore]