best of 2025 • Blondshell • If You Asked for a Picture

Consider If You Asked for a Picture as the second chapter in an ongoing novel chronicling the trials and tribulations of life in your 20s. On Sabrina Teitelbaum’s second album as Blondshell, which arrives two years after her eponymous debut, Teitelbaum is still haunted by the past and stumbling into the kinds of bad decisions that fueled Blondshell. Her head may be clouded by contradictions, yet here, she conveys these conflicted feelings in an increasingly confident, self-assured musical language. PF

https://www.blondshellmusic.com/

Sarah Mary Chadwick • Messages To God, Unadorned • 2024

https://pocp.co/messages-to-god-unadorned

A.S. Fanning • 'I Feel Bad' Live • 2023

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/as-fanning

Fanning is a singer-songwriter from Dublin currently residing in Berlin. He began this solo project in 2013 after the breakup of his former band, The Last Tycoons. Fanning released his sophomore album You Should Go Mad in 2020, receiving support from Clash Magazine, Hot Press, The Thin Air and Spectral Nights to name a few, as well as BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq. He also performed at Austin’s prestigious SXSW festival in 2017.

Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee • Beautiful Strangers • 2020

Kathleen Edwards • Album Release Show • 2020

The Ataris • More Rare B​-​Sides and Covers (Vol. 2) • 2020

This is a collection of B-sides and rare tracks. 

Some have been released elsewhere throughout the years. 

Some have not. 

I figured I would put them together here in one place for you to download on this Bandcamp Friday.

Iron & Wine • Live At Third Man Records • 2019

Armed with spartan set-up of a guitar, microphone and his minimal backing band in front of a sold-out audience, Iron & Wine's Sam Beam ambled through his discography during this set, on touchstones like "Naked As We Came" from classic album Our Endless Numbered Days, "The Trapeze Swinger" from Around the Well and "Winter Prayers" from Ghost on Ghost. It was a heartfelt experience without sacrificing any charm, personality or gestalt crowd connection.

(Sandy) Alex G — "Bobby" Live at Third Man Records - 2018

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Third Man is absolutely ecstatic to be releasing the excellent live document of (Sandy) Alex G's Blue Room performance. Recorded on the 2018 US tour supporting his critically-acclaimed album Rocket (Pitchfork Best New Music) and not long after a notable feature on Frank Ocean's album Blonde, this standalone LP is his first live set to be captured and made widely available for his very loyal fan base to enjoy. 

Best of 2017: Kevin Morby - Beautiful Strangers

If you ever hear that gunshot, you may think 'bout what you do but you don't got

Say a prayer, think of mother, I am a rock

If you ever hear that sound now

If the door gets kicked in here, they come now

Think of others, be their cover

I am what they're not

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile performing "Over Everything" Live on KCRW

Soccer Mommy - Audiotree Live - 2017

Soccer Mommy is the indie bedroom pop project of Sophie Allison. On bandcamp she refers to her music as "chill but kinda sad" which is an apt but reductive version of the personal, mournful collection of tunes Allison has been putting online since 2015. Allison has pushed back on the "sad girl" descriptor in the past year, directing listeners to 2017's Collection to highlight the progression from mopey lo-fi stories into the exciting full band project she now fronts. 

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell Live - 2017

sufjan.com

Carrie & Lowell Live captures Sufjan at his most vulnerable and persuasive, and it features a proficient, multiple-instrumentalist crew of musicians, including Dawn Landes (vocals, guitar, guitalin, piano, synthesizer, vocoder, percussion), Casey Foubert (vocals, guitar, lap steel, bass, piano, ukulele, synthesizer), Steve Moore (vocals, synthesizer, bass synth, trombone, Casiotone, piano) and James McAlister (drums, percussion, electronics, synthesizer, piano). The live show ends with an expansive 12-minute improvisational jam that looks (and feels) like nothing less than a born-again experience.

Eef Barzelay - Toad Session - 2013

songbytoad.com

great bunch of songs recorded a while ago, but the minimalist state is awesome...

Waxahatchee - NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert - 2013

WAXAHATCHEE

The songs Waxahatchee brought to the NPR Music offices aren't just stripped down for this Tiny Desk Concert, this is Katie Crutchfield as Waxahatchee, spare and exposed; this is what she does. Sometimes there's a drummer (her sister's boyfriend Kyle Gilbride) and at other times another guitarist, her boyfriend Keith Spencer (both play in Swearin'), but even on Waxahatchee's second album, Cerulean Salt, there are plenty of bare-boned songs. This is intimate music for an intimate setting, as we got to stand in careful silence, listening intently and capturing this frail and powerful performance. --BOB BOILEN

Girlpool - NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert - 2015

girlpool

Mitski Folkadelphia Session 4​/​26​/​2015

Recorded at the WXPN Performance Studio on April 26th, 2015 by James Clark Conner and Brian Goehrig.

Angel Olsen Folkadelphia Session 11​/​13​/​2012

Recorded at the WXPN Studio on November 13th, 2012 by Clark Conner and Eric Sanderson. Mixed at their lovely apartment. 

Best of 2016… Teleman - Brilliant Sanity

Teleman Tour

The art of songwriting has been the driving force behind Brilliant Sanity, the process of crafting of the immaculate pop song, the dogged pursuit of the perfect hook. The result is an album that appears fastidiously and impeccably made, but also charged with joy.

Now a four-piece made up of singer and guitarist Tommy Sanders, his brother Jonny on synths, Pete Cattermoul on bass and Hiro Amamiya on drums, the process of touring has honed Teleman into a spectacular live act and brought about the decision to record the new record in a very live and spontaneous way. 

http://moshimoshimusic.com

Best of 2016 - Barbarisms - "Prison Rules"

http://barbarisms.com

Prison Rules has been a go to song of mine in 2016 - the melody, the strumming, the swaying vocals make this one of my favourite tracks of 2016.

 "its artful lo-fi gaze allied to an oddly endearing nostalgic air" Clashmusic

The Uncluded - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

remembering how much I loved this music...