Even the most cynical person would have a hard time finding something nefarious about Bandcamp's latest announcement that they'll be donating their profits in support of Trans Rights this Friday (August 4th). 100% of Bandcamp profits will be given to the Transgender Law Center, a non-profit working for equality for all.

Their announcement also comes with a list of music "made by trans and gender non-conforming artists on Bandcamp." It's a big list to sort through but you've got a few days to familiarize yourself. If you're not interested in discovering new music, maybe it's an appropriate time to clear out your wishlist.. or at least make a dent in it.

You know that's not what I meant, @Wolfram_Alpha https://t.co/mdN6cCp4dE

A thing I like to do when I can't sleep is look through old college yearbooks on https://t.co/zELb4DJZty, especiall… https://t.co/7bSlPY8Ixp

Fellow Snuffbox fans: Matt Berry & Rich Fulcher together in this cast list! https://t.co/u6L49I5PJ7

loving this trend of Bandcamp donating proceeds for human rights

Beach Beard Cons: potential negative sea water reaction/smells, bologna sandwich/Oreo crumb collection, tan lines if I ever decide to shave.

Maybe not right now but sometime this week, sometime today, sometime soon, carve out a little time to listen to the Long Distance episode of Reply All in which host Alex Goldman is called by a telephone scammer and proceeds to engage with them... fully. It's outlandish, hilarious and contains a pretty unbelievable, continuously unfolding, tale.

@rianjohnson I still think about this dude's Halloween costume all the time https://t.co/dKqdQUjuKw

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The NY Times Lens ran this great piece on Harf Zimmerman and his collection of images from Hufelandstrasse, Germany in 1980 and I'm entranced by it. He spent a great deal of time creating portraits of the residents of the socialist East German neighborhood, both in their homes and on the street, creating a unique, humanized, time capsule.

There's a book that compiles many of the images but it is, unsurprisingly, sold out. So, as you scour eBay for a copy, listen to Zimmerman himself talk about the project, browse his portfolio and re-read that Times piece.

There's something oddly appealing about this collection of Copyright Free Images collected by Modem Studio.

All of these images have been released under a Creative Commons Zero licence, making them free to use, share and modify for private as well as commercial use without the need for attribution (credits). They are as completely as possible in the public domain.

It's a hodge podge of imagery to be sure but it's that bizarre eclecticism that makes it such an appealing browse.

Incredible. https://t.co/047joX8dJK

Our first bit of press for the European tour is in! https://t.co/nkfl7Vsxaz

That cover gif is just too good. Kids be clownin' for all time and I don't even care how immature it is, that's a good looking cat!

• Manimal Hawk Transformation - you don't need to know there was a show called Manimal where the hero transforms into various animals but it won't hurt to carry that information with you as you dive into a YouTube search of more amazing changes from the show.
• Take On Me, ARKIT Edition - Trixi Studios made a pretty legit version of the a-ha video for "Take on Me" using Apples ARKit.
• Chair You Can Wear - the future really has arrived.
• Got a New Chair - this is so dumb but I can not deny my enjoyment.
• The By Gods - Rat in my House - Nashville band The By Gods have always had a decidely "90's" style to them but this video really embraces all of the best parts of that era with a Pixies-esque video. The visual tropes they deploy are pitch perfect.
• Teach Me How to Panda - I can not resist the allure of a Panda paired with hip-hop.
• Natalia Stuyk - BBBB - can't stop staring at the work of Natalia Stuyk.
• Loading... - I'm sure there are a million Vaporwave mixes out there but I've been enjoying this one playing in the background.

If you need something more, enjoy 10 hours of this.

Produced, mixed and engineered by Alex Newport Mastered by John Greenham "...mellow-tone garage pop songs that blend everything you loved about post-punk." - NOISEY "...a squealing single-note riff that eventually parts the seas for a massive-as-hell chorus." - Consequence of Sound "The anarchic sound that informed the 1990s dream is alive and well with The By Gods who tap into channels and power-chord schemes of deity-like omnipotence." - IMPOSE Magazine

"We wanted to make it easy for people to find primary source historical materials, so we created a one-stop shop that brings together material from dozens of collections from around the world."

If you've been reading this site for awhile, you may recall my mentioning the band The Privates on multiple occasions. They're a great band that's been dormant since 2009. So it was quite surprising to learn that filmmaker Dylan Allen had taken the music of the band and used it as a jumping off point for a sci-fi short film named in their honor....

The Privates" premiered as a Vimeo Staff Pick and features a rag-tag group of four friends starting a band that, literally, explode with electricity whenever they perform. It's a bit sci-fi, a bit 80's ensemble cast and quite a bit enjoyable. The Vimeo write-up on it hints at the underlying struggle in the film:

To Allen, "The self-destructive energy felt like an ideal metaphor for the frustration that all independent artists encounter while trying to do what they do when no one could care less." So why bother trying to create anything? Especially when your craft requires you to put out fires along the way? The spirit of "The Privates" and the pursuit of unknown bands everywhere answers this question perfectly. Because trying to make anything creative with friends is fun, cool, and can result in amazingly unexpected things.

Heavy handed? Maybe. But I think a quirky sci-fi film that hints at the frustrations of being a creative person, despite the odds and hurdles, works pretty damn well. Oh, and it really is a pleasure to watch. Give it a whirl and then visit the band's back catalog.

Nashville artist Zach Halfhill has an enjoyable portfolio of illustrations, poster design, album art, photography and miscellany. It's great to see a body of work with a DIY style personality but still maintain a crisp exactness to the execution.

I know this made it's way into the sidebar of posts previously but I can't stop listening to this Faux Ferocious track, Solvency. It's a slow burning, Kraut rock influenced, dark mumbler of a song but, for me, it's absolutely captivating. The other tracks from the 12" release are good (there's only 2 other songs) but this one has seared into my brain for heavy rotation.

Fucking hell, America. Everything is a shit show