Tag: indie rock

September 4, 2021

REVIEW : Meadows - In Those Days & Also After

I first found Meadows in 2014 with their debut EP. Since that time, I lost pulse on the band – that is, until their signing with Facedown Records. Stylistically, the band follows an emotional hardcore style similar to Touché Amoré, Defeater, or older La Dispute. In some ways, they’re more reminiscent of older melodic hardcore acts like Life In Your Way. While Facedown Records has shifted a bit with the addition of more “rock” flavored acts in recent years Meadows feels like a perfect bridge between the old and the new, melding some of the artistic nuance of DENS with the straightforward aggression of Take It Back!… Continued →

August 27, 2021

Song of the Day: Fluffy - Amboy Bound

Fluffy’s debut, Fluffy Luvs You, was a fun punk rock record, even if it was a little predictable. Featuring 3 chord thrash goodness, and nonsensical lyrics, it stood out in the Christian punk scene for its lack of preaching. So fans and critics alike were a little puzzled when the band dropped their sophomore effort, Go, Fluffy, Go! In place of the fast, simple riffs, were long, slow songs that juxtaposed indie rock, sludge metal, and noise rock–something that wouldn’t be seen in CCM by another artist for another 5 years (yes, I’m thinking of Warlord’s EP, from 1997).… Continued →

August 8, 2021

Meadows - The Call (New Song + Album Pre-Order)

Sorry for the onslaught of news this morning. I’ve got a lot to catch up on due to some health issues I’ve been going through. So let’s get at it. Meadows just dropped another new song titled “The Call” a week ago and have announced pre-orders for their upcoming album “In Those Days and Also After” via Facedown Records. Check out the pre-order here in some really sweet options including vinyl with some unique features. Album is out September 3rd on Facedown Records. You can find the song below.… Continued →

July 17, 2021

July 16, 2021

Song of the Day: The Choir - Gripped

One of the longest-running indie/alternative bands in the Christian scene, The Choir emerged in the 1980s initially as Youth Choir, shortening the name after the release of one album and one EP. The band formed in 1983 and were instrumental in the early 80s Calvary Chapel scene in Southern California, that also included stalwarts like Undercover, Altar Boys, and 4-4-1. Where some of their counterparts flirted with punk and harder alternative sounds, The Choir’s sound rarely ‘rocked’ so much as it created atmospheres and layers that have never been easily pigeonholed into any particular scene or sound and yet have toyed with dream pop, indie pop, and at times even shoegaze.… Continued →

July 7, 2021

Song of the Day: Fever Fever - Aftermath

Catchy indie rock is what this band is all about and they hail from Columbus, Ohio which is the home of many amazing artists.. Another great one from them is Hypnotized which has a music video so be sure to check it out. They haven’t released anything since 2014 , but their website is still up & running. Here’s to hearing new stuff from this band. Continued →

July 2, 2021

Song of the Day: Starflyer 59 - Life in Bed

First things first: I must apologize for missing a couple of weeks on my Song of the Day features. We’ve been in the middle of an international move. Yes, after 13 years of life in the UK, my family and I have returned to the United States! And we’ve been living out of suitcases while we finalize our housing. So do please forgive me for missing a few posts. However, I hope a new song from Starflyer 59 this week can make up for it. The first thing I noticed from the track was the eerie new wave keyboard sounds and quasi-goth guitar leads.… Continued →

June 27, 2021

DENS - Foolish (Tamed Tongues Sessions)

DENS released an absolutely stunning reworking of their 2020 full length, “Taming Tongues”, and re-released it as “Tamed Tongues” earlier this year. As you may have guessed, this too would further cement the band’s place among among some of the best bands in the music scene today. “Diverse” doesn’t even begin to tell the whole, complete story. You really have to experience all 4 of the band releases to understand the complexities, the melodies, the words, the worship, and the heart beat that keeps this band spinning.… Continued →

Josh White Releases New EP "Holy Haunt"

Josh White just dropped his brand new 6 song EP titled “Holy Haunt”. The EP is released in partnership with Humble Beast and Deeper Well. The title track, “Holy Haunt”, sounds amazing, brings on the chills and lets you know just how important Josh White’s music is. Influential is an understatement. Definitely the authenticity runs deep. “Holy Haunt” by Josh White now available on all digital networks and streaming sites. Listen to some songs below.… Continued →

June 18, 2021

Starflyer 59 to Drop "Like To Lose" Single on July 9th

Yeah you heard that right. Starflyer 59 are back with not 1, but 2 NEW songs this year (so far). These 2 new singles are part of an upcoming full length dropping later in the year on Velvet Blue Music. Purchase “Like to Lose” on a Flexi 7″ from Velvet Blue Music right here. I’m always game for new Starflyer 59, any day, any time, no matter what part of year. Any day can be a “Starflyer 59 Day” am I right?… Continued →

June 17, 2021

Nightbirde Plays Original Song That Gets Her the Golden Buzzer on AGT

An indie singer/songwriter by the name of Nightbirde, performed on America’s Got Talent last week earned her the coveted Golden Buzzer by none other than Simon Cowell himself. Nightbirde has been creating her own indie music for the past couple of years and overcame a terifying bout with cancer along with many bumps and bruises along the way to get where she is now. Make sure to follow her on Facebook here and watch the performance from last week, below.… Continued →

June 1, 2021

Stairwell (CA) Are Back and With a Brand New Song

Stairwell the famous band from Southern California known for two hit albums (plus earlier work with Neil Samoy) nearly 2 decades ago and featured former Bloodshed singer – Jonathan Caro, is back in action. The new version features Jonathan Caro and Zack of Stairwell plus Jeff Jacquay of Unashamed and Rainy Days finishing out the new band. They have dropped their brand new song on Bandcamp here. More to come in the months ahead including concert dates so stay tuned. Anyone else as excited about this project than me?… Continued →

May 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

Names Without Numbers - Empire On Fire (Feat. Matt Baird of Spoken)

Names Without Numbers have dropped what is quite possibly, their BEST song ever and it’s called “Empire On Fire”. The song features backing vocals from Matt Baird of the band Spoken which just adds an extra dose of flavor to an already incredible new song. If you enjoyed their past material and wished they would amp it up a bit and even add in some screaming like the old days, well then you are in for a treat. Give “Empire On Fire” a listen below and make sure to visit their bandcamp page to download and buy other great merch direct from the guys.… Continued →

March 22, 2021

DENS - Even (Tamed Tongues Sessions)

DENS has put out another track from their upcoming “Tamed Tongues” release. The song is “Even” and is a new version of the same track featured on the band’s 2020 album, “Taming Tongues”. This song/version is further proof of this band’s unmistakable talent and continued draw as one of the great new indie bands gracing our music scene here in 2021. Just when you thought “rock” music didn’t have anything new or relevant to offer, I present to you the band DENS. This hard working band has been at it for nearly a decade in one form or another.… Continued →

March 19, 2021

Song of the Day: Beloved - Before There Was You There Was Everything

Wow, what a great band, with such potential! Sadly, Beloved released only one EP (originally for Vindicated from the Deep Water and later re-issued by Solid State) and one full length. That first EP rocked my world. I got to see the band live 2 or 3 times in this era and they were rapidly becoming my favourite emo-core band. They had a truly unique take on the genre fusing melodic indie rock with emotional emo and brutal hardcore, all in one go! It was really refreshing.… Continued →

March 8, 2021

DENS to Drop Tamed Tongues, a New Version of Taming Tongues

Beloved indie rock/post-hardcore band, DENS, return with a completely new and reworked version of their 2020 album titled “Tamed Tongues”. The album will featured all reworked versions of the songs found on “Taming Tongues” but incorporating a more toned down, acoustic, Americana like vibe. The band dropped a new music video for the lead off track, “To”, that you can watch below. This is an exciting release to keep your eyes and ears on. I wish more bands would do something like this. Read the full message from DENS, below.… Continued →

March 3, 2021

Dropping These Names Without Those Numbers

One of my favorite long running emo/indie/post-hardcore bands, Names Without Numbers, will return VERY soon with a brand new song titled “Empire on Fire”. All I can tell you is that this is a powerful and heavy track, perfect for long drives and weight lifting sessions. This is one of the best songs the band has ever written. As the kids would say, it’s a “banger”. It seriously slaps and goes beyond the typical hard rock radio fare that some radio stations are obsessed with.… Continued →

January 22, 2021

January 4, 2021

January 1, 2021

Song of the Day: Champion Birdwatchers - Resolution . . . in C

So, it’s New Year’s Day. 2020 is a recently faded memory, but with the obvious enduring repercussions. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Or affirmations, or commitments, or whatever else people are calling them nowadays? My wife (who is an artist) loves the New Year holiday. She sees it as a blank slate. A new chance to start over. Erase all the marks from the chalkboard (remember those?) or the whiteboard, or your Zoom screen and go again, taking all you’ve learned to try and do it better next time.… Continued →

December 18, 2020

November 29, 2020

REVIEW : Daniel Markham - Burnout

From the opening riffs of opener “Armadillo”, you know this is going to be something interesting—dual harmonic guitar riffs in fuzzy tones. Vocals reflect Markham’s alt country background, but this is clearly a rock record. His bio claims he was trying to return to the hard rock and heavy metal that made him happy as a child, and while that is certainly a tangible presence, it’s filtered through his alternative consciousness. It’s like the rock era of Starflyer 59 where they essentially wrote doom metal riffs but set them into the context of shoegaze songs.… Continued →

November 26, 2020

20 Of My Favorite Albums From 2000

This is a big year not only for music, anniversaries, but also Indie Vision Music in general. Yes, my friends, this year is the 20th Anniversary of the website/store/label and everything IVM means to me. I thought of a few different things I could do for the anniversary but due to time constraints and well, this pandemic which has completely changed EVERYTHING about our daily lives, I decided to keep it simple. I have put together this little write up on what I consider to be 20 of my favorite albums of that monumental year in music history.… Continued →

November 7, 2020

REVIEW : Starflyer 59 - Miami (EP)

There used to be a fairly well-known release formula for SF59. Step one: release full-length album. Step two: release EP of similar material within the following year (or even later that same year). While the formula has been tweaked over the years, it still more or less holds. Whereas She’s the Queen was the counterpart to Silver, Miami functions that way for Young in My Head. Although there are some stylistic—and more noticeably, lyrical—differences, any of these songs probably could have been on Young in My Head.… Continued →

November 1, 2020

October 30, 2020