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2018 had a number of great albums, all of which I couldn’t list here, but after careful consideration, these are my top 20, none of which are listed lightly. See which ones you’d have picked out and maybe find some new music to check out. Continued →

1. Brooke Annibale – Hold to the Light

Compiling a best of list for 2018 wasn’t easy. There were a lot of good releases this year but very few of them were great. Hold to the Light by Brooke Annibale is one those few though. Continued →

Here’s a quick list of the top 10 posts from 2018. Did your favorite band make the list?

Here are my top albums for the year. Let me know your thoughts and check out a preview of some of the artists as well!

For those of you who braved the crowds on Black Friday, you probably heard Christmas songs playing on the PA overhead. I put together a Spotify playlist of Christmas songs that my wife and I enjoy this time of year to share with all of you.

With today being Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, 2019 will be here before we know it. There have been so many great releases these past 11 months, but some have gone with little or no recognition. This post is to bring to light some of those releases. 

Shop the Indie Vision Music webstore right now and get $5 off orders of $20 or more. Just use coupon code “IVM5BUCKS” at check out once you are over the $20 mark and the $5 will be subtracted. I’ve got new stuff from The Blamed and Grandpa Loves Rhinos plus a ton of other great 2018 releases on CD, Tape, and Vinyl. Continued →

Chamber pop may not be the most well-known, or well-respected genre. Nonetheless, it holds some of the most intricate compositions and rides the line between progressive and radio-friendly. Here are our top 10 chamber pop groups you need to check out. Continued →

You wake up in the morning and take care of your usual business. After you’ve gotten yourself going, you take  your phone out and check your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or whichever and start scrolling. A minute or two later, you come across the news you’ve been eagerly waiting to hear, but doubted you ever would. Continued →

10 years ago seems like it has passed within an instant. Some of these albums listed below are forgotten hits and some are still being played today. This list are my recommendations and mine alone. Feel free to disagree with my selections. Check out some of these now “classic” albums from the year 2008, below. The Best of 2008: 10 Years, A Look Back. Brave Saint Saturn as #1?

All you fans of solid underground music don’t forget to check out the Indie Vision Music Webstore for a ton of great deals. New Small Wars 7″ Vinyl is now only $5ea. Plus new and recent albums from the likes of Light The Way, Mainframe, Must Build Jacuzzi, At The Wayside, and The Prettybads. Continued →

In honor of our great country’s independence and the 18th Birthday of Indie Vision Music, I have released both of the new “Family & Friends Samplers” through all digital networks and streaming sites. Plus it is up on bandcamp as well, right here. These compilations are jam packed with awesome new and unreleased music from a variety of bands spanning on sorts of genres and musical styles. There is literally something for EVERYONE! Check out the IVM Spotify Playlist below featuring all 3 samplers. You can also purchase on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play where I would hope you might write a nice review? That would be cool ;). The CD versions of the two new samplers will be shipped to me on July 11th so all of you with current orders in the storenvy webstore will have them shipped out shortly after. Thanks again everyone for supporting what I have done for the past 18 years here at this website. I know the site has gone through countless changes, alterations, logo swaps, staff member changes, on and off label releases, entertaining comments, but most of all a beautiful community and one that I treasure deeply. I have seen so many trials, errors, personal struggles, professional mistakes and mishaps, sadness and stress, but there has always been a heavy dose of perseverance on my part. I haven’t give much thought to the negativity or anyone who has put down what I’ve attempted to accomplish these past 18 years. It didn’t matter then and doesn’t matter now. I do what I do because I love this music we share and the passion I have for sharing this Faith I’ve grown to embrace regardless of my shortcomings. I’ll never give up the fight even long after this site retires someday and I hope in some small trivial way that IVM has touched a few people across the globe and hopefully for the better. We are all so different and from unique backgrounds but inside, we’re all the same. No matter where you’re at or where you’ve come from, there is a God who loves you and cares for you. Let this music speak to you and Don’t give up the fight! #IVMFOREVER Also, in celebration of our 18th Birthday there are a handful of new/old tshirts, hoodies, kid’s tees, and women’s tees over here in our Storefrontier site. Please pick some up and help support Indie Vision Music

Chicago-based indie/ambient rock project Qajaq will be performing at Audiofeed in just a few days – but even if you can’t make it out, their 2015 debut The Light of Everything certainly deserves a listen. The band melds post-rock subtleties with elements of folk and chamber pop. Continued →

Archabald showcases a heavier, darker direction on “Carcosa”, due July 13. Check out a new single here!

Post-hardcore is a genre of stigmas – on one hand, the easycore bands tend to dominate modern perception. On the other hand, people might form expectations around Fugazi. Arguably, the staple of modern post-hardcore borrows from hardcore but throws in a stronger melodic focus. Continued →

Between the Trees – 2005-2010

RIYL – Mae, Copeland, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

In 2009, we saw a great change in a band’s sound that for some went by unnoticed. When it comes to love songs, bands and artists often draw from the same inspiration which is loss. Continued →

Though it has been posited that an emo revival has been occurring for the past eight years, there still remain to be many worthwhile releases from years prior. As the title of this piece indicates, I want to bring to the forefront some notable releases that I believe have been obscured in some way or another. Continued →

Dawning Of The Age of Modern Elitism (and it’s many annoyances) Reading the cesspool of comments online whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, or heck even old school “www” websites (remember those?), one is left with a dilemma….do I bite my tongue or join in with the crazy circus monkeys? Hopefully not the latter, am I right?……

15 years ago a collection of what can now be determined as “classic hits” were unleashed on a crowd that had an insatiable appetite for what was new and and considered “ROCK” music. This was sorta near the end of the Bye Bye Byes and I’m Not That Innocent, charting new territory into the popular spectrum by a bunch of bands not exactly ready for that sort of success. This was a pivotal year for music in general and in my opinion was that comeback Rock needed at the perfect time. As much as people needed their Nu-Metal, Pop, Rap/Hip Hop, Hard Rock, etc., those of us in the underground music scene desired something new and something different. These bands were just that and sparked a change in direction. This is my list. This is 2003. A snapshot of the greatest year in music post-new millennium. Make sure to scroll all the way to bottom for special IVM Playlist of songs from 2003. Be Strong, Believe……

A little known independent band by the name of Blood and Water from Nor Cal splashed onto the scene towards the end of the last decade with a few indie releases (one of which can be found here) before signing with upstart new label Eden Records and releasing their label debut “In Character” in 2010. This critically acclaimed and fan adored full length has come to be accepted as one of the finer independent releases of the past decade. It’s incredible how much connects people and this band did just that. Although they didn’t tour much outside of California or top billboard charts, their music certainly won over fans like me and the impact has been felt. With captivating energy, uncompromising passion, and all around good vibes, you can’t help but be mesmerized by the music of Blood and Water. They had this certain likeable quality and a sound not easily replicated. In fact, their genre bending pull on alternative rock music was one of a kind. This music was certainly “commercial” enough to be accepted by the masses but like all good stories this one came to an abrupt halt after just this album (and song ‘Traffic’). While some people embrace the music of Talkie (featuring members of Blood and Water), I’ll forever be connected to this band and pray for a time that these guys will reunite to bless us all with an undeniable good time. Check out some of their music below and reminisce about the time you first discovered this band.

Good morning everyone and Happy New Year! Just thought i’d post a little blurb about an alarming “trend” I have seen in recent months. A few artists/bands have hooked up with some marketing firms, more like infomercial style marketing if you are looking for a definition. Anyway, I have been blasted with these ads for whatever reason on Facebook due to my young teenage demographic that I so lovingly belong to. I’m almost 40 going on almost 20, am I right? I have nothing against promoting art/music/products on social media and the web in general, I’ve done it myself for IVM and friends/labels do it for their bands all the time. What I take issue with is this infomercial style barrage of marketing where it sort of amounts to a gimmick. I am not about to attack any one artist (cough cough Manafest cough cough) or call people out for this brand of “hype” but I just wanted to gather everyone’s opinions on this. This does not amount to DIY ethics nor does it promote open and honest dialogue with fans. You can’t “buy” fans or followers on social media. You can “promote” your brand (do we call it that?) and share what you do with people who may have never heard about it but we don’t go beyond that and say “Check out IVM for $49.99 but if you act now we will DOUBLE your offer for same price of $49.99 (you pay shipping and handling). You’ve heard it all before on TV and Radio so let’s leave it out of music. See below for examples of what I’m talking about.

1. The Ongoing Concept – Places

This is how you make a rock album. Whereas Saloon can be a bit too intense and Handmade a little reserved, Places finds the sweet spot. You can check out my five star review here. Continued →

Here is a small selection of originals and covers throughout the years by some of our favorite artists.

I love “best of” lists. But I hate waiting until the end of the year for them. Hence my new monthly feature “What Did You Listen To?” Leave a comment and let me know what you listened to this month. Here are few of my favorite releases from November 2017:

Kingslynn – Into the White LightWhat Did You Listen to? Continued →

We’re proud to celebrate the (second) one-year anniversary of IVM. Take a look at some of our most-read content and share your own memories.

The Mexican deathcore band My Place Was Taken has joined the roster of Rottweiler Records. The band formed in 2014 with Guitarist Abraham Barberi and Vocalist Jesus Salas.They came together to see if they could help change the drug, alcohol and violent part of their home town, Matamoros, Mexico: the metal scene. Continued →

The extreme progressive metal band, The Beckoning  have announced the new title of their upcoming re-release, their first release through their new label, Nosral Recordings. The album is a release of their EPs, Desolate and War, put together and simply titled The Desolation of War. Continued →

How many of you are fans of extreme metal bands that have solo projects totally not metal? Luke Weeks of As Earth Fades has a new project coming. But not a deathcore project. While the band is on a brief hiatus, Weeks has decided to do something in his spare time. Continued →

Symphony of Heaven and Nosral Recordings have decided to join up with us here at Indie Vision Music and reveal exclusively the artwork of Symphony of Heaven’s debut album. With re-recorded tracks from …of scars and soil… and remastered tracks, courtesy of Luke Dinan of Children of Wrath, the new album sounds like Devin Townsend and Fleshgod Apocalypse. Continued →