Articles

I don’t know what it is but maybe today’s dark and stormy skies along with a heavy downpour elicits a moody yet introspective response to music. A song such as “Handshake” really makes you stop and think. I still believe after all these years that the band Black Eyed Sceva (and later known as ‘Model Engine’) were brilliant songwriters, Jeremy Post in particular. There was something magical in their music and the way they conveyed these emotions through song. They may not have been widely known or celebrated as “Rock stars” but their music was incredibly important to me.… Continued →

Our 30% Off Sale has been extended until Saturday. Get 30% off your order right here in the IVM Webstore now till Saturday. I have most CDs in stock and will soon receive Heart Like War, No Lost Cause, and Mainframe. All in stock orders are shipping now and include a free sampler CD as well as bonus goodies. You may even receive another NEW CD depending on availability. Consider ordering in our store right here. Time is limited for getting items before Christmas so make sure you order by next Friday.… Continued →

Featuring ex-members of Jeremiah’s Grotto and pre-members of Rookie of the Year, emo band Farewell to Fashion disappeared just as quickly as they sprung up. They released one split EP with Inez called The Price of Fame (highly recommended), and then a full-length. Both were on Future Destination Records (Neutral Agreement, Hotshot Freight Train). “Morning Grey” highlights all that was great about third wave emo–raw, melodic, punkish, and at times sloppy, but always full of emotion. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q36TfdhF6UI… Continued →

I’m a sucker for this style of hardcore–really fast, short songs, with equal parts melody and anger thrown in for good measure. For some reason, this subgenre didn’t have nearly as much of a following in Christian circles as their secular counterparts, making Hit the Deck stand out even more. They released one full-length on Facedown imprint Strike First Records, and had a couple of demos as well, all of which can be found as digital downloads if you know where to look.… Continued →

Paramaecium. Legendary. Heavy as a concrete slab, and slower than a slug. The band’s debut, Exhumed of the Earth, shocked metal fans everywhere with slow, heavy riffs, string parts, and death metal vocals that were juxtaposed with occasional operatic female vocals added in for good measure. Their sophomore album Within the Ancient Forest changed styles somewhat by cranking up the folk and classical elements and adding a technical flair. But by the time A Time to Mourn came out, the band had shifted styles again–still within the doom metal category, of course–by adding a touch of groove and including Seventh Angel/Ashen Mortality frontman Ian Arkley (later of My Silent Wake).… Continued →

Bloomsday’s debut “The Day the Colors Died” was brilliant, if a little disjointed. The trio ambitiously covered indie rock, shoegaze, jangle pop, slow-core, lo-fi, and emo all in the span of 10 songs. Amazingly, 20+ years later it still holds up. But it was their second release, this time an EP, that really caught listener’s ears and held them in a death grip. It was much more focused this time around–emotionally charged indie rock that somehow managed to merge emo and shoegaze into a singular, cohesive unit that was both of those things and yet neither of them entirely.… Continued →

To commemorate the deluxe vinyl re-issue of Starflyer 59’s legendary sophomore album, Gold, our Song of the Day has to be a pick from that timeless release. The first time I heard this song was also my first time catching the band live. It was the very first Tooth & Nail Weekend at the Where-House in Bartlesville, OK. Also on the bill was Focused, Unashamed, locals Mr Bishop’s Fist (if you know, you know), Wish for Eden (whose van broke down en route so they were unable to join, unfortunately), Chatterbox, and Plankeye.… Continued →

We are finishing up 2019 with a BANG! New release from The Blamed is out now, Mainframe “Ties That Bind” on November 9th, Inner 29 “Now and Again, Here” out November 22nd, Heart Like War “Thoughts On This” Ep out Nov/Dec, and the long awaited album from Names Without Numbers out in December. 5 Releases between October and December, that’s pure insanity but we made it happen (somehow). I have a strong passion for independent music and my heart rests with those bands striving to get their voices heard among the rubble of the rock n’ roll scene.… Continued →

I would like to thank long time reader and supporter MrM for giving me an idea for a news post. I’d like to take a minute and ask you all some questions. Since the site re-launch in November 2016 the site has gone through somewhat of a transformation namely a indie label and also other features site wise. Yes, I know the “Album Release Database” has all but disappeared but we do have other elements to keep you interested (I hope). My question to all of you is, What do you want to see more of here at IVM?… Continued →

Over the past 2-3 years, I’ve been discovering a bunch of old Christian punk, post-punk, and new wave that I didn’t know existed. One of the best examples is a short-lived band from the south coast of England called Crowd Control. I only know of one track they recorded, which can be found on the excellent “Shots in the Dark” compilation. The album features other UK-based punk, new wave, and ska tracks. “There are Houses” is brilliant. It’s dark, brooding, true post-punk with enough keyboards to keep things interesting.… Continued →

Where are my hip-hop heads at? Lightheaded is/was a collaborative project between Ozay Moore (FKA Othello), Braille, and Ohmega Watts. Each of these MCs have had significant solo careers on their own. This track brings the three of them back together after a long hiatus. Super-cool stuff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wk8aWiY0PQ… Continued →

Lo-fi indie rock never made a huge impact in the Christian scene. To be fair, it was a niche market even in mainstream circles. Beck and R.E.M. were the only 2 artists to break out of the underground, and both of those bands more or less ditched their lo-fi roots to do so (Beck only temporarily). I can only think of a handful of Christian-themed lo-fi bands: Jetenderpaul, Danielson Famile, Pedro the Lion (early stuff), Sappo, Joe Christmas, and some early Damien Jurado projects. Enter Jupiter James.… Continued →

In the late 90s, I lived in Atlanta, GA, doing inner-city ministry and discipleship training. An old college friend of mine from the area, Darrel, invited me to a show south of the city. Blindside were doing a U.S. tour and this new band was opening, featuring ex-members of Spudgun and Joe Christmas. I’d been hearing from others about the intensity of their live shows so I was eager to attend. Pop-punkers Jesse and the Rockers also played, as well as a new band made up of high school kids, called Luti-Kriss that never went anywhere (I kid!)… Continued →

Huntingtons were a prolific punk and/or pop-punk band, as most of you will know. For me, you just can’t beat their sophomore album, “Fun and Games.” The title says it all. This song has that punk rock meets 50s style doo-wop that many bands tried but not many could pull off. It works incredibly well here! Listen here: Huntingtons – The Only One… Continued →

I don’t suspect many of our readers will be familiar with What of the Night, which is a shame. This Irish & English punk band released only one album in 1979 (yes, you read that right!) making them the earliest Christian punk band (if we don’t include Death, which is a discussion for another time). The LP features post-punk, mod, and garage rock sounds and would be at home next to the likes of The Undertones, The Jam, Buzzcocks and so many others. It’s super rare and hard to come by, but I managed to track down a copy for myself a couple of years ago.… Continued →

Come to Pass is a one-piece lo-fi death metal band from Virginia. The band has recently released an EP through Bearded Dragon Productions, but instead I’ve chosen a track from the “Words of Endurance” compilation on the same label. Raw and heavy stuff. Stream or download the track here: Come to Pass – Confessions of the Cursed… Continued →

I’ve had a rough past few weeks. My moods have gone from the most elated to utter dumps. It has been an exciting time in our family and an incredibly stressful time. We have had our fair share of trials and tribulations the past 5+ years (if you know us or have heard my stories, you’ll understand why). A few days ago a rising young Pastor and mental health advocate named Jarrid Wilson tragically took his own life at the age of 30. He has left behind not only a community of believers but his loving wife and children.… Continued →

The year was 1997. The heyday of Christian alternative rock was starting to wane, as mainstream sounds were drifting into new territory. Dance pop (in the form of boy bands and girl bands) was starting to make another attempt at dominating the airwaves. Electronica and house were exploding in creativity and splintering into new subgenres every day. Outside of punk and hardcore, the most exciting thing happening in rock was a revival of traditional British sounds in a new format cleverly dubbed “Britpop.” While not a new genre per se, its popularity had boomed with no small thanks to bands like Oasis, Blur, James and literally dozens of others across the pond.… Continued →

Black metal stalwarts Ascending King are back! They’ve just dropped a new single “Lignum Vitae,” which is a collaborative effort with Sebat Frost from Frost Like Ashes. Whether it’s due to that influence or not is hard to say, but the doomy elements first heard on the Ascending King EP released last year are gone this time in favor of a faster-paced black metal sound. The single can be downloaded for free here: Ascending King – Lignum Vitae… Continued →

Preface: I just want to put it out there that this is a personal opinion and my opinion alone. I am in no way advocating for a particular position and political party. / I am no expert on American Politics nor do I pretend to have all the answers. Things irritate me, positions annoy me, politics is a game. I am just so sick of it all. It’s sad when all sides of the spectrum play us as pawns in this carefully constructed game of chess, creating this madness and big budget Hollywood style extravaganza we call modern media.… Continued →

Today’s song of the day comes in the form of some punk-ska from our friends in Michigan based band – The Insyderz. I was a fan of this band dating back to 1997 when I heard their debut full length, “Motor City Ska”. The band released 3 full lengths, 2 worship/praise albums, and this final (?) full length in 2012. The song that meant the most to me and had me spinning it again was “Sinner’s Songbook”. The track features Joe’s (Yerke) gritty yet melodic, vocal delivery alongside the vocals of Reese Roper (Five Iron Frenzy), and Matt Morginsky (OC Supertones).… Continued →

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is one of the greatest songs our scene has ever produced! It gets straight to the heart of what it’s all about: “Hey I’m talkin’ to you/Yeah, I’m trying to get through/God cares about you more than think . . . You are loved! You are loved!” It was the first song I ever heard from the Altar Boys, in the late 80s. Ironically, it was on a metal compilation where I first heard them. Though the song is nowhere near metal, it has that late 80s post-punk/power pop sound from SoCal that has loads of energy.… Continued →

No one really knows what happened to We Are Voices apart from their 2017 take on “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. Prior to that, the band was set to release a series of smaller releases over the course of the year. Sadly, this plan didn’t make it past the first iteration, titled Year I. The band’s site is still active which seems promising, but maybe if we make enough noise they’ll put out some new songs? … Continued →

Greetings friends and fellow customers. Just wanted to provide you all with an update on some items in our webstore and about future releases ($10 off your purchase of $30 or more up now). First off, the two Light The Way releases “Dad Gang” and “Dude Lame: Deluxe Edition” will both be available for shipping in about 7 business days. I know we are cutting it extremely close to Joshua Fest and there is possibility these two releases wont be available in time for the festival.… Continued →

We all find that special album, the initial attraction which binds the listener to a band from the get go. For me, that first album “Homecoming” by Craig’s Brother was just that, an alluring piece of work that had me fascinated from day one. Tooth & Nail released this album in 1998, nearly 21 years ago. It wasn’t exactly a “huge” hit but sure did knock us all in the chest with powerful guitar heavy punk rock and harmonies you can’t get out of your head.… Continued →

Today’s featured song comes from Nashville’s own Lacquer, a gritty band that could best be described as what Johnny Cash may have sounded like if he had grown up listening to punk. “Abaddon’s Mouth” is fresh off their 2018 debut LP Good Gracious Alive. Check it out if you’re a fan of gritty southern rock with a modern twist. … Continued →

If you’ve been following hardcore at all in the last 5 years, you probably already know about this Chicago “positive hardcore” band. Reflecting a PMA approach to lyrics, which includes things like unity in diversity, straight edge, veganism, and faith, the band churn out revivalist true school hardcore punk classics with great fecundity. This short track’s opening riff reminds me of the glory days of Descendents, and yet vocalist Wiley Willis seems to be drawing inspiration from H.R. of Bad Brains. Check it out and let me know what you think.… Continued →

I woke up this morning with this song in my head, so it clearly has the be the Song of the Day. Classic metal. You either love it, or just don’t really get the appeal. It’s 1986, and the only Christian metal that most people are aware of is Stryper. But hairspray and over-the-top production was not all that Christian metal had to offer in ’86. The same year the glam kings released To Hell with the Devil, Saint was dishing out their best album, Time’s End (in fact, it’s in the top 5 Christian metal albums of all time, IMO).… Continued →

Our new “The Great Indie Vision Music Sampler of 2019” is now available and we ask that you stream it via your favorite streaming sites or download from Bandcamp for free right here. The CD version of this sampler will be given out free all summer/fall so look for it once it is available (in production now). Check out this sampler on Spotify at the link below. Please “follow” each of the bands on this sampler and get merch from each of them when available.… Continued →