Tag: Alternative Rock

Welcome to what is probably the most underrated album in Christian alternative music history. The problem is largely that it just wasn’t heard by enough people. This Pennsylvania band comprised one third of the ‘holy trinity’ of Christian jangle pop, rounded out by Virginia’s The Throes and Minnesota’s The Swoon (coincidentally all band names beginning with the definite article).… Continued →

I’m really hesitant to do this, but I’m gonna lay it on you. I’ve been a fan of music for well over 40 years. Narrowing down a favorite anything is really difficult. My list of favorite songs probably numbers near 1,000, and that’s just favorites, not all the songs I ‘just like.’… Continued →

The funk-punk and funk-metal scene(s) rose quickly in the early 90s and then disappeared just as quickly. At one point, it was looking to be the next big thing, but as a genre it never dominated alternative rock as it once looked like it would. In fact, aside from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction, few in the general market ever made it big, even though bands like Fishbone and 24-7 Spyz were just as talented.… Continued →

First things first–merry Christmas everyone! It’s been a challenging year, and many of us are ready to see the back of it. I always post my Song of the Day picks on Friday, so I was pleased to the lucky draw for Christmas Day! Of course, it had to be a Christmas song, and there are lots of good ones to choose from, even from our niche scene.… Continued →

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.… Continued →

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.… Continued →

Power pop was (is?) a strange phenomenon. Despite the big hooks, melodic overtones and just enough of a punk edge to keep things interesting, it never really caught on in a huge way. Although it’s made inroads into new wave and, more recently, indie pop, the leaders of the subgenre still remain fairly underground, with a few notable exceptions (Cheap Trick and The Romantics are among the few artists with major radio hits).… Continued →

Mad at the World went through at least three distinct phases throughout their history, which impressively spans across 4 decades: synth-pop/new wave, hard alternative rock/metal, and retro rock/alternative. We’ve already featured a song from their synth-pop era, and here’s one from their hard alternative phase, but one that interestingly enough hints at their retro phase that would be unleashed in 2 more albums’ time.… Continued →

I had this song on my mind the other day as I was thinking about what song I was going to choose for this week. The modus operandi: Ruminate on a song and make a choice. Find it on YouTube. Listen while I’m writing. Dang. I’ve loved this song for years, but was still surprised at how good it sounded more than 2 decades after it was recorded.… Continued →

Not much is known about this band, who released one album for major label Curb Records in 1997, called Yours Truly. They played a fairly straight-forward brand of alternative rock that hinted at grunge without ever fully going to Seattle. The lead single was “Low,” with its provocative chorus: I’m wasted!… Continued →

Many people nowadays have a love-hate relationship with worship music. It can sometimes be too simplistic, or based on shallow theology, yet believers have a real desire to connect with the Lord through music. The so-called Modern Worship movement has both helped and hindered this process. While it’s outside of our purposes here to give an overview of the practical, musical, and theological ramifications of modern worship music, let’s take a look at an early innovator.… Continued →

Jangle Pop. While the term might not mean much to most listeners today, it was the dominant form of alternative rock (on both sides of the Atlantic) in the late 80s to early 90s. As 70s punk gave way to 80s new wave and synth pop, underground bands were looking for more earthy sounds, moving away from sythesizers and often including acoustic guitars and instruments borrowed from folk rock.… Continued →

Grandpa Loves Rhinos are back with a brand new single titled “Gimme, Gimme”. The song will release at Midnight tonight through all digital networks and streaming sites. The track is an energetic pop-punk inspired jam full of those unforgettable hooks and melodies the band has become known for. The message is geared towards those that are obsessed with the material treasures in this lifetime and being consumed by them.… Continued →

We are proud to bring you a brand new song stream from independent artist, Collington. Check out the song “Against The Wall”, below. This excellent single is now available wherever you find fine digital music. Recommended for Fans of: Switchfoot, Needtobreathe, Walk The Moon, Foster The People, and The Fray.… Continued →

Another album celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary is “Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place” by the world renown alternative rock band, Anberlin. This Brendan O’Brien produced full length effort (their 5th album by 2010) was a slight departure from the sunny, bright, more upbeat sounds of their commercial break through record, “New Surrender”.… Continued →

Indiana based Pop-Rock band – Winona Ave, just dropped a brand new song and music video for “Masterpiece”. This anthem for those seeking hope and finding meaning in their own self-worth will be delighted by this new song. Hopeful music for times that call out for it. Check out “Masterpiece” below.… Continued →

Hawaii based pop-punk/alternative Rock band, PSPAZZ, has finally posted their 1996 Brainstorm International debut album “Missile Toe” on all digital networks. This fun, sun inspired, little goofy pop-punk album of the 90’s is sure to delight old fans and fans that have never ever heard of these guys. For fans of old Blink 182, NOFX, Sponge, Jane’s Addiction, Weezer, Home Grown, Weird Al, and MXPX.… Continued →

Mad at the World has had a very interesting and diverse career as a band. They started out doing somewhat dark synth-pop on their self-titled debut (in the vein of Depeche Mode, New Order, Clan of Xymox), then added guitars to their new wave sound for Flowers in the Rain.… Continued →

After releasing last year’s opus Young in My Head, Starflyer 59 are already back. The veteran indie rock band have just released a new single, “This Recliner” and boy oh boy is it good! Fueled by inspiration from the best of his 80s new wave AND shoegaze influences (The Church, Psychedelic Furs, Jesus and Mary Chain, et.… Continued →

We are proud to bring you a brand new song premiere from the Birmingham, AL. based alternative-pop-punk band known as Audiophile. They are a newer band with an incredibly catchy sound that would appeal to fans of The All American Rejects, Relient K, Weezer, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Neck Deep, TwentyOnePilots, and Capital Lights.… Continued →

You’re probably tired of hearing it, but these are strange times we’re living in. How could any of us have been prepared for the reality in which we find ourselves? I don’t know about you but I’ve read a lot of dystopian fiction and watched a ton of post-apocalyptic films. Neither of them are all that helpful in our current scenario.… Continued →

Along with L.S.U. and the Altar Boys, another band that was really influential in getting me into alternative music (as opposed to straight metal and thrash of my teenage years) was Breakfast with Amy. Their debut album had enough punk rock influence to appeal to that side of me that wanted noise and aggression, but there was more to their sound than just loud, fast, and angry.… Continued →

I suppose that the first time you hear a band forever affects the way you think or feel about them. Although Undercover already had a long history behind them when I first heard them in 1990, I was completely unaware of it. I didn’t know the huge impact they’d made in the Christian alternative and punk scene in SoCal through Calvary Chapel, Ministry Resource Center, etc.… Continued →

L.S. Underground (AKA LSU, L.S.U. LifeSavers Underground, Lifesavers, Lifesavors) have been doing alternative music in various forms since the early 80s. “The Grape Prophet,” originally released on Blonde Vinyl in 1992 was a concept album full of nuance and metaphor representing a young man’s journey looking into what was deemed a potentially dangerous Christian cult.… Continued →

In the late 80s/early 90s I was a straight-up metalhead. Thrash was my favorite variety, but I dipped into other stuff as well. But I had started developing a taste for punk too. The pace and beat of hardcore punk was actually very similar to thrash, but with different guitar tones.… Continued →

RED are back with a brand new Ep which includes a cover of the classic Fuel song “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)”. “The Evening Hate” Ep is out November 1st and first single “From the Ashes” heads to radio October 25th. Listen to the cover track, Read the full press release about the EP and upcoming tour dates with In Flames, below.… 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).… Continued →

From Velvet Blue Music . . . “To celebrate the upcoming re-issue of STARFLYER 59 ‘gold’ on vinyl . . . we’ve made a run of Gold era shirts and a cool sticker pack. Links below. Or you can email me if you’d like a link to pay via PayPal jeff@velvetbluemusic.com”.… 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.… 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.… Continued →