Tag: indie rock

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. There were also these weird, angular, noisy expressions and interesting metaphors about the faith that I wasn’t hearing anywhere else.… Continued →

I’ve known Adam Rosenfeld for several years since his days running Men of Israel Records, the home of Man Alive in their early years. He has been making music under a number of different names for the past 2 decades and now has unveiled his latest project, Har Adonai. He takes indie rock and folk, combines it in one explosive push of the mix button on the blender and creates a sonic masterpiece only he could make. I can’t even describe what it sounds like other than to say it sounds like HAR ADONAI.… Continued →

DENS’ latest track, “They,” is accompanied by a music video. The song is taken from their forthcoming album, Taming Tongues, which will be available March 6 on Facedown Records. “They” is the result of reflecting on an ongoing pattern we have seen in our relationships and in the conversations that encircle us. Namely, there is often a fundamental breakdown in communication due to a lack of precision in language, a cloud of emotion that colors our reactions, and an unwillingness to empathize with other people.… 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. Dark and brooding, the album has often been hailed as the band’s magnum opus. The original release is tremendously difficult to obtain, in large part because a vast shipment of units got somehow lost in transit.… Continued →

This wasn’t the typical Further Seems Forever song of unbridled aggression, melodies intertwined into some sort of cosmic explosion of pure joy and instant approval by even your most jaded friend. This song was somewhat of a departure although still incorporating that classic “emo” sound they’d been pegged with for years. Something about this song evokes passion and unrelenting “worship”. Maybe it was intentional or possibly an unintentional after thought but this song leads one into contemplation and self-analyzing, directing you into a heaven’s gaze. Jon Bunch despite any shortcomings he may have had in the eyes of vicious teens and young adults who had blood thirsty claws out for the throat of this “new” vocalist, captured the attention of generations of different music fans despite genre.… Continued →

Since the last time I posted about Furnace Fest here on IVM, the Furnace Fest 2020 lineup has literally EXPLODED with bands and hype. Click their official website here to get pumped up with. Beloved, Stretch Arm Strong, Terminal, ZAO, Love Is Red, Open Hand, Life In Your Way, The Appleseed Cast, Hopesfall, Mineral, Juliana Theory, Unwed Sailor, Eighteen Visions, Every Time I Die, Bloodjinn, Avail, Hot Water Music, Andrew WK, Better Off, Knocked Loose, Cave In, Norma Jean, Converger, Unearth, Comeback Kid, Luxury, Glasseater, Boy Sets Fire, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Codeseven, The Casket Lottery, Living Sacrifice, Shai Hullud, The Beautiful Mistake, Few Left Standing, Evergreen Terrace, With Honor, Haste, August Burns Red, and…..my… Continued →

DENS are back with another new track off their powerful upcoming album, “Taming Tongues” due out March 6th on Facedown Records. If you like what you hear then do yourself a favor and click here to pre-order the album on Vinyl/CD. Catch the band on tour with War of Ages and Convictions this spring.… 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. Bands like Nobody Special, The Lead, The Crucified, and even Breakfast with Amy opened me up to new possibilities in edgy music. Then along came the album Poplife by the Lifesavers. I’d only been into Christian rock since ’88, so I knew nothing of Michael Knott’s history (or the many other incarnations and alter-egoes of his various projects).… Continued →

The Beautiful Mistake return with their first new song in over 15 years. The electrifying new song titled “Memento Mori” takes the band in familiar territory while incorporating a completely current sound. The production is crisp and clear and the vocals are presented front and center. There is a heavy emphasis on melody here and a sense of heaviness intertwines throughout. If you weren’t familiar with The Beautiful Mistake in the past then this is certainly the song/EP that’ll push you to the forefront of being a fan.… Continued →

The Classic Crime return with an indie-pop meets rock n’ roll new album “Patterns In The Static”, that will see release on February 28th. This is the band’s 3rd independent full length after leaving Tooth & Nail Records in 2011 following the release of their album “Vagabonds”. Check out two songs below via their bandcamp page and make sure to pre-order on CD/Vinyl here.… Continued →

The EP that first led me to discover the awesome music and power of this East Coast indie band years ago, is back and online for all your listening pleasure. Check out the fabulous 5 song 2006 Ep “This is Rescue” by much loved and critically acclaimed indie rock band, My Epic, now through all digital networks. Check out a couple songs below.… Continued →

Rivers & Robots return with a brand new music video for the song “Overflow”. Check out this incredibly engaging and cinematic new music video, below. This song appears on the album “Discovery”, available now. Buy some merch from the band right here and toss some support their way.… Continued →

DENS return with a BRAND NEW truly remarkable song titled “Even” off their upcoming album “Taming Tongues”, out March 6th on Facedown Records. You can find the lyric video for the song below. Check out the album pre-order in a few different formats and bundles right here. Man, Facedown Records keeps churning out one amazing release after another, am I right?… Continued →

Facedown Records is bringing their much loved annual festival – Facedown Fest – to Orange County, CA this time, on March 6th & 7th at the famed Chain Reaction Club in Anaheim. Club is close to all the tourist spots that Southern California has to offer so make a trip of it. Lineup is pretty awesome and features a bunch of new bands on the roster as well as some classic bands. Check out the lineup right here where you can also buy tickets. Chain Reaction is small so if you plan on going, get your tickets asap because I guarantee it’ll sell out (unless it already has).… Continued →

A worthy new band has arrived on the music scene – Left Neglect and they are garnering the kind of critical acclaim that bands years deep into their careers dream about. This band features members who have played in bands like The Merbabies, Other Desert Cities, Roadside Monument, Focused, Pedro The Lion, and Blenderhead to name a few. What comes immediately to mind on “Children”, the title track off the band’s 6 song Ep is Chris Bowden’s knack for connecting with a listener through a sonic blast of melodic, indie-leaning, sometimes off kilter rock n’ roll.… Continued →

Local California based post-hardcore/indie rock band – The Beautiful Mistake, made their triumphant return in 2018 and have been fast at work on their comeback EP the past year. The band has been working with Beau Burchell (Saosin) on the new songs and gearing up to release a new single soon. I think we are in for a very pleasant surprise and this is one “reunion” comeback that you won’t want to miss out on.… Continued →

Here’s the thing . . . Sufjan is incredible. Whether or not you like his music, one has to acknowledge the astounding amount of talent the guy has. To me, he is the musical equivalent to the literary Tolkien. What I mean is this: somewhere in the deep recesses of their brains, the creative impetus for all those ideas already existed. For Tolkien it was a myriad of languages, races and lands–each with their own histories and storylines. For Stevens, it’s his complex musical compositions alternately cloaked in folk, electronica, and baroque hues.… Continued →

Belgian lo-fi artist Bram Cools has released 2 new songs as a teaser for a new EP, which is yet forthcoming. From the artist website: “This is an EP with new versions of old songs, deconstructed versions of unreleased songs, and maybe a few songs songs that will be released gradually.” Details can be found here: https://bramcools.bandcamp.com/album/re-mixed-bags-deconstructed-outtakes-and-othersides… Continued →

Names Without Numbers return from a long slumber to release their smashing 9 song epic album titled “Silos & Smokestacks”. The album is jam packed with solid indie-alt-emo-rock tunes as well as a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Style”. Don’t take my word for it, listen for yourself at your digital network of choice (or on CD by clicking here) and I guarantee this will be your highlight of the year. Visit the band on the web right here. Listen to two songs below via YouTube.… Continued →

Soul-Junk are one of those bands that are immensely difficult to keep up with. Incredibly prolific, they’ve released at least a dozen albums, and roughly 14 EPs. All of them are named after numbers, presumably years (mostly in the 1930s-1950s), but they don’t follow any logical sequential order. To make matters even more perplexing, often the LP releases have altogether different tracks or sequences from the CD versions of the same album. This is not to mention the way they float through styles and genres as if distinctions didn’t exist.… Continued →

Head over to PunkRockTheory.com to hear the brand new Names Without Numbers song, “Firing Squad”, in lyric video form right now. The song appears on the band’s brand new comeback album titled “Silos & Smokestacks” which hits digital and streaming outlets this Friday December 13th via Indie Vision Music. CDs available now from the IVM Webstore and shipping now.… Continued →

This launched yesterday and IVM is a day late in posting (I blame my turkey hangover). Names Without Numbers and Indie Vision Music have just released the band’s new single “Style” which is a Taylor Swift cover and done extremely well. The song will appear on the band’s upcoming full length “Silos & Smokestacks” due out December 13th. The song is available now on all digital networks. Check out the music video by clicking this link here on YouTube. The band have also launched pre-orders right here for the album on their own store site and have some pretty sweet options available including Hoodies, Shirts, CDs, Hats, and more.… 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 →

In celebration of the upcoming new full length album from Names Without Numbers, we are dropping their brand new song titled “The Dragonfly and The Owl”. Check out the song below via YouTube and make sure to pre-order on CD right here from us. Press release and bio can be found below this post.… Continued →

A new pop-punk/emo band out of Brazil called Inner 29 will release their Indie Vision Music debut Ep “Now and Again, Here” tomorrow! Head over to iTunes now and pre-order the ep at a low price and then you’ll get an instant download of their single “Inconsistency (Wears Me Out)”. The Ep will also be printed on CD and available to ship in early December. They are in production and I hope to have them shipped to me next week. If you want to buy this awesome new release just click the link here for our Storenvy storefront and purchase the CD.… 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 →

I am proud (and excited) to announce the new album from Names Without Numbers titled “Silos & Smokestacks” due out December 13th through Indie Vision Music. I have listened to the album many times through and I must say it is an incredible piece of work. I don’t just say that lightly as someone working with a band, I say that as a fan of music and great independent rock n’ roll that I can get behind. Take all the best elements of old Anberlin, Jimmy Eat World, The All American Rejects, Acceptance, The Juliana Theory, Eager Seas, and House of Heroes, mix it up with the best produced sound (and guitar tones) one can have then you’ll have an idea for what to expect.… 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 →

Stephen Christian (Anberlin) announced on Twitter a few days ago that a new Anchor & Braille album is coming in Spring 2020! Who here appreciates the music of Anchor & Braille? Are you excited for this new album?… Continued →