Tag: alternative

One of my all-time favorite record labels of the indie Christian scene was Blonde Vinyl. Run by Michael Knott (LSU/Lifesavers, and about a dozen others), it was one of the first truly indie, truly alternative record labels focusing on Christian artists. Knott never got rich off of the sales. (A few years later, Brandon Ebel would show us how to make a Christian indie label financially profitable.) Furthermore, not all of the releases on Blonde Vinyl were even that great–I won’t name any names–but all of them were charming in some way.… Continued →

An alternative pop-rock band by the name of “Caedmon’s Call” that got their start in the 90’s has returned for this special kickstarter campaign to fund the re-recording of their “Self Titled” debut record, make a film about it, and play a special show in Nashville. There are several stretch goals that have already been met and the final one at $300k will be to add a 3rd show on the West Coast (2nd one will be in Texas). They are already well past their goal which they reached within a week of it going live.… Continued →

I first heard Sixpence None the Richer while listening to a cassette demo in the Christian bookstore in 1993. They had me from the opening acoustic guitar riffs on “Field of Flowers,” the opening track from The Fatherless and the Widow. That album was fantastic, but even so, it was only a foretaste of what was to come. While the band are largely known for their romantic pop radio hit, “Kiss Me,” from their self-titled third album, many fans and critics alike are drawn to their sophomore album, This Beautiful Mess.… Continued →

You might recall a couple posts over the past few months about the return of Watashi Wa and I’m excited to finally share the fruits of their (reunion) labor. The band is back and have just released 2 new singles through Tooth & Nail Records with a full length “People Like People” due this spring/summer through the label. The two new singles feature some mighty guest spots (and I hear the album will have even more!). First single is “Let Me Prepare You” and features Gasoline Heart.… Continued →

Whales Bones released a brand new and might I add – AWESOME new song titled “Right Track”. Take a listen to the song in music video form, below. “Right Track” is now available on your favorite digital network. For more info on Whale Bones, click here.… Continued →

Check out this really cool interview with Paul Hyde who is the man behind Small Step Records and drummer for the super duo – Grandpa Loves Rhinos. Everything you’ve wanted to know and some fun nostalgia driven question & answer dialogue. Check it out below! Follow Small Step Records here.… Continued →

You certainly can’t “Erase” Zahna or her music. Well except in the case that she actually did release a hard hitting new song titled “Erase” and the lyric video for said song can be found below. It’s one of her best and so well done. Check out the lyric video for the song, below.… Continued →

Secret and Whisper recent emerged from Retirement (hiatus) and have been teasing fans on Instagram about new music they are working on. Don’t believe me? Head over to their Instagram account for proof. Just type in @secretandwhisperofficial in your handle little mobile instagram search box to see. Don’t have Instagram or Facebook, then just look below for a classic music video. As soon as there are more links, we will share them. A very underrated gem of Tooth & Nail past.… Continued →

Synth-pop is sort of the illegitimate child of alternative rock and disco. Although it’s not obvious, its roots like in experimental forms of music like krautrock and post-punk. As new wave splintered further and further away from punk, and added more and more synthesizers, synth-pop was being birthed. In the mainstream, acts as diverse as Kraftwerk, New Order, and Pet Shop Boys were solidifying the sound. I loved 90s synth-pop, or simply “techno” as we called it then. It was fun and danceable, dark and poppy, all at the same time.… Continued →

This band was the epitome of one of those all-too-common scenarios in 90s Christian music: the frustratingly great one-album wonder. Driver Eight released Watermelon via Tooth and Nail Records in 1996, to high acclaim from fans and critics alike, and then disappeared into the . . . well, that’s just it–we don’t know what happened! The album featured a highly-effective mix of alternative rock styles including Britpop (even though the band was American), quasi-shoegaze, and jangle pop. It seemed that they were channeling equally such disparate influences as Smashing Pumpkins, Catherine Wheel, R.E.M.,… Continued →

The former guitarist John Sierra of much adored post-hardcore band Attalus, has returned to release new music under his own name. It’s beautifully moving and inspiring, causing one to self reflect and gaze upon the beauty of life God has provided. His new song “The Tide” just dropped yesterday (listen below), and “The Wonder” came out a few weeks back as well. I’m loving these tunes and I look forward to many more to come.… Continued →

This unique metal/post-hardcore/rock hybrid act known as “Empty“, are back with a brand new album due out this week titled “Made of Fire“. The album drops Friday October 22nd through Solid State Records and features this new single, “Temporary High”. Watch the music video for the song right here at Indie Vision Music.… Continued →

I completely forgot to post about this for about a week and I do apologize. Vinyl boutique label, Lost in Ohio, have taken it upon themselves to re-release some awesome classic Christian alternative albums on Vinyl, some for the very first time. They just launched a kickstarter to fund their latest creation, Morella’s Forest “Super Deluxe” which was the official Tooth & Nail label debut released back in 1995. Check out the kickstarter right here and make sure to visit the record label website here for more great music including a rerelease of Sixpence None the Richer “This Beautiful Mess” on Vinyl.… Continued →

Havalina Rail Co. was a delightfully quirky, eccentric, genre-fusing and genre-bending experimental band from California. Across their 10-year career (give or take), the band dabbled in folk, ska, jazz, ragtime, blues, Americana, surf, and multiple internationally-themed genres. No two albums in their canon treads the same ground, and yet each successive opus is clearly recognizable as Havalina. The band stopped recording as HRC somewhere in the early 00s, but members have turned up elsewhere. Most notably are Matt Wignall who is a renowned photographer and is perhaps now best known as the producer for several Cold War Kids albums.… Continued →

Wonderfully noisy, and delightfully obscure, The Lonely Now only released 3 full-length recordings in their short career: —Captive, 1986, Narrowpath Records (cassette only) —Original Intention, 1987, Narrowpath Records (cassette, LP) —Honest Tear, 1990, Narrowpath/Refuge (cassette only) While all of their releases are somewhat difficult to obtain, ironically their final album–the only one with national distribution through Refuge–is the most difficult. It was released through the same agreement as debuts by The Crucified, Breakfast with Amy, and The Swoon. In fact, founding member Greg Sostrom (AKA Greg Strange) was the owner of Narrowpath Records.… Continued →

Newer indie band, Last Year’s Model, just dropped their album “The Neon Lights Collection” which you can check out right here. Available on all digital networks and streaming sites now!… Continued →

Jeff Elbel has been around the block a few times. Active in one form or another since the 1980s, first via Farewell to Juliet, then Sunny Day Roses, and then Ping. He’s played with members of mainstream new wave/prog band The Fixx and also new age instrumentalists Mannheim Steamroller. He’s even had songs featured on Dr Demento! His latest project The Threefinger Opera is almost at its goal of $5,000 and boasts a wide variety of packages from downloads to CDs, vinyl, and other merchandise! With only 22 days left in the campaign, you won’t want to wait on this one.… Continued →

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 →

Listen: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube Lyrics:… Continued →

for KING & COUNTRY just released a brand new song titled “RELATE” which you can watch the music video for, below. Check out the new song on all digital networks now. Album IV is coming!… Continued →

Chris Taylor is a mainstay in the music industry. He started off on vocals for this band that also consisted of Matt Slocum who would go on to work with Sixpence None The Richer. Texan Love Coma was indeed an alternative rock band when the term meant something. They released 2 LPs (Soul Rash & Language Of Fools) in the 90s before Chris went solo. They ended up releasing another back last year in 2020, but I did not see much recognition from the release. If you like this song check out my other faves Heart Wide Open & Entertainment Tonight.… Continued →

The somber yet soothing sounds of Benjamin Daniel and his music, are woven into the fabric of Indie Vision Music and our community here that has been built back up post-2016 “rebirth”. If you don’t know who he is or what his music sounds like then do yourself a huge favor and pull up “Benjamin Daniel” on your favorite digital network (or here) and give it a listen. He just launched an IndieGoGo campaign to fund the new album, “Shelterheart”, which you can read all about right here.… Continued →

Anberlin are taking their reunion to another level signaling a possible longer stay. The band have just dropped some dates for a fall tour they’ve been planning. I sense a bunch more dates will be added soon. View the dates and ticket packages right here.… Continued →

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 →

Australian alt-rock, pop-punk leaning band – Antiskeptic, are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album “Memoirs of a Common Man” this year. The band is probing interest into a limited vinyl run of this classic and mostly unheard (here) album. This band along with Seraphs Coal, Thinktank, and STR, are just so great. You can find all the Antiskeptic releases on digital networks now.… Continued →

Much loved, well regarded indie rock darlings, Bleach, are back to play a show on July 17th 2021 at Journey Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. It is being billed as “Journey Fest” and other groups playing include Copperlilly, Him and Her Worship, Betsy Lane, and Aaron Bucks. More info can be seen below or visit this link.… Continued →

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 →

Switchfoot dropped some hints (as well as a new song) the past month and yesterday (well last night actually), announced the new full length album titled “Interrobang”. The album releases on August 20th and believe it or not, you can pre-order the album in many different packages RIGHT HERE, now! Check out the brand new song “Fluorescent” in a cool visualizer right here on our website, below. Anyone else catch these throwback vibes? I mean like, very early Switchfoot vibes. Definitely cool and they’ve got my interest.… Continued →

Summer Years have just announced that they’ve signed with label – Enci Records. The Oceanside, CA. based band will drop their debut song “This Light” on July 9th through all digital stores and streaming sites. Watch a short teaser below. Pop-Punk music for the masses.… Continued →

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 →