Alternative Rock

(Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam)

Continental Breakfast: Seasons

Seasons by Continental Breakfast jangles on with catchy beats, a dirty New York post-hipster sound and lovely vocals. This compilation comes with 6, mostly upbeat, tracks. It was released back in December 16 2010 and features a strictly Brooklyn indie rock sound. Although the record feels like it was recorded in a basement or garage somewhere, this does add to the appeal of the album. It's like being in an underground rock club where all the cool people hang out. Infusing rock, alternative, garage and a bit of punk, these Brooklyn natives certainly have something up their sleeve. Grab their record by hitting the Download link.

The Taxpayers: To Risk So Much For One Meal

Listening to The Taxpayers, means undergoing plenty of mixed emotions. From anger, to confusion, to doubt, relief, happiness, joy, and everything in between; it's like a rollercoaster of sound that makes you sick, but in a good kind of way. Mixing punk, ska, country, folk and so much more in between, To Risk So Much For One Meal, is filled with plenty of exciting cuts to check out. This is a follow-up record for this Portland, Oregon group and it seems they're still continually evolving their sound. Compared to their previous record, this one adds a little more punk rock to the mix; resulting in a louder, "angstier" but definitely more enjoyable record. Grab it right now and have a great time bouncing around to this one.

Clones Of The Queen: The Gate EP

Clones of the Queen is a Hawaii based band that creates some sultry, techno, trip hop, rock sound. The trio is made up of frontwoman, Ara Laylo, guitarist Paul Bajcar and electronics by Matt McVickar. The Gate is their first EP and comes with 7 endearingly haunting tracks that's definitely worth your while. The album is filled with the band's signature brooding feel with a touch of spacey sounding indie rock. Laylo's voice is cold yet soothing when mixed with the synth soundscapes that often surround it. Ever since their beginning years, jamming together in a bank vault situation atop a coffee shop; the band has come quite a long way. Although they're still at the beginning stages, you can tell that this band has a bright future ahead. Take a listen.

Warpaint: Demos

Warpaint is a shoegaze, experimental rock oufit from LA. The band has undergone quite a lot of lineup changes, including stints by actress Shannyn Sossamon and Pepper's current guitar player, Josh Klinghoffer. The group has received quite a bit of attention ever since their formation back in 2004. To date, they have grazed the covers of prominent magazines like NME and THE FLY. Although most of the band's records are available for sale, you can download individual songs from their Demos compilation for free. These 5 songs embody a raw, sonic psychedelic sound that 's characteristic of the group's style. By early next year, the group will be actively touring Auckland, Australia and the UK in promotion of their latest record, The Fool. For the meantime, get a feel for the group by listening to this free record.

Poppy No Good and the Phantom Band: Poppy No Good

Finding out more about this group is tough. For one, most of their descriptions are in French and I don't speak the language, but nevertheless, their music is interesting enough to merit a listen. Poppy No Good is an eclectic 5 piece crew that love to blend unusual instruments, vocal work and an overall weird alternative, pop rock vibe. This is the group's latest release and it's filled with psychedelic good vibes. The group's name was actually derived from a song by Terry Riley. This record was released back in 2008 yet it still sounds up to date, much like any current Brit indie rock group floating in Wonderland. Give these a listen.

Music That Matters: KEXP

I fell in love with the series nearly two years ago during one of my lovely commutes to work for one simple reason - it brings you the most amazing variety of music just in time when you can no longer listen to the same songs you had on your iPod since 2000. Each podcast comes with a theme and a selection of sounds (from nearly every genre imaginable, with a slightly greater love for alternative and indie rock) put together by some of the greatest DJs from Northwest.

Gino Pertot: Jew Nails

There are bands who never get discovered and there are artists who create their art only for themselves. Gino Pertot belongs to that second group and so it should come with no surprise that his Austrian psych-folk album Jaw Nails have never hit the mainstream - that is until Golden Pavilion Records, which reissues rare and often overlooked late 60's and 70's psychedelic, progressive, acid-folk and art-rock music, came across this lost gem after more than 34 years. The album was privately pressed (with only 200 copies) in 1976 and mostly given into the hands of friends with sporadic give always at concerts. The Golden Pavilion Records call the Jaw Nails one of the rarest Austrian LPs, and it's music honest and spontaneous, crossing paths between fragile folk and psychedelic dark undertones with a touch of glam, expressive lyrics and fleeting guitar lines. And as a little tribute to the artist, Golden Pavilion has released a limited 600 copies of the album in black vinyl and an additional 100 copies in coloured golden brown vinyl. The digital version can be downloaded for free.

San Miguel: Primavera Sound Music 2011

Tents, amazing food, crazy outfits, dancing, drinking, and great music that turns thousands of people into your soon-to-be closest new friends; sounds like a ready-made vacation. And if you want to feel like a part of this summer music festival 'movement' be sure to check out the new mix from Primavera Sound. Since crossing into the new year the Primavera Festival already released its preliminary lineup for 2011, and as many of the artists also have some of their mp3s available on the Free Music Archive, Primavera Sound put together a little free album of what is coming up this year.