The Alternative Tone

15. No Reason Why by Gorilla Biscuits (1:55) from 1988's 'Gorilla Biscuits'. A hardcore clean living anthem of sorts from the scene legends. Combining catchy, sinalong lyrics with raspy vocals and probably the most prominent bass line in the hardcore scene, No Reason Why  is an essential for any punk fan. 14. One Life, One Chance by H2O   (1:55) from 1999's 'F.T.T.W'. Another hardcore anthem, filled with inspirational lyrics and a fist pump worthy melody, One Life, One Chance , is a track that exists solely to make everyone who listens to it feel that bit better. 13. Situation On Mars by Swing Kids (1:34)  from 1998's 'Discography'. Ridiculously heavy post-hardcore from the short lived, but none the less important Swing Kids. Swing Kids' brand of post-hardcore has almost become a template for hundreds of bands recently (The Wave bands etc.) and 'Situation On Mars' is one of their most brutal yet attractive songs. 12. Sho

Avalanche City have released a new single called 'Sunset'. Also, Avalanche City's somewhat popular 'Love, Love, Love' will be in the movie Hope Springs . So, if you're a hardcore fan you will sit through it. If not, don't. Seriously.

London folk popper Naomi Ruth has released the video to her debut single, When We're 83.  It's very cute. Stop being cynical.  It's made even better by the fact that you can download it for free on Noisetrade below. Yay!  http://www.noisetrade.com/naomiruthmusic RIYL: Ingrid Michaelson, Lisa Hannigan, BOY 

Indie rock sampler of the many great bands on Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull's record label, The Favorite Gentlemen. Includes Kevin Devine, Bad Books, O' Brother, Junior Astronomers. http://www.noisetrade.com/thefavoritegentlemen RIYL: Manchester Orchestra, Kevin Devine, Bad Books

Indie pop from Canada. http://paperlions.com/download RIYL: Fun., Dry The River, feeling hip Highly recommended. 

Indie rock from Brooklyn. http://unseentapes.bandcamp.com/album/unseen-tapes-vol-4-2000-2010-humboldt-house RIYL: Elliott Smith, Pavement, Built To Spill Highly recommended. 

Eight track recorded indie rock from Brooklyn.   http://unseentapes.bandcamp.com/album/unseen-tapes-vol-3-1999-2000-the-generator RIYL: Elliott Smith, Pavement, Beck Highly recommended.    

Four track recorded indie rock from Brooklyn. http://unseentapes.bandcamp.com/album/unseen-tapes-vol-2-1996-1998-porch-songs RIYL: Elliott Smith, Pavement, Beck Highly recommended. 

Four track recorded indie rock from Brooklyn.    http://unseentapes.bandcamp.com/album/unseen-tapes-vol-1-1994-1996-fractured RIYL: Pavement, Beck, Belle & Sebastian   Highly recommended. 

Indie pop from Scotland. http://karlynking.bandcamp.com/track/blue-painted-gates RIYL: Camera Obscura , Belle & Sebastian

Mini compilation for each month of the year from different Scottish bands on the Scottish Fiction bandcamp. July's includes; M A D I S O N, Aperture, Johnny And The Giros, Penfold. http://scottishfiction.bandcamp.com/album/scottish-fiction-july-2012-ep RIYL: Idlewild, Biffy Clyro, Scottish-ness

  I've  decided to create a new genre. I call it “beardcore”. Scene heads generally make confessional folk music recorded alone in some isolated building (cabin, hut, beach house etc.) with only acoustic guitars, banjos and whatnot for company. Oh, and they have beards. Now you may think to yourself, ‘This will never take off! How silly of her!’ and, given most of my genre creating, you’d be right (Oberstcore never did take off…), but this scene is not just existing, but is currently thriving. The newest beardcore artist is James Vincent McMorrow’. Joining Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes in the genre, McMorrow hails from the not so green isle of Ireland and is making waves with his debut album Early In The Morning , eleven tracks of atmospheric indie-folk with intelligent musicianship, and more intelligent lyrics. The album starts off with “If I Had A Boat” an initially a capella, atmospheric grower. Starting off quietly, it eases the listener into the record with McMorrow’s wa

Spoken word lo-fi. http://twoheadedboy.bandcamp.com/album/basement-tapes RIYL: Mick Malone, Worn Colors

Political anti-folk from Washington DC. http://dinosawh.bandcamp.com/album/testing-the-fences RIYL: Ramshackle Glory, Andrew Jackson Jihad

Grimes has announced that she may take a more experimental approach on her next release. Lord help us all. She may also choose a new moniker. Note all the 'may's. None of this may actually happen, but maybe it will. Grimes isn't a decisive sort of person.

Pop punk/hardcore from Granger, IN. http://kidvaliant.bandcamp.com/album/hopeless RIYL: The Glory Days, Such Gold, Title Fight

Pop punk on a skateboard from London. http://wearepacer.bandcamp.com/album/making-plans RIYL: Mxpx, NOFX, Allister

Post-rock from Deep Elm Records. Yeah, it's going to be good. http://deepelmdigital.com/album/why-arent-i-home RIYL: Moving Mountains, The Appleseed Cast, Explosions In The Sky Highly Recommended

Indie rock with electronic touches from Amsterdam via San Francisco. http://birdheartrecords.com/album/different-names-for-the-same-thing RIYL: The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, Anything that sounds like Ben Gibbard

Atmospheric  indie-folk from Nashville. http://foreignfields.bandcamp.com/album/anywhere-but-where-i-am RIYL: Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow Highly recommended

Andrew Bird has released a video for his song 'Give It Away'.  

The Antlers are streaming their new EP, Undersea, for the meager price of a Facebook like. Finally, a positive use for social networking. Go! Now!   https://www.facebook.com/TheAntlers?v=app_178091127385 The EP, already available in the US, will be available for purchase on July 30th in UK.

Post-hardcore with an post-rock touch from New York. http://blueskylaw.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-made-us-run RIYL: Fugazi, Jawbox, Drive Like Jehu

Tame Impala have released the first single, 'Elephant' off their upcoming album, Lonerism.  Hell yeah.

Postcards EP by Gatherer (2012):  Post-hardcore from Virginia. This pawns. Seriously. http://gatherernj.bandcamp.com/album/postcards Read Music, Speak Spanish by Desaparecidos (2002): The awesome album on which Conor Oberst was convinced he was hardcore. Listen to this and then get excited about the recent reunion. http://saddle-creek.com/store/50 Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem (2007): It's dance! But it's indie! MIND BLOWN.

The Mountan Goats are streaming a new song online called 'Cry For Judas'. It's off the upcoming album Transcendental Youth, which is out October 2. Yay.  Click here for the point of this post: http://soundcloud.com/mergerecords/the-mountain-goats-cry-for  

Red Hot Chilli Peppers' bassist Flea, goin' solo! http://silverlakeconservatory.com/helen_burns/ RIYL: Red Hot Chilli Peppers, I'd say...

Indie hip-hop from Chicago. http://miloraps.bandcamp.com/album/milo-takes-baths RIYL: P.O.S, Cecil Otter, Mac Lethal Highly Recommended 

Summer sampler from Conor Oberst's Saddle Creek Records. Scroll to the top of the page. Look at my banner. Look at how many Bright Eyes albums are on it. Return to here and download this. Be happy. http://www.noisetrade.com/saddlecreekrecords  (Enter email address) RIYL: Bright Eyes, Cursive, This Blog, Me

Industrial metal from... Oh, for crying out loud, you know who NIN are... http://dl.nin.com/theslip/signup  (sign up to mailing list for free download) RIYL: Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Gothy-smarty-metal

Remix of pop punker's Paramore's Misery Business. http://noisewaves.bandcamp.com/track/mizery-businazz-paramore-remix RIYL: M83, Paramore

Deerhoof have announced the release of their new album, Breakup Song. Aside from grammatical and imagination problems, we shall anticipate the release on September 4th. The album artwork is...  ...not that exciting, but all the same, it's Deerhoof. Be stoked.

Manchester Orchestra have announced that they'll be entering the studio in winter to create the follow up to 2011's excellent Simple Math.  Here's the band looking delightfully happy.

The mayor of Dayton, Ohio has announced July 2012 as 'Guided By Voices Month'. Simply because they're awesome. Nice.

For a short period of time, Meg & Dia are making every release they've ever had available for free on Bandcamp. Stop reading, get clicking.  http://megdia.bandcamp.com/

Touche Amore and The Casket Lottery are to release a split 7" on October 7th with No Sleep Records. Yay!

Click below the hear a collaboration between Tyler, The Creator and Toro Y Moi. They've been working together apparently. Listen fo' Sumaaaa Taaaam.... http://soundcloud.com/eqxphrenic/hey-you

Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning will score the upcoming film from Paul Scrader, The Canyons. Before you get too excited, the movie stars Lindsay Lohan. One for the soundtrack?

40 tracks of indie pop from Make Do And Mend Records. http://makedoandmendrecords.bandcamp.com/album/indietracks-compilation-2011 RIYL: Indie pop. A lot.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, evrrryone's favourite riotgrrrl group, Bikini Kill are re-issuing the entirety of their back catalogue. As a platform to release this stuff, Bikini Kill have formed a record label, the amazingly titled Bikini Kill Records. They shall also sift through their archives to find varoius memorabilia, such as flyers and posters, to sell to your good selves. Clearly, sticking it to the man doesn't pay. But it does make for rather excellent music, see below! 

Indie pop from Baltimore. http://beatradio.bandcamp.com/album/hard-times-go-part-1 RIYL: Death Cab For Cutie, Cursive Beach House

Lai d back indie pop from Baltimore. http://beatradio.bandcamp.com/album/hard-times-go-part-2 RIYL: Death Cab For Cutie, The Weakerthans, Beach House

Quirk filled ambient flushed indie pop. http://lullatone.bandcamp.com/album/plays-pajama-pop-pour-vous RIYL: I really don't know... It's got a French title and a girl playing a ukulele and whispering, you'll know if you'll like this by looking at the cover.

In the second 'Ben' focused news item of the day, after thirteen years, Ben Folds Five have finally seen fit to release another album. It's title,  The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind , confirms suspicions that the longer the wait, the longer the title. It's due for release on September 18th through ImaVeePee/Sony.

5. Life Trees The Seas by Brave New Storm  Over the course of three tracks, Brave New Storm have managed to create an extremely promising release of atmospheric folk music. Making usage of organic sounds such as the sea and whatnot, they re-create the environment in three folk songs. Luscious sound-scapes and artistic vocals leads to an EP that sounds far more professional and skilled than most bands of Brave New Storm's youth. Download: Life II  http://theinsidejob.bandcamp.com/album/life-trees-the-sea  (available for free download) 4. Once Upon Another Time by Sara Bareilles   Quite simply put, this is a pop record, but rather than falling into the trap of being all about the cheese, Sara Bareilles impresses with her rich vocals and piano driven tunes. Teaming her songwriting smarts with her obvious talents, Bareilles has made one of the best piano pop releases of the year. Sounding like a less brokenhearted, American Adele, it is disappointing that Bareilles' fame s

Acoustic pop punk from Illinois. http://realfriends.bandcamp.com/album/acoustic-songs-ep RIYL: Into It. Over It, The Wonder Years, Relient K

Acoustic covers from female jazz/folk from Dallas. http://mpolinar.bandcamp.com/album/cover-songs-youtube-acoustic-versions RIYL: Corrine Bailey Rae, Laura Marling

Acoustic folk from Brighton, England. http://edtullett.bandcamp.com/album/never-joy RIYL: Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow, Highly recommended  

Death Cab For Cutie's eloquent front man has decided to release a solo album. This is rather surprising news as it is not only less than five years since Ben Gibbard had revealed any of his artistry to the world at large, but it is indeed a mere year since 2011's  Codes And Keys. Oh, how Benjamin treats us. The album will be called Former Lives  and will be released on October 15th in UK/Europe on City Slang and on October 16th in North America via Barsuk. Here's a photo of Benjamin looking thoughtful.

Surf pop from Mexico. http://losblenders.bandcamp.com/album/ah-oh RIYL: Waaves remixing Beach Boys

Arcade Fire have announced (surprisingly enough) that they shall be releasing the follow up the 2010's The Suburbs in 2013, three years after they released their third, Grammy Award winning, 'who the hell?' inspiring album, which was released three years after their second album, which was released three years after their debut. Shocking news it may not be, but it does give me an excuse to post an Arcade Fire video.

Lo-fi garage-pop from Melbourne. http://fieldtripmusic.com/album/cream-ep RIYL: The Vaccines, Wavves, The Strokes

A compilation filled with various dream pop and surf pop bands from Vancouver. http://hearinggold.bandcamp.com/album/vacation-spirit-a-hearing-gold-compilation RIYL: Real Estate, Beach House, Best Coast

Folk punk from New York. http://woodspider.bandcamp.com/album/tending-fires RIYL: Beirut being played backwards over Ramshackle Glory.

Female vocals indie folk from Boston. http://youngexcursion.bandcamp.com/album/demos RIYL: Regina Spektor, Daughter, Beach House

Atmospheric indie/emo from Connecticut http://www.last.fm/music/The+World+is+a+Beautiful+Place+&+I+am+No+Longer+Afraid+to+Die/Formlessness  (download individually) RIYL: American Football, Our Sunday Affairs,

Noise-rockers PS I Love You have released a video for their song 'Toronto' from this year's Celebration Rock. 

Minus The Bear have revealed the artwork for their new album Infinity Overhead.