The Alternative Tone

New Tales by Papermoons (2009)  Indie rock from Deep Elm Records. With New Tales, the duo that is Papermoons have created one of the hidden gems of the past few years. Each track could be on a soundtrack, with the album maintaining a rock vibe without losing it's chilled out air. Stream/Download                                                                                           Narrow Stairs by Death Cab For Cutie (2008) One of the most underrated albums in the Death Cab For Cutie arsenal, Narrow Stairs moved Gibbard and his merry band of men into the world of narration and indie rock. Every song could be a mini-novel, and the album built on the sound touched by Death Of An Interior Designer from 2004's Transaltanticism. Gibba...

Live The Dream by Ramshackle Glory (2011) Anarchist, happiness inspiring folk punk from the seven piece. Features what may be my favourite lyric of all time ' Maybe God isn't the right word but I believe in you', Live The Dream is an album that will leave you grinning like an idiot. Fact, I pleayed 'Your Heart Is A Muscle The Size Of Your Fist' ten times over the first time I heard it.   Buy It Here   The Rip Tide by Beirut (2011) The third album from everyone's favourite world tinged indie folk band, The Rip Tide continues where The Flying Club Cup finished off. Featuring the fantastic 'A Candle's Fire', The Rip Tide is the sort of album that makes every moment feel like you're sitting in a French restaurant sipping coffee whilst the sun shines.    Buy It Here   A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (2001)  Yes, it's a book. And yes, it's a memoir. And yes, I should stay the hell away from it...

Here, Hear III EP by La Dispute (2009):  Spoken word from the post-hardcore experimenters.Yes, spoken word might seem a little dubious, however it does feature 'Nine', one of the best tracks of their career. Bandcamp James Is Going To Die Soon by Crywank (2010):  Ridiculously simple yet emotive folk-punk from London. Pretty close to perfect debut. Bandcamp  (free download) Accordion Peas by Neutral Milk Hotel (1998):   Live bootleg of a '98 NMH show featuring the amazing, and rare, Oh Sister.

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.