The 'alternative' music thread

[Niegs]

Mike Patton singing the Ninja Turtles theme

[Niegs]

And, wow ...

[Niegs]

These lads did the soundtrack to my afternoon ride through the country:

[Mr Bungle]

“Live, laugh, love. Gives me hope”

[Big Nipper]

This is probably as "alternative" as you will get

Korean based emo/shoegaze band

If you are a shoegaze fan, this is bloody gold

[robmatic]

This is probably as "alternative" as you will get

Korean based emo/shoegaze band

If you are a shoegaze fan, this is bloody gold

That's pretty good.

[sockwithaticket]

This is probably as "alternative" as you will get

Korean based emo/shoegaze band

If you are a shoegaze fan, this is bloody gold

Nice one, Nips. Enjoyed that.

[Margin__Walker]

Yeah, that's pretty cool. Always enjoy a bit of shoegaze

Came across these guys a few years ago. Another emo/shoegaze, type thing.

[sockwithaticket]

This band have a strong shoegaze element in their sound on certain tracks, they can also go full blackgaze too while plenty of songs sit more conventionally in scramz/post-hardcore territory




At the other end of the spectrum...



Been listening to these guys a lot the last few weeks, always warms the cockles to find a legit new hardcore band. The outro breakdown is savage.

[assfly]

So how do you define alternative? Always seems to be a grey area for me, and followers always keen to gatekeep what is and what isn't alternative.

Is it just rock that avoids mainstream?

[Thor Sedan]

This is probably as "alternative" as you will get

Korean based emo/shoegaze band

If you are a shoegaze fan, this is bloody gold

Oh yeah - frikken love that.

[sockwithaticket]

So how do you define alternative? Always seems to be a grey area for me, and followers always keen to gatekeep what is and what isn't alternative.

Is it just rock that avoids mainstream?

For the purposes of this thread it's a very broad definition, hence the inverted commas in the title. I know there was(is?) a metal thread, but, as this isn't a music forum, I didn't see much point in splitting out separate hardcore, pop-punk, rock, etc. threads that wouldn't generate a huge amount of traffic on their own.

More often than not I see alternative as an adjective in a sub-genre descriptor like alt-rock or alt-metal.

[Munch]

“Live, laugh, love. Gives me hope”

Top Stuff

[Big Nipper]

Dead History - Sleep Safe

Y’all ever heard about the emo and post-hardcore scene in Mankato, Minnesota? As I understand it, in the first half of the ’90s the vibe in the area was similar to what was happening in Champaign/Urbana down in Illinois. The city’s reputation was such that many punk bands would stop there rather than Minneapolis/St. Paul. Were you there when Jawbreaker or NOFX or the Offspring played Marti’s? If you’re reading this post, there’s a nonzero chance you were!
Dead History is a band comprising five guys from Mankato and nearby towns like Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Appleton, Wisconsin — vocalist Brad Senne, guitarists Matthew Rezac and Brock Specht, drummer David Jarnstrom, and bassist John McEwen — all of whom have since moved to Minneapolis. Between them they’ve been members of such groups as Picturesque, Reach, Gratitude, Align, Floodplain, Story Of The Sea, BNLX, the Book Of Dead Names, Sunday Flood, and more. Way back in 2000, the five of them tracked some loosely shoegaze-y post-hardcore songs together under the name Dead History, but nothing ever became of the songs until Rezac ran into Jarnstrom in 2017. They decided to spruce up the old recordings and put them out as a self-titled album via Landland Colportage, the label that brought you Slow Mass and various Kinsella-related recordings.

[sockwithaticket]

It's bandcamp friday again, which means bandcamp, who already don't take much of a cut from artists, waive their fee entirely and artists get 100% from purchases.

I've just picked up stuff from Young Mountain, '68, END, La Dispute and Youth Fountain which covers a fair spread with a couple of post-hardcore bands plus one each playing rock'n roll, mathcore and emo.

[robmatic]

I bought some post-rock by If These Trees Could Talk. Not particularly new, but new to me.

[sockwithaticket]

[Niegs]

Canadian punk duo. Singer not unlike Brody Dalle, but songs (so far, was just intro'd to them) are better than The Distillers.

[Big Nipper]

Canadian punk duo. Singer not unlike Brody Dalle, but songs (so far, was just intro'd to them) are better than The Distillers.

Ooh that is very nice!

Here is one from a pretty decent band, Foxing

[Line6 HXFX]

Because music is so democratised now, and everyone has the capability to create and release a album and record to a wider audience...and on spotify etc..isn't essentially all music alternative?

[Niegs]

Getting more and more into this metal band a friend turned me onto (did I share their cover of folk classic Northwest Passage already?). This isn't the most 'heavy metal' but a proper choon, this.



I hear they DON'T suck live, with the singer also being a bit of a babe as well as a powerful singer.

[Margin__Walker]

Canadian punk duo. Singer not unlike Brody Dalle, but songs (so far, was just intro'd to them) are better than The Distillers.

Quite like that thanks Nieg

I do have a bit of a soft spot for the Distillers though and Sing Sing Death House got plenty of play by me when it came out. Was the perfect middle ground between their rough around the edges debut and Coral fang which was a little too polished for me. Lots of killer tracks on that album imo

[Mr Bungle]

Some nice stuff posted, gents.

A friend posted this on FB, and while I know a fair bit of Pantera, never really listened to this track much.

A fine reworking cover of a crazy, heavy tune.

[Big Nipper]

Dang this song slaps

Jay som and Palehound formed new band - Bachelor

[Niegs]

I've been exploring some Canadian bands I've neglected over the years and love these two finds. (Sloan might be straight up rock these days, so forgiveness if it doesn't fit, and The High Dials seem to shift their sound each album, but this one has shades of New Order.)

[Mr Bungle]

Dang this song slaps

Jay som and Palehound formed new band - Bachelor

Nice melodies. Very Pixies.

[notfatcat]

Andrews Sisters - TICO TICO

[Niegs]

Andrews Sisters - TICO TICO

I love this stuff! I recently discovered someone's uploaded the Abbott and Costello film "Buck Privates" (guessing it won't last long) in which they play characters and sing a few songs.

[Big Nipper]

Really digging this track - good honest punk music




Also like the sound of the new Iceage single

[robmatic]

It's Bandcamp Friday!

I bought some 90s emo because I am nostalgic like that.

[Niegs]

Related: this was included on a punk compilation album I bought and steered me away from angsty music...

[robmatic]

Related: this was included on a punk compilation album I bought and steered me away from angsty music...

Yeah, I really like Jimmy Eat World from this period.

I also love their rags-to-riches story. They got dumped by their label because this album wasn't commercial enough, so they went off and self-funded an album that was absolute commercial gold.

[sockwithaticket]

Somewhat related to older emo, Glacier Veins recently put out a cover of Accident Prone by Jawbreaker.





My bandcamp day purchases have been

Rolo Tomassi. Found a rarity of theirs I don't own, which is of itself quite rare.


Employed To Serve. Hoovering up some of their older releases, I really like how they're prepared to go full on mathcore sometimes and this is one of those tracks.


Greyhaven who kind of remind me of Dillinger Escape Plan in their more conventional moments.


Actor|Observer who seem to be the closest we'll get to Define The Great Line/Lost In The Sound Of Separation era Underoath now that band seem more interested in a radio rock direction.


Like Moths To Flames, vinyl only B-sides for their last album just got a digital release. Out and out metalcore.


Thirty Nights Of Violence because they're spearheading a bit of a resurgence of the 00's non-melodic metalcore sound


Hot Mulligan for something not quite as heavy as the rest. Modern emo with catchy as fuck choruses.

[iarmhí]

[Niegs]

Related: this was included on a punk compilation album I bought and steered me away from angsty music...

Yeah, I really like Jimmy Eat World from this period.

I also love their rags-to-riches story. They got dumped by their label because this album wasn't commercial enough, so they went off and self-funded an album that was absolute commercial gold.

I didn't know that! Bleed American was huge (and I wasn't a huge fan of the big hit, yet think the album might be stronger than Clarity - more commercially so, anyway). The follow-up was very good as well. I don't think I've dove into anything since, but imagine they haven't gone too far from their sound?

The other band I loved off that compilation was called The Stereo:


I think they had one more album after this debut which wasn't as strong, but had good songs like:



... then one of the singers, Jamie Woolford, did his own thing (possibly solo, but I liked this Let Go side project too).

[sturginho]

[Mr Bungle]

Cliched rock lyrics 101.

[Big Nipper]

One of my favourite artist. Cracking opening song to a belter of an album (released today)

[Big Nipper]

Some nice new music out this week

Foxing with a good tempo song



Low released possibly the best album of the 2010s, so super excited for their new one

[Niegs]

As someone in the comments says, little Depeche Mode, little Nine Inch Nails, tiny bit Mike Patton.