Punk

(Blink 182, Green Day, New Found Glory)

Hard Girls: Hello

Hard Girls' Hello is a wonderful indie pop rock compilation that'll put you in a good mood. Its mix of alternative indie rock with super catchy pop beats makes this a winner. Fronted by former Shinobu vocalist, Mike Huguenor; the album brings a sound that's reminiscent of the California Bay band along with a touch of something fresh and new. Packed with 7 upbeat, rockish tracks; the record features one catchy song after another. With members coming from two prominent indie rock bands in the area, Shinobu and Pteradon, the record doesn't disappoint in hauling plenty of rock spunk . Download the album for free on Quote Unquote Records by hitting the download album link on top left.

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.

Very Okay: Small Loud

Very Okay is one of the latest bands hosted by indie donation based netlabel, Quote Unquote Records. This Brooklyn based group is made up of members coming from several prominent indie rock bands in the area. Together, they create upbeat indie pop rock with hints of punk. Small Loud is a short compilation that rushes through 6 punchy fast pop tracks. The record is a burst of upbeat instruments, sweet lyrics, great vocal work, as well as fast rhythms. It's a short but excellent record that's filled with fun times. Give the album a download and don't forget to give a little something for the band if you like it.

Juanitos: Soul Africa

Juanitos first showed up on our blog all the way back in June 2009. And now with more of great albums under its belt (including over 400 concerts and hundreds of thousands of downloads – if not more) I thought it might be a right time for a little re-introduction; especially that after our crazy winter I’m sure we are all in need of some ‘summer night party’ sounds.

Sick of Sarah: 2205

Sick of Sarah, a Minneapolis based power pop band, has recently put a version of their most recent album "2205" under Creative Commons license and on ClearBits.net. They have already accumulated almost 500k downloads by putting their album up on BitTorrent and hopefully we can double that number by promoting them on FrostWire as well. The girls are irresistible, sharp & play hard. This is their 5th album since the band's inception in 2005 and the free BitTorrent version available for download here contains 10 tracks, lyrics and some cool photos.

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.

Sunday Chocolate Club: You Look Much Better Undressed

German trio, Sunday Chocolate Club, establishes their brand of punk, power pop and indie rock. You Look Much Better Undressed is the group's second EP. It contains four tracks that are filled with rolling drums, fast and danceable beats, slightly nasal Brit singing and just good fun. The group was formed back in 2005 as remnants of bands, The Purse and Twist got together. This EP only contain 4 tracks but they are enough to showcase where the band is good at: creating danceable punk pop

Single Bullet Theory: SBT: 1977-1980

Single Bullet Theory is the punk band that should have made it big. Initially founded by Frank Daniel, Dennis Madigan and Michael Maurice Garrett; the trio have been playing music together since 1971. After a couple of years and several members later, they settled with the name, Single Bullet Theory. They play anything from fast paced, chanty songs to melodic beautiful rock ballads but their sound is mostly characterized by pop punk beats. They got as far as opening for Patti Smith and signing a deal under CBS Records. They also managed to release singles and were received quite good by the people. Unfortunately, CBS pulled the plug for promoting the group and most of the material they had never saw the light of day. Thankfully for us, it gets a second chance as a free download under a creative commons license. Pure genius art rock if you ask me.

Shearer: Monument

The underrated pop-punk band, ‘Shearer’ have literally forged an album that is deserving of a Monumental status... Alright, this statement may be parabolic to an extent; nevertheless, ‘Monument’ is still exceedingly addictive and wholehearted. ‘Shearer’ have endowed this album with a sound comparable to that of pop-punk band, ‘The Lost Profits’ and this vibe is most observable in the similarities between vocalists and guitar tone. In saying this, ‘Monument’ demonstrates a happier mood and reflects the bands nature, in not taking themselves too seriously. This nature is further reinforced through their self-proclaimed influences of: ‘Jaegermeister, cheap polish cigarettes and table water’. Instrumentally, this band reminds me of ‘Millencolin’. Generally, this is due to a common use of cheeky, generic and ‘bouncy’ simplistic verses in which lead to texturally thick and climactic choruses. These are often fashioned through an extreme contrast in dynamics and an addition of harmonic and sometimes multiple backing vocals. Additionally, vocal lines in which intertwine with the dominant voiced melody are also regularly used to enhance this contrast.