hardcore

gates: The Sun Will Rise and Lead Me Home

Hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey is the excellent ambient/indie rock band, gates. The band is able to present a sound that makes you forget that you have to take notice of the details. This leads to a listening experience that is seamless and captivating.

Scowler: How To Find Light

We will never run out of new bands to discover and new music to try. With the great number of bands breaking musical boundaries, the number of new genres are also staggering. Meet Scowler, a band who self-decribes their sound as “Milwaukee non-denominational hardcoreâ€. But can we all agree that amidst all these new multi-hyphenated genres, all good music will just be defined as what it really is? Good music.

NO/NO: Drag EP

Treat yourself with some fresh energizing sound with NO/NO’s latest EP, Drag. The Wisconsin-based band of Harrison Colby (guitar, vocals), Cat Ries (synth, vocals), Lucas Riddle (bass), and Jeremy Ault (drum pad, sampling) introduces to listeners their signature sound of new wave pop that has punk and darkwave undertones.

Toucan Music (Various Artists): Best Bytes Volume 1

Founded way back in 2004 and previously known as Frantik Music, Toucan Music came up with this nineteen track compilation that includes DJ-friendly singles from 2002 (to present) in a variety of dance genres such as house, breakbeat, hardcore, chillout, and trance. Hailing from United Kingdom, Toucan Music provides original high quality full-length tunes with a broad range of style. Another Boring Lunchtime makes its way to track number one. Produced and edited by Toucan Music’s main man Psychadelik Pedestrian, it showcases a number of piano and keyboard variations that can pump up and heighten the senses.

My Heart To Joy: Seasons In Verse

Looking for something loud to start the New Year? You should check out My Hear To Joy and their release, Seasons in Verse. This is the first full album for the group and so far things are looking promising. The crew is a big one with seven people driving the band's core. Together, these Kensington, CT natives create music that is a mix punk, metal and indie. Complete with short punchy rhythm and in-your-face rockin' these guys know how to capture your attention and get their message across. This album is a follow up to the EP they released last year, Virgins Sail, where the boys were decidedly more aggressive. This time around, they're taking a loud yet more polished rock path with their sound.

Interlude: 10000 ans de vengeance

Hardcore emo rock that starts and ends with lots of Spanish shouting. Although its often a bit challenging to absolutely love a song sung in a language you don't know, there are special tracks and albums that transcend beyond the language barrier. Interlude's 1000 ans de vengeance is certainly one that you can mark down on that list.

No Face by Redmind – metal mayhem from France

Unique French rock metal filled with thrashy guitars and loud vocals. Despite the lack of information on this band online, there is an abundance of rock and roll in Redmind. No Face is filled with 6 tracks that embody what this band is about. Their music is a mixture of rock neometal with speedy guitar licks, growling vocals and heavy drums to match. Redmind's No Face might sound typical and the band might not break any boundaries with their music, but they do manage to pull through and create a solid sounding demo.