Alternative Pop

(live, REM, Sheryl Crow)

Pondlife Fiasco by Heifervescent – Indie Pop Rock with Shimmering Guitars

Jangly mixed up pop rock music from Andy Doran's head. Heifervescent is essentially Andy Doran creating beautiful, sullen, sometimes dark but often melodramatic songs for his own and everybody else's pleasure. Doran echoes a Britpop flair in almost all his compositions and creates a nice synth orchestra background. Pondlife Fiasco is filled with 10 tracks that deal with various topics and subjects. It might not be an album that sends cupids arrow straight on like love at first sight, but it definitely gets to you after a couple of listens.

Dirty Wings by Josh Woodward – Pop Rock with Quirky Lyrics

The one-man alterno-acoustic livewire act from Ohio strikes again. One of the most consistent creative commons artists out there, Josh Woodward is definitely one artist to watch out for every time he releases something new. Dirty Wings is actually an older album from his entire collection, but like most of his work, its filled with catchy, pop, acoustic indie tracks that are nice to sing along to.

I Am Not Lefthanded “Time To Leave” – Indie Pop Rock Sound with Captivating Vocals

Pop indie music with dashes of alternative and coupled with sweet girl vocals. They might not be lefthanded but they sure can create good lovely music. I Am Not Lefthanded makes simple music sound as if it's the only kind of song worth listening to. Their short album Time to Leave is a great blend of melodic indie rock with small doses of alternative rock. Citing some of Indie music's darlings (Rilo Kiley, Deathcab for Cutie and Weezer) as among their top favorites; it's hard not to notice the obvious influence in sound and lyrical quality. Citing some of Indie music's darlings (Rilo Kiley, Deathcab for Cutie and Weezer) as among their top favorites; it's hard not to notice the obvious influence in sound and lyrical quality.

Allison Crowe: Lisa’s Song + 6 Songs

Simon Cowell would be very enthusiastic if Allison Crowe had joined the Idol. Even if she wouldn't have won the Idol by some offbeat chance, she really doesn't need it since she is already a star in her very own right. Lisa's Song + 6 Songs was released back in 2007, certainly an oldie but a goodie right here. It's filled with acoustic, piano, jazz, rock and pop fusion tracks that defines Crowe as a musician completely. But perhaps, the best reason to listen to her songs would be simply to catch a glimpse of her powerful and ethereal vocals. She fills you with a longing to sit back and enjoy her music, much better than you would watching any TV show.

The Destroyed Room “The First Six Months” – energetic punk rock beats

The Destroyed Room was conceived after Sergi (vocalist) simply got tired of letting everybody else create music and wanted to be able to records songs in his room. The band's songs range from complex, acoustic to typical, fast punk rock beats found usually in the garage punk scene. This album is full of fun tracks and slightly "emo-ish" vocals and lyrics.

netBloc 13

"Color in a world of monochrome" is the tagline for the thirteenth netBloc compilation release from blocSonic, and there couldn't be a more appropriate way to describe this collection of photos, artwork, and of course fantastic free music. A feast of visual and audio delights, there's more than enough here to keep you interested for the long haul, and to make you want more.

Markovich/A.M.P.’s Emotive Force – project-based alternapop

It's nice to see Creative Commons licenses being used for undertakings that push the limits of collaboration and remote recording technologies, and Markovich/A Music Project (A.M.P.) are doing their best to test those limits. As the name suggests, they are a music project more than a band, and although they aim to make pretty straight-up downtempo and trip-hop, there's still enough variation in there to make for some very interesting listening.

…anabase* “Le bonheur flou Le bonheur flou” – so good, you won’t notice the language barrier

People often ask me how many languages I speak, simply because my music collection holds so many international artists who don't sing in English. But to tell the truth, I don't require a song to be sung in a language I understand, in order for me to be able to connect with it. If you never thought you could get into music in any language other than English, I urge you to give Anabase's Le Bonheur Flou a try.