Rock

(Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Pink Floyd)

milk white white teeth: The Holy Trinity Ep

Milk White White Teeth are a Leeds collective that play a brand of indie music that is a swirl of indie rock, folk, tropical, progressive music that is infused with effective harmonies that makes for a beautifully big sound that sways as it unfolds. Members are James Hare, Jon Crabbe, Barrie Wilson, Alistair Grant, Polly Meadows, Michelle Clapham, Michael Gill, Chris Clark Alex Thomas and Alex Crabbe. Their latest release, The Holy Trinity Ep has so many influences it's hard to nail them all down. "Long Long (Before)" has echo's of post punk and the recent Canadian explosion of school band extroverts like Arcade Fire. "Long Long (After) is rife with no wave synth influences and prog rock guitars.

Warpaint: Demos

Warpaint is a shoegaze, experimental rock oufit from LA. The band has undergone quite a lot of lineup changes, including stints by actress Shannyn Sossamon and Pepper's current guitar player, Josh Klinghoffer. The group has received quite a bit of attention ever since their formation back in 2004. To date, they have grazed the covers of prominent magazines like NME and THE FLY. Although most of the band's records are available for sale, you can download individual songs from their Demos compilation for free. These 5 songs embody a raw, sonic psychedelic sound that 's characteristic of the group's style. By early next year, the group will be actively touring Auckland, Australia and the UK in promotion of their latest record, The Fool. For the meantime, get a feel for the group by listening to this free record.

Big Blood: Dark Country Magic

Big Blood has had a rich history. They have released a total of 9 full albums in their career as a group. Their latest record, Dark Country Magic, compiles 12 amazing tracks that exude that wonderfully psychedelic yet vibrant atmosphere. The raw and DIY quality of the tracks are lovely and very engaging. It's certainly worth checking out. Big Blood is made up of Colleen Kinsella and Caleb Mulkerin, which are also from Cerberus Shoal and Fire on Fire. The duo perfectly creates tracks that exude a hauntingly folkish and ethereal vibe. It's certainly an album worthy of a place in your everyday playlist. Go ahead and help out the band by purchasing their album. It's available in CD and Vinyl formats. Alternatively, it's also offered as a free download here and FMA. Give it a go.

Then: Happy Cloud

Then is a Macedonia duo that's heavily influenced by shoegaze rock greats, My Bloody Valentine, The Telescopes and The Jesus and the Mary Chain to name a few. The duo has so far, released two short compilations, 2008's Dreams, Tapes, Hopes & Razorblades and Happy Cloud. Both records are available for free download. This unique group's sound focuses on a lot of spacey sounding tracks mixed in with plenty of reverb, feedback as well as quiet, almost whispered, vocals. Happy Cloud contains 5 cuts that range from alternative rock to uptempo, almost dancy pop cuts.

Poppy No Good and the Phantom Band: Poppy No Good

Finding out more about this group is tough. For one, most of their descriptions are in French and I don't speak the language, but nevertheless, their music is interesting enough to merit a listen. Poppy No Good is an eclectic 5 piece crew that love to blend unusual instruments, vocal work and an overall weird alternative, pop rock vibe. This is the group's latest release and it's filled with psychedelic good vibes. The group's name was actually derived from a song by Terry Riley. This record was released back in 2008 yet it still sounds up to date, much like any current Brit indie rock group floating in Wonderland. Give these a listen.

Intercontinental Music Lab: IIML Goes to War

The Intercontinental Music Lab has finally come out with their latest effort. A compilation of 14 tracks that combine folk, pop, rock, alternative, jazz and everything in between. Intercontinental Music Lab Goes to War is the latest effort from this experimental group. Basically, the group/organization has been around since 2008 and has released five previous albums. Each record revolves around a theme or concept, which musicians or groups can pick a subject from and create music about. It's much more detailed than that of course, but the result is nevertheless, an epic collaboration between musicians and artists. This is one great record to have by your side whether you're heading out to war or not.

netBloc Volume 31: Goodbye, Hello

BlocSonic once again releases their infamous collection of lovely, free tracks that music lovers everywhere can enjoy. The label unleashes several compilations throughout the year. This includes, maxBlocs, which consist of promotional maxi singles; Originals; Extended Editions, Extras and netBlocs, like this one. This is the 31st netBloc from them so far. For compilations like these, they gather up about 10 or more indie artists from all over the world; offering a peek at the music they play in the album. It's definitely an awesome way of discovering potential new playlist staples. The record is available for free download under three formats, simply choose which one you most prefer and enjoy!

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.

Shinobu: Strange Spring Air

Shinobu's Strange Spring Air is filled with tracks infused with a beautiful 90s feel. The alternative pop flavor of the album is refreshing especially for someone who grew up listening to 90s music. These California natives offer beautiful surf rock music that's intertwined with catchy hooks. All four members, "Matt Keegan: trombone, guitar, vocals, keyboards, aux percussion; Mike Huguenor: vocals, guitar, aux percussion; Bob Vielma: bass, vocals, probably aux percussion and Jon Fu: drums, wisdom, aux percussion, aux wisdom contributed to the making of the album."