Alternative | Musicosity

Alternative

The Pierces

The Pierces, sisters Allison and Catherine, are a pair of singer-songwriters based in New York City (by way of Birmingham, Alabama and Nashville). Former ballerinas turned songstresses, they released their self-titled debut in 2000 with Epic. The album was met with lukewarm reception, but the girls were undeterred. After moving to New York, they released Light Of The Moon with Universal in 2005, with similar luck.

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New Navy

Fresh on the back of their 2010 JD Set win which included a gig with iconic Aussie rockers 'Wolfmother' and a behind-the-scenes reality show on Chanel V, Sydney's New Navy are certainly on the brink of something special. Described by triple J’s Dom Alessio as “having a ton of potential, combining really well the sounds of Britain and the sounds of the U.S”, the young quartet draw influence from such great pop and indie acts as The Cure and Talking heads, combined with contemporary artists such as Vhs or Beta, Klaxons and The Editors.

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Front End Loader

Based in Sydney, Australia, Front End Loader are self-described as "Australia's least popular, relatively well known band". Formed in 1991 FEL have always been a difficult band to categorize. Undeniably a hard rock band, they have avoided the traditional tattoos and hair of hard rock and as musicians, they tend closer to cock or math rock without the earnestness. Front End Loader have been supported by the likes of Regurgitator, The Superjesus and Shihad plus many others. They have a reputation for ferocious live performances and not holding their collective tongue.

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The Alpine

Like many other bands the members of The Alpine met in high school and started playing together in different groups. They formed the band Aroma which after a while and a change of line-up became The Alpine as we know it today. Living in Aalborg in the northern part of Denmark the band created the studio and rehearsal facilities called Quinten together with other young musicians from the city. Here they had their second home and gave birth to numerous recordings of their music.

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Dredg

dredg is a progressive alternative band from Los Gatos, California, USA formed in 1993. Their first studio album, Leitmotif, was released by the Universal music label on September 11, 2001. Prior to that, it had been self-released by the members of the band. After the album hit music stores, Dredg acquired an almost immediate cult following thanks to Leitmotif's unique sound and concept. There has also been a movie planned for release as a music video for the entire album, though the project has been scrapped due to the death of the lead actor.

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Young Guns

The home-grown production line has been in overdrive of late in the rock world, and High Wycombe-based quintet, Young Guns, are proof that it’s showing no signs of fatigue. Their four track debut EP, ‘Mirrors’, has been produced by former SikTh members Dan Weller and Justin Hill (Enter Shikari, Haunts, Gallows), and covers a host of subjects, from party-induced-excess and temptation, to adolescent aspirations and dependency, and all this in little more than 16 minutes.

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Skillet

Skillet is a rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. The project follows Skillet's 2004 Lava/Atlantic debut, Collide, which launched the group into the public eye with the single "Savior" (the #2 most added at CMJ's "Loud Rock and Crucial Spins" panel the first week out), and garnered the quartet a prestigious Grammy Award nomination. Collide went on to become their third best-selling project to date, with over 200,000 units sold...

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78 Saab

78 Saab were an Australian indie rock band, originally forming in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory in 1995 at the Australian National University. The band was formed by Ben Nash, Gareth Tregillgas, Darren Smith and Christovac Thompson For the purpose of attaining live performance experience, the band entered the Australian National Campus Band Competition in 1996, with the band name chosen spontaneously in order to complete the entry form.

At the time, the major sponsor of the competition was Sydney company, Troy Horse, a recording and rehearsal studio that also consisted of a record label. The competition's first prize included an EP, recorded and released by Troy Horse, and a tour of Australian university campuses. 78 Saab won the competition (the band's seventh live performance) and proceeded to record its debut EP, Eastwards By Removal. After its release in 1997, the band prepared for a run of 35 dates to promote the EP. Before the tour began however, Jake Andrews joined the band as lead guitarist after Darren Smith made the decision not to continue with the band. The band then officially relocated to Sydney. With the tour finished, Christovac Thompson left 78 Saab and Nicholai Danko (whom the band had met during the campus tour) replaced him on drums.

The band released four studio albums - Picture a Hum, Can't Hear a Sound (2000), Crossed Lines (2004), The Bells Line (2007) and Good Fortune (2010).

The band announced their split in 2012, playing their final show on December 1st, 2012 at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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Crayon Fields

4 handsome gents who came together in 2005. Drawing influence from pop throughout the ages, combined with a distinct DIY ethic. Recently releasing a 7' Single containing the song 'Mirror Ball' offers a taste of a soon to be released album.