The Indie Rock Dojo

 Dragons & Astronauts are a rock band from Dayton, Ohio USA who bring a mellow, melodic alternative rock sound with their song "Down and Out in Dayton". One of the first things I always seem to notice about a song is the drums.  In this case, I notice that they are clear and mixed very nicely amongst all the instruments.  They are steady, have great snap and definitely provide good leadership on song direction, tempo and feel.  Well done! The clean guitar has a nice shiny tone, and the distortion sounds punchy and clear as well.  If I were to be picky, I'd recommend those distorted guitars get doubled so that the whole mix can feel that important wall of sound, but this definitely does give the feel of a live performance the way it is with one track for distortion.  This could very well be as intended, and still sounds great.  Later in the song, a melodic guitar solo comes in and fills the mix even more, which really adds a lot!  I very much g...

 Letters from Mars, from North Carolina USA, has a very innovative sound, which is a good genre-mix of modern rock that contains catchy and pop-sensible rhythm-focused instrumentation and melodic vocals. I was strongly pulled into the song with the catchy rhythmic guitar riff that starts the song alone, then it is joined by the full-band.  The first verse was a lot of fun!  It contained the lyrics "Tell me lies" over and over and the rolling bassline drove it with those steady drums.  During my first listen, the lyric repetition didn't phase me one bit.  It took my third listen to actually think..."Whoa wait a minute!"  Did he seriously just rattle the same line a bunch of times?"  Well, it totally fits!  Another verse says just the word "Lie" over and over following the rhythm and melody.  I also really love the user of the word "Dagnabbit" later on.  There is lots of creativity going on with this song in a good-natured why, and I'm...

 Mega Queen is a hard rock band from Port Pirie South Australia.  "Judas" has an innovative sound, largely due to the very distinct vocalist that has a gravely scream with great control with less and more forceful/emotional screams.  I love the rhythmic offbeat "No No" with those vocals, which works alongside the rest of the band and those distorted guitars.  It reminded me of something that David Draiman of Disturbed would do.  This includes some rhythmic scat! The lead guitar player has a nice sound that carries the rhythm guitar as well, with a very steady palm-mute chugging.  Very much a talent that can do whatever required in a rock song, including a solid guitar solo with string-bending, etc. The bass has a good low-end focused tone that rumbles the minor chord progressions, and the drums are solid.  I love the double-kicking and the tom-focused rhythms that take turns.  I also love the part during the guitar solo where drummer starts g...

 Four Story Fall and Jeremy Abrams, from Seattle, Washington USA has a pop punk rock song called "Weather // Whether" that is a very well-done tune with a really nice touch.  It veered the genre away from the abrasive feel of punk rock and gives a more sentimental feel with catchy melodies and sincere vocal tone. Right away, I could hear the professionalism of an experienced guitar player with the steady picking, which the rhythm section picks up on flawlessly .  The guitars have a nice low-gain tone and very often have lead melodies being played over the top of the rhythm guitars.  The bass guitar has a nice steady tone that fits the genre.  No fat low-end, but a blending tone that lays below the rhythm guitars.  The vocals sound very clean, authentic, and hit every note spot-on. This band has a very tight sound.  The part of their sound that catches my attention the most is the layers of vocal harmony that are almost as high in the mix as the melody....