Instrumental Music - Paying Respect in the Alternative Genre

I recently helped contribute to a post about really good instrumental bands or songs that you might not be familiar with over at The Revue. I contribute there at least 2-3 times per week so they are definitely worth following - we have a nice group of writers all on our own musical paths of finding and reviewing great music.  At The Revue we have weekly deadlines and content to post - and over here as you can see by my lack of posts in the past two months, I just write here whenever I have time.

It's always my luck where I publish a post and then find a few more bands/tracks that need to be shared. I have included all from The Revue post and added a few others.  Besides the ones I just recently found, I got a few suggestions from the Facebook music group I am a part of which is a great group of people from all over the world sharing great music in the Alternative Genre. If I don't find a random band on twitter or in my e-mail inbox, a lot of great new stuff I find on New Music Alternative II.

In the past few years I have become more of an instrumental fan. My real job at work includes some mundane tasks and just listening to some great music without lyrics helps me focus. I know that many people listen to instrumental when they are in the "mood" and I feel that is why sometimes the respect for these bands without lyrics sometimes get overlooked.

It's also surprising to me that there are only a few really well known bands in the alternative instrumental genre (Boards of Canada, Mogwai, Tycho, Explosions in the Sky). I hope that posting about some of these artists helps remind people that regardless if there are lyrics or not to a song, the music can still portray an emotional response with or without singing. That is exactly what movie soundtracks do.

I try to commute on the train to work as much as possible and I am always trying to find good and new instrumental bands to add to my playlist so I can get zen on my way to the office. I hope you find a few songs you dig. If so, go follow and like these bands and support them, too! Do you know of any great  instrumental tracks or bands? If so - share in the comments below.

ALLORA MIS

Allora Mis are from the tri-state area (NY, NJ, PA) . Their band name is a play on words from Dante Alighieri’s classic poem, Inferno. Their only available single currently is 'July 5th' which is a great track and the upcoming release We Were Once will be available soon at www.alloramis.com. 

THE BAKERTON GROUP

The Bakerton Group is the instrumental side project of the band Clutch and anything from 2009's El Rojo would be a great addition to any instrumental playlist - specifically for blues/rock fans. 

BALMORHEA 

Balmorhea is a six-piece minimalist instrumental ensemble that formed in 2006 in Austin, TX. 'Masollan' is a track from their 2012 album Stranger and they recently released an EP titled Heir.

 COLD COLD HEART 

Cold Cold Heart is an instrumental band from London & Chichester and they currently only have three tracks available. So far their sound is very riveting and reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky. 'Wolf eyes, you're staring' is their newest track and hopefully an EP or album will be coming soon.

DRALIENSMITH

DrAlienSmith is from Perth, Australia and when he isn't mixing other people's music, he is making instrumental tracks in the post rock/sludge doom arena. 'Guth and Zeno' is a trippy instrumental track for anyone loving experimental rock and a little bit more of a darker overall sound.

KAKI KING

Many are already familiar with Kaki King and in 2012 she came out with an all instrumental album titled Glow. 'Great Round Burn' is a stellar full on orchestral track with sweeping melodies and a great overall sound.

KRYSHE

Kryshe hails from Germany and is making some great ambient instrumental that can be compared to the likes of Tycho or Boards of Canada. 'Africa' is a great track from In Between which is the most recent release for Kryshe.

OCTAVE MINDS

Octave Minds consider themselves New Age-Electronic-Romance. The duo is from Germany and their newest self titled release is pretty great. All but one track off the album is instrumental.

PYE CORNER AUDIO

Pye Corner Audio are from the UK and if you like Boards of Canada or a little more experimental instrumental, you should definitely check this band out. 

REAL ESTATE

Real Estate is another band who is not 100% Instrumental but they have a lovely instrumental track 'Kinder Blumen' from their 2011 album Days. 

RED SNAPPER

Red Snapper was formed in 1993 and have been playing instrumental tracks for a while aside from taking a few years hiatus.  'Card Trick' is a pretty cool track from the album Hyena. If you are into acid jazz, this band is definitely worth checking out.

 

RUMOUR CUBES

Rumour Cubes are pretty outstanding. They formed in London and can easily be utilized for full on movie soundtracks as they are that talented. With their most recent album release Appearances of Collections the track "Hiyat" is pretty stellar. This instrumental band is definitely one to keep an eye on.

SNOWMINE 

Snowmine is by no means all instrumental but their track 'Safety in an Open Mind' is one you can add to your playlist. With a definite ambient sound utilizing synths and beats it is a really good chill-out track.  If you are not familiar with the band Snowmine but love a shoegaze and ambient feel, they are definitely worth checking out. Dialects was a great under the radar release this year.

STEREODYSSEY

Stereodyssey is a cinematic project that just recently released an album titled Memory Bank.  The track "Into Existence" is a great instrumental addition to any playlist.

TIDES OF MAN<

Tides of Man  are from Tampa, FL and have released albums that include vocals, but the 2014 release of Young and Courageous is all instrumental. 'Mountain House' is a great track from this album.