The introduction of the mp3 format, portable devices and streaming audio has changed the way we listen to music forever.  Digital listening has replaced spinning vinyl and collecting compact discs, so unless you’ve been living in the stone-age you’ve probably found some great new outlets for following the best new indie music out there. It is undeniable that even the digital revolution doesn’t guarantee you’ll keep up with all the new music – there’s just way too much. But these apps will help you stay on top of the music scene.

In addition to obvious apps like Pandora, Shazam, Spotify, Soundwave, even Band of the Day, indie music lovers turn to these apps to stay ahead of the ever-changing music curve.

• Pitchfork Weekly is the digital child of the Chicago-based music zine of the same name. As its namesake, it delivers on every level any music lover could want. Features and reviews from the magazine are readily available, as are audio/video and original programming from Pitchfork.TV.
  If all of that is not enough to keep you busy, there are staff-produced podcasts.  For your podcast please, the people so engaged with music they’ve dedicated their lives to creating this publication, bringing it digital, and now mobile, sit around talking about everything music. If you consider yourself a true audiophile, this resource is for you.
• Indie Shuffle is a great little app that falls somewhere between Pitchfork Weekly and the Sonarflow/Pandora type apps – but it specializes in indie music. It is also named after a music publication, however this one is a San Francisco based blog (www.indieshuffle.com).
  The mobile app utilizes the SoundCloud API to offer ad-free playlists based on similar artists and genres.  You can choose from genre, ‘popular’, latest recommendations and more. You can also browse the catalogue by genre, save and view your favorites; and, as if that weren’t enough; each song comes with IndieShuffle staff-writer reviews.
• Songkick is a must for the live music lover. Available for both the Android and iOS platforms, Songkick is a brilliant little program. It scans your personal music collection, and not only alerts you when the bands in your playlist will be playing in your area, but also suggests other shows based on your musical tastes.
  Songkick is always running in the background, and will give you a pop-up alert anytime a show is happening in the area. It will also send you emails alerting you who is playing where and when, if you wish.
• Earbits is a great example of the evolution of the artist in the digital age. It is an artist-focused Internet radio station now available as an app for both Android and Apple formats.
  Earbits is a music stream that is free of ads. Instead, it is funded by labels, bands and promoters who buy airtime in targeted channels, getting their music out to the people who are looking for something different than commercial radio has to offer.
  They currently feature music from over 630 labels, 12,000 artists and 380 channels, so it is certainly not devoid of variety or volume.
• Rormix is a great idea, and hopefully can produce some great new artists. The idea of this app is to help you find music videos from unsigned artists, based on your musical tastes. The format offers a great deal of potential, and all of the artists are hand-picked by the company. Talented artists are certainly found there, but the genres available may be limited in number.

Of course, if these don’t fit your need for cutting edge music technology, you always have the option of creating your own app. If you know music, but aren’t tech savvy, you’ll probably want the talents of someone like the guys at http://appdeveloper.org/.

Don’t let your lack of knowledge about new music technology keep you from being a part of it. Check out some of today’s indies music apps, and you’ll always have indie music at your fingertips.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Game jams are wonderful. Some of these quick-fire projects have even gone on to become super popular indie games like the frantic Surgeon Simulator 2013. It’s no surprise then that there is currently one such event happening right now,

The Walking Dead: All Out War Game Jam is one such event, and hopeful candidates have spent the better part of this year building their entries for the occasion. Unlike the frantic 24 hour blitz some jams go for, this one has allowed the developers more time to flesh out their ideas before the final cut off date earlier this month.

So what was the theme? All out war of course! Games weren’t necessarily restricted to zombies either, despite the host’s main theme. 10 winners will be chosen in the coming days, each earning a full Unity Pro license (That’s $1500 by the way), a Steam Greenlight key, special The Walking Dead goodies and featured spots on both TheWalkingDead.com & Eurogamer. The number one pick will also receive the official endorsement of Robert Kirkman, creator of the The Walking Dead series.

In light of the event, I trawled through a number of entries to pick out my 5 favourite hopeful submissions, some were impressive displays of indie talent, and others were just so crazy I couldn’t stop myself from including them.

5.  The Narrow Path

I can’t quite make out what these things are, spewing from the camper van. If they’re zombies that learned to drive, then all hope is lost. The developer lists this as a roguelike, and the art style was just fancy enough to warrant a closer look. Plus, there’s a dog that goes around eating up all the corpses.

4. Remember The Fallen

Remember the Fallen has a slick minimalist aesthetic, and the subject matter takes a more serious and emotional look at ‘All out war’. The player must search the ruined homes in the area to find several flowers, which need to be placed on the graves of fallen soldiers.

3. Dog In A Mech

It’s a dog. It has to drive a mech. I don’t need to say anything else. Seriously.

2. Don’t Make Me Turn This Car Around

This is a genius take on ‘All out war’. Here you test your patience as you wage war on the increasingly aggravating children sitting in the backseat of your car. This seems to be a strange blend of Desert Bus and Oregon Trail, where staving off monotony meets micromanaging the resources (or in this case, snacks and bladder capacity of your passengers) play key elements in the gameplay.

1. Black Death

Sword, crossbows and the medieval time period combine to make this action packed zombie slasher catch my eye. There are even explosive barrels!

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

This got us thinking – what are the best indie movie soundtracks of all time? It’s probably impossible to make a perfect list; after all, there are hundreds of indie films (more than anyone could watch in a lifetime) but in our long history of film reviewing, here are a few soundtracks that stick out in our memories.

Garden State

Perhaps the most stereotypically indie of all indie films, 2004′s Garden State includes a soundtrack hand-picked by director and lead actor Zach Braff. It sets the tone for indie films to follow by combining up-and-coming bands such as The Shins with classic acts like Simon and Garfunkel. Braff also defined the indie soundtrack ethos when he described his soundtrack as an old school mix CD.

Super Size Me

Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary, in which he famously eats nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days, opens with a group of schoolchildren singing the classic camp song “Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut.” He salts and peppers his film with instantly recognizable pop culture favorites such as “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Yummy Yummy Yummy,” and “Pusher Man.” Even if you only listened to the soundtrack and skipped the movie, you’d still know exactly what Morgan Spurlock thinks about the fast food giant.

Juno

2008 indie favorite Juno shared the irresistible joy of band The Moldy Peaches with the world. Director Jason Reitman chose the Kimya Dawson/Adam Green guitar-folk duo after asking star Ellen Page what she thought the titular character would listen to.

Juno’s soundtrack helped revive nerd-folk guitar as a legitimate music genre, and the final scene of lovebirds Ellen Page and Michael Cera jamming out on their front porch inspired hundreds of teenagers to sign up for online guitar lessons. It’s no coincidence that now famous acts like Julia Nunes and Danielle Ate the Sandwich all came of age when Juno aired.

High Fidelity

A movie about music is bound to include an amazing roster of bands and musicians on its soundtrack, and High Fidelity delivers. The track is jammed full of the greatest acts in music history, including Elton John, Aretha Franklin, the Velvet Underground, Queen, and Elvis Costello. High Fidelity‘s soundtrack works both as an emotional commentary as well as one of character Rob Gordon’s famous “best of” lists. One only regrets that High Fidelity was released in 2000; who knows what might have made it on the soundtrack had it been remade today.

Moonrise Kingdom

Any of Wes Anderson’s films could make it onto a best soundtrack list, but 2012′s Moonrise Kingdom stands out as my personal favorite. As a child raised on classical music, including a stint in the movie’s featured opera Noye’s Fludde (I played a monkey), I appreciated the subtle use of classical music as a way into the two young characters’ thoughts and emotions. Before children are old enough to develop musical tastes of their own, they are dependent on the musical tastes provided by their parents, and I, too spent a childhood with Mozart and Britten as earworms. It was an excellent choice that would have been sullied had Anderson elected to use pop music of the era instead.

So, what did we get right and what did we miss? Which films go on your best indie soundtrack list, and which music artists did you discover through independent film?

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.