These ranking articles are really fun to write, even though people don’t always agree with our ranks. But here’s the fun thing about a list like this. You are sure to find a blog or two that you have never heard of before today. So give them a follow, a like, a subscribe and tell them the folks at ETTG sent you!
1) Get Into This UK – http://www.getintothis.co.uk/ – You don’t have to be from or in the UK to appreciate this fantastic engaging site. They have tons of features and information with a really clean layout design. This is the kind of blog we aspire to be and are happy to support.
2) God is in the TV Zine – http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/ – Some of you who saw this feature last year saw this blog there as well. Throwing it back to the old school “zine” days, this site has some really cool material. It’s much more of an “underground music” style, which marches to the beat of its own drum.
3) Overblown UK – http://overblown.co.uk/ – Overblown has a ton of different types of features from written to even podcasts. Their style is very contemporary with a number of fascinating design elements. It’s a bit of a collective, so they always have new voices writing for them.
4) Indie Is Not a Genre – http://indieisnotagenre.com/ – Aside from the name being one of my favorite phrases in the “business,” the site itself is actually really interesting. Their phrase “that doesn’t trust the hype” is totally what we’re about, too. It’s so frustrating that most of the time the biggest PR gets the feature. But with sites like IINAG, anyone has a shot.
5) MP3 Hugger – http://www.mp3hugger.com/ – I love this site because of how consistent they are at putting out reliable features. The design is clean, which also makes it feel more enjoyable overall. In a world that keeps talking about vinyl, it’s nice to see someone embracing MP3s and the digital music world.
6) Indie 3- http://indie30.com/ – Indie 30 does something I’ve always wanted to try; they have their own list. You know how Billboard has a list? Well this site has their own. I love that. The design is slick, the content is fresh, and even though the music isn’t always rock there’s enough new content that we think rock fans will want to know about this one.
7) This is not a drill – https://tinadrill.com/ – This was a new one for us this year and color us impressed! TINA Drill has a really cool style across the site. Beyond that, the mixture of short and long features makes every click an adventure. It’s easy on the eyes and we are definitely going to be regulars on this one.
8) Euphoria Zine – http://www.euphoriazine.com/ – EZ is one of the sites that crosses over into a physical magazine as well. The website serves the magazine. That said, we admire what they’re doing. The writing and artwork both show off professional chops; this is not another hobby blog.
9) Keep Walking Music – https://keepwalkingmusic.com/ – I love that every feature has a prominent genre label on this site. You can visit every few days and see which recent posts tickle your fancy. The images and layout are clean, making it easy to find something that you’ll enjoy. It checks all the boxes!
10) Sodwee – https://sodwee.com/blog/ – For full disclosure let’s just say I’ve gotten to know Sodwee a bit through a service we both use called SubmitHub, but honestly he didn’t pay me to put his blog on here. From the sleek design to the pointed writing style, Sodwee earned this spot with top notch coverage. It does help that he’s a cool dude in the industry, but the blog is worth checking out on its own merits.
11) Come Here Floyd – http://comeherefloyd.com/ – For some reason every time I say the name of this blog I say it like a nagging mother. Like Floyd is up to no good and I’m trying to drag him somewhere else. I have no idea why. That said, this site has an incredible amount of variety and post a TON of new music. If you’re looking to find a lot of cool new stuff, give them a follow.
12) Indie Obsessive – http://indieobsessive.blogspot.com/ – We’ve definitely featured this blog in the past. It is cool because it has a vintage blog vibe to it, but packs a powerful punch with content. There is so much to read on this one! Even the single features have several paragraphs worth of analysis. It’s clearly a passion project from a serious music lover.
13) The Line of Best Fit – https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/ – When we make these lists, we look at a variety of categories and design is one of them. LOBF found their way on this list largely due to the amazing design elements. Each piece looks captivating due to the image and layout. They feature a variety of features at different lengths to keep you coming back for more.
14) Rock the Pigeon – https://rockthepigeon.com/ – This was a new one to us this year. They have a really fun name and a huge variety of things they cover. With multiple features per day, you can tell that the staff stays busy. It also means you will never catch up with everything they feature.
15) Who the Hell – http://whothehell.net/ – At first the name of this site seemed a non sequitir to me… but then I thought about my own experiences finding new music. “Who the hell is THIS?” I ask when I find a good track. Well played. With new music and visually stunning photographs, this is a great site to follow.
16) Music Savage – http://www.musicsavage.com/ – This website features a radio show… or does the radio show feature this site? Either way you slice it, this is a blended world. The blog has consistent new content and has a really nice, clean design. The variety of music is welcome.
17) Surviving the Golden Age – http://survivingthegoldenage.com/ – Something about the title and style of this site tickles my historian fancy particularly well. What if we’re living in the golden age? Maybe we are. But no matter how you come down on that philosophical question, this is a thoughtful blog with really interesting features.
18) Nu Sound – http://nusoundonline.com/ – When I first found this one, I wasn’t sure about the “news” element. Is that really what a blog is about? But then I clicked on a few of the articles and realized that these are legit journalists. Interestingly they offer all sorts of music industry services, but do a nice job of featuring a wide range of artists and trends in the industry.
19) We Close Tonight – https://weclosetonight.com/ – This site is kind of how I view our site. There’s a nice variety of coverage, some pretty images, and quality writing here and there. But more than anything, it just feels like it’s run by people I want to hang out with… like we could just chill and talk about music. It’s got that vibe and I dig it.
20) 3 AM Revelations – http://www.3amrevelations.com/listen – I don’t remember what I said about this site in last year’s article, but I definitely ranked them. They knock it out of the park with consistency and quality. I love the name, too, because I have found far too much of the music I love in the middle of the night. Something about that Muse and when she dances…
21) Lucy McCort – https://lucymccourt.com/ – Lucy McCort is a new one to our list this year, but I just found it to be too endearing not to feature this site. The coverage has a bit of a trendy vibe to it – in a good way. Like you feel like you need to read it every day just to keep up with what’s truly trending.
22) Rock Metal Punk – http://rock-metal-punk.org/ – I love how direct the name of this site is. There’s no mystery what genres they cover. While some of the sites on this list have a sweet and optimistic style to them, RMP is dark in a way that echoes the music it features. It’s for the harder rock crowd, unapologetically and unabashedly.
23) We All Want Someone To Shout For – http://weallwantsomeone.org/ – I love the concept of this site. There’s a real energy to the composition of the site. I love the impact of the fonts, the friendly style of the images, and the quality of the writing. It’s a genuinely exciting site to visit. Heck, I even like the name. This is a good one.
24) xKira Music – http://xkiramusic.com/ – This was another new one for us this year. If “white space” in journalism is still valuable, then this site is doing some great things. I love the sense of space in the design, but also the pointed writing style in the articles as well. It’s particularly impressive that it’s a German-based site and they write in English.
25) High Clouds – http://highclouds.org/ – After you look at many music blogs you might think it’s difficult to find something that stands out. Here’s what I love about High Clouds; it’s the perfect blend of old and new. They take the old school scoring style to score reviews, but then keep it snappy and modern with the styling on the site, the variety of features, and even the fonts/design. It’s a great juxtaposition that keeps the reader interested.
Discover more from Ear To The Ground Music
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
