Today Pitchfork announced plans to launch a new blog on July 7. Altered Zones will focus on DIY music, the more edgy and underground side of what Pitchfork is already trying to cover. They will review cassette only releases, bootlegs, and generally things that Pitchfork would probably bury if they covered. From the Pitchfork release:

Pitchfork is excited to announce the upcoming launch of Altered Zones, a new sister site that will focus on leftfield pop, experimental, and home-recorded sounds. In the last several years, there’s been an explosion of small-scale DIY music, and Altered Zones is dedicated to exploring these emerging musical worlds. Uniting an international team of bloggers whose individual sites have proven among the most consistently rewarding outposts for unique and leftfield music, this new site will highlight the most notable and adventurous new artists, serving as a focal point for the flood of creativity coming from deep within the music underground.

Under the direction of co-editors Emilie Friedlander (Visitation Rites) and Sahil Varma and Jack Shankly (Transparent), Altered Zones contributors will share their favorite tracks each week in a rotating schedule with daily posts, as well as highlighting the most compelling new albums. Altered Zones will also regularly post overlooked or undiscovered tracks chosen by its favorite artists.