Flight of the Squawkatiel will return on January 1 at the usual time for the first show of the new year. Until then, put this playlist on; there's much on here to keep you busy until then.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Stream: Flight of the Squawkatiel's Favorite Music of 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Flight of the Squawkatiel's Top 20 Songs of 2013
We've come to the end of another year and it's time once again to count down my favorite songs of the year. There was a lot of good music in 2013 and it was difficult to narrow it down to just 20 songs (one per artist). But here they are and I'm quite happy with this set of songs. Let's see what 2014 has to offer!
If you missed this week's show, where I counted down these songs and played a few honorable mentions, you can listen online at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-12-18_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here are my Top 20 songs of 2013:
#20:
Ducktails - "Letter of Intent"
Ducktails (the project of Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile) gave us plenty of new music this year, first the full length The Flower Lane and then the Wish Hotel EP, and put out one of my favorite dream pop songs from this year, which features guest vocals from Jessa Farkas.
#19:
Tera Melos - "Sunburn"
On Tera Melos' 2013 album X'ed Out, they delivered a winning blend of math rock & punk, and "Sunburn" was easily my favorite song on the album.
#18:
Frightened Rabbit - "Housing (In)" / "Housing (Out)"
Yes, I am counting two songs as one. Frightened Rabbits's latest album Pedestrian Verse had many great songs including "The Woodpile", "Late March, Death March" and "Holy" but the real standout to me was "Housing" which is split into two parts throughout the album. "Housing (In)" appears halfway through the album, and "Housing (Out)" is the second to last track. The chorus that ties these songs together "You can't carry me away now, please don't steal me from my house" is one that just gets stuck in your head. The pair of songs also has lyrics you can relate to; the first part is about returning home to where you grew up and the second part is about that moment when you have to leave.
Listen: Housing (In) Housing (Out)
#17:
Frank Turner - "We Shall Not Overcome"
Frank Turner's album was the one my girlfriend Althea and I were looking forward to the most this year, after 2011's excellent England Keep My Bones. This year's Tape Deck Heart wasn't one of my favorite Frank Turner albums, but even one of Frank Turner's lesser albums is better than a lot of the stuff that is out there. My favorite song of his this year was one that only appears on the deluxe version of Tape Deck Heart (although Althea would have picked this song instead)
#16:
Wild Nothing - "A Dancing Shell"
Wild Nothing had my #1 song and #1 album of 2012 with Nocturne (both the album and the song), and released the Empty Estate EP this spring. This EP was more experimental and tried some new things and while I didn't enjoy Empty Estate quite as much as the other Wild Nothing releases, it was still good enough to get one of its songs into my Top 20. I had to go with the lead single from the EP, mostly because this video is so awesome.
#15:
Beach Fossils - "Taking Off"
Beach Fossils went through some lineup changes since their debut album, with their guitarist and bassist moving on to other projects (DIIV and Heavenly Beat, respectively) Their 2013 album Clash the Truth didn't seem to get as great of a critical reception as their debut and their What a Pleasure EP, but it was an album I enjoyed a lot. It was hard to choose a favorite song from this album but I thought this one, which is one of the more emotional tracks on the album, was the standout.
#14:
This Town Needs Guns - "+3 Awesomeness Repels Water"
I was excited to hear a new release from This Town Needs Guns this year, since their debut 2009 album Animals was one of my favorites from my college days. Since that album, they had to find a new lead singer but came back strong with their new album 13.0.0.0.0. The song "+3 Awesomeness Repels Water" is the most powerful moment on the album (in addition to having a hilarious title).
#13:
Foals - "Out of the Woods"
Foals returned this year with another great album, Holy Fire. The lead single "Inhaler" narrowly missed my Top 20 from last year (but made the Top 25) The standout from the new album for me was "Out of the Woods" which is very melodic and has a unique rhythm and mood.
#12:
My Body - "New Cat"
My Body are a duo from Brooklyn who have yet to release an album but have recorded a few singles. This song seemingly came out of nowhere - I found it on my Soundcloud stream (posted by promoter Danger Village) The whole song is really powerful - it has a bittersweet melody with a slowed down hip hop beat and synths that sound like a cat meowing, with lyrics that take a different approach to the typical breakup song, including a dead cat metaphor for a failed relationship. Technically, this song came out in 2012 but didn't really receive any promotion until this year.
#11:
Delorean - "Inspire"
Delorean had one of my favorite albums of 2010 with Subiza (and that's saying a lot since that was one of my favorite years for music) so I was excited for them to release their follow up this year. While there weren't any singles as awesome as "Simple Graces" or "Stay Close" from their last album, there were many good songs and it was hard to choose just one for the list. But I had to go with "Inspire" because it has an excellent mood, mysterious and slightly dark, yet upbeat. The other songs that came close were "Destitute Time", "Dominion" and "Walk High".
Listen to "Inspire" on Spotify (sorry, couldn't find a Soundcloud or Youtube for this one)
#10:
Minks - "Painted Indian"
The label Captured Tracks has produced some of my favorite artists of the last few years, including Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, and DIIV. But this year's highest placing artist from Captured Tracks was a bit of a surprise. This song proves that sometimes the smallest detail can make or break a song, and it's the five notes that mark the transition from the verse to chorus that make this good song a great song.
#9:
Surfer Blood - "Weird Shapes"
Surfer Blood returned with their sophomore album Pythons which has more of a polished sound than their debut Astro Coast. "Weird Shapes" is one of my favorite straight up rock songs of the year, and has a bit of a 90's vibe with equally great hooks in the verse and chorus.
#8:
Mint Julep - "Soon the Sea"
Mint Julep are a duo from Portland, OR. I discovered them on Soundcloud and featured them as my Soundcloud Artist of the Week in June. They were supposed to release an EP this year called Broken Devotion but that never happened. They did but put out this beautiful song. It pairs the chilled out synth sounds of Neon Indian and Washed Out with dreamy female vocals, and reminds me of Beach House a little bit (and not just because she mentions a beach house in the lyrics). This song is available as a free download below.
#7:
Generationals - "Spinoza"
Several songs from the new Generationals album Heza were played on my show and in my playlists this year, but "Spinoza" was definitely on of my favorite summer songs. It's a great surf rock song with jangly guitars that remind me a little of Beach Fossils.
#6:
Youth Lagoon - "Mute"
Youth Lagoon is an artist I hadn't paid much attention to, but they got my interest first when they released the single "Dropla" and then the album Wondrous Bughouse, which features this epic song. It has interesting lyrics that seem to describe a dream-like scene. But my real favorite thing about this song is how it slowly builds up to that guitar solo which is one of the most memorable moments in music in 2013 for me.
#5:
Home by Hovercraft - "Zoo Lion"
My favorite new artist I discovered in 2013 was Home By Hovercraft, a group from Texas. I first came across this song on Soundcloud, then I got to review their CD for WRUV. There is no guitar or bass on this album; instead their members play piano, violin, glockenspiel and even have a tap dancer to provide extra percussion. It would be hard to find another band that uses this combination of instruments. I'm not really sure what this song is about or why it's called "Zoo Lion" but the lyrics are very poetic and seem to describe a dream. Do you remember the chariot that took you to Central Station? Well, do you?
#4:
Vasco Da Gama - "Brigadiers"
I discovered this song through the Soundcloud stream of Art Rocker Magazine, who have a great collection of free MP3s from mostly British bands. This song was my favorite Soundcloud find of the year, very heavy but at the same time catchy and melodic, with unique time signatures. Reminds me a bit of the now defunct band Damiera. There isn't a whole lot of music like this coming out these days.
#3:
Veronica Falls - "Teenage"
Veronica Falls have become my favorite artist on Slumberland Records for the moment (as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are no longer on that label). They put out an excellent album at the beginning of this year Waiting For Something to Happen. Though this song has very simple lyrics, it is a perfect guitar pop song and definitely one of my favorites of the year. Honorable mention goes to "Falling Out", which I enjoyed just as much, but I chose "Teenage" since it was the lead single and made more of an impact.
#2:
Enter the Haggis - "Letters"
Enter the Haggis have been one of my favorite bands for a while, and I've seen them live a bunch of times. This year they released "The Modest Revolution", a concept album where all the songs are inspired by different articles from one day's newspaper. This concept worked well for them. Though this album strays from their Celtic roots, it makes up for it with some of their best songwriting to date. By far my favorite song on the album was "Letters", which tells the story of a man whose car broke down in the desert and wrote a letter to his wife for each day he was stuck there.
#1:
Adrian Roye & the Exiles - "The Calling"
Adrian Roye & the Exiles are a band not many people know about, but should. They are from London and describe their music as "afro-folk". I discovered them one night a couple years ago when I went to Radio Bean with Althea and they were playing. (They happened to be in Vermont recording their album). We bought their EP Telephones & Traffic Lights and ended up listening to it a lot. They finally released their debut full-length Reclaimed this year and it was well worth the wait. Sadly, they seem to be having troubles with getting the album distributed, so right now Reclaimed is only available by ordering the CD from their website. Reclaimed is even better than the EP and is just a great listen from beginning to end. It was tough choosing just one song from the album for this list; there were five really great songs I could have chosen (the others being "Seven Hours", "Warning Shot", "Cold War" and "I Claim You"), but I had to go with "The Calling" because I feel it best represents the soul of this album. You can listen to full album here (I highly recommend it!)
As a bonus, here's a video of them performing the song live:
Of course, there was much more great music that didn't quite make it into my Top 20, so here are some Honorable Mentions:
Sigur Ros - "Isjaki"
Typhoon - "Young Fathers"
The Melodic - "Plunge"
Pretty & Nice - "Q_Q"
Frankie Rose - "Sorrow"
Loveskills - "We Say Love"
Cayucas - "Cayucos"
Kitten - "Like a Stranger"
Broken Bells - "Holding On For Life"
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Young Presidents" and "Unearth"
Run River North - "Fight to Keep"
Manicanparty - "It's In Her Eyes"
Bibio - "A Tout A L'Heure"
Tycho - "Awake"
Shout Out Louds - "Walking In Your Footsteps"
Pick a Piper - "All Her Colours"
Also, check out my Top 20s of previous years:
2012 2011
If you missed this week's show, where I counted down these songs and played a few honorable mentions, you can listen online at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-12-18_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here are my Top 20 songs of 2013:
Ducktails - "Letter of Intent"
Ducktails (the project of Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile) gave us plenty of new music this year, first the full length The Flower Lane and then the Wish Hotel EP, and put out one of my favorite dream pop songs from this year, which features guest vocals from Jessa Farkas.
Tera Melos - "Sunburn"
On Tera Melos' 2013 album X'ed Out, they delivered a winning blend of math rock & punk, and "Sunburn" was easily my favorite song on the album.
Frightened Rabbit - "Housing (In)" / "Housing (Out)"
Yes, I am counting two songs as one. Frightened Rabbits's latest album Pedestrian Verse had many great songs including "The Woodpile", "Late March, Death March" and "Holy" but the real standout to me was "Housing" which is split into two parts throughout the album. "Housing (In)" appears halfway through the album, and "Housing (Out)" is the second to last track. The chorus that ties these songs together "You can't carry me away now, please don't steal me from my house" is one that just gets stuck in your head. The pair of songs also has lyrics you can relate to; the first part is about returning home to where you grew up and the second part is about that moment when you have to leave.
Listen: Housing (In) Housing (Out)
Frank Turner - "We Shall Not Overcome"
Frank Turner's album was the one my girlfriend Althea and I were looking forward to the most this year, after 2011's excellent England Keep My Bones. This year's Tape Deck Heart wasn't one of my favorite Frank Turner albums, but even one of Frank Turner's lesser albums is better than a lot of the stuff that is out there. My favorite song of his this year was one that only appears on the deluxe version of Tape Deck Heart (although Althea would have picked this song instead)
Wild Nothing - "A Dancing Shell"
Wild Nothing had my #1 song and #1 album of 2012 with Nocturne (both the album and the song), and released the Empty Estate EP this spring. This EP was more experimental and tried some new things and while I didn't enjoy Empty Estate quite as much as the other Wild Nothing releases, it was still good enough to get one of its songs into my Top 20. I had to go with the lead single from the EP, mostly because this video is so awesome.
Beach Fossils - "Taking Off"
Beach Fossils went through some lineup changes since their debut album, with their guitarist and bassist moving on to other projects (DIIV and Heavenly Beat, respectively) Their 2013 album Clash the Truth didn't seem to get as great of a critical reception as their debut and their What a Pleasure EP, but it was an album I enjoyed a lot. It was hard to choose a favorite song from this album but I thought this one, which is one of the more emotional tracks on the album, was the standout.
This Town Needs Guns - "+3 Awesomeness Repels Water"
I was excited to hear a new release from This Town Needs Guns this year, since their debut 2009 album Animals was one of my favorites from my college days. Since that album, they had to find a new lead singer but came back strong with their new album 13.0.0.0.0. The song "+3 Awesomeness Repels Water" is the most powerful moment on the album (in addition to having a hilarious title).
Foals - "Out of the Woods"
Foals returned this year with another great album, Holy Fire. The lead single "Inhaler" narrowly missed my Top 20 from last year (but made the Top 25) The standout from the new album for me was "Out of the Woods" which is very melodic and has a unique rhythm and mood.
My Body - "New Cat"
My Body are a duo from Brooklyn who have yet to release an album but have recorded a few singles. This song seemingly came out of nowhere - I found it on my Soundcloud stream (posted by promoter Danger Village) The whole song is really powerful - it has a bittersweet melody with a slowed down hip hop beat and synths that sound like a cat meowing, with lyrics that take a different approach to the typical breakup song, including a dead cat metaphor for a failed relationship. Technically, this song came out in 2012 but didn't really receive any promotion until this year.
Delorean - "Inspire"
Delorean had one of my favorite albums of 2010 with Subiza (and that's saying a lot since that was one of my favorite years for music) so I was excited for them to release their follow up this year. While there weren't any singles as awesome as "Simple Graces" or "Stay Close" from their last album, there were many good songs and it was hard to choose just one for the list. But I had to go with "Inspire" because it has an excellent mood, mysterious and slightly dark, yet upbeat. The other songs that came close were "Destitute Time", "Dominion" and "Walk High".
Listen to "Inspire" on Spotify (sorry, couldn't find a Soundcloud or Youtube for this one)
Minks - "Painted Indian"
The label Captured Tracks has produced some of my favorite artists of the last few years, including Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, and DIIV. But this year's highest placing artist from Captured Tracks was a bit of a surprise. This song proves that sometimes the smallest detail can make or break a song, and it's the five notes that mark the transition from the verse to chorus that make this good song a great song.
Surfer Blood - "Weird Shapes"
Surfer Blood returned with their sophomore album Pythons which has more of a polished sound than their debut Astro Coast. "Weird Shapes" is one of my favorite straight up rock songs of the year, and has a bit of a 90's vibe with equally great hooks in the verse and chorus.
Mint Julep - "Soon the Sea"
Mint Julep are a duo from Portland, OR. I discovered them on Soundcloud and featured them as my Soundcloud Artist of the Week in June. They were supposed to release an EP this year called Broken Devotion but that never happened. They did but put out this beautiful song. It pairs the chilled out synth sounds of Neon Indian and Washed Out with dreamy female vocals, and reminds me of Beach House a little bit (and not just because she mentions a beach house in the lyrics). This song is available as a free download below.
Generationals - "Spinoza"
Several songs from the new Generationals album Heza were played on my show and in my playlists this year, but "Spinoza" was definitely on of my favorite summer songs. It's a great surf rock song with jangly guitars that remind me a little of Beach Fossils.
Youth Lagoon - "Mute"
Youth Lagoon is an artist I hadn't paid much attention to, but they got my interest first when they released the single "Dropla" and then the album Wondrous Bughouse, which features this epic song. It has interesting lyrics that seem to describe a dream-like scene. But my real favorite thing about this song is how it slowly builds up to that guitar solo which is one of the most memorable moments in music in 2013 for me.
Home by Hovercraft - "Zoo Lion"
My favorite new artist I discovered in 2013 was Home By Hovercraft, a group from Texas. I first came across this song on Soundcloud, then I got to review their CD for WRUV. There is no guitar or bass on this album; instead their members play piano, violin, glockenspiel and even have a tap dancer to provide extra percussion. It would be hard to find another band that uses this combination of instruments. I'm not really sure what this song is about or why it's called "Zoo Lion" but the lyrics are very poetic and seem to describe a dream. Do you remember the chariot that took you to Central Station? Well, do you?
Vasco Da Gama - "Brigadiers"
I discovered this song through the Soundcloud stream of Art Rocker Magazine, who have a great collection of free MP3s from mostly British bands. This song was my favorite Soundcloud find of the year, very heavy but at the same time catchy and melodic, with unique time signatures. Reminds me a bit of the now defunct band Damiera. There isn't a whole lot of music like this coming out these days.
Veronica Falls - "Teenage"
Veronica Falls have become my favorite artist on Slumberland Records for the moment (as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are no longer on that label). They put out an excellent album at the beginning of this year Waiting For Something to Happen. Though this song has very simple lyrics, it is a perfect guitar pop song and definitely one of my favorites of the year. Honorable mention goes to "Falling Out", which I enjoyed just as much, but I chose "Teenage" since it was the lead single and made more of an impact.
Enter the Haggis - "Letters"
Enter the Haggis have been one of my favorite bands for a while, and I've seen them live a bunch of times. This year they released "The Modest Revolution", a concept album where all the songs are inspired by different articles from one day's newspaper. This concept worked well for them. Though this album strays from their Celtic roots, it makes up for it with some of their best songwriting to date. By far my favorite song on the album was "Letters", which tells the story of a man whose car broke down in the desert and wrote a letter to his wife for each day he was stuck there.
Adrian Roye & the Exiles - "The Calling"
Adrian Roye & the Exiles are a band not many people know about, but should. They are from London and describe their music as "afro-folk". I discovered them one night a couple years ago when I went to Radio Bean with Althea and they were playing. (They happened to be in Vermont recording their album). We bought their EP Telephones & Traffic Lights and ended up listening to it a lot. They finally released their debut full-length Reclaimed this year and it was well worth the wait. Sadly, they seem to be having troubles with getting the album distributed, so right now Reclaimed is only available by ordering the CD from their website. Reclaimed is even better than the EP and is just a great listen from beginning to end. It was tough choosing just one song from the album for this list; there were five really great songs I could have chosen (the others being "Seven Hours", "Warning Shot", "Cold War" and "I Claim You"), but I had to go with "The Calling" because I feel it best represents the soul of this album. You can listen to full album here (I highly recommend it!)
As a bonus, here's a video of them performing the song live:
Of course, there was much more great music that didn't quite make it into my Top 20, so here are some Honorable Mentions:
Sigur Ros - "Isjaki"
Typhoon - "Young Fathers"
The Melodic - "Plunge"
Pretty & Nice - "Q_Q"
Frankie Rose - "Sorrow"
Loveskills - "We Say Love"
Cayucas - "Cayucos"
Kitten - "Like a Stranger"
Broken Bells - "Holding On For Life"
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Young Presidents" and "Unearth"
Run River North - "Fight to Keep"
Manicanparty - "It's In Her Eyes"
Bibio - "A Tout A L'Heure"
Tycho - "Awake"
Shout Out Louds - "Walking In Your Footsteps"
Pick a Piper - "All Her Colours"
Also, check out my Top 20s of previous years:
2012 2011
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Playlist for 12/11/13: Christmas/Holiday Show
This week was my last regular show of the year before I do my countdown of my Top 20 Songs of the Year, so I devoted the second hour of this show to some of my favorite holiday tunes as well as songs from WRUV's collection. I actually couldn't find much Christmas music in the station, but worked with what I had.
If you missed the show, you can listen online for up to a week at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-12-04_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
If you missed the show, you can listen online for up to a week at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-12-04_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
| Time ∧ | Title | Artist | Album | Label | Genre |
| 08:02 pm | Sun Shy | Dresses | Sun Shy | Side One Dummy | Rock |
| 08:06 pm | High Road (Baio Remix) | Cults | High Road | Columbia | Rock |
| 08:11 pm | Nothing But History | Gemini Club | An Introduction | s/r | Rock |
| 08:16 pm | Night Falls on the General Assembly | Leverage Models | Leverage Models | Hometapes | Rock |
| 08:20 pm | Trippin | Polica | Shulamith | Mom + Pop | Rock |
| 08:24 pm | Rabbit Rabbit | You Are Plural | Rabbit Rabbit | Brick Lane | Rock |
| 08:28 pm | Wash | Fronds | Do Not Disturb | Do Not Disturb | Rock |
| 08:34 pm | Past and Present | Almost Ghosts | Almost Ghosts EP | s/r | Rock |
| 08:39 pm | As Lucerne/The Low | Los Campesinos! | No Blues | Wichita | Rock |
| 08:43 pm | Naive Music | Ducktails | Wish Hotel | Domino | Rock |
| 08:48 pm | Waves | Sleeper Agent | Waves | RCA | Rock |
| 08:52 pm | A Song About Love | Jake Bugg | Shangri La | Island | Rock |
| 08:56 pm | Into the Thicket | U.S. Royalty | Into the Thicket | s/r | Rock |
| 09:05 pm | I Want An Alien For Christmas | Fountains of Wayne | Out of State Plates | Virgin | Rock |
| 09:08 pm | Light Those Candles Bright | Amanda Duncan | Amanda Duncan's Holiday Classics | s/r | Rock |
| 09:11 pm | It Came Upon a Midnight Clear | Norah Jones | WRUV Rock Singles December 2012 | Concord | Rock |
| 09:15 pm | The Christians and the Pagans | Dar Williams | Mortal City | Razor & Tie | Folk |
| 09:18 pm | Just to Be With You (This Christmas) | Nick Lowe | WRUV Rock Singles December 2013 | Yep Roc | Rock |
| 09:22 pm | Last Christmas | Frank Turner | The Second Three Years | Xtra Mile | Rock |
| 09:26 pm | Wonderful Christmas Time | The Shins | WRUV Rock Single December 2012 Mix 2 | Concord | Rock |
| 09:30 pm | Valley Winter Song | Fountains of Wayne | Welcome Interstate Managers | S-Curve | Rock |
| 09:33 pm | Young Legends | Sleigh Bells | Bitter Rivals | Mom + Pop | Rock |
| 09:36 pm | Crooked | Umbrellas | Illuminare | The Militia Group | Rock |
| 09:40 pm | Open Season | High Highs | Open Season | Fine Time | Rock |
| 09:45 pm | Afterlife | Arcade Fire | Reflektor | Merge | Rock |
| 09:50 pm | Sleigh Ride | She & Him | A Very She & Him Christmas | Merge | Rock |
| 09:55 pm | The New Year | Death Cab For Cutie | Transatlanticism | Barsuk | Rock |
Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Almost Ghosts
Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist I
discovered on Soundcloud. I will play one of their songs during my show
that week, and write a bit more about them here.
Almost Ghosts are a band from Dublin, Ireland. They list Interpol, Bombay Bicycle Club, Foals as some of their influences. They have only been together for two years, but their debut EP shows a lot of promise. Their uplifting, high energy rock is also reminiscent of early U2, particularly in the guitars.
Below, you can listen to their three-song, self-titled EP:
For more on Almost Ghosts:
Facebook
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Almost Ghosts are a band from Dublin, Ireland. They list Interpol, Bombay Bicycle Club, Foals as some of their influences. They have only been together for two years, but their debut EP shows a lot of promise. Their uplifting, high energy rock is also reminiscent of early U2, particularly in the guitars.
Below, you can listen to their three-song, self-titled EP:
For more on Almost Ghosts:
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Playlist for 12/4/13: Stay Warm!
This week's playlist was a mix of songs I thought would sound good for staying in on a cold night. It wasn't that cold this past week for Vermont, but it's getting to be that time of year.
If you missed this week's show, you can stream it for up to a week at stream or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Also, be sure to listen to the last two shows Flight of the Squawkatiel will be doing in 2013! On December 11, I will be doing a special Christmas/Holiday show featuring seasonal songs from some of my favorite artists as well as selections from WRUV's holiday CDs. On December 18, the final show of the year, I will be counting down my Top 20 songs of 2013!
Here is the playlist for this week's show:
If you missed this week's show, you can stream it for up to a week at stream or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Also, be sure to listen to the last two shows Flight of the Squawkatiel will be doing in 2013! On December 11, I will be doing a special Christmas/Holiday show featuring seasonal songs from some of my favorite artists as well as selections from WRUV's holiday CDs. On December 18, the final show of the year, I will be counting down my Top 20 songs of 2013!
Here is the playlist for this week's show:
| Time ∧ | Title | Artist | Album | Label | Genre |
| 08:03 pm | Beautiful Dream | Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. | The Speed of Things | Warner Bros. | Rock |
| 08:07 pm | Cemetery Gaits | Los Campesinos! | No Blues | Wichita | Rock |
| 08:12 pm | In Our Time | Deer Tick | Negativity | Partisan | Rock |
| 08:17 pm | Sparklers | Gemini Club | An Introduction | s/r | Rock |
| 08:20 pm | Cured of Youth | Tennis | Small Sound | Communion | Rock |
| 08:23 pm | I Will | Sky Ferreira | Night Time, My Time | Capitol | Rock |
| 08:26 pm | Subtle (feat. Mikky Ekko) | Active Child | Rapor EP | Vagrant | Rock |
| 08:32 pm | This Big World | Repel the Robot | This Big World | s/r | RPM |
| 08:36 pm | Zebra | Oneohtrix Point Never | R Plus Seven | Warp | RPM |
| 08:40 pm | Went to War | Amason | Amason EP | Ingrid | Rock |
| 08:46 pm | Sight to See | Natureboy | The Sweep | s/r | Rock |
| 08:51 pm | Coastal | Abram Shook | Sun Marquee | Western Vinyl | Rock |
| 08:56 pm | Tie-Dye | Ducktails | Wish Hotel | Domino | Rock |
| 09:07 pm | It's All True | The Lemonheads | Car Button Cloth | Atlantic | Rock |
| 09:09 pm | Pretty #1 | The Mean Reds | Demos and Junk Fires | s/r | Rock |
| 09:14 pm | Something Else | The Rewinds | The Rewinds | Livewire | Rock |
| 09:18 pm | The King and Queen | Fairmont | The Meadow at Dusk | Mint 400 | Rock |
| 09:22 pm | Candy Darling | Mavis Gary | Pin Me Up | The Attic | Rock |
| 09:25 pm | Whose Side Are You On? | First Nature | First Nature | Threespheres | Rock |
| 09:27 pm | The Pins | Sarah Radle | Same Sun Shines | Jeez Louise | Rock |
| 09:32 pm | You Curse at Girls | Fountains of Wayne | Fountains of Wayne | Atlantic | Rock |
| 09:35 pm | You Could Write a Book | Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin | Pershing | Polyvinyl | Rock |
| 09:38 pm | Rough Dreams | Fingers Cut Megamachine | Fingers Cut Megamachine | Thick | Rock |
| 09:41 pm | Time We Had | The Mother Hips | Kiss the Crystal Flake | Camera | Rock |
| 09:44 pm | Fil De Soie | Marie-Pierre Arthur | Aux Alentours | Bonsound | Rock |
| 09:47 pm | If I Get Old | Elliott Brood | Days Into Years | Paper Bag | Rock |
| 09:51 pm | Some Suburban Road | Gigantic | Gigantaphonic Sounds | Zip | Rock |
| 09:57 pm | Good Fortune | Weeping Tile | Cold Snap | WEA | Rock |
Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Repel the Robot
Repel the Robot is a duo from Albequerque, New Mexico who produce a style of music they describe on their Soundcloud page as "Robot Rock". They have remixed songs by Apparat and Pretty Lights, as well as composing a few of their own original songs. Most recently, they have released an EP called Who We Are and Who We Want to Be.
Below you can listen to a few of their tracks, as well as their remix of Apparat's "A Violent Sky".
For more on Repel the Robot:
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Playlist for 11/27/13: Thanksgiving Show
This week, I played a set of food themed songs during the second hour. Happy Thanksgiving!
If you missed the show, you can stream it online at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-11-27_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
If you missed the show, you can stream it online at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-11-27_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
| Time ∧ | Title | Artist | Album | Label | Genre |
| 08:02 pm | Sugarcane | Sleigh Bells | Bitter Rivals | Mom + Pop | Rock |
| 08:04 pm | Lockjaw | Special Request | Soulmusic | Houndstooth | RPM |
| 08:10 pm | Jump Out of the Train | CFCF | Outside | Paper Bag | RPM |
| 08:17 pm | Jazz | Ducktails | Wish Hotel | Domino | Rock |
| 08:21 pm | Very Cruel | Polica | Shulamith | Mom + Pop | Rock |
| 08:26 pm | Drag Bones | Kiev | Falling Bough Wisdom Teeth | Suspended Sunrise | Rock |
| 08:29 pm | Oh God | Chris Garneau | Winter Games | s/r | Rock |
| 08:35 pm | Pin Me Up | Mavis Gary | Pin Me Up | The Attic | Rock |
| 08:38 pm | Beat | Sebadoh | Defend Yourself | Joyful Noise | Rock |
| 08:43 pm | Put Me to Work | PAPA | Tender Madness | Universal Island | Rock |
| 08:47 pm | Dumb Luck | We Are Scientists | WRUV Rock Singles November 2013 Mix 2 | Dine Alone | Rock |
| 08:49 pm | Normal Person | Arcade Fire | Reflektor | Merge | Rock |
| 08:54 pm | Fight to Keep | Run River North | Fight to Keep | Nettwerk | Rock |
| 08:57 pm | Another Story | The Head and The Heart | Let's Be Still | Sub Pop | Rock |
| 09:08 pm | Applesauce | Animal Collective | Centipede Hz | Domino | Rock |
| 09:13 pm | Cranberry | The Ruby Suns | Fight Softly | Sub Pop | Rock |
| 09:17 pm | Avocado, Baby | Los Campesinos! | No Blues | Wichita | Rock |
| 09:23 pm | Apples & Oranges | Dogs Die in Hot Cars | Please Describe Yourself | V2 | Rock |
| 09:27 pm | More Than Soup | Starfinger | songfight.org | s/r | Rock |
| 09:29 pm | Noodles on My Back | Steven Wilson | invasioncreations.com/ | Invasion Creations | Other |
| 09:31 pm | The Sandwich | Instant Music Project | instantmusicproject.blogspot.com/ | s/r | Rock |
| 09:36 pm | Rock N Roll McDonalds | Wesley Willis | Greatest Hits | Alternative Tentacles | Rock |
| 09:39 pm | Eat It | Weird Al Yankovic | The Essential Weird Al Yankovic | Volcano | Rock |
| 09:42 pm | Crawfish | Zachary Richard | Snake Bite Love | A&M | Blues |
| 09:47 pm | Green Eggs and Ham | Moxy Fruvous | n/a | s/r | Rock |
| 09:51 pm | Spam | Monty Python | The Final Rip Off | Virgin | Other |
| 09:54 pm | Fancy Beer | The Two Man Gentlemen Band | Drip Dryin' with The Two Man Gentlemen Band | Serious Business | Rock |
| 09:57 pm | Ice Cream | Muscles | Guns Babes Lemonade | Modular | Rock |
Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Mavis Gary
Mavis Gary is the musical project of Adrian Ng from Dunedin, New Zealand. He recently released his debut album Pin Me Up. This is an album of lo-fi power pop that will appeal to fans of Big Star or 90's bands like The Posies, as well as the type of garage rock that is popular with a lot of people these days, especially at WRUV.
Pin Me Up is available on cassette from the record label The Attic, or for download from his Bandcamp page.
Here are a few songs off the album:
For more on Mavis Gary:
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Monday, November 25, 2013
Playlist for 11/23/13: Cover Songs
I didn't do my show at the regular time this week, since I was at the Beach Fossils show at Arts Riot. Instead, I took a three hour slot from 3-6 pm on Saturday, and played two hours of new music, followed by an hour of my favorite cover songs.
If you missed the show, you can listen to it at http://wruv.org/schedule/saturday You will want to play "Yoshi's Island" for the first hour and "The Radio Show with Ian the DJ" for the second two hours (those are the normally scheduled shows).
Here is the playlist:
If you missed the show, you can listen to it at http://wruv.org/schedule/saturday You will want to play "Yoshi's Island" for the first hour and "The Radio Show with Ian the DJ" for the second two hours (those are the normally scheduled shows).
Here is the playlist:
| Time ∧ | Title | Artist | Album | Label | Genre |
| 03:04 pm | Turning Into Tiny Particles...Floating Through Empty Space | Hammock | Oblivion Hymns | s/r | Rock |
| 03:08 pm | Solar Diary | Love Inks | Generation Club | Mono Fonus Press | Rock |
| 03:12 pm | Republic | Alpaca | Demimonde | Robotic Empire | Rock |
| 03:16 pm | 100 Lovers | Tennis | Small Sound | Communion | Rock |
| 03:19 pm | Chest of Hearts | My Midnight Heart | Chest of Hearts EP | MNRCH | Rock |
| 03:24 pm | Heart of Nowhere | Noah and the Whale | Heart of Nowhere | Mercury | Rock |
| 03:28 pm | Girls | Au Revoir Simone | Move in Spectrums | Instant | Rock |
| 03:32 pm | Bitter Rivals | Sleigh Bells | Bitter Rivals | Mom + Pop | Rock |
| 03:37 pm | Chamakay | Blood Orange | Cupid Deluxe | Domino | Rock |
| 03:40 pm | Celebrating Nothing | Phantogram | Phantogram EP | Republic | Rock |
| 03:44 pm | Memorial | Russian Circles | Memorial | Sargent House | Rock |
| 03:48 pm | Calico | Widowspeak | The Swamps | Captured Tracks | Rock |
| 03:51 pm | A Grey Cloth Covering My Face | Elf Power | Sunlight on the Moon | Orange Twin | Rock |
| 03:54 pm | Come Outside | The Melodic | Effra Parade | Anti | Rock |
| 04:03 pm | Holding On For Life | Broken Bells | After the Disco | Columbia | Rock |
| 04:07 pm | You're Not the One | Sky Ferreira | Night Time, My Time | Capitol | Rock |
| 04:11 pm | Every Day | Magic Man | You Are Here | Neon Gold | Rock |
| 04:16 pm | Chain My Name | Polica | Shulamith | Mom + Pop | Rock |
| 04:19 pm | Closed Hand, Full of Friends | Foy Vance | Joy of Nothing | Glassnote | Rock |
| 04:23 pm | You Already Know | Arcade Fire | Reflektor | Merge | Rock |
| 04:27 pm | This Lonely Morning | Best Coast | Fade Away | Jewel City | Rock |
| 04:32 pm | The Dada Song | Wends | The Dada Song | Authentic Sounds | Rock |
| 04:35 pm | The Curtain | Deer Tick | Negativity | Partisan | Rock |
| 04:38 pm | Pebbles & Stones | Adrian Roye & the Exiles | Reclaimed | s/r | Rock |
| 04:42 pm | St Clarity | The Paper Kites | States | Nettwerk | Rock |
| 04:48 pm | For Flotsam | Los Campesinos! | No Blues | Wichita | Rock |
| 04:52 pm | From the Mouth of an Injured Head | Radical Face | The Family Tree: The Branches | Nettwerk | Rock |
| 04:56 pm | The Big Mango | Land of Kush | The Big Mango | Constellation | International |
| 05:07 pm | Around the World (Intro) | Senor Coconut | Around the World | Nacional | International |
| 05:10 pm | Lovesong | The Brunettes | Just Like Heaven | American Laundromat | Rock |
| 05:14 pm | Heart it Races | Dr. Dog | Heart it Races | Polyvinyl | Rock |
| 05:19 pm | A Real Hero | High Highs | A Real Hero (single) | Never Leave Never Sleep | Rock |
| 05:23 pm | Instant Karma | The Campaign For Real Time | Yes...I Mean, No | Curve of the Earth | Rock |
| 05:26 pm | Hit 'Em Up Style | Carolina Chocolate Drops | Genuine Negro Jig | Nonesuch | Folk |
| 05:32 pm | Dancing Queen | Frank Turner | The First Three Years | Xtra Mile | Rock |
| 05:35 pm | Human Behavior | The Decemberists | Read: Interpreting Bjork | Hush | Rock |
| 05:39 pm | Animal | Manicanparty | http://soundcloud.com/manicanparty | s/r | Rock |
| 05:43 pm | Panic | Kitten | Please Please Please: A Tribute to The Smiths | American Laundromat | Rock |
| 05:47 pm | Losing My Religion | [ cell 7 ] | RE:COGNITION | Cognition | RPM |
| 05:52 pm | Kompressor Want To Get With You | Kompressor | Kompilation | Sharing Machine | Other |
| 05:58 pm | All My Friends | The Main Drag | n/a | s/r | Rock |
Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Wends
Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist I
discovered on Soundcloud. I will play one of their songs during my show
that week, and write a bit more about them here. Wends are a band from Finland. They play a fun style of power pop that brings to mind 80's bands like Devo and The Cars. They have released one EP, Lives Breathes, as well as two singles "Head First" and "The Dada Song" that are available to download on their Soundcloud page.
Below, you can listen to a few of their songs. Also be sure to check out the bizarre, funny video for "The Dada Song".
For more on Wends:
Official site
Soundcloud
Youtube
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Free Music: Squawk Tunes
If you are looking for some free music downloads (100% legal!), here is a collection of my favorite songs on Soundcloud that are available to download for free. You may have heard some of these songs on my show. The list is in alphabetical order by artist, in case there is anyone you heard on my show you're looking for. This list covers a wide variety of genres, from indie rock to pop to electronic, and even some metal and Celtic rock! Maybe you'll discover a new favorite.
Enjoy, and if you like what you hear, please support the artists by buying an album or seeing them live.
Enjoy, and if you like what you hear, please support the artists by buying an album or seeing them live.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Playlist for 11/13/13: Story Songs
The theme for this week's show was suggested by my girlfriend Althea, as it gave me an excuse to play some of her favorite songs, including a few I've never played on my show before like Dar Williams' "The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-Ed". It also gave me an opportunity to play Moxy Fruvous' take on "Green Eggs & Ham", which you should really listen to if you've never heard it before.
If you missed the show, you can stream it at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-11-13_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
If you missed the show, you can stream it at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-11-13_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
| Time ∧ | Title | Artist | Album | Label | Genre |
| 08:02 pm | It's Just Forever (feat. Alison Mosshart) | Cage the Elephant | Melophobia | RCA | Rock |
| 08:05 pm | Scarlet Letters | The Mizzerables | Every Last Stitch | Whoa! | Rock |
| 08:09 pm | Drugs | The Fresh & Onlys | Soothsayer EP | Mexican Summer | Rock |
| 08:14 pm | Homecoming Heroes | The Head & The Heart | Let's Be Still | Sub Pop | Rock |
| 08:18 pm | Brass Bed | Widowspeak | The Swamps | Captured Tracks | Rock |
| 08:20 pm | Love | Dr. Dog | B-Room | Anti- | Rock |
| 08:24 pm | Hand Back Down | The Devil Makes Three | I'm a Stranger Here | New West | Rock |
| 08:29 pm | Dirty Oxygen | Silvertin | Dirty Oxygen | s/r | Rock |
| 08:33 pm | FNYC | Alpaca | Demimonde | Robotic Empire | RPM |
| 08:36 pm | The Day You Died | Phantogram | Phantogram EP | Republic | Rock |
| 08:40 pm | Coma | HeadShy | La Belle Epoque | Medicina | Rock |
| 08:46 pm | Young | The Paper Kites | States | Nettwerk | Rock |
| 08:50 pm | Runaway | The Melodic | Effra Parade | Anti | Rock |
| 08:53 pm | Prominence | Heavenly Beat | Prominence | Captured Tracks | Rock |
| 08:57 pm | In a Glass | Blouse | Imperium | Captured Tracks | Rock |
| 09:05 pm | Furr | Blitzen Trapper | Furr | Sub Pop | Rock |
| 09:10 pm | Richie and Ruben | Fountains of Wayne | Sky Full of Holes | Yep Roc | Rock |
| 09:13 pm | Little Houdini | Sage Francis | Li(f)e | Anti | Rock |
| 09:20 pm | The General | Dispatch | Bang Bang | Bomber | Rock |
| 09:24 pm | Murder Ballad in G Minor | The Rosewood Thieves | Lonesome | s/r | Rock |
| 09:28 pm | The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-Ed | Dar Williams | Mortal City | Razor & Tie | Folk |
| 09:33 pm | O Valencia | The Decemberists | The Crane Wife | Capitol | Rock |
| 09:37 pm | Steel Drivin' Man | The Arrogant Worms | Dirt! | s/r | Folk |
| 09:40 pm | Green Eggs & Ham | Moxy Fruvous | n/a | s/r | Rock |
| 09:45 pm | I Had Lost My Mind | Daniel Johnston | Is and Always Was | Eternal Yip Eye | Rock |
| 09:47 pm | Finnegan's Wake | Dropkick Murphys | Do or Die | Hellcat | Rock |
| 09:49 pm | The Death of Johnny Mooring | Enter the Haggis | Gutter Anthems | Firebrand Entertainment | Rock |
| 09:56 pm | Long Live the Queen | Frank Turner | Love Ire & Song | Xtra Mile | Rock |
Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Silvertin
Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist I
discovered on Soundcloud. I will play one of their songs during my show
that week, and write a bit more about them here.
Silvertin are a rock band from the UK. They have a sound that recalls 90's britpop, which is no surprise since they list The Verve and The Stone Roses as some of their influences. Their music also has a very spacey atmosphere, reminiscent of Pink Floyd, and some of the guitar work brings U2 to mind. So far, they have released one album, 2012's Dirty Oxygen, as well as a couple other tracks and remixes that you can listen to on their Soundcloud page.
Below you can stream their entire album Dirty Oxygen. (I recommend the title track, which I played on my show this week). They are currently working on new music which should be out next year.
For more on Silvertin:
Facebook
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Below you can stream their entire album Dirty Oxygen. (I recommend the title track, which I played on my show this week). They are currently working on new music which should be out next year.
For more on Silvertin:
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Playlist for 11/6/13: 2x New Music
This week, there was a lot of new music I wanted to play so both hours were dedicated to new music. The first hour featured more rock, and the second hour was more electronic.
If you missed the show, you can stream it online at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-11-06_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
If you missed the show, you can stream it online at http://wruv.org/thisweek?2013-11-06_2000h_Wed-Flight_of_the_Squawkatiel_with_McSquawk.m3u or http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday
Here is the playlist:
| Time ∧ | Title | Artist | Album | Label | Genre |
| 08:03 pm | Mean Streets | Tennis | Small Sound | Communion | Rock |
| 08:07 pm | Cuckoo | Dr. Dog | B-Room | Anti | Rock |
| 08:10 pm | Stranger | The Devil Makes Three | I'm a Stranger Here | New West | Rock |
| 08:14 pm | Plunge | The Melodic | Effra Parade | Anti | Rock |
| 08:19 pm | I Wanna Know | Best Coast | Fade Away | Jewel City | Rock |
| 08:22 pm | St. Justice | Albert Hammond, Jr. | AHJ | Cult | Rock |
| 08:26 pm | Invisible | The Dismemberment Plan | Uncanney Valley | Partisan | Rock |
| 08:30 pm | Pick it Back Up | The Mizzerables | Every Last Stitch | s/r | Rock |
| 08:34 pm | Tiny Raindrop | Balance and Composure | The Things We Think We're Missing | No Sleep | Rock |
| 08:37 pm | Be Ready When I Say Go | Emperors | Stay Frosty | Gun Fever | Rock |
| 08:42 pm | You Scare Me to Death | Tim Kasher | Adult Film | Saddle Creek | Rock |
| 08:47 pm | I Saw Her Standing There | Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros | Beatles Reimagined | Community Music | Rock |
| 08:50 pm | Colossus | Of Montreal | Lousy with Sylvianbriar | Polyvinyl | Rock |
| 08:53 pm | Eyesite | Blouse | Imperium | Captured Tracks | Rock |
| 09:03 pm | Celebrating Nothing | Phantogram | Phantogram EP | Republic | Rock |
| 09:06 pm | Landscape | Glasser | Interiors | True Panther Sounds | Rock |
| 09:10 pm | Slow Down | Mum | Smilewound | Morr Music | RPM |
| 09:16 pm | Awake | Tycho | Awake | Ghostly International | RPM |
| 09:21 pm | A Long Time | Moby | Innocents | Mute | Rock |
| 09:25 pm | Flyway | Keep Shelly in Athens | At Home | Cascine | RPM |
| 09:31 pm | Island I Would | NYIKO | Always Always | s/r | Rock |
| 09:35 pm | Expectation | Heavenly Beat | Prominence | Captured Tracks | Rock |
| 09:39 pm | The Village | Tunng | Turbines | Full Time Hobby | Rock |
| 09:45 pm | Paper Trails | Darkside | Psychic | Matador | Rock |
| 09:49 pm | Last Love | Myra Flynn | Half Pigeon | s/r | Rock |
| 09:53 pm | Electric Lady (feat. Solange) | Janelle Monae | The Electric Lady | Bad Boy | Urban |
| 09:59 pm | Faded Glory | Ginkgo | Manopause | Ibid | Rock |
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