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

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Repel the Robot

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.

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:

Facebook
Soundcloud
Bandcamp

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Mavis Gary

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.  

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:

Facebook
Soundcloud
Bandcamp

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
Facebook
Soundcloud
Youtube

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

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: The Mizzerables

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.

The Mizzerables are a punk band from Chicago. They released their first full-length album Every Last Stitch this past summer. This album features mix of pop-punk as heard on tracks like "Pick It Back Up", "Beauty Queen" and "Scarlet Letters"and more aggressive punk rock like "Rise With Me" and "Everything I Need".

Their album is available from their Bandcamp page, where you can download it for free or name your own price. Here are a few tracks from it:


For more on The Mizzerables:

Official site
Soundcloud
Bandcamp
Youtube

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Photay

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.

Photay is an electronic music producer from Woodstock, NY. His music has a sound that would fit well on the label Ghostly International alongside artists like Tycho, Shigeto and Gold Panda. The songs feature a mix of live instruments and computer generated sounds.

His debut self-titled album is available from his Bandcamp page. There are also a few non-album tracks you can download for free on Photay's Soundcloud page that are worth checking out.

Here are a few songs from Photay's self-titled album:


For more on Photay:

Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Youtube

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Manicanparty

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.

This week's artist is actually not one I discovered on Soundcloud, but on Youtube last year. However, they just released a free EP that is available on their Soundcloud page.

Manicanparty is a duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota comprised of singer Jessica Corazza and producer Patrick Morrissey. You may have heard them on Flight of the Squawkatiel last year, when I played their tracks "Rebels in the Light", "Monarch" and "Bow Through My Heart".

They have a very unique sound they describe as "tribal pop" which combines the style of electronic pop that is popular today with tribal drumming and chanting. I highly recommend checking their videos out as well.

Below you can listen to their latest single "It's In Her Eyes" as well as a great acoustic version of their previous single "Monarch":

And here you can check out their videos for "Monarch" and "Rebels in the Light":

For more on Manicanparty:

Official site
Facebook
Soundcloud
Youtube / Vevo
Bandcamp

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Monastery

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.

Monastery are a new band out of Brighton, U.K. They have released an EP called The Other Side, which is currently available as a free download from their Soundcloud page. They list Foals, MGMT and Passion Pit as some of their influences.

Here are a few tracks from the EP:

For more on Monastery:

Soundcloud
Facebook
Youtube

The return of Soundcloud Artist of the Week!

After a brief hiatus, I will be bringing back my "Soundcloud Artist of the Week" feature on Flight of the Squawkatiel, where I play you a song from an unsigned/independent artist that has a bunch of great music on Soundcloud. I have been sent tracks from a few different bands on Soundcloud so I will continue this feature through the end of 2013, and I have some great stuff to play for you.

Listen to this week's show on Wednesday from 8-10 pm to find out who the next Soundcloud Artist of the Week is!

As always, tune in at 90.1 FM in the Burlington, VT area or listen online at http://wruv.org/wruv128.m3u

Fall Semester - New Old Time Slot!

Flight of the Squawkatiel will be at the same time slot for the fall semester! Tune in every Wednesday from 8-10 pm, starting with this week's show on September 11th.

As always, you can stream the latest show at http://wruv.org/schedule/wednesday

Help choose the music for Flight of the Squawkatiel!

I've had a lot of fun discovering new music online and sharing it with you, but I would also like to hear what music you've been enjoying lately. I don't usually take requests during my show because I choose my playlists in advance, but you can help choose the music that gets played.

Please answer these two quick questions (both are optional).

Your input is appreciated, and will help make Flight of the Squawkatiel more enjoyable for all!

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Danaga

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 8:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here. 

Danaga (real name: Daniel Aga) is an electronic music producer from Romania who incorporates hip hop, world music and various other genres into his productions for a very original sound. His latest album is am-n-aripi which he describes as "a collection of stories about the contemporary alienated urban hipster who tries to find his true self". You can stream and download a few of his songs below:

For more on Danaga:

Official site
Facebook
Soundcloud
Bandcamp

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Loose Lips Sink Ships

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 8:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here.

Our Soundcloud artist this week is a band who are sadly no longer together, but have some great songs you can download from their Soundcloud page. Loose Lips Sink Ships was an instrumental math rock band from DeKalb, Illinois. They took a more laid back, almost jazzy approach to math rock. Highly recommended if you are a fan of the bands that are on the Sargent House label. Here are a few of their tracks:

For more on Loose Lips Sink Ships:

Soundcloud
Bandcamp

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Vasco Da Gama

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 8:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here.

Vasco Da Gama is a British band out of Liverpool who are named after the famous Portugese explorer. Their music is a powerful mix of math rock and pop hooks. They sound something like a more cheerful, less aggressive version of At the Drive-In, or if Minus the Bear ditched the electronics and turned up the volume. Below you can listen to their excellent single "Brigadiers" from their latest EP, Geography, as well as a couple of older songs.


For more on Vasco Da Gama:

Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Youtube

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Mint Julep

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 8:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here.  


Mint Julep is a husband and wife duo out of Portland, OR that consists of vocalist Hollie Kenniff and multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff. They play a mix of shoegaze and dream pop with electronic elements, reminiscent of artists like Still Corners, Twin Sister, Tamaryn and Washed Out. Their most recent release is 2011's Save Your Season, but will be releasing a new EP, Broken Devotion, later this year.

Here is their latest track, "Soon the Sea", along with a couple tracks from Save Your Season.

For more on Mint Julep:

Official site
Facebook
Soundcloud
Youtube

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Detonautas Roque Clube

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 8:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here.   

Detonautas Roque Clube are a rock band from Brazil that formed in the late 90's and have been successful in their home country. They have opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers and have previously been signed to Warner Music Brazil and Sony BMG but released their self-titled EP independently last year and have since released a few more new songs on their own. Most of their lyrics are in Portugese and they have a diverse sound which ranges from hard rock to softer rock to more electronic productions. Here are three of their standout tracks that are available to stream and download from their Soundcloud page. Each of these three songs shows a different side of the band.


For more on Detonautas Roque Clube:

Official Site
Soundcloud
Facebook
Youtube
Wikipedia

Soundcloud Profile of the Week: Strummerville

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 6:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here.  

This week I'm doing something different. Instead of featuring a band, I'm featuring a charity. Strummerville is a charity out of London that was founded by the family & friends of Joe Strummer of The Clash after his death. In addition to helping out with worldwide music projects such as WayOUT Project in Sierra Leone, Strummerville provides resources to London musicians so they can record and showcase their music. On their Soundcloud page, there are over 600 songs from artists they have helped out that are available for free download. Here are a few of the most recent songs they have posted:

For more on Strummerville:

Official site
Soundcloud
Facebook
Youtube

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: Oblio and Arrow

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 6:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here. 

Oblio and Arrow is a band out of Chicago, started by lead singer/songwriter Matthew Kopecky in 2009.  They play a very melodic style of indie rock that has a unique sound. Check them out if you like Vampire Weekend or The Arcade Fire. They released their debut album Thank God For Photons in 2011 and will have more new music out soon. Here are a few tracks from that album:

For more Oblio and Arrow:

Facebook
Soundcloud
Bandcamp

Soundcloud Artist of the Week: wearemarvin

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist that I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play a song from them during the new music hour at 6:30 on my show that week, and will write a bit more about them here. 

wearemarvin is a band from Hamburg, Germany who formed in 2012. They have put up a demo on their Soundcloud page that you can download for free. It sounds like The Strokes' album Is This It is a huge influence for them. It will be interesting to see what they do next and if they can develop their own sound. Here are a few of their demo tracks:

For more wearemarvin:

Facebook
Soundcloud