Music

The Weekly Rotation Update:

» Click to View Rotation Update for 4-14-08 «

So much new stuff! Alright!
Edison Glass - math-y posthardcore for fans of Damiera, Bear vs. Shark, At the Drive-In, etc.

Elbow - Brit-rock for fans of Coldplay and Placebo.

Foals - Imagine a dose of the math rock of bands like Minus the Bear and Q and Not U but with a Brit-rock influence.

Islands - Experimental indiepop featuring former members of The Unicorns for fans of The Arcade Fire (who actually used to open for The Unicorns) and Of Montreal.

Lyrics Born - Experimental hip-hop for fans of Cadence Weapon, The Coup and Outkast.

The Phenomenauts - Over the top, super-hero themed synth rock for fans of The Aquabats and The Epoxies.

Other stuff -
No Use For A Name
Flobots
French Kicks
Nick Cave
The Matches
The Slackers

Coming Soon -
Sun Kil Moon
Frightened Rabbit
+ more

Also everyone should go see Cursive, Appleseed Cast, Call It Arson and Aeroplane, 1929 on Friday in Danbury! Wooh!

- D.J. Bernat
Music Director, 98.1 WQAQ
Contributing Writer, Wonka Vision Magazine

» Click to View Rotation Update for 3-19-08 «

Ohhhh guys. It's been so long. It's been busy. I'm sorry. But as consolation, I offer the new Minus the Bear video. It's ballin' (literally) - http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article
/download/49254-minus-the-bear
-throwin-shapes

Now onto new music -

Colour Revolt - I've been hearing great things about this band and fell in love with this album after one listen. Blends all the best elements of Brand New, mewithoutYou and Manchester Orchestra.

Dr. Manhattan - A bunch of really young dudes who got signed to Vagrant records and play an adventurous brand of post-hardcore for fans of bands like At the Drive-In, Portugal, The Man and My Chemical Romance. If you get a chance, check out their video for "Big Chomper, Big Chomper."

The Gaslight Anthem - This band has been getting a lot of press and were hand picked by Thursday to open their annual New Year's show this year. Imagine Bruce Springstein fronting a punk rock band containing members of Two Gallants and Against Me!

Mostly Bears - an incredibly original and experimental indie rock band for fans of Muse and Radiohead.

Swimmers - Piano heavy indie rock for fans of Spoon and Koufax.

Other new stuff worth checking out -
Joseph Arthur
Lousy Robot
Murder By Death

On the horizon -
Be Your Own Pet
Man Man

- D.J. Bernat

» Click to View Rotation Update for 2-20-08 «

Hey guys!

Per the usual now that we're on the air I'll be shooting out a rotation update about once a week highlighting some of the newest records we've gotten.

Headlights are a really cool synthy indie rock band for fans of bands like The New Pornographers, Via Audio and The Anniversary and if you like what you hear they'll be playing a show at The Space this Tuesday, the 26th.

Cadence Weapon is a rapper from Alberta, Canada with a heavy techno influence for fans of rappers like Dr. Octagon, Aesop Rock and El-P.

City and Colour is the acoustic sideproject of Dallas Green, aka the singer in alexisonfire. Fans of Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine and Kevin Devine will probably like him a lot.

Fancey is the indie pop sideproject of one of the guitarists from The New Pornographers for fans of bands like Of Montreal, Beulah and Apples In Stereo. There was also another great indie pop-ish band added this week called Throw Me the Statue.

Other stuff -
The Felice Brothers (Wilco-ish folk rock on Conor Oberst's Team Love label)
Flogging Molly
The Horropops (imagine Tiger Army if they were fronted by Gwen Stefani)
Swimmers (piano driven indie rock a la Spoon or Koufax)

- D.J. Bernat

» Click to View Rotation Update for 11-6-07 «

Another week, another batch of new records for me and Chris to promote. I'm very exhausted since I woke up at 8AM to register for classes this morning, so I'll keep this brief -

A Place To Bury Strangers - Feedback heavy rock 'n roll that Stylus magazine compared to the sound of a dying t-rex, for fans of Joy Division, The Velvet Underground and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

The I'm Not There OST features a variety of really talented artists covering Bob Dylan. My personal favorites are Karen O (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs fame) taking on "Highway 61 Revisited" and Stephen Malkmus (aka "that dude frm Pavement and Silver Jews") doing "Maggie's Farm." Mark Lanegan (formerly of Queens of the Stone Age) also does an incredibly impressive cover of "The Man in the Long Black Coat."

The new Thrice album shows the band showcasing both their heavier side (check out "Firebreather") as well as a more ambient, melodic and experimental side ("Digital Sea").

Last but not least is the new Sigur Ros album Hvarf/Heim, which consists of re-recordings, live tracks and rarities including the song "Staralfur," which you may or may not remember from the penultimate scene from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Also Maritime (the dude from The Promise Ring's new band) are playing the day we get back from break with The One AM Radio (aka Hirikesh Hirway (spelling definitely butchered), a Yale grad who plays an interesting mix of traditonal singer-songwriter fare and laptop electronica), and I pity the foo' who misses that show.

- D.J. Bernat


Weekly Music Charts - WQAQ's Top 30:

   Last updated on: 4/24/08

#Artist - AlbumLabel
1.DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - "I Will Possess Your Heart" [Single] Atlantic
2.FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - Flight Of The ConchordsSUB POP
3.RACONTEURS - Consolers Of The LonelyThird Man-Warner Bros.
4.MATCHES - A Band In HopeEpitaph
5.CLOUD CULT - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)Earthology
6.MAN MAN - Rabbit HabitsAnti
7.NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!Anti
8.COLOUR REVOLT - Plunder, Beg And CurseFat Possum
9.EDISON GLASS - Time Is FictionCredential
10.GASLIGHT ANTHEM - Senor And The Queensabot
11.BE YOUR OWN PET - Get AwkwardEcstatic Peace-Universal
12.R.E.M. - AccelerateWarner Bros.
13.PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - These Are The Good Times PeopleFugitive
14.TOKYO POLICE CLUB - Elephant ShellSaddle Creek
15.CONSTANTINES - Kensington HeightsArts And Crafts
16.BLACK KEYS - Attack And ReleaseNonesuch
17.ISLANDS - Arm's WayAnti
18.LYRICS BORN - Everywhere At OnceAnti
19.PLAYRADIOPLAY! - TexasDriveby
20.FOALS - AntidotesSUB POP
21.MURDER BY DEATH - Red Of Tooth And ClawVagrant
22.BILLY BRAGG - Mr. Love And JusticeAnti
23.SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN - PershingPolyvinyl
24.THE SWORD - Gods Of The EarthKemado
25.GRIEVES - IrreversibleSelf-Released
26.TALLY HALL - Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical MuseumAtlantic
27.ELBOW - The Seldom Seen KidGeffen
28.CLINIC - Do It!Domino
29.SUN KIL MOON - AprilCaldo Verde
30.PATTERN IS MOVEMENT - All TogetherHometapes