It finally happened. Winter arrived. Snow fell and we woke up this past Sunday with about three inches of the stuff. I’m glad it didn’t arrive earlier, as Friday saw me at KSVR for a four hour stint of music.

The first two hours flirted with folk music and the latter half was full-on garage rock, garage pop and psychedelic pop. Much of the 10 to midnight show came courtesy Finest Kiss, who posted some great 2011 lists.

Taking a week off from radio this Friday, as in appreciated for covering Stuarto’s show on the 13th he’ll be covering mine on the 20th. Here’s the list. Get ready, it’s a long one!

“Sunset Tulips” by Night Genes off Like The Blood
“What Never Comes” by Crooked Fingers off Forfeit/Fortune
“Cavern In A Square” by Ham 1 off Let’s Go On And On And On With Ham 1

“Valhalla” by Jack Wilson off S/T
“End of Days” by Brown Bird off Salt For Salt
“Can’t You Tell” by Vetiver off The Errant Charm

“My Pillow Is The Threshold” by Silver Jews off Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
“The Stations” by The Gutter Twins off Saturnalia
“Be Invited” by The Twilight Singers off Dynamite Steps

“Sixteen, Maybe Less” by Iron & Wine with Calexico off In The Reins
“Changing” by The Moondoggies off Don’t Be A Stranger

“The Wrong Light” by Kasey Anderson and The Honkeys off Heart of a Dog

“Close My Eyes” by Ólöf Arnalds off Ólöf Sings
“Smoke Will Rise” by The Lower 48 off Where All Maps End

“Wings Won’t Behave” by Whistle Peak off Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls

“Alphabet” by The Twilight Sad off No One Can Ever Know
“The Jessica Numbers” by The New Pornographers off Twin Cinema
“Yoshi Battles The Pink Robots Pt. 1″ by The Flaming Lips off Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

“Here Comes Success” by Royal City off 1999-2004
“No Reply” by Giant Sand off Chore of Enchantment
“October Boy” by Mick Harvey off Sketches from the Book of the Dead

“Dance” by Astrid Williamson off Pulse

“Moon See, Day See” by The Heligoats off Live Free & Let Loose
“Golden Friends” by Leopold And His Fiction

“Don’t Wait” by Bears off Greater Lakes
“Summer Gang” by Afternoon Naps off Summer Gang 7″

“If You Choose To Stay” by The Webelos off Shadow Seasons
“(I’ve Got) Trouble In Mind” by The Limiñanas off (I’ve Got) Trouble In Mind 7″
“Israeli Blues” by Index off Black Album + Red Album + Yesterday & Today [Disc-1]

“As Times Change” by Sea Lions off Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sea Lions But Were Afraid To Ask
“Can You Feel The Backwash” by A Classic Education off Call It Blazing
“Pretty When You Smile” by Sweater Girls off Pretty When You Smile 7″

“Pretty Ballerina” by Left Banke off There’s Gonna Be A Storm – The Complete Recordings 1966-1969
“Like Dylan in the Movies” by Belle & Sebastian off If You’re Feeling Sinister
“Conventional Lullabies” by Young And Sexy off Panic When You Find It

“Roosevelt Island” by Eleanor Friedberger off Last Summer
“Dour Percentage” by Of Montreal off Paralytics Stalks
“The Golden Age” by The Resonars off Bright And Dark

“Catamaran” by Allah-Las off Catamaran b/w Long Journey
“Malkaus” by The Panthers off Pakistan: Folk and Pop Instrumentals 1966-1976
“Where You Gonna Go” by People’s Temple off Sons Of Stone

“Invitations” by Puberty off Invitations 7″
“Shari Vari” by The Dirtbombs” off Party Store

“Tuscaloosa Bar” by Indian Wars off Walk Around The Park

“Sycamore Tree” by Crystal Stilts off In Love With Oblivion
“Raspberry Thighs” by The Mantles off Raspberry Thighs 7″
“Bad Feeling” by Veronica Falls off Veronica Falls

“Give Me Back My Man” by Boyracer off Little Darla Has A Treat For You [Vol. 24 Disc 1]
“Blowing Kisses” by Exlovers off Blowing Kisses 7″
“So High” by Ringo DeathStarr off Colour Trip

“Plastic Disaster” by Little Cuts off Plastic Disaster 7″
“I Wanna Join The Army” by Dan Sartain off Too Tough To Live

“The Start of Something” by Voxtrot off The Start Of Something

I entered the studio at about 9:35pm, meeting up with Stuarto, who has the time slot before mine. A quick interview about 15 minutes before my show, another few songs, and I was up. It was requested that I attempt a transition, and as indie music is my theme, and world music is his, I figured I’d kick things off with an oldie, but goodie: “The Gulag Orkestar” by Beirut.

The theme of the evening, loosely, centered around folk. Indie folk, folk pop, folk rock, orchestral folk, experimental folk… you name it. Below is the playlist from the night. Look for the bold track names to grab an mp3 of select songs from the show, including a personal favorite, “Golden Friends” by Leopold And His Fiction…

“The Gulag Orkestar” by Beirut off Gulag Orkestar
“Louise” by Norwegian Arms off Louise EP
“Chesser” by Ramona Córdova off The Boy Who Floated Freely

“The Birds” by Folklore off Home Church Road
“Bullfrog Blues” by Donkeys off Born With Stripes
“Love The Way You Walk Away” by Blitzen Trapper off American Goldwing

“The Shrine / An Argument” by Fleet Foxes off Helplessness Blues
“The Hurricane” by The Migrant off Amerika
“Free’s” by Bill Callahan off Apocalypse

“The Honest Truth” by Typhoon off A New Kind of House
“Gasworks” by Hey Marseilles off To Travels & Trunks
“Falling Down” by David Karsten Daniels off Fear of Flying

“Wraith” by The Lovely Sparrows off Bury the Cynics
“Bugs” by O’Death off Outside
“It’s A Shame, It’s A Pity” by The Moondoggies off Tidelands

“While You Were Sleeping” by Elvis Perkins off Ash Wednesday
“Favourite Colour Blue” by Tom Brosseau off Posthumous Success
“Meal of Dreams” by Book Club off Ghost

“Slowdown” by Vanish Valley off Get Good
“Cave Country” by Quiet Life off Big Green
“Moon See, Day See” by The Heligoats off Live Free & Let Loose

“Bad Luck” by Royal City off 1999-2004
“Golden Friends” by Leopold & His Fiction off Golden Friends / Throne 7″
“Too Afraid to Love You” by The Black Keys off Brothers

“Teach My Heart” by Charles Leo Gebhardt IV off Begin Again

On a recent drive to Seattle from my new hometown of Mount Vernon, I picked up my iPod Touch and changed the song to Royal City’s “Bad Luck”, putting it on a one-song repeat. The song clocks 3:04 and is only the palest shade less impressive than album opener “Here Comes Success”. Both songs are absolutely stunning, blending a gritty folk-rock with freak-folk and noise.

1999-2004 encompasses the years Royal City spent together, packing within its unique cover casing twelve songs. Being a rather new fan of Royal City is a bittersweet experience; it’s exciting to hear and discover such great tunes but unfortunate I will never have the chance to see the group in a live setting. From the mind-blowing noise-infused folk in the previously mentioned tracks to the minimal folk of “Can’t You Hear Me Calling” and “A Belly Was Made For Wine”, Royal City is truly a must-hear band.

The packaging for this release is unique, with thick front and back covers and a strong but thin black binding. It works well with the minimalist approach, featuring only the barest of exterior labeling in a beautifully scripted font. Add the great music within, and 1999-2004 is perfect for fans of the physical release.

1999-2004 by Royal City is out now on Asthmatic Kitty.

Royal City: A Belly Was Made For Wine [mp3]

Royal City: Can’t You Hear Me Calling [mp3]

I must say, I’m quite obsessed with a few select songs off Royal City‘s latest release, 1999-2004. Those tracks are 1) “Here Comes Success”, thanks to its eclectic guitar breakdown toward the end of the tune, and 2) “Bad Luck” due to a clever lead guitar riff. 1999-2004 is an album of rarities and b-sides collected over the tenure of this short-lived band.

While the band Royal City is no longer in existence, their music and their overall greatness lives on in these songs. “A Belly Was Made For Wine” and “Can’t You Hear Me Calling” show a slower, softer side of the band that comes close to the power in its opposite. All these songs make up an album that leads to a simple, painful realization: the desire for Royal City to reunite and make a comeback.

Royal City was recently featured on Cover Art, where you can see more photos like the one above and download another mp3 from the release.

Royal City: A Belly Was Made For Wine [mp3]