The Baltimore-bred indie-rock outfit, Squaaks, was conceived in an art school dorm room as the bastard lovechild of a toy Wurlitzer keyboard and a four-track cassette recorder. This passionate union resulted in a diverse litter of tunes coupled by crunchy guitars, a driving rhythm and catchy melodies. The band pays respect to its late-60s/early-70s protopunk influences (particularly the Kinks, T.Rex and the Beatles) while uniting a modern poprock sound (reminiscent of the Pixies and/or Nirvana) to create energetic and straightforward rock with a predisposition to focus slightly left of center. Squaaks is songwriter Virat Shukla (vocals/guitar); bassist and vocalist Elena Fox; guitarist and keyboardist Justin Custer; and Baltimore drumming sensation Charles Cole. 11 tracks. Morphius Records. 2008.