On The Turntable

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    Ty Segall

    Ty Segall :: Segall Smeagol

    Ty Segall is an inspired interpreter. With a previous collection of T. Rex covers and a deep-fried take on Hot Chocolate’s “Every 1’s a Winner” under his belt, he reaches a high noon stand down on this new six-track quarantine collection of covers culled from Harry Nilsson’s 1971 lp, Nilsson Schmilsson. The source material jittery and depraved as it already is, Segall twists it further inward, practically taking a trip to the Overlook Hotel on wholly villainous rides at “Coconut,” “Gotta Get Up,” “Early in the Morning,” and the like. Dripped in psychedelic sludge, sometimes you’ve just got to fight crazy with crazy.

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    DUNE

    DUNE :: Motion Picture Soundtrack

    Arrakis…Dune…desert planet. Take a cue from Muad’Dib and and adjust you stillsuit to desert fashion, as Dune’s official soundtrack is being reissued on vinyl August 29th by Jackpot Records for Record Store Day 2020. Arid and sweeping, expect sounds from Brian Eno and Toto, accompanied by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Volksoper Choir. Sourced from the original master tapes. The Spice must flow …

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    Benny Yurco

    Benny Yurco :: You Are My Dreams

    The strange and alluring sonic world of Burlington, Vermont’s Benny Yurco comes to life on his sophomore long player, You Are My Dreams, released last month via People in a Position to Know. Having gigged regularly as rhythm guitarist for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, this is Yurco’s first solo output in almost a decade. Dranged and dubbed out bedroom cantina vibes…

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    Kiko Dinucci

    Kiko Dinucci :: Rastilho

    With Rastilho, Kiko Dinucci set out to make an album in the vein of Brazilian compatriot João Gilberto … as scanned through the lens of São Paulo’s avant-garde scene, African polyphonic rhythms and percussive post-punk. Sacrosanct this is not.

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    Beverly Glenn-Copeland

    Beverly Glenn-Copeland :: At Last!

    This fall finds the release of Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland—a collection of the wildly idiosyncratic and brilliantly singular catalog of a pioneering transgender artist. Perhaps most exciting, is its introduction of a heretofore unknown EP from 1983, entitled At Last!. Daring and jazzy, and not without a touch of danger, Glenn-Copeland crafts something of a more straight-forward “rock” here, filling the extended player with soaring guitar lines, muscular rhythms, and power ballads. It works.

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    David Darling & the Wulu Bunun

    David Darling & the Wulu Bunun :: Mudanin Kata

    This 2004 collaboration between cellist David Darling and the Wulu Bunun singers of Taiwan is nothing short of a miracle. With the Bunun singers’ a capella vocal recordings of indigenous folk songs at the core, their joyous, polyphonic harmonies coalesce with Darling’s luminous, delicate, and occasionally bluesy compositional tones. Together, they brighten and blossom amongst ambient sounds of nature, resulting in something truly spectacular and life-affirming. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful record deserving of far wider recognition.

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    Shirley Collins

    Shirley Collins :: Heart’s Ease

    There are voices. And then there are Voices. With “Wondrous Love,” Shirley Collins reminds us she’s in the latter category, bringing fresh humanity this early 1800s Sacred Harp hymn (with roots stretching back even further to the British isles).

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    Trees Speak

    Trees Speak :: Ohms

    On their new album, Ohms, Trees Speak evoke the heavy weirdness of the deep desert but from a Krautrock connoisseur’s viewpoint, folding in elements of post-punk, noir soundtracks, analog synth-music and contemporary psychedelia.

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Kiko Dinucci :: Rastilho

With Rastilho, Kiko Dinucci set out to make an album in the vein of Brazilian compatriot João Gilberto … as scanned through the lens of São Paulo’s avant-garde scene, African polyphonic rhythms and percussive post-punk. Sacrosanct this is not.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Austin McCutchen

For his first ever Lagniappe Session, Liberty Hair Farm-based Austin McCutchen decided he’d look towards the sky. Recorded in quarantine and produced by Dan Horne, McCutchen’s takes on Jim Sullivan’s “UFO” (ft. Horne) and J.J. Cale’s “Cajun Moon” (featuring the Western Stars) offer us all a little respite from a weary world.

I Don’t Know is a Good Mantra :: Catching Up With Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart is well aware of how good he’s got it right now. While he’s taken a financial hit by not being able to tour and has the occasional freakout about the state of the world, the singer-songwriter is in a comfortable enough position to be able stay home and stay busy. He’s continued to work, demoing a new record that he’s making with his regular collaborator Noah Georgeson and, with his longtime backing band, remotely recording a dreamy, elegiac cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” …

Benny Yurco :: You Are My Dreams

The strange and alluring sonic world of Burlington, Vermont’s Benny Yurco comes to life on his sophomore long player, You Are My Dreams, released last month via People in a Position to Know. Having gigged regularly as rhythm guitarist for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, this is Yurco’s first solo output in almost a decade. Dranged and dubbed out bedroom cantina vibes…

Eddie Chacon :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Soul singer Eddie Chacon has spent years navigating the music industry. But on Pleasure, Joy and Happiness, his new album with John Carroll Kirby, Chacon sounds reborn as a cosmic R&B mystic. Here, he shares a playlist of some of the songs that inspired the lp and walks us along the many creative paths that led him here.

Transmissions :: Chris Forsyth

Our guest this week is Chris Forsyth, guitarist, bandleader, composer, and DIY lifer. His studio albums evoke the punk psychedelia of Television, balancing ‘70s rock grooves the loose, exploratory feel of the Dead. But as good as his studio LPs are, it might be live recordings that best showcase his sound. His latest is called First Flight. On it, he’s joined by guitarist Dave Harrington, drummer Ryan Jewell, and bassist Spencer Zahn on stage at Nublu in New York City on September 20th, 2019.

Jack Nitzsche :: S/T

Known for his soundtracks and classic string arrangements with Phil Spector, Neil Young, and the Stones, Jack Nitzsche’s singer-songwriter side is a bit less well-known, but it gets its due on Mapache Records’ reissue of his self-titled LP. Recorded in 1974. it’s making its vinyl debut here—and it sounds absolutely great, an oddball orchestral pop extravaganza that calls to mind Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, and other similarly styled West Coast weirdos.

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Dirty Projectors

Dave Longstreth’s Lagniappe Session emboldens and broadens his homage to Gilberto. Performing two tender ballads from Stan Getz and João Gilberto’s seminal self-titled album, “Corcovado” and “Para Machuchar Meu Coracao,” Longstreth sings entirely in Portuguese, accompanied by only a nylon string guitar and the warm noise of a tape machine, in tribute to a bright and brilliant man and his all-embracing musical influence.

H.C. McEntire :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

On her second solo album Eno Axis, North Carolina’s H.C. McEntire sounds at peace. With her band luxuriating in gospel, soul, and country grooves behind her, her voice hovers above the down-home mix, buoyed by contentment. Inspired by time spent sinking into domestic routines and the blooming of a new relationship, the record feels like a cool breeze in this fiery summer. “I felt really centered in my body,” she says. “I was anchored down, I was in a great spiritual place. Everything about this record felt—I don’t want to say easy—but it had an ease to it.”

Transmissions :: Eric Slick

This week on Transmissions, we’re joined by songwriter and Dr. Dog drummer Eric Slick. His new album of classic pop songcraft is called Wiseacre. Best known for his work with Dr. Dog and Natalie Prass, Wiseacre was inspired by the golden-hued melodies of Harry Nilsson, Haruomi Hosono, and a general ’70s gloss. It’s a deeply personal record, one that explores contentment and domesticity, as well as unpacking no small amount of personal weirdness and trauma.