Meernaa :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

The calling card of Meernaa is the smoky timbre of Carly Bond’s voice. It’s an instrument of immense warmth and controlled tension, which imprints a sort of charged unpredictability onto her songs. This has never been more true than with the humbly titled, So Far So Good. Bond spoke with us about the joys and terrors of opening a studio, unlearning old ways of thinking, and the powerful themes of love and self-worth on her new record.

Edsel Axle :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Variable Happiness was made available to the world in August 2023, courtesy of a previously unknown artist named Edsel Axle. But it doesn’t take much detective work to determine that Edsel Axle is a nom de plume of Rosali Middleman. As Rosali, she has released a number of albums in the singer/songwriter mode, whereas Variable Happiness is a collection of instrumental electric guitar recordings.

Catching Up With Devendra Banhart

We caught up with Devendra Banhart to discuss his 11th album, Flying Wig, his artistic partnership with Cate Le Bon, his 20-year-delayed concert in Caracas, and the music that, now as ever, he is bubbling over with enthusiasm for. We also explore “Charger” perhaps the most Devendra Banhart song ever, which starts out wide-eyed to the point of parody about the most mundane of things, then touches profundity as the lens widens to cosmic revelation.

Catching Up With Teenage Fanclub

Recently, the venerable power pop juggernaut known as Teenage Fanclub released its 11th studio album, Nothing Lasts Forever, some 34 years after bursting on the scene. The new disc marries the roar of noisy guitars with the sweetest sorts of melodies, and like those earlier albums, it represents a band doing exactly what they like. We took the opportunity to talk to Ray McGinley and Norman Blake about their career so far, their early albums, their partnership with Alan McGee of Creation Records and their fixation with loud, feedback riddled bands like Sonic Youth and the Stooges, as well as more tuneful outfits like Big Star and the Byrds.

Peter Case :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Peter Case might have made his name with the speedy rock trio The Nerves and the chiming Plimsouls, but he’s spent much of the last handful of decades following his muse into unexpected territory. His latest albums, Doctor Moan and The Midnight Broadcast, speak to his breadth, drawing deeply from blues and jazz—harkening back to classic works like his 1986 solo debut, which was crafted with T-Bone Burnett and Mitchell Froom. All along, Case has been interested in chasing songs in a very classic and rooted sense, and he’s keen to see where they might lead him—no matter how shadowy the terrain. Aquarium Drunkard rang Case earlier this year to discuss.

Karly Hartzman (Wednesday) :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Helmed by songwriter Karly Hartzman, Wednesday has evolved from an Asheville, NC solo project to a full-fledged band with five albums to their name. On them, Hartzman’s voice careens from a near yodel to a clear scream, sometimes within the span of a single song, melodic riffs periodically punching through. And lyrically, their latest Rat Saw God continues to embody that Southern smaller-town spirit, weaving in hometown references and encapsulating the teenage sweet spot of horror-meets-ennui specific to the band’s origin point. It’s music full of haunted spaces: Gothic, but not in the sense of black lace and The Cramps; warmer, more like a red hoodie and some Drive By Truckers.

Catching Up With Hiss Golden Messenger

“Words can mean different things, from day to day they change their meaning,” MC Taylor sings at the start of Jump For Joy, his latest under the reliable and stalwart Hiss Golden Messenger banner. Adopting a new character—named “Michael Crow,” with a subtle nod—allows Taylor a little space to move around. And tellingly, he uses much of that wiggle room to indulge in layers of funk (“I Saw the New Day in the World”), lithe soft-rock (“Shinbone”), and Dead-indebted shuffles (“California King”). Hiss Golden Messenger’s best records always balance honeyed charm with existential weight, but here the ratio feels exactly right: words change their meaning, after all, and though Taylor concludes the album confessing he “speaks a dead language,” it’s clear he’s got plenty of new things to say. Taylor joins us to discuss.

Lance Bangs on The Elephant 6 Recording Co.

In 2019, director Chad Stockfleth released a lo-fi, VHS-only documentary A Future History Of: The Elephant 6 Recording Co. Following that limited rollout, documentarian Lange Bangs—whose footage was used extensively in the film—came onboard with the folks behind 2020’s Other Music doc, producer Rob Hatch-Miller and editor/producer Greg King, to streamline and expand the documentary. The resulting film, now titled The Elephant 6 Recording Co., sees official release on today. Bangs joins us to reflect on the Elephant 6 scene.

Anohni :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Anohni has been making transcendent, unearthly music for more than two decades now. Her latest album, My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross, is perhaps her best yet, mining a rich vein of classic soul to deliver impassioned lyrics about love, gender identity, intergenerational connection, and the climate crisis. She joins us to discuss resilience, soul, and the role of an artist in our damaged culture.

Sam Burton :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Los Angeles singer/songwriter Sam Burton isn’t trying to “reinvent the wheel” with his sophomore album, Dear Departed. Crafted in collaboration with Jonathan Wilson (Margo Price, Angel Olsen, Father John Misty) in Laurel Canyon, the album incorporates familiar and trusted elements—think Nick Drake at his most windswept, Leonard Cohen in a slightly sweeter mood, or a less rhinestoned Glen Campbell—but Burton presents his own vision. He joined us to discuss teaming up with Wilson, his roots in rural Utah, and finding a newfound appreciation for the ’90s pop country he grew up hearing.

Catching Up With Taper’s Choice

We last checked in with Taper’s Choice days before their first annual “Choice Fest” here in Los Angeles. Now, on the eve of the eagerly anticipated second annual event [Choice Fest, August 5th at Spoke Bicycle Cafe in Los Angeles], we reached out to the band to chart how things have grown and expanded, both in terms of fans and for themselves.