Transmissions :: Chris Forsyth

This week on Transmissions, Chris Forsyth returns to discuss the gleaming power pop and avant-rock of his latest, Evolution Here We Come. Featuring members of Tortoise, Garcia Peoples, the Sun Ra Arkestra, and The Dream Syndicate, it bounds forward with guitar-driven exuberance and sparkle.

Transmissions :: Psychic Temple

This week, we’re joined by returning guest Chris Schlarb of Psychic Temple and Big Ego, his studio in Long Beach. His latest is called Houses of the Holy, a four-sided double-album, featuring a different band on each side: Cherry Glazerr with garage pop, the Chicago Underground Trio with their jazz inflection, psych warriors the Dream Syndicate, and rapper and producer Xololanxinxo. Schlarb took some time out of his holiday season to speak with us about the creative ethos driving his work.

Guiding Light :: A Tom Verlaine Appreciation

Heartfelt tributes to Tom Verlaine have been pouring in since news broke of his death late last month. A famously enigmatic character, the Television co-founder never went out of his way to make himself lovable — but he was loved all the same. As you’ll see below, Verlaine provided a guiding light for a wide array of artists through the decades. His deeply original approach (to the guitar, to songwriting, to life) went beyond mere influence and inspiration; it seeped inextricably into the DNA of generations of musicians and writers. As a result, this case will likely never be closed …

Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987

Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983 – 1987 gathers 28 gemlike tracks from bands that are mostly now forgotten. Some of the artists went on to commercial success, but that was clearly never the goal. We caught up with the comp’s curator, Mike Sniper, to learn how he found this music, what it means to him and why the world needs more bands, even now in the age of isolation and self-recording.

Psychic Temple :: Houses of the Holy

On the sprawling Houses of the Holy, Chris Schlarb assembles a four-pronged augmented Psychic Temple, recruiting rockers Cherry Glazerr, legendary jazz combo the Chicago Underground Trio, the psychedelic Dream Synidcate and rapper Xololanxinxo for a journey of moods and styles.

Olden Yolk :: The AD Interview

Speaking with Shane Butler and Caity Shaffer of Olden Yolk feels like a great conversation with friends where one alleyway of thought leads into another. It’s a feeling similar to their latest album, Living Theatre, a gorgeous record that funnels a broad collection of musical influences, but also ends up sounding like some of the best of Yo La Tengo’s gentler moments.