Modern Bible: A Lost Acid Folk Masterpiece from the Japanese Underground

JapanPosted on

As a record collector, some albums exist more like myths than tangible objects. You come across a passing mention, just enough to spark curiosity, and soon you’re chasing shadows, trying to confirm whether the record even exists. About 15 years ago, this happened to me with a record called Modern Bible, a recording deep from the Japanese underground credited to an Angura theatre troupe named Gekidan Buraiha (“Gekidan” being a Japanese word for “theatre troupe . . .

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King Tubby Meets Jacob Miller in a Tenement Yard

Jacob Miller King Tubby Reggae/DubPosted on

An absolutely wicked, top-ranking slab of primo mid-70s dub from King Tubby. Ranging from the hard-driving squelch of “Dreada Dread Dub” and “Roman Soldiers of Dub” to the trailing twinkle of “Suzie Wong Dub” it’s easy to imagine keyboardist Touter Harvey stepping onto the Mothership and tapping in for Bernie Worrell. Filtered through Tubby’s arsenal of echo, flying hi-hat, and other flick-of-the-wrist console wizardry, these dubs are heavier than two tons of high grade in the sunshine, and they’ll linger straight through to next summer . . .

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Aquarium Drunkard Book Club :: Chapter 35

Book ClubPosted on

It’s Aquarium Drunkard’s Book Club, our monthly gathering of recent (or not so recent) recommended reading. In this month’s stack: the labyrinthian life and career of one Mac Rebennack, aka Dr. John the Night Tripper, the rise, fall, and resurrection of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, a deep dive into the revolution in rhythm and sound that is Jamaican dub and reggae, a wild ride through the NYC underground, from Fluxus to free jazz, and the first installment in Rachel Cusk's critically acclaimed trilogy The Outline . . .

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The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PDT, Channel 35)

SIRIUSPosted on

Summer sofrito. Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays. No static at all.

34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .

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Crosby & Nash :: Wind on the Water

David Crosby Graham NashPosted on

In 1970, Graham Nash made the Chateau’s Bungalow 2 his home for five months, describing it as “a great place to hide,’’ following the dissolution of his relationship with Joni Mitchell. Nash would return five years later, posting up in the hillside’s Bungalow 3 with David Crosby to woodshed and polish material that would make up their second collaboration together as a duo, Wind on the Water — an album which turns 50 next month . . .

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All One Song :: Jason P. Woodbury on “When Your Lonely Heart Breaks”

All One Song Neil Young PodcastPosted on

We’ve spent the summer talking with some great musicians and writers about the strange and wonderful Neil Young universe. And we’ve had a good time. But all good things must come to an end! After today’s episode, we are handing the keys back to Jason P. Woodbury, the host of Transmissions. He’s got an incredible season of interviews coming your way as summer turns to fall. And speaking of Woodbury, he joins us today to discuss the lost Neil classic "When Your Lonely Heart Breaks . . .

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Modern Nature :: The Heat Warps

Modern NaturePosted on

When we last checked in with Jack Cooper’s Modern Nature, he and his band were drifting into territory that suggested ambiance over sturdy form on 2023’s No Fixed Point in Space. But with the rhythm section of bassist Jeff Tobias and drummer Jim Wallis augmented by new guitarist and vocalist Tarra Cunningham, the UK band’s latest, The Heat Warps, finds Cooper in the most guitar centric zone he’s explored since the heyday of his old indie rock band Ultimate Painting . . .

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Double Wide Denim: A Medley

MixtapesPosted on

Double Wide Denim: a weird amalgam of Mel McDaniel, Don Williams, Dickey Betts, David Allan Coe, Molly Hatchet, ZZ Top, Dwight Yoakam and beyond. A playlist that evokes Coors Lite, charcoal grills, ice chests, lakes and pontoon boats . . .

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Water Damage :: Live at Le Guess Who?

Water DamagePosted on

Live at Le Guess Who is exactly what the title suggests: a live recording from the much loved Utrecht experimental music festival documenting a single set from mighty Austin collective Water Damage. The band’s motto is “Maximal Repetition Minimal Deviation.” Its members pursue the collective liftoff that comes from grinding a riff down so hard that it turns into something else. “Reel 28” carries the faint echo of Oneida’s “Sheets of Easter.” Instead of one note, there are five, but the way that tight, repetitive discipline yields transcendence and expansiveness is exactly the same. This is music as . . .

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Isaac Sherman :: A Pasture, Its Limits

Isaac ShermanPosted on

An adventurous electroacoustic artist working in the tradition of Terry Riley and Laurie Spiegel, Isaac Sherman combines the refracted glow of L.A.’s ambient jazz scene with more tactile synth excursions. Though adroit at loop-based synth improvisation, Sherman has turned to tighter structures and more definite rhythms for his first proper album. Though its name suggests a concern with boundaries and demarcations, A Pasture Its Limits finds ways to make the territory it stakes out feel expansive if not endless . . .

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Augustus Pablo :: East of the River Nile

Augustus Pablo Reggae/DubPosted on

East of the River Nile is a masterpiece of haunting and hazy ambience from Augustus Pablo (aka Horace Swaby), whose plaintive melodica leads waft through these dubbed-out instrumentals like fragrant and heady strains of ganja mist. Recorded at some of the most hallowed studios in Jamaica—Harry J’s, King Tubby’s, Channel One, and Black Ark—East of the River Nile boasts some serious dub royalty with master engineers like Errol Thompson, Sylvan Morris, Prince Jammy, and Lee Perry manning the console while the Barrett brothers, Robbie Shakespeare, Earl “Chinna” Smith, and The Upsetters are among the heavies . . .

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The Sorcerers :: Other Worlds and Habitats

The SorcerersPosted on

The Leeds, UK group The Sorcerers have long excelled at making an irresistible brand of action exotica, cooked up from Sun Ra records, Ethio-jazz, Moondog minimalism and funky library grooves. The return of original keyboardist Johnny Richards, bringing with him a battery of vintage synths, gives their fourth album Other Worlds and Habitats an eerie, sci-fi glow and sprinkles everything in moondust. The result is an album of thick spacey global jams made up of vibes, horns, flutes, synths and one of the most rock solid rhythm sections out there . . .

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Gwenno :: Utopia

GwennoPosted on

Gwenno's Utopia is an exceptionally compelling work that masterfully strikes a balance between playful and poignant in both the musical and lyrical expression. It’s a beautiful and sophisticated work that stands out for its singularity and humanity, marking a momentous moment in Gwenno’s artistry . . .

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The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PDT, Channel 35)

SIRIUSPosted on

Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays. No static at all.

34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .

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All One Song :: Ethan Miller on “Music Arcade”

All One Song Neil Young PodcastPosted on

This week, our All One Song guest is Ethan Miller. Ethan has been a longtime fixture in the underground, first coming to my attention back in the early aughts as the co-founder of the psych noise pioneers Comets on Fire. But Ethan is nothing if not prolific — he’s played with an array of awesome bands over the years, from Howlin Rain to Feral Ohms to Odyssey Cult. Ethan was also one-fourth of Heron Oblivion with our previous guests Meg Baird and Charlie Saufley … and he’s one-third of the Orcutt Shelley Miller trio, with another previous . . .

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