Spiritual Jazz Sunday

Alice ColtranePosted on

The following began as a set I compiled on CD-R for personal listening on - as the title suggests -  Sundays. Over time I shared it with a few friends who then shared it with theirs. And now...technology. Below is the streaming version, save a few tracks unavailable by the digital gods. 36 tracks, four and half hours into the metaphysical and beyond.

Spiritual Jazz Sunday (Spotify)

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The Beths :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

The AD Interview The BethsPosted on

Just over a year ago, The Beths were a little-known pop-rock band with a promising EP to their name and a full-length album stuck in the sort of slo-mo creative process that often encumbers musicians with real lives and rent payments and day jobs.

Over several months, the Auckland, New Zealand quartet chipped away at the record when they could -- a couple songs here, a couple songs there, with no pressure from outside entities or expectations, according to the band’s singer and main songwriter, Liz Stokes. Then they got a “kick in the butt” from a friend, she said, and committed to finish the thing.

And that’s when The Beths started picking up steam. Lots of it. And quickly.

First, Stokes and her band mates -- guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair and drummer Ivan Luketina-Johnson -- decided to quit their jobs and start booking a tour, “just to see what would happen,” Stokes says. Then, they started talking to respected indie label Carpark Records about putting out the album.

Carpark released The Beths’ debut LP, Future Me Hates Me, in August, and it’s packed top to bottom with pitch-perfect pop-punk-rock songs built from barbed guitars, relentless hooks, sugary harmonies and Stokes’ deadpan delivery of biting lines like “I’m gonna drink the whole town dry. Put poison in my wine and hope that you’re the one who dies.” Across 10 tightly wound tracks, the band sounds like Velocity Girl fronted by Courtney Barnett, laced with Blue Album crunch, backing ooohs and aaahs worthy of the Beach Boys and a hint of that sweet Kiwi jangle coursing through their veins.

What followed was wondrous: an avalanche of glowing reviews from DIY indie-rock blogs and Big Media alike. “A wonderful little record that never lets up,” wrote Rolling Stone, “piling on unassumingly buzzy fun until you start realizing you might be in the presence of a true power-pop monument.” Now, the band is setting off on a world tour of rooms that were probably big enough when they were booked, but now are starting to sell out in advance.

Stokes is trying to take it all in stride, but that’s not something that necessarily comes naturally. Aquarium Drunkard caught up with her via Skype for a conversation about writing hooks, embracing sincerity and the reaction the band’s getting back home. Below is that conversation, edited for length and clarity.

Future Me Hates Me by The Beths

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Transmissions Podcast :: Matt Sullivan of Light in the Attic/In Conversation: Howe Gelb, Steve Wynn, and Robyn Hitchcock

Giant Sand Howe Gelb Podcast Robyn Hitchcock Steve Wynn The Dream SyndicatePosted on

We’re back. The weather is beginning to turn. We’re almost there. Welcome to the September edition of the Transmissions podcast. On this episode, we sit down with three legends of independent music: psychedelic singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, Giant Sand leader Howe Gelb, and Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate. Since emerging in the ‘80s, they’ve amassed incredible catalogs, and they’re all still making vital and poetic records. We spoke earlier this month at HOCO Fest, a multi-day festival in Tucson, Arizona. Sitting down at the KXCI studio at Hotel Congress, the three riffed on their years making music, how their sounds have evolved over the years, and what a lifelong commitment to making art looks like. But first, our conversation with Matt Sullivan of Light in the Attic Records, one of our longtime favorite reissue labels. We spoke live at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood as part of our Talk Show series – a set of live conversations centered around the worlds of music, art, film and beyond. LITA has released records by Rodriguez, Betty Davis, Lee Hazlewood, Jim Sullivan, Serge Gainsbourg, and has launched expansive archives like the Native North America and Japan Archival projects. How did Light in the Attic get started? Live on stage at Gold Diggers, Sullivan explained it all.

Transmissions Podcast :: Light in the Attic/Howe Gelb, Steve Wynn, Robyn Hitchcock

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Posted on Giant Sand Howe Gelb Podcast Robyn Hitchcock Steve Wynn The Dream Syndicate

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Anna St. Louis

Anna St. Louis Lagniappe SessionsPosted on

Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

Next month sees the release of Anna St. Louis's debut lp, If Only There Was A River. Like her first outing, the 2017 First Songs cassette, the album is being released via Kevin Morby's Mare Records imprint. Birthed in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, and produced by Morby and King Tuff's Kyle Thomas, the record finds St. Louis expanding on the aesthetic and motifs set out on First Songs. Below, the artist takes on and strips down the gauzy, psychedelic haze of late 80s Spacemen 3, late 70s Johnny Cash and the aching, barroom longing of Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta".

Anna St. Louis :: Walkin' With Jesus (Spacemen 3)

This is a song I've liked for a long time. My old band that I played bass in covered it and I was always struck by how much the song would win the room over. A friend once described his interpretation of the song and I've always liked it ~ giving up on striving to be something you're not. Accepting yourself where you are. Accepting the confusion of it all. "Well here it comes, here comes the sound, the sound of confusion."

Anna St. Louis :: I Would Like To See You Again (Johnny Cash)
I love the simple sentiment of this song, and I think its something most can relate to...thinking back on another time, knowing how much has passed and changed, but yet longing to see that someone again. "It's funny how an old flame comes back, c'mon back, make ya blue"
Anna St. Louis :: Loretta (Townes Van Zandt)

I like how this song is like a portrait. The whole premise is just describing Loretta and the narrator's relationship to her. I recently read the book Lonesome Dove and after that, the Lorena of the book and the Loretta of this song have strangely blended into one character in my mind. "Loretta she's my bar-room girl, wears them 7's on her sleeves, dances like a diamond shines, tells me lies I love to believe."

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

SIRIUSPosted on

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard every Wednesday at 7pm PST with encore broadcasts on-demand via the SIRIUS/XM app. Mary Lattimore's Aquarium Drunkard session airing during the second hour of tonight's show can be found HERE.

SIRIUS 537: Jean Michel Bernard – Gén . . .

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Kikagaku Moyo / 幾何学模様 :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Kikagaku Moyo The AD InterviewPosted on

Japan has a long and fascinating history with psychedelic music, and its breadth of style is something increasingly reflected in the work of bands like Kikagaku Moyo, who are set to release their latest full length, the stunning Masana Temples, on October 5th, We caught up with drummer Go Kurosawa via email ahead of their upcoming U.S. tour, discussing the new album, their tendency to only do one or two takes . . .

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Different Points of View: Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue”

Bob Dylan Odds & EndsPosted on

More Blood, More Tracks - The Bootleg Series Vol. 14, the latest slab of previously unreleased Bob Dylan recordings, lands in early November. The six-disc collection features the complete New York City recording sessions for . . .

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Ryley Walker :: Busted Stuff

Dave Matthews Band Ryley WalkerPosted on

Earlier this year, Chicago-based songwriter and bandleader Ryley Walker released his fourth full-length lp, the knotty and darkly funny Deafman Glance. But Walker's on a tear. On November 16th, he releases his second record of 2018, The Lillywhite Sessions, a reimagining of the Dave Matthews Band's lost album. Originally recorded in 1999 and 2000, many of these songs surfaced on the DMB's shined-up 2001 lp Everyday. But for their new album, Walker and collaborators Andrew Scott Young and Ryan Jewell took inspiration from the initial, stranger, and altogether less-polished takes, using them as raw materials with which to fashion something new and unexpected. These are far from faithful renditions; Walker opens "Grey Street" with discordant, minimalist reeds, recasts "Kit Kat Jam" with a math rock tint, and brings a sense of impressionisitic melencholy to the bleary "Sweet Up and Down." For all the instrumental reinvention though, Walker seems keenly tapped into the existential fears that the DMB's buoyant jams have a tendency to obscure. "Bartender please, fill my glass for me," Walker sings on "Bartender," the album's best moment. "With the wine you gave Jesus that set him free/After three days in the ground."

On "Busted Stuff," the first taste of the forthcoming album, Walker draws a line straight from Chicago post-rockers the Sea & Cake to the DMB. Though mocked and derided by many as Clinton-era feel-good fluff, Walker highlights both the musical adventurousness and lyrical darkness that exists in the best Dave Matthews Band material. Those listening for the sly, ironic tone that characterizes Walker's social media feeds may find themselves initially baffled. These are songs about mortality and grace, surprising and genuine.

We rang Walker up to discuss. His thoughts, below.

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Posted on Dave Matthews Band Ryley Walker

Richard Swift :: The Hex

Richard SwiftPosted on

Richard Swift was no stranger to singing about death. "Everyone knows when they're gonna die," he crooned, nearly a decade ago. Though absurdist comedy often obscured the fact, death loomed over many of Swift's best songs. In them, tombs were sealed up, ages came to an end, and people were left behind to cry in the wake of innumerable tragedies. I don't believe Swift knew when he was going to die, but clearly, he thought a lot about the fact that he would, like . . .

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The Multiverse of Haruomi “Harry” Hosono

Harry HosonoPosted on

For the past fifty or so years, Haruomi “Harry” Hosono has let his mind wander. That wandering has led him to any number of strange places. He’s made records that sound like Shotgun Willie, and he’s made synthesized raga so intense it’d make Terry Riley blush. He’s collaborated with Levon Helm and Bobby Charles, and he’s recorded incidental music for the Japanese home goods store Muji. With Ryuichi Sakomoto and . . .

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One Eleven Heavy :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

One Eleven Heavy The AD InterviewPosted on

On its debut album, Everything's Better, rock & roll combo One Eleven Heavy weave together various threads of choogling psychedelia —some Dead here, some Neil Young there, more than a little NRBQ and Little Feat — into a thoroughly joyful statement. A transatlantic affair, the group features songwriters James Toth (Wooden Wand) and Nick Mitchell Maiato (Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura), along with bassist Dan Brown (Royal Trux), drummer Ryan Jewell (Solar Motel Band), and pianist Hans Chew (Steve Gunn, Hiss Golden Messenger).

Transcending pastiche is no easy feat, but the key here is abundant heart. Mitchell Maiato, Toth, and crew are fully in the zone here, guided by "the ghosts of our histories, coming home to roost," as they harmonize on "Valley Fever Blues." Everything's Better is a pure blast to listen to, its boogie contains multitudes.

Everything's Better by One Eleven Heavy

We recently caught up with Mitchell Maiato, who also hosts the essential monthly program the Cosmic Principle on NTS Radio, to discuss the band's unlikely genesis and the tricky matter of authenticity in rock & roll.

Aquarium Drunkard: You and James Toth met about a decade ago. What did you guys bond over, initially? Did the idea "we oughta start a band" pop into your head pretty quickly?

Nick Mitchell Maiato: Yeah, it was in Manchester, over a beer, before a Wooden Wand show I’d booked. Leah [Toth, occasional AD contributor] was there, too. I think we first bonded over a shared kind of chirpy, enthusiastic but world-wearied, tongue-in-cheek skepticism about the whole underground scene, if I’m being totally honest. [Laughs] What a curmudgeonly opening. No, but we just hit it off, all three of us. We got to talking pretty quickly in terms of a polemic for a new approach to representations of folkloric aesthetics. About the precarious position of underground artist who takes a sort of romantic approach to hearing music - putting the primordial beauty of the aural above the political in terms of validating what enters our own sound worlds. And how there should be room for everything, within reason.

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

SIRIUSPosted on

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard every Wednesday at 7pm PST with encore broadcasts on-demand via the SIRIUS/XM app.

SIRIUS 536: Jean Michel Bernard – Générique Stephane ++ Ryo Kawasaki - Hawaiian Caravan  ++ Kuroda Bushi - 黒田節 ++ Kosuke Ichiara & 3L - 市原宏祐と ++ Zerosen - Cool Head ++ Space Art - Mélodie Moderne ++ Brian Bennett - Solstice ++ Brian Eno - By This River ++ Air - Moon Fever ++ Mor Thiam - Kele Mubana (Overpain And Struggle To Black) ++ U.S. Aries - Are You Ready To Come? ++ The Rabble - Intro ++ Sun Ra . . .

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Ryo Kawasaki :: Hawaiian Caravan

Ryo KawasakiPosted on

Prior to finally landing a physical copy last year, Japanese guitarist Ryo Kawasaki's 1982 cosmic funk lp, Ryo: Concierto De Aranjuez, lived solely in my car and on my headphones - effectively and perfectly soundtracking all manner of nocturnal Los Angeles activity. A sonic missive from the future, the set proved itself wayyy ahead of its time, employing sounds and structures that would become . . .

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Bandcamping :: Fall 2018

BandcampingPosted on

Welcome to the third installment of our quarterly Bandcamping roundup. As a digital institution it’s hard to beat Bandcamp. It’s ridiculously easy to use, it puts money directly into artists’ (and labels’) pockets and there’s a seemingly endless amount of music to discover there — new, old and in-between. Of course, that endlessness can be a little overwhelming. Here are 10 more recommended releases – old, new and in-between. words / t wilcox

Mesmeric Haze / The Spacement Tapes, vol. 1: A Philly group finds an awesome through line between Zuma, Marquee Moon and The Days of Wine and Roses. You know, the good stuff. Brian McBrearty and Jeff White’s crystalline guitars intertwine gorgeously over the course of some lengthy workouts, withdrummer James Aten and bassist Sean McBrearty providing a simple/sturdy bedrock. Totally sweet sounds – highly recommended.

The Spacement Tapes: Volume 1 by Mesmeric Haze

Saariselka / Ceres: Saariselka is a collab between Marielle Jakobsons (Fender Rhodes, organ, synthesizers) and Chuck Johnson (pedal steel guitar and treatments), and this 17+-minute track is pure bliss from start to finish. “Ceres” is part of a thing called Longform Editions out of Sydney, Australia — “an ongoing series of music pieces curated to foster and celebrate immersive listening experiences for the musically adventurous.” Put it on a loop and spend the next few hours in the heavens.

Ceres by Saariselka

Pierre Sandwidi / Le Troubadour De La Savane, 1978-1980: This terrific compilation of tunes from Pierre Sandwidi, a beloved musician from Burkina Faso (formerly known as the Upper Volta), is packed with buoyant synth-guitar-drum machine excursions that will certainly brighten your day and put a spring in your step. William Onyeabor fans will approve. Turn it all the way up.

LE TROUBADOUR DE LA SAVANE 1978-1980 by PIERRE SANDWIDI

Tohru Aizawa Quartet / Tachibana: The liners describe the musicians here as “amateurs” but if these guys are amateurs, to hell with the professionals. Tachibana was recorded in the mid-1970s and released in very small quantities in Japan, soon becoming a sought-after collector’s item. The Tohru Aizawa Quartet seem to have fully absorbed the transcendent/incandescent vibes of Coltrane’s mid-60s period, and they use that classic sound as a launchpad for some roller-coaster fire music.

Tachibana by Tohru Aizawa Quartet

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The Lagniappe Sessions :: Mary Lattimore

Lagniappe Sessions Mary LattimorePosted on

Lagniappe (la·gniappe) noun ˈlan-ˌyap,’ – 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

It's been a busy year for harpist Mary Lattimore so far. She released the immersive Hundreds of Days LP in May. She's criss-crossed the country several times, sharing bills with Iceage, Dylan Carlson, Julianna Barwick and others. And she's just announced Ghost Forests, a collaborative album with Meg Baird (Espers, Heron Oblivion), out in November on Three Lobed Recordings (The duo will be hitting the road with Kurt Vile in the fall, too). Somehow, Mary also found time to record three lovely covers for the Lagniappe Sessions. She expands on her song choices below.

Mary Lattimore :: Blink (Hiroshi Yoshimura)

I first heard this song when I was doing a live performance for Dublab, the great radio station based in LA, which was held in this Rudolph Schindler house, this dreamy historic property. The owner of the house was playing this song from the record and it captivated me with its quiet, deliberate repetition and subtle, measured shifts. I immediately wondered what those tiny keyboard sounds would sound like on the harp, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to try it out. I love the simplicity of this song but it's actually pretty hard to play simply and slowly!

Mary Lattimore :: Nebula (Julianna Barwick)

Julianna is a very close friend of mine and I thought I'd try out this cover, using layers of harp to stand in for her gorgeous vocals. I was a fan of hers before we became friends and I loved getting to deconstruct one of her pieces in an attempt to see where her brain was going with it. I've also had the pleasure of touring with her and hearing this song kind of morph from the recorded version through time and it's one of my favorites.

Mary Lattimore :: By This River (Brian Eno)

I'm a little terrified to share this cover because I definitely am not a great singer or very original with my voice, but I love this song, feel like it fits well with the others and I didn't want to Muzak it by making it all instrumental! I fell in love with this record when I was in college in Rochester, NY and my favorite bud Jason sold one of his copies to a record store and I ended up picking up that exact copy, so it feels extra special to me, like there's kismet and a secret language entwined with it. The ability to convey this far-away, unscratchable-itch melancholia and world-weary wistfulness that Eno buries in this song is really magical to me and I hope that, even if I can't do it true justice, whoever listens can feel the appreciation I have for it.

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Posted on Lagniappe Sessions Mary Lattimore