MV & EE :: Root/Void

Several years ago, I discovered that MV & EE held the distinction of being the Most Represented Artist in my record collection, nudging out previous record-holders The Fall. I confess this not to assert my authority when it comes to MV & EE music, but to sympathize with those curious listeners who are perhaps intimidated by an enormous and overwhelming discography, not knowing the way “in.” To those listeners I say Root/Void

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Ananda Shankar :: Jumping Jack Flash / Light My Fire

The last time we highlighted a Stones cover was several years back upon the release of Alex Chilton's Free Again Sessions from 1970 - specifically his proto-punk rendering of "Jumping Jack Flash". Here, we find  Bengali musician Ananda Shankar's psychedelic sitar take on that tune (also from 1970) and the Doors' "Light My Fire", both via the Snow Flower lp.

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SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (Noon EST, Channel 35)

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST.

SIRIUS 453: Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ The Swamp Rats — I’m Going Home ++ Dennis Wilson / Beach Boys — Lady ++ The Kinks — I Go To Sleep (demo) ++ Le Bain Didonc — 4 Cheveux Dans Le Vent ++ The Brummels — Bof! ++ Nancy Sinatra (w/ Hal Blaine) — Drummer Man ++ The Motions — Beatle Drums ++ Naomi And The . . .

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Light In The Attic Records Presents: Lagniappe Sessions Vol. 1 / Black Friday Release – Gold Vinyl

On Black Friday (November 25th) Light In The Attic Records will release Lagniappe Sessions, Vol. 1, documenting the first five years of the series on gold vinyl. Since launching the series in 2011, the Lagniappe Sessions have come to define the genre-spanning, eclectic ethos of of A.D.

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Shintaro Sakamoto :: How To Live With A Phantom

The album that keeps on giving - Shintaro Sakamoto's 2011 debut, How To Live With A Phantom. Following his two decade involvement with Japanese psych-rockers Yura Yura Teikoku, Sakamoto eased into second gear with Phantom, assembling a heady quilt with nods to euro-lounge, exotica, funk and 70s crystalline pop.

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David Crosby :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

David Crosby punctuates many of his sentences with an incredulous chuckle.

It’s a knowing sound, the kind someone makes when they can’t quite believe their luck. In Crosby’s case, it carries a recognition of how improbable it is for him to be able to speak on the phone about anything, let alone a new record. Like so many of his counter cultural peers, Crosby often seemed doomed in the decades since the ‘60s, his struggles with the law, heroin, cocaine, and health well documented.

But on Lighthouse, his new solo record, the 75-year-old sounds vital. It’s a sparse record, filled mostly with Crosby’s inventive acoustic guitar playing, but occasionally the harmonies –- by Crosby and singers Becca Stevens and Michelle Willis – echo the classic sounds of his most famous groups, the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The record’s ethereal West Coast jazziness – it was produced by Michael League of fusion combo Snarky Puppy – echoes his best solo work, including his 1971 solo debut If I Could Only Remember My Name, which featured members of the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, and his CSNY bandmates Neil Young and Graham Nash. At times the record carries political weight, but mostly it reflects the soft, idyllic way Crosby spends his time at his home in Santa Ynez: listening to and making music (when he’s not tweeting, that is).

The album follows his 2014 gem Croz. Though it had been decades since he’d released a solo LP before it, that album seems to have unlocked something for the songwriter. These days, Crosby’s feeling productive. In addition to Lighthouse, out Friday, October 21, he’s already got another record finished, produced by his son and frequent collaborator James Raymond.

Crosby says when he’s happy, he writes, and he’s resolute when he says, “You won’t talk to a happier guy today,” following the statement with that signature soft laugh. Aquarium Drunkard spoke with Crosby about the various roles he plays as a songwriter and his new records. The conversation has been edited for clarity and condensed.

Aquarium Drunkard: Croz was great record, and now you’ve followed it up with Lighthouse, a very intimate sounding album. What led to the sparseness here?

David Crosby: When I started working on this one with Michael League I thought, because he’s the leader of Snarky Puppy and they are such great players, it was like hiring a master carpenter with a gigantic tool box. But when I started talking to him he said, "You know we could [make a fully arranged record]." But he loved my first solo record, If I Could Only Remember My Name, and said, “That’s the way I want to go.” It’s acoustic guitars and big vocal stacks. I said, “Oh man, that’s right in my wheelhouse.”

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The Lagniappe Sessions: Muuy Biien cover Grace Jones / Swell Maps

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

I first caught Muuy Biien in their hometown of Athens, GA opening for Faust at the 40 Watt last March. The set was a dark, gothic and pummeling hour of post-punk immediately recalling the controlled chaos The Birthday Party. I next saw them in LA and most recently at our east coast AD party at Rough Trade in Brooklyn. In short, see this band live. Their next lp, Age of Uncertainty, is out October 28th via Autumn Tone.

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Aquarium Drunkard Presents: Angel Olsen – October 25th – Berlin, Germany

Aquarium Drunkard returns to Berlin presenting Angel Olsen at the Columbia Theater on Tuesday night, October 25th. Little Wings supports. We're giving away tickets to local AD readers...leave a comment below to enter - winners notified at the end of the week.

Related: Catching Up With Angel Olsen . . .

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SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (Noon EST, Channel 35)

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. Light In The Attic Records' Patrick McCarthy sits in with Justin this week for the full two hours.

SIRIUS 452: Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ Jan Hammer Group - Don’t You Know ++ Mndsgn - Yawn ++ Daniel Patrick Quinn - Channelkirk & Surrounding Area ++ Camberwell Now - Working Nights . . .

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Shirley Collins :: Pretty Polly

Shirley Collins first album in 38 years, Lodestar, is out next month via Domino Records. The album features songs from the 1500s to the 1950s, from the American, British and Cajun canons. "Pretty Polly", culled from the set, came to Collins attention in 1959 while touring the south doing field recordings with Alan Lomax. Collins, in her own words, below . . .

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Aquarium Drunkard Presents: Build A Fire – A Mixtape

Two years ago, while playing records on a rooftop in LA with Patrick McCarthy (Light In The Attic Records), a track by David Sylvian sparked the following mix. It's now autumn of 2016 and here we are. McCarthy, on the set, below...

When I set out to work on this mix I had a very different roadmap in mind then where I ended up. I wanted to have some ebb and flow, quiet and loud, bangers and bummers. Moodymann can sit side by side with Gigi Masin, right . . .

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The Wrong Numbers :: I Found A Love

Way soulful strut from Detroit Rock City. I've had this nugget on in the background since March, and (other than the music) know nothing about the band. I've made a point to keep it that way as sometimes it's nice to try and retain some of the mystery/enigma. I think. Note: this not the sixties group by the same name.

The Wrong Numbers :: I Found A Love (Pickett)

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Willie “Loco” Alexander :: Gin

Following a stint in the Glass Menagerie, Willie “Loco” Alexander did time in the Velvet Underground after the exit of Sterling Morrison in 1971. But this isn’t about the Velvets, this is about Alexander’s crystalline slice of new-wave balladry, “Gin”, off the 1980 lp, Solo Loco. Revel in all its breathy/stormy glory, below.

Willie “Loco” Alexander :: Gin

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Sevens (Politiko) :: Ramones / Bonzo Goes To Bitburg

(In October of 2008 we flipped the script on our Sevens column with Politiko, focusing solely on political songs until the general election. It's now 2016...and we're back.)

In the spring of 1985, fresh off his landslide re-election to the presidency, Ronald Reagan planned out a visit to a West German military cemetery with then-Chancellor Helmut Kohl. For Reagan, this was a chance to show appreciation for Kohl's continued support in the . . .

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Hiss Golden Messenger :: Heart Like A Levee

You can't choose your blues, but you might as well own them.

When you've been around the block a few decades you begin to notice life is a series of concurrent rhythms and as you build speed to accelerate to the next path, often blindly, you may be met with a series of new challenges. Joy, guilt, ecstasy and self-loathing all bundle in the bottom of your gut as you prepare for the next unknown turn. Michael Taylor, Hiss Golden Messenger, met those obstacles face-to . . .

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