On The Turntable

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    Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo

    Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo :: Lee Perry Presents... African Roots

    Recorded in 1977 at the hand of Lee “Scratch” Perry in the legendary Black Ark lies one of its most beguiling and misunderstood creations. While blending roots reggae with African rhythms seems like a natural recipe for success, Island Records wouldn’t touch it. The project was deemed a failure at the outset, and only years later did various iterations of the project come to light.

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    Lightheaded

    Lightheaded :: Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming!

    Dedicated students of the pop underground, Lightheaded inhibits a wide-eyed coexistence with formative heroes from the Glasgow indie school, sixties sunshine pop and plenty of like minded stalwarts from their Slumberland label. Don’t call it naivety, but the band’s shambolic guitar pop dreams up their own hypothetical, optimistic world: lyrical themes of umbrellas, gardens and sunsets take center stage.

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    Boards of Canada

    Boards of Canada :: The Campfire Headphase

    Released twenty years ago in 2005, The Campfire Headphase places a premium on self-exploration and reflection to recognize what has made the rest worthwhile–to marvel at the minute when the macro is just too damn much.

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    Various Artists

    Various Artists :: A Selection Of Music From Libyan Tapes

    Habibi Funk’s latest compilation is a trip into the Libyan cassette scene of the 1990s. While the collected songs were crafted for clear commercial appeal, designed to soundtrack romantic singalongs during late-night ballads in pre-war Tripoli, the end result achieves something way more complex, accidentally or not, by folding African music back unto itself through a process of re-diasporization.

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    Richard Wright

    Richard Wright :: Wet Dream

    Amid Pink Floyd’s inevitable implosion initiated by Dark Side of the Moon’s monumental success, the groundwork was laid out for the eventual collapse of the prog-gone-hitmaker behemoth. Buffered in chaos, Richard Wright quietly put to tape what can credibly be argued the best Floyd-adjacent solo record, Wet Dream.

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    Count Ossie and the Rasta Family

    Count Ossie and the Rasta Family :: Man From Higher Heights

    If you’re wondering where to head after Dadawah and Heart of the Congos, this ain’t a bad next step. Man from Higher Heights is a roots reggae jammer shrouded in mystery. It’s potent brew of reverent nyabinghi rhythms, synth, brass, and sinuous fuzz guitar will elevate you above the heat and humid murk to your own higher heights.

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    Hiroki Tamaki

    Hiroki Tamaki :: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

    Originally released in 1980, before the Bhagwan even ventured to America to begin the now infamous Oregon ashram and it’s ill-fated demise, his spiritual teachings reached Tamaki in Japan. Compelled to reach far outside his classical training for a full length tribute to the guru, Tamaki lays out a mind altering trip into some confounding musical spaces.

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    Various Artists

    Various Artists :: Every Mouth Must Be Fed :: 1973-1976

    From the archives of Micron Music, Every Mouth Must Be Fed: 1973-1976. A toppermost three year overview of the Kingston, Jamaica based label, the roots collection highlights selects from the likes of Joe Higgs, U Roy, I Roy, Tommy McCook, Junior Byles, King Tubby and others, featuring an effortless array of early reggae and dub.

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Brightblack Morning Light :: BBC Maida Vale Session (October, 2006)

Before its candle was extinguished, Brightblack Morning Light burned languid, hot and, indeed, bright. Formed in northern California by Alabama natives Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes, the group released several long-players and a pair of 7″s before ultimately disbanding in 2009. The following session finds the pair at Maida Vale studios in west London, augmented by additional players in the autumn of 2006. Cut several months following the release of their now-classic s/t debut, the set works up and elongates four of the album’s tracks. Slip in, ease back and listen for the green flash as “Friend of Time” stretches out far beyond the horizon.

Barry Walker Jr. :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

The Barry Walker Unit’s At the 13th Moon Gravity Well is very much a band effort, with Rose City bandmates Ripley Johnson (guitar) and John Jeffrey (drums) and Mouth Painter bassist Jason Wilmon joining Walker for a loose-limbed, thoroughly exploratory collection of live recordings taped last year at a local pub. With four instrumental tracks clocking in at over 40 minutes, this is deep, transportive stuff, giving Walker and co. a chance to stretch out and get loose, regularly finding moments of collective ecstasy. There’s groove mixed with freedom, melody crashing into dissonance. A total thrill from start to finish. To get a little more background on this magnificent record, we chatted with Barry a few weeks back from his home in Portland. 

Habibi Funk 031: A Selection Of Music From Libyan Tapes

Habibi Funk’s latest compilation is a trip into the Libyan cassette scene of the 1990s. While the collected songs were crafted for clear commercial appeal, designed to soundtrack romantic singalongs during late-night ballads in pre-war Tripoli, the end result achieves something way more complex, accidentally or not, by folding African music back unto itself through a process of re-diasporization.

All One Song :: Jeff Parker on “The Needle and the Damage Done”

Our guest this week is Jeff Parker, best known as the guitarist for the long-running Chicago post-rock group Tortoise. Now Jeff might not seem like the most obvious All One Song guest — his and Neil’s styles feel miles apart. At least at first! But as we get into in our conversation, Jeff has found some serious inspiration in Young’s unique approach to the acoustic guitar. And the acoustic guitar is central to the song he selected to talk about: “The Needle and the Damage Done.” This haunting solo number from 1972’s Harvest remains one of Neil’s signature tunes. It’s a song that even the most casual of fans knows by heart. But Jeff’s perspective on this warhorse opened it back up — and hopefully it’ll do the same for you. 

The Reds, Pinks & Purples :: The Past Is A Garden I Never Fed

It has become a futile exercise to attempt using any other synonyms for “prolific” when it comes to the output of songwriter Glenn Donaldson. From the DIY outset of excellent Reds, Pinks & Purples debut Anxiety Art in 2019, we have been gifted a dizzying number of proper albums, EPs and various assorted outtakes (for those counting, that’s over 200 songs in the six year stretch). With The Past Is A Garden I Never Fed, Fire Records collects fourteen rarities and previously unreleased tracks from the sprawling RPP archival vault.

Yesternow: Editor’s Note Volume Two

Greetings from Todos Santos, Mexico. I’m back down here for a few days having first visited during the pandemic era in August of 2021. We’ve been listening to this massive, humid, playlist that I compiled just prior to that trip on repeat via the bluetooth speaker on the beach: Lust For Listening. All heaters, summer crate style. Think: 88°F, salt water, Mexican lagers and mezcal. In my bag I’ve been re-reading a tattered copy of Graham Greene’s prophetic 1955 expatriate novel, The Quiet American. The more things change, the more they remain the same …

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Aux Meadows

Aux Meadows, the Oakland-based trio of Steve Dawson (dobro, lap steel), Joe Imwalle (synths, piano) and Chris Royalty (guitar, bass), touch down for this latest installment of the Lagniappe Sessions. As noted in our Midyear Review, the group’s latest LP, Draw Near, is one of our favorite records of 2025, a sentiment that is only reaffirmed by the following three covers. Here, the trio works up Another Green World era Eno, Sonic Youth’s mid-90s high watermark “The Diamond Sea,” and “the killer” himself — Jerry Lee Lewis.

Jeanines :: How Long Can It Last

How Long Can It Last continues to expound upon Jeanines’ specialty: short bursts of sunshine pop driven by jangly guitars and earworm melodies. At times, How Long Can It Last sounds like lost singles from Dolly Mixture and Marine Girls, bursting with teen-verve giddiness, textured by a homespun fidelity that adds an immediate intimacy to the recordings. At other times, the album recalls something Johnny Marr would have recorded for The Smiths with a sped up tape machine. A thirteen-track record that clocks in at just over twenty minutes, Jeanines don’t waste any time. They enter their songs at their most exciting point, and they get out of them quickly, leaving you wanting more.

Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic (1974)

Living legend Willie Nelson will once again be hosting his annual 4th of July Picnic this year, more than 50 years after the Lone Star State tradition kicked off. For those of us who can’t get down to Texas this Independence Day, this concert doc from ’74 will have to do. Don’t worry, it’s about as good a time as you can have — you can practically smell the reefer, sun tan lotion and BBQ as tens of thousands of fans enjoy a weekend of the burgeoning outlaw country scene’s best: Jerry Jeff Walker, Sammi Smith, Waylon Jennings, B.W. Stephens and many more.

All One Song :: Chris Forsyth on “Lookout Joe”

For his All One Song appearance, guitarist Chris Forsyth selected “Lookout Joe,” which first appeared on Tonight’s the Night just about 50 years ago in the summer of 1975. It’s a darkly humorous tune that has all the hallmarks of Neil’s Ditch era—that seedy swagger, a druggy vibe, Ben Keith’s wild pedal steel and backing vocals, and some dangerous guitar work. It’s a deep cut, but it’s a deep cut that’s very much worth getting into. 

Aquarium Drunkard :: 2025 Midyear Review

The clock never stops, but sometimes music manages the impossible: slowing time for a moment. It’s in those vibrational encounters with music that we find peace and we find ourselves. In the spirit of sharing the stuff that moved us, we’re back with our midyear review. As always, the list is unranked and unruly; there’s more than enough here to guide you into those rare encounters with deep time.