The Lagniappe Sessions :: Modern Nature

Those familiar with this corner of the Internet are likely familiar with the music of Jack Cooper, as we've fastidiously covered his recorded output in one form or another since 2014. And for good reason. Following the dissolution of his previous band, Ultimate Painting, and the sole release under his given name, Sandgrown, Cooper has channeled his efforts into the potently shapeshifting outfit Modern Nature. On the heels of the band's latest LP, The Heat Warps, Cooper and co. return with their third entry in the Lagniappe Sessions, this time paying tribute to a pair of Beatles' chestnuts . . .

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Dexter Gordon :: Ballads

Ballads finds Dexter Gordon at the apex of his career, doing what he does best: playing ballads. The collection is filled with choice cuts that find Gordon and company locking into sleepy pockets where each phrase is given room to dally in the space between beats. Gordon's tone is sultry and warm, as if his tenor sax had polished off a few glasses of scotch before each take. When he takes the lead, there's nothing provocative or flamboyant happening — he knows that the key to ballads isn't the number of notes in any given measure, but the . . .

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Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard :: November 2025

Freeform transmissions from Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard on dublab. Airing every third Sunday of the month, RFAD on dublab features the pairing of Tyler Wilcox’s Doom and Gloom from the Tomb and Chad DePasquale’s New Happy Gathering. This month, Chad kicks things off with a deep-cut heavy 80th birthday tribute to Neil Young, followed by Tyler’s mix of (mostly) 1970s neo-noir thriller soundtrack situations + adjacent library music grooves. Sunday, 4-6pm PT . . .

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Shaun Harris :: S/T (1973)

After the tumultuous departure of legendary cult outfit The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, the eponymous 1973 folk rock offering from Shaun Harris is a gem best reserved for those with a penchant for sadness presented through a jagged, downright sunny orchestral filter. An oddity on several fronts, the startling and heavy introspective themes clash with symphonic, brimming sunshine pop arrangements. Like a true early seventies west LA studio project, the sessions feature Wrecking Crew heavy hitters like Carole Kay and Larry Knechtel, with Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys even contributing backing vocals . . .

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Liam Kazar :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

In the four years since the release of his debut record Due North, Liam Kazar hasn’t exactly been silent. Be it on stage or in the studio, his contributions to the sounds artists like Hannah Cohen, Sam Evian, Kevin Morby, and Jeff Tweedy are tasteful and distinct. You know you’ll be in safe hands when you see him on stage or in the credits. But this month saw the release of Pilot Light—a sophomore album that couldn’t be further from the stereotypical slump . . .

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Joseph Kamaru :: Heavy Combination 1966 – 2007

n the 1960s and 1970s, as Kenya made the difficult transition from colony to functioning democracy, Joseph Kamaru sang the soundtrack, bringing messages of national pride, anti-corruption, class betrayal and gender politics to an emerging nation. This 17-track compilation spans Kamaru’s entire career, with tracks from as early as the mid-1960s and as late as 1988 . . .

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

Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays. The majority of tonight's show can be found on the site via our friend Jocelyn Romo's AD mix All Things Are Quite Silent from 2020 ...

34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .

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Sister Irene O’Connor :: Fire of God’s Love 

Originally issued by Phillips under the pseudonym Myriam Frances and long sought by vinyl collectors, Australian nun Sister Irene O'Connor's 1973 album Fire of God's Love sees official reissue this week via the always reliable Freedom to Spend label. Drenched in reverb and powered by organ and fuzzy drum machine, it sounds like a holy devotional side project by Broadcast—future music imbued with traditional faith . . .

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Transmissions :: Gary Lachman

This week, we present a conversation with writer, rock & roller, and esoteric scholar Gary Lachman, author of a new memoir, ⁠Touched By the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult.⁠ It is, Lachman charts his journey from a young New Jersey misfit immersed in comic books and paperback fiction to his days playing bass in Blondie as the band rose to stardom from the New York City punk underground . . .

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Natural Information Society :: Perseverance Flow

Perseverance Flow does everything its title promises. It perseveres, certainly, moving with a stubborn intent in a way that feels both mechanical and wholly organic: it’s a machine made of wood and leather and human effort. And it flows, in its own stuttering way with the certainty of water going downhill. Natural Information Society has long favored both repetition and length; this 37-minute single cut album simply takes those inclinations to their logical conclusion . . .

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Anna Butterss :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

What does it mean to be a season ticket holder for the music of bass player Anna Butterss? Reserved, front row seats to diverse and experimental music, whether as a founding member of improvisational bands SML and the Jeff Parker ETA IVtet, their own experimental solo work—the latest being 2024’s innovative Mighty Vertebrate—touring band member for Jason Isbell, and first-call, bass-player-for hire. Obviously, there’s no actual subscription available for purchase, but, if possible, it would mean regular access to one of the most exciting musicians working today . . .

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Sharp Pins :: Balloon Balloon Balloon

Kai Slater dons the velvet flares once again for this superlative dose of psychedelic 1960s pop, spun out on electric 12-string and recorded in a dazey cloud of lo-fi fuzz. This is the second LP this year for Sharp Pins following this spring’s Radio DDR, and Slater was also a big part of Lifeguards’ post-punk Ripped and Torn, as well. Never mind. The youth of Chicago have a lot in the tank. There’s not a bad song on the disc, and there are 21 of them in all. Impressive . . .

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The Secrets of the World: Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Zuma at 50 

It’s a big week for Neil Young celebrations. Not only does the man turn 80 years old on November 12, but it was also just about 50 years ago that Neil released Zuma, one of his most towering achievements. While many of his peers were fading into bloated irrelevance, the nine-song LP, mostly recorded with Crazy Horse, showed that the songwriter was in it for the (very) long haul.

For a little celebration, check out a Zuma redux at AD made up of live recordings that stretch from 1974 to 2020, capturing some of that ragged/glorious magic . . .

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Catching Up With Whitney

It feels strange to have a new Whitney record to become acquainted with against a winter backdrop. Small Talk finds the Chicago duo returning to their breezier sensibilities. Guitarist Max Kakacek and singing drummer Julien Ehrlich join us to discuss its homemade sound . . .

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Lô Borges :: O Mundo, Minas Gerais

RIP. Maybe the most naif member of the legendary Clube da Esquina he helped found, Lô Borges was also the figure responsible for bringing to the movement the heavy dose of easy-listening psychedelia that pushed it over the edge of a musical revolution. He was only a teenager when he wrote some of the best songs of that 1972 record that many consider, to this day, the greatest of Brazilian music: "Um Girassol da Cor do Seu Cabelo," "Trem de Doido," "Trem Azul," "Paisagem da Janela," and more . . .

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