Back in the early days of AD we would regularly run a feature called Under The Covers that would pit a really good cover against its original; in essence, the Cover Wars. Since features tend to ebb and flow around here, let's revisit this one. The track in question is Guided By Voices "I Am Decided," a track that Kim Deal (aka, Tammy Ampersand) covered in 1995 with her super lo-fi side-side project
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David Bowie :: Boys Keep Swinging (Lodger, 1979)
Speaking of Brian Eno collaborations, last week at the Echo, Sylvia's between-band DJ set included "Boys Keep Swinging," my favorite track off Bowie's become a member or log in.
Sevens :: Oakley Hall: Confidence Man
(Sevens, a new feature on Aquarium Drunkard, pays tribute to the art of the individual song.)
I've enjoyed Oakley Hall's work from day one, but for me, the moment that announced their arrival at something truly unique was the opening track from their 2006 album Gypsum Strings
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Everything That Happens Happens Today
As I am sure many of you reading are aware, last week David Byrne and Brian Eno's first collaboration in nearly three decades hit the digital marketplace in the form of their new LP Everything That Happens Happens Today. Besides the obvious reunion of the two icons the release is also notable as it was released via
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The World Record :: Guitars! Forever
Sure, name checking a band as the West coast heir apparent to Big Star is a bold statement, brave in fact, but that's exactly how I've been hailing The World Record of late. I didn't catch the bands live act until late '07, but their 2006 long player Guitars! Forever would have most likely made my best of 2006 list had I been hip to them at the time. Power-Pop enthusiasts take note, this . . .
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SIRIUS Radio :: Aquarium Drunkard Show
Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS, channel 26 Left Of Center, can now be heard twice, every Friday - Noon EST and then an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. Below is this week’s playlist.
SIRIUS 60: Jean Michel Bernard - Generique Stephane ++ Catfish Haven - Set In Stone ++ Cat Power - Speak For Me ++ The Broken West - House of Lies ++ James Jackson Toth - Banquet . . .
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Off The Record :: Horse Feathers (Portland, OR)
Off The Record is a recurring feature here on the Drunkard that marries two of my greatest interests; music and travel. Having a locals perspective when visiting a new locale is the difference between experiencing it through the lens of a tourist and of that of a native.
Off The Record gathers some of my favorite artists, asks them to reflect on their city of residence, and choose a handful of places they could not live without, be them bookstores, bars, restaurants or vistas.
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Bloodkin :: All Dolled Up
Athens, Georgia's perennial rock & roll torch-bearers, Bloodkin, have a new album in the can entitled Baby They Told Us We Would Rise Again. Fuck yes; further proof you can never count these guys out. Stay tuned for details regarding a label and release date (looking like late '08) as they leak out.
In the late Summer of 2000 the band recorded their sole, official, live album, All Dolled Up, at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta. Living in town . . .
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AD Presents :: White Denim (New Orleans, 8.27.08)
Aquarium Drunkard is presenting the upcoming White Denim show at Republic New Orleans , Wednesday, August 27th. I've said it before and I'll say it again; this is one of the best live acts touring today. Those of us stateside have been anxiously awaiting a full-length from the band which is finally on the horizon. It's called Explosion and drops this November (via our friend . . .
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Off The Record :: Rodriguez (Detroit, MI)
Off The Record is a recurring feature here on the Drunkard that marries two of my greatest interests; music and travel. Having a locals perspective when visiting a new locale is the difference between experiencing it through the lens of a tourist and of that of a native.
Off The Record gathers some of my favorite artists, asks them to reflect on their city of residence, and choose a handful of places they could not live without, be them . . .
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Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg :: The AD Interview
Aquarium Drunkard: Rook is far more thematic than its predecessor Palo Santo. While those songs felt like they could be cohesive, Rook's ongoing chromatic descents seem to hint at a central theme? Is that the case?
Jonathan Meiburg: There's no hidden 'plot' to Rook (as there was, in a way, for Palo Santo), but there's certainly meant to be a feeling of oneness to the songs - I like albums that feel like a complete piece, which these days seems like a dying form. As we assembled the record (and tossed away several tracks that didn't fit), the final order emerged as the one that felt the most 'right', where the songs seemed like they were communicating best with each other, if that makes sense.
AD: The song "Rooks" paints a prescient pre-apocalyptic picture ("feathering pyre") and a very poetic embrace that death may not be too far away is present in many tracks. However, as a whole, some of the smaller images illuminate that this is what living life is all about. Are these, like Palo Santo, more of your meditations on nature?
JM: Palo Santo was mostly, though obliquely, about the life and death of Nico, with some natural landscapes thrown in for good measure. Rook is much more about the landscapes, with people added for color from time to time, since those places get lonely when there's no one there at all. I've been lucky enough, in the course of my bird research and other travels, to visit some places people have very rarely visited (or, in a few cases, may have never been at all).
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The Velvet Underground :: The Gift (A Short Story)
The Velvet Underground with John Cale in the foreground - April 1, 1966
It's not easy to pin down my favorite Velvet Underground album as it regularly changes over time, yet always rotates between three titles. And really, it depends on what kind of mood I am in and where my head is at while it is rotating on the turntable. One thing that is concrete though is that fact that the groups second LP, become a member or log in.
Fun Fun Fun Fest :: Austin, TX – November 8 & 9
Fun Fun Fun Fest returns this November at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin with two day passes going for $59.99. The first press release just went out today detailing the majority of the lineup and the stages they will be performing on.
Stage 1: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National, Atmosphere, Minus The Bear, St Vincent, Trail of Dead, Deerhoof, Rival Schools, Islands, The Annuals, Bishop Allen, Centromatic, Sleepercar, Frightened Rabbit, Spinto Band, Parts and Labor, Colourmusic, Expiremental Dental School, 27, Till We're Blue or Destroy . . .
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Catfish Haven :: Devastator
In 2006 , in reference to the bands debut, I wrote that "Catfish Haven take on the trials and tribulations of love and relationships strewn over blues-holler, hand claps, and Dixie rhythms." That statement rings as true today as it did then, but here, on the band's follow-up, Devastator, they've ramped it up to a whole 'nother level.
Devastator is nothing less than a soul revue sounding like an impromptu . . .
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A Soundtrack Enthusiast :: An American Werewolf In London
"Stay on the road, stay away from the Moors and beware of the moon." Sage advice, indeed. Filmmaker John Landis's An American Werewolf In London (1981) is a lot of things; a maverick comedy, a gratuitous horror flick, an Oscar winner, and one of my favorite examples of the juxtaposition of music and it's use in film.
Here Landis, no stranger to irony, uses all manner of odes to the moon to accompany his film. They are all here; most notably: three versions . . .
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