‘Round About Midnight: A Conversation With Adrian Sherwood

Adrian Sherwood Horace Andy Reggae/Dub The AD InterviewPosted on

We caught up with legendary producer Adrian Sherwood on the heels of his latest effort behind the boards: Horace Andy’s new album, Midnight Scorchers.

"I'm just very, very proud of it. We didn't rush it. We spent two years making it. We started it before lockdown. And we kept improving it, so I was sending Horace back and forth to Jamaica. Let's do this better. Let's do this again . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Adrian Sherwood Horace Andy Reggae/Dub The AD Interview

Small Sur :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Small Sur The AD InterviewPosted on

Nearly a decade from the release of Labor, Bob Keal’s Small Sur project has returned with the remarkable Attic Room. Presented is a deeply personal record capturing slivers of life from the father, teacher, woodworker, and songwriter. Keal showcases an ability to take a second in time – “A thundercloud unfolding after the rain,” “I’ll have one last cigarette then lie down to rest,” “the silhouette in space formed by the morning sun” – and expand it into a landscape of abstraction . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Small Sur The AD Interview

Akira Ishikawa & His Count Buffalos :: Uganda (Dawn of Rock)

Akira IshikawaPosted on

According to Mr Bongo, the label responsible for reissuing this manic gem, “Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the Uganda (Dawn of Rock) album with his band the Count Buffaloes.” That checks out on our end. Originally released in 1972, following the equally mental (though comparably tame?) African Rock, Uganda is four enveloping tracks, clocking in just under 40 minutes, of deep-fried blues-rock sludge, ecstatic free-jazz abstractions, dizzying African percussion, and psychedelic maelstrom . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Akira Ishikawa

Peel Dream Magazine :: Pad

Peel Dream MagazinePosted on

Pad tries to solve the same dilemma of the pop music that influences it: how does one follow a recipe for composition without becoming formulaic? How can we carefully engineer simplicity; forge, out of patterns of predictability, some original and compelling songs? With Pad, the answer lies within the ingenious little refrains of synth, which form a homogeneous blanket that continually pours over the arrangements of bells, drums, and nostalgic vocals . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Peel Dream Magazine

Lee Tracy & Isaac Manning :: Is It What You Want

Lee Tracy & Isaac ManningPosted on

In the late '80s, East Nashville based collaborators Lee Tracy & Isaac Manning created stripped down minimalist soul. Fully DIY, recording straight to tape deck with an array of synthesizers and rhythm machines, they privately churned out totally futuristic and idiosyncratic takes on practically every popular black music form of the 1980s and early 1990s . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Lee Tracy & Isaac Manning

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

SIRIUSPosted on

Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays.

34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on SIRIUS

Marina Allen :: Centrifics

Marina AllenPosted on

The sound of Marina Allen’s terrific second LP is steeped in the late 1960s / early 1970s singer-songwriter styles of Carole King, Nilsson, After the Gold Rush and For The Roses. But it’s to Allen’s immense credit that Centrifics somehow still feels firmly fixed in the present day. This isn’t just a detailed Topanga Canyon re-creation — it’s a skilled update, with its own distinct twists and turns . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Marina Allen

Transmissions :: Ken Shipley (Numero Group)

Ken Shipley Numero Group PodcastPosted on

On an all-new episode of Transmissions: Ken Shipley of Numero Group. October has arrived, but the storied Chicago label was still in the midst of its September ‘90s month celebration of reissues from Codeine, Karate, Current, and Unwound when we taped this conversation. Shipley and host Jason P. Woodbury discuss how the label has evolved, aesthetics, the new Blondie boxset, Shipley’s midwest emo roots and pre-Numero days at Rykodisc and Tree Records, and more . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Ken Shipley Numero Group Podcast

King Scratch (Musical Masterpieces from the Upsetter Ark-ive)

Lee Perry Reggae/DubPosted on

A year after Lee Perry’s passing, King Scratch: Musical Masterpieces from the Upsetter Ark-ive gathers 40 top-shelf Upsetter productions that serve as an ideal introduction to Perry’s sublimely bizarre oeuvre for the uninitiated, or an immaculately curated retrospective for the already enlightened . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Lee Perry Reggae/Dub

Non Plus Temps :: Warm Launderette

Non Plus TempsPosted on

Desire Choir, the forthcoming debut from Oakland’s Non Plus Temps, first hit our radar last month with the release of album opener “Continuous Hinge,” a disorienting and groovy cut of post-punk pairing vocalist Amber Serano’s ESP-inspired spunk with sawing throbs of electric viola. With this month’s release of album track “Warm Launderette,” our anticipation skyrockets . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Non Plus Temps

Celtic Guru :: Van Morrison In The 80s | Common One

Celtic Guru Van MorrisonPosted on

Common One was the album Van Morrison had been trying to make for ten years. It would mark the furthest he had moved away from the sounds of Astral Weeks, while still maintaining the sonic and literary craftsmanship of the legendary session. The blues and soul records that shaped Morrison’s musical upbringing were still present. It was definitely a rock and roll record. And the astral folk leanings for which the critics had held on to the singer for so long, ran through the entirety of the nearly hour-long affair . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Celtic Guru Van Morrison

Big Time Things (Influences) :: An Office Culture Mixtape

Mixtape Office CulturePosted on

To celebrate the release of the jazzy and deft Big Time Things, Office Culture brings a mixtape of influences encompassing neo-soul, spiritual jazz, and singer/songwriter fare. "Often we think about a very specific element of an artist’s approach—a rhythmic cadence, a weird production choice, or a vocal approach—and wonder how it could work in an unlikely context. Hopefully you find something new you like . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Mixtape Office Culture

Dredd Foole & The Din :: Songs In Heat 1982 / 4 Letter Words :: Band In Boston

4 Letter Words Dredd FoolePosted on

Total anarchy from Boston’s underground scene of the early 1980s.

First up, we’ve got Dredd Foole & The Din’s Songs In Heat 1982, the first volume in the Unheard Dredd Series from the Corbett vs. Dempsey label.

As thoroughly unpolished as Foole & The Din are, they’re practically Steely Dan compared to 4 Letter Words. These kids can barely play — and it sounds fucking great . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on 4 Letter Words Dredd Foole

Eddie Constantine :: Strawberry

Eddie Constantine Reggae/DubPosted on

Culled from Black Solidarity Presents String Up the Sound System, a compilation of tracks released by the Jamaican based Black Solidarity reggae label, Eddie Constantine’s “Strawberry” is a booming, dancehall rendition of Miriam Makeba’s “Love Tastes Like Strawberries,” a sneaking cut of spiritual soul from her 1962 lp, The Many Voices of Miriam Makeba . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Eddie Constantine Reggae/Dub

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Maston

Lagniappe Sessions MastonPosted on

An American expat based in Paris, Frank Maston crafts sonic worlds of singular origin. Reminiscent of the deepest crates of library music and vintage Italian film scores, Maston's output (four LPs to date beginning with 2013's Shadows) feels at once widescreen and cinematic, yet intimate. Following up last year's collaboration with Swiss septet L'Eclair, Souvenir, this month sees the release of Panorama via the London based Be With Records. To accompany the album's release, Maston laid down his first Lagniappe Session in Paris, paying tribute to Dutch popper Alice Deejay, along with a tune via . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Lagniappe Sessions Maston