James Rushford & Joe Talia :: Manhunter

...emphasizing the desaturated tones of leftfield electronics, drum machines, processed vocals, and less easily identified instrumentation, all of which fuse together into a hypnotic world that one could easily imagine as the soundtrack to the farthest reaches of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks fever dream limbo, the Black Lodge . . .

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Absolute Sons of Bitches: Global Fusion Grooves, 1970-1977

In the smoking aftermath of Miles Davis's landmark Bitches Brew, musicians across the planet tried to come to grips with its dense, freaky, electric grooves. Aquarium Drunkard scoured the globe to bring you five hours of seismic seventies funk and fusion from far and near. The weather's changing. Nights are growing longer. And this is the way we all keep our heads right . . .

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‘Round About Midnight: A Conversation With Adrian Sherwood

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 . . .

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Small Sur :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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Peel Dream Magazine :: Pad

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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Marina Allen :: Centrifics

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 . . .

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Transmissions :: Ken Shipley (Numero Group)

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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Non Plus Temps :: Warm Launderette

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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

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 . . .

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