Posts

Ernest Hood :: Exploring Neighborhoods

Ernest Hood's 1975 proto-ambient masterpiece Neighborhoods is a reminder of what happens when quiet makes space to really listen. Combining idyllic field recordings and washes of synth and zither, the album illustrates the relationship between the specific and the universal . . .

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Øyvind Skarbø :: Skarbø Skulekorps

Skarbø Skulekorps: a remarkable debut, and one of the most interesting records of the year: a record with a wide palette of sounds, styles and grooves—from funk to blues to noise—by a band that can pull them all off . . .

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Bill Fay :: Filled With Wonder Once Again

Despite the apocalyptic tenor of his songs, Bill Fay's second act has been a triumphant one. On January 17th, he releases Countless Branches, the third lp in his post-hiatus discography. "Filled With Wonder Once Again," released earlier this month, is indicative of the album's a simple orchestration, featuring little more than acoustic guitar, piano, scattered percussion, bass, and Fay's distinct croon . . .

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

Houses in motion, welcome to Babylon. The Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XM radio ~ Channel 35.

Tonight: music from Catavento, Mellotron Variations, Craft Spells, Duffy Power, Tindersticks, L'eclair, Yo La Tengo, Arthur Russell & more . . .

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Doug Hammond :: Spaces

Drummer Doug Hammond's 1982 album Spaces was recorded on the day of Thelonious Monk’s funeral. To consider it now, a psychic loop seems to connect the two events: at Crossfire Studio, Hammond and the others are recording an album showcasing the continued innovation of jazz, while at St. Peter's Church, the public mourned the death of one of the genre’s most beloved innovators . . .

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Arthur Russell :: Iowa Dream

Though reason might suggest an eventual end to the steady stream of brilliant work from the Arthur Russell archives, thankfully they haven't been exhausted just yet. A new release, Iowa Dream shines new light on Russell's genre-bending beauty . . .

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Mellotron Variations :: S/T

Mellotron Variations—the new collaborative project from John Medeski, Pat Sansone, Jonathan Kirkscey, and Robby Grant—sounds like it could have scored an imaginary, chimerical Stanley Kubrick film. The quartet compositions of the great tape replay keyboard of the 1960s were originally conceived of as Mellotron duets between Memphis locals Kirkscey and Grant, before looping in the Medeski Martin & Wood and Wilco stalwarts. Doing so expanded the possibilities to an almost limitless scale, but one that rooted in a serene, and often severe, neoclassical aesthetic . . .

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Cos :: Gigolo

Released in 1979, Belgian group COS ditched the blueprint of their previous three albums, wholeheartedly embracing a swirling amalgamation of avant-reggae-artpop-punk. That's indeed a mouthful, and Swiss Chalet is that and then some. Pascale Son's vox at the fore, the album often bobs, grooves and weaves like zeitgeist-y efforts from Adrian Sherwood and Eno-era Talking Heads. And it works . . .

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

Hitchhiking the silk road of sound. The Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XM radio ~ Channel 35. Wednesdays / 7pm California time + on-demand . . .

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The Lagniappe Sessions :: Little Wings (Second Session)

Lagniappe (la ·gniappe) noun ‘lan-ˌyap,’ — 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus.

California avatar Kyle Field has been recording and performing as Little Wings since the late 1990s. This year saw the release of not one, but two long-players from the perennial project: the all-covers record, Ropes In Paradise . . .

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Ryley Walker :: A Roundup

It’s been a busy decade for singer-songwriter Ryley Walker – is he the hardest working man in indie rock? Maybe. This year has been typically action-packed, even if he hasn’t released a new solo album. Read on for a roundup of recent Ryley action . . .

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Jaimie Branch :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Jaimie Branch has been playing the trumpet since the age of nine, working the possibilities of her instrument to recreate the music that lives in her head. Her latest album Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise delivers challenge and experiment in the context of irresistible swing . . .

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Sam Wilkes :: Live on the Green

Though he’s fully capable of unrolling long, bejeweled runs on his instrument, Wilkes uses Live on the Green to showcase his skills as an arranger and producer. He tends to use his bass the way Lonnie Liston Smith used his piano in Pharoah Sanders’ group, announcing the changes and providing a safe space from which his fellow players can launch, while also perfuming the atmosphere . . .

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