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The Quick :: Mondo Deco (Reissued)

The QuickPosted on

I was first turned on to the Quick several years ago when Dave Newton and I had radio shows back to back at the now defunct Little Radio loft studios in the warehouse district of downtown L.A. Dave's show was immediately after mine and he would usually pop in 15 to 20 minutes early to chat, drink beer, and generally nerd around about records (good times, Dave). For the most part he solely spun tracks . . .

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Books of Moses (Skip Spence Cover)

Beck Jamie Lidell Skip SpencePosted on

If you have an Internet connection you've heard about Beck's ongoing Record Club. We featured the first installment (Beck and assorted friends covering The Velvet Underground & Nico) back in August. I love that album---there's no telling how many times I've spun its sides over the years, but I can't say I've found myself revisiting that set of covers since they initially appeared online six months ago. And that's not meant to be a slight, as the participants aim is made very clear from the outset: "There is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens." No, this has more to do with my having heard one too many covers off the VU's debut over the years, beginning with my very introduction to the Velvets via R.E.M.'s take on "Femme Fatale." But really, it's a classic album---it's bound to happen. Fast forward to part three.

Now this, the third installment of Record Club (Leonard Cohen was second up), is an altogether different beast. Here, Beck and his ever-rotating group of musicians tackle the often brilliant oddity that is Alexander "Skip" Spence's only solo album, OAR. Spence, most notably, cut his teeth with Moby Grape and Jefferson Airplane before going his own way, eventually forging a path more in line with Gary Higgins than Jorma Kaukonen. That path led to OAR; a strange, primitive, unsettling, earthy cosmic weirding. It's also great. But OAR is another post for another time, as it certainly deserves it.

Here, under Beck's instruction, "Books of Moses," off OAR, is transformed from a two and half minute folk ramble into a seven-plus minute funk banger equal parts Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Shuggie Otis. If that last sentence doesn't make you want to press play, you're on the wrong blog. Amidst a fatback steady backbeat and nasty percussive synths, vocals are handled by British soul singer Jamie Lidell who shucks and jives like a Mississippi juke joint. This track just sweats.

photo: autumn de wilde

MP3: Beck's Record Club :: Books of Moses
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Posted on Beck Jamie Lidell Skip Spence

SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show

SIRIUSPosted on

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 26 (SIRIUS), and channel 43 (XM), can now be heard twice, every Friday - Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. Below is this week’s playlist.

SIRIUS 125: Jean Michel Bernard - Generique Stephane ++ The Bicycles - B-B-Bicycles ++ Knight School - Pregnant Again ++ Real Estate - Fake Blues ++ Surfer Blood - Catholic Pagans ++ Surf City - Autumn ++ Vivian Girls - Blind Spot ++ Pet Politics - The Ghost of Mary And Her Friends ++ James . . .

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Diversions :: Wolf People: A Musical Cultural Exchange, A Medley

Diversions Wolf PeoplePosted on

(Diversions, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, catches up with our favorite artists as they wax on subjects other than recording and performing.)

I know it's impossible to keep up with everything posted on Aquarium Drunkard, but I implore you to not miss this installment of Diversions. Why? Because the guys behind the UK's Wolf People have assembled an eleven track '60s/'70s psych-rock medley that you absolutely need in your life. Skip your other blog reads for the day if you have to, but do check this out. To celebrate being signed to an American label (Jagjaguwar) despite never having visited the states, the band chose 5 songs from the US and 5 (+1) from the UK. They’re mostly psych-rock. They’re all great. We begin with the UK...
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Edgar Broughton Band - House of Turnabout(from Edgar Broughton Band on Harvest Records)

Here is an English band with heavy Beefheart influences so it’s little wonder that they’re a favourite of ours. They represent something quintessentially English; a sturdy, no-nonsense antidote to the more whimsical and theatrical psychedelia that was rife around that time. They were from Coventry but moved to Notting Hill and became involved with the underground scene that spawned a lot of great and often underrated bands like Mighty Baby (see below), Quintessence, Hawkwind, Pink Fairies and Deviants.

This track from their 1971 self titled album (the one with all the meat on the cover) never fails to knock me out. It seems to me that when America turned towards introspective singer songwriters at the turn of the decade, Britain was on the verge of something more gritty and politically aware which would eventually mutate into punk, and this to me is a great example of psychedelic rock with a proto-punk tinge to it.

Edgar Broughton Band were a festival staple in the early 70’s and most freaks from the time will have fond memories of their epic “out demons, out” set closer, something I wish I could have seen in the flesh.

MP3: Edgar Broughton Band - House of Turnabout

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Posted on Diversions Wolf People

The Rising Storm :: Calm Before…

Rising StormPosted on

Hardcore fans of unknown '60s psych and garage all search for that taste of magic once committed to rare grooves of vinyl, a glimpse into an era when any rock combo with a few fans could get enough studio time to immortalize a set of their wildest sounds, and with Calm Before.., you get the full dosage.

If you have an original copy . . .

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Owen Pallett :: Paris 1919

Owen PallettPosted on

MP3: Owen Pallett :: Paris 1919 (John Cale cover)
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+ Download Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy via eMusic’s 25 free MP3 no risk trial offer
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Off The Record :: The Idaho Falls, Los Angeles (Rancho Park)

Idaho Falls Off The RecordPosted on

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.

Off the top of my head we have featured our hometown ten to fifteen times; from Long Beach and the South Bay to West L.A. and the Eastside. Searching through the Off The Record archives, one could come up with a pretty thorough guide of cool shit do do when visiting L.A. Today is no exception. Catch up with the Idaho Falls' Raymond Richards as he plays tour guide in his Rancho Park neighborhood. Look for their excellent new album, The Spark, out next Tuesday (January 26th). Don't miss the mp3s after the jump.

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Aquarium Drunkard Show :: A Companion Mix, Vol 2

Mixtapes SIRIUSPosted on

A mixtape. Some new, some old, some new(ish). This is the second effort to somewhat merge the weekly AD show on XMU with that of the blog proper. After the jump, check a selection of 15 tracks I’ve been spinning over the past few weeks. Simple jams for complicated times, ya'll. Just a small fraction of what I play, but a choice round up nonetheless representative of where my head’s at January 2010. Volume 1 is still fresh; grab it here.

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Posted on Mixtapes SIRIUS

SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show

SIRIUSPosted on

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 26 (SIRIUS), and channel 43 (XM), can now be heard twice, every Friday - Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. Below is this week’s playlist.

SIRIUS 124: Jean Michel Bernard - Generique Stephane ++ James Husband - A Grave In The Gravel ++ Harlem - Come Back Jonee (Devo cover) ++ Atlas Sound - Doctor (Five Discs cover) ++ The Girls At Dawn - I'm Not Sad ++Surf City - Autumn ++ The Sandwitches - Back To . . .

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Posted on SIRIUS

Come Back Jonee :: (Harlem/Devo Cover)

Devo HarlemPosted on

Up until a minute ago this post began with me relating an anecdote about my friend, Adam who, after catching Devo in Brooklyn recently, said something to the effect of "I feel sorry for anyone who only knows Devo through the video for "Whip It." In my mind this was something he had told me, either via phone, email or instant message. In actuality it was one of his fucking Twitter updates. Such . . .

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Next Stop Soweto :: Volume One of Three

SowetoPosted on

Complaining about L.A.'s traffic is about as tired as, well, complaining about L.A.'s traffic. I'm aware. Regardless, last week I found myself on multiple occasions making the east-west commute. For those of you unfamiliar with the layout of Los Angeles, the trek is--at its best--45 minutes up to an hour and a half (and we're only talking about 10-15 miles here). Alas, Babylon.

The bright side: It was an opportunity to genuinely listen to a lot of new music including the upcoming Strut Records release

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Posted on Soweto