Justin Gage

Los Angeles

Editor-in-Chief at Aquarium Drunkard

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Articles

Very Human Features : Aquarium Drunkard

6 days ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

The Bug Club’s fourth full-length (and second on Sub Pop) swerves giddily pop-ward. The two principals, Sam Willmett and Tilly Harris, toss out the previous album’s hard-charging rock sound like last week’s recycling and settle, instead, on a cuddly twee vibe that matches very well with their fanciful lyrics . . . 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.
The Scholars : Aquarium Drunkard

1 week ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

Car Seat Headrest’s 13th album is ambitious in every possible way, from the overarching conceptual framework to the exulting, triumphant sound to the sheer length of the tracks. The new record is that deeply unfashionable thing: a rock opera. Yet the theatricality, the sonic overload, the proggy construction do not, in any way, overburden the tunes, among the strongest and most anthemic of Will Toledo’s hook-laden career . . . Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons.
Orbits : Aquarium Drunkard

1 week ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

New Zealand's cosmic jazz ensemble The Circling Sun comes forth with Orbits, the sequel to 2023's Spirits and, like it, deftly serves up Yusef Lateef vibes on a platter. The group has all the irreverence and joy that makes spiritual jazz so compelling versus its more competitive, virtuosity-obsessed co-genres—especially when delivered by a group this numerous (an undectet!), you can almost hear the musicians having fun . . . Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons.
Leap Through Poisoned Air : Aquarium Drunkard

1 week ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

Here's an archival gem for Elephant 6 heads: a collaborative EP from the late visionary Will Cullen Hart and Elf Power's Andrew Rieger. Though very brisk, the timing of this snapshot (culled from recording sessions circa 1999-2000) vividly conjures the opaque psychedelic sweet spot of the Olivia Tremor Control and beginnings of Hart's essential offshoot project Circulatory System . . . Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons.
Chapter 33 : Aquarium Drunkard

1 week ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

Welcome back to the stacks. It’s Aquarium Drunkard’s Book Club, our monthly gathering of recent (or not so recent) recommended reading. In this month’s stack: all things Roxy Music, some narco strung out street-lit by way of east Texas, the infinite puzzle that is the crack in the cosmic egg, the ever erudite and entertaining travels of the late Patrick Leigh Fermor, and more. Your librarians for this installment are Justin Gage, Tyler Wilcox, Ian Everett, and Mark Neeley . . . Only the good shit.
Early Roxy Music In Focus : Aquarium Drunkard

2 weeks ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

A "state of mind" is how Bryan Ferry once described Roxy Music. Born from art school roots, the early era of the band conjures up all sorts of identifiers, undoubtedly anchored by the visionary presence of Brian Eno, postmodern decadence in the seventies rock hierarchy, and the art-rock genre turning itself inside out.
CRK : Aquarium Drunkard

2 weeks ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

For the past few years, Cameron Knowler has quietly worked his way into the epicenter of the Soli revival. Making a name for his playing with the excellent Anticipation collaboration with Eli Winter a few years back, Knowler has since become a familiar face in the realm of steel string. With a with full immersion into his instrument’s history, he is indebted to his instrument’s history; his playing steadfast, concise, and open to the possibility of the unexpected. CRK is no exception to this rule .
Sweet Love, Bitter : Aquarium Drunkard

2 weeks ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

Clouded by the obscurity of the film itself, Sweet Love, Bitter is a poignant example of the brilliance of jazz pianist/composer Mal Waldron. Adapted from 1961 novel Night Song (loosely inspired by the life and final years of the legendary Charlie Parker), Waldron's soulful soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to the gritty, somber themes and even lucid dream montages.
SLC Punk! (1998) : Aquarium Drunkard

2 weeks ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

In many ways, SLC Punk (1998) is a love letter to the punk movement as it existed in the mid-1980s. But it’s also a salient example of “quarter-life crisis cinema,” tackling themes such as identity, disillusionment, and the fear of adulthood during that liminal moment of life when youthful idealism begins to clash with reality . . . 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.
Audio Sponge : Aquarium Drunkard

2 weeks ago | aquariumdrunkard.com | Justin Gage

Even for Yellow Magic Orchestra loyalists, the new millennium timing of the short-lived Sketch Show made the project easy to fly under the radar. Audio Sponge is the 2002 debut from duo Hauromi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. While veering back at seminal influences like Brian Wilson, the mellowness of the compositions here are downright hypnotically restrained; a canopy of soft glitch samples, acousto-electric rhythms and relaxed vocals that simply evaporate as soon as they're uttered . . .