Aquarius Records was an independent record store in San Francisco for 47 years, closing in 2016. The legacy lives on in the form of a new documentary, It Came From Aquarius Records, which will premier3 on June 3 at SF Doc Fest (and stream worldwide June 1-12).
The documentary explores the store's history and impact, collecting over 65 interviews with notables including Matt Groening (The Simpsons), Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), John Darnielle (The Mountain Goats), Ty Segall, and more.
The Mountain Goats have made an action movie. Bleed Out is a concept album of sorts, made in a distinctly Mountain Goats way. Basically, ringleader John Darnielle wrote the record while watching movies: pausing and taking notes, so the lyrics aren’t just about familiar plotlines, but the full scope of cinematic storytelling. That info all comes in the press release, … Read more
After hearing The Sunset Tree, I was certain that John Darnielle was incapable of writing songs that even hint at happiness. Hope is abundant, but joy is absent. His songs are stories of lives endured. Each album is an anthology of damaged characters trying to survive unfortunate circumstances. Heretic Pride makes that leap from hope to joy, the overall mood … Read more
Even months before its release, it seemed as if everyone had already assumed that the latest record from The Flaming Lips would effectively mark the end of the band's run as alternative rock's quirky reigning champions. When the first single from At War With the Mystics hit the airwaves, I was almost inclined to believe that it was indeed over. … Read more
13 Jan – 18 Jan, 2016 MONA, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia In 2011, I visited Tasmania for the first time. In many ways it was still uncharted territory and one of the few things I knew about the place was that Hobart was the late Joachim “Blacky” Fuchsberger’s adopted home. While … Read more
The bus I'm on smells terrible: a mixture of body odour, cheap beer, and anticipation. It's filled to the brim with concert goers, mostly teenagers, but also a handful of adults who are dressed like teenagers. We're on our way to the Toronto leg of Riot Fest. This is the … Read more
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