Diversions, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, catches up with our favorite artists as they wax on subjects other than recording and performing.
He's been at awhile now, but there is a reason you are hearing the name Andy Shauf everywhere of late. It's The Party, Shauf's third long-player; his Anti Records debut which dropped in May. An ambitious endeavor, aesthetically indebted to the 70s smart pop of Jimmie Spheeris, Harry Nilsson and Carole King, the record is a meditative grower in the best kind of way. In an effort to get inside Shauf's headspace, we asked him to run through some of the works he was listening to, and inspired by, while in pre-production. Shauf, in his own words, below . . .
Chris Cohen - Overgrown Path: This is an album that I started listening to while I was about halfway through finishing my record. I was feeling lost with what I was trying to do, kind of exploring synthland and really forgetting what I intended to do when I started making the record. Chris’ album is really nice and song-focused. It reminded me that I'd originally set out to make an album centered around bass, drums and piano.
David Bowie - Hunky Dory: I was mostly writing songs on piano for The Party, so Hunky Dory was naturally a big inspiration for me. The arrangements are so good, the songs are very creative both lyrically and musically. The piano playing is a lot fancier than what I can manage, but I was really trying to improve on my piano skills for this album.
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