Weird Still Spills: Stella Mozgawa Of Warpaint's Favourite Albums | Page 6 of 14 | The Quietus

Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

I guess this one is a companion piece to Uncle Meat: Zappa and Beefheart are so intertwined, true brethren. Beefheart came a little later for me and this record was a comparatively new discovery – I wore the shit out of Trout Mask Replica and Safe As Milk. I adore John French’s drumming on those two records; it was like seeing a negative image of a photo and immediately preferring the way it looks. Every decision he made was so counterintuitive, warped and mind-blowing to me. So it feels very weird to choose a record that features any other drummer. I have such a soft spot for this record though; it’s a truly avant-garde artist going pop, but his weird still spills out of every pore. There are some pretty classic bluesy moments, ‘Nowadays A Woman’s Gotta Hit A Man’, offset by some familiar, frantic Beefheart, like ‘Sun Zoom Spark’. The title track is a masterpiece, the production is danky and dark – maybe the most satisfying song he’s ever recorded. It’s impossible to choose a favourite record of his, but this one feels relevant at the moment.

Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Teenage Fanclub, Tom Fleming, Barry Adamson, Graham Parker
PreviousNext Record

The Quietus Digest

Sign up for our free Friday email newsletter.

Support The Quietus

Our journalism is funded by our readers. Become a subscriber today to help champion our writing, plus enjoy bonus essays, podcasts, playlists and music downloads.

Support & Subscribe Today