Amongst the plethora of classic televised Christmas specials are lesser-known outliers that haven’t become ubiquitous holiday viewing. Case in point: The Kate Bush Christmas Special (1979).
Year: 2023
The Aquarium Drunkard Radio Holiday Nog Spectacular
Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays.
Tonight, suit up, it’s Aquarium Drunkard’s annual seasonal spectacular.
Videodrome :: Metropolitan (1990)
In Metropolitan, The Ghost of Christmas Past and The Ghost of Christmas Future are the same, and the characters are so caught up in their bubble of affluence that they fail to reckon with The Ghost of Christmas Present.
Songs of Christmas, Midwinter, & New Year :: From the Alan Lomax Collection
Hark! The arrival of a late in the year gift: Songs of Christmas, Midwinter & New Year: From the Alan Lomax Collection. Collecting material the legendary archivist recorded in the Caribbean, Italy, Spain, Scotland, the American South, and Harlem, this compilation presents a variety of Yuletide sounds, both playful and sacred, from around the globe.
Celtic Guru :: Van Morrison In The 80s | Irish Heartbeat
In many ways, Irish Heartbeat was Van Morrison’s reawakening. He was opening himself up once more to the idea of collaborating; giving up the singular vision which he had been pursuing for a collective one. This also spawned a reawakening in the public eye. Though Morrison seemed able to confer directly with his core audience with any output, it was this record that grabbed the ears of the masses once more.
Warner Jepson :: Buchla Christmas
For those who’ve reached their sanity threshold for cloying Christmas fare, here is an album that will wipe the screen clean. An ethereal, odd masterpiece from 1969 — “Buchla Christmas” by the fascinating Warner Jepson, electronic musician and video art pioneer.
The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PST, Channel 35)
Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays. Tonight’s broadcast is culled entirely from our 2023 Year In Review …
34.1090° N, 118.2334° W
First & Last: Japanese Private Press, Vol. 12
Welcome to the twelfth installment of First & Last, a series of mixes providing a glimpse into the world of Japanese private press, or 自主盤, pronounced “jishuban”, which loosely translates to “independent board.”
As autumn fades into the quiet embrace of winter, immerse yourself in the hushed tones of acoustic introspection, where each note invokes the stillness of the changing seasons.
Aquarium Drunkard :: 2023 Year in Review
Looking back to look ahead. It’s our Year In Review 2023. As always, our list is unranked and unruly. Let it blurb.
Aquarium Drunkard exists because of the passion of its contributors and the support of its generous Patreon community, so consider pledging your support as we ring in the new year. If Aquarium Drunkard improves your listening life, the Patreon is the best way to reciprocate. Only the good shit, now, then, and the unspecified moments in-between.
Thandi Ntuli :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Rainbow Revisited was recorded over the course of two sessions in 2019, between Ntuli’s grand 2018 epic Exiled and last year’s shimmering Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë. An accomplished bandleader, Ntuli might never have recorded a collection of solo tracks had percussionist/producer/sorcerer Carlos Niño not reached out after seeing a video of her warming up.
Wes Montgomery And The Wynton Kelly Trio :: Maximum Swing
While three records and six sides of music sourced from radio airchecks and audience tapes might sound a little excessive to some, Maximum Swing delivers on its promise. It fleshes out the picture from the famed Smokin’ at the Half Note record and shows it wasn’t just a lone night of musical inspiration. And while this group has been documented elsewhere – 2017’s Smokin’ In Seattle, for example – this is a good chance to hear them on their home turf and for an appreciative crowd. It’s another welcome piece to the Montgomery canon, and another example that he didn’t settle down into pop-jazz in the last years of his life.
Codona :: Willisau, Switzerland, September 1, 1978
Earlier this year, we shared a sweet Codona recording from late in the trio’s all-too-brief run. Here’s one from right near the beginning. This Swiss FM broadcast from 1978 captures Codona in full flight, with Collin Walcott’s sitar, Don Cherry’s trumpet and Nana Vaconcelos’ percussion weaving a magical web. The players waste no time getting right into it; the opening “New Light” is 16 minutes of pure joy.
The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PST, Channel 35)
Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays.
34.1090° N, 118.2334° W
Jake Acosta :: Rehearsal Park
Another great one from Ryley Walker’s Husky Pants label, which has quickly become a reliable source for sweet sounds both old and new. Jake Acosta’s Rehearsal Park is made up of two long pieces (27 and 17 minutes, respectively) that feel warm and accessible but somehow somewhat unclassifiable. RIYL Oren Ambarchi? (Ryley describes it as “If Glenn Branca went to Hampshire. If Phish was black dice.”) Oscillating grooves, interlocking melodies, unexpected string and horn sections, free-flowing rivers of sound — it reveals hidden layers and buried textures the more you get into it.
James Elkington :: Me Neither
Me Neither, the new album by James Elkington, has the appearance of library music as it is made up of a series of 29 brief instrumental pieces, the shortest of which is 36 seconds long. Elkington is known for his solo work, being a member of Brokeback, and supporting artists such as Jeff Tweedy and Richard Thompson. The new album is a departure from Elkington’s previous singer-songwriter material as most of the tracks feature a theme played on the acoustic guitar, while others are ambient soundscapes with found sounds such as sirens and avian chirping.