It’s been nearly a decade since Tyvek’s last proper album, but the Detroit rock denizens haven’t missed a beat. Overground returns to the barreling, bare-bones sound the band are known for, with frontman Kevin Boyer’s wiggly guitar solos now sharing space with sax blurts from his latest recruit, Emily Roll of XV. When the going gets weird, the underground poke their heads above the surface, but this is still the Tyvek we know and love.
Year: 2023
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
Bex Burch :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
On her International Anthem debut There is only love and fear, xylophonist Bex Burch creates a world of sound that jumps between jazz loops, found sound, ambient soundscapes, and propulsive, rhythmic “messy minimalism.” But those individual components equal something more than the sum of their parts. Burch joins us to discuss the choice between love and fear, her “messy minimalism,” and welcoming the sounds of nature into her record—and realizing that her record was in and of itself a natural sound: “I am part of nature singing my song.”
Transmissions :: Conner Habib
This week on Transmissions: Conner Habib. He’s the author of the Pen/Faulkner award longlisted horror novel, Hawk Mountain, and the host of the weekly podcast Against Everyone with Conner Habib. Informed by his practice of Anthroposophy and Christian mysticism, AEWCH focuses on the esoteric and ventures into strange and unusual places, touching frequently on Habib’s spiritual views while also exploring his views on sex work, his interest in art and literature, punk rock ethos, and his singular conversational style.
John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop: Community, Jazz and Art in the Motor City, 1965-1981
You probably know John Sinclair’s name from his status as a legendary Detroit activist and MC5 manager. But he also worked with trumpeter Charles Moore to put on a wide variety of Detroit Artists Workshop shows that highlighted some of the best local jazz talent. This new compilation gives us a glimpse of the sweet sounds that went down over the years. Some familiar names here (Donald Byrd playing a marvelously moody version of “Cristo Redentor”) and some less familiar names (organist Lyman Woodard sounds fantastic).
Misha Panfilov :: Atlântico
Estonian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Misha Panfilov continues to operate in his own diaphanous waters where waves of funk, jazz, and exotica crash upon mystic sands of psychedelic rock and kosmische music. Recorded in the archipelago of Madeira, his latest album, Atlântico, shifts tectonic plates of space and sound, leaving a decidedly more spiritual and serene landscape in its wake.
Ananya Ganesh :: Precis-Loving
At just about 16 minutes, Ananya Ganesh’s Precis-Loving feels fleeting. But that makes sense. These improvised piano and voice pieces capture something very in-the-moment and spontaneous; it’s almost as though you’re hearing Ganesh think out loud, eavesdropping on her inner monologue. The fact that this collection was recorded in non-professional settings on a phone (you’ll catch bits of ambient background noise at times) adds to the intimacy. Whether this approach will be carried forward in Ganesh’s future releases remains to be seen, but for now Precis-Loving is a priceless document.
Moon Bros. :: The Wheel
Moon Bros. returns with an absolutely wonderful five-song mini-LP of lightly fried folk rambles. Fred Schneider recorded The Wheel mostly on his own, but he expertly conjures up a laid-back scene of friends sitting around a cozy living room playing together — sweetly groaning pedal steel, chiming 12-string, stoned harmonica, intimate vocals. (It’s not entirely a solo affair: the great Josephine Foster shows up to sing along on one song.) The result is kind of like a heretofore unimagined collab between Robbie Basho and Michael Hurley. Vivid visions of the country, indeed.
Beirut :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
For Zach Condon, the music is a record of the transformative period he spent near the Arctic circle. He explains, “The whole album was supposed to sound like that place. The drums sounding like the outside elements and then the organ in the middle being like the warm fireplace that you get to sit by that keeps you warm through these harsh moments.”
Jeremiah Chiu :: In Electric Time
… In Electric Time does not disappoint in the the slightest. It’s a fully improvised modular synth fantasia, filled with beauty and light. Playful and flowing at times, deep and mysterious at others. Chiu has a great sense of rhythm and melody, following the sound where it takes him.
Daniel Villarreal :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
We recently caught up with Daniel Villarreal backstage before his show at Yoshi’s in Oakland. His new album, Lados B, came out last month on International Anthem — its nine tracks drawn from sessions from his first album, Panama ‘77, a tribute to his homeland. A truly epic trio of Villarreal, guitarist Jeff Parker, and bassist Anna Butterss improvise around compositions originated by Villarreal, mostly live with minimal overdubbing.
PAINT :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Pedrum Siadatian has been on a tear in 2023, creating and releasing two albums that speak to his continued artistic stretching: Zuma 85, which finds Allah-Las, the California rock band he founded with his collaborators in 2008. exploring shambolic and rhythmically dynamic art rock; and Loss For Words, a mostly instrumental jammer by his solo project PAINT. He joins us to discuss kosmische sounds, musical production, and the perils of DIY.
The Malombo Jazz Makers :: Down Lucky’s Way
Recorded in 1969 but unreleased/unknown until now, Down Lucky’s Way is a little hard to describe — minimal modal folk jazz? Maybe! Guitarist Lucky Ranku called it “healing music,” and that might be the most right on. The gentle but propulsive groove, the free-floating melodies, the comradely interplay … it just makes you feel better. Highly highly highly recommended.
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
Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions :: John Carroll Kirby
Make yourself comfortable, on this all-new episode of Transmissions, we’re focusing on the fantastic tunes crafted by John Caroll Kirby. His music exemplifies the current zone where jazz, fusion, new age, soul, R&B, and electronic composition all mingle. He’s worked with artists like Blood Orange, Solange, Frank Ocean, Eddie Chacon, and many more. But it’s his own records, including this year’s Blowout, that demonstrate his compositional chops. The native Angeleno joined us to discuss going far from home to record and much more.