Morton Subotnick :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Morton Subotnick The AD InterviewPosted on

Electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick has achieved more in his 90 years than could be covered in days of conversation -- from the San Francisco Tape Music Center to the Buchla synthesizer to his groundbreaking electronic albums to his works for theater and dance. He shared an hour of his time and the conversation dove in the deep end, straight away. Still far ahead of his time, Subotnick is currently on his final run of performances - the "As I Live and Breathe Tour . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Morton Subotnick The AD Interview

Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera

Elmer Gantry's Velvet OperaPosted on

Think the first Soft Machine Record. Think the Zombies’s Odyssey and Oracle but with the budget constraints of Black Monk Time. This is an album that deserves to be mentioned alongside those but also stands on its own. It’s psychedelic pop with punk rock energy that’s pushed over the top by Elmer’s ecstatic vocal performances . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera

Chris Forsyth :: Returns to Solar Motel

Chris ForsythPosted on

Sometimes a record amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Released 10 years ago, Solar Motel found guitarist Chris Forsyth sidestepping the avant-garde improv to embrace rock urgings. The resulting album struck a note—for listeners, but consequently, the artist himself. A decade later, it's being reissued with extra music as Solar Motel (Expanded). Ahead of its December 8th release, Forsyth joined us to reflect on how the album changed his life—and his artistic point of view . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Chris Forsyth

Omni Gardens :: Golden Pear

Omni GardensPosted on

Moon Glyph label boss Steve Rosborough returns with the latest album from his soothing solo project, Omni Gardens. Like previous releases, the foundations of these instrumental compositions are the burbling tones of the Moog, played with the gentle grace of Mort Garson . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Omni Gardens

J​.​R. Bohannon :: Plays Vince Guaraldi

J​.​R. Bohannon Vince GuaraldiPosted on

It might yet be a little early in the year to break out Christmas tunes, but it's worth letting pedal steel instrumentalist J.R. Bohannon take you "Skating" with this recent single from the folks at Astral Spirits. Slipping and sliding over a ghostly rhythm track, loping bass arcs, and a thick layer of ambient noise, he brings a spooky and psychedelic spirit to Vince Guaraldi's timeless melodies . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on J​.​R. Bohannon Vince Guaraldi

Head Voice :: Ben Chasny, Donovan Quinn & James Jackson Toth

Ben Chasny Donovan Quinn James Jackson TothPosted on

You’ve certainly seen the names Ben Chasny, Donovan Quinn and James Jackson Toth plenty here on Aquarium Drunkard. The latest venture for these brilliant underground musicians is Head Voice. This is not a new band, however. It’s an old-school zine . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Ben Chasny Donovan Quinn James Jackson Toth

The Lagniappe Sessions :: Jeffrey Alexander

Jeffrey Alexander Lagniappe SessionsPosted on

You can't Jeffrey Alexander down. Whether with The Heavy Lidders or Dire Wolves, he's been traveling the highways and byways the New Weird frontier for decades. Hot off the heels of this latest album Easy Portals, he drops by AD to share a grab bag of covers from various projects, featuring tunes by The Fall, Top Drawer, and Swedish psych legends International Harvester . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Jeffrey Alexander Lagniappe Sessions

The Aquarium Drunkard Show: SIRIUS/XMU (7pm PDT, Channel 35)

SIRIUSPosted on

To the other side of the sky. 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 . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on SIRIUS

Bandcamping :: Fall 2023

BandcampingPosted on

There are plenty of bigger things to be depressed about these days, but for a certain stripe of music fan, the recent Bandcamp news was a particular bummer. If you haven’t heard, the platform was sold to Songtradr, a B2B music licensing service, who promptly laid off a healthy chunk of the workforce. While the ultimate fate of Bandcamp remains unclear, the future looks bleak.

What’s next? We’re not sure. But for the moment, we’ll continue sharing music via our Bandcamping column — especially as Bandcamp Fridays stay in place, offering artists a more-than-decent lifeline . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Bandcamping

Transmissions :: Moby and Lindsay Hicks (Moby Pod)

Moby PodcastPosted on

Welcome back to Transmissions. This week on the program, we’re joined by electronic musician Moby and Lindsay Hicks. Together, they run Little Walnut, a production company responsible for documentaries like Punk Rock Vegan, music videos, and Moby Pod—a podcast dedicated to offering unique perspectives on music, animal activism, climate change, and beyond. This conversation with host Jason P. Woodbury demonstrates the way Moby and Hicks are brave and open in ways that aren’t common in our culture, rejecting the easy cynicism and guardedness that seems to rule the day. And while this talk does get a little . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Moby Podcast

Modern Nature :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Modern Nature The AD InterviewPosted on

“It’s a lot to take in… It’s impossible to see,” Jack Cooper sings on Modern Nature's No Fixed Point In Space. The limits of language fascinate Cooper, who spends much of the album guiding his collaborators, including members of The Necks, This Is Not This Heat, and Julie Tipppets, to a place where words aren't required. But sometimes language does come in handy, which is why we rang Cooper up at his space near Cambridge, UK, to discuss the album, how the natural world informs his creative process, and the nebulous zone between composition and improvisation . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Modern Nature The AD Interview

Scott Walker :: The Drift

Scott WalkerPosted on

For those who celebrate Halloween by seeking out sounds that thrill and chill, few records are as consistently terrifying on a purely auditory level as Scott Walker's The Drift . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Scott Walker

Senza Decoro: Liebe + Anarchia / Switzerland 1980​-​1990

Senza DecoroPosted on

Some excellent spooky season jams on the latest compilation from Strut, Senza Decoro: Liebe + Anarchia / Switzerland 1980-1990. Curated by Turkish-Swiss producer / DJ Mehmet Aslan, the collection traverses a diverse, free-form musical landscape splintering off from Europe’s post-punk scene. Trick or treat, indeed . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Senza Decoro

Videodrome :: Race With The Devil (1975)

VideodromePosted on

While being a low-budget exploitation film, Race With The Devil transcends its genre trappings and sets itself apart from other drive-in movies of the 1970s. It understands that true horror — the kind that gets under your skin and lingers with you long after the credits roll — doesn’t come from blood and guts, but from the universal fear of the unknown: not knowing who to trust or who is out to get you . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Videodrome

Woods :: Perennial

WoodsPosted on

As is the case in pretty much any situation, the late David Berman said it best when describing Woods as his very own “jangle merchants” around the time they served as his backing band on Purple Mountains. Songwriters Jeremy Earl and Jarvis Taveniere have created something spellbinding, impressive and lasting with Perennial, their 12th record . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Posted on Woods