Itasca :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Itasca The AD InterviewPosted on

Kayla Cohen’s Itasca has grown over the last decade or so from a solitary acoustic pursuit into a full-band enterprise where pensive art folk kicks up a country rock ruckus. Her latest, Imitation of War, was conceived in the isolation of COVID out in California's Yucca Valley but came to life in collaboration with long-time associates, Evan Backer on bass, Daniel Swire and Evan Burrows on drums, Robbie Cody producing and mixing.

“My past albums feel like growth experiences, but with this album I’ve gotten to a place where I still feel like it’s . . .

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

SIRIUSPosted on

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 . . .

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Iasos :: Crystal Love

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When I heard of Iasos’s ascendance, I threw on 1979’s excellent Crystal Love. Like most of his early cassettes, Crystal Love is comprised of two side-long slices of infinite bliss. Here are endless undulating harmonies of synthesizer and zither forever folding into one another like cirrus clouds. And the way Iasos turns his inimitable echo-laden lap steel into a celestial transmission. In its sheer otherworldly force, one can convince oneself that rather than pressing play on a track, you have simply tuned into a song that was always there . . .

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Kahil El’Zabar’s Spirit Groove :: In My House

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In case you missed it, last year we caught up with visionary percussionist Kahil El’Zabar on the heels of his latest effort, Spirit Gatherer: A Tribute to Don Cherry. Over the holiday break we turned our ears back to 2020, as in the midst of that most infamous year, El’Zabar released Spirit Groove, an eight track LP featuring saxophonist/composer David Murray. Self described as music "to move you nakedly with a deep sense of dance on a mind/body/spirit level," El’Zabar's sonic aim was to "rekindle the motion of social relevance within the legacy . . .

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Shirley Hurt :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Shirley Hurt The AD InterviewPosted on

A recurring narrative runs throughout Shirley Hurt. It’s a catalog of recollections, some are challenging and others provide bursts of exuberance. She joins us to discuss it . . .

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The Brights :: Oyster Rock!

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Following a string of promising EPs going back four years, Oyster Rock! is the debut record from Australian five-piece The Brights. Hailing from the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, chiming guitars and infectious melodies make the record an impressive jangle-pop treasure. At times recalling the sounds and DIY aesthetic of the likes of The Clean and extended Flying Nun family, Oyster Rock! is conversely a decisively polished effort, letting the brisk songcraft and soft backing vocals flow . . .

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Jarbas Mariz :: Transas Do Futuro

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Jarbas Mariz was underground even in his ‘rediscovery’ as a Brazilian gem: when a first reissue of the 1977 7″ Transas do Futuro came out in 2012, it was in a limited edition of numbered copies. Now, Mr. Bongo shines a belated light on Mariz’s solo debut, a delight of lo-fi psych folk, mystic poetry, and free experiments with the musical traditions of Brazil’s Northeast . . .

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Glue and Nails :: Elvis Costello & Marc Ribot on “Chewing Gum”

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Though it's not among his best known songs, Elvis Costello's "Chewing Gum" features one of guitarist Marc Ribot's strangest and most captivating solos. Its creators reflect here . . .

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Brigitte Fontaine :: Comme a la Radio

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In the zone where idiosyncrasies collide, intuition is key. Everything is ripe for failure, but if navigated correctly even the most unsuspecting of unions can bear fruit. This happens to be the exact frontier explored by Brigitte Fontaine with Comme a la Radio. Notably, Fontaine is not subjected to the rigid and precise studio ensembles known to most chanson connoisseurs, but rather walks among free jazz titans—the Art Ensemble of Chicago. On top of this, Fontaine has teamed up with Areski Belkacem on this maiden voyage of a collaboration which endures to this day . . .

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Further Cosmic Pedal Steel Situations :: Winter 2024

Cosmic Pedal Steel Situations Dave Easley Gary Peters Luke Schneider Rich HinmanPosted on

The cosmic pedal steel scene continues to expand — and we’re here for it. Daniel Lanois, one of the godfathers of this movement, once called the pedal steel “my little church in a suitcase.” And if anything ties these various musicians together, it’s a certain kind of earthy spirituality, an openness to the myriad possibilities that the instrument offers. Check out a few recent favorites, via the following roundup, featuring Gary Peters, Rich Hinman, Luke Schneider and Dave Easley . . .

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Posted on Cosmic Pedal Steel Situations Dave Easley Gary Peters Luke Schneider Rich Hinman

Greg Foat & Ayo Salawu :: Interstellar Fantasy

Ayo Salawu Greg FoatPosted on

Like his American counterpart John Carroll Kirby, Foat stands at the vanguard of what we might call pulp jazz, a sound comprised of softcore jazz-funk and B-movie library music grooves, heady prog interludes and new age zone-outs—but designed, above all, for pleasure. This isn’t the insurrectionary transcendentalism of spiritual jazz. It is erogenous music, intended to move human bodies. Here, Foat and Salawu take what might have been a paperback sci-fi goof and come up with an album of simmering come-ons. That they happen to be floating in space doesn’t make them . . .

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Posted on Ayo Salawu Greg Foat

Felbm :: Cycli Infini

FelbmPosted on

One of the most unashamedly beautiful records out now; it is, at times, so gorgeous that it breaks your heart. cycli infini spirals in and out of genres—minimalism, gagaku, new age, ambient, jazz, fourth world—all while remaining completely intact. One pattern flows effortlessly out of the last and into whatever comes next. The adventure of the album is listening as forms decompose and are reconstituted. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that the album invites you to be attentive to its changes and indifferent to them at the same time . . .

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Robert Pollard :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Guided By Voices Robert Pollard The AD InterviewPosted on

2023 was a fantastic year for Guided by Voices. The trio of records that came out – La La Land, Welshpool Frillies, and the late-year Nowhere to Go But Up – are some of the best the band has put out in the seven years its most recent incarnation has been together. Founding member Robert Pollard seems just as chaotically creative as ever, whether it’s the pure volume of songs or the developing shape they take. Over the holiday break, Pollard caught up with Aquarium Drunkard via email about the latest trio of albums, how the writing process works for . . .

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

SIRIUSPosted on

Jazz grip. 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 . . .

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Bandcamping :: Winter 2024

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New tunes for a new year! While the status / coolness of Bandcamp as a corporate entity is in flux, the platform itself remains in fine form for the time being — even Bandcamp Fridays seem to be rolling forward in 2024 (the next one hits on Feb. 2). Wherever you get your music and however you choose to support artists, dig in here for some recent / recommended zones . . .

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Posted on Bandcamping