Shintaro Sakamoto :: Yoo-hoo

Japan Shintaro SakamotoPosted on

In some ways, Shintaro Sakamoto's fifth record Yoo-hoo follows a continuation of the pop-centric sensibilities of Like A Fable: lifting backdrops of surf guitar, Spector-like orchestration and funky exotica crafted for the dancefloor in a way that only Sakamoto could usher into existence. Yet another work of an auteur of his musical craft, the album sees Sakamoto channel midcentury Japanese styles like "Mood Kayō", drawing from Latin rhythms and Hawaiin compositions. As has become customary, the musician is able to masterfully curate shadowy corners of the past to create something exceptionally neoteric . . .

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Posted on Japan Shintaro Sakamoto

Mean Red Spiders :: Starsandsons

Mean Red SpidersPosted on

Toronto’s Mean Red Spiders released their opus, Starsandsons, in 2000, to little lasting acclaim. On the one hand, the album came too late – their psychedelic, arty sensibilities were out of sync with the changing tides. On the other hand, it was too early – critics and fans didn’t have the right language to fully grok what the Mean Red Spiders were on about. But as contemporary
“shoegaze” and “dreampop” bands have mined the ‘90s aesthetic for their own sound, it’s given us a newfound appreciation for some overlooked classics, and Starsandsons is ready for a reappraisal . . .

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Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard :: January 2026

Radio Free Aquarium DrunkardPosted on

Airing every third Sunday of the month, Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard on dublab features the pairing of Tyler Wilcox’s Doom and Gloom from the Tomb and Chad DePasquale’s New Happy Gathering. This month, Tyler kicks it off with his annual Honey Slides mix of Neil Young oddities with an array of weird/wonderful Shakey covers and Chad follows with an hour of gospel + soul. Sunday, 4-6pm PT . . .

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The Lagniappe Sessions :: Trummors/Prairiewolf

Lagniappe Sessions Prairiewolf TrummorsPosted on

A meeting of the minds. Last year saw Trummors lit out for the territories touring some esoteric, off-the-beaten path venues in Colorado and New Mexico with Prairiewolf. This installment of the Lagniappe Sessions commemorates the experience with the following collaboration of the two bands reimagining early '80s George Strait along with a Joni Mitchell chestnut . . .

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Posted on Lagniappe Sessions Prairiewolf Trummors

The Box Set: An Appreciation, Vol. 1

Allman Brothers Bob Marley Box SetsPosted on

The initial standard for a compact disc was 74 minutes. Legend has it the length was decided upon in order to fit all of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony onto a single disc. In terms of format, the arrival and adoption of the CD in 1983 changed not only how we listen to recorded music, but how it's presented as an art form. No longer beholden to the 22 minute confines of a "12 side, artists began experimenting with the medium... as did labels. Welcome to the first installment of The Box Set: An Appreciation . . .

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Lô Borges: The Sneaker Album

Brazil Lô BorgesPosted on

Lô Borges was under immense pressure to record his debut record. The eight songs he had co-composed for Clube da Esquina had the luxury of time to gestate and included contributions from many other musicians in the collective. In contrast, Lô had very little time to compose and record the songs for his debut, which consisted of fifteen brand new songs, nine of which he was the sole composer. Reissued this month via VAMPISOUL . . .

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Glyders :: Forever

GlydersPosted on

Chicagoans Joshua Condon and Eliza Weber have been Glyders since 2014, but Forever, technically their second album, marks their debut as a trio, with full-time drummer Joe Seger. The trio makes up for lost time, though, blending their Gram Parsons/Byrds/New Riders ballads with surprisingly souped-up scorchers, burned-out breakdowns and best Western boogies. At a time when cosmic country threatens to leave the galaxy entirely, Glyders return it to Earth, while still keeping an eye on the skies . . .

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Wussy :: Funeral Dress

WussyPosted on

Released twenty years ago, Cincinnati band Wussy's gritty and homespun debut Funeral Dress established the beginning of a remarkably consistent discography. With a distinctively midwestern blue collar ethos, co-vocalists Chuck Cleaver (of nineties alt-country outfit Ass Ponys) and Lisa Walker deliver a tour de- orce of breakup songs and all sorts of assorted angst. There's a touch of Lucinda Williams meets Crazy Horse sway in Walker's leads, while droning guitars make way for Cleaver's infectiously oft-kilter songcraft . . .

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Dylan Day :: The Unanswered Prayer

Dylan DayPosted on

Unadorned and strikingly confessional, The Unanswered Prayer flickers humbly at the edge of darkness like a votive, holding space for anyone who might need a little light. Conceived and developed in front of audiences at low-key gigs around LA, Day patiently crafted each piece until the emotional core was revealed. When it came time to put it all to tape, he opted to stay true to the live nature of the music, recording the album straight through in a single half-hour session with only a microphone and a vintage Gibson LG2 . . .

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Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore :: Tragic Magic

Julianna Barwick Mary LattimorePosted on

Recorded in Paris, Tragic Magic was sponsored by the InFiné label and the Philharmonie de Paris, providing the duo with access to historic instruments from the Musée de la Musique’s instrument collection. And while there are certainly archaic resonances to these lovely cuts—the madrigal purity of “Perpetual Adoration,” the fairy-tale gentleness of “The Four Sleeping Princesses,” the percussive fervor of round-like, Brian Eno-penned “Melted Moon”—the two musicians also reach for the unknowable future . . .

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Posted on Julianna Barwick Mary Lattimore

Will Epstein :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

The AD Interview Will EpsteinPosted on

Throughout his career, Will Epstein has amassed film scoring credits, including an IDA Documentary Award nomination for his score for Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV (2023), by attuning to the micro-moments on screen and crafting the music to match them. So it comes as no surprise that, with the release of his latest lyrics-forward album Yeah, mostly (out on Fat Possum Records), he applies this focused attention as well, sourcing his imagery and subject matter from life’s small moments that may otherwise go unnoticed as a person goes on living . . .

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Posted on The AD Interview Will Epstein

David Bowie’s Blackstar Jazz

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Released 10 years ago today, David Bowie's Blackstar marked the artist's most intensive and rewarding collaboration with jazz musicians in the span of his six decade career. To commemorate the album's anniversary we dive into how his work with Maria Schneider, Donny McCaslin and other players shaped his final record . . .

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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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It’s Common Knowledge I’ve Been Doin’ Alright: Dan Bejar on “Destroyer’s Rubies” at 20

Destroyer The AD InterviewPosted on

Rubies is not always my favorite Destroyer record—that, like favorite Dylan, changes with the day; there is too much brilliance across too many records to firmly settle on one eternal favorite. It is, however, the best Destroyer record: consistent, nuanced, equal parts enervating and energizing. The album sounds effortless, as if these songs were always there, hovering unseen, waiting to be plucked out of the air and given form by Bejar and his murderous band of Vancouverites. Even after twenty years, I would not change a second. This is as close to perfect as rock records get.

Released two . . .

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Elijah Minnelli :: Clams As A Main Meal

Elijah MinnelliPosted on

After garnering a reputation for his curated global radio mixes, London-based sound alchemist Elijah Minnelli pieces together a singular fusion of folk, offbeat dub and Cumbia rhythms on sophomore album Clams As A Main Meal. The immaculately layered album balances echoing, frenzied instrumental tracks with vocal tracks featuring cameos by Barbadian reggae mastro Dennis Bovell (on the serene, spiritual offering "Canaan Land") and Welsh musician Carwyn Ellis. There's a worldbuilding element to the references, and an enigmatic quality to the righteous mishmash of a musical palette, one best enjoyed floating along and wrapped up in that mystery . . .

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Posted on Elijah Minnelli