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First & Last: Angura (A Mixtape)

An introduction to Japanese folk in 1970s Japan, the following mix was created as a companion to the article on Modern Bible and the story of Gekidan Buraiha. It brings together a selection of early Japanese folk, protest songs and Angura recordings from the same era, providing additional context and atmosphere for the world the little theatre movement troupe emerged from . . .

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

Otoño. Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays. No static at all.

34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .

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Double Bass: 10 For Danny Thompson

"The only thing I cared about was if I liked it or not, and if I liked it, then I was going to play it. Simple as that.” We’re all lucky Danny Thomson had that attitude. The English double bassist, who passed away in late September at the age of 86, made glorious eclecticism his MO for well over 60 years, building up an astonishing discography that includes several of the greatest records ever made, alongside dozens of lesser-known gems. Like a beloved character actor, Thompson’s very presence elevated every session and every show; by nature, he . . .

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The Byrds :: The Notorious Byrd Brothers

The many vantage points in which one can dissect the legacy of the Byrds can feel simply boundless. While the studio innovations utilized on The Notorious Byrd Brothers (released the same year as country rock blueprint Sweetheart of the Rodeo) wouldn't necessarily be confused with that of Pet Sounds, it's a primary signifier of the record that never sufficiently got its due. Despite all of the mythos and legendary inner turmoil that reduced the band's lineup to a duo during the sessions, the record’s spacey psychedelic folk is a time and place never to be replicated . . .

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Transmissions :: The Autumn Defense

This week on Transmissions, we’re toasting harvest season with John Stirratt and Pat Sansone of The Autumn Defense, who release their first album in a decade this week. It’s called Here and Nowhere, out October 10 on Yep Roc Records. You might know John and Pat from their work in Wilco; Stirratt is a founding member, and Sansone joined in 2004. But the duo’s work in the Autumn Defense stretches all the way back to 1999, when they formed the Laurel Canyon-style folk rock band in New Orleans . . .

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Animal, Surrender! :: A Boot For Every Bane

Not sure how many eight-string bass / pipe organ / drums trios there are out there, but I’m going to go ahead and declare the Brooklyn-based Animal, Surrender! as the very best of them all. On their second LP, A Boot For Every Bane, bassist Peter Kerlin (Sunwatchers, Solar Motel Band), organist Curt Sydnor (Greg Saunier, Yonatan Gat) and drummer Rob Smith (Gray/Smith, Rhyton, Pigeons) make this unusual configuration sound as natural as can be . . .

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M. Sage :: Tender / Wading

The Colorado-based M Sage resides in the liminal zone, finding endless inspiration in the in-between. Between natural and digital, stillness and motion, silence and noise, innocence and experience, waking and dreams. These aren’t binaries, mind you — because fuck a binary — but blends. And on his latest LP, Tender / Wading, Sage delights in exploring these blends, blurring the edges, eagerly and earnestly mixing the colors into something brand new . . .

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Shrunken Elvis :: S/T

Shrunken Elvis—the Nashville based trio of Spencer Cullum, Sean Thompson, and Rich Ruth—ignite a mind-meld of pedal steel, synths, and guitars on their self-titled debut, a slyly adventurous and immersive album that fuses languid soundscapes and kosmische vistas with elements of krautrock, spiritual jazz, and ambient & electronic music. Embracing touchstones such as Harmonia, Alice Coltrane, Pat Metheny, and Ashra, to name a few, the trio embark on sonic excursions that move through pastoral, tropical, and celestial realms . . .

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Door of the Cosmos: Sun Ra’s On Jupiter and Sleeping Beauty

Between 1978 and 1982 Sun Ra parked his roving musical spacecraft at New York’s Variety Arts Studios for a series of rigorous and inspired marathon sessions between frequent gigs in the city. On the heels of their stellar Lanquidity reissue, Strut continues their deep dive into this phase of Ra’s career with the twin 1979 masterpieces On Jupiter and Sleeping Beauty, offering a fresh glimpse at some of the most revered and beautifully spacious music the Arkestra ever cut . . .

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Dollar Diamonds :: Volume Two

There’s a lot of great records out there that can still be had for very little money. You just have to crouch down and give them a chance. How is it possible that these 2-sided slices of the human spirit can exist among us, in some cases, for over 50 years and still only be $1?

Welcome to Dollar Diamonds, Volume 2. This month: Johnny Rivers, Linda Hargrove, Garland Jeffreys, John Kay, Mac Davis, Diana Trask and more . . .

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Yesternow: Editor’s Note Volume Five

Otoño. Autumn. Fall. In this installment: Mojave seeker Ken Layne's Desert Oracle. The return of PTA. Auteurs and the genesis, evolution and eventuality of a character. Karl Childers. The definitive history of Talking Heads. Richard Lloyd's near photographic memory, and more . . .

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

Via satellite, transmitting from northeast Los Angeles — the Aquarium Drunkard Show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35. 7pm California time, Wednesdays. All songs tonight courtesy of the Lagniappe Sessions, all of which are available to download directly at AD.

34.1090° N, 118.2334° W . . .

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Raul Seixas :: Gita

A direct product of the Paul Coelho-sponsored introduction to alternative religion and mind-altering drugs, Raul Seixas' Gita finds the Brazilian musician further embracing mysticism through a bigger infatuation with Aleister Crowley (the pre-chorus of "Sociedade Alternativa" is a direct translation of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law") and Eastern philosophy (Hindu book Bhavagad Gita) in what eventually became his best-selling album and first gold record . . .

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Transmissions :: Dan Wriggins (Friendship)

Welcome back to Aquarium Drunkard Transmissions. This week on the show, Dan Wriggins of the Philly band Friendship. Earlier this year, the band released its fifth album, ⁠Caveman Wakes Up⁠. Fans of the roots-informed indie rock of Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—frequent collaborators with Friendship—will find plenty of busted and bruised glory in these songs, which fall on the shaggy end of the alt-country spectrum. But for us, it’s Wriggins’ wry and sly lyrics that really seal the deal. Take “All Over the World,” in which a landscaper experiences “the beating heart of God/ laying down . . .

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Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin :: Ghosted III

On their third album, the trio of Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin continue to condense and refine their approach, with the rhythms as mesmeric, the riffs as repetitive and the tones as mysterious as ever. But Ghosted III also breaks up the pattern, with more songs, shorter tracks and delicate shifts in approach. Minimal jazz, avant-rock, experimental groove, modal funk -- whatever you want to call it, it’s mutating before our very ears, and growing stranger and more powerful with every installment . . .

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