alex tobin 🍩
@alextobin.nl
pumping irony 🧠 in the Dutch lowlands
scribblings for @aquariumdrunkard.com
always looking for books + music to review
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www.alextobin.nl
scribblings for @aquariumdrunkard.com
always looking for books + music to review
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
www.alextobin.nl
Reposted by alex tobin 🍩
The Elegance of Longing: Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
There are albums that shimmer with impossible ambition -- beamed in from some parallel dimension where pop music never surrendered its claim to sophistication.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
There are albums that shimmer with impossible ambition -- beamed in from some parallel dimension where pop music never surrendered its claim to sophistication.
February 13, 2026 at 5:43 PM
The Elegance of Longing: Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
There are albums that shimmer with impossible ambition -- beamed in from some parallel dimension where pop music never surrendered its claim to sophistication.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
There are albums that shimmer with impossible ambition -- beamed in from some parallel dimension where pop music never surrendered its claim to sophistication.
“These albums […] demonstrated that it was possible to be intelligent without being cold, sophisticated without being soulless, literate without being inaccessible.”
I wrote about Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback for @aquariumdrunkard.com.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
I wrote about Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback for @aquariumdrunkard.com.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
The Elegance of Longing: Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback - Aquarium Drunkard
There are albums that shimmer with impossible ambition, records that sound like they were beamed in from some parallel dimension where pop music never surrendered its claim to sophistication. In the m...
aquariumdrunkard.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:16 PM
“These albums […] demonstrated that it was possible to be intelligent without being cold, sophisticated without being soulless, literate without being inaccessible.”
I wrote about Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback for @aquariumdrunkard.com.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
I wrote about Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback for @aquariumdrunkard.com.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/13/t...
Lovely. Can’t wait to dig in.
The Beach Boys :: We Gotta Groove – The Brother Studio Years
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/10/t...
Here, after nearly half a century, is not just a presentation of some of the strongest, strangest music Brian Wilson would ever record, but a celebration of it.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/02/10/t...
Here, after nearly half a century, is not just a presentation of some of the strongest, strangest music Brian Wilson would ever record, but a celebration of it.
February 11, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Lovely. Can’t wait to dig in.
This, written by Lia Kohl and recorded live by an ensemble during rush hour at Chicago's Union Station, is wonderfully evocative and spatial.
(Bandcamp: liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/music-... – h/t @philipsherburne.bsky.social)
(Bandcamp: liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/music-... – h/t @philipsherburne.bsky.social)
Lia Kohl: Music for Union Station
YouTube video by Lia Kohl
youtu.be
February 1, 2026 at 1:07 PM
This, written by Lia Kohl and recorded live by an ensemble during rush hour at Chicago's Union Station, is wonderfully evocative and spatial.
(Bandcamp: liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/music-... – h/t @philipsherburne.bsky.social)
(Bandcamp: liakohl.bandcamp.com/album/music-... – h/t @philipsherburne.bsky.social)
Choose wisely, @backlisted.bsky.social.
January 23, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Choose wisely, @backlisted.bsky.social.
“If there is a middle ground between Cluster & Eno, Terry Riley’s Shri Camel, and Yo La Tengo’s There’s a Riot Going On, it’s somewhere nearby.“
Coming in March c/o @intlanthem.bsky.social.
Coming in March c/o @intlanthem.bsky.social.
Extra Stars, by Gregory Uhlmann
14 track album
intlanthem.bandcamp.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:41 PM
“If there is a middle ground between Cluster & Eno, Terry Riley’s Shri Camel, and Yo La Tengo’s There’s a Riot Going On, it’s somewhere nearby.“
Coming in March c/o @intlanthem.bsky.social.
Coming in March c/o @intlanthem.bsky.social.
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.
"Alongside astonishingly powerful photographs of rural poor folk in South Carolina, imperious ancients of high society and James Brown having his coiffure teased into position, there is Hezekiah Trembles, who performed a wild..."
"Alongside astonishingly powerful photographs of rural poor folk in South Carolina, imperious ancients of high society and James Brown having his coiffure teased into position, there is Hezekiah Trembles, who performed a wild..."
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.
'The surprise with this dated workout is the slow beginning, which just about puts the dancer to sleep except at the last moment the lead leaps out of the trap like the longshot on a hiding to nothing.'
bsky.app/profile/kirk...
'The surprise with this dated workout is the slow beginning, which just about puts the dancer to sleep except at the last moment the lead leaps out of the trap like the longshot on a hiding to nothing.'
bsky.app/profile/kirk...
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.
"It pulls at my clothing and sometimes I feel I've got to pick it up, cuddle and kiss it."
"It pulls at my clothing and sometimes I feel I've got to pick it up, cuddle and kiss it."
January 21, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.
"Alongside astonishingly powerful photographs of rural poor folk in South Carolina, imperious ancients of high society and James Brown having his coiffure teased into position, there is Hezekiah Trembles, who performed a wild..."
"Alongside astonishingly powerful photographs of rural poor folk in South Carolina, imperious ancients of high society and James Brown having his coiffure teased into position, there is Hezekiah Trembles, who performed a wild..."
Why is everyone seemingly fondly marking 2016, the year in which Trump first got elected, and in which Bowie and Prince died?
a cartoon of a man with glasses and a big mohawk says " huh "
ALT: a cartoon of a man with glasses and a big mohawk says " huh "
media.tenor.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Why is everyone seemingly fondly marking 2016, the year in which Trump first got elected, and in which Bowie and Prince died?
Reposted by alex tobin 🍩
Book Announcement: On March 3rd, Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane will be out in the world. Pre-order at your local bookstore, directly from Hachette, or that other website that sells books: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/andy-...
Cosmic Music
The first full-length biography of Alice Coltrane, the jazz musician and spiritual leader whose forward-thinking music was overshadowed by her more famous hu...
www.hachettebookgroup.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Book Announcement: On March 3rd, Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane will be out in the world. Pre-order at your local bookstore, directly from Hachette, or that other website that sells books: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/andy-...
I have always had a soft spot for the often unwieldy, bloated, yet occasionally intriguing and illuminating thing that is a box set. The first installment on these bank-breakers over at @aquariumdrunkard.com.
aquariumdrunkard.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:24 PM
I have always had a soft spot for the often unwieldy, bloated, yet occasionally intriguing and illuminating thing that is a box set. The first installment on these bank-breakers over at @aquariumdrunkard.com.
Although this has been out for a month now, I've only just watched the video. Bill Callahan (music) and Daniel Arnold (photos) manage to capture NYC in a bottle here.
Bill Callahan "Lonely City" (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by Bill Callahan
www.youtube.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:17 AM
Although this has been out for a month now, I've only just watched the video. Bill Callahan (music) and Daniel Arnold (photos) manage to capture NYC in a bottle here.
Post a pic of the venue where you saw your first concert and the band or artist.
The Go-Go's at Mesa Amphitheater (AZ) in 1984. I was only 12 and convinced grandma (who I was spending the summer with) that I could go unaccompanied. Afterwards, she picked me up in her big blue Ford Econoline.
The Go-Go's at Mesa Amphitheater (AZ) in 1984. I was only 12 and convinced grandma (who I was spending the summer with) that I could go unaccompanied. Afterwards, she picked me up in her big blue Ford Econoline.
January 11, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Post a pic of the venue where you saw your first concert and the band or artist.
The Go-Go's at Mesa Amphitheater (AZ) in 1984. I was only 12 and convinced grandma (who I was spending the summer with) that I could go unaccompanied. Afterwards, she picked me up in her big blue Ford Econoline.
The Go-Go's at Mesa Amphitheater (AZ) in 1984. I was only 12 and convinced grandma (who I was spending the summer with) that I could go unaccompanied. Afterwards, she picked me up in her big blue Ford Econoline.
Blackstar remains an astonishing final statement.
David Bowie’s Blackstar Jazz
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/01/08/d...
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.
aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/01/08/d...
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.
January 8, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Blackstar remains an astonishing final statement.
Hmm. Now if I could only guess who chose what in the new Locklisted episode by the fine folk at @backlisted.bsky.social ? 🤔
January 3, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Hmm. Now if I could only guess who chose what in the new Locklisted episode by the fine folk at @backlisted.bsky.social ? 🤔
Good riddance, and here’s hoping… ✨ ✨
December 31, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Good riddance, and here’s hoping… ✨ ✨
Reposted by alex tobin 🍩
Haunting festive presence.
December 27, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Haunting festive presence.
Reposted by alex tobin 🍩
Not too shabby, @backlisted.bsky.social!
7 Podcasts for Bookworms
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Not too shabby, @backlisted.bsky.social!
Anyone Can Wordle.
Stephen Sondheim, Puzzle Maestro
For the late Broadway composer, crafting crosswords and treasure hunts was as thrilling as writing musicals.
www.newyorker.com
December 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Anyone Can Wordle.