-=- =-= -=- =-= -=- =-= -=- =-= -=-   Aquarius Records

=-= -=- =-= -=- =-= -=- =-= -=- =-=   New Arrivals #127

-=- =-= -=- =-= -=- =-= -=- =-= -=-   28 December 2001

FREAK SCENE, THE / THE DEVIL'S ANVIL Psychedelic Psoul / Hard Rock From The Middle East (Collectables) cd 15.98
In light of recent events, we figured that this reissue of "Hard Rock From the Middle East" would make a great choice for record of the week...no, we don't mean 'cause of the current war, we mean because of the popularity of the "Turkish Delights" and "Hava Narghile" compilations 'round these parts. We've been super-into those collections of fuzzed-out '60s Middle Eastern psych-rock this year, as are quite a few of you, judging by their still-booming sales. So, when we recently discovered this 1998 cd that contains the reissued The Devil's Anvil album, it quickly became a favorite at AQ.
The cover art shows the band hangin' in the desert in front of the pyramids of Egypt -- but don't be fooled, they were actually mostly Arab-Americans, based in New York City. Still, their rock n' roll was as authentically "Middle Eastern" as their Turkish contemporaries. They could have held their own with the likes of Erkin Koray and Mogollar.
Ok, now we'd better explain about this particular cd (pay attention, it gets kinda confusing): Sony's Collectables has reissued two long-out-of-print 1967 albums by two totally different bands on *one* disc. The bands are tenuously connected through the friendship of The Freak Scene's Rusty Evans and Felix Pappalardi of The Devil's Anvil, as the two had played together four years previous. Okay, so maybe it's a bit of a stretch putting these two albums together on one disc. Whatever. The real treasure here is The Devil's Anvil album.
The Devil's Anvil got together in the happenin' mid sixties Greenwich Village scene, playing their Middle Eastern influenced music at folk cafes and rock clubs. Eventually they hooked up with classical musician-turned-rocker Felix Pappalardi (producer of Cream's "Disraeli Gears", later to play alongside Leslie West in Mountain). He began playing bass with the band and eventually scored the group a record deal. The resulting album was truly one-of-a-kind and would certainly made greater impact had it not been released on the very eve of the Arab-Israeli war in 1967. Thus, no New York radio stations would play it and unfortunately the album has remained an expensive collector's find until now.
The rock contained herein is absolutely kick ass, with bluesy and impassioned Arabic vocals, electric (or at least amplified) oud, bouzouki, tamboura, durbeki as well as the usual rock suspects of (fuzz!) guitar, bass and drums. The majority of the tracks here are either rock arrangements of traditional Middle Eastern and Greek numbers or original compositions, but a couple are actually straight traditional numbers with no western instruments at all. Plus there's an excellent Middle Eastern-esque rock arangement of "Misirlou" that's perhaps the best version ever recorded, IMHO. And the record ends with a Devil's Anvil original that kinda reminds us of one of the Beatles' more Eastern-influenced tunes. This is about as good as it gets. Even if the Freak Scene album doesn't interest you at all, this cd is still worth buying for The Devil's Anvil alone. Very, very highly recommended! Nay, ESSENTIAL.
(As for The Freak Scene -- you might guess from that band's name and album title, The Freak Scene were a bit of a psychedelic-era novelty, a studio project put together by producer/songwriter Evans for CBS Records. The record exploits all of the trippy tropes of the times, from Eastern-raga modes to LSD-inspired lyrics. It's no classic, but does include at least one truly great psych-pop track, the Nuggets-worthy "A Million Grains of Sand". The Freak Scene also indulges in dated but amusing free-form sound-collage experiments like "...When In The Course of Human Events (Draft Beer, Not Students)" which tries to make a statement about the whole sixties counterculture vibe. It's a mix of Pete Seeger, Laugh-In, an LSD party -- Vietnam-era pop culture hippie kitsch -- consider it a free bonus that comes with The Devil's Anvil album.)
RealAudio clip: THE DEVIL'S ANVIL "Wala Dai"
RealAudio clip: THE DEVIL'S ANVIL "Shisheler"
RealAudio clip: THE DEVIL'S ANVIL "Hala Laya"
RealAudio clip: THE DEVIL'S ANVIL "Basaha"
RealAudio clip: THE FREAK SCENE "Draft Beer, Not Students"
RealAudio clip: THE FREAK SCENE "A Million Grains of Sand"
RealAudio clip: THE FREAK SCENE "My Rainbow Life"

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310 Nothing To See Here (Desolat) cd 14.98
Simply subtitled "Short Stories by 310," "Nothing To See Here" lives up to its name as a series of short tracks culled from processed field recordings of waves crashing, creaking floors, crickets, Southern gospel call-and-response choirs, distant church bells, feet shuffling across a dishevelled floor, and a whole bunch of other very discreet sounds. Instead of their usual post-rock / electronica (ala Fridge or Four Tet) 310 offers a sound quite similar in feel to Stars Of The Lid with dreamy fluctuations of synthetic sound, tremolo vibrations and ambient swish. Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Nothing To See Here 4"
RealAudio clip: "Nothing To See Here 6"

500 FT. OF PIPE Dope Deal (Beard of Stars) cd 14.98
Detroit's 500 Ft. Of Pipe are another new band of hard-rockin' hopefuls in the crowded stoner rock arena, and they are better than most. What with their Motor City pedigree, they align more with Stooges-fans Monster Magnet than with Kyuss (Kyuss being the most common template for young stoner rock bands to follow, y'know). There's (of course) a big drug fixation going on here -- witness song titles like "420 to Go", "Dope Deal", and "D.E.A." Loud, bass-heavy, rock action, with psychedelic balls enough to cover Donovan's "Sunshine Superman"! Allan's fave stoner rock disc of the year.
RealAudio clip: "Detroit City (Never Done Me No Good)"
RealAudio clip: "Wear It Out"

ADAMSON, BARRY + PAN SONIC The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion (Kitchen Motors) cd 15.98
From its beginnings, the Icelandic arts organization Kitchen Motors has been pairing off interesting cross-platform artists who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to work together. "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion" was a commission by Kitchen Motors for Pan Sonic and Barry Adamson to score a composition for the Hljomeyki Choir from Iceland. Surprised yet delighted to be working together, Adamson (best known for coining the term "imaginary filmscore" within his amazing noir albums such as "Moss Side Story) and Pan Sonic (the Finnish pioneers of ultra-minimal techno) had arrived an amazing piece that could have been a snippet from the eerie GYoRGY LIGETI chorales that were so instrumental to the sense of alienation within Kubrick's "2001." Utilizing the natural reverberation from Digraneskirkja church in Reykjavik, Pan Sonic and Adamson gently fluttered sustained vocal tones amidst the space, occasionally allowing for the choir to delve into a simple haunting melody, whilst Pan Sonic sets down a very subdued electronic back beat. Hopefully, the Kitchen Motors collaboration between Adamson and Pan Sonic won't end here!
Compounding the collaborative spirit, Kitchen Motors employed The Hafler Trio (whose solo member Andrew McKensie now lives in Iceland) to remix "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion." As McKensie has been moving further away from the fictional research projects and more towards the electro-acoustic studies from Luigi Nono, The Hafler Trio is a perfect fit. This remix has stretched and abstracted the polyphony of the chorus into a very creepy extended drone collage. Very nice work!
RealAudio clip: "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion"
RealAudio clip: "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion (Hafler Trio Remix)"

AIRPLANES ARE BETTER Power (ReSTART) cd ep 5.98
Here is a new ep from this power pop trio of twenty year olds from El Paso Tx. They sound like emo boy rock, ala Slint (only harder) Drive Like Jehu or June of 44. You know what im talking about. three songs. Full sounding and driving with dual vocals. produced by Jim Ward of At The Drive-In.
RealAudio clip: "Orange On Brown"
RealAudio clip: "You Look Left"

AIRPORT 5 / GUIDED BY VOICES Fading Captain Series #16: Selective Service (Luna Music) cd 12.98
Oh, those familiar voices and just as familiar chord changes of Bob Pollard and Tobin Sprout. In my opinion, the most successful tunes here are the more upbeat ones, the slower ones tend to somewhat trudge along. The title track I've fondly renamed "Hold Your Horses, I'm Tuning My Guitar". Yup, another episode in Mr. Pollard's ever-growing Fading Captain Series. For GBV die-hard completists only.
RealAudio clip: "Selective Service"
RealAudio clip: "Stifled Man Casino"

AMM Fine (Matchless) cd 17.98
AMM emerged from the first generation of UK free jazz musicians in the mid-60s, taking the notion of spontaneous improvisation well beyond any of the kind of restrictions that would locate their music within the realms of jazz, minimalism, rock, or Fluxus-based composition techniques. If there is any taxonomic space for AMM (beyond simply being AMM), it would have to be near John Cage's indeterminancy yet shaped by a collective understanding from a group that has been listening to each other quite intently for almost 40 years. While guitarist Keith Rowe and percussionist Eddie Prevost have been involved in AMM since the beginning, pianist John Tilbury began his tenure in the ensemble in the early '80s, superceding Lou Gare and Cornelius Cardew. Between Keith Rowe's growling guitar feedback and use of transistor radio hum, Prevost's scraped metals and bowed cymbals, and Tilbury's abstractions from prepared piano, AMM speaks between the borders of synethetic and acoustic to create their textually rich yet quietly mapped out music. "Fine" is their latest artifact created as the accompaniment for the dancer Fine Kwiatkowski. This album is one of AMM's quieter albums, utilizing space and volume very effectively throughout this gritty abstraction built from the tiniest application of electrical buzzings, grating motors, metallic clatter, shortwave modulations, steel string scrapings, and spartan clusters of notes from Tilbury's piano. Many talented artists have attempted to emulate them, but AMM remains in a class of its own, and this album is no exception.
RealAudio clip: "Part One"
RealAudio clip: "Part Six"

ANTI-POP CONSORTIUM Shopping Carts Crashing (Antipop Recordings) cd 25.00
Anti-Pop has been one of my favorite hip hop groups almost from the first time I heard them, melding an old school, deadpan sort-of tongue-tied De La Soul flow, over unlikely loops and strange samples, with bizarre and confusingly brilliant lyrics that occasionally move beyond bragging and boasting. The deal was sealed when I got to see the ultimate soundclash: Alec Empire spinning rafter-rattling, hyper-distorted beats, Merzbow spitting out shrieking, hissing white noise, and the Anti Pop Consortium, somehow rapping over the whole mess, and fitting perfectly. 'Shopping Carts Crashing' is a Japanese-only release that came out last year, but we only just now got enough to list it. And it's worth the wait. Sparse and dark loop-scapes under a landslide of rapid fire rhyming, boasting on a level so beyond mere mortal rappers that those dissed will very likely not even realise it, instead, scratching their chins, confused, and reaching for their dictionaries. Awesome production, with soaring strings (plucked and bowed), buzzing electrical interference, woofer-rattling synths, old 606 and 909 drum programming, vocoder, space echo, and of course...shopping carts crashing, literally. But the MCs are the main attraction, spitting out rhyme after rhyme of verbose lyrical fuckery, free flowing non-sequiters, mutated metaphors and straight up old fashioned bad ass mouthing off! So so good. Worth the import price tag! And I like it even more since I discovered that one of the guys in the Anti-Pop Consortium is the same guy who is always mean to me whenever I visit a certain 'other' record store.
RealAudio clip: "Angular"
RealAudio clip: "Tilt"
RealAudio clip: "Throat Cultures"

AOA Emotion Vacation (Psy-Harmonics) cd 16.98
AOA is a Boredoms related group featuring newest member E-da and bassist Hilah (formerly Hira). "Emotion Vacation", their second full length, was recorded in Melbourne, Australia by "deep house / industrial techno / trance" producer Ollie Olsen. Eye supposedly makes a guest appearance on one track -- playing gong -- nothing exceptional, though. Very drum heavy and trancey, but unfortunately doesn't quite live up to our high expectations or overall high quality of most Boredoms-related projects (Z-Rock Hawaii, anyone??). Certainly worth seeking out for hardcore fans, but if you're looking for more psychedelic drum circle trance-out, best to seek out Psycho-Baba first.

AUBE Timemind (Alchemy) cd 19.98
Wow! An exceptional release from Akifumi Nakajima aka Aube! While most recordings by this highly prolific artist utilize unique sound sources (water, fluorescent lamps, heartbeat, or most notoriously - an amplified Bible!), "Timemind" is a more rhythmic, one might say musical affair which involves the Firstman SQ-01 - a monophonic analogue sequence synthesizer produced in the early eighties. Psychedelic synthesizer trippiness in the vein of Klaus Schulze (the liner notes say "Timemind" is dedicated to him), Tangerine Dream, Terry Riley and Doctor Who! the second installment in Alchemy's incredibly awesome "Inner Mind" series of cosmic-psychedelica!
RealAudio clip: "Timemind/Bar 2. 1-A" III"

BILLION DOLLAR BABIES Complete Battle Axe (NMC) 3cd 29.00
A tasty three disc set from Billion Dollar Babies, the band comprised of three former Alice Cooper Band members who namd themselves after an Alice Cooper song and recorded just one album in 1977 -- Battle Axe. While disc one is the entire Battle Axe album presented for the first time on cd, and disc three is their first ever live show (Flint, Michigan 1977, totally fierce!), it is disc 2 that I keep coming back to. These are the original demos, and while there's lots of tape hiss and murky production on the demos, I really like their rough handhewn quality. Lots of cowbells, buttkicking hooks, fistpumping attitude, glam-via-Arizona wonderfulness. A very cool previously undiscovered hard rock gem.
RealAudio clip: "Shine Your Love"
RealAudio clip: "I Miss You (live)"

BLIND GUARDIAN And Then There Was Silence (Century Media) cd ep 8.98
It's not the long-awaited new full length album from these Tolkien-obsessed German heavy metallers, but it IS two new songs, one of 'em a bona fide epic clocking in at 14:07, and that's cause enough for rejoicing 'round these parts! We've been waiting for a follow-up to their amazing "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" for a couple years now, and this (along with the Lord of the Rings movie!) has really upped our anticipation! This uber-popular band (in German, Japan, Korea... and Middle-Earth, at least) specializes in Queen-meets-Maiden power prog pomp metal. But, unlike similar over-the-top contemporaries like Rhapsody and Lost Horizon, they somehow AREN'T as cheesy and absurd... No, you really have to respect 'em as artists. They have a certain dignity. You won't catch them running around in frilly shirts, waving swords (not that there's anything wrong with that, but...) -- indeed, in the cd-rom video that is included on this cdep, the band performs in t-shirt and jeans, looking a lot more like Kreator or some other non-fantastical metal band. But, musically, they surely create otherworldly, incredible epics. "And Then There Was Silence" has an ancient Greek theme, fitting for a band that themselves will someday be considered classic.
RealAudio clip: "And Then There Was Silence"

BORTHWICK HOLLAND FILLIERS Helene (Temporary Residence Ltd.) cd 12.98
When D.C. recording engineer / producer Trevor Kampfmann himself makes music, he goes by the moniker Trevor/hollAND. Dunno if you recall the Takako Minekawa remix record from a few years ago, but Trevor contributed what is in my opinion the best remix on it... and surprise!, rumor has it he didn't even use any of Minekawa's songs in the remix, he just handed 'em whatever totally-unrelated music he was working on at the time, which happened to be amazing. Here Trevor again teams up with photographer Mark Borthwick (who took the photo for Sonic Youth's Thousand Leaves album) and French model Helene Filliers who provides a somber, toneless reading of a fragmented love poem written by Borthwick. The entire 38-minute recording is done in one track -- it's actually the audio to an art installation -- with long stretches of silence and repeated vocalizing from Filliers (she says "and then..." like 47 times), punctuated by some audio trickery such as tape loops and stereo separation.
Unfortunately it's only when trevor/hollAND lets loose with his musical interludes that the record gets going. Acoustic guitars mingle sweetly with chiming synths and stuttery percussive loops and cuts. He knows how pretty his material it is, and knows that in order tone down the sweetness it's better to situate his music within more experimental contexts. Trevor/hollAND and Borthwick are certainly talented, but this record is trying my patience. A disappointment from the usually trustworthy label Temporary Residence. Comes with a couple Borthwick polaroids and a foldout poster with the poem's text.
RealAudio clip: "Helene"

BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE Bravery Repetition and Noise (Committee to Keep Music Evil) cd 14.98
The follow-up to last year's 6-song EP "Zero: Songs From The Album 'Bravery, Repetition And Noise'" (which it should be noted actually only contained 3 of the songs from this full length) and 1998's album-proper '"Strung Out In Heaven" finds Brian Jonestown Massacre moving even further from their earlier, considerably more volatile, Stones-esque presence as well as their later rootsy blues phase. Now in their eleventh year, they've still got their trippy, psyched out edge, but without a hint of the raucous irreverence of their past. BJM mainman Anton Newcombe has incorporated all of their past stylistic turns with a somewhat more early '80s Brit sound; I might even venture to say that the fourth and fifth tracks sound a bit Cure-ish. The final track is a great, expansive special mix of the track "If I Love You" -- mellow, moving and verging on pretty.
RealAudio clip: "Open Heart Surgery"
RealAudio clip: "If I Love You"

BRUHIN, ANTON Orax / Rotomotor (Alga Marghen) cd 16.98
An archival release of '70s cassette-tape works by this odd Swiss sound artist, consisting of environmental sounds, ping-pong recording techniques, and other spatial / audio experimentation. Byram thinks most of this is the sound of good European arts funding gone to waste, except for the last piece, which is an absolute mindnumbing half-hour palindromic recitation of German words arranged by their similarity in sound. Makes the disc worth owning for this track alone. Allan agrees that "Rotomotor" is the best track, but he finds the rest of this at least intriguing, especially through earphones.
On a side note: If you come into AQ fairly frequently you may have observed this customer we have that is always knocking shit off the counter. We want to say something to him but we're too embarrassed to confront his hamfistedness, so we're passive-aggressively mentioning it here, for 6000 people to enjoy. Well, said customer has acquired a young apprentice now, and one night the two of them came in together to polish up their anti-social skills. Anyway, the younger fella comes up to the counter to ask about this cd, if we have two of them -- cuz of course these guys must be peas in a pod -- so they can both get one. Well, turns out that the nicely sealed copies we showed 'em both had ever so slight dimples on the upper right hand corner (like a light impression made by a pointed object, so slight as to be practically invisible). Because of this, annoying apprentice desired the display copy instead. But if YOU can deal with the "invisible dimple", we've still got a couple copies.
RealAudio clip: "Orax"
RealAudio clip: "Rotomotor"

BYRDS, THE The Preflyte Sessions (Sundazed) 2cd 27.00
In 1964 recording engineer Jim Dickson set down on tape the earliest incarnation of the Byrds, even, it seems, before they named themselves that -- they had also used the monikers Beefeaters and Jet Set (a Jet Set single is included here). This is what some refer to as the purest version of the Byrds -- the quintet of Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman. It's pre-"Mr Tambourine Man", pre-their debut album, pre-Gram Parsons, pre-country rock, pre-psychedelia... this is The Beginning of The Byrds. Some tracks feature McGuinn before Dickson had even introduced him to the Rickenbacher 12-string, so the Byrds-style twangy lushness isn't always present here. Some of you will most likely say, well, if it was pre-everything that made them special, then what's the point? Well, fair enough. This is certainly only for the Byrds collectors amongst us. But the warbly acoustic versions of many Byrds songs are glorious to hear. And as David Fricke rightly says: "This may be the most honest music the Byrds ever made, because they did it without a thought for who might hear it or how it would sell." McGuinn himself recalls, "We *barely* knew the tape was rolling."
The cd comes packaged in a slipcase with an excellent accompanying book of liner notes, many darling photos (those guys were like 20 years old, so young!), 2 nice postcards, discographical info, & comments from all the bandmembers, plus Pamela Des Barres, Domenic Priore, etc.
Annoyingly, the LP version, while it is on 180 gm vinyl and features a nice gatefold sleeve for its two albums, only features 28 tracks. The cd version has 40! Huh? And while the 16 of the tracks on the cd version were previously unissued, only 9 from the LP version have never before seen the light. I never understand the logic with these things -- is Sundazed ripping off the LP buyers amongst us, or are they trying to tell us that the extra tracks on the cd version are kinda throwaways anyway? Sigh...
RealAudio clip: "You Showed Me (Acoustic)"
RealAudio clip: "Boston (vers. II)"

BYRDS, THE The Preflyte Sessions (Sundazed) 2lp 16.98
In 1964 recording engineer Jim Dickson set down on tape the earliest incarnation of the Byrds, even, it seems, before they named themselves that -- they had also used the monikers Beefeaters and Jet Set (a Jet Set single is included here). This is what some refer to as the purest version of the Byrds -- the quintet of Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman. It's pre-"Mr Tambourine Man", pre-their debut album, pre-Gram Parsons, pre-country rock, pre-psychedelia... this is The Beginning of The Byrds. Some tracks feature McGuinn before Dickson had even introduced him to the Rickenbacher 12-string, so the Byrds-style twangy lushness isn't always present here. Some of you will most likely say, well, if it was pre-everything that made them special, then what's the point? Well, fair enough. This is certainly only for the Byrds collectors amongst us. But the warbly acoustic versions of many Byrds songs are glorious to hear. And as David Fricke rightly says: "This may be the most honest music the Byrds ever made, because they did it without a thought for who might hear it or how it would sell." McGuinn himself recalls, "We *barely* knew the tape was rolling."
The cd comes packaged in a slipcase with an excellent accompanying book of liner notes, many darling photos (those guys were like 20 years old, so young!), 2 nice postcards, discographical info, & comments from all the bandmembers, plus Pamela Des Barres, Domenic Priore, etc.
Annoyingly, the LP version, while it is on 180 gm vinyl and features a nice gatefold sleeve for its two albums, only features 28 tracks. The cd version has 40! Huh? And while the 16 of the tracks on the cd version were previously unissued, only 9 from the LP version have never before seen the light. I never understand the logic with these things -- is Sundazed ripping off the LP buyers amongst us, or are they trying to tell us that the extra tracks on the cd version are kinda throwaways anyway? Sigh...

CAROL OF HARVEST s/t (Second Battle) cd 19.98
German progressive folk-psych with female vocals from 1978, originally a private press rarity now reissued on cd with some bonus live tracks (including a song called "Sweet Heroin", not too pastoral that).
RealAudio clip: "You and Me"

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway Cars (Tomlab) cd 15.98
AQ's sweetest pal Owen Ashworth moved from SF to lo-fi pop haven Portland, OR a short time ago. And we've dearly missed his quiet, but completely passionate enthusing over our mutual pop faves -- in particular, Young Marble Giants. The minimal, sweet music that he creates under the moniker Casiotone For The Painfully Alone is certainly lo-tech and lo-fi, but totally high on shy boy romance and earnestness. 'Pocket Symphonies' (released on German label Tomlab) maintains the intimate bedroom recording feel of his debut 'Answering Machine Music'. Owen's soft vocal delivery once again really brings to mind the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, but also Mike Donovan of SF's Church Steps, with the barely audible, almost spoken, hesitant vocals, programmed drumbeats and occasional static-y casio-noise bursts... or, I imagine, Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields, Sixths, etc) as a young schoolboy. If you haven't seen Owen play live, you're missing a precious experience, this big bespectacled boy behind tiny synths, one heel shyly pivoting left and right to keep time. Super simple but with an undeniable catchiness. Sixteen fragile'n'pretty, electronic toybox heartstring pullers.
RealAudio clip: "Lesley Gore On The TAMI Show"

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway Cars (Tomlab) lp 13.98
AQ's sweetest pal Owen Ashworth moved from SF to lo-fi pop haven Portland, OR a short time ago. And we've dearly missed his quiet, but completely passionate enthusing over our mutual pop faves -- in particular, Young Marble Giants. The minimal, sweet music that he creates under the moniker Casiotone For The Painfully Alone is certainly lo-tech and lo-fi, but totally high on shy boy romance and earnestness. 'Pocket Symphonies' (released on German label Tomlab) maintains the intimate bedroom recording feel of his debut 'Answering Machine Music'. Owen's soft vocal delivery once again really brings to mind the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, but also Mike Donovan of SF's Church Steps, with the barely audible, almost spoken, hesitant vocals, programmed drumbeats and occasional static-y casio-noise bursts... or, I imagine, Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields, Sixths, etc) as a young schoolboy. If you haven't seen Owen play live, you're missing a precious experience, this big bespectacled boy behind tiny synths, one heel shyly pivoting left and right to keep time. Super simple but with an undeniable catchiness. Sixteen fragile'n'pretty, electronic toybox heartstring pullers.

CHARLES ATLAS Felt Cover (Static Caravan) cd 16.98
Local guy Charles Wyatt along with Matt Greenberg returns with a second Charles Atlas full length, this time released on the dependable Static Caravan label. Looped haunting guitar, lulling stereo-separated pulses, softly-uttered melodies, plus some minor-key atmospherics that're very "post-rock" in their wistfulness. A very quiet album where not a lot happens but that's how it was meant to be, I think -- just right for falling asleep to.
RealAudio clip: "Valdivia"

CHURCH STEPS Criticism (Flapping Jet / Dial) cd ep 9.98
Sounding a lot like indie rock fave Smog (if Bill Callahan would only keep up with the state of music today, instead of sounding more and more dated with each release), Church Steps cloak the most heartfelt sensitive-guy vocals in a shimmer of melancholy. However, this second EP from the group reveals a subtle shift. On their previous outings the "Jewelry" cd-ep and "Brisbane Cats" 7", two seeming incongruities were successfully melded: the mellow guitar strum and murmured vocals of Mike Donovan and the considerably more aggressive digital abrasions of OST. Perhaps a foreshadowing of the departure of OST from the CSteps roster, gone are his trademark bursts of chilly caustic circuitry, to be replaced by gentler hums and warm whirrs. A *very* pleasant record. We can't wait 'til there's a full album!
Cover art by beloved local artist Jo Jackson.
RealAudio clip: "Meismine"

CIRCUS DEVILS Ringworm Interiors (Fading Captain) lp 14.98
One of last list's "Records of the Week", now on vinyl!
New project from Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices... and it's great, probably the best thing he's done in years. Thank goodness! We were afraid he'd lost it, y'know. The guy is so prolific that it's hard to keep up the enthusiasm when the quality of his recent work has been, to put it nicely, inconsistent. But lemme tell ya, he paired up with the right band this time, brothers Todd and Tim Tobias (anybody know from these guys?), who inject the GBV jangly indie sound with adrenaline, distortion, kick ass energy, and *noise*. Actually the only relation to GBV here is Pollard's delivery, cos the music is completely different. When Pollard isn't singing, the Tobiases take over with howls and yowls of pure instrumental ferocity. Parts of it are angular and arty, like Gang of Four or Wire. Sometimes there's a Stooges-like hollow roar, sometimes it's a metallic blast of Pere Ubu-style Cleveland punk... 28 short sharp snapshot songs in 42 minutes. Excellent.
RealAudio clip: "Feel Try Fury"
RealAudio clip: "Spectacle"
RealAudio clip: "Lizard Food"
RealAudio clip: "Knife Song"

COACH WHIPS Hands On The Controls (Black Apple) cd 11.98
Woo-hoo! Just in time for the week after Xmas -- you know, the week where you buy *yourself* some presents. And what nicer way than to give yourself the gift of John Dwyer. Yep, Rhode Island via SF scene fixture, daily AQ-visitor, roundly acknowledged wise ass, some people just know him as "Pink" (of Pink & Brown). As crazy hyper leader of garage-trash trio Coach Whips, he'll twist you around, sass you to your face, make you duck for cover, he'll jump on the tables in a frenzy of just wanting to wake up this town, this scene, our sorry mellow asses. He'll screech into a voicebox and wreak havoc with the guitar while the other John Harlow pounds the floor tom and MaryAnn wields the tambourine so hard she might break it. Like Pussy Galore and the Gories ran over the White Stripes in the middle of the road! Grimy three chord rockin' with energy to burn.
RealAudio clip: "Everybody Wants Some"
RealAudio clip: "The Ride"

COIL Moon Milk (In Four Phases): The Solstice And Equinox Singles Collected (Eskaton) 2cd 15.98
During the past decade, Coil has undergone a drastic metamorphosis that began with the extravagantly dark electronica of "Love's Secret Domain" and continued up to the kosmische ambience of "Musick To Listen To In Dark Vol 2." With all of the albums since "Love's Secret Domain" moving far away from their perverse use of pop structures, these more recent recordings initially had very little immediate impact on us. Yet with the reissue of their solstice / equinox series of singles onto this double CD set, it is clear that Coil's newer "lunar music" requires time for it to settle and perhaps ripen with age. Well, it's taken 3 years for us to really warm up to these recordings, which at the time of their release in 1998 seemed merely adequate.
Coil intended to thematically correspond these songs' droning poetry to the solstices and equinoxes corresponding to when they were made. Mostly they center around a miasmic abstraction of spartan, dirge arrangements for a few instruments (cellos, church organs, spanish guitar), maintaining their solemn pursuit into sonic alchemy. For the most part, Coil's John Balance hushes his voice into mere whispers of his pagan recitations, which barely stand out of the lulling instrumentation, although "The White Rainbow" track from the Winter single stands out as a eulogaic song dominated by Balance's rich singing. The album works much better than as a collection of singles whose original release format seemed far too abrupt for the extended atmospheres that are common throughout the whole series.
And to piss off everybody who bought the original series, Coil included a bonus live track.
RealAudio clip: "A White Rainbow"
RealAudio clip: "Bee Stings"

CRACOW KLEZMER BAND The Warriors (Tzadik) cd 15.98
Newest entry in the Radical Jewish Culture series released on John Zorn's imprint Tzadik. Based in Poland, this band is supposedly quite avant garde... but I'm not sure what's so "radical" about them. This is somber, melodic, minor-key instrumental Jewish traditional music played out on accordion, violin, clarinet, and double bass; and will most likely appeal to fans of Masada (Zorn's own klezmer improv group) and that Evan Lurie disc from many years ago, that had the gorgeous wistful accordion, remember (Selling Water By the Side of the River)? The music is certainly very pleasant, and it has a grown-up, smoky, sophisticated tone to it, but let's face it: this is kinda predictable, not "radical". (Sometimes Tzadik's self-aggrandizing obis are really over the top.) That doesn't mean it ain't nice, though!
RealAudio clip: "Klezmer Rhapsody"

CYLOB Cut the Midrange, Drop The Bass (Rephlex) 12" 8.98
Cylob's new three-track single has caused a bit of a stir here at AQ. Not 'cause of the title track, a catchy electronic pop-dance ditty a little safer than similar efforts from Aphex and Squarepusher ("My Red Hot Car" comes to mind, but this is less edgy, more "retro"). Not 'cause of track two, "With This Ring". No, it's the third track, an electronic adaption of the traditional British sea shanty "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor", that's causing the fuss. Most of us here at AQ can't stand it (anymore), but Allan helplessly likes it and Windy likes to play it because there's always the chance that it will cause Allan to involuntarily dance a little jig. And seeing Allan's butt shaking is a sight to behold, let me tell you. Silly stuff, sure to drive even all of us insane eventually. But for the moment it's an AQ (if not UK) dance smash, following in the tradition of another Rephlex-released and Cylob-produced track, The Jones Machine's "I'm The Disco Dancing" from a few years back.

CYLOB Cut the Midrange, Drop The Bass (Rephlex) cd ep 8.98
Cylob's new three-track single has caused a bit of a stir here at AQ. Not 'cause of the title track, a catchy electronic pop-dance ditty a little safer than similar efforts from Aphex and Squarepusher ("My Red Hot Car" comes to mind, but this is less edgy, more "retro"). Not 'cause of track two, "With This Ring". No, it's the third track, an electronic adaption of the traditional British sea shanty "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor", that's causing the fuss. Most of us here at AQ can't stand it (anymore), but Allan helplessly likes it and Windy likes to play it because there's always the chance that it will cause Allan to involuntarily dance a little jig. And seeing Allan's butt shaking is a sight to behold, let me tell you. Silly stuff, sure to drive even all of us insane eventually. But for the moment it's an AQ (if not UK) dance smash, following in the tradition of another Rephlex-released and Cylob-produced track, The Jones Machine's "I'm The Disco Dancing" from a few years back.
RealAudio clip: "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor"

CYLOB Mood Bells (Rephlex) cd 17.98
So Cylob are kind of a gimmicky band. Once in a while they come up with a great electro pop gem, like the (admittedly love-it-or-hate-it) sea shanty on their Cut the Midrange ep we review also in this list. But now they've bestowed this silly, silly full length on us. Called Mood Bells, it is just that, the sounds of all sorts of bells, gongs, and various other resonating percussive instruments. Very simple and serene, with lots of time devoted to waiting for the bells to fade out and such, but not beautiful enough or melodic enough or (face it) good enough to warrant such stark simplicity -- and not only that but I'll bet these sounds were made by pushing the "bells" sample button on a Casio or something. Maybe that's too mean. But this isn't good enough to warrant wondering about it any longer. Check out Cylob's sea shanty instead!

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL So Impossible ep (Vagrant Records) cd ep 10.98
Still no one from the Vagrant roster of artists has come even remotely close to the emo-power pop majesty of the Get Up Kids or their oddball side project Reggie And The Full Effect. With Dan Hoerner, formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate, Dashboard Confessional has the pedigree to be as good as any of the great emo groups, but haven't quite gotten there yet. On the "So Impossible" EP, Dashboard Confessional turns singer-songwriter with 4 tracks of acoustic guitar-led songs full of harmonies that have been strained to the brink of tears, similar to the better work from later period Rainer Maria. If any of their future records can really rock-out with songs like these, they could give the Get Up Kids or Rival Schools a run for the money...
RealAudio clip: "Hands Down"

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE The Photo Album (Barsuk) lp 13.98
Now on vinyl!
It's with a heavy heart that I bring you this report of the new Death Cab For Cutie record. I've listened to it several times now in the hopes that, like the last two albums, it would grow on me. Sadly, rather than grow, it has shrunk upon me like a pair of high water pants so that now my crotch... well, you get the idea. No, it's just that with the exception of a few songs it's really quite un-inspired, devoid of hooks and generally a big disappointment from the great northern hope. But I'm going to leave it at that and give you some samples to listen to so that you can judge for yourself, because Death Cab is still very near and dear to our hearts here at Aquarius.
RealAudio clip: "We Laugh Indoors"
RealAudio clip: "Blacking Out the Friction"
RealAudio clip: "Styrofoam Plates"

DE LA SOUL AOI:BIONIX (Tommy Boy) cd 17.98
The less said about this album the better. Unless you're saying, "It ain't no 3 Feet High and Rising."

DESAPARECIDOS The Happiest Place On Earth (Saddle Creek) cd ep 6.98
...is where you'll find these quavery-voiced emo boys -- namely one Conor Oberst (aka the leader of Bright Eyes). Hear them practically hollering the words to get their message to you. Driving drumbeat, crunchy guitars, springy melodic hooks sorta like a cross between Superchunk and Treepeople. This EP is just a hint of what's to come -- a full length debut in early 2002. On the label that's home to The Faint and yes, Bright Eyes.
RealAudio clip: "Happiest Place On Earth"

EHLERS, EKKEHARD Plays Cornelius Cardew (bottrop-boy) 7" 8.98
Yet another volume in the slew of vinyl only releases by German electronic artist Ekkehard Ehlers (Autopoieses, Auch) in tribute to various artists musical and otherwise. "Plays Cornelius Cardew" is two brief sides of lovely layered soundscapes as only Ehlers can conjure. Sampled sounds are seamlessly woven into dense, textural tone poems highly reminiscent of Wolfgang Voigt, most noteably in his work as Gas. But, like the rest of the series, one can only imagine what, if anything, Ehlers' music really has to do with the artist in question. What next? Stockhausen? Feldman? Brahkage? My Ass? I mean, really: marketing ploy or true artistic homage? Either way, we like the results.

EISENBERG, JEWLIA Trilectic (Tzadik) cd 15.98
It's Jewlia Eisenberg from the local Idiot-Flesh-related group Charming Hostess! Along with a few similarly angel-voiced men and women, Jewlia has constructed an album of intricate harmonies -- all of it a capella and just bell clear. Elements of Bulgarian women's choir, songs sung in German, etc. Really deft vocal work, although somehow a little geeky.
RealAudio clip: "Meister of Kultur"

ELECTRIC COMPANY Greatest Hits (Tigerbeat6) cd 14.98
Brad Laner's Electric Company gets the remix treatment from many of his wonderfully talented friends: Kid 606, U-Ziq, Blectum From Blechdom, Pimmon, Phthalocyanine, Tom Recchion (y'know, from the LAFMS!), Leafcutter John, Frank Bretschneider, Geoff White, Timeblind, Jasper, Lexaunculpt and Kim Cascone.
RealAudio clip: KID 606 "Josie and the slamming Demonic Riffs Rmx"
RealAudio clip: BLECTUM FROM BLECHDOM "Elco-Meon-oh"
RealAudio clip: U-ZIQ "Octelcogopod u-ziq rmx"

ELLIS, HORTENSE Hortense's Last Stand (Creole) cd 14.98
As a proud rocksteady collector, I'm a little embarrassed to say I never gave Hortense Ellis much time until we got this nice collection in recently. Hortense was the sister of the much-more-famous Alton Ellis, and she dueted with him on many tracks, as well as providing back up vocals for many many folks during her 40+ year career -- she started performing at age 14 and died in the year 2000 at the age of 51. And somehow she also found the time to have FOURTEEN children! Let's all just pause and reflect on that fact for a moment. Anyway, what does she sound like? Hortense's strong voice is bell clear, and she uses that purity to great effect -- by letting the voice *break*, stumble, or get a tiny bit raspy during emotional parts that she wants to emphasize (see her big hit "Unexpected Places"). That's kind of Hortense's brilliance. In fact, my ultimate favorite rocksteady singer Phyllis Dillon was a big fan and tried to emulate her. Hortense did a lot of covers, as was the wont of many rocksteady artists who were deeply influenced by American soul music of the early to mid-'60s, including Streisand's "Unexpected Places", "Stand By your Man", etc. The music is mid-tempo, with trilling organs, sweet harmonies, plink plink guitars. The only problem is that there are no liner notes, so it's hard to tell when the damn tracks were recorded -- is the bulk of it from before and during the rocksteady era ('67-'69), or are some from later stages in her career (she held the torch for rocksteady her whole life, but some of these tracks display reverb and echo typical of '70s straight up reggae)? Still, despite a dud track or two, this is a very nice collection from one of the best -- yet somehow unfairly forgotten -- female reggae singers. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Unexpected Places"
RealAudio clip: "Dearest"
RealAudio clip: "Housewife Choice"

ENSLAVED Monumension (Osmose) cd 14.98
Ivar Bjornson, Grutle Kjellson, Dirge Rep and R. Kronheim are Enslaved. We mention them individually because they and their band deserve to be household names, at least among Aquarius customers. Enslaved are definitely one of our absolute favorite Norwegian black metal acts. Indeed, I (Allan) would go so far as to say, forget Norwegian black metal -- Enslaved are one of the best rock bands in the world today, period! And "Monumension" is their new album, one so highly anticipated here at Aquarius that it's hard to write about. First, the fear: was it even possible? Was it realistic to expect that this band could possibly top their previous album, the Aquarius Record of the Week honoree (list #101) "Mardraum"? Is disappointment inevitable when hopes are so high? We were a-tremble upon first listen, let me tell you. Well, many listens later I'm glad to report that this new Enslaved effort lives up to its mighty predecessor(s). This release marks the 10th anniversary of Enslaved's unique brand of "Viking metal". But it seems like they're travelling not across the waves in longboats, but through the stars in astral bodies. That is, when they're not simply thrashing like more down-to-earth rock n' roll demons. What an amazing band. Spacey, intense, complex, primal, chaotic, beautiful...
Ok, enough hyperbole (for the moment). What's "Monumension" really like, and how *does* it compare exactly to "Mardraum"? Well, somebody had told us to expect that the new Enslaved would sound like Genesis, but that's definitely not the case. True, '70s prog rock a la Genesis (or, maybe more accurately, King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator) certainly flows in the blood of Grutle, Ivar and Co., along with the more ancient blood of their Norse ancestors. Opeth fans will hear the parallels. But are they truly warriors of modern prog? Not quite, as they are so much more. The first thing an Enslaved fan will notice is the surprising prevalence of death metal style vocals alongside the black metal rasps and Viking chants. Vocally, lyrically and musically, this is some seriously heavy stuff, and violent. But it all flows, sometimes into realms so tripped-out and Floyd-ishly psychedelic that you'll forget you're listening to "metal" at all. But then, the next song will start with a blood-quickening, bone-jarring riff to remind you. Like on "Mardraum", the band brilliantly weaves various metal/rock styles into pure Enslaved music, perhaps upping the "folk" aspect a bit (which balances those death metal elements nicely). There's even a bonus track by a related band called HOV (Trygve Mathiesen and a "tribal choir" which includes all the members of Enslaved) that's meant to evoke traditional Viking music -- although the band stresses that "Enslaved has never been about reproduction or literal interpretations. It is more of a quest for creating our own musical traditions and dimensions. The band is built upon the philosophy, magick and myths of the Vikings, not a desire to dress like they did during a historical period or to talk exactly like them. It is something deeper than a mere roleplay to please the outer eyes and ears." These efforts by Enslaved certainly have resulted in surreal, epic, timeless metal for the mind, body and soul.
So yes, these rune-obsessed geniuses, mere youngsters wise beyond their years, have created another utter masterpiece. And it's not just me -- everyone I've discussed this record with agrees that it's amazing. Arrrgh -- my fanboy ramblings can't even begin to do it justice. Emperor, Satyricon, Ulver are all great Norwegian black metal bands that in various ways and to various degress have also branched out into the beyond, but Enslaved are something else again.
RealAudio clip: "The Voices"
RealAudio clip: "Vision: Sphere of the Elements - A Monument Part II"
RealAudio clip: "The Cromlech Gate"
RealAudio clip: "Convoys To Nothingness"

FALL, THE Are You Are Missing Winner (Cog Sinister) cd 21.00
Mark E. Smith sounds like a drunken Howard Cosell, as he continues down the sad path of self-parody. Unlike last year's exceptional "The Unutterable", this record confirms that, unless you're helplessly obsessed, you'll never need to buy a new Fall record.
RealAudio clip: "Kick the Can"
RealAudio clip: "The Acute"

FAT JOE Jealous Ones Still Envy (Atlantic) cd 16.98
You need this record just for the single 'We Thuggin', maybe one of the best singles of the year, a wickedly catchy track of bouncing, party gangsta hip hop, with an insanely catchy R. Kelly chorus (and lucky you, there are two versions; the remix features a different arrangement, and all different vocals, including a particularly nasty Busta Rhymes guest spot). But outside of those tracks, this is a pretty solid record. Huge beats, monster production, boasting and bragging, bitches and ho's, Miami beach parties, lots of guns and lots of fucking. And one track even features the amazing growl of Buju Banton.
RealAudio clip: "We Thuggin'"
RealAudio clip: "We Thuggin Remix"
RealAudio clip: "King Of New York"

FAUST Ravvivando Remix Maxi Single (Klangbad) cd ep 8.98
Soft Cell remixes Faust?? That's right, the legendary, eccentric krautrockers Faust hit the dancefloor with the help of Soft Cell's David Ball (and one Ingo Vauk as well). The track "Wir Brauchen Dich #6", taken from Faust's last (and quite excellent) album "Ravvivando" from a few years back, gets strapped to some heavy Neu!-ish motorik beats on the three remixes on this ep, which apparently precedes a full-length Faust "Ravvivando Remixes" disc yet to come. The fourth track reprises the album original, which of course is still the best, but the others are interesting novelties for Faust fans (and, possibly, *really* "interesting" novelties for Soft Cell fans!).
RealAudio clip: "Wir Brauchen Dich #6 remix"

FELDMAN, MORTON String Quartet (II) (Hat Hut) 4cd 34.00

FIGURINE The Heartfelt (Monika) cd 16.98`
This is the second full length release by this amazing trio which features a member of Dntel. Some of the sweetest electronic dance melodies are found right here on 'The Heartfelt'. Imagine the Pastels, Aphex Twin, New Order and Future Bible Heroes (the hi-energy disco side project of Magnetic Fields Stephen Merritt) having a slumber party. Hints of 80's synth pop merge and mingle with early rave or current experimental electronics. There are lovely new wave heart-wrenching vocals, with perfect, sweet boy/girl harmonies. It's no surprise that this gets the thumbs up from AQ friend Owen Ashworth of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone.
RealAudio clip: "Impossible"
RealAudio clip: "Stranger"
RealAudio clip: "Way Too Good"

FOUR TET Paws Remixes (Domino) 12" 9.98
From Kieran Hebden of Fridge comes a remix ep ("Paws") from his latest album ("Pause") under the moniker of Four Tet. Four tracks, including remixes by Konshik, Manitoba, and Boom Bip (who makes the most unpalatable song from Pause, that "No More Mosquitoes" song, actually listenable.)

FOUR TET Paws Remixes (Domino) cd ep 6.98
From Kieran Hebden of Fridge comes a remix ep ("Paws") from his latest album ("Pause") under the moniker of Four Tet. Four tracks, including remixes by Konshik, Manitoba, and Boom Bip (who makes the most unpalatable song from Pause, that "No More Mosquitoes" song, actually listenable.)

FUNKSTORUNG Vice Versa (!K7) cd 17.98
Just like Funkstorung's previous album "Additional Productions," Vice Versa is a collection of their remixes of other people's work. But unlike "Additional Production" this albums isn't terribly good. Since the majority of the remix offers that Funkstorung has accepted haven't been very good to begin with (i.e. lite jazz saxophonist Nils Petter Molvaer, A Guy Called Gerald, Tocotronic, Jean Michel Jarre, Philip Boa, Notwist, and some other people who should have known better), it's hard to tell if Funkstorung is suffering from bad source material or if they've gotten stale. Either way, Funkstorung's production work has shifted away from the complex algorithms as Autechrish mimicry to super minimal back-to-the-basics hip hop breakbeats, which just replace the rhythmic tracks from the original. A disappointment to say the least.

FUNKSTORUNG Vice Versa (!K7) 2lp 19.98
Just like Funkstorung's previous album "Additional Productions," Vice Versa is a collection of their remixes of other people's work. But unlike "Additional Production" this albums isn't terribly good. Since the majority of the remix offers that Funkstorung has accepted haven't been very good to begin with (i.e. lite jazz saxophonist Nils Petter Molvaer, A Guy Called Gerald, Tocotronic, Jean Michel Jarre, Philip Boa, Notwist, and some other people who should have known better), it's hard to tell if Funkstorung is suffering from bad source material or if they've gotten stale. Either way, Funkstorung's production work has shifted away from the complex algorithms as Autechrish mimicry to super minimal back-to-the-basics hip hop breakbeats, which just replace the rhythmic tracks from the original. A disappointment to say the least.

FUSHITSUSHA Origin's Hesitation (PSF) cd 23.00
Keiji Haino and his psychedelic power trio Fushitsusha have long made some of Japan's heaviest, darkest, most fucked up sounds. They're a legendary "free rock" outfit, up there with the Dead C, Skullflower and few others. They're a unique band that with this new disc could be said to have gotten even "uniquer" (if only that wasn't such bad English).
At their last San Francisco show a few years back, Haino and Fushitsusha's drummer had an "epsiode" that resulted in, upon his return to Japan, the drummer's retirement from music! Rather than drafting in a new drummer, Haino and bassist Ozawa decided to remain a duo, with Haino taking over the drumming duties. This is the first recording by this new, unusual, reduced Fushitsusha line-up. Unusual because Haino's monstrous wall-of-feedback guitar was probably the reason most people listen to the band in the first place. Well too bad, meet the new, stripped-down, guitarless Fushitsusha!
Origin's Hesitation starts off with Haino in a maniacal percussion frenzy, as if he'd always wanted to be the drummer in Fushitsusha and is now just so excited to be behind the kit he can't help but try to play all the drums at once. But after the first track, he calms down a bit with the drumming, putting more of his energy into what must rank as some of his most dramatic, tortured vocals ever. And that's saying a lot. These cries and utterances are accompanied by sparse but deliberate drum and bass hits, using space and silence. Both Haino and Ozawa use live electronics to loop their instruments, but this is a lot more primitive sounding than most "sampler" utilizing music!
You might have to already be a fan of Haino/Fushitsusha to get into this -- at least, it's probably not the place for novices to start. Very anguished, very abstract. The heavy guitar sounds that linked Fushitsusha's past work to the rock music of Blue Cheer or Crazy Horse are of course gone, but this is still "heavy" in an emotional sense. And certainly "fucked up."
So, after reading all the above, you probably still want to know "is it any good?" Well, Andee of course hates it, as he does pretty much any release where Haino opens his mouth. Allan on the other hand thinks this is kinda cool, even though he does prefer Fushitsusha with guitar. But he likes contrary, counter-intuitive rock bands like US Maple and Starfuckers, which in some ways this echoes.
Handsomely packaged, as always with PSF Fushitsusha releases, with cd and booklet in a black paper mini-gatefold sleeve. Smells good!
RealAudio clip: "track 1"
RealAudio clip: "track 4"

GUENTNER, MARKUS In Moll (Kompakt) 2lp 16.98
Another of our staff-chosen Records of the Week with a vinyl version now also available. Here's what we said in AQL#126 about this fabulous record: Squelches and whirrs nestle in rolling hills of fuzzy dreamy drones as clicks and pops struggle for air beneath a downy blanket of suffocatingly gorgeous billowy clouds of synth wash. Sound good? It does.
It's German electronica artist Markus Guentner's debut cd for the Kompakt label. For those of you who don't know, the Kompakt label has developed an almost timeless aesthetic, not unlike the 'heroin house' sound of Chain Reaction. The Kompakt sound is an application of the often invoked but rarely successful working model of 'ambient techno'. A good example of this sort of thing that AQ-customers probably know about ('cause we sell so many of 'em) is the Wolfgang Voigt project Gas. His minimalist techno releases (in particular the Gas album "Konigsforst") are some of the few electronica albums that all Aquarians can agree on and strongly endorse.
In creating "In Moll," Markus Guentner has done more than his part to fill the void created by Voigt's unusual absence, with a disc that captures much of the feel we liked so much about the Gas records, a sort of dreamy melancholy that manages to be both wistful and hopeful, lonely and warm. Jeff thinks it has a real "change of seasons" vibe, that harkens, again, to Gas. And while the Gas comparison is surely accurate (if you haven't caught our drift already, let's state: fans of Gas should pick this up without a second thought!), Guenter does add his own flair to Voigt's signature sound though, creating a more varied and more dynamic soundscape than Voigt's pastoral hum and thump.
RealAudio clip: "In Moll 3"
RealAudio clip: "In Moll 5"
RealAudio clip: "In Moll 7"

HARVESTER Hemat (Silence) cd 14.98
We stocked a cd reissue of this rare Swedish psych LP from 1970 a little while back. The discs we had then turned out to be bootlegs (which we suspected, a fact confirmed by the group's old drummer, who emailed us!), and were soon gone -- but thankfully here's another, fully legit reissue of the same LP, complete with a bonus track (oddly enough, the title track) and extensive liner notes in English. Yay! Here's a slightly modified version of what we said about his album back on list #120:
Perhaps you read about or bought the Terry Riley-influenced Parson Sound double cd we raved about not long ago? Well, Harvester (after releasing another LP under the full name of International Harvester -- see elsewhere this list) was a future development of the Parson Sound band. And after Harvester, they became the semi-legendary Trad, Gras och Stenar (Trees, Grass and Stones). Although we think the absolute best stuff we've heard from these guys dates from their Parson Sound incarnation, this disc is pretty cool too. "Hemat" ("Homeward") has been described by someone in the know as "mastadon waltz-drone / acid soaked free jam psychedelia." Which is not only a pretty accurate description, but also a cool phrase to quote. The disc starts with a lovely mellow hippy-folk tune that matches the dreamy landscape painting on the album's cover. Then with track two things get heavier and more Parson Sound-like. The mastodon waltz has begun, as flutes trill and Swedish freaks chant. The disc progresses into ethnic-tinged free rock/jazz ("Nepal Boogie") and even an unrecognizably drugged-out downer version of "Everybody (Needs Somebody to Love)". Loose and stoned this disc most certainly is, forty-one minutes of almost-lost music drifting through the haze of time to trip you out today.
RealAudio clip: "Nar Lingonen Mognar"
RealAudio clip: "Kristallen Den Fina"

HIGH ON FIRE Art of Self Defense (Tee Pee) lp + 7" 15.98
Stoner/doom heads, alert! The Man's Ruin-released cd of this album is now out of print (although, we stocked up right before the label went under, and still have a few copies). Now, however, there's vinyl! It comes complete with new (better) cover art courtesy of the Roger Dean of the stoner rock scene, Arik Moonhawk Roper, and a bonus 7" with two new tracks, including a cover of Celtic Frost's "The Usurper"! Here's our review of the original "Art of Self Defense" cd:
The Bay Area's slowest, heaviest, potsmokin'est doom metal combo Sleep (RIP) lives on in the form of ex-Sleep guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike's new band High On Fire. Sleep's last album, the infamous "Jerusalem", consisted of but one, super-long super-slow track. High On Fire speeds things up a bit (only a bit) but maintains the heaviness and the trademark Sleep sound. Right on.

INCAPACITANTS Repo (Alchemy) cd 19.98
Alchemy Records digs into their vaults yet again to re-issue on cd a 1989 Alchemy LP by the notorious Japanese noise act Incapacitants. This makes for Incapacitants' eighth cd release on Alchemy! Wow, what a legacy of high-end skree, low-end rumble, and everything in between. As well as the "Repo" LP, this disc includes a bonus track taken from a 1985 cassette, the "Triangle8000" split release with Hijokaidan, which main Incapcitant T. Mikawa recently remixed. If you like NOISE you're already an Incapacitants fan, but if you don't -- stay away!

INFIDEL? / CASTRO! Case Studies In Bioentropy (n/a) cd 11.98
This is a very strange record. And you know that around here, for something to strike us as strange, it's gotta be really weird. A strange 'rock' record is a much more rare creature than just a strange record. I mean, at AQ we have been known to carry elephants playing gamelans, disembodied voices from beyond the grave, insane guys singing along to Stryper, found love letters on tape... but this record is really strange... and it's made only with guitars and drums and a studio. That takes something special. So special in fact, that I'm having a little bit of trouble describing it.
My first inclination is to say O.L.D. meets Tool meets Fantomas meets Scanner meets Lustmord. But that doesn't quite capture it. There seems to be some sort of linear narrative, based on germs, or sickness or at least some sort of conspiracy. Dark rumbling drones and endlessly sustaining horror movie upper register skree underpin mumbled dialogue, panicked arguments whispered in a dark alleys, and computer voices offering plot exposition and ominous warnings. Then bursts of chugging distorted guitars, and spastic drumming (as well as computerized beats) explode through the thick curtain of gloomy drone bringing to mind the grinding rhythm of the Ruins. The record continues with monstrous slow core sludge splattered with fucked up noise and malfunctioning electronics that slowly mutates into a buzzing oversaturated electronic rhythm. And it just keeps getting weirder and weirder with dreamy gauzy nightmarescapes, huge pounding hyper distorted big beat electro, more confusing chopped and processed dialogue, repetitive and grinding almost-metal rhythms and the record ends with a totally crushing track of multi layered guitars, distorted and buzzing, squealing and pounding relentlessly as the story continues to its appropriately doomed ending. This record is so epic and intense, right down to the striking cover art: a close up painting of some sort of ocular surgery! Fans of any of the bands I mentioned above should definitely check this out as well as you 'dronologists' and even you jaded rockers. This record is definitely one of the best surprises of the year. An 'Operation Mindcrime' for the experimental set!
RealAudio clip: "The Violence Of Hygeine"
RealAudio clip: "The Act Of Sterilization"

INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND, THE Safe At Home (Sundazed) lp 15.98
Gram Parsons = Country Rock Pioneer. Before he made those two incandescently beautiful solo albums with Emmylou Harris (that IMO no record collection should be without, and we always have them in stock), before he joined the Byrds, he formed the International Submarine Band who recorded just this one album for Lee Hazlewood's record label, with Hazelwood chanteuse Suzi Jane Hokum as producer. Not nearly as good as the Parsons material later to come, it's still pretty worthwhile... and how nice to have it on 180 gram vinyl with one extra track previously unavailable on record.

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER Sov Gott Rose-Marie (Silence) cd 14.98
The late sixties Swedish musical aggregation that was Parson Sound / International Harvester / Harvester / Trad, Gras Och Stenar (really all one evolving band) was basically an example of the genre we've decided to call "international krautrock". Like a Scandinavian Amon Duul, these freaks tap into some decidedly cosmic psychedelic sounds, and aren't on some sunshiney '60s flowers and beads trip. No, their sound certainly acknowledges death and darkness. We've already raved about the Parson Sound collection released earlier this year. "Sov Gott Rose-Marie" ("Sleep Tight, Rose-Marie") was the next step for this group, recorded under their new name International Harvester (taken from the American heavy machinery company, but also intending a Harvester / Grim Reaper double-meaning, with International giving it a political bent). This album, released in 1969 on the Finnish label Love Records, now makes a long-awaited cd appearance on Silence (along with their follow-up under the shortened name Harvester). It's pretty fucking great. If you've heard and loved the Parson Sound like we did, just come and buy this now! It's got grinding cello, baying horns, hippie percussion, mesmerizing jams *and* sudden jarring juxtapositions, from total mellowness to the very heavy. International Harvester mix folk music (though not to the extent they did on their next album, "Hemat"), jazz, field recordings (singing birds, barking dogs), lullabies, and more into their mind-blowing stew of psychedelic "free rock", which is also full of Terry Riley / Eastern inspired repetition and drone. Lyrically, this is just as radical, not shying from religion and politics.
Silence has added an incredible, lengthy (24 minute!) bonus track called "Skordetider" ("Harvest Times") that the band originally intended for an album B-side but never used. It's hypnotic, powerful jam that could have fit well on that Parson Sound release. In other words: wow! Additionally, this cd features extensive liner notes documenting the group's history (the same essay is also found in Silence's reissue of the Harvester album, but with different photos). Along with the Parson Sound double cd, this is definitely one of the reissues of the year for us.
RealAudio clip: "Ho Chi Minh"
RealAudio clip: "Skordetider"
RealAudio clip: "Sov Gott Rose-Marie"
RealAudio clip: "There is No Other Place"

JANDEK Worthless Recluse (Corwood) cd 8.98
Jandek's thirty-first album unfortunately fulfills the self-effacing title, as the Texan hermit offers his third album of a capella 'songs' and poetic readings. As difficult as they may have been to listen to, his arrangements for questionably competent guitar picking and stumbling drums are sorely missed. While these a capella albums are at the bottom of the Jandek catalogue, he has been mucking about with his 4 track giving a few interesting 'effects' upon his voice. But that's all...
RealAudio clip: "You Wake Up Deadmen"

JAY-Z Unplugged (Roc-A-Fella) cd 14.98
We've all been going a little Jay-Z crazy around here, playing 'The Blueprint' to death in the store, and if you have MTV, you're probably sick to death seeing clips from Jay-Z's unplugged set. But it ranks up there as one of the better 'Unplugged's (the Nirvana one being an obvious favorite). For this performance, Jay-Z wisely got the amazing Roots to back him up, and they are SO TIGHT and right on, that there's times you can't even tell it's a live band, and then there's times when they sound even better. They're also one of the few bands who tried to keep with the unplugged theme by replacing their DJ with a human beat box, doing some of the rhythms and -all- of the scratching. But for me, the Roots are the main attraction, with ?uestlove's wickedly groovy drumming as well as 2 percussionists and some amazing bass playing (carrying most of the melodies). Also present were Mary J. Blige and one of the folks from hip hop sensations N*E*R*D. This is definitely essential if you're already a fan, but this might also soften the ears of those of you who have been a little hesitant to take the hip hop plunge. Cause this is like a great funky soul record with catchy songs, great hooks and a great vocalist, who just happens to be rapping.
RealAudio clip: "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
RealAudio clip: "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)"

HIROSHIGE, JOJO Crimson Voyage (Alchemy) cd 19.98
Japan's Alchemy Records has started releasing discs in a new cosmic-music-oriented series called "Inner Mind Music", and label boss Jojo Hiroshige's Crimson Voyage is one of the first offerings. With guitar, keyboards and percussion he creates some spacey electronic soudscapes in the vein of the '70s kraut masters. He's joined by a female singer who adds some high, perhaps wordless vocals to the three lengthy tracks found here. (Actually, she is credited with lyrics, so I suppose she's singing something in Japanese, but her delivery is still pretty effective for us non-Japanese-speakers.) Crimson Voyage is dark and droney, but a far cry from the extreme noise that Jojo is known for in his band Hijokaidan. Rather beautiful.
RealAudio clip: "Ko-Ku"

JUAN DE LA CRUZ BAND Up In Arms (Shadoks Music) cd 14.98
Here's that other Juan de la Cruz reissue we promised last list in our review of their "Shake Your Brains" album. "Up In Arms" was the band's debut from 1971. Like "Shake Your Brains" this is psychedelic hard rock, but it's a bit more psych, and less hard, than that album. On "Shake Your Brains" the band was stripped down to a power trio, but here they're augmented with piano, organ, sax, and flute, instrumentation that brings in some jazzier, trippier sounds than the basic garagey heaviness found on "Shake Your Brains". The liner notes tell us that the band was one of the Philippines's biggest, partially thanks to their performance in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cultural Center of the Philippines! That led to them gigging at that same Cultural Center with the Philippine National Philharmonic! Wow. It's a little hard to imagine that their brand of bluesy, heavy-duty hippie rock really meshed well with a symphony orchestra (doing songs like "Mystery Roach" and "Requiem For A Head"?), but I guess Deep Purple was an inspiration. Anyway, "Up In Arms" has got some fine acid-rock jams, as well as mellower psych-pop moments. Which are nice, if not exactly what we were hoping for. BUT, the bonus tracks that occupy the entire second half of this hour-long disc (tracks 7 through 12) are quite a bit heavier. Recorded "live and in concert", the Juan de la Cruz Band kicks out the jams on a bunch of Tagalog-language cuts including several from the "Shake Your Brains" LP. No info is provided as to where or when this live stuff was recorded, but it all sounds great, and is totally rockin'.
RealAudio clip: "Requiem For A Head"
RealAudio clip: "Sarap Ng Buhay"

KEMIALLISET YSTAVAT Suurempi Pieni Palatsi (Alice In Wonder) cd 16.98
The hard to pronounce Kemialliset Ystavat play a mysterious, fucked up brand of psychedelic improv folk music -- fractured, fairytale sounds from the woods of Finland. Well, more likely a bedroom studio in Finland. But Kemialliset Ystavat seem like they belong in a forest, an old dark magical forest. This is their first full length cd, after several obscure and odd releases over the past few years (homemade cassettes, a one-sided LP for Fusetron, a 3" cd-r on Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers, a split 7" on Bad Vugum, etc.). Indeed, this disc actually consists of material originally released on a limited 7" last year, plus lots of bonus stuff.
It's primarily the work of one main band member, Jan Anderzen. He's helped by, among others, our friend Sami Sanpakkila (of Es, Kiila, Velvolino and Fonal Records). Maybe the closest comparison we could make would be to NYC's Tower Recordings. But Kemialliset Ystavat's damaged psych meanderings somehow capture an even more "authentic, exotic" mood of post-krautrock wonderment than that conjured by the New Yorkers, although we love them so.
After getting all those great sixties International Harvester, Trad Gras Och Stenar etc. reissues in, it's nice to know that their spirit of psychedelic exploration is still alive and well in Scandinavia, thirty years on!

KING TUBBY Firehouse Revolution (Pressure Sounds) cd 14.98
I really wanted to like this one a lot more. One thing Pressure Sounds can do really well is put together handsome album art and King Tubby's Firehouse Revolution is no exception. The vinyl especially cuts a dashing figure with its matte finish. Firehouse Revolution is a collection of late period recordings (1985 to Tubby's death in 1989) done at King Tubby's state of the art "100% Digital" facility that he built in Kingston's Waterhouse district, also known as the "Firehouse" due to the frequency of gun fire in the neighborhood. The collection is an attempt to demonstrate that, while his former apprentice Prince Jammy pioneered the digital reggae sound, Tubby was not one to rest on his laurels and that his work in his new studio was just as cutting edge in eighties Jamaica as his early experiments in dub were in the seventies. The problem is that this period of reggae is generally not highly regarded as the most inspired or crucial. Pressure Sounds argues that, like the cold reception that reggae received by the critics in its early stages, this era of digital reggae will eventually get its come uppance in the form of a plethora of reissues much like the profusion of 60's comps that everyone wants now. "You heard it here first" Pressure Sounds seems to say but, although there are some interesting electronic bass lines to be found here, I for one prefer to remember King Tubby by the ovesaturated analog tape and spring reverb that he built his reputation on. Having said that, I say also Kudos to Pressure Sounds for having the vision and or foresight to put together a collection of unique material in the hopes that this may inspire other labels in the business of reissuing Jamaican music to lay off the old standbys for a while and dig a little deeper into the vaults for some more previously un-exploited gems. A final word of caution to those making assumptions about King Tubby's career: you won't find many dub tracks here, but you will find lots of vocals from the likes of Anthony Red Rose, King Everall, Lloyd Hemmings, Little John, King Asha, Johnny Osbourne and more. Comes with several pages of well written liner notes.
RealAudio clip: "Original Sound"
RealAudio clip: "Version"

KOZELEK, MARK White Christmas Live (Sub Pop) cd 14.98
Limited to 5000 copies and mainly available only thru web and direct distribution channels, we're pleased to be carrying this live album from Red House Painters' Mark Kozelek. It's got three of the AC/DC covers we love so much, delivered somber-Kozelek-style of course, along with other Red House / Kozelek favorites. If you can believe it, the tone and mood of this album is even MORE intimate than his already-intimate studio recordings. A nice intro to his music, if you're not already familiar with him. Also a nice collectors item for uber fans. He does "White Christmas"!
RealAudio clip: "Evil"
RealAudio clip: "White Christmas"

LINDBLAD, RUNE RL (Firework Edition Records) lp + cd 19.98
As decreed by the dual monarchs of the Kingdoms of Elgaland / Vargaland (those being CM von Hausswolff and Leif Elggren), Swedish composer Rune Lindblad should be held in the same canonical reverie as Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, and Pierre Schaeffer. For Lindblad engaged the spirit of ardent innovation, brash risktaking, and an unwavering social agenda that could easily be found in the works of those more well known composers. Von Hausswolff -- having studied under Lindblad in the '80s -- had already released a number of Lindblad's compositions on his Radium 226.5 label (all of which have been reissued through Pogus on CD), now he, Elggren, BJ Nilsen (aka Hazard), Edvard Graham Lewis (of Wire), Kent Tankred, and a few others have put together this compilation as an homage of Lindblad's work. Sprawling across a cd and an lp, "RL" begins with two pieces from Lindblad himself - which are haunting musique concrete / electronic music compositions that also appear to involve some amplifier / microphone feedback synthesis, in the end sounding like lo-fi recordings of Morton Subotnik topped off with emotionally charged spoken word snippets. The cd portion of this package continues with various experiments that follow the sonic intent of Lindblad with Edvard Graham Lewis and BJ Nilsen offering a dark, fluid pieces of Eno ambience, Tankred and Elggren sputtering through amplified motors and shortwave dissonance, Von Hausswolff laces distant vocal samples with the ominous pulse of a ventilator.
The lp is much more loose in its interpretation of Lindblad with Brommage Dub pulling off a good Monolake / Chain Reaction piece of minimalist techno, and Jean-Louis HuhtaJ offering some leftfield electronica a la Two Lone Swordsmen or Plaid. Nice work, but doesn't really hold much insight into Lindblad's work beyond distant samples. Nevertheless, this is an excellent overview of Lindblad's work and his influence over contemporary Swedish experimental electronics.
RealAudio clip: RUNE LINDBLAD "Worship Op. 196"
RealAudio clip: EDVARD GRAHAM LEWIS "A Strong Candidate For Isolation"
RealAudio clip: C.M. VON HAUSSWOLFF "Out Of Optica 1"

LOCUST Wrong (Touch) 2cd 21.98
Two disc set. One of the discs is atmospheric layers of electronica of the not-quite-noisy noise flavor, as we have loved Locust for in the past. This is a cool soundin' disc, but it's meant to be played simultaneously with an accompanying CD wherein Locust's Mark van Hoen gets his pop on, as he is wont to do, and when he does pop we have to say we don't like him. Female vocals, you know the type, breathy and ethereal. So if someone gives you a $22 gift certificate, buy this and throw away the disc with the vocals. Happy Holidays!

MASSIMO Hey Babe, Let Me See Your USB And I'll Show You My FireWire (Mego) 3" cd 9.98
Gross! Okay, referring to the cover art, wherein an image of a naked man sitting in a chair with a FireWire cable superimposed in place of his dick via Photoshop is coupled with a similar image of a man's ass sporting a rather large USB port: One of the most annoying traits of current electronic music is the fact that artists like to fetishize aspects of their equipment -- that was okay when electronic music consisted of knobs and levers and oscillators and physical objects found only on electronic music equipment. But when it comes down to USB and Firewire and common things used by everyone from accountants to musicians, it's just dumb. Anyway, that's beside the point. It's just that the idea was probably a funny idea to the folks at Mego (and the images themselves are good for one laugh), but plain retarded in execution. Maybe that's what they were going for... This ep from the Sicilian Massimo is full of extremely loud digital farts and squiggles akin to Pita or a more hyper/short attention span Russell Haswell. The cover art as mentioned before takes digital pornography to new levels. Nasty.

METALUCIFER Heavy Metal Chainsaw (R.I.P) cd 14.98
You have to be pretty darn metal to get into this band, and that's as it should be: no poseurs allowed!! Metalucifer are Japanese metalheads (some from the cult black metal combo Sabbat) paying tribute to the glory days of '80s true metal, a la Maiden and Priest. This is their third album, following up to 1998's "Heavy Metal Drill" and 1996's "Heavy Metal Hunter" (what's next, Heavy Metal Hacksaw? Heavy Metal Pliers?). Brilliant, aren't they? And utterly ridiculous of course, something I doubt guitarist Elizabigore or bassist Geniezoluzifer would deny. In fact, they may be the MOST ridiculous tongue in cheek (yet kick ass) metal band ever. Get this: track four on here is called "My Way Is Heavy Metal" while on their previous disc they had an anthem entitled "Heavy Metal Is My Way". Wow. If you think that's stupid, I don't need to tell you not to buy this album. But if you think that's kinda rad, then, this is for you -- and it's not just for laffs either, 'cause they really do lay down the metal law fairly convincingly: screaming guitar leads, triumphant lyrics, pounding drums, majestic riffs, the works. A Thor for today. Over-the-top and awesome.
RealAudio clip: "Warriors Ride On The Chariots"
RealAudio clip: "Heavy Metal Samurai"

MIRRORS Hands In My Pockets (Overground) cd 15.98
Rare tracks from this band of punk rock new wave misfits. Active for about three years in the about-to-be-obscenely-fertile Cleveland punk rock scene, the Mirrors formed in 1972 and were broken up by 1975, just as Cleveland was poised to unleash a barrage of snotty punky new wave mayhem on an unsuspecting public in the form of the Dead Boys, Rocket From The Tombs, The Electric Eels, the Pagans, Pere Ubu and more!
Think early punk rock mixed with a little Velvet Underground. Thirteen unreleased tracks and two exclusive tracks!
RealAudio clip: "Cheap and Vulgar"
RealAudio clip: "Muckraker"

MIRZA Last Clouds (Ba Da Bing!) cd 13.98
It's strange how often instead of a proper album, a band's posthumous live/odd-n-ends release often ends up being my favorite (sez Allan), like A Minor Forest's "So, Were They In Some Sort of Fight", This Heat's "Made Available", Devo's "Hardcore Devo Vol. 1", half the stuff Faust ever released, and now Mirza's "Last Clouds" cd.
"Last Clouds" collects a bunch of early and unreleased material from the now-defunct San Francisco space-rock / drone-core ensemble Mirza (which was Glenn Donaldson, Brian Lucas, Steven R. Smith, and Mark Williams). Specifically, the disc includes the four tracks from Mirza's debut 12" inch (orginally released by Autopia in 1996) and seven previously unreleased tracks recorded from 1995-98 -- live improvisations from shows and rehearsals we think.
Glenn (who remains very active in the post-Mirza outfit Thuja, as well as other projects like The Knit Separates, Blithe Sons, Skygreen Leopards, etc.) describes these recordings as sounding like early Skullflower. And it's true that there's a psychedelic density of sound shared by both Mirza and Skullflower, but Mirza was prone to meander where Skullflower's structured moments were much more brutal and unrelenting than these sensitive boys could ever be -- although some of these tracks come mighty close! On these disc, Mirza plays around with various drugged-out psych-rock riffs that get incrementally heavier throughout each track, rhythmically emulating the best Krautrock grooves that doubtless occupied a lot of their listening. Inspired stuff, in all senses. This material will definitely come as a bit of a surprise to those who know Mirza from their more "ambient, bliss-out" styled stuff on the Darla label! Also fans of Thuja's gorgeous drone-jams, or Steven R. Smith's lovely solo releases, may be astonished at how noisy, loud, heavy and rocked-out some of this is, but we're sure they can dig it. More proof that Mirza and their whole extended musical family were/are something for us here in San Francisco to be quite proud of, in the realm of worldclass psychedelic drone improv rock. And look out for the brilliant new Thuja album "Ghost Plants" coming in January on the Emperor Jones label for further confirmation of this fact.
RealAudio clip: "West"
RealAudio clip: "Acts/Volcano of Birds"
RealAudio clip: "Nostalgia"

MYSTIKAL Tarantula (Jive) cd 16.98
In my (Andee) quest for the coolest, meanest voice in hip hop (and my never-to-be-realised dream of a tuvan throat singer fronted hip hop group) there have been quite a few contenders. Ice Cube of course. DMX and Onyx. So far the leader of the pack has been a not-so-well-known rapper named Nine, who has a sort of Tom Waits meets Popeye sort of thing going on. But then there's Mystikal. He got a voice that's rough and gruff and gravelly. Plus his delivery is that sort of 'I'M SO PISSED I'M ABOUT TO HAVE A CORONARY...ARRRRGHHHHH' that rivals the delivery of fellow 'angry' rappers Onyx. But the last record as well as this new one, both sport singles (and an album track here and there) that feature Mystikal's spot-on James Brown impersonation as well as a stripped down, super spare production with funk / swing horns. And sometimes I wish the whole record sounded like that. But it doesn't, and that's okay. Because the rest of the record is still great, with a slick and aggressive production that owes much to Timbaland and the Neptunes (aka NERD) (if some of the tracks aren't actually produced by them). And the 'Bouncin' Back' single is just the icing on the cake, with shuffling funky-jazz drums, old swing band horns, and Mystikal, growling and purring, with lots of 'Uh's and 'Ow's, sounding like the new Godfather of Soul, circa 2002.
RealAudio clip: "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against The Wall)"
RealAudio clip: "Tarantula"

NAFTULE'S DREAM Job (Tzadik) cd 15.98
This dynamic twenty-first century klezmer ensemble incorporates jazz improv, guitar-hero mannerisms and heavy-ass textual references into the rich klezmer tradition. It's kinda Frankenstein, but successful nevertheless. These are live performances from a couple 2001 shows, and the attendant live-energy animate and enliven the arrangements. Part of John Zorn's Radical Jewish Culture series.
RealAudio clip: "job"<