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              ()()()()()()()()()----------->     Aquarius Records
                ()()()()()()()()()----------->   New Arrivals #146
              ()()()()()()()()()----------->     20 September 2002
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WOVEN HAND s/t (Glitterhouse) cd 17.98
I hate to gush, but gush I must. This is my (Andee's) RECORD OF THE YEAR. Done deal. It doesn't matter what happens for the rest of the year. Kurt Kobain could come back from the grave and record a new Nirvana record. Laddio Bollocko could get back together. Earth reunion. It doesn't matter. This is it. THE ONE. It's magical, dark, mysterious, sinister, gorgeous and moves me like very few records do. But I digress.
Woven Hand is David Eugene Edwards from Sixteen Horsepower's solo project. If you're anything like me, you're always wondering why people have solo projects that sound just like their 'actual' band, and often not nearly as good. But fear not. While Edwards' Woven Hand is similar in many ways to 16HP, it takes things in a direction even darker, dreamier, creepier, and more religious (more on that later) ending up sounding EVEN BETTER than 16HP. Hard to believe, especially if you loved 16HP's 'Folklore' that we made record of the week a few weeks back as much as we did! Woven Hand is like a Cormac McCarthy novel put to music. "Blood Meridian" arranged for rock band. "All The Pretty Horses" sung by wandering minstrels. Desolate and dreary, violent and cathartic, but not obviously so, more like a creeping seeping sickness, death and destruction and human sin as it swallows souls and destroys lives. The instrumentation is similar to 16HP, a dark and dreamy gypsy swamp-folk, but more lush, with thicker, richer atmospheres, and murky, almost impenetrable instrumental backdrops, underpinning Edwards' tales of redemption and forgiveness, sorrow and apocalypse. The lyrics are way more blatantly religious, biblically themed, and aimed at touching our souls. Which for some reason doesn't bother me as much as you think it would. The words are poetic and symbolic, simple and timeless, just beautiful stories and poems, like much of the Bible. Removed from the Christian tradition (thousands of years of hypocrisy and murder and keeping people from thinking for themselves), Edwards' biblical testifying almost has me bowing prostrate hoping to appease a stern but ultimately forgiving God. It helps that Edwards delivers these parables in a rich, throaty rasp, a gorgeous gruff tenor, like a mix of Mark Lanegan, Chris Grigoroff (Souled American) and Nick Cave, that sounds like it has the power to make men sob and women swoon. It all comes together, sound and fury, voice and instrument, in a rich tapestry of fear and hope and death and the cycle of life and desperate dreams of an afterlife. It's rare to really hear music so powerful and so evocative that it manages to become more than just 'rock music' or 'that pretty cool band.' This record brings me to the verge of tears, makes me shiver...I feel it in my brain and in my heart and in my soul. Seriously. This is what music should be to me. Intense and emotional and heartfelt and brutally powerful. There's a creepy crawly version of Bill Withers' 'Ain't No Sunshine' that manages to be even better than the original, due in no small part to the dark, funereal treatment it gets from Woven Hand, that under the right circumstances (or wrong circumstances) could crush me into a weeping, sobbing heap, with my heart broken into a thousand pieces. I wish all music could do that...
RealAudio clip: "The Good Hand"
RealAudio clip: "My Russia"
RealAudio clip: "Blue Pail Fever"
RealAudio clip: "Ain't No Sunshine"

WOBBLY Wild Why (Tigerbeat 6) cd 13.98
Aquarius favorite Wobbly's first release for Kid 606's Tigerbeat6 label and it's possibly his best yet! Taking source material solely from S.F. Bay Area radio broadcasts, Wild Why is the end result of over two years worth of work which began originally as a live set before being slowly and painstakenly honed and sharpened into a carefully rendered studio project. Those who were fortunate enough to catch Wobbly's instore here early this year got a sneak peak at some of the insane plunderphuckery already. Given the nature of the source material (Destiny's Child, Eminem, y'know the type), and the artist's intention that they remain completely recognizable it's logical to expect that this would be a party pleasing mix a la the Kid's "Action Packed Mentallist...", but such a conclusion would be wrong. Wild Why is like a condensed and expanded homage to John Oswald's seminal "Black" or "Brown". Wobbly twists and turns the cliched utterances of contemporary hip hop in upon themselves rendering even the most macho posturing utterly slapstick. And if that's not enough to show Wobbly's dedication to the art of plunderphonics, then one needs only to open up the accompanying booklet to reveal a transcript of the entire vocal contents of the CD. Take and excerpt of track #18 for instance: "come buy, yo play radishes part (bola bo) judgement day (uh huh) I, I, I, I, quit. hey yo, me. Now now, now, now, lust two two three, back, you know what I'm sayin', we about to give you need y'all, jack d with the key, bounce, die peeps..." etc. So you can even read along with the disc. We asked Jon how long it took him to transcribe all this, but he merely chuckled, sighed and changed the subject. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Track 13"
RealAudio clip: "Track 22"
RealAudio clip: "Track 24"

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BLACK DICE Beaches & Canyons (DFA) cd 14.98
It seems that art world darlings Black Dice have abandoned their super spastic noise assaults in favor of a more subtle, spacious, psychedelic approach, a path not unlike the one the Boredoms followed on the way to making "Super ae" and "Vision Creation Newsun." What happened? It's like someone set those responsible for "Cold Hands" loose in the forest with some shrooms, a couple Amon Duul records and a mission to get in touch with their primal selves. However they got their inspiration, the results are a glorious realization of intensity achieved through built-up layers of evocative, tension filled sound rather than freak-punk pummelling. This is an affair of shimmery guitars, cascading oscillations, tinkling chimes, and even a new agey wind line, worrisome until it gets obliterated via sample manipulation. An element of tribalism pounds its way into Beaches & Canyons, both through hypnotic drumming and yelping "Ah oh ah oh oh ah ah oh YEW! YEW! YEW! YEW!" vocal outbursts. The whole thing teeters precariously on the edge of hippy-dippydom, but Black Dice manages to pull off the jams while avoiding wanton self indulgence. Expansive, unexpected and awesome.
RealAudio clip: "Endless Happiness"
RealAudio clip: "Seabird"
RealAudio clip: "Big Drop"

BLACK DICE Beaches & Canyons (DFA) 2lp 15.98
It seems that art world darlings Black Dice have abandoned their super spastic noise assaults in favor of a more subtle, spacious, psychedelic approach, a path not unlike the one the Boredoms followed on the way to making "Super ae" and "Vision Creation Newsun." What happened? It's like someone set those responsible for "Cold Hands" loose in the forest with some shrooms, a couple Amon Duul records and a mission to get in touch with their primal selves. However they got their inspiration, the results are a glorious realization of intensity achieved through built-up layers of evocative, tension filled sound rather than freak-punk pummelling. This is an affair of shimmery guitars, cascading oscillations, tinkling chimes, and even a new agey wind line, worrisome until it gets obliterated via sample manipulation. An element of tribalism pounds its way into Beaches & Canyons, both through hypnotic drumming and yelping "Ah oh ah oh oh ah ah oh YEW! YEW! YEW! YEW!" vocal outbursts. The whole thing teeters precariously on the edge of hippy-dippydom, but Black Dice manages to pull off the jams while avoiding wanton self indulgence. Expansive, unexpected and awesome.

BOOM BIP Seed to Sun (Lex) cd 18.98
Excellent! Now this is the sort of stuff Mo'Wax should be putting out, this is what those yuppie lounge bars should be playing instead of fuckin' Kruder and Dorfmeister. Boom Bip may be familiar to you through his Four Tet remix and collaborations with Dose One (Them, cloudDead), but you'd be forgiven for thinking he might be on Mo'Wax -- this record's got all the trademark spacious open wide sonic vistas, echoey breakbeats, movie dialog samples, hip hop reverence, and melody galore. A different take on the whole rock meets electronica thang that only a few bands can pull off well (Fridge, Tarwater, DJ Shadow when he's sampling guitars), Boom Bip mixes space rock with electronica absolutely perfectly, and grounds it with hip hop, lest the thing get too cerebral. There are slow breakbeats, sweet chamber strings, throbbing epic bass, dubby echo, unabashedly rock-based chord progressions, and eccentric scratching. Plus lots of dynamic changes -- the record never gets boring. There's even a finishing track that makes use of Felt-like or Durutti Column-ish tinny guitar. Now, it's not a "weird" record, not even ultra challenging, but it does what it does perfectly. I am very impressed!
Oh, it must also be said that this disc has got artwork we're fairly wetting our pants over -- brown coffee cup stains on neutral cardboard, with gold foil pressed graffiti logo, and a die cut thru which shows the barcode. And then the insert incorporates the barcode stripes into all these pretty loops spelling out Boom Bip. Wow.
RealAudio clip: "Roads Must Roll"
RealAudio clip: "U R Here"
RealAudio clip: "Mannequin Hand Trapdoor I Reminder (featuring Dose One)"

BOOM BIP Seed to Sun (Lex) lp 22.00
Excellent! Now this is the sort of stuff Mo'Wax should be putting out, this is what those yuppie lounge bars should be playing instead of fuckin' Kruder and Dorfmeister. Boom Bip may be familiar to you through his Four Tet remix and collaborations with Dose One (Them, cloudDead), but you'd be forgiven for thinking he might be on Mo'Wax -- this record's got all the trademark spacious open wide sonic vistas, echoey breakbeats, movie dialog samples, hip hop reverence, and melody galore. A different take on the whole rock meets electronica thang that only a few bands can pull off well (Fridge, Tarwater, DJ Shadow when he's sampling guitars), Boom Bip mixes space rock with electronica absolutely perfectly, and grounds it with hip hop, lest the thing get too cerebral. There are slow breakbeats, sweet chamber strings, throbbing epic bass, dubby echo, unabashedly rock-based chord progressions, and eccentric scratching. Plus lots of dynamic changes -- the record never gets boring. There's even a finishing track that makes use of Felt-like or Durutti Column-ish tinny guitar. Now, it's not a "weird" record, not even ultra challenging, but it does what it does perfectly. I am very impressed!
Oh, it must also be said that this disc has got artwork we're fairly wetting our pants over -- brown coffee cup stains on neutral cardboard, with gold foil pressed graffiti logo, and a die cut thru which shows the barcode. And then the insert incorporates the barcode stripes into all these pretty loops spelling out Boom Bip. Wow.

MERZBOW Merzbeat (Important) cd 13.98
Ah, another Merzbow disc. I'm expecting a good hour's worth of sheer audio fuckery from the king of noise Masami Akita, a.k.a. Merzbow. But what's this? MerzBEAT? And... is that really a Kid606 plug on the cover sticker? Hmm. I'm sure I can't be blamed for having been a little worried about what this was going to sound like. Fortunately it's *really* good. There's all the typical Merzbow-isms here -- cascading sheets of sonic screeches, shimmering metallic flutters, gritty distortion -- but he's gone a little percussion-happy and anchored each track with just awesomely satisfying muscular drumming that sounds like he's pounding on trash cans and sheet metal. Unpredictable and yet, strangely, one of his most accessible releases due to the grounding nature of the drums, reminding us, naturally, of Akita's countryfolk, the Boredoms who too know the power of the drum. Those of y'all diggin' the angular noise core of hipper than jesus duos like Lightning Bolt, Pink & Brown, etc. oughta give this a try. Loose yet right on target aggression.
The hidden track, a remix by Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto, isn't quite so hidden since it appears right here in the track listing, but nonetheless it's the most punishing 8 minutes on the album. Oh, and it must also be mentioned that track one is a (totally unrecognizable, natch) cover of "Promotion Man," by obscure proto-metal hard rockers Highway Robbery. (Geez, that's like an Allan wet dream!)
RealAudio clip: "Promotion Man"
RealAudio clip: "Forgotten Land"
RealAudio clip: "Tadpole"

MIRROR Solaris (Idea) cd 16.98
Finally! The first CD release from Mirror, the AQ-favorite duo of Andrew Chalk and Christoph Heemann (nope, no Jim O'Rourke or Andreas Martin on this album) whose previous recordings had been all been vinyl only releases! As was hinted in their last album "Die Spiegelmanufaktur," Mirror express themselves on "Solaris" less through the quest for the drone supreme of unidentifiable tonal fluctuations and more through the delicate interplay of slowly evolving improvisations sounding not unlike recent AMM swimming in the murk of drainage-ditch reverberation. Similarly, the instrumentation has shifted more towards the free-improv territory, centered around prepared piano and clarinet with plenty of drone processing. Neither instrument come across as being typically employed, as the woodwind emits breathy rushes of sound at times and at others haunted bleats resonnating like Tibetan thigh-bone horns that had been so prevalent with the early Current 93 and Lustmord recordings. Slightly more conventional in its use, the prepared piano comes across as delicate plucks of the piano's strings and muffled clusters of notes hovering throughout the spatial plane. Nicely done.
RealAudio clip: "Solaris (excerpt 1)"
RealAudio clip: "Solaris (excerpt 2)"
RealAudio clip: "Solaris (excerpt 3)"

STEEL POLE BATHTUB Unlistenable (Zero To One) cd 13.98
It's a crying shame that these recordings were made in 1996 and never saw release until 2002, but what are you gonna do when you've signed to a major label, only to have the idiot higher ups pronounce your demos "unlistenable"? (Hence the name of this record, heh.) Then again, considering how fresh and good and utterly *now* this album sounds, it really shows how much ahead of their time SF's late great Steelpole Bathtub was. Hard to believe that it was made mostly in Mike Morasky's living room when you hear the thick gooey distorted guitar flangeing in and out, the effected, growling vocals, the squealing guitar solos, the trashcan percussion, the macabre surf-y tone alternating with Melvins-y sludge. There're even two ferocious Cars covers and one hidden track. If you have never heard Steelpole before, this is a great place to start -- in fact, bandmember Darren Mor-X claims these are Steelpole's best recordings. Also, if you've never heard Steelpole but are in love with their side project and major AQ-alltime fave Milk Cult, then get this record now! There's not the sampling and electronics found on the Milk Cult record, but the incredibly well done pacing and tone and weirdly accessible heaviness is all there. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Action Man Theme"
RealAudio clip: "What I Need"
RealAudio clip: "h2o2"

THUJA Hills (Last Visible Dog) cd-r 9.98
A far cry from the elaborate packaging of their previous releases, such as the charming homebrewed "Thuja Museum" treasure-boxes produced by their own Jewelled Antler label, Thuja's third full-length album suffers from the dodgy packaging aesthetic of Last Visible Dog, who've rendered the cover art as a high contrast black-and-white photocopy. Fortunately, Thuja's music redeems the packaging, with another fantastic album of their signature organically evolving improvizations haunted with the ghosts of folk and psychedelia.
This quartet -- whose Rob Reger, Loren Chasse, and Glenn Donaldson reside in San Francisco while Steven R. Smith calls Los Angeles his home -- strives to evoke the emotional tenor of an environment. Cramming themselves and their instruments amidst exotic plants, ready made constructions of urban refuse, seascape dioramas, and Reger's collection of thrift store 'bad art,' Thuja often steps away from the traditional instrumentation of drums, guitar, etc. to tinker with a rusted bicycle wheel, to slash a pile of sticks with a violin bow, or to rummage through a trough of gravel (which Chasse later discovered was cat litter). Such textural details beautifully illuminate their sustained organ drones, spluttering duets for dulcimer and oud, tinkling of bells 'n' chimes, and impressionistic piano plinkings, opening the psychedelic window into an abstracted, imaginary space. As Thuja's cyclical fluidity of sounds and deep plunking reverberations offer possible readings of ancient seafaring tales, "Hills" isn't so much a description of the place, but a vantage point from which the ocean can be seen. All of Thuja's recordings come highly recommended, and "Hills" is no exception!
RealAudio clip: "Hills 4"
RealAudio clip: "Hills 7"
RealAudio clip: "Hills 8"

V/A Animals of Africa: Sounds of the Jungle, Plain & Bush (Nonesuch) cd 12.98
More fuckin' weird animal sounds? Fuck Yeah!!! You must have noticed by now that we here at Aquarius go a little nuts when we get a good recording of some animals kicking out the hella mad squeals, growls, hoots, clicks and snorts. And when their sounds are unlike anything we're likely to hear on a walk through the Marin headlands or in Tilden Park, we get pretty excited. What's more, many of the animals on this collection -- for those who haven't heard them before -- sound nothing like what one's intuition would suggest. For instance, who would think that the rhinoceros, weighing in at 2000 pounds and capable of goring any one of us like a twinkie with its horn, would have a larger vocabulary than a series of menacing snorts? But au contraire, the rhino -- as captured here -- has, in its mating call, one of the cutest inquisitive mewls you'll likely ever hear. It sounds almost like it's on the phone giving positive reinforcement to the hippopotamus on the other end complaining about the way the lion has been acting of late. Or how about the Hyrax, a small East African mammal about the size of a rabbit (and a distant relative of the elephant of all things), that makes a loud growling noise not unlike someone trying to start a chainsaw. But that's not all, you get the Vervet monkey with its complex vocabulary announcing to all its mates that a leopard is on the prowl. And not to seem biased towards the primates' side of the story, the producers also included the leopard's growling complaints about the monkeys' behavior. And that's just the beginning! You also get Zebras (they sound a lot more like coyotes or dogs than horses), Wildebeest (think frogs), Lion (say no more), Hyena (god, hyenas are freaks! no matter how many times you hear them, they never lose their charm), Wild-Dog (someone scrubbing a plate glass window clean with a gerbil), Silver-Backed Jackal (parrot?), Elephant (elephant), and last -- but certainly not least -- the hippopotamus (on the other end of the line with the rhino.) Originally released by Nonesuch as part of their Explorer series in 1973, it'd take the most tenacious DJ to find a copy of this on vinyl so pick it up on disc today. Absolutely essential!
RealAudio clip: "Hyrax"
RealAudio clip: "Rhinoceros"
RealAudio clip: "Hyena"

V/A Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45's (Stones Throw) cd 17.98
Great! In 1998, local hip hop music maker, record collector, and impresario Peanut Butter Wolf started a series of vinyl 7"s meant for one-off releases that didn't fit with his straight up hip hop label Stones Throw. (Hey, if you didn't know already, PB Wolf is da guy dat came up with the idea of the all-45s sets that brought Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow together for their now famous shows.) Featuring folks like Madlib, Breakestra, A-Trak (his sublime "Enter Ralph Wiggum" track), Lootpack, etc, and then later expanding to reissue funk/soul classics from the late '60s/early '70s, the 7"s were meant to be collectible, with exclusive tracks. (In fact, even though this disc compiles the 7"s, it takes only one track from each single so the 7"s are *still* collectible.) I didn't pay them enough attention when they were still singles, so this comp is welcome, and as a collected entity it only serves to show how rad PB Wolf's taste is. Man, some of the old funk tracks appearing here are *unbelievably weird*, and the contemporary tracks are sufficiently soul and funk-influenced that sometimes it's hard to tell if they're old or new. That's awesome! Hands down one of the very best soul / funk / hip hop comps we've heard in forever, and the fact that it covers old and modern stuff just puts it over the top. A great, exciting listen thru and thru. Highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: STARK REALITY "Rocket Ship"
RealAudio clip: MADLIB INVASION FEATURING MEDAPHOAR AND OH NO "The Ox"
RealAudio clip: FABULOUS SOULS "Take Me"

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AKIYAMA, MITCHELL Temporary Music (Raster) cd 14.98
Every couple of years in electronica, there is a specific sound or a defined aesthetic that grabs the attention of the community as a whole. Even within the seemingly conceptually aloof parameters of glitch manipulation, mimesis and mimicry have been endemic, as numerous artists have mirrored the genre's figureheads -- Oval, Pole, Fennesz, and now Stephan Mathieu. As with his previous record "Hope That Lines Don't Cross," Canadian electron peddler Mitchell Akiyama has liberally appropriated the sounds of another. That former album used Vladislav Delay / Pole as his template, and "Temporary Music" seeks the sounds of Mathieu and Oval's "Diskont 94." As on Mathieu's Full Swing recordings, Akiyama centers on the digital fragment to craft an enveloping cloud of electro-drone bristling and densely packed shards of granular synthesis. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly a beautiful record to behold; but one that never strives for its own voice.
Released as a part of the new "Raster-Post" series housed in quite nice silkscreened, fold-out cardstock sleeve and bound with an elastic band.
RealAudio clip: "Thaw"
RealAudio clip: "Arterial"

AUFGEHOBEN NO PROCESS VS. GARY SMITH Magnetic Mountain (Junior Meat Recordings) cd 14.98
Whoa... This, the second album from mysterious Brighton UK outfit Aufgehoben No Process, is some serious, distorted, noise-rock mayhem. And LOUD.
Led by Wire scribe Stephen Robinson, and consisting of one, maybe two drummers plus sampler and other indisclosed instrumentation, the Aufgehoben boys (apologies if there's girls in the band, but I'd be surprised, this has a very definite male energy!) are teamed here with (against?) improvising "stereo guitarist" Gary Smith (whom you might know from his heavy "fusion" bands Mass and Powerfield, and most recently the Glass Cage match-up with Hugh Hopper and Shoji Hano, along with other solo and collaborative efforts) for thirteen tracks of high-density heaviness. They indeed scale "magnetic mountains" of riff and noise, venturing also into a few moody valleys of equally-distorted, but quieter, improv fuckery. Mostly, though, this is fully in-the-red sonic assault of utter devastation, full of martial drum pummel, Smith's swooping stereo guitar skree, and beyond-metal instrumental intensity, the likes of which the UK hasn't heard since the glory days of early Skullflower or Kevin Martin's God (and without God's dumb vocals) -- and even then this is taking it up a notch. Heck, even the scariest grindcore metal bands from the early Earache label roster would be sent crying home to Satan upon hearing this. Along with the old Pathological bands like God and 16/17, you could compare this to the best of the current Japanese scene -- imagine the noisiest Japanese psychrockers (Mainliner, Musica Transonic, High Rise, Boris) with a healthy dose of Merzbow added in! So it makes a lot of sense that Aufgehoben No Process enlisted Gary Smith, 'cause he's previously played with High Rise's Nanjo Ashahito, and the rhythm section of his band Mass are former members of God, as well. But this Aufgehoben disc is even louder and noisier than any of that, they're kinda of the Anaal Nathrakh of improv noise rock! We were very impressed, and glad we managed to track some of these down for the store (we'll get their first cd in eventually too).
RealAudio clip: "Gourdportalplaning"
RealAudio clip: "Grosse Module"
RealAudio clip: "Magnetic Mountain "

BANGS Call And Response (Kill Rock Stars) cd 11.98
Ahhh. The Bangs are back with this cd ep of high energy, guitar riffin, punk rockin', high pitched yipping, sweet and sweaty Sleater Kinney-ish RAWK! The Bangs definitely sound like Olympia girl rock, big time. And Sleater Kinney comparisons are unavoidable; they also remind us of the Go-Go's but with a '70s rock edge. Cool stuff.
RealAudio clip: "Call And Response"
RealAudio clip: "Kinda Good"

BUCKNER, RICHARD Impasse-ette (Overcoat) cd ep 11.98
Sharing just one track with Rick Buckner's upcoming full length, Impasse-ette is a li'l ole pre-album teaser (albeit not with a li'l pricetag). Buckner, as you may already know, is a big fave here at AQ. His big, juicy, impossibly dextrous and emotive voice is pretty irresistible, especially when accompanied by chiming chords strummed on acoustic guitar. No, he's not just another singer/songwriter -- Buckner's good. In addition to his trademark dusty bittersweet sound, there's a track here that combines a private press recording of a woman discussing prayer, heavy with sincerity and laced with record static.
RealAudio clip: "Born Into Giving It Up"
RealAudio clip: "It's Still '56"

BUTTHOLE SURFERS Blind Eyes Sees All (MVD) dvd 19.98
Reissue of the 'Blind Eye Sees All' video featuring amazing vintage footage of the Buttholes at their stumbling, drunken, high on LSD, crowd baiting best, recorded live in 1985 in detroit.
Tons of AMAZING live footage, as well as some ridiculous interviews, pontificating by Gibby, nudity, tons of rare photos, a live bonus track, and BUTTHOLES KARAOKE!! This rules. Buy it.

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE Answering Machine Music (Tomlab) cd 13.98
Originally released on the Cassingle label, the debut album from AQ fave one-man band Casiotone For The Painfully Alone now happily gets reissued on Tomlab (also home to his dreamy, sweet second full length "Pocket Symphonies For the Lonesome Subway Cars"). What can we say? It still gives us the warm fuzzies. If you require a more in depth description... here's what we said the first time around: Owen Ashworth has set his ruminations on the awkwardness of crushes and infatuation with rock stars to music. With just a couple of casio keyboards, a distortion pedal or two, and a 4-track, Owen's Casiotone for the Painfully Alone somehow succeeds, teetering between affected bedroom-rock naivete, and excerpts from a musical diary never meant for strangers' probing eyes. A recommended album for fans of early Sebadoh and Magnetic Fields, and especially the legendary early Mountain Goats cassettes.
RealAudio clip: "When The Bridge Toll Was A Dollar"
RealAudio clip: "Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Joins The Foreign Legion"

CATTLE DECAPITATION To Serve Man (Metal Blade) cd 10.98
Hot on the heels of Cattle Decap's first full length getting its cd release earlier this year (on Three One G, the San Diego based label run by Justin Pearson of The Locust) comes this, their Metal Blade Records debut... and the heavy duty mayhem and cannibalistic carnage continues unabated. Features former Locust drummer David Astor and present Locust drummer (former guitarist) Gabe Serbian. As grinding death metal goes, this is just peachy: awesomely guttural phlegm-filled vocals, squealing rollercoaster guitars, pounding drums, completely energetic, adrenalized and convolutedly catchy songwriting (in the paradoxically monotonous 4/4 way that works for so much death metal). Gross, gore-filled ditties like "I Eat Your Skin", "Colonic Villus Biopsy Performed On The Gastro-intestinally Incapable", and "Hypogastric Combustion By C-4 Plastique" might merge into a boring blur for some, but fans of the form will find their inner 14-year old fully satiated.
RealAudio clip: "Testicular Manslaughter"
RealAudio clip: "I Eat Your Skin"
RealAudio clip: "Writhe In Putressence"

CEPHALIC CARNAGE Lucid Interval (Relapse) cd 14.98
It's hard to imagine that a bunch of semi-pro pot-smokers could motivate themselves to produce music this technical, fierce, and over-the-top insane, but they did. This ain't your typical "stoner rock" that's for sure -- although there are some weighty breakdowns of riffed-out doom, Cephalic Carnage's general modus operandi puts 'em at the top of the fast n' tricky league with the likes of Dillinger Escape Plan, Coalesce, Meshuggah. Heavy metalcore mayhem w/ grunting death metal vocals, hypnotic fusion-esque guitar figures, post-rock dynamics, random electronic noises, major drum beat-downs, cryptic samples, and hyper-shred musicanship. (And some surprises we won't mention.) Anyone into metal that's avant-garde in its complexity and brutal in its execution -- the above mentioned, and also Mastodon, Gorguts, Dying Fetus, Wicked Innocence, Cryptopsy, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, etc. -- probably already knows about these guys, but if you don't, you'll be glad to get to know 'em! Metal cluttered with lyrical references to the cannabis leaf might not seem so brainy, but with this, their third and best full-length album, Cephalic Carnage prove they're possibly the geniuses of the genre. They're kinda the anti-Electric Wizard, if you know what we mean, though of course we love the even-heavier Wizard's much simpler, slow n' low odes to the leaf as well -- and both bands transcend the cannabis-connection to hook those of us just interested in the music, anyway.
RealAudio clip: "Pseudo"
RealAudio clip: "Black Metal Sabbath"
RealAudio clip: "Lucid Interval"

COH Mask of Birth (Mego) cd 16.98
According to Raster-Noton who first released this album back in 1999, "Mask Of Birth" was the debut recording for Coh, the Russian born programmer Ivan Pavlov. Originally, this was a vinyl only release published by Raster-Noton, who made a point of stating that they had a difficult time cutting the frequencies of these recordings onto wax. A mere three years later, Mego has taken up the task of re-issuing this album on CD, a medium more appropriate for dynamic frequencies. Despite his origins with Raster's pristine electronics, Coh has continued to present himself as a post-techno reincarnation of the bleak industrial arpeggiations from the early-'80s, sharing the common urgency of early Cabaret Voltaire, Coil, Fad Gadget, Konstruktivitis, Skinny Puppy and the like. He's just been using much more high tech gear than abused samplers and overblown drum machines. After his recent collaborations with Coil on the "Love Uncut" EP, the revisitation to his first productions draws the same conclusion of his historical citations. The darkened loops, tremolo vibrations, and static pulsations have similar tonalities to his peers on Raster (Noto, Mika Vainio, and Komet), but the structure of the his music is fixed back in time on those aforementioned references. As many of those bands have been forgotten, marginalized, or dismissed, Coh's electronica revisionism is certainly welcome!
RealAudio clip: "Hurt Later"
RealAudio clip: "Utopia - Me Too"

COLECLOUGH, JONATHAN Period (Anomalous) cd 14.98
A couple weeks ago, we listed the double CD version of Jonathan Coleclough's "Period." That version -- which was strictly limited to 300 copies -- has already gone out of print; but the single disc edition *is* still available.
One of Aquarius's favorite drone compositions, Jonathan Coleclough's "Period" was originally released early in 2001 as a limited edition piece of vinyl on Anomalous Records and has now been reissued with an extended mix of the title track that is better suited to the CD format. Coleclough began collecting field recordings and transforming them into emphathic dronescapes back in 1989, around the same time he began corresponding with Colin Potter about his ICR cassette projects. Since then, Potter and Coleclough have worked closely on a number of projects starting with Andrew Chalk and Darren Tate in Ora, and culminating more recently with their well-received "Low Ground" collaboration. "Period" again finds Coleclough employing the production / engineering talents of Potter (who has also been working quite intently with Steven Stapleton in Nurse With Wound). Throughout his career, Coleclough has defined himself as a sound organizer, modifying acoustic events and field recordings to enhance the emotional resonance that he finds in those sounds. Here on "Period," Coleclough draws all of his sounds from a Bluthner grand piano, surrounding the spartanly placed clusters of impressionistic notes with a complementary set of delicately fluctuating drones. Coleclough does well to accentuate the sublime reverberant decay that follows the piano's sustained tones. Furthermore, Potter offered his interpretation of the source material entitled "Periodic" which effectively erases the obvious references to the piano and leaves behind a densely tangled web of calm reverberations. As a whole "Period" stands as an amazingly rich and balanced piece of work on par with Brian Eno's "Thursday Afternoon" and the Cindytalk piano improvisations.
RealAudio clip: "Period"
RealAudio clip: "Periodicity (with Colin Potter)"

COLLEY, JOE Anthem: Static For Empty Life (Crippled Intellect) 3" cd 7.98
While he may have permanently dropped his industrialist moniker Crawl Unit, Joe Colley continues to impress with his ominous compositions of mistreated electronics, tonally pleasing feedback mantras, and abrasive physicality. "Anthem: Static For Empty Life" lifts itself out of deep rumblings with streaming, cold gray ribbons of electrical fizzings that subtly phase across the stereo field. These physically active drones build up to a sublime chorus of electrical field hummings, which abruptly jump-cut to throbbing mechanical stabs of low-bit-rate noise. Often alluding to less specific metaphors of urban decay or social collapse, Colley's aesthetic choices are just as strong as work by John Duncan or Francisco Lopez. It's a bit of shame that it's 18 minutes long, but it does make for a great ride!
RealAudio clip: "Anthem (excerpt 1)"
RealAudio clip: "Anthem (excerpt 2)"

COSMOS Tears (Erstwhile) cd 14.98
Click, zap, bleep. Japanese miminalist electronic experimental music alert! The lovely cover art of this disc conceals some mighty difficult music. "Tears" consists of three long tracks from the duo of Sachiko M and Ami Yoshida. Sachiko M's "empty" tone generating sampler you've heard before, wreaking havoc (in a pure, Zen-like way) both solo and in collaboration with others, quite often with Otomo Yoshihide in such outfits as I.S.O., Filament, and Ground Zero. She's also a member of the electronic avant-pop trio Hoahio. In Cosmos, she's teamed up with Ami Yoshida, another Otomo collaborator, whose instrument is more ancient: her own voice. Of course, these are some quite abstract vocalizations indeed, rivaling the extremity of sound that Sachiko coaxes from the pulsing, piercing sine-waves of her electronics. Track one starts in with the fluttering, dog-whistle sampler sounds of Sachiko, in a strange duet with the kissy-kissy squeals and dying, whispery retching of Yoshida. Random machine bleeps punctuate the slowly unfolding action. It's like something's gone very very wrong in the hospital ward. The noise isn't enough to attract the doctors, however. By track two, you're wondering if Yoshida isn't actually employing a rubber balloon to make all her bizarre noises. But maybe that's Sachiko, who on this track is experimenting with contact mics. Track three was our favorite, with Sachiko's Ryoji Ikeda -like purrs and pulses coming to the fore, in a crinkly, calm cacophony of clicks and silence. Well, it might seem quiet, but try turning it up, we dare you.
RealAudio clip: "track 3"

COVAY, DON & JEFFERSON LEMON BLUES BAND House Of Blue Lights (Sepia Tone) cd 13.98
From this legend who's had songs recorded by everyone from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones, comes this soulful southern blues, both in the form of haunting dirges and plenty of rollickin' uptempo numbers. Originally issued in 1969.
RealAudio clip: "Mad Dog Blues"
RealAudio clip: "the Blues Dont Knock"

DEAD MEADOW Got Live If You Want It (The Commitee To Keep Music Evil / Bomp) cd 14.98
"Got Live If You Want It" (or maybe "If Yo Want It", which appears on the spine) is a surprise live release from a band with only two studio albums to their credit. Now, in the past we've given good reviews to Dead Meadow, really liking their retro stoner rock sound, heavy psychedelia derived from Blue Cheer and other past masters, along with tinges of their modern-day indie rock lineage. But we've always made one caveat: the singer's whiny voice simply sucks. One would hope that live, his nasal drone would be helpfully drowned out by the band's massive amp-abuse. But, on this recording at least, such is not the case. However, like their studio albums, much of this is instrumental anyway, and if you're already a fan, you can deal with this -- you either actually like the vocals (good god!) or have learned to tune 'em out (as I did) and will certainly enjoy wallowing in the spacey, jammed-out, lopingly heavy live Dead Meadow live experience as presented here: over 45 minutes (eight tracks total) of well-recorded versions songs from both of Dead Meadow's LPs, plus two we don't recognize (new tunes perhaps), all as performed live in Hoboken in the winter of 2002. Not much more needs to be said. Those new to the band would be better advised to start with either of their two albums on Tolotta: "Dead Meadow" and/or "Howls From The Hills" -- see elsewhere on our website for reviews. Or, wait 'til next year when they're scheduled to release a new album on Matador! (Where they'll fit in well with the likes of Bardo Pond).
RealAudio clip: "Rocky Mountain High"
RealAudio clip: "Lady"

DEAD MEADOW Got Live If You Want It (Commitee To Keep) lp 9.98
Fitting for a band that harks back to the days when vinyl was king, here's the LP version of "Got Live If You Want It" (or maybe "If Yo Want It", which appears on the spine), a surprise live release from a band with only two studio albums to their credit. Now, in the past we've given good reviews to Dead Meadow, really liking their retro stoner rock sound, heavy psychedelia derived from Blue Cheer and other past masters, along with tinges of their modern-day indie rock lineage. But we've always made one caveat: the singer's whiny voice simply sucks. One would hope that live, his nasal drone would be helpfully drowned out by the band's massive amp-abuse. But, on this recording at least, such is not the case. However, like their studio albums, much of this is instrumental anyway, and if you're already a fan, you can deal with this -- you either actually like the vocals (good god!) or have learned to tune 'em out (as I did) and will certainly enjoy wallowing in the spacey, jammed-out, lopingly heavy live Dead Meadow live experience as presented here: over 45 minutes (eight tracks total) of well-recorded versions songs from both of Dead Meadow's LPs, plus two we don't recognize (new tunes perhaps), all as performed live in Hoboken in the winter of 2002. Not much more needs to be said. Those new to the band would be better advised to start with either of their two albums on Tolotta: "Dead Meadow" and/or "Howls From The Hills" -- see elsewhere on our website for reviews. Or, wait 'til next year when they're scheduled to release a new album on Matador! (Where they'll fit in well with the likes of Bardo Pond).

DEGIERE s/t (Emanate) 10" 6.98
Earlier this year, Chris Degiere presented a surprisingly comedic / theatrical performance at the "Six String Object" show for guitars tricked out with laptop processing. Degiere had rigged up his PDA to register the scribbling of stylus upon its face as its electro-acoustic equivalent. Matched with his permanently goofy grin and some crowd pleasing, uptempo IDM abstractions, Degiere's gimmickery did what few have been able to do -- make a laptop concert an event that was entertaining to watch. As he has also claimed allegiance to generative music and compositional indeterminancy, Degiere seemed poised for something interesting. His debut recording, while pleasant in its own right, is somewhat lacking in those sensationalist applications of electronics he alluded to earlier. This 10" on lovely blue vinyl is full of ambient-techno pleasantries with soupy stoner electronics and thickly rounded basslines topping post-Boards of Canada rhythmic preciousness. Compositional indetereminancy? Do you really want to hear that with your Boards of Canada wistfulness? Probably not.

DETROIT COBRAS Life, Love And Leaving (Sympathy For The Record Industry) cd 13.98
This is the second full length from this band, not new really but worth bringing to your attention. They really do live in Detroit, they don't tour much, but when they do they put on a kick ass show, see them if you get a chance. As I (Sadie) wrote in my review of Mink Rat or Rabbit, they formed back in 1994, and two albums, 3 singles, and several personnel changes later, they are still kickin' serious garage ass!!! Sure, they -are- a cover band: they cover mostly old Stax / Motown songs, but the ones they pick, and and the fire and fury and sexiness and funkiness that they add is what makes them so special. Lead singer Rachel has the deepest sexiest voice ever. EVER! Fans of old soul and garage, especially the Nuggets and Pebbles comps definitely need to check these cats out!!
RealAudio clip: "Hey Sailor"
RealAudio clip: "Find Me A Home"
RealAudio clip: "Cry On"

DIFRANCO, ANI So Much Shouting / So Much Laughter (Righteous Babe) 2cd 23.00
More live Ani.

DNTEL (This Is) The Dream Of Evan And Chan (Plug Research) 12" 9.98
Also on vinyl... Those of you who missed out on the most recent DNTEL full length should really be kicking yourselves. Or at least trying to remedy the situation by running out and picking it up pronto. Probably the most fully realised melding of bittersweet perfect pop and buzzing, staticky, glitchy electronica. This single features a handful of different versions (including the original) of what most of us consider to be the best track, with AQ faves Death Cab For Cutie's Benjamin Gibbard providing the lyrics and vocals. A totally heartbreaking, slice of wistful, whiny-boy-pining-for-unattainable-girl, emo pop, but slathered in a thick coat of hissing static and stuttering gzzzzzzzzzt. Just gorgeous. This single, while a fine introduction for those of you I was admonishing at the beginning of the review, is actually quite worth the ten bucks for those of you who have the full length too, 'cause God knows, how could you ever have enough of this song?!?!? The track that makes this the keeper is definitely the mix by Barbara Morgenstern. She keeps much of the original intact, maybe adding some extra space, but sings the first verse herself, later joined by Gibbard in a totally sexy sad duet. So perfect. This is some serious mixtape material!!!! The other tracks are no slouches either. Safety Scissors, add their own West coast Kid606/Lesser/Kit Clayton glitchy techno vibe with deadpan vocals by Erlend Ore of Kings Of Convenience. Superpitcher turn it into a 4/4 German dancefloor classic with that instantly recognizable Kompakt sound. And AQ faves Lali Puna turn it into a swelling, dreamy electronic post rock excursion. Plus one unreleased track called 'Your Hill.' Good stuff.

DRUNKHORSE Unearthed Gems Vol. 2 (The Weed Elf b/w Pismo) (Unknown Controller) 7" 4.50
Here's an interesting new single from Drunkhorse, that SF/Oakland crew of '70s lovin', hard rockin' stoner dudes who are smarter than you think they are. As the purported volume two in a series of "Unearthed Gems" releases, it features Drunkhorse covering two way rare, obscure tunes by their rock n' roll forebears: "The Weed Elf" by Sri Lankan '80s metallers Zilla, and "Pismo", by late '70s Cali bar-rockers Andy Sherman And The Sherms. Yes, we said obscure...maybe suspiciously so... Liner notes by Dr. Armando "Mondo" Johnson of Great Crates! Magazine (which, we must confess, we've never heard of either...) provide more info, in copious detail (Zilla's lone album was called "Heavy Yeti"...believe it, or not).
The Zilla tune, which in the hands of Drunkhorse comes across like a cover of something by Slough Feg, is a NWOBHM styled romp with jaunty, folky Thin Lizzyish guitars and Dio-esque lyrics. It's like Drunkhorse crossed with their pals the Fucking Champs. On the flip, the Andy Sherman and the Sherms composition is revealed to be a good-times, summer-time, all-the-time rocker, an ode to Pismo Beach were one can "relax and play hackysack".
Here's to Drunkhorse for digging up these "gems" and giving them such loving treatment -- hopefully we'll see these influences shine through on their next album of originals.

ENTOMBED Left Hand Path (Earache) lp 17.98
More reissued vinyl from the metal mavens at Earache, who've been delving into their classic, early '90s back catalog to bring these blasting blasts from the past out again in LP format, on colored wax no less! Here's the debut from Sweden's Entombed, from before they invented "death n' roll" and were merely (ha) one of the meanest, most brutalizing death metal bands on the planet. Essential. Still available on cd of course for the turntable-impaired.

ESG Step Off (Soul Jazz) cd 16.98
Slightly underwhelming reunion disc from the Scroggins sisters of ESG, whose best-of compilation A South Bronx Story, containing all their classic trax, is still the best way to get into this band. Step Off at first left me bored and wistful for the old days, but after a few more listens on the headphones, the more the new record makes sense. In other words, don't look for this record to completely funkify your life; that's not what ESG are about. And yes, the new songs are slower and sometimes even, well, less kickassedly raw than their groundbreaking older material, but ESG is still the best at leaving OUT elements of dance music that lesser, more self-indulgent musicmakers always always always overdo. For example, this album's got a track that's only Renee singing and a bass hook. Oh there's a beat all right, but they don't make a sound: you're hearing it *in your head*, and it sounds better than they coulda played it. Every song on this record is a marvel of restraint. (Which, come to think of it, invites remixing -- let's hope they pick decent remixers). Recommended, but only if you already have A South Bronx Story.
RealAudio clip: "Six Pack"
RealAudio clip: "My Street"
RealAudio clip: "It's Not Me"

ESG Step Off (Soul Jazz) 2lp 18.98
Slightly underwhelming reunion disc from the Scroggins sisters of ESG, whose best-of compilation A South Bronx Story, containing all their classic trax, is still the best way to get into this band. Step Off at first left me bored and wistful for the old days, but after a few more listens on the headphones, the more the new record makes sense. In other words, don't look for this record to completely funkify your life; that's not what ESG are about. And yes, the new songs are slower and sometimes even, well, less kickassedly raw than their groundbreaking older material, but ESG is still the best at leaving OUT elements of dance music that lesser, more self-indulgent musicmakers always always always overdo. For example, this album's got a track that's only Renee singing and a bass hook. Oh there's a beat all right, but they don't make a sound: you're hearing it *in your head*, and it sounds better than they coulda played it. Every song on this record is a marvel of restraint. (Which, come to think of it, invites remixing -- let's hope they pick decent remixers). Recommended, but only if you already have A South Bronx Story.

EXHAUST Enregistreur (Constellation) cd 14.98
Only the second album from this Godspeed You Black Emperor side project who've been around in some shape or form since the mid-'90s. Perhaps darker and more morosely droning than their self-titled debut. Layers of bass drones slowly shift, swell and dissipate. Occasional sparse rhythms flutter in and out along with strange electronic squidge'n'sputter that at times quite resembles ominous voices. No flippancy intended, but I really thought this would make a great haunted house soundtrack - oh so very sinister and gloomful.
RealAudio clip: "Voiceboxed"
RealAudio clip: "Behind The Paint Factory"
RealAudio clip: "Silence Sur Le Plateau"

EXHAUST Enregistreur (Constellation) lp 13.98
Only the second album from this Godspeed You Black Emperor side project who've been around in some shape or form since the mid-'90s. Perhaps darker and more morosely droning than their self-titled debut. Layers of bass drones slowly shift, swell and dissipate. Occasional sparse rhythms flutter in and out along with strange electronic squidge'n'sputter that at times quite resembles ominous voices. No flippancy intended, but I really thought this would make a great haunted house soundtrack - oh so very sinister and gloomful.

HAZARD Land (Touch) cd 14.98
The Swedish sound artist B.J. Nilsen has been recording as Hazard since 1996 as a means of investigating the physical and psychological effects that natural sounds hold upon the human body. The pursuits of sonic research are refinements of Nilsen's Industrial heritage which began with a handful of epistomologically grim albums as Morthond for Cold Meat Industries and has continued with the Janitor collaboration with Baby Doll Lima of Deutch Nepal. Unlike those projects, Hazard engages a stronger poetic sensibility in the digital processing of field recordings from snow, ice, water, wind, etc. The resultant cold, cold, cold drones dappled with rich, textured detailing always imply a malevolence within natural phenonemona.
As on the Hazard album with its self-evident title "Wind," "Land" finds Nilsen collaborating with respected field recordist Chris Watson to capture source material worthy to be run through the Hazard bank of DSP patches. Again, it's wind that Nilsen is after, transforming the violent whippings of Arctic winds into huge rumblings of low frequencies that burst into climatic squalls of rushing drones crackling with a rough-hewn digital grit. As the album progresses, the sense of foreboding and dread which opens the album dissipates and reveals brighter tonalities that are worthy of comparison to Eno's ambient recordings.
All of these tracks on "Land" have been treated from live recordings made over the past year through Hazard's numerous performances across Europe. Another great album from Hazard!
RealAudio clip: "Substation"
RealAudio clip: "Church"
RealAudio clip: "Kissing Gate"

HELLA Falam Dynasty (5 Rue Christine) 7" 4.50
A couple of brief outbursts of precision mayhem from Hella, featuring their trademark maniacally dense drumming and head splitting guitar riffery.

HIT IT OR QUIT IT #17 magazine 3.95
AQ-pal Sasha Frere Jones on A Certain Ratio, !!!, El-P, Sightings, Cex, DAT Politics, Radio 4, lotsa reviews. Chris Ryan (smart smart smart) on hip hop.

HUNTER, SONYA Sun In Mind (Innerstate) cd 12.98
Sixth full length from one of San Francisco's treasures: Sonya Hunter. Sonya is a singer songwriter whose music is like a cool drink of water. Her calm, unhurried, super melodic style reminds me of Aimee Mann, her phrasing and slight melancholy is similar to fellow SF gal-with-guitar Barbara Manning, and her clear, unblinking strength brings to mind Linda Thompson and folk/rock singers of the '60s. Includes a lovely Buffy Saint Marie cover. Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Aquamarine"
RealAudio clip: "Tall Trees in Georgia"

JOHANNSSON, JOHANN Englaborn (Touch) cd 14.98
Founding member of the Kitchen Motors arts organization in Reykjavik, Johann Johannsson has been at the forefront of adventurous music in Iceland, performing with the Apparat Organ Ensemble and working with some of the more acclaimed Icelandic exports (i.e. members of Sigur Ros, Mum, Stilluppsteypa, Halfer Trio, etc.). "Englaborn" is the first album for Johannsson, who reconstructed this album from the score he wrote for the stage play by Havar Sigurjonsson. Johannsson stated that "The play is extremely violent and disturbing; and basically, when faced with the script, I decided to work against it as much as possible and just try to write the most beautiful music I could." While we do not have the benefit of witnessing the play itself or any images for that matter (beautiful Jon Wozencroft photographs of the sea grace the cover of this album), Johannsson invokes a profound sadness through his descending chord progressions for the Epos Spring Quartet which he augments with spartan use of percussion, electronics, piano, computerized voices, and harmonium. Where Sigur Ros has crafted grandiose operas of Icelandic melancholia, Johann Johannsson simplifies his scores into poignant short stories that nevertheless resonate with those emotions.
RealAudio clip: "Odi Et Amo"
RealAudio clip: "Eg Atti Graa Asku"
RealAudio clip: "ef Eg Hefdi Aldrei..."

JONES, SHARON AND THE DAP KINGS Dap-dippin' (Daptone) cd 17.98
Daptone Records has been putting out some of the hardest, heaviest funk 45s this side of 1969 since emerging from Desco (responsible for the awesome afrobeat of the Daktaris) a couple years ago. This is the debut full length from Daptone staples Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Raised in the south on a diet of James Brown and singing in gospel choirs, Miss Jones is the real thing-- her voice overflows with "pure soul exitement," as per Daptone's mission. The Dap Kings recreation of a bygone era of funk is incredibly well executed and hits you right in the hips with infectious danceability, although the intentional anachronism is taken to pretty extreme levels. You won't find any release date on the album- and a Daptone magazine ad cheekily placed the release date in 1972. That aside, this is a great record regardless of era. "Dap-dippin'" pulls of feats such as infusing a cover of Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately" with a super-sized dose of bad ass soul- nice! Definitely one juicy bit of funk.
RealAudio clip: "The Dip Dap"
RealAudio clip: "Got A Thing On My Mind"
RealAudio clip: "Make It Good To Me"

LADYTRON Light & Magic (Emperor Norton) cd 16.98
Here it is, the much-anticipated second full length from these four Euro-cats! Behold more pleasingly groovy, unbarbed club pop that's definitely not experimental nor groundbreaking although they've been frequently touted thusly by the media. Prepare yourself to see their name in even more electro-clash / '80s discussion-group threads! Yes, many have yet to forgive them for their shameless facsimile of Kraftwerk's "The Model" ("He Took Her To A Movie") and their general recreation of the '80s new wave dance sound, but seldom do you hear as loud an outcry about any of the recent guitar-based revivals and regurgitations. Hmmm, seems to be just a given that guitars - both acoustic and electric - are a mainstay, whereas synthesizers are somehow still viewed as novel and effortless button-pushing. Clearly it's what you do with your chosen instrument that's key, and you can do quite a lot with a guitar, but you can also do quite a lot, if not more, with a synthesizer. That said, this album does find the foursome venturing out a little further, and honing their songwriting and production skills. "Nuhorizons" and "Re:Agents" are prime examples of this. A little more complex and a little less fluffy. Yet overall, Ladytron still overflows with bubbly programmed beats and repetitive, uncomplicated arpeggiated melodies (the synthesized 'strings' sounds are put to rather abundant use). Their distinct soft'n'wispy versus droll'n'deadpan dual female vocals are much more effected and integrated into the mix, making the lyrics less decipherable than those on 604, and making the album, as a whole, less pop. Sadly however, there aren't any tracks that immediately made their presence known by locking their hooks in the way that "Playgirl" or "Paco!" did. Andee did remark however that "Turn It On" sounded like it could easily be "Axel's Theme Part Two" from Beverly Hills Cop. Whether this is a good or bad thing... dunno! Regardless, if you like sleek, stylish and playful night music, Ladytron is for you.
RealAudio clip: "Seventeen"
RealAudio clip: "Turn It On"
RealAudio clip: "Nuhorizons"
RealAudio clip: "Re:Agents"

MARAX 3. Taphophile (Crucial Blast) cd-r 5.98
As we mentioned on the last list, our friend Adam runs the super cool Crucial Blast label, and has, for over 6 years now, been quietly (and not so quietly) putting out some of the coolest shit around. From crusty Finnish metal to droning electronica to sparse folk to brutal power electronics. This new series of cd-r's, limited to 100 copies and nicely packaged in oversized DVD cases will only be available via Aquarius records (unless you get them directly from Crucial Blast). So don't blow it...
This is volume THREE in Marax's 'For The Love Of Death' series of super limited cd-r's (LIMITED TO 25) thematically focused on death and dying. Where the first volume was slow burning drones ala Lustmord or Organum, and the second volume was griity and granular like a Philip Jeck record, Voulme three pulls it back a little toward a much more ambient excursion. Distant rumbles like passing traffic heard from underwater, with barely audible digital skitter and analog hiss, and occasional far-away feedback. Super minimal, but quite nice. This one would definitely appeal to fans of Bernhard Gunter and John Hudak.
As we mentioned before, I'm sure we can get Adam at Crucial Blast to hook you up with all 12. But let us know quick.
RealAudio clip: "Strange How The Dead Bleed Part 2"
RealAudio clip: "Suttee Part 2"

MARAX 4. The Dead Don't Care (Crucial Blast) cd-r 5.98
As we mentioned on the last list, our friend Adam runs the super cool Crucial Blast label, and has, for over 6 years now, been quietly (and not so quietly) putting out some of the coolest shit around. From crusty Finnish metal to droning electronica to sparse folk to brutal power electronics. This new series of cd-r's, limited to 100 copies and nicely packaged in oversized DVD cases will only be available via Aquarius records (unless you get them directly from Crucial Blast). So don't blow it...
This is volume FOUR in Marax's 'For The Love Of Death' series of super limited cd-r's (LIMITED TO 25) thematically focused on death and dying. Volume four is quite similar to volume three, with distant rumbles and faraway shimmers, gently panning from speaker to speaker, a hypnotic slow motion pulse, that is joined for the last ten minutes by what sounds like a train crossing signal way off in the distance. Another hyper minimal and very appealing installment in this awesome series (all this one clocks in at a quite short 16 minutes, good thing it's only 5.98).
As we mentioned before, I'm sure we can get Adam at Crucial Blast to hook you up with all 12. But let us know quick.
RealAudio clip: "Distant But Deafening Screams"
RealAudio clip: "The Fires Burn Cold"

MATHIEU, STEPHAN Die Entdeckung des Wetters (Lucky Kitchen) cd 14.98
One of our very favorite electronica glitch artists here bestows another pretty display of his trademarked fluttery tones of delicately coaxed digital processing. "Die Entdeckrung Des Wetters" appears to be a collection of tracks commissioned for various art installations: "Touch" being for a glass exhibition in th Berliner Townhall (where Mathieu created a wonderous digitized vibration from what sounds like ringing glass tones and breathy rushes of air) and the title track being a permanent installation for the Cultural Heritage Voelklinger Huette, an artspace housed in a 19th Century iron foundery. For the latter installation, Mathieu was asked to design a sound installation for the old cokery, where coal was distilled into the far more potent fuelsource coke by burning coal at extreme temperatures. While the furnace invokes rather malevolent metaphors, Mathieu keeps this track within his typically airy aesthetic. Another track on this compilation is an extraction from Mathieu's Full Swing album "Edits," in particular the Yo La Tengo remix "Love."
Knowing full well that the average art observer spends less than 8 seconds with any piece of art, Mathieu composed all of these pieces as a repetitive series of loops; thus, this collection isn't as action packed as some of the other Mathieu releases, but holds some exceptional digitized tones.
RealAudio clip: "Into"
RealAudio clip: "Touch"

MEKONS Oooh! (Quarterstick) cd 14.98
The Mekons have been around for 25 years now. In that time, they morphed from punk rockers to country twangers, putting out one of the first "alt.country" albums ("Fear & Whiskey") in 1985, and continuing through today to release this very nice collection of songs. While sweet country lamentation is the primary component of "Oooh! Out Of Our Heads," their collectivist songwriting also makes room for the influence of down home gospel, eastern tinged violins, Irish reels, relevant although not didactic political commentary, and a bit of anarchic punk approach. A more than apt silver anniversary celebration.
RealAudio clip: "Thee Oide Trip To Jerusalem"
RealAudio clip: "Take His Name In Vain"

MELT BANANA Scratch Or Stitch (Skin Graft) cd 14.98
"Reissued" on the trusty digital format after a brief (did anyone notice?) absence. The second (internationally distributed and widely available) recording from everyone's favorite dada-hardcore-spazz-grind-wave crossover band from Tokyo, MELT-BANANA! Recorded in 1995 by you-know-who in Chicago during one of their many travels across the U.S., this follow-up to the jaw dropping Speak Squeak Creak made the Melt-Banana threat official to the world. Suddenly they blew up, they were everywhere. Every band across America and beyond split a 7" with them. And who wouldn't want to? What with the absurdist cut and paste lyricism and high pitched commanding yelps of Yasuko O; the grounded yet frenzied all-over bass stylings of Rika mm'; the tight-as-shit drumming of Sudoh (sadly departed, check him out now in Thermo!); and of course, the massively intense and inventive hybrid of grinding metal, no wave skitter and all out noise of guitarist Agata! He single handedly brought back the whammy pedal! [*see below] Not to mention an experimental bent to hardcore that still resonates in many newer bands today. All the showstoppers are here, "Disposable Weathercock", "Ten Dollars A Pile", "Iguana In Trouble", "Rough Dogs Have Bumps", "Contortion Out Of Confusion" -- twenty-two tracks in thirty-two minutes! Listening to this album in retrospect, it becomes clear that these songs -- though captured beautifully on tape -- seem too perfect and self-conscious for their own good. The songs are fucking great, the recording is absolutely fine. But something seems to be missing, leaving me thirsty for more. Experiencing this amazing live band in action rewarded me with an energy and power all too rare in many live acts these days. It's not until their subsequent lp (following a shitload of singles), Charlie, that their dynamic is done justice in a studio recording. That personal note aside, this is a fucking amazing and totally essential record from one of the planet's most undeniably incredible hardcore bands!
[*Agata uses a Digitech Whammy pedal, it drastically alters the octave of whatever is being filtered through it by way of a variable sustain-like pedal. It's how he gets those alien-like siren-esque wails. The pitch can also be altered by foot in real time, unlike the Boss Octave. Digitech stopped production of the pedals sometime in the mid-nineties and since about 1999 they've been back in production. Brian Gibson of Lightning Bolt uses one or two of them in addition to a fixed range Octave pedal. That's how he goes from super low and heavy to high pitched tinny sounds, or both at the same time... Agata had to improvise without the Whammy on tour when it broke and he couldn't buy a new one, so he found a bunch of second hand ones (supposedly). Digitech was probably gonna come out with another one eventually, but I like to think MB had something to do with it.]
RealAudio clip: "DisPosable Weathercock"
RealAudio clip: "Ten Dollars A Pile"
RealAudio clip: "IGUANA In Trouble"
RealAudio clip: "It's In The PillcaSe"