HOMOSEXUALS, THE The Homosexuals' CD (ReR Megacorp) cd 14.98
On first listen, it's hard to believe that this is the legendary punk artifact that music geeks everywhere speak of in hushed, reverent tones. Not because it's not good, it is. It's great in fact. It's just not all that...weird...or avant garde, really. Recorded in 1978, this stuff sounds like it should've been at the top of the charts. And it probably would have been too were it not for their purposefully provocative monicker. And it seems that this, along with the Homosexuals' willful obscurity is what turned what is essentially an amazingly catchy pop punk band into collector snob fodder. But ultimately that is neither here nor there, we're just glad this got reissued because this record rules! Sonically well in line with their contemporaries, the Buzzocks, the Damned, the Undertones, the Adicts, the Jam and the like, the Homosexuals opted to infuse their bouncy angular punkish pop, with bizarre surreal lyrics, occasional creative production techiniques, some retarded sounding harmonica and wickedly sharp guitar riffing making them stand out, and perhaps causing them to remain on the fringe. But beyond that, the Homosexuals were simply a great band writing great songs, songs that were charged and intense, due in no small part to band tension, and with a wild vocalist with a voice part Feargal Sharkey, part Howard Devoto and part Olga from the Toy Dolls. Don't be intimidated by the hype/legend/collectability of the Homosexuals, or you might just miss out on a really amazing record.
Note to consumers: if you're a HUGE Homosexuals fans, be aware that in a few months (exact release date as yet uncertain) there will be a Homosexuals triple cd box set entitled Astral Glamour available, which should include ALL of the material found on this cd, plus plenty of other obscurities and unreleased stuff. However, most people will be perfectly happy with this disc alone, containing as it does all of the crucial Homosexuals tracks.
MPEG Stream: "Technique Street"
MPEG Stream: "Vociferous Slam"
MPEG Stream: "Neutron Lover"

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AERO-MIC'D Under A Sun (self-released) cd 7.98
We sure loved the first Aero-Mic'd record from a few years ago, a genre hopping electronic excursion touching on melodic melancholy pop, laptop glitch, cinematic ambience, and arty instrumentalism. Hard to believe, but we may like this new one even more. It's much more focused and cohesive, with the focus this time on ambience and drone. Reminds us of a more vaired, less low-end Kopernik. Soaring Orb like ambient flutter, chirping birds, the sound of children playing, muted percussion, sing song-y melodies, fuzzy, whispery drones with melodic swells, industrial clatter under gauzy slowed down loops all coalesce into one seriously great listen.
MPEG Stream: "Lifesize Timeline"
MPEG Stream: "Take Acre!"

CIRCLE Guillotine (Ektro) cd 14.98
Our favorite Finns are back, again. After a dozen or so albums, this one is perhaps their tribute to entropy, wherein Circle's characteristic clockwork mechanisms wind down into uncharacteristic disorder. Their last album on Ektro was the phenomenal headbanging hard rock production Sunrise, an album that got The Wire to somewhat misleading refer to Circle as "Finnish metal minimalists". The metal stylings of Sunrise are not to be found on Guillotine (despite this new album's much more metal title) but our friends Jussi & co. continue to innovate while remaining true to their trademark "circular" sound. A good portion of Guillotine finds them venturing in a hazy, oft-noisy primitive psych direction (hinted at by the few tracks on Sunrise that didn't rock you like a hurricane). But it's a varied album, equally likely to offer up 'classic' Circle repetitive-rock pulsations and noodly fusion. So, quite different in parts, yet with enough of the same Circle of yore to satisfy stogy old fans as well.
Guillotine starts off with the incredibly authentically '70s sounding kraut/fusion of "Metsan Henget". A very very Can-like ten minutes right there. Soon the listener's ears are graced by Mika Ratto's absurdly amazing, amazingly absurd vocals. Babbling goofily operatic, probably a love 'em or hate 'em component of the current Circle sound. Then, Guillotine takes a low-fi turn into what we might consider Circle's version of Jewelled Antler's psych-folk. Perhaps they've been influenced by countryfolk like Avarus, Kemialliset Ystavat, and Doktor Kettu (the latter being a likely source of cross-contamination, as their recordings appear on Jussi's cd-r label). Circle create a mellow caveman hippy jam of sorts, followed by an example of twangy acoustic psych that leaves Circle's classic motorik machine stylings far behind. Except that then "Teraskylpy" kicks in with a totally Circle krautrock beat, shuffling like David Shire's Taking Of Pelham One-Two-Three noir funk soundtrack. It's a 12-minute-plus build-up that devolves into some maniacal noise drone. Surprises continue, with "Saapuvat Ne Merelta" being waaay more spastic and chaotic than we'd ever expect from Circle. Normally they're so mechanically precise and repetitive, but so much of this sounds improvised and unpredictable. There's even a track that could be an ambient version of a rap record intro, complete with police siren. Weird. So Guillotine is quite possibly the most 'organic' and 'free' sounding Circle ever, clanking and primitive. And the '70s vibe is palpable, our obscure music geek peanut butter/chocolate analogy being: like Captain Beyond meets Neu! stoner prog kraut.
MPEG Stream: "Paaton Mies"
MPEG Stream: "Teraskylpy"

FLEISCHMANN, B. Welcome Tourist (Morr Music) 2cd 19.98
Inevitably when we play this in the store, someone comes up and asks if we're listening to Boards Of Canada. The first track definitely demonstrates why: melancholy ambience with haunting distorted piano over lazily glitchy beats. This Boards Of Canada vibe permeates most of the record, but this is a lot weirder and much more varied. One track will have subtle electronics spare steel string guitar and lonesome lapsteels, sounding a little like an electronic Calexico. Then one track will have German spoken word over a super pretty blend of piano, slinky guitars and electronics. This is definitely something for fans of Boards of Canada as well as folks who dug that last Notwist record. The Notwist similarity surfaces about halfway through the first disc, with the introduction of singing! Bearing a striking resemblance to Malcolm 'Arab Strap' Middleton's new album as well as the Notwist obviously, and even Faust with those sing-songy, innocent vocals. A gorgeous rainy day record of organic electronica. The second disc is an epic 45 minute track that revisits many of the musical themes of disc one. A gorgeous chunk of bliss, fuzzy and hypnotic, distorted melodies over loping post rock grooves, burbling upright bass, gauzy atnospheric haze, and sweet sweet melodies.
MPEG Stream: "Guided By Beats"
MPEG Stream: "Grunt"
MPEG Stream: "Until The Real Thing Comes Along"

TEENAGE FANCLUB Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Six (Jetset) cd 16.98
Damn! Such a great band! And what a fine way to remind us of this fact... a 21 song collection of their fab Scottish pop gems including eighteen that you might already be very familiar with, and three new ones! The oldies were culled from their five albums: Bandwagonesque, Thirteen, Songs From Northern Britain, Grand Prix, and Howdy! Certainly they wore their Big Star and Byrds influences proudly on their sleeves, but they did so in such splendidly blissful fashion -- the most infectious hooks, the most soaring boyish vocals harmonies, crunchy cool guitars -- and we're delighted to report that the new tunes totally stand as tall as their predecessors. Yaaaay! Listening to this makes Cup a very happy gal. Please note: a couple songs ("Star Sign" and "My Uptight Life") have been edited so that all twenty one would fit on a single cd.
MPEG Stream: "Radio"
MPEG Stream: "Empty Space"

V/A Spire: Organ Works Past, Present & Future (Touch Music) cd 18.98
Compilations can be dodgy affairs, often half-baked ideas from compilers who can only garner throw away tracks from previous recordings. Mike Harding and Jon Wozencroft of Touch Records have consistenty been the exception in their collections. The Touch Sampler series have long been outstanding compilations, and this new collection of work inspired by or directly influenced by church organs continues in this tradition. Harding lucidly explains in the liner notes that "the organ represents the marriage between acoustic complexity and ritualised space. It is impossible not to be drawn upward, towards the spire of the church or cathedral, or to the huge daunting forest of pipes themselves." On this compilation, the artists typically emphasize the transcendent expansiveness of sustained organ chords, in many ways emulating the polyphonic minimalism of Arvo Part's organ works. The track that best typifies the ideas behind Spire is that of BJ Nilsen, better known as Hazard. Having captured various recordings of Charles Matthews performing the psalms of Marcus Davidson on the organ at St. Mary's Church in Warwick, England, Nilsen processed these sounds with only multi-tracking, EQ, and volume at his disposal; thus, his track holds onto the rich tonalities of those church organs as he builds up to a majestic crescendo of overwhelming sound. Spire also features the first fruits of the collaboration between Sparklehorse and Fennesz (!), with Sparklehorse's drummer Scott Minor offering a smattering of mellotron and Wurlitzer samples for Fennesz to run through digital aesolization of bleary eyed distortion and fanciful detailing. Other contributors to Spire include Z'ev, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Philip Jeck, Leif Elggren, Zephyr, Marcus Davidson, Finnbogi Petursson, Biosphere, Toshiya Tsunoda, Tom Recchion, Lary Seven / Jeff Peterson, Scott Taylor, Jacob Kirkegaard, Oren Ambarchi, and the ever amazing Chris Watson! Very highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: BJ NILSEN "Breathe"
MPEG Stream: FENNESZ / SCOTT MINOR "Dwan"
MPEG Stream: SIGTRYGGUR BERG SIGMARSSON "Details Of A New Discovery"

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BLITHE SONS Green Mansions (Jewelled Antler) cd-r 9.98
Blithe Sons are the duo of Loren Chasse and Glenn Donaldson, who last graced us with the lovely We Walk The Young Earth disc on Family Vineyard back in March. You know Loren and Glenn from Thuja and Franciscan Hobbies and much else as well. Now they're back with another Blithe Sons installment on their own Jewelled Antler cd-r label. And not only is it a great record in its own right, it's also a sort of present to us here at Aquarius, Loren and Glenn's way of celebrating Andee and Allan taking over the biz, as it's only gonna be sold here and we're burning the discs ourselves and reaping the profits -- it's sort of an AQ benefit disc, really. Thanks guys!!
As they tell it, the story of Green Mansions is thus: somehow (via a secret garden? a rabbit hole? a mystical waredrobe?) Loren and Glenn found themselves alone at an empty English manor house. Going out on the grounds of the estate, they set up various stringed instruments in the fields, strewing them with grains so as to attract woodland creatures to venture forth in the dusk to "play" the instruments. A nice story...and sure, yeah, Green Mansions does sound a bit like that! Magical, natural. Glenn's delicate, wispy vocals and the general folk-psych atmosphere remind us of Richard Youngs, and even Jandek a bit (in a good way). Warm warbly tape hiss, acoustic guitar, bell-like synth, harmonium, and field recordings amongst other sound sources are blended into beds of shimmering drones that make us imagine the pastel sounds of a child's mobile slowly twirling in the "heavens". Really really nice in other words, and we're not just saying that since it's "our" release. Seriously recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Patio Of The Cypresses"
MPEG Stream: "Place Of The Past"

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AC/3P Watch Me Explode (Spasticated) cd 12.98
From the folks who brought us the hilarious/funky/brilliantly twisted Ministry Of Shit compilation reviewed some lists ago, comes this blast of weird and silly electronic dementia. Did you love the recent Powerslaves record of the week, that selection of Iron Maiden tracks done electro style? Well, then this *might* just hit the same sweet spot. AC/DC covers, done lo-fi midi style, with a vocalist that sounds like a strange hybrid of Anton Maiden and Udo Dirkschneider from Accept, sometimes giving a homoerotic twist to the lyrics. Dumb? Absolutely. Funny? Maybe. Do you need this? Uh, definitely!
MPEG Stream: "Hells Bells"
MPEG Stream: "Whole Lotta Woman"

ASHTRAY NAVIGATIONS When You See The Moon You've Got To Howl (Rhizome) cd-r 12.98
New release from AQ pal Jon Dale's Rhizome Recordings label. Three gorgeously hazy tracks of shimmery minimal abstraction from this mysterious UK outfit. Track one is all warbly synths, bleating horns, and keening angelic oscillations, like slow motion free-jazz played over Sunroof! outtakes. Track two is a sun dappled blissout of buzzing sitar-like guitars over Spacemen Three guitar pulses, with fuzzed out melodies and found sound snippets. The final track is a buzzing mosquito soundscape of squiggly synths, scribbled shortwaves, and ghostly hums over muted conversations. Good stuff for fans of Skullflower, Sunroof!, Vibracathedral Orchestra and the like!
MPEG Stream: "The Less I See Of Me The Better"

BASINSKI, WILLIAM The Disintegration Loops II (2062) cd 14.98
Finally, parts two through four of composer William Basinski's personal musical response to the tragedies of 9/11. Most musical 'tributes' to that fateful day wallow in schmaltz and treacle, but having witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Center from his house in Brooklyn, Basinski was maybe more personally affected than most of us. And somehow, that personal grief comes through in these reworked 20 year old recordings. Basinski had discovered a handful of old tape loops that were oxidizing and essentially disintegrating, and transferred them digitally, capturing the strangely decaying melodies, making for an expansive suite (almost three hundred minutes) of haunting otherworldy looping drones. Muzak like melodies crumble into barely melodic throbbing pulses, swathed in reverb, allowing the already obscured snatches of music, to fade into wispy smears of sound. So beautiful.
We also have Disintegration Loops I back in! All four volumes are definitely essential listening.
MPEG Stream: "Disintegration Loops 2"

BASINSKI, WILLIAM The Disintegration Loops III (2062) cd 14.98
Finally, parts two through four of composer William Basinski's personal musical response to the tragedies of 9/11. Most musical 'tributes' to that fateful day wallow in schmaltz and treacle, but having witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Center from his house in Brooklyn, Basinski was maybe more personally affected than most of us. And somehow, that personal grief comes through in these reworked 20 year old recordings. Basinski had discovered a handful of old tape loops that were oxidizing and essentially disintegrating, and transferred them digitally, capturing the strangely decaying melodies, making for an expansive suite (almost three hundred minutes) of haunting otherworldy looping drones. Muzak like melodies crumble into barely melodic throbbing pulses, swathed in reverb, allowing the already obscured snatches of music, to fade into wispy smears of sound. So beautiful.
We also have Disintegration Loops I back in! All four volumes are definitely essential listening.
MPEG Stream: "Disintegration Loops 3"

BASINSKI, WILLIAM The Disintegration Loops IV (2062) cd 14.98
Finally, parts two through four of composer William Basinski's personal musical response to the tragedies of 9/11. Most musical 'tributes' to that fateful day wallow in schmaltz and treacle, but having witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Center from his house in Brooklyn, Basinski was maybe more personally affected than most of us. And somehow, that personal grief comes through in these reworked 20 year old recordings. Basinski had discovered a handful of old tape loops that were oxidizing and essentially disintegrating, and transferred them digitally, capturing the strangely decaying melodies, making for an expansive suite (almost three hundred minutes) of haunting otherworldy looping drones. Muzak like melodies crumble into barely melodic throbbing pulses, swathed in reverb, allowing the already obscured snatches of music, to fade into wispy smears of sound. So beautiful.
We also have Disintegration Loops I back in! All four volumes are definitely essential listening.
MPEG Stream: "Disintegration Loops 4"

BE GOOD TANYAS Blue Horse (Nettwerk) cd 16.98
On the last list we raved about Jolie Holland's debut album Catalpa, but well before she recorded Catalpa, she did time as a sidekick/auxilliary member of Canadian bluegras folk outfit the Be Good Tanyas, providing fiddle, guitar, vocals, arranging and songwriting (her song "The Littlest Birds" appeared on Blue Horse before it showed up on Catalpa!) Folks who dug Holland's solo record will find so much to love here. A lush blend of guitar, mandolin, banjo, electric violin and double bass. Traditional bluegrass infused with modern songsmithery and utterly enchanting vocals weaving strange harmonies, at once classic and traditional but at the same time ghostly and otherworldly, making these songs sound like they were pulled from the ether, from some abstract time in the past. Lilting and forlorn, melancholy and dreamily perfect.
MPEG Stream: "Rain And Snow"
MPEG Stream: "The Littlest Birds"
MPEG Stream: "Broken Telephone"

BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL Screamformelongbeach (PseudoArcana) 3" cd-r 8.98
This purports to be BCM's 'rock record', hence the title and the Campbell-Kneale-as-rock-god-in-action blurred cover photo. And while this is certainly BCM's most rock record to date, it's be no means -that- sort of rock record. A groovy seventies rock riff gets looped and repeated FOREVER, while Kneale sprays grinding skree, viscous fuzz and squealing feedback all over. Before a strange purposeful stadium rock drum beat emerges from the chaos, and the sonic deluge eventually abates, skipping and skittering into a spare and abstract rhythmscape. Very reminiscent of the most recent Skullflower, whose Sabbath-hypno-Hawkwind-mantra turned 'the riff' into psychotropic drone rock nirvana.
MPEG Stream: "55,000 Flowers For The Hero"

BOWIE, DAVID Reality (ISO / Columbia) cd 17.98
Much like its predecessor Heathen, David Bowie's twenty eighth studio album Reality is another revisiting of sort to his excellent Low/Heroes/Scary Monsters period. He's once again joined forces with producer Tony Visconti with very fine results. As on Heathen, he seems very at ease -- no longer hopping on the latest trends, instead he's effectively fused the energy and spirit of the old with the composure and technology of the new. His vocals still retain their smouldering edge, and not surprisingly the production is ever so finely detailed and crafted in the most deluxe fashion. The album is pretty great as a whole, but high points include the lead-off track "New Killer Star" as well as "She'll Drive" and "Days". Plus depending on who you ask, a particular highlight or lowlight of Reality may be the second song, a cover of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso"!!!
MPEG Stream: "She'll Drive"
MPEG Stream: "Days"

BOYSKOUT Secrets / Pictures From The Moon (Isota) 7" 2.98
In anticipation of their debut full length which is due out in January (Andee and Cup have been diggin' the advance copy they kindly dropped off a month ago), Bay Area foursome Boyskout offer up a two song vinyl appetizer of darkly edgy and emotive feist-pop in many ways quite reminiscent of equally kick-ass gals The Need. Well worth checkin' out!

BOZULICH, CARLA Red Headed Stranger (DiCristina Stair Builders) cd 13.98
This came out back in the fall, and though we keep selling 'em we hadn't gotten around to listing it 'til now. But we didn't want it to slip through the cracks, so here's a little blurb on this fine record. Singer/guitarist Carla Bozulich you know from Geraldine Fibbers and her band with hubby (and AQ fave guitarist) Nels Cline, Scarnella. Nels is part of this project as well, in which Carla takes on the entire Red Headed Stranger album by C&W legend Willie Nelson. Her re-interpretation of this classic both brings a new avant/underground vibe to its downer Americana but still hews close to Nelson's vision: enough that Willie himself plays and sings on a few tracks on this record! Real real nice. I (Allan) saw Carla, Nels and co. perform songs from this (along with other tunes, including some old Geraldine Fibbers favorites) at this past year's All Tommorrow's Parties festival in LA, and it was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. Traditional country melachony and outright string drone, entrancing.
MPEG Stream: "Time Of The Preacher"
MPEG Stream: "Red Headed Stranger"

BRADLEY, CAMPBELL, FOSTER Live At The Lift, Brighton 14th March 1998 (Rhizome) cd-r 12.98
Two of these names sound familiar as members of the mighty Vibracathedral Orchestra, and with the addition of one Sticky Foster, this trio kicks up a very VCO-like din. Clattery drone with a distinctly Dead C like vibe, due in no small part to the lo-fi recording, as well as the gritty, grimy ambience. Pulses and throbs are woven into a thick, heady drone, with chimes and tinkles, shimmers and skree, and splattershot cardboard box percussion. Noisy and lovely and hypnotic.
MPEG Stream: "Bradley, Campbell, and Foster Live At The Lift"

BRIGHT EYES Vinyl Box Set (Saddle Creek) 7lp 34.00
By the time you read this, adoring fans of Mr. Conor 'Bright Eyes' Oberst will undoubtably have already scooped up a copy (or two) of this seven record set.
If you count yourself among those legions, but are also a cardcarrying member of the slowpoke club then... guess what?! There's a seven record box set of Bright Eyes! It includes five of his albums (many of which have been out of print for some time) plus other rare goodies. Here's the lowdown: A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 (pressed on 2 lps, first time on vinyl!), Letting off the Happiness (with its original cover art and a Japanese import bonus song), the Every Day and Every Night ep, the excellent Fevers and Mirrors (remastered on 2 lps and including two Japanese import bonus songs), Don't Be Frightened of Turning the Page (aka the four B.E. songs from Oh Holy Fools - The Music of Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes plus two bonus songs). If you're not familiar with the woeful, trembling indie folk sounds of B.E. yet, this might not be the place to start (unless you're also a vinyl nut and an extreme completist to boot). Maybe first check out his most recent full length Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.

BROKEN FACE, THE issue #18 magazine 5.50
We're always happy when a new issue of Mats Gustafsson's excellent fanzine The Broken Face shows up. It's THE place to read about indie/folk/drone/psych stuff, especially if you're into the burgeoning cd-r micro-label scene, i.e. Jewelled Antler, Lal Lal Lal, Celebrate Psi Phenomenon and so forth. But this time around we're a bit sad as well, 'cause Mats says this will be the FINAL issue of BF. He loves doing the 'zine, but just can't manage the time commitment. And he's been real committed, as BF had a frequency of publication that far surpassed most 'zines with which I'm familiar! Oh well. But of course, ish #18 is a fine one, with the usual plethora of reviews, and features this time around on the likes of Jewelled Antler's Steven R. Smith (Hala Strana/Thuja/Mirza/solo), AQ faves The Necks, Crevice, Michael Gira, The Ponys, Simon Wickham-Smith, Rollerball, Lovely Midget and more, including an overview of the Finnish underground from the 1960's to the present, from The Sperm to Bad Vugum to Kemialliset Ystavat. And as well, Mats and co-conspirator Lee Jackson provide a retrospective look at some of their favorite music released over the past six year lifespan of The Broken Face. We've compared this 'zine in the past with The Ptolemaic Terrascope, but by now it has earned its own place in the 'zine pantheon, and certainly will be missed.

BROTZMANN, PETER / SHOJI HANO Funny Rat (Improvised Music From Japan) cd 17.98
To fans of energetic-improv-free-jazz-type music, neither of these guys should need an introduction. (If you DO need an introduction, there's probably other discs that would be better to start with.) Drummer Hano and sax-blaster Brotzmann have collaborated on many occasions -- this newly-released recording actually dates from 1991, it's a full concert from a live tour the duo did in Japan that year, previously only released on cassette by Hano. 72 wailin' minutes, turbulent yet elegant.
MPEG Stream: "Snake And Sheep"

CLOTTED SYMMETRIC SEXUAL ORGAN (CSSO) Collection (From Beyond) cd 14.98
This Japanese psychedelic grind band's Are You Excrements? album was a surprise hit here at Aquarius when we reviewed it two years ago. And we're still eagerly waiting for a new album from 'em. But we did just get a few copies of this retrospective disc, the aptly titled Collection. It's a 45 track anthology of material predating Are You Excrements?, mostly from presumably rare split 7"s and comps circa 1993-2000. As such, this stuff is definitely more on the traditional grind metal than stoner/psych side of things, but is certainly still quite freaky and weird. Aficianados of the grind genre will be reminded of early Carcass, and indeed this disc includes a Carcass cover (the classic "Genital Grinder") along with equally appropriate covers of songs by General Surgery, Regurgitate, and Napalm Death. But imagine Carcass infected with a dose of silliness a la Boredoms -- or does anybody remember Exit-13? The disc closes with an alternate version of the song "Living Dead A Go Go" that appeared on Are You Excrements?, thereby bringing us amost up to date in CSSO-world. We wonder what the future holds.
MPEG Stream: "Nuclear Karate Man"
MPEG Stream: "Shake It Up Bokan"

COLD MOUNTAIN OST (DMZ / Sony) cd 17.98
The majority of folks out there are probably mostly excited about this soundtrack for the 5 new tracks from JACK WHITE OF THE WHITE STRIPES! Which is fine, but even if that's not your reason for being interested, you'll be pleased to discover that this is actually a really gorgeous compilation of new and old Appalachian folk and gospel. And while we could care less, the surprise here is indeed Jack White, and his creepy crawly blues folk. If he wasn't so intent on ruling garage-land, he'd most certainly be hot on the heels of Sixteen Horsepower, Woven Hand and Mark Lanegan in the raspy, lonely, swampish, Biblical damnation-and-salvation folk-blues stakes. He's got a sonorous but scratchy whiskey-soaked drawl, that wraps itself seductively around whatever he's singing, and the arrangements, spare and melancholy, are the perfect tattered backdrop. The rest of this soundtrack is no slouch either, with beautiful tracks from Alison Krauss, Cassie Franklin, Sacred Harp Singers, Reeltime Travellers and more.
MPEG Stream: JACK WHITE "Wayfaring Stranger"
MPEG Stream: JACK WHITE "Sittin' On Top Of The World"
MPEG Stream: ALISON KRAUSS "The Scarlet Tide"

CRAFT Terror Propaganda (Selbstmord) cd 14.98
This bit of black metal wisdom comes courtesy of AQ pal Wrest from the mighty Leviathan:
As things change and weaken in the ranks of older "black metal" bands, a hellish shriek sounds from the Swedish underground. Unlike their fellow countrymen, Mardukee and Dork Fun-eral, Craft have developed a formula for taking the sound of '90s era B.M. and breathing new life into its whithered black lungs. Terror Propaganda, Craft's second effort, is a lesson in the grimmest of expession. "False Orders Begone" rides a riff that matchs the genius of old Celtic Frost while "616" is a thrashy, dark intrumental voyage. These 8 hymns may seem to some like mere Darkthrone worship, but upon closer listening, this hard to find gem shines far brighter than most new Scandanavian B.M. coming out these days. May Craft rot in glory.
MPEG Stream: "Ablaze"
MPEG Stream: "The Silence Thereafter"

CURRENT 93 Thunder Perfect Mind (World Serpent) 2cd 26.00
The 1991 companion release to a Nurse With Wound album of the same name, "Thunder Perfect Mind" is a stately album of C93's bleak reinterpretations of occultish '60s UK folk. Joined by The Bevis Frond's Nick Soloman on a few tracks along with other guests including Shirley Collins, this rather sorrowful sounding album from Current 93 has a definitively psychedelic overtone to it. One of the recommended Current 93 releases, now newly reissued and remastered in a fancy double cd digipack format -- the extra disc consisting of different live/studio versions of songs from the album proper.
RealAudio clip: "A Sadness Song"

CZARS, THE Before... But Longer (Bella Union) cd 11.98
Since their The Ugly People Vs The Beautiful People album was so warmly received around these parts, we've scooped up a couple of earlier yet still quite recent releases. Glad to report that although this album in particular is laden with heavier more aggressive guitars the overall tone of the proceedings is just as splendid, lush and melancholic as T.U.P.V.T.B.P. The vocals are clearly the force behind the Czars music. The strong, warmly emotive performance of lead singer John Grant once again draws comparisons to John Denver and Mark Lanegan. An additional delight is the glorious male/female vocal interplay between Grant and guest vocalist Paula Frazer. Lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Zippermouth"
MPEG Stream: "Leavin' On Your Mind"

CZARS, THE X Would Rather Listen To Y Than Suffer Through A Whole C of Z's (Bella Union) cd ep 7.98
Since their The Ugly People Vs The Beautiful People album was so warmly received around these parts, we've scooped up a couple of earlier yet still quite recent releases. This four-song ep has moments that are considerably more amped up and aggressive than both Before... But Longer, and T.U.P.V.T.B.P. with the addition of fuzzy synths and fiery guitars ("One Single Thing") to the usually lowkey twangy proceedings. Yet, the rich earthiness of John Grant's lilting voice and soothing piano shine through the wall of distortion. Hearing him break out of his characteristically solemn tone proves to make for a pretty great contrast.
MPEG Stream: "One Single Thing"

DANNY & THE NIGHTMARES The End Is Near Again (Cool Beans) cd 9.98
It's been a while but... the inimitable man-child Daniel Johnston rides again... with full band in tow! The End Is Near showcases Daniel... er, I mean Danny raising a garage rawk style ruckus with his pals the Nightmares. Not for everyone, but hardcore fans of Johnston will surely rejoice!
MPEG Stream: "Lost Hero of Rock n Roll"
MPEG Stream: "Natzi"

DOSEONE Pelt book + cd 17.98
We were so psyched when we first saw this new release from Dose One, one of our favorite Anticons. A big book of poetry, stream on conciousness prose, lyrics, notebook doodling and slapdash collage with a cd of all new material. And while we have loved almost everything Anticon have done in the past, this one is definitely for completists only. The book is definitely pretty nice, but the cd is a collection of ultra personal spoken word that veers WAY too close to poetry slam territory, recorded on a what sounds like a crappy boom box, complete with the 'klunk' of the record and stop buttons. Dose One's impossible lyrical acuity and agile flow falls apart and sounds way too forced when stripped of it's usual dense sonic backdrops. But like we said, the book is pretty nice.
MPEG Stream: "The Unravelling Arm Of An Emotional Boy"

DOT [.] Stay Smoke, Stay Stone (Kult Of Nihilow) 10" 14.98
Do these bands mean anything to you: Boris, Corrupted, Harvey Milk, The Melvins, Sunn 0))), Earth? Well, if they do, you are definitely gonna need this. One of two new releases from the amazing Kult Of Nihilow label from Finalnd. Dot [.] are most certainly the best Japanese doom band you've probably never heard. We even listend to one whole side of this 10" at 45 thinking that it sounded too slow at 33! Yes, they are that slow and sludgy and downtuned and fucking amazing. Impossibly heavy and relentlessly glacial.
Unfortunately, this is limited to 332 copies and we managed to get our hands on a mere 12 of those, never to get more. So you'll have to move a lot faster than these fellas if you want one of these to end up stuck to your turntable. Super thick colored vinyl, gorgeously packaged in transparent, screened sleeve!

EARTHMONKEY Audiosapien (Beta-lactem Ring Records) cd 15.98
Beta-lactem Ring Records tells us that Earthmonkey is the work of Steven Stapleton and Peat Bog, who had also been responsible for a few odd psych / prog meanderings as The Inflatable Side Show. However, Stapleton is only mentioned in the 'thank you' credits, unless he's taken the unlikely pseudonym of Ian Cahill. There are definitely plenty of the far-out, psychedelically damaged references that one would expect from a psych / prog album that Stapleton might appear on. The ghosts of Faust Tapes, Amon Duul II, Ennio Morricone, and Jac Berrocal are all present on this album of groovy, elliptical patterns and extended, if mopey freak-outs. The songs are pretty good, but why all the cornball sax solos?
MPEG Stream: "Reflections on Native Yard 52"
MPEG Stream: "and they go off to this place..."

FRANCISCAN HOBBIES, THE At The World's End (PseudoArcana) cd-r 12.98
The Franciscan Hobbies are one of the more anarchistic manifestations of the Jewelled Antler 'collective', The Hobbies themselves being a free-form, free-wheeling group of variable membership that turns idyllic nature excursions into documents of magical, improv folk psych. At The World's End comes by way of New Zealand cd-r label PseudoArcana, and this time around The Hobbies include 3 of the 4 members of Thuja, plus a bunch of their friends, including Donovan Quinn (Skygreen Leopards), Greg Bianchini (The Muons), and Cole Palme (Factrix). However, whoever's present on this recording isn't all that important, as they meld into a very relaxed communal music-making clan. Furthermore, discussion of instruments and techniques would seemingly convey less of a sense of what the Hobbies sound like than more poetic allusions to damp moss and dry leaves. Imagine napping in the undergrowth of a forest, dreaming drones and fractured melodies. Theirs is a drifting, indirect music, more hints and haunts than songs per se. And, we ask, how can you not love a record with a track entitled "The Unicorn Murders"??
MPEG Stream: "The Black Chimes "
MPEG Stream: "Seekers In Darkness"

GRANDADDY / POLYPHONIC SPREE Rugged and Splintered Entertainment Center / The March (Birdman) 7" 5.98
Much to everyone's delight these two beloved groups have decided to share a lil' split record. Due to the brevity of the format, if you've not heard either band yet this might not be the best place to start... really, you deserve more than just a single tune each! Don't tarry a moment longer, scoop up a full length -- The Beginning Stages of The Polyphonic Spree and any one of Grandaddy's many fine albums, then proceed to this treat. Two exclusive songs - the 24-member 'Spree's is a characteristically uplifting la-la-la sunbeam of a song, and Grandaddy bring forth a suitably laidback trippy folkish pop singalong. Hurrah!

HAFLER TRIO Normally (Soleilmoon) 2cd 17.98
The gnostic censors have prohibited us from including MP3s of the Hafler Trio's work on the AQ website; so you'll just have to take our word that Normally is another exquisite Hafler Trio composition of psychoacoustically challenging dronework, this time entirely drawn from a series of vocalizations from Einstuerzende Neubauten's Blixa Bargeld. Only during a disruptive jolt on one of the two discs does Bargeld's inimitable voice become apparent, elsewhere the Halfer Trio has reduced the Bargeld voice into an eerie, extended drone. Of course, Andrew McKenzie -- the sole member of the 'trio' -- has included dozens of pages of ludicrously impossible to understand, post-rational / post-narrative texts for your amusement. Limited to 500 copies.

J CHURCH / STORM THE TOWER Split CD (Honest Mike's Broken Rekkids) cd 14.98
Maybe it's just 'cause we miss our ol' pal Lance Hahn, ever since he moved off to Austin, TX a little while back, that reviewing this release by his melodic, energetic pop-punk band J Church just makes us all nostalgic, thinking about when we could count on seeing Lance almost everyday hanging out here at Aquarius. But of course we're happy he's happy over there in Texas, and we're also happy to report that J Church is as vital as ever. This split teams five tracks performed by Lance Hahn's new Texan J Church lineup with four cuts by another Austin-based band, Storm The Tower, who play a Black Flagish, vaguely metallic style of hardcore. Their side is no let down, while J Church's half adds five fine new songs to the vast J Church discography, ranging from galloping pop punk anthems to explorations in guitar noise texture. Opening track "Terror Or Love" we almost thought was '80s metal before Lance's distinctive, earnest, diy vocals kicked in on the chorus!
MPEG Stream: J CHURCH "Terror Or Love"
MPEG Stream: STORM THE TOWER "Feeding The Filth Eater"

LOQUAT Before The Momentum (Builder / Devil In The Woods) cd 4.98
Following their very well-received Penny Drop 5-song ep, Loquat issue forth a slightly longer 7-song cd of equally pretty pop that once again brings to mind that fine British pop combo The Sundays. Wide-eyed, wistful, girlish vocals from Ms Kylee Swenson with a subtle, hushed backing of gentle piano, guitar and drums that tip toe gracefully around her voice. Be forewarned if you already have the ep, four of those five songs make a reappearance here (the final song "Band-Aid Queen" didn't make the cut), however they do deliver a sweet rendition of The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out". Should tide fans over until their soon-to-be-released debut full length. FYI: this is the third in Devil In The Woods Magazine's delightfully low priced Builder series.
MPEG Stream: "Friends Without Thumbs"
MPEG Stream: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

METALUCIFER Heavy Metal Hunter (Metal Proof Records / R.I.P. Records) cd 13.98
As you might guess after seeing 'em posing for pictures in front of a wall of vintage metal vinyl, these Japanese nutjobs are bigger metal maniacs than almost anyone else on the planet. And, they manage to do justice to their obssession with the music they make. This here disc is metal proof: the "ultimate US edition" of their debut album Heavy Metal Hunter, augmented by English language-tracks taken from their hard to find Heavy Metal Drill disc. Thus this includes 2 versions of title track "Heavy Metal Hunter pt.1" (one with extra solos) and a take of "Heavy Metal Hunter pt. 2" along with such songs as "Wolf Man" (both Japanese and English versions), "Bloody Countess" (likewise), "Headbanging" (ditto), and more. Totally old school, NWOBHM worship goin' on, delivered in a delightful tongue-in-cheek fashion -- we think. If you've ever seen local San Francisco metallers The Lord Weird Slough Feg end a live set with their raging cover of "Heavy Metal Hunter" you'll probably want this disc (and as it happens we have just enough copies to provide for the needs of all three of you).
MPEG Stream: "Heavy Metal Hunter pt. 1"

MIGHTY SPARROW, THE Hot + Sweet (BRG Records) cd 12.98
Born Slinger Francisco in Grenada in 1935, The Mighty Sparrow earned himself the title "calypso king of the world" in the 50's through his superior song writing, beautiful voice and -- most importantly -- his lyrical genious: scathing tomes wrapped in double entendre that hit you like ground glass in your daiquiri. This album, luxuriously produced by Beach Boys co-conspirator Van Dyke Parks in 1972, is blanketed with wonderful horn arrangements with harmonies of a much abused jazz origin, which highlight the Mighty Sparrow's gorgeous melody lines.
MPEG Stream: "English Diplomacy"
MPEG Stream: "Memories"

MOTORPSYCHO + JAGA JAZZIST HORNS In The Fishtank 10 (Konkurrent) cd 11.98
Another installment in Konkurrent's In The Fishtank series. So far there's been collaborations from Tortoise with The Ex, Low with Dirty Three, Willard Grant Conspiracy with Telefunk as well as Sonic Youth, I.C.P. and The Ex. Individual efforts have included June Of 44. This time it was a Norwegian experimental get-together with Motorpsycho and the horn section from Jaga Jazzist. The results are an impressive slow groovin' jazzy postrock affair.
MPEG Stream: "Bombay Brassiere"

NERVOUS COP s/t (5RC) cd 14.98
Drummer extraordinare Greg Saunier of Deerhoof and drummer supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Zach Hill of Hella kick up some noisy noise noise here. As you'd expect, there's lotsa drums in with their noise, plus...classical harp played by Joanna Newsom (of The Pleased, and solo fame)? Yep!
It's a hectic thirty minute wonderland of bipping bapping drumbeats and electronic fuckery, with some moments of mysterious beauty, strangely enough -- often courtesy of Newsom's harp pluckery. Like a lot of things Deerhoof-related, odd but good. And it's definitely got a great cover pic, we think.
MPEG Stream: "Franks No Frank"

NEUROSIS Official Bootleg 02: Stockholm, Sweden 10.15.99 (Neurot) cd 12.98
Our favorite psychedelic apocalyptic tribal metalcore band fights the bootleggers with this offical live recording, circa their Times Of Grace album. Most tracks are drawn from that fine album, with some earlier stuff represented as well, including "Locust Star", the hit from Through Silver In Blood. Great sound, great live band, it's a no-brainer for dedicated Neurosis fanatics.
MPEG Stream: "The Doorway"

NIGHTFIST The Epic (Temporary Residence) cd 9.98
What do you get when you mix a bunch of high school kids, the Champs, Dungeons And Dragons, Hammerfall, stadium rock, a record collection filled with black metal, and ridiculous instrumental prowess? Nightfist of course. These kids are like a power metal Champs, spewing forth galloping, rollicking melodic majestic instru-metal, complete with Maiden-ish duelling guitars, squiggly guitar solos, wicked double bass drumming, silly song titles, ridiculous opening/closing narrations and thankfully less irony than you might think, despite being released on Temporary Residence, not usually the home of Euro-styled metal mania.
MPEG Stream: "Chapter 1: The Hero's Overture"
MPEG Stream: "Chapter 2: Acidrainfuckhell"

OUTLAW ORDER Legalize Crime (Southern Lord) 7" 3.50
This is just what you might expect (and certainly hope for) from a band made up of five, that's right, FIVE members of sorely missed Southern doom sludge legends Eyehategod. The only difference this time around is the occasional burst of speed, like EHG, if they were chasing their cough syrup/heroin with a case of Red Bull. Crushing, pummelling, shrieking, howling, grinding metallic sludge. So good.

OX Movements (Kult Of Nihilow) 10" 11.98
Another amazing release from Finland's Kult Of Nihilow label (who brought us the Dot [.] 10" elsewhere on this list), this time from Ox, otherwise known as Ken from Canada's Sons Of Otis. Movements finds Ken, the axeman responsible for some of the heaviest stoner doom we've ever heard, taking his guitar playing to the farthest reaches of metal, ending up in some seriously grim and glacial territory, alongside minimal doom brethren Earth and Sunn 0))), In fact, if one didn't know better, on first listen, one could certainly be forgiven for thinking this was indeed a record by one of those slow motion doom legends. But that would be selling Ox a little short. Imagine Earth at their most ambient, then smooth off all the rough edges, until distorted guitars become slowly shifting tectonic plates, a glacial drone, dense with lumbering, rumbling tones. Doomy and dark, beautiful and serene.
Seriously limited to only 320 copies, of which we have 12, and we will NOT be able to get more. Beautifully packaged in thick black sleeve printed with metalllic silver ink.

RAUMSCHMIERE, T. Rabaukensiko (Novamute) cd ep 9.98
T. Raumschmiere's Radio Blackout album was one of the best big stompin' glam-techno assaults of the year, and here we have that album's single numba two (after Monstertruckdriver from before the album's release). The draw here is the two remixes by The Bug (Kevin Martin), in his crunchy "dancehell" stylee, one featuring toasting by Ras Bogle. Plus there's a video clip fer yer computer.
MPEG Stream: "Rabaukendisko (The Bug's DANCEHELL RMX feat. Ras Bogle)"

ROPE Widow's First Dawn (Family Vineyard) cd 14.98
Expatriate Polish post-rock act Rope are all about generating an atmosphere, and it's a creepy one, though quite arty. We liked their debut ep Fever, and this full-length delivers more of the same, and more besides as they've added more instrumentation (drums, piano, saxophone) to the bass and guitar previously employed. Furthermore, as if to evoke the widow of the title, there's some wordless soprano female fake 20th-century classical vox to compliment the throat-constricted whispery vocals of bassist Robert Iwanik, who sounds not unlike a sinister version of US Maple's Al Johnson. We're also reminded of Alan Dubin's Khanate croakings. Indeed, though far from black metal, this has some of that sort of vibe. It's spooky stuff, as if the music is lurking in the dark, bursting in brittle sheets to threaten the listener, even as the lulls soothe one into a trance. Washes of cymbals and jagged guitar offer no mercy, and even when the volume gets intense, the menace seems more mental than physical. Some may find this sort of thing, the female vocals in particular, too gothically-academically pretentious, but for others it will quite effectively set a mood and hold your musical interest as well. Spaciously recorded with a large, empty live reverby room sound by Steve Albini in Chicago, where Rope currently reside.
MPEG Stream: "Love Without The Illusion Of Permanence"
MPEG Stream: "Widow's First Dusk"

SHUDDER TO THINK Curses Spells Voodoo Mooses (Sammich / Dischord) cd 12.98
This review comes courtesy of former Outpunk label head, current A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. label mastermind, gay gangsta and AQ pal Matt Wobensmith!
First time ever on CD, after being out of print for over a decade! Before "emo" was a noun, it was an adjective used to describe the sensitive, post-hardcore stylings of artistic DC punkers, who weren't afraid to cry in public and dedicate songs to trees. Some say Rites of Spring's 1986 self-titled debut album (Dischord Records) is the holy grail of emo. However, this album may well be that genre's defining document. The operatic wailings of Craig Wedren's falsetto -- not unlike Pere Ubu's David Thomas -- were a peculiar contrast to the band's more aggressive punk leanings. Says Craig of this era: "I joined a 'hardcore' group, we did not like each other's sound, they banged, I screeched ... [it] came out sounding, a little like, Ozzy?" From a time when "US hardcore" was mired in socio-political aggression and macho posturing, STT were perhaps a reaction -- ironically from within the ranks of DC bands that were so influential to that movement in the first place. This is a beautiful and enthralling album, impossibly melancholic, with perplexing lyrics from someone who's "heart is filled with 'All May Rise' and 'X Ray Eyes'". Lots of people know Shudder to Think's bizarre, dramatic alt-rock material from subsequent recordings for Dischord and later, Epic, from which most of their fan base is likely drawn. But this record -- while technically inferior and unpolished from a production standpoint -- is still many fans' favorite STT release.
MPEG Stream: "A Vampire's Proposal"
MPEG Stream: "Abysmal Yellow Popcorn Wall"

SMEGMA / WOLF EYES No Face Lives (Destijl) lp 15.98
Portland's clattery, free improvised noise unit meets Ann Arbor's caustic power electronic doom-synth trio, for an unprecedented meeting of the..uh..minds. Smega seem to come out on top, with the overall sound falling squarely in their clinking, crashing, hippie music concrete by way of No Neck Blues band free folk clatter and Negativland-ish plunderphonic found sound collage. The strong sonic personalities in Wolf Eyes seem to have no problem playing the supporting role here, underscoring the ramshackle freeness of Smegma, with their buzzing homemades synths, and grinding electric guitar grit.

SOLEFALD In Harmonia Universal (Century Media) cd 14.98
Been meaning to review this for a while now. But we realized we would be hard pressed to come up with a review better than this one from AQ pal Roberto's Maelstrom Descent online magazine (www/maelstrom.nu) written by mysterious Maelstrom staffer The Condor:
Not sure what it is that turned Solefald from their grim blackness into a goofy electronic/metal hybrid, then into a super technical genre hopping 'modern' black metal band and finally into a melancholic dark metal prog band. But whatever it is, I love it. Very few bands have been so interesting to watch and remained so totally unpredictable. While this unpredictability has not always served them well (the musical mis-step that was the sort of appalling Neonism) it has managed to keep them sonically original and served to alienate their core fan base with every new release. And c'mon, you gotta love a band with that sort of single mindedness. This time around their overt weirdness is blunted a bit and it serves them well. The songs are still weird, but subtlely, in structure and melody, rather than the brick-in-the-face, over the top weirdness of their past efforts. The sound here is melancholy and mournful, with lots of acoustic guitars and piano, chantlike clean vocals and really catchy hooks. The first band I thought of when I threw this on was definitely Katatonia. Midtempo minor key epics with gorgeously sorrowful melodies and amazing production. The occasional circusy/ prog rock keyboards or Gerry Rafferty (remember "Baker Street"?) saxophones won't let you forget that you're still listening to Solefald, and the once-in-a-while bursts of furious blast beats and growled guttural vocals help remind us that the band we're listening to was actually once a real black metal band. Not their best record by a long shot (that would be the amazing and fucked up Pills Against the Ancient Ills) nor the heaviest (that would be their debut, The Linear Scaffold) just a gorgeous chunk of sad heaviness, and the next perfectly illogical step in Solefald's musical evolution.
MPEG Stream: "Epictetus Irreversibility"
MPEG Stream: "Mont Blanc Providence Crow"

SPIRIT CARAVAN The Last Embrace (Meteor City) 2cd 21.00
Joe Lally's Tolatta label sadly seems to have shuffled off this mortal coil (that's why we can't get those first two Dead Meadow albums anymore, too bad for new fans who came to that band via their debut on Matador this year) and Tolotta's flagship stoner rock outfit Spirit Caravan did the same, as well, with leader Scott "Wino" Weinrich moving on to new projects The Hidden Hand and Place Of Skulls, notching more bands on a resume that also includes The Obsessed and Saint Vitus. But demand remains for Spirit Caravan's two Tolotta albums so Meteor City has stepped in with this double cd that combines 'em into one neat package -- plus bonus material that makes this essential for completists even if they've already got the original albums. Perhaps Meteor City will arrange to do the same with the Dead Meadow discs? Hint hint. Anyway, if you're a Wino/Spirit Caravan fan who missed either Jug Fulla Sun or Elusive Truth, now you've got another chance. And in case you're unfamilar with Wino & co., but stoner-curious, here's a quote from our review of Jug Fulla Sun, which was definitely one of the top stoner rock releases of the past ten years: "Doom, groove, riffs, Wino's trademark Ozzy-tinged vox: this is the real deal." In addition to the two whole Tolotta albums, these cds include three totally unreleased songs, plus five 7" and comp tracks, and three demo tracks recorded by the band back when they were known as Shine.
MPEG Stream: "The Last Embrace"
MPEG Stream: "Powertime"

STAFRAENN HAKON ...Eignast Jeppa (Secret Eye) cd 12.98
...Eignast Jeppa is total la-la-la music without any la-la-las. Instrumental drifting bliss-out from the frosty, mystic isle of Iceland -- although it's a lot warmer sounding than that land of origin might suggest. And I don't think we're guilty of any cheap comparisons when we say: for fans of Sigur Ros. Indeed, for folks who aren't fans of Sigur Ros too, 'cause there's none of those sappy vocals that put us off Sigur Ros a bit here at AQ, just some quiet whispers now and then. It's just lovely lovely stuff in a post-rock vein that could be from the Temporary Residence camp, or perhaps the work of Sweden's Bjorn Olsson, or an echo of krautrock duo Cluster from decades past. Epic yet snuggly.
This is but one of *three* new albums by Stafraenn Hakon, the solo project of one Olafur Josephsson, with the other two being released by the UK's Resonant label (one's out already and will be reviewed here next time, the other should be out soon too). This one's his first, though, having been originally released on cd-r in Iceland in 2002 but now out domestically on cd with 2 extra tracks via the Secret Eye label run by folks from Black Forest/Black Sea. Josephsson records on a 4-track in his basement, layering guitars and melodica over sparse drum loops, all very mellow and pretty. Whenever we play any Stafraenn Hakon in the store, somebody always asks what it is and buys a copy (or at least asks to write down the name for future purchasing reference). A very nice discovery.
MPEG Stream: "Vomiz"
MPEG Stream: "Silfurgeitungur"

SUN CITY GIRLS Bleach Has Feelings, Too! / To Cover Up Your Right To Live (Eclipse) 2lp 18.98
Eclipse continues with installment number two in their ongoing and immense task of reissuing the entire Sun City Girls cassette catalog. As we discovered with their previous release of the first two cassettes "God Is My Solar System" and "Superpower" they've taken the liberty of both including odds and ends from other cassettes and leaving out bits and pieces here and there to boot. Which is all good and well, as it leaves those dedicated fans who hold onto the original cassettes with a special keepsake and allows SCG neophytes and collectors alike to both enjoy a time capsule look at the trio in its infancy and a handsome limited edition package to share with our kids when we retire. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The tracks taken from "Bleach Has Feelings, Too!" come to us from recordings made by the Girls between 1982 and 1984. It's a snapshot of three precocious teenagers as they fuck around with a radio evangelist's call-in show, spin some sex records that would make the makers of Flexi-Sex blush and lay down the groundwork for their trademark punk rock free jazz skronk. The tracks on "To Cover Up Your Right To Live", culled from 1983 and 1985 recordings, present yet another disparate facet of the SCG aesthetic, namely that of the (ir)reverent cover tune. Along with fuck you style jams to VU's "Waitin For My Man" and "The Summertime Blues" there's also some kick ass takes on the theme to the "Wild World of Animals", "Caravan", and "Back Stabbers". Forget the album's shortcomings in regards to its definitive aspirations. This is a fine gatefold edition with great photos (demonstrating once again that the Girls are the best dressed men in show business) and, like the cassettes from where this comes, will be long gone and out of print in short time anyhow.

THUNDERBOLT The Burning Deed Of Deceit (ISO666) cd 14.98
Yet another blackened recommendation direct from the unholy oracle, otherwise known as AQ comrade in evil, Wrest of black metal horde Leviathan:
When asked to review a couple of discs for Aquarius, I was psyched to find they were among my favorites cds of '03. "The Burning Deed of Deceit" is this Polish artist's third official release and it is definitely Satanic Blackened Metal at its sharpest. Thunderbolt is created almost solely by Paimon, with a session drummer and keyboardist. Paimon, definitely from the school of Snorre Ruch (mastermind behind Thorns and father of the Norse guitar attack), writes hymns with ferocity not felt since early Immortal or old Satyricon. Noteworthy also is the fantastic drum playing and natural drum sound. Levitating blasts, odd time signitures and abrupt tempo changes make up this six song epic. Highlights include "Die With Your Religion" for its hauntingly dischordant keyboard and "The One Who Sleeps", which trudges through the fields of the righteous, the spell broken only by a melancholy acoustic interlude. The soundtrack to a blood-ritual in the name of the one with horns. Hail Satan!!!
MPEG Stream: "Die With Your Religion"
MPEG Stream: "Lord Of Creation"

UTON Pseudohumanoid (PseudoArcana) cd-r 12.98
From the wilds of Finland, via the wilds of New Zealand, comes this burbling cauldron of pagan-free-folk-noise from the mysterious outfit known as Uton. Jewelled Antler released a three inch cd a while back, but this full length really allows Uton to do what they do best, spread waaaaay out, and unfurl a thick spiky carpet of jangle and shimmer, amplifier grit and instrument buzz, clumsy primitive percussion, and creepy ambience. Finnophiles are probably already hip to these guys, but for all of you into No Neck, Thuja, Sunburned Hand and all things drone-y and Krautrocky, check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Pseudohuman I"
MPEG Stream: "Pseudohuman II"

WATCHMAKER Kill.Fucking.Everyone (Willowtip) cd 14.98
This is punk fucking rock. Or maybe heavy fucking metal. Actually it's sort of both. This band is THE MOST PISSED sounding band I've ever heard. So intensely aggressive from their music to their lyrics to the vocals to the name of their record. Not sure what a Watchmaker is (besides one who makes watches) or what that has to do with how pissed these guys are but who cares? This is so good. Somewhere between Drop Dead and Marduk, ultra fast, with the occasional blastbeat, glass gargling vocals and buzzing sharp-as-fuck guitars. Nineteen songs and 29 minutes of seriously furious, venomously antagonistic, head smashingly heavy, mean mean music.
MPEG Stream: "Catalepsy Of Fear"
MPEG Stream: "Conference Call Immolation"

WIRE, THE issue #239 January 2004 magazine 7.50
Not just any ish of The Wire, but their "2003 Rewind" edition, looking back on the year that was. In addition, the usual assortment of interviews and reviews, including features on Basil Kirchin and Arthur Russell.

YOSHIHIDE, OTOMO + NOBUKAZU TAKEMURA Turntables and Computers (Headz) cd 18.98
You'd almost like to think that with a title like Turntables and Computers, this would turn out to have been made with rocks and sticks. But no, the title is indeed a very literal labelling of this disc's musical contents. Otomo Yoshihide is one of Japan (and the world's) top turntable experimentalists, whilst his countryman Nobukazu Takemura is a laptop jockey of some reknown. Together they craft a humming, droning, pulsating, glitchy bleepathon. It sounds like a field recording from some sorta sci-fi birdhouse, with a radio on in the background. Voices from Otomo's vinyl records drift in and out of the mix, as if from persons lost amid the pleasantly noisy chaos being created. It's one long 46-minute track, the result of a live improv session. Apparently it was the first time these two had ever worked (or played) together. What they came up with is probably closer to the less pop, more abstract aspects of the Powerbook electronica that Nobukazu is known for, intersecting with the minimalist electronic rather than jazz side of Otomo's ouvre. By the end it gets into mindshredding noise territory, a real nice finale to a disc that visits much quiet beauty as well.
MPEG Stream: "Turntables and Computers (excerpt)"

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V/A Improvised Music From Japan EXTRA 2003 (Improvised Music From Japan) mag + 2cd 23.00
Second issue (sort of, they call it "Extra") of this print and audio journal devoted to the underground Japanese electro-acoustic improvisation scene. Definitely THE place to go to get enlightened about what's happening on that front. In both English and Japanese, this thick 128 page magazine features interviews with Ami Yoshida, Shoji Hano, and numerous others we're less familiar with, quite a few of 'em from a young generation of musicians here dubbed "Improv's New Waves". There's also a ton of reviews of intriguing cd releases that you'll probably only find out about here (and never see in a shop outside of Japan), and of course there's the magazine's audio portion: this time around, two discs full of cuts by artists from that "New Waves" scene, everything from jazz trumpet to turntables to death metal drums n' laptop. There's couple bonus cuts as well, including one from, um, old wave improvisor Shoji Hano.

V/A Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before... (Rough Trade) cd 10.98
To commemorate twenty five years of existence, Rough Trade have released an action-packed compilation of sixteen 'old school' R.T. artists' songs performed by 'new school' R.T. artists. So, who is partaking in the festivities? Noneother than Belle & Sebastian, Alasdair Roberts, Elizabeth Fraser (well, they're not such new schoolers!), Oneida, The Detroit Cobras, The Fiery Furnaces, Delays, Royal City, Adam Green, The Tyde, Mystic Chords Of Memory, The Veils, Eastern Lane, The Hidden Cameras, Jeffrey Lewis, and current Cup favorite British Sea Power. And who is being covered? Lots of old faves... a couple by Young Marble Giants, The Clean, a couple by Galaxie 500, The Feelies, Aztec Camera, a couple by The Strokes (oops, *they're* not such old schoolers, are they?!), Ivor Cutler, Mazzy Star, James Blood Ulmer, Television Personalities, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt, and The Fall.
MPEG Stream: BELLE & SEBASTIAN "Final Day"
MPEG Stream: ELIZABETH FRASER "At Last I Am Free"

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If you want to order one of these, just cut and paste the info into the comments area on the order form, or just email mailorder@aquariusrecords.org.

ASHLEY, GREG "Medicine Fuck Dream" (Birdman) cd 13.98
BERING, JONAS "Sketches For The Next Season" (Kompakt) cd 16.98
CHARALAMBIDES "Unknown Spin" (Kranky) cd 14.98
CREATURES, THE "Hai" (Instinct) cd 15.98
DAVIS, MILES "The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions" (Columbia) 5cd 56.00
DAVKA "The Golem" (Tzadik) cd 16.98
GALAS, DIAMANDA "Defixiones: Will And Testament" (Mute) 2cd 23.00
GALAS, DIAMANDA "La Serpenta Canta" (Mute) 2cd 19.98
HOAHIO "Peek-Ara-Boo" (Tzadik) cd 16.98
JANDEK "The Gone Wait" (Corwood) cd 8.98
JAY-Z "The Black Album" (Roc-A-Fella) cd 15.98
JOYCE, JAMES "The Complete Recordings" (Sub Rosa) cd 21.00
KEELHAUL "Subject To Change Without Notice" (Hydra Head) cd 14.98
KITCHEN CYNICS, THE "Parallel Dog Days" (Secret Eye) cd 12.98
KOIVIKKO, SAMI "Salmiakki" (Shitkatapult) cd 16.98
LIGOTTI, THOMAS AND BRANDON TRENZ "Crampton" (Durtro) book + cd 32.00
LONG LIVE DEATH "To Do More Than God...To Die" (Secret Eye) cd 12.98
LOVELY MIDGET "North Head" (Family Vineyard) cd 14.98
MERZBOW "
MIDDLETON, MALCOLM "5: 14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine" (Chemikal Underground) cd 16.98
NEWMAN, HARRIS "Non-Sequiturs" (Strange Attractors Audio House) cd 13.98
PHOSPHENE "Projection" (Secret Eye) cd 12.98
QBERT, DJ "DJ Q Bert's Complete Do-It Yourself Volume 2: Skratch Sessions" (Thud Rumble) dvd 26.00
QUAILS, THE "The Song Is Love" (Mr. Lady) cd 13.98
RAEKWON "The Lex Diamond Story" (Universal) cd 15.98
RAKU SUGIFATTI "Futatsu" (Improvised Music From Japan) cd 24.00
ROBB, J.D. "Rhythmania" (Locust) cd 14.98
SABERS "Specter" (Neurot) cd 12.98
SALVATORE "Fresh" (Rocket Racer) cd 13.98
SIEWERT, MARTIN & MARTIN BRANDLMAYR "Too Beautiful To Burn" (Erstwhile) cd 14.98
SOUL POSITION "8 Million Stories" (Fatbeats) cd 16.98
STAFRAENN HAKON "Skvettir Edik A Rek" (Resonant) cd 16.98
STALK FORREST GROUP "St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings" (Rhino) cd 19.98
STEINSKI "Burning Out of Control, the Sugarhill Mix" (Antidote) cd 17.98
STILLER, BEN "The Ben Stiller Show" 2cd 27.00
THE ORDER: FROM MATTHEW BARNEY'S CREMASTER 3 (Palm Pictures) dvd 23.00
TIGER LILLIES AND KRONOS QUARTET "The Gorey End" (EMI) cd 16.98
TURN ME ON DEAD MAN "God Bless The Electric Freak" (self-released) cd 6.66
V/A "Glory, Dominion, Power, Majesty" (PK) cd/2lp 18.98/22.00
V/A "Rephlexions!" (Rephlex) cd 14.98
V/A "Rewind Records: Soundmurderer + SK-1" (Rewind) cd 16.98
V/A "The Danque!!" (Afrodisiac) cd 12.98
V/A "WAR (If it feels good, do it!)" (Hip Hop Slam) cd 12.98
WESTSIDE CONNECTION "Terrorist Threats" (Capitol) cd 16.98
YOSHIHIDE, OTOMO / PARK JE CHUN / MI YEON "Loose Community" (Improvised Music From Japan) cd 17.98

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ABOUT MAILORDER

Please place your order via our website.

[1] We will contact you to verify your order and let you know when it will be shipped. Please note that occasionally it may take a day or two for us to reply. We are not a faceless bunch of computers replying to your order -- we are human beings!

[2] If we are out of some of your items and we think we will get them within the same week, we can wait to ship. Or... If it's going to be more than a few days to complete your order, we will ship what we have and then will contact you as the remainders arrive.

[ note ] Due to the everchanging nature of the independent record business, we are not responsible for listed price changes (due to supplier price changes) and often cannot update our site fast enough to reflect these changes, but we will always try to let you know of any differences.


DOMESTIC SHIPPING :
-------------------------------- Shipping within the USA is via UPS Ground for a flat rate of $4.50 for 1-2 items. Packages with 3 items or more cost $6.50. All packages are automatically insured and trackable. Please note that UPS will not ship to PO Boxes. If you only have a PO Box, we can ship via US Postal Service. Please note that if you have us ship to a commercial address (like your workplace), it saves us money and we appreciate that.


INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING :
-------------------------------- For foreign customers we ship via US AIRMAIL ("Letterpost"). Your price is based on the actual cost of shipping plus $1. You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package, No Correspondence" category and see the price for "Letterpost". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound.)

We highly recommend insurance for your international package, but it is very expensive! You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package, No Correspondence" category and see the price for "Parcel Post". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound.)


INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE :
-------------------------------- You are hereby forewarned that Aquarius is not responsible if your international package gets lost in the mail. Insurance is your only recourse if your records never show up. Since the terrible events of 9/11, mail service has been slow and undependable... and while we haven't experienced any *confirmed* permanently lost mail, insurance might provide some additional piece of mind in this time of upheaval. We strongly recommend it. But yes, it is very expensive. It's your choice. Again: Aquarius is not responsible for lost mail, so if you aren't willing to take a (slight but real) risk, please buy the insurance.

International insurance is very expensive! In fact often the insurance costs more than the value of your package, in which case it obviously does not make sense to insure it. You can check the US Postal Service international rate calculator: http://ircalc.usps.gov/. (Use the "Package, No Correspondence" category and see the price for "Parcel Post", which is the way insured packages are sent. 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound.)

For example: for a one-pound package worth $18 going to England, shipping without insurance is about $8. But with insurance, the shipping / insurance total is over $16!

It is your reponsibility to check the international rate calculator in order to determine whether or not you want international insurance. If you tell us you want international insurance, we will add it to your order no matter how much it costs!


PAYMENT :
-------------------------------- Payment is via credit card: Visa, MC, Discover, and Amex. Money orders are accepted only from customers within the USA. If you must pay by money order, you have to confirm the order with us through email or phone BEFORE you send any payment. We cannot take personal checks for mailorder, sorry!


QUESTION?
-------------------------------- Email the mailorder department: mailorder@aquariusrecords.org


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SOME SELECTED UPCOMING RELEASES

----} January
Electric Wizard "We Live" cd on TMC
Guapo "Five Suns" cd on Cuneiform
Scharpling & Wuster "New Hope For The Ape-Eared" 2cd on Stereolaffs
Metal Urbain "Anarchy In Paris!" cd on Acute/Carpark
Yeti "Volume Obliteration Trancendence" cd on Life Is Abuse
Necronomitron cd on Load
Sigmatropic "Sixteen Haiku" cd
Coachwhips "Bangers Vs. Fuckers" cd on Narnack
Fantomas "Delirium Cordia" cd on Ipecac
Ani DiFranco "Educated Guess" cd on Righteous Babe
Iced Earth "The Glorious Burden" cd on Hunter
Professor "Acadamizer EP" cd reissue on tUMULt
Dizzee Rascal "Boy In Da Corner" cd on Matador
Cornelius "5.1 plus PM" DVD+cd on Matador
Belle & Sebastian "Fans Only" DVD on Matador
Preston School Of Industry "Monsoon" cd/lp on Matador
Air "Walkie Talkie" cd on Astralwerks
Califone "King Heron Blues" cd/lp on Thrill Jockey
Bobby Conn & The Glass Gypsies "The Homeland" cd/lp on Thrill Jockey
Chicago Underground Trio "Slon" cd on Thrill Jockey
Boris "Boris At Last" (aka "Feedbacker") cd on DIWPHALANX Records
Boris "Live at Shimokitazawa Shelter" DVD on DIWPHALANX Records
Es "Kaikkeuden Kasittamattomyys Ja Kauneus" cd on Fonal
Jason Molina "Pyramid Electric Co." LP on Secretly Canadian
Cerberus Shaol / Magic Carpathians "The Life And Times..." cd on North East Indie
Oneida "Secret Wars" cd/lp on Jagjaguwar
Mekons "Punk Rock" cd on Quarterstick
TV On The Radio "Young Liars" now on vinyl on Touch & Go
Hella "The Devil Isn't Red" cd on 5RC
Fuck "Those Are Not My Bongos" cd on Homesleep
The Notwist "Different Cars and Trains" cd on Domino US
James Yorkston "Someplace Simple" cd on Domino US

----} February
Microphones "Live In Japan" cd/lp on K
The Olivia Tremor Control "Dusk At Cubist Castle" cd reissue on Cloud Recordings
The Olivia Tremor Control "Black Foliage" cd reissue on Cloud Recordings
Summer Hymns "Value Series Vol. 1 Fool's Gold" cdep on Misra
Amps For Christ "The People At Large" cd on 5RC
Xiu Xiu "Fabulous Muscles" cd on 5RC
Lambchop "Aw Cmon" cd on Merge
Lambchop "No You Cmon" cd on Merge
Superchunk "Crowding Up Your Visual Field" DVD on Merge
Trouble Funk "Live And Early Singles" 2cd on 2.13.61
Todd Fancey (New Pornographers) "Fancey" cd on March
Black Forest/Black Sea "Forcefields & Constellations" cd on BlueSanct
Ghost "Hypnotic Underworld" cd/2lp on Drag City
All Night Radio tba cd on Sub Pop

----} March
Low "A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief: B-sides and Rarities" 3cd on Chairkickers Music
Simon Joyner "Lost With The Lights On" cd/lp on Jagjaguwar
Little Wings "Harvest Joy" cd on K
Sufjan Stevens "Seven Swans" cd on Sounds Familyre
Ativin "night Mute" cd/lp on Secretly Canadian
The Olivia Tremor Control "Dusk At Cubist Castle" 2cd reissue on Cloud Recordings
The Olivia Tremor Control "Black Foliage" 2cd reissue on Cloud Recordings
Black Sabbath "The Black Box" box set
TV On The Radio "Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes" cd on Touch & Go
The Black Heart Procession "The Tropics Of Love" DVD on Touch and Go
The Bobbyteens "Crusin' For A Brusin'" cd on Estrus
The Black Heart Procession + Solbakken "In The Fishtank 11" cd on Fishtank
v/a "Tracks And Fields" double cd on Kill Rock Stars
Destroyer "Your Blues" cd on Merge
Richard Youngs "River Through Howling Sky" cd on Jagjaguwar
Circulatory System "Blasting Through" cd/lp on Cloud Recordings
Wolf Colonel "New England" cd on K
Mayhem "Chimera" cd on Season Of Mist
Iron & Wine tba cd/lp on Sup Pop
Joanna Newsom "The Milk-Eyed Mender" cd on Drag City


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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Love,

Andee Byram Cup Allan and Jim