KONONO NO.1 Congotronics (Crammed Discs) cd 17.98
So here it is! Hard to believe it's finally here -- some of us have been waiting forever for this record, or at least ever since we discovered a tiny, super compressed, thirty second long sound clip on the internet over a year ago. In all of half a minute, we became OBSESSED. Completely captivated by this band's totally alien, lush, organic 'world music' weirdness. We eventually tracked down a (great) live record by Konono No.1, which we listed here a few weeks back, and then after tons of internet sleuthing and a bunch of emails we finally managed to get in touch with someone at the Crammed label in Belgium who was willing to sell us this brand new studio album directly, since they are without US distribution. Phew! So was it worth it? Hell yeah! Anyone who heard that infamous sound sample (which was from this album), or who got to hear the live record, knows that this band is totally amazing, and indeed this record is beautiful, wild and wonderful, chaotic and festive, totally perplexing but completely mesmerizing. For those who missed out on the live record (which we've also just restocked!) or are new to the wonders of Konono No.1, here's the story: twenty five years ago, Konono formed in Kinshasa, an area between Congo and Angola, performing their own version of traditional Bazombo trance music, incorporating the then-unwanted distortions of their haphazard homemade sound system. They left the bush and settled in the capital where they were forced to compete with the harsh sounds of the city: cars, trains, buses, shouting, etc. So with very little to work with they fashioned pick-ups, microphones, loudspeakers and amplifiers from stuff they could find on the street -- old car batteries, pots and pans, magnets, even branches. Their main instrument is the likembe, a kind of thumb piano. Konono features three of 'em (bass, medium and treble) and the sound of the electrified and amplified likembe is what defines their sound. Accompanied by dancers and percussionists, the likembes wail and drone, buzz and moan, totally overblown and distorted, sounding a little like sixties fuzz guitars, turning a glorious high life jam into something much more strange and wonderful. Super rhythmic, and thick with the buzzing melodies of the likemebe's, Konono weave a massive sound. It's the wildest weirdest street party you've ever been to. Throbbing with energy and emotion, rambuctiously rollicking and totally infectious. Seven lengthy tracks that all sort of bleed and fuse into one epic world-psych jam. The African high life Hawkwind? So so great!
Check out this video clip:KONONO
MPEG Stream: "Lufuala Ndonga"
MPEG Stream: "Masikulu"

CONIFER s/t (Not Common / Lax Wax) cd 10.98
Bands have been naming themselves after all manner of objects and creatures since the beginning of rock and roll. Heavy bands tending toward the mighty, the fierce or at least the very large. All manner of monsters and demons, various tigers and lions and even some sea creatures have been represented. But the largest, most imposing objects in nature have been sadly neglected as a source for inspiration and band-naming. TREES. So we have Conifer to right that wrong. And in doing so, judging from this ferocious slab of indie rock / metal sludge hypno-pummel, you'd certainly be forgiven for thinking this particular tree could take on any of the rock demons and metallic beasties that came before.
Conifer sleepily trawl through the dark recesses of post rock, taking the languorous slow burning churn of bands like Slint or Seam Or Bastro, all dark and brooding, simple and insistent, and stretching the riffs and melodies into expansive stretches of moody melancholy, swathed in Pink Floydian swoosh and whirl, before dropping the bomb. Massive downtuned guitars explode, splitting post rock atoms into clumps of corrosive riffage, peppered with raspy howls and screeching banshee melodies, sometimes gaining momentum and becoming unstoppable exercises in epic doomy drone-metal ala Neurosis or Isis, sometimes becoming glacial explorations into slow motion doom a la Khanate, and other times employing distorted ghostly computer vocals and buzzing psychedelia into Butthole Surfers-like sonic freakouts. A lot of this does definitely sound like Isis, Neurosis, Pelican or Buried At Sea, which is obviously a good thing, but more often it sounds like a doom-sludge A Minor Forest or a post rock Boris or a very metal Slint. Which is an even better thing!
MPEG Stream: "Turning Sand Into Glass"
MPEG Stream: "Albuquerque Reprise"

JESU s/t (Hydrahead) cd 14.98
What the hell happened to Godflesh? We've been wondering that for years. Streetcleaner was a stone cold classic. Heavy and clinical and completely brutal. Slavestate, Pure, Selfless all great records as well. So what the hell happened? The riffs got more generic, the vocals, always the possible sticking point, got louder and louder and more pointless and distracting, until Godflesh became a shadow of the industrial metal legend they once were. That's why we thought it was a bit funny that people were chomping at the bit for this Jesu record, the first we've heard from Justin Broderick AKA Godflesh since 2001 and the godawful Hymns record. Why would anyone expect anything but more of the same watered down industrial crap? Well, that'll teach us for having so little faith as this record is something else. Figuratively AND literally. It's great. no doubt about it. Heavy and beautiful, haunting and crushing. But at the same time, it's not a Streetcleaner rehash, which we all certainly would have been happy with. Instead, Broderick has taken the harsh industrial crunch of Godflesh, and tempered it with layer after layer of thick sonic grandeur and lots and lots of melody. And gone are the shouted vocals WAY up in the mix, and in their place, actual singing. Melodies, harmonies, some serious crooning by metal standards, but thankfully, the vocals are nestled way back in the mix, cozied up next to the warm thick guitars and the rumbling bass. Unlike the cold clinical fury of Godflesh, Jesu is dark and warm, thick and harmonically rich. These tracks are massive, glacially creeping epics, spelling out minor key melodies in lurches and bursts, haunting vocals draped over the thick riffs like sparkling Christmas lights, barely visible through the snow. Sort of like a metal northern lights, a thick rippling curtain of subtle disonnance, My Blooody Valentine filtered through the epic sludge of Neurosis. M83 playing at 16rpm. A gloriously hopeful, sonically sparkling dirge-y doom pop. Yes, pop. Because underneath the wall of guitars, and the dubbed out melodies, and super affected vocals, and lugubrious tempos, are actual songs. Good songs. Heavy sure, but beautiful and strangely delicate, especially for a 'metal' record. Reminiscent of Slint's Spiderland in the way it takes minor key moodiness, and imbues it with a gleam of hope, a hint of joy, barely discernible through the suffocating cloak of despair.
MPEG Stream: "Your Path To Divinity"
MPEG Stream: "Friends Are Evil"

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DAVIS, MILES A Tribute To Jack Johnson (Sony) cd 12.98
First of all, this album is undeniably incredible. Secondly, if you don't already own this or the expensive Complete Jack Johnson Sessions, buy it. For yourself, for friends, for your stuffed animals, whatever. Make sure you have a copy around you at all times. This album, the object of cult-like fascination for decades, is now remastered and easily available once again.
Inspired by his own deep passion for the art of boxing, Miles created this soundtrack in 1970 for the documentary about legend-in-his-own-time boxer, Jack Johnson. A time change in the very first couple of measures hints that the two twenty-five minute tracks here were captured mid-jam. Musicians involved on these sessions also worked on Bitches Brew (1969) and include John McLaughlin and his soon-to-be fellow Mahavishnu Orchestra member Billy Cobham on, respectively, guitar and drums; electric bassist Michael Henderson; soprano saxist Steve Grossman; accidental walk-in Herbie Hancock on Farfisa organ; and, on the second track, "Yesternow," an uncredited Sonny Sharrock on additional electric guitar. Jimi Hendrix was also meant to be involved but sadly shuffled off his mortal coil prior to the session. Even without the Hendrix element, Tribute is by far the closest Davis ever really came to ROCK. Not your typical white pop-song/performance-driven rock of the time (for instance, The Who and other artists who joined Davis at the legendary Isle of Wight festival in 1970), but a deep, spacious jazz funk rock fusion that one would absorb introspectively rather than conjure up an immediate energized reaction. This "music" was way ahead of its time. Rock audiences of the time couldn't fully grasp Davis' electric direction here, and on the flip side, jazz audiences/critics blasted him for his deviances from classic (acoustic) jazz. It may sound a little gratuitous, but honestly it's as totally mind-blowing today as it must of been then, perhaps and hopefully now more welcomed by a broader audience. Again, we must insist you BUY THIS NOW. You will not regret it.
MPEG Stream: "Right Off"

ENSLAVED Isa (Tabu / Candlelight USA) cd 15.98
Gosh, we're rarely as, um, anticipant (is that a word?) of a new album release by a metal band as we are of anything new by Norway's Enslaved! Pant, pant, pant. And this new album from them, Isa, really got us worked up waiting for it, as an European version was released towards the end of last year but we never were able to buy, beg or steal import copies of it -- although we did get a handful of the vinyl pressing, now gone. But, those extra few months of waiting was worth it, as this domestic cd version boasts some bonus cd-rom footage: the video for the title track, and a twenty minute band interview. Patience pays off. So why were we so excitedly anticipant about this you may ask? Well Enslaved have always been a band who've been adept at pushing all of AQ's buttons (in a good way, that is). There's the old-school Nordic black metal button (which Enslaved, who's first release was a split with Emperor, has no trouble pushing, and here they get guest throats Abbath from Immortal and Nocturno Culto from Darkthrone to apply extra force). There's the epic Floydian psych button. The mood-shattering dynamics button. The Viking tunic and tights button. The avant-garde '70s keyboard-laden prog button. The leather and spikes rock n' roll button. Even the vaguely jazz-fusiony guitar soloing button. The so many buttons button. Now, to be sure, their various records (this is number eight, or so) push these buttons and others in various combinations. At first listen to any of their albums, we often think, hmm, is this working for us? And always it does. Isa is no exception. It continues in what we might call the Opethian progression of recent Enslaved efforts like Monumension and Below The Lights, away from the pure speed and violence of such earlier albums as Frost and Blodheim, but all the polished parts and techy time-changes and such are always offset by a stab at that blackened Norwegian nastiness button, y'know? Jarring yet repetitive riffage coexists here with some clean, Michael Gira style crooning, and droning metal blur, Geiger-counter drumming, and majestic minor-key melody: an art-rock cruise ship rammed and boarded by a Viking longboat. Even with new members (Dirge Rep's replacement on the drum stool is the guy from Red Harvest, we think) and hence new directions, Enslaved have crafted an album that's definitely a progressive part of their now hallowed legacy, replete with menace and grandeur. Too soon yet to tell if this is pushing ALL the same buttons as the godly Mardraum (an AQ Record of the Week once upon a time), or Eld, or Below The Lights but that's what those records are for, anyway. Time for them later, here at last is the NEW Enslaved, so let's let it let us enjoy it!
MPEG Stream: "Bounded By Allegiance"
MPEG Stream: "Ascension"

FALLOUT BOY Take This To Your Grave (Fueled By Ramen) cd 13.98
Here Andee gushes about his favorite record of the last couple years, one that he put on his top ten list the last two years (much to Allan's chagrin) even though it came out in 2003, and a record that we have somehow never gotten around to reviewing, until now, which is perfect, since it's just been re-released with bonus tracks and some other crap:
I have no idea how to review this record. I absolutely love it. It is the only record that I have consistantly listened to almost every day, for the last two years. I never get sick of it. I always defend it as a guilty pleasure, sort of sheepsihly admitting to my obsessive love of this record, but the more and more I listen to it, the more I'm not so sure it's a guily pleasure after all. But before you go any further, answer this question: do you love the Posies, the Get Up Kids, Sloan, Weezer, The Stereo, Reggie And The Full Effect? If the answer is yes, continue on, and let me tell you about another record you ABSOLUTELY MUST OWN. If the answer is no, then what the heck is wrong with you??? Seriously... um, no, sorry, in that case, well, there's plenty of other stuff you could be checking out, so you are hereby dismissed. But those of you who did indeed answer yes, and who like your pop of the power variety, and love complex harmonies and unforgettable hooks and kick ass guitars, well, then let me tell you about Fallout Boy.
To my ears, this is the perfect mix of metal and pop. Like a metalcore pop record. The guitars are HUGE and crunchy and super metallic, but they are playing totally catchy melodies, intricate harmonies all over super dynamic start stop arrangements. And the vocals are totally perfect, high and clean and soaring, lots of harmonies there too, very emo sure, but the whole thing is just totally massive, heavy, emotional perfect pop. Easily my favorite 'pop' record since the Stereo. One of our 'pop' customers thought this sounded too "boy", but that's part of the appeal, if by "too boy" he meant TOO METAL. Then maybe it is. It is kind of metal, you can totally tell these guys grew up on metal as well as pop. It's heavy and relentless, and epic and CATCHY AS FUCK. We went and saw Coheed And Cambria a while back, and the whole crowd bounced along and sang along to EVERY song. It was insane. And C&C are pretty proggy and weird, so I can only imagine how nuts kids must go at a Fallout Boy show. And like C&C, Fallout Boy are about our age which makes us love them even more, for only -kind of- making us feel old. Anyway, if you're not sold by now, not sure what else I can do. Listen to the three sound samples. The ultimate metal-pop one-two-three punch. The most perfect three song opening to a record I can remember.
Ahhhh. Ok. I feel a whole lot better. No more guilt at all. I LOVE this record. And I'm gonna go home and listen to it again. And again. And again.
The reissue comes in a spiffy slipcover, includes a bonus disc label sampler, has two bonus tracks, a Police cover, which is pretty cool, and a completely pointless 'dance remix'. It also has a sort-of director's commentary where the band discuss and dissect their songs / lyrics piece by piece. Pretty funny. Also includes a video for the track 'Saturday.'
MPEG Stream: ""Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today""
MPEG Stream: "Dead On Arrival"
MPEG Stream: "Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy"

GUM Vinyl Anthology (23five, Inc.) 2cd 21.00
Philip Jeck. Janek Schaeffer. Otomo Yoshihide. Thomas Brinkman. Saule. These have been some of the recent crop of avant-turntablists whose praises we've sung in the recent past; yet the use of the turntable with experimental music is nothing as novel as the current infatuation would indicate. Turntablism could be traced back to John Cage's Imaginary Landscape (1939), but perhaps a better historical jumping off point for those artists' delirious collage work would be with the early work of Christian Marclay and Non, who both reconfigured the noise and disembodied cultural reference from skipping records in the late '70s. It was that environment of Industrial culture that spawned Gum -- the Australian avant-turntablist duo which began quite literally with a skipping Brian Eno record. While Gum's Andrew Curtis and Philip Samartzis shared a common interest in Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, and Whitehouse, their work centered upon the volatility of surface noise from cheap turntables that they rescued from thrift stores and junk shops. At the same time, Gum balanced their destructive pursuit of tumultuous noise and electrically charged static with a clinical disembodiment. Even when disco-grooves from the Bee-Gees or porno climaxes get mangled in their Frankensteinian aggregates of loops and layers, it's hardly funky or sexy... rather a wonderfully disturbing mess. Having only a couple of singles on RRR and Korm Plastics as well as two self-released LPs, Gum had remained a secret history within the prolific oeuvre of Australian sound art; and now, thanks to this Vinyl Anthology compendium which features the bulk of their recorded works, the ecstatic expressionism of Gum can now be rediscovered for what it really is: precocious genius.
MPEG Stream: "Sporadic Acts Of Violence"
MPEG Stream: "Injected by a Certain Amount of Charisma"
MPEG Stream: "Outfits for Agony"

HICKS, BILL Live - Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian (RykoDisc) dvd 16.98
We've been sitting on this one for a couple weeks 'cause we wanted to be sure it got everyone's full attention.¾On the surface¾this may appear to be just another comedy dvd, but¾it's considerably more than that. It's a¾potent posthumous release and historical document of, for lack of better words, 'highlights' of the mighty Bill Hicks' career as a stand-up comedian.¾
Arguably, the bulk of the current crop of incisively insightful comedians are reduced to mere fluff when held up to the unforgiving fire of Hicks (who passed away in 1994 at the age of 32)... and they fuckin' know it! Many (David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Dave Attell to name a few) bow their heads in deep reverence to the memory of this seriously groundbreaking individual, and others would do well to do the same. Much of their material comes directly from the provocative seeds this man sowed. Much of his material comes across as fresh and as relevant as it did over a decade ago. When you hear him speak of President Bush, it's startling to realize he's speaking of Bush 41 not Bush 43. He blazed his own trail in much the same unrestrained and unrelenting tradition as Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce or¾George Carlin. Not always funny nor entertaining per se, and not always giving the audience what they want... that wasn't the point. He had things to say. He raised¾and skewered topics -- often scathing and remarkably direct -- that other people (comedian or otherwise) would cower away from. Don't be mistaken though, when Hicks deemed it time to be 'funny', he laid to waste all in his presence. The title says it all. It's impossible and completely inaccurate to simply peg this man solely as a comedian. It can truly be said that he was one of the best in each category.
With the increased prominence of indie comedians -- particularly stand-up and sketch on television (Mr. Show, Insomniac, etc) -- over the past half decade, the time is more than ripe for this dvd which contains three of his 1991 performances (in Chicago, Montreal and London which for years have only been circulating in grainy vhs copies) plus a documentary. His diehard cult following has certainly grown over the years, but now with this dvd and the aforementioned individuals' giving props to him in their interviews, Hicks will hopefully receive the attention and respect long overdue.
This dvd includes one of¾Hicks' most moving and insightful segments --¾his¾imagined editorial comment¾for a news broadcast: "Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves... Here's Tom with the weather."
Fucking brilliant. Seriously. Not to be missed!

JAN DUKES DE GREY Mice And Rats In The Loft (Breathless) cd 15.98
After Comus' genius First Utterance record was re-released (soon, supposedly, to be re-re-released, with bonus tracks), this left Jan Dukes De Grey as THE missing seventies psych / prog / folk holy grail. And rightfully so. Originally released in 1971 (the year Allan has determined that almost every great seventies record was released, even though he was only two years old then), this record manages to be totally brilliant and absolutely absurd at the same time. It has much in common with the Comus record, super dramatic trilling vocals, frenzied acoustic guitars and manic bongos. But there the similarities end. Where Comus took those elements and created a harrowing pagan ritual, Jan Dukes De Grey take those same elements and embark on a freaked out prog journey into utter madness. Sweetly melodic flutes, acoustic guitars, and weirdly bombastic drumming are woven into a weird and wonderful lilting British folk, peppered with an ultra-memorable little arpeggiated guitar lick that you won't be able to get out of your head, pausing once for a fierce heavily strummed riff that sounds almost Sabbathy before resuming it's sweet folky journey. Then suddenly the whole thing is thrown into chaos by a brief splattery drum break, which the band emerges from in entirely different garb. An epic journey through angular, almost eighties sounding nowave skronk, damaged seventies prog, ultra twee psychfolk and avant jazz krautrock. Weaving wildly from sound to sound, muted duck like saxophone, super distorted acoustic guitar, warbling trumpets, manic bongos, soaring strings, fluttering flamenco sputter, employing a massive arsenal of instruments: violin, cello, zeldaphone (!), clarinet, recorder, chanter, harmonica, hunting horn, glockenspiel, as well as a 'clothes horse' contraption with a hanging flat drum, tabla, cymbal, chimes and Indian bells. And that's all in the first song! Twenty plus minutes of freaked out psych-prog-folk brilliance.
The second track sounds much more traditionally seventies British folk, but only compared to the first track. Jaunty and folky, occasionally dark and menacing, with bursts of maniacal strumming, and sweet vocal harmonies, before the band switches gears and belts out a wild klezmer folk-prog shuffle that sounds quite a bit like Uz Jsme Doma. The final track is a dense and relentless, heavy psychedelic swirl, with jagged wah guitars, throaty theatrical vocals and wild octopoidal Krupa-ish drumming, thumping tribal tom toms and sizzling cymbals. Phew.
Take a dash of Comus, a pinch of the Incredible String Band, a hint of Jethro Tull, a splash of Captain Beefheart, a drop of Uz Jsme Doma and a whole lot of LSD and shake vigorously! Liner notes by Current 93's David Tibet.
MPEG Stream: "Sun Symphonica (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Sun Symphonica (excerpt 2)"

MAGMA K.A (Seventh) cd 23.00
At loooong last...and not just 'cause it's been, like, seventeen years since they last released a studio album, or even longer than that since they put out a really classic studio album (1978's Attahk), here's the new (NEW!) Magma album. It's at loooong last also in part 'cause our copies got lost in the mail coming over from France, and now *three* months after ordering 'em, a second box was shipped and we've finally got them in. Whoo-hoo! And what's the really good news? This album, K.A (short for Khontarkosz Anteria), is freakin' great! Actually, we expected it to be good. Of course we're Magma fanatics and all, but we're realistic about bands doing stuff thirty years past their prime. But we had high hopes nonetheless 'cause 1) the current incarnation of Magma absolutely slays live which Allan for one can attest from life-changing experience and 2) the material on this disc was in fact written back in the '70s, but never recorded for an album back then. (So, this is kind of Christian Vander's Brian Wilson's Smile, I guess, but better.) The results are magnificent, and gratifying.
Imagine if any amazing band from the '70s suddenly came out with a new album, that actually could fit in comfortably with one of their beloved old LPs? Hard to imagine, actually. Like if Led Zeppelin suddenly reformed (with a Bonzo clone, say) and recorded some hitherto unknown, lost link between Houses Of The Holy and Physical Graffiti. Impossible right? Well Magma's basically done the impossible here. You won't be entirely fooled into thinking this is a vintage '70s release -- the production and some of the synth sounds give it away -- but it comes darn close. And the composition K.A is without a doubt an authentic Magma masterpiece worthy of their reputation. Three tracks, one long piece.
Pretty sure this is a for-fans-already oriented release, so I dunno if we need to try and describe Magma here or not. And they're not that easy to describe anyway, being a French '70s avant-rock band that combined John Coltrane and Richard Wagner (to use the usual shorthand) in a spiritual, sci-fi, jazz-prog stew that sounds nothing like any of the other prog rock or jazz fusion bands of the day, really. Except for the ones they then influenced, of course. K.A will indeed give the uninitiated a full grounding in the classic Magma sound, that's for sure. Bombastic, epic, large-scale stuff dominated by chanting, acrobatic vocals and relentless rhythms. There's perhaps more guitar than you might expect, along with all the choirs and keyboards -- and of course, drums! Magma mainman Christian Vander is a god among drummers and shows no signs of slacking on this album.
The packaging is pretty special too...I've never seen a digipack quite like this one. There's two booklets -- one half sized. The bigger one is devoted to all of K.A's lyrics, in Magma's own made-up language Kobaian (no translations, sorry -- I guess this is just for singing-along-to purposes: "Wi wi siwili do ri / siwi do woh wehre sehn deweloi / hel hel...")
And the cover art, a moss-covered gravestone carved with the Magma logo, jutting out of the dirt against a star-strewn sky, might be a bit silly but I love it.
So, it's kind of cool, for those of us who weren't of record-buying age in the '70s, but got into Magma from buying cds by such bands as Ruins and Guapo and Koenjihyakkei and even Flying Luttenbachers, that we can now go purchase a brand new Magma!
MPEG Stream: "K.A I"
MPEG Stream: "K.A II"

MERZBOW VS NORDVARGR Partikel (Cold Spring) cd 15.98
Merzbow may be prolific to the point of no return by now, and so you may scoff at yet another release (that makes what, 10 so far this year?) but don't pass this one up. All of us around here have been mildly obsessed with Swedish ambient / noise / drone technician Nordvargr, from his days in the dark-ambient-in black-metal's-clothing outfit MZ412 to his later militaristic folk ensembles Toroidh and Folkstorm. Strangely these two noiseniks make the perfect combination, Japanoise meets Scandanavian power electronics and the result is a crushing slab of low end doom drone dirge. Merzbow created the source material for Nordvargr to process in his inimitably grim fashion. Three lengthy tracks. The first is a spine tinglingly creepy and gut churningly, ominously oppresive rumbling glitchy throb, crumbling slabs of low end over sinister whir and brittle crackling skeletal beats like the scary parts of Tron, or the part in some demonic anime snuff film when you first discover the true face of evil. Track two turns crushing ambient sludge into HUGE crunchy stuttering beats, not just block rocking beats, but beats that flatten entire neighborhoods like Autechre or Aphex twin jamming with Sunn 0))), spare and skittery, wandering through a precarious landscape of hissing blasts of Japanoise and keening squalls of high end iridescence. The final track is clicky, glitchy, haunting almost-IDM filtered through the noxious fumes of demon's breath and dipped in boiling pitch. ominous and frighteningly lovely. One of the best noise / sludge / drone / slow-motion-dance-music-for-demons record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "Tardyon Storm"

NILSEN, BJ Fade To White (Touch) cd 15.98
BJ Nilsen was a precocious youth, having recorded for the acclaimed Cold Meat Industries with his project Morthound back when he was only a teenager. By the time he was 21, he began working under the name Hazard. While the first Hazard album Lech was a bit of a clumsy attempt at tape loop trickery and elliptical dark ambience, his second album North earned him a well-deserved spot on the Ash International / Touch roster with his shivering gray drones and shadowy, X-Files paranoia. After having recorded 5 albums as Hazard, Nilsen may have dropped the pseudonym for good, although his minimalist signature mastery over electricity and ether remains firmly intact. Like the bulk of his Hazard recordings, Nilsen composed Fade To White from field recordings coupled with some acoustic and electric instruments; and his edits and digital processing thoroughly abstracts all of the original sounds into gliding dronescapes that are at once imposingly monolithic yet always intriguing and welcoming. Aside from a crunchy passage of sodden leaves being mulched underfoot at the beginning of the record, most of the source material for Fade To White is thoroughly abstracted within his majestic crescendos for slow-burning tonal interplay and subtle psychoacoustics. Really fantastic!
MPEG Stream: "Dead Reckoning"
MPEG Stream: "Grappa Polar"

PRIMITIVE CALCULATORS s/t (Chapter Music) cd 16.98
During the fall of 2004, I (Jim) had the privledge of travelling to Australia for a month or so. Well, I guess that technically makes it *spring* of 2004; anyway, I met a lot of great people who had some amazing record collections, including a bunch of Australian post-punk and new wave stuff that probably never made it outside of Melbourne or Sydney. Of everything that I heard, there were a few bands that stuck in my memory: the Laughing Clowns, Microfilm (which happened to be the first band of Lisa Gerrard who later went on to found Dead Can Dance), and then there was the Primitive Calculators which was by far the best thing I heard. After asking around about those recordings, it became clear that I was probably going to be out of luck or out of a ton of money. So, I simply filed those band names away in hopes of coming across them somewhere, sometime, somehow. You could imagine my surprise when I discovered a compilation from the Primitive Calculators in a box from one our distributors. It's sort of like Christmas when you get that cool gift that you forgot you asked for, instead of the ugly sweater or pair of wool socks from Grandma. Anyway, The Primitive Calculators were Melbourne's answer to the Screamers, although I'd be hard pressed to believe that they actually heard that legendary techno-punk ensemble. It was more likely that The Primitive Calculators came to their sound through Suicide and the No New York compilation, in particular DNA and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Their intense, throbbing post-punk songs centered around the raw electricity of twin synthesizers and drum machines hammering out noxious arppegiations whilst the lead singer / guitarist Stuart Grant screamed, grunted, and scraped up and down his guitar in short, sharp blasts of epileptic energy. This CD documents their one and only LP, which was a live recording in which the audience appears to dwindle despite the fact that their set gets more and more intense, culminating in a ridiculous cover of Lloyd Williams' soul standard "Shout." Fortunately a bunch of their studio recordings round out the CD, giving their exceptional songs a much fuller sound. Even without the serendipitous experience of re-discovery, I'd still love this record!
MPEG Stream: "Do The Icepick"
MPEG Stream: "Stains"
MPEG Stream: "Beat Goes On"
MPEG Stream: "Shout"

V/A Pop Ambient 2005 (Kompakt) cd 15.98
Another installment in the absolutely flawless Pop Ambient series. We casually mentioned in our review of the 2004 Pop Ambient comp that we weren't all that keen on techno. A few folks took it a bit too personally so this here review should hopefully smooth some ruffled feathers. It's true, we never liked the mainstream techno that much. It was the mutant strains that really hit the spot for us. But that's the case with pop music as well. And metal. And indie rock. And hell, music in general. That's sort of the point of this list and this store. It's the ferreting out of weird and wonderful subsets of genres that may not initially appeal to us. Finding that one techno record that the black metal folks might dig, or finding that one grindcore records that even indie rockers can't resist. So it is with the Pop Ambient. Gone are most of the beats, and ALL of the four on the floor throb, and most of the techno trappings, and left in their place are a ghostly glimmers, a shimmering trace of a pop song, the musical equivalent of catching something in the corner of your eye. Like condensation, little beads of melody slowly slip earthward, while indistinct melodies drift past like the last vestiges of early morning fog. Subtle and sleepy, dreamy and drowsy, gleaming and glistening, completely mesmerizingly hypnotic. The perfect sounds for warm fires, rainy days, late nights, full moons, thick fogs, lonely evenings, not so lonely evenings, good books, deep sleeps, a lazy afternoons and for drifting into nothingness. Tracks from the Orb, Gas, Ulf Lohmann, Thomas Fehlmann, Klimek, Andrew Thomas, Pass Into Silence, Triola, Popnoname, DJ Koze, and Peter Grummich. The LP is a few tracks shorter than the cd.
MPEG Stream: THE ORB "Falkenbruck"
MPEG Stream: MARKUS GUENTNER "Innenfeld"
MPEG Stream: TRIOLA "Mondlied"

V/A Pop Ambient 2005 (Kompakt) lp 15.98
Another installment in the absolutely flawless Pop Ambient series. We casually mentioned in our review of the 2004 Pop Ambient comp that we weren't all that keen on techno. A few folks took it a bit too personally so this here review should hopefully smooth some ruffled feathers. It's true, we never liked the mainstream techno that much. It was the mutant strains that really hit the spot for us. But that's the case with pop music as well. And metal. And indie rock. And hell, music in general. That's sort of the point of this list and this store. It's the ferreting out of weird and wonderful subsets of genres that may not initially appeal to us. Finding that one techno record that the black metal folks might dig, or finding that one grindcore records that even indie rockers can't resist. So it is with the Pop Ambient. Gone are most of the beats, and ALL of the four on the floor throb, and most of the techno trappings, and left in their place are a ghostly glimmers, a shimmering trace of a pop song, the musical equivalent of catching something in the corner of your eye. Like condensation, little beads of melody slowly slip earthward, while indistinct melodies drift past like the last vestiges of early morning fog. Subtle and sleepy, dreamy and drowsy, gleaming and glistening, completely mesmerizingly hypnotic. The perfect sounds for warm fires, rainy days, late nights, full moons, thick fogs, lonely evenings, not so lonely evenings, good books, deep sleeps, a lazy afternoons and for drifting into nothingness. Tracks from the Orb, Gas, Ulf Lohmann, Thomas Fehlmann, Klimek, Andrew Thomas, Pass Into Silence, Triola, Popnoname, DJ Koze, and Peter Grummich. The LP is a few tracks shorter than the cd.
MPEG Stream: THE ORB "Falkenbruck"
MPEG Stream: MARKUS GUENTNER "Innenfeld"
MPEG Stream: TRIOLA "Mondlied"

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----* Earth Overload! :
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EARTH 070796LIVE (Autofact) cd 13.98
We obviously don't need to say much to convince all the Earth / Sunn 0))) / doom-dirge-drone obsessives out there that this disc is ESSENTIAL. Most of them are willing to shell out $50 or $100 or even more for limited vinyl releases by any band even tangentially related to Sunn 0))) or Earth, anyway. But for those of you who are new to the Earth phenomenon, as long as you already own their ALL TIME CLASSIC album Earth 2, you might also want to check this disc out (and the OTHER, NEW Earth cd reviewed elsewhere on this list!). 070796LIVE collects the WAY out of print, one sided live lp from a few years back, the equally WAY out of print tour only split 12" with KK Null, an unreleased live recording on WNYU, and a remix by James Plotkin (O.L.D. / Khanate / Phantomsmasher, etc.) In terms of eBay value alone this disc is worth at least $100 if not more!!! But so what? More importantly it's another essential slab of crushing, mesmerising, slow motion drone-metal! The first two tracks are "070796" (from the live lp) and the live radio recording "Dissolution III (Oversaturated Intervallic Collisions)". These tracks are classic Earth, stumbling, droning, rambling, and endlessly heavy. The funny thing with Earth though, is sometimes they sound like they must be taking the piss. A couple scraggly haired dudes, wacked out of their minds, tuning and fumbling for twenty minutes, sometimes sitting there in a stupor, letting the feeding-back guitar do all the work, sometimes plucking and scraping and manipulating the sound into rumbling sheets of drone and skree. But sometimes, that fumbling becomes absolutely divine, which is, we suppose, the magic of Earth. The ultimate outsider drone outfit. Who somehow manage, with the same amps and guitars and effects as the rest of us, to simply stumble into dronerock nirvana! The third track, from the KK Null split tour 12", features the current incarnation of Earth with Adrienne Davies on drums. Bookended by that classic stationary Earth feedback-drone, this track eventually morphs into an actual song, with a fuzzed out, minor key riff, and simple hypnotic drumming, falling sonically somewhere between moody post rock and midtempo Burzumic black metal. Throbbing and loping, and totally mesmerizing. The last track, the Plotkin remix, takes the live track and stretches it into thick ropy drones, with the original track's constituent parts blurred into indistinct smears of fuzz and rumble, a slowly shifting glacial crush, with occasional squalls of buzzy white noise and electronic filligree. Really really nice. And of course as we now know, the rumour we had been hearing, about a BRAND NEW Earth record has proven to be the truth, with the release of Living In The Gleam Of An Unsheathed Sword (read all about it elsewhere on this list), which IS a new record, but features live tracks recorded in 2002. And while one of the tracks here is inexplicably duplicated on the new cd, both discs are well worth the price, with 070796LIVE including three tracks essentially unavailable anywhere else, and Living In The Gleam containing an epic one hour track only available on that cd.
MPEG Stream: "Dexamyl"
MPEG Stream: "070796 (Reconstruction By James Plotkin)"

EARTH Living In The Gleam Of An Unsheathed Sword (Megablade / Troubleman Unlimited) cd 14.98
That's right. Another new Earth record. Holy crap! Our drone doom dreams come true! But with Earth, it's not as simple as just releasing a new record. Or records. Or even new. Let us explain. Elsewhere on this list you'll find our review of the Earth 070796LIVE cd released sometime last year on Autofact records, which collected two super rare vinyl Earth records (the one-sided live lp, and the tour split with KK Null) as well as two bonus tracks -- a James Plotkin remix, and a recording of Earth mainman Dylan Carlson playing live on the radio. Earth had been hauling this disc around with them for the last year on tour (yep, they've been touring, mostly in Europe) but we were only able to track 'em down and get copies for the store last week. So already the Earth obsessed among us were in heaven, when what do ya know? ANOTHER Earth record comes out. Featuring supposedly BRAND NEW RECORDINGS. And they are brand new, sort of. Initially we were going to have to recommend this disc ONLY for total Earth obsessives, since there are only two tracks, both live, and one of them is actually *already* on that 070796LIVE disc. D'oh! Rip off we were thinking. If you get Live, then you'd be buying this disc for just one track. Thankfully though, that one track is a doozy -- an hour long! Album-length in itself, a sprawling doom dirge, recorded live in 2002. (2002!? How hard is it to get this band into a studio? Pretty goddamn hard it seems, since all of their releases since the Sub Pop days have been live recordings.) So while this is a NEW record, it's not an especially recent recording. But what the hell. We'll take our Earth where we can get it. The first track, the one that is duplicated on the Live cd, is a fourteen minute, solo guitar buzz / dirge / scrape that sounds really damaged, stumbling and clumsy, and definitely messed up. The hour-long second track features drummer Adrienne Davies, who seems to be a permanent member of Earth now, and whose spare, hard hitting style perfectly compliments Carlson's new riffier songwriting. Gone are the glacial fuzzy dirges that inspired Sunn 0))) to become Earth 2 (too) and in their place, is a massive fuzzed out riffy doom metal / post rock groove, super repetitive and totally hypnotic. Much more reminiscent of Earth's under-rated, more song-oriented final Sub Pop album Pentastar: In The Style Of Demons. Definitely still doomy and drone-y and drug-addled and head nodding, but dare we say, more rocking!
You might as well just go ahead and do it. You know you're gonna. Buy BOTH of the new Earth cds. You sort of have to. No more trawling eBay or scouring used record stores. If we had to make the call, we'd say the Live album on Autofact is perhaps more essential, but if you're anything like us, you for sure need both. And while at first we thought that'd be like getting one and a half cds for the price of two, the fact that the track unique to this release is an hour in length really dismantles that objection.
MPEG Stream: "Living In The Gleam Of An Unsheathed Sword"

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----* Still More Sublime Frequencies :
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V/A Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol. 2 (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
This second volume of Sumatran music does not disapoint. Not at all. Different than the music of Java and Bali, the Arabic influence on Sumatran music is unmistakable. More than that though, Sumatran music seems to not only include a wide variety of influences from near and far, but seems to wear it on its sleeve. And yet, despite the insane amount of musical diversity, the Arabic thread runs strongly through every single track here. The 17 tracks on this disc feature some eight different genres of music from Sumatra. The Rabab Dangdut cuts tend to be like the country music of Sumatra. At least that's what the scratchy fiddle parts immediately sound like to a western ear. But melodies and the interaction between the vocals and fiddle are slightly reminiscent of Thai Mo Lam. Add on top of this some ska rhythm guitar, electric bass and drums and things start to get a little thick. The other styles are no less odd. The Orkes Gambus are all orchestral numbers with oud, huge sounding violin sections, electric organs and female vocals. In a blind listening test one might guess the origins as Syria or Egypt. The Tari Minang tracks are about as close to Java as you'll get here. Along with a small gamelan ensemble are Arabic double reeds, flutes and female vocals. Like the first volume, there's nary a dud on this one. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: SYAMSUDIN "Sigumendar"
MPEG Stream: UNKNOWN "Unknown"
MPEG Stream: MUCHLIS/BERSAMA "Salam Pembukaan"

V/A Harmika Yab-Yum: Folk Sounds From Nepal (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
By now maybe you have (or like some of us, maybe you haven't) had enough of the South East Asian pop, folk, field recordings from Sublime Frequencies. Courtesy of Robert Millis (Climax Golden Twins cohort and curator of the Leaf Music Drunks Distant Drums cd) Harmika Yab-Yum takes us on an audio journey through underserved territory. Nestled, nay sandwiched between the geographical and cultural giants of China and India, Nepal's greatest fame lies in its hosting the tallest mountain on our fair planet. It's also the only "official Hindu state in the world" according to the CIA Factbook. On Harmika Yab-Yum Millis elegantly weaves together recordings he made (apparently in 1996) of radio broadcasts, street musicians, religious cermonies, and sermons. About half of the tracks in fact are from radio, though no disc jockey banter is included, which -- whether intentional or not -- gives the recordings an even more of a feel of being totally detached from the influence of the occidental world. By and large the greatest influence on the music here is from India. Tabla percussion, flutes, pump organs, sitars, violins and drones, drones, drones make up the bulk of the instrumentation and to the untrained ear, certainly sound like the dulcet tones of Indian music. The disc starts off with a bang with a track taken from the radio which sounds like feral chanting by some crazed lunatic accompanied by drumming. This is followed by an abrupt segue into a street sermon broadcast over a distant sounding bullhorn, flutes and people talking can be heard over the sermon. For the larger part, such abrupt transitions are not the norm on Harmika Yab-Yum and the grainy, modulating songs recorded off of the airwaves blend nicely with the gritty sounds of daily life on the streets from the clanging bells of a pony train passing by to, chanting monks on Krishna day, to a snake charmer with double reed to the crashing of bands, miscellaneous percussion and other noises for a wedding procession. Very nice.
MPEG Stream: "Radio Nepal 1 / Street Sermon"
MPEG Stream: "Pony Train / Radio Nepal 3"
MPEG Stream: "Radio Nepal 7"

V/A Molam: Thai Country Groove From Isan (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
I remember when the Butthole Surfers' Locust Abortion Technician came out, how blown away I was by the album. On top of all their own material, here was this totally weird song which they irreverantly looped over one word that happened to sound like an English vernacular term for female genitalia. Funny the first time through, I always wanted a copy of the original recording which the Surfers lifted that track from because I thought it just kicked ass in its own right. I know you think I'm gonna say that that song is on this collection. Sorry, it's not. But if you loved that song "Kuntz" for what it was (despite Gibby's juvenile chicanery), you'll definitely be excited by the Molam tracks on this disc. Compiled by Mark Gergis (I Remember Syria, Cambodian Cassette Archives, Neung Phak) from a multitude of sources -- LPs, 45s and cassettes -- this collection of Molam comes from a distinct window in Isan, Thailand history. Molam, which comes from the rural areas of Northeastern Thailand and neighboring Laos, was for many years generally charactarized by male and female vocals backed by the khaen (a free-reed mouth organ). Migrating rural Thai and Laotian people to the cities modernized their Molam with electric guitars, bass, drums and keyboards and the music spread like a fad to the urban population. Inevitably, through the ever changing nature of music, and the economically driven producers, the electronic keyboard surpassed the need for a band and the music was more often than not reduced to the standard pop that is ubiquitous throughout Thailand. This then is a time capsule of the glory days of molam gone electric. Fans of Neung Phak will be familiar with the track which begins this collection, as it's also the opening track of Neung Phak's debut. So those of you who thought Mark couldn't tune his bass can hear his alibi playing the original tune off key as is the style. Certainly fans of the Cambodian Rocks albums should take heed here, but will find a collection of tracks that are much more removed from Western rock. Firstly, there are no covers of rock songs, nor are the melodies here even related -- except by chance -- to Western pop. These are all traditional tunes that have merely been arranged with modern electric instrumentation (which isn't to say that you won't here any khaen on these tunes). It is the vocals though that are what really drive these songs, modernized or no. With melodies that seem utterly independent of what the band is playing, the lilting, almost yodelled, singing is unlike that of any other region in the world. Dare I say it's sultry. Oh so very highly recommended!!
MPEG Stream: KWANJAI KALASIN YUK PATANA "Chiwit Sao Molam"
MPEG Stream: GAWOW SEUNGTHONG "Ow Mai Ow"
MPEG Stream: CHAAN SIANG PHIN "Sao Noi Makaleng"

V/A Radio Phnom Penh (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
We know you love that Cambodian rock. And you know what? We love it too. Of late there seems to be an obsession with it; between the 4 Cambodian Rocks collections, the Cambodian Cassette Archives and Dengue Fever, we've had a pretty good run of it thus far. But now Sublime Frequencies is upping the ante with a collection unlike all those that preceded it. While the Khmer Rouge did a pretty good job of wiping out all the original performers, along with thousands of other innocent people and displacing the population of Cambodia, it couldn't completely wipe out the music. The original cassettes, still floating around are still being played on the radio to this day. Except that they aren't always played in strictly original form. Most stations, with the exception of the state run AM one, have taken to playing re-mixed versions of the songs with overdubbed instrumentation ranging from guitars and drums to synth keyboards in an attempt to keep the music fresh with the younger generations of listeners. This collection includes both the un-mixed originals taped off of the state run AM station and the re-mixed versions from the FM stations. Those of you already well suited with the previously released Cambodian rock collections will certainly get a kick out of several cuts here (some of which are most certainly completely different recordings from the ground up). Much more even than the Khmer Rocks releases, this collection has a great deal more variety of tunes (not just the garagey numbers), including some that feature traditional instruments, or at least traditional sounding. One tune in particular features just vocals and solo electric guitar which could easily be the Cambodian Lightnin' Hopkins. Additionally, Radio Phnom Penh differs greatly from the other discs in the Radio series on Sublime Frequencies in that not only are the songs allowed to play all the way through, in their entirety for the most part, but there's only very brief station ID's and disk jockey talking included.
MPEG Stream: "Blondie In Khmer Camouflage"
MPEG Stream: "Street Guns And Studio Drums"
MPEG Stream: "Sign-Off/The Venerable Anthem"

V/A Radio Sumatra: The Indonesian FM Experience (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
Fuck! What a mess of a weird fucking album! This is the sixth "Radio" release from Sublime Frequencies and quite possibly the best (for those who can appreciate the most damaged aspects of bizzare station ID's and channel surferyness). People in the United States sometimes don't realize just how loud our country is. We inundate the world with our radio, television and movies, but rarely have a clue as to what's happening elsewhere in the world. The rest of the world does have to listen to us, like it or not. We hold the cultural bully pulpit. So it's always nice to hear our own cultural exports turned inwards upon themselves, and the "Radio" series from Sublime Frequencies allows us to hear from around the world. Radio Sumatra begins with a seriously demented melange of eighties guitar rock pre-empted by evil gremlin voiced disc jockeys, like the voices you hear in your head after you eat an entire box of Captain Crunch in one sitting. Later, chipper voice talents intone over the what sounds like Sumatran black metal and phone callers to another station perform live karaoke on the radio. And this is only 15 minutes in. Towards the end the sounds of Islamic hip hop and primitive techno hold sway. We won't kid you though: there's a lot of super saccharine pop sandwiched in here. We're talking top forty radio... even if it is Sumatran. But this collection will slay you despite that. Or maybe because of that!
MPEG Stream: "All Hit Music"
MPEG Stream: "FM Bagus"
MPEG Stream: "The Islamic Experience In Frequency Modulation"

V/A Streets Of Lhasa (Sublime Frequencies) cd 14.98
The 19 tracks on Streets Of Lhasa were recorded by Zhang Jian, a member of Beijing, China's fm3 arts collective during a visit to Tibet in August 2003. Jian would hire the musicians for an entire day, paying them in cash and food, and record their performances in the relatively quiet surroundings of a city park. Most of the recordings are of either solo performers (singing a cappella, or accompanying themselves with a lute or fiddle) or in small ensembles. Many of the performers are children, often singing with their parents. Particularly cute is the father / son duet (with fiddle accompaniment). In addition to these private performances, Jian also made several recordings of ambient sounds and music on the streets of Lhasa: market sounds, prayer bells, children playing, trains, and a 12 minute track of monks heatedly discussing scripture and apparently clapping to puncuate their arguments, though the clapping sounds almost like a crackling fire. The result is a picture perfect audio post card to a place most of us will likely never visit.
MPEG Stream: "Father/Son Vocal With Erhu"
MPEG Stream: "Bian Jing"
MPEG Stream: "Peace On Top Of The World"

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ANTLER s/t (Madoak / Tortuga) cd 14.98
When we first got this we were so psyched. Totally gorgeous layout / design courtesy of Hydra Head Honcho Aaron Turner, all silver metallic filligree on what looks like tooled leather. Cool band name, properly tough and mysterious. It's on Hydra Head sub label Tortuga, home to Old Man Gloom, 5ive, Tusk and other like minded metallic dronesters. So when we actually got around to listening to it we were a little confused. Actually a lot confused. We were convinced it had to be a joke. Or at least some HH/Tortuga heavy band's tongue in cheek side project. Straight up MTV country tinged rock. Full on fist in the air, beer in one hand, American (or Confederate!) flag in the other, epic arrangements and super throaty Eddie Vedder / Layne Staley / that-guy-from-Creed vocals, wailing guitar leads, heartfelt ballads, songs about cigarettes, and tombstones, and blood and battles and love and soulful, belted out lyrics like "It ain't right..." and " All I know...." and "I believe in you..."
We absolutely hated it. I mean why wouldn't we? But then something happened. I don't know what it was. I just decided to like it. There it is. Not sure why. No idea. I just did. And now I do like it. A lot! I love it actually. And I've been listening to it like crazy. It's just plain old super kick ass rock! It's sort of like Nickelback for the metalhead indie rock hipster set. That may not sound all that good, but it is. Trust me. I mean, c'mon, why should MTV watching lemmings get all the majestic arena cockrock, slide guitars, lighters held aloft and all that? It's not fair. So Antler is here to settle the score. And settle it they do.
Hard to say if this is tongue in cheek or totally genuine, but it's not really funny, or cheesy enough to be a joke (unless it's the most subtle joke ever), it's just totally commercial and radio ready. But in a good way. Just regular old stadium rock. But with that sort of glam western edge that was so popular a decade ago. Definitely makes me feel 17 again. Tooling around in my crappy 4 cylinder Mustang, feathered hair, ripped jeans, glam rock cowboy hat, blasting the first Bon Jovi record. Or maybe the Hangmen record. Yep. Just like that.
Allan and Elliott think the ballads sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their most melodic and commercial, you know like that "Under The Bridge" song. But if you've been paying attention to the AQ list, you know how much Allan likes the RHCP so no matter how much he denies it, that can only be an endorsement coming from him!
MPEG Stream: "Tombstones And Cigarettes"
MPEG Stream: "1975"
MPEG Stream: "I Got Lost"

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS I Am A Bird Now (Secretly Canadian) cd 14.98
Holy shit, this record destroys me. Within 30 seconds, this record had already given me chills, unnerved me, and literally made me want to cry. On the first listen even! Just listen to the first sound sample and you'll know just what I mean. It's all about Antony's voice. A rich throaty tenor, that slips effortlessly into a keening falsetto. A luxurious vibrato, trilling and wrapping itself around every note. Equal parts Nina Simone, Tiny Tim, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Scott and even a little Elvis Presley. The instrumentation is minimal, piano, upright bass, shuffling jazz drums, occasional electric guitar. Some songs sound like jazz standards, some like lost gospel classics, others like timeless spirituals. Soaring and maudlin, without becoming overwrought or overly dramatic. He's sort of like an otherworldly, avant-garde Rufus Wainwright. Or the sort of singer you would find in a piano bar in your strangest dreams. Not sure what it was that kept us from getting into Antony And the Johnsons in the past, whether it was the overplayed Coil / Current 93 connection or the whole gender bending novelty aspect, but this record has definitely turned us around. Totally chilling, absolutely haunting and completely beautiful. Features guest performances by Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, Lou Reed and Devandra Banhart.
MPEG Stream: "Hope There's Someone"
MPEG Stream: "My Lady Story"

AQUEDUCT I Sold Gold (Barsuk) cd 13.98
One of our fave one-man bands is Aqueduct (aka David Terry), and here we have a brand spanking new full length. Once again he's tackling the lion's share of vocal, guitar, bass, keyboard and programming duties, but he's also brought in some friends to handle drums and additional guitar parts. With each release Mr. Terry's songs have gotten more polished, and the eleven on I Sold Gold are no exception, and they continue to give hearty nods to the pop craft influence of both the Beach Boys and XTC.
MPEG Stream: "The Suggestion Box"
MPEG Stream: "Laundry Baskets"

ARNOLD, CHRIS Dark Out (self-released) dvd 9.98
Dark Out is a dvd by indie filmmaker Chris Arnold, and the 45-minute film features the music of many fond, familiar SF faces... Jolie Holland, Sonny Smith, Mark Growden, Sean Hayes, Ara Anderson, Virgil Shaw and Mark Eitzel to name a few. Certainly worth getting for the music alone which fits well with the visuals, a contemplative, grainy, black and white film shot in the yes, dark depths of night.

ASTATKE, MULATU Ethiopian Modern Instrumental Hits (L'Arome) lp 16.98
Vinyl Headz pay attention! About two years ago we were fortunate enough to catch a few copies of Mulatu Astatke's Ethio Jazz on vinyl. Volume 4 of Ethiopiques (easily the single most popular release in the series) was essentially the album Ethio Jazz, but expanded to include another five Astatke tracks. This release includes those five tracks previously only available on Ethiopiques Vol. 4, plus three tracks of Astatke's which were on Ethiopiques Vol. 1, and one track of his from Ethiopiques Vol. 8. Here's a little background on Astatke from our Ethio Jazz review: "Astatke had the unique privilege to be sent off to school in 1960 (at the age of 17) to study music in London. From there he continued on to the United States, attending The Berklee School of Music in Boston and later moving to New York. One can imagine he picked up a wide range of influence, and that he did. He became absorbed in Latin and Caribbean musics, eventually forming his own group the Ethiopian Quartet in New York. Upon his return to Ethiopia in the late sixties he was treated like a king, being hailed as 'the first-Ethiopian-musician-educated-abroad' and as a arranger/bandleader he was unequalled."
This record is an absolutely stunning collection of instrumentals. Most are composed by Astatke, while others are arrangements of traditional songs or other composers. His music is a wonderful amalgam of swinging jazz tunes, sweet soul and punchy funk and laden with fuzzy electric guitars and tremolo drenched electic pianos. What's more is that unlike the afro-funk of Nigeria, the rest of Africa or the world even, the unique scales of Ethiopian music produce the most haunting melodies that we've ever heard. Now for the bad news: we only have a small handful of these puppies in stock and when they're gone, they're gone... No more, vamoosh! Another small pointer for those that do pick this up: the copy we cracked open had the A side and B side labels mis-printed on the vinyl. We suspect the whole pressing may have this erroneous labelling. No biggy, just something to pay attention to when identifying what you're listening to.

BIG HUGE, THE Crown Your Head With Flowers, Crown Your Heart With Joy (Secret Eye) cd 14.98
The influence of the folk music of the British Isles (especially via it's '70s hippy interpreters), and Appalachian American folk as well, continues to filter into the indie-rock realm of today. Getting into the act now is Drew Nelson, bassist from post-rockers Sonna, who offers up a project named for an Incredible String Band album. It's mellow and maybe a bit mopey, featuring mostly originals with a few traditional tunes like "Bonnie Boy" thrown in. Drew sings and plays various instruments including guitar, banjo, dulcimer, and is joined by a few other folks on accordion, ukulele, and percussion. So if gentle, old-timey, acoustic folky stuff sung in an tenuous tenor warble -- trying to be Cat Stevens or perhaps Jeff Mangum or Will Oldham -- is your thing, then you could check this out, it might go on your discman or iPod as a pleasant afternoon coffee shop soundtrack.
MPEG Stream: "Harbor To A Hill"
MPEG Stream: "Atop A Secret Mountain"

BLACK BONED ANGEL Supereclipse (20 Buck Spin) cd 10.98
A while back we got a handful of limited 3" cd-r releases on a label called Battle Cruiser, which just so happened to be a side label of Celebrate Psi Phenomenon, run by the very prolific and very loved around these parts Campbell Kneale. They were super limited, only 30-80 copies of each and we only got 10. The best of the bunch was a little black gem by the name of Black Boned Angel. BBA was Kneale's foray onto massive, pummelling metallic sludge and man was it good. Shame we only ever had ten copies. Well, thanks to our pal Dave at 20 Buck Spin, we all get another chance to pick this up. And the ten of you who got the first version will probably also want to get this because:
A. It's not a cd-r, it's a real cd.
B. There's a twenty minute bonus track!
Fuck yeah! But what does it sound like? Black Boned Angel is a crushing salvo of sub-bass, low end, Earth / Sunn 0))) / Skullflower / Corrupted deathdirgedrone, but filtered through Kneale's Birchville Cat Motel high end ambient, shimmering skree, free noise sensibilities. Guitar tuned so low, the strings droop all the way off the fretboard, amps with the treble controls removed to make room for even more bass knobs, amps dipped in hot tar and pointed at the center of the earth, waves of low end rumble slowly rolling and decimating everything in its path. Hollowed out skulls, pounded mercilessly, beating out a primitive barely-there rhythm from the black abyss. Mysterious incantations, hardly audible from beneath the massive slab of sonic sludge, seem to invoke the very same bass-heavy demons threatening to smother and bury them with this very recording. Totally essential.
MPEG Stream: "Supereclipse 3"

CHUNKLET MAGAZINE #19 (Chunklet) magazine 7.95
Holy shit, this is a rare occasion indeed! A new issue of the beloved, wickedly irreverent Chunklet Magazine has arrived less than a year after the previous one! Normally a single issue might take years to make -- no exaggeration! C'mon, humor this scathing and subject matter this obsessively reported doesn't happen overnight! Henry Owings, Brian Teasley and co. have been busy lil' beavers honing their 'taking the piss' skills to new heights. The few occasions where their acerbic fount o' witty take-downs falters though is when they open up the floor to the bulk contributors forum (i.e, folks who don't quite get that there's more to the Chunklet magic than aggressive mean-spirited bile-spewing a la Vice Mag), then it has a tendency to come across as a bitch session. No, much like the late comedian Bill Hicks (whose dvd is also reviewed in this week's AQ List and whom we're sure is an old fave around the magazine's headquarters), the thing to take note of is that the core of the material is not just about negativity and shock value -- yes, there's a dismay and disgust towards the state of things, but there's also underpinings of hope and positivity lurking underneath it all. Aww, shucks.
Anyways, for the faint-hearted, the overwhelming Issue #19 might be too much too soon, but for the steely hardcore fans of the mag, #19 is simply Part Two of Chunklet's exploration of all things over-rated. So, who and what are the crosshairs this time? Records that were released after 1991 (fyi: Issue #18 skewered pre-'91 releases), guitarists, drummers, music production techniques, record cover art, cities, actors, filmmakers and film genres. Elsewhere in the issue you get Chunklet's ever-loyal coverage of current comedians (Eugene Mirman, The Naked Trucker aka Dave "Gruber" Allen from the Freaks & Geeks tv series and David Koechner also from F&G as well as the movie Anchorman, and the comedy troupe Stella), a great article on the 'King Of Record Collectors' Joe Bussard (if you've checked out the awesome Down In The Basement compilation of selections from his rare record collection, you know who we're talkin' about!), the truly ear-punishing/spirit-crushing Torture Tapes Experiment, articles on Tim Kerr and his stuff, "Seven Degrees of Winona Ryder", "real" offensive bumper stickers, rock venue bathroom graffiti and unintentionally funny people. Oh yes, and AQ's own Chunkleteer Cup contributed her illustrated interpretation of a play written by Henry's eight year old niece Mary! Plus you get all the mag's regulars (Rocktoids, Whatever Dude, Rock Sniglets), as well as Chunkie's unconventional versions of conventional magazine sections such as Crossword and Letters To The Editor. Sometimes shocking, sometimes fucked up, sometimes downright caustic, but almost always hiiiilaaaariioooous! Another hearty fun addition to your bathroom library!

CIRCLE Mountain - Live At The Holy Trinity Church (Leeds, UK) (Super Metsa) lp 16.98
If there was ever a show worth flying 6000 miles for, it would've been this one. In fact Allan and Andee were seriously considering doing just that. Not only was this show unmissable, but we were imagining how completely nuts it would have been to just stroll into a show and say hi to our friends there all casual-like, as if we lived down the street instead of on the other side of the globe! Clearer minds prevailed, but thankfully we're able to experience at least part of the show in the form of this lp. The show of which we're speaking took place in Leeds, in a big old church and featured AQ faves Circle, the amazing prog duo Guapo (formerly on tUMULt, soon to be on Ipecac), the gloriously drone-y Jazzfinger, whose most recent record we reviewed here a couple lists back, Like A Kind Of Matador, who sound like a more prog-tastic Boris, and have a flute player, and who have a record coming out on tUMULt later in the year, Ultralyd, featuring Kjetil Brandsal from Noxagt, and a couple more! Holy crap! Damn those clearer heads! From what we heard it was totally amazing, and everyone seemed to focus on Circle's epic and broodingly ambient set. And rightfully so, as this here slab of wax proves. An ultra slow-building Krautrock roar, airy clouds of ambient flutter, sizzling cymbals, simple plucked guitar rhythms, bleeping and blooping barely-there melodies, looping and clattery, a gorgeously swirly, roiling miasma of sound. Gets more dynamic as it progresses with rough industrial whir and hellish howls. Side two is much more aggressive, noisy and rhythmic, very much akin to later Boredoms, manic percussion underneath billowing sheets of murky guitar blur, before the whole thing slowly decays into an ambient wash of tribal chants and muted drumming. SO NICE. Very reminiscent of the recent spate of Doktor Kettu cd-r's, in its simmering slow shifting murkiness. And for Circle fans who have had issues with the presence of more and more vocals on recent Circle records, Mountain finds the vocals settled way back into the mix, careening wildly -amidst- the music not -atop- it. We have a whole bunch but it's VERY LIMITED. In fact according to the label it's already out of print. So act fast!

COACHWHIPS Peanut Butter and Jelly : Live at the Ginger Minge (Narnack) cd 14.98
Who doesn't love the Coachwhips? All this recording makes me want to do is see them live. Right now! With it's noisy, Olneyville Sound System-infused, bluesish garage rock, PB&J : Live at the Ginger Minge sounds a bit like a well-behaved Zen Guerilla. At least on record, cuz it's hard to capture this sort of spit and spittle garage noise on wax! As the Coachwhips' second release, it seems to be way less of an all out heart-attack and much more a set of fully formed songs on a fully formed album. Still totally rockin', just a little more matured. And seriously, will someone tell me when can we see them live?
MPEG Stream: "Body And Brains"
MPEG Stream: "I Made A Bomb"

CRADLE OF FILTH Nymphetamine (Roadrunner) cd 17.98
Here's one of our all-time favorite black metal bands, and even we are guilty of ignoring them a bit now that they're HUGE rather than being a raw, cult, underground one-man-band operation like a lot of the stuff we've been trumpeting lately. But that's not fair. Cradle of Filth, though some purer-than-thou types see 'em as sell-outs, are pretty much just as 'extreme' as they ever were, and in terms of songwriting have really only gotten better. And they're one of the reasons that we're even black metal fans in the first place -- CoF were the first 'modern' black metal band that Andee, for one, ever heard and got into (along with Satyricon)...and then one thing lead to another. Not everyone's cup of absinthe, but you can't deny their brew's potency.
So, we really should have reviewed this new album the week it came out, but better late than never. Of course, we also know that if you're already into CoF, all you need to know is that this latest album is simply another great CoF opus -- gothically bent, vicious and heavy. Its perfumed and perverse atmosphere of baroque excess lacks not for Dani Filth's trademark screech and snarl (more snarl than screech this time), and some sweet female vox too (a Nymphette, of course, and doubtless corseted), ornate Hammer horror keyboards, blasting drums, and a good deal of very 'heavy metal' guitar riffage. More and more the Filthies have been taking after classic metal mentors like Iron Maiden and Metallica, with some very trad sounding melodies and harmonies cropping up amidst their occult-sexual black metal blasphemizing. Fans needn't know much more, you ought to be happy with this. On the other hand, if you haven't yet been, um, rocked by this Cradle, well, this would be a very accessible starting point (although we certainly must also recommend our absolute fave, Dusk And Her Embrace). And for those of you who once were CoF fans but turned your backs on 'em as they got more popular and more tuneful and better produced...well never mind about Nymphetamine then, I guess. But you're missing out on some damn good metal music!
MPEG Stream: "Nemesis"
MPEG Stream: "Medusa And Hemlock"

CROOKED JADES, THE s/t (Self Released) cd ep 9.98
In lieu of a new full length (this Fall perhaps?), the Crooked Jades have tossed us a very nice bone of an EP. Five tracks, recorded live to multitrack at SF's own Tiny Telephone in August of 2004. Of the five tracks, three are traditional arrangements and two are originals: one by Jades frontman Jeff Kazor and the other by newly added mandolin player extraordinaire Jennie Benford. For this outing the group have reigned in their broad influences and focused their labors to produce an EP that's almost strictly bluegrass, and very traditional at that. The exception is the final track "Gabriel (World's On Fire)" which is a traditional gospel tune sung by the group a cappella, but for some frantic blues acoustic guitar accompaniment. So nice.
MPEG Stream: "Black Eyed Susan"
MPEG Stream: "Carrier Bird"

CURTAINS, THE Vehicles of Travel (Frenetic) cd 11.98
Sometimes bedazzled, certainly bemused and maybe befuddled, that's where curious local art-rockers The Curtains keep the listener, one never knowing from track to track where the album is likely to lead. And there's a whole lotta tracks on here, like 23 of 'em! All share the The Curtains charming style of quirky, indie-rock confusion, that can be proggily grandiose one moment, innocent and simple the next. Faux-naive? Beefheart-complex? It's all good. The Curtains make their own rules, and we love 'em for it.
MPEG Stream: "April Galleons"
MPEG Stream: "Medallion Arrangement"

CUSACK, PETER Baikal Ice (Spring 2003) (ReR Megacorp) cd 14.98
Are you into Chris Watson's "Weather Report", that "Indian Soundscapes" double disc, "Night Sounds From Bali", and the like? Well field recording fans, here's another one for ya! This disc documents the journey of UK improvising musician Peter Cusack to a remote lake in Siberia, on a mission to record the sounds of ice creaking, cracking, and melting in the springtime. The ice in question covers the surface (up to a meter deep) of one Lake Baikal, which geography and/or trivia buffs will know as being the world's deepest, oldest lake, holding one fifth of the earth's fresh water. On his way to the lake, Cusack puts his recording equipment to good use, bringing us audio verite encounters with the Trans-Siberian Railway, percussion on a broken metal fountain, children playing with a village's loudspeaker system, bird calls, and other interesting sounds. Armchair travellers will delight. And then there's the whole reason for the trip: Lake Baikal's ice breaking up after a frozen winter. A crinkling, tinkling sound, like a sharp-edged rain, drones nicely, with louder, larger cracks and creaks and groanings. Several tracks are devoted to this crystalline rumbling, and it's both mysterious and lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Baikal Ice Flow Split 3"
MPEG Stream: "Port Baikal Weird"

DESTROYER AND FROG EYES Notorious Lightning and Other Works (Merge) cd ep 10.98
Geez Mr. Bejar, the paint is barely dry on your last album Your Blues and you're already revisiting and reworking some of those songs! Unlike other artists whose intentions (and their record label's) might be more suspect (i.e, marketing ploys, etc), Bejar's artistic sincerity is untarnished. You do believe that this ep's existence is not due to an unhappiness / dissatisfaction with his previous renderings. No, not at all. Instead, perhaps inspired by the volatile artistry of his recent tourmates (and AQ faves) Frog Eyes, Bejar has approached these songs with a slightly more unhinged vision. Whereas Your Blues was thoroughly composed and grand, this is much more stripped down and guitar-driven. The contrast is immediately noticeable from just one look at the two releases' cover art - the subject matter is the same, but the brush and pen strokes are drastically different, one is calmly shaded while the other is almost violently slashed out. What these six songs really unveil though is the fresh, potent chemistry that flows between Bejar and the Frog Eyes crew who perform with him on this release. Sparks fly with a tingly energy! Check out one of the cd's highlights, the title track "Notorious Lightning" on which F.E. mainman Carey Mercer joins Bejar at the mic. Pretty darn great! Should cause much cross-pollination between the two bands' fanclub memberships.
MPEG Stream: "Notorious Lightning"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Become The Thing You Hate"

ELECTRONICAT Re:bird - The Electronicat Remixes (Angelika Kohlermann) cd 16.98
The French shuffletime electro maven known as Electronicat has his admirers here at AQ, and apparently 'round the world as well, as this obligatory remixes disc goes to show. It's got a completely hip and fairly diverse lineup of remixers: Adult., Dat Politics, the ubiqitous Kid606, dDamage, Felix Kubin, The Hacker, Mike Ladd, Original Hamster, and even Zbigniew Karkowski, amongst others. If you like your beats crunchy and catchy, glammed up with gobs of electro-punk guitar distortion, you should be an Electronicat fan -- and if you're an Electronicat fan, you already know if you would be interested in remixes I suppose. We enjoyed 'em.
MPEG Stream: ADULT. "I Wanna Know Now"
MPEG Stream: ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI "Hello - Yes - Hello"
MPEG Stream: MIKE LADD "Mause"

HIGH ON FIRE Blessed Black Wings (Relapse) cd 14.98
Flap flap flap. More like flwwaapp flwwaapp flwwaapphhgh. Blessed Black Wings cast a shadow across the land, blotting out the sun in their demonic leathern flight. It's the third album from the Bay Area's louder-than-thou High On Fire, the first to feature new bassist Joe Preston (Thrones, ex-Melvins, ex-Earth) and it's not going to disappoint any fans of their previous discs, that's for sure. On this Steve Albini recorded effort, the sheer volume and pummel is cranked to full force, ex-Sleep guitarist Matt Pike's Lemmy-vs-Cronos styled vox doing damage atop a fast-marching mountain of riffery. It really sounds like these guys are beating the bejesus out of their instruments, and not just the drums. It's like an angry, aggro version of Sleep, really. And more than ever, this is somehow sludgily reminiscent of the underground metal thrash of a decade or 15 years ago...I'm hearing Nuclear Assault, Laaz Rockit, Exodus, and oh yeah, Slayer!! Includes (while supplies last, we assume) a bonus dvd disc with five live tracks. So, "Cometh Down Hessian" (that's one of the song titles) and buy this!
MPEG Stream: "Brother In The Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Blessed Black Wings"

HIROSHIGE, JOJO Boku Wa Mo Utawanai Daro (Alchemy) cd 21.00
Japanese psych fans! Here's the follow-up to Alchemy label boss and Hijokaidan guitarist Jojo Hiroshige's Donari Chirasu Boku No Koe Wa Amari Ni Mo Chiisai (whew!) disc that we reviewed not long ago on list 200. At the time, we erroneously identified that as being a Jojo collaboration with the all-girl psych band Doodles, when in fact only one half of the Doodles duo that was present on Donari Chirasu..., that being guitarist Akiko Terashima. And the other, non-Doodles musicans were bassist Yoshie Tanuma and drummer Naoko Otani, she formerly of Angel'in Heavy Syrup. This same backing band is, um, back with Jojo this time for Boku Wa Mo Utawanai Daro. And again it's one of the most 'musical' efforts we've heard from the notorious noise-meister, Jojo and Co. getting really into a '70s inspired heavy psych thing that all you stoner rockers and krautheads and Terrastock natives ought to dig. The gentle and melancholy parts (with words we wonder if, as on the previous album, are by cult '70s singer Sai Yoshiko?) are perhaps more prevalent here, the album striking a balance between blown-out, thudding rock riffery and actual out-and-out psychedelic pop, that tilts more towards the latter. For a guy that's best known for utter destructo noise mayhem, this can be shockingly sweet and melodic! If you liked those Night Gallery comps from Jojo's label, or that other recent Jojo disc, or a lot of other things on Alchemy or PSF or wherever that fall in line with the Tokyo Flashback aesthetic, this is definitely one to check out!
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 4"

HOOD The Lost You (Domino) cd ep 6.98
It's been a while since we last heard from Hood, but in anticipation of their forthcoming full length Outside Closer, they've resurfaced with these five breezy tracks. Much less split personality than their past efforts have had the tendency to be -- they would be postrock-y on one track and blissed-out indie-tronica the next -- Hood have integrated their two selves into a consistent shimmery dreaminess of glistening guitars, processed beats, gauzy washes and hushed vocals. On the surface, this may simply seem cut from the same cloth as the current crop of pretty euro-pop-tronica (such as Morr Music's Styrofoam, LaliPuna, etc... heck, not to mention that just like those artists, Hood's also been cavorting with indie hiphoppers such as Themselves!), but closer listens reveal Hood's music to possess considerably more dynamics and substance. Nice! Can't wait for the new album!
MPEG Stream: "The Lost You"
MPEG Stream: "The Rest Of Us Still Care"

JENNIFER GENTLE Valende (SubPop) cd 13.98
There is something about this band I really like, though I can't necessarily put my finger on it. A friend of mine described Jennifer Gentle in the following manner and I don't think I could have done a better job. "Jennifer Gentle is like biting into an acid sandwich. It's like Deerhoof reading Alice In Wonderland. Like Sister Seance Stepple, her eyes as black as treacle, sitting in a cave of candy floss, on the side of Witch Mountain. It makes the goblins giggle with delight." Ok... to this I'll add the following: Jennifer Gentle is an Italian duo, their band name derived from a Pink Floyd lyric. Valende is their US debut release. Their music generates something I'm not sure exactly how to digest but that's why I like it so!! Jennifer Gentle tours as five piece this year in support of AQ faves Dead Meadow so be sure to go check em out!
MPEG Stream: "Universal Daughter"
MPEG Stream: "I Do Dream You"

JENNIFER GENTLE Valende (SubPop) lp 12.98
There is something about this band I really like, though I can't necessarily put my finger on it. A friend of mine described Jennifer Gentle in the following manner and I don't think I could have done a better job. "Jennifer Gentle is like biting into an acid sandwich. It's like Deerhoof reading Alice In Wonderland. Like Sister Seance Stepple, her eyes as black as treacle, sitting in a cave of candy floss, on the side of Witch Mountain. It makes the goblins giggle with delight." Ok... to this I'll add the following: Jennifer Gentle is an Italian duo, their band name derived from a Pink Floyd lyric. Valende is their US debut release. Their music generates something I'm not sure exactly how to digest but that's why I like it so!! Jennifer Gentle tours as five piece this year in support of AQ faves Dead Meadow so be sure to go check em out!
MPEG Stream: "Universal Daughter"
MPEG Stream: "I Do Dream You"

KAWABATA MAKOTO & RICHARD YOUNGS s/t (VHF) cd 13.98
After being out of print and unavailable for far too long (a coupla years anyway), the kind folks at VHF have repressed this, at last. Here's what we had to say about this great record back when it came out in 2001, originally:
"The entirely too prolific Kawabata Makoto (who fronts Acid Mothers Temple) joins AQ fave Richard Youngs for a surprisingly tranquil, and beautifuly melancholic record of swirling haze and delicate melodies, employing acoustic guitar, autoharp, organ, and voice. Rather than have titles, on the back cover this disc's songs are differentiated by colored bars of varying length.
Medium length blue bar: distorted autoharp over a fuzzy drone of muted melodies, with beautiful plaintive vocals soaring over the rich sonic miasma.
Longer orange bar: gentle finger picked guitar over far away wind chimes and dreamy soundscapes.
Green bar shorter than the blue one: manipulated vocals time stretched and twisted into alien melodies over a warm buzzing hum and acoustic guitar.
Short red bar and really short purple bar: two tracks of gorgeous melodies on acoustic guitar with simple droning organ chords and fluttering high end organ noodling.
Really beautiful and totally mesmerising. Some of the best work by both Makoto and Youngs, who have curbed their penchant for all out noise and given us a glimpse into their sensitive sides."
Of course, since we wrote the above review (which first appeared on list 124), the ever-prolific Kawabata has explored some other equally "sensitive" realms, but this is still one of the best from amongst his mellower stuff. And Youngs (who often allows that glimpse) has also increased his profile to some degree, bringing us such AQ-faves as May, Airs Of The Ear (especially), and River Through Howling Sky. So we imagine there's got to be a bunch of you out there who have only discovered either Youngs or Kawabata relatively recently, or otherwise somehow missed this before and thereby (not to use to strong a word, but...) NEED it now.
MPEG Stream: "Long Blue Bar"
MPEG Stream: "Really Short Purple Bar"

LAKE, BAMBI My Glamourous Life As A Broadway Hostess (Bambi Lake) cd 14.98
Perhaps one of the most recognizable figures from the old school SF punk scene -- if you've checked out Jim Jocoy's great photo book We're Desperate, you might've seen a snapshot of her from back in the day! -- Bambi Lake has just released a lounge cabaret-styled album of covers and originals including "Cockettes Remembrances", "The Golden Age Of Hustlers" and "I'm One Of God's Children (Who Hasn't Got Wings)". Recorded live at the Dark Room here in SF.
MPEG Stream: "Cockettes Remembrances"
MPEG Stream: "I'm One Of God's Children (Who Hasn't Got Wings)"

LIFE AQUATIC, THE OST (Hollywood) cd 17.98
None of us were surprised by how good this movie was. After all, we pretty much all love Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tennenbaums, and of course Rushmore. And really none of us should have been surprised by how great this soundtrack is either, since Wes Anderson movies are as much about the music as the movie itself. But somehow the soundtrack was a surprise. For the content as much as the way it was incorporated into the movie. The focus of the soundtrack has to be the gorgeous acoustic numbers by cast member Seu Jorge. There are 5 of them, and they just happen to all be Bowie covers, and are all sung in Portugeuse! I'm not a huge Bowie fan, but the minute we walked out of the theater, I was hoping that the soundtrack would have those tracks, and it did! Warm and languid, melancholy and dreamy, Jorge's tracks are absolutely beautiful, giving those classic rock and roll numbers a totally different nuance. And once you see the movie, those tracks will make even more (non)sense! But that's not all. Classic tracks by the Zombies, Joan Baez, Scott Walker, and the Stooges! The Stooges' "Search And Destroy" has always been one of those songs that makes you want to rumble -- that RIFF! -- and it's put to excellent use in the film! Plus a killer score by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh. But a discussion of The Life Aquatic would not be complete without a quick digression into "The Cheadle". Not sure how many of you saw Ocean's Eleven, but Don Cheadle played a demolitions expert, with the WORST British accent ever. FOR NO REASON! Responding to every query with "Right guvnuh!" or "Cherrio!" Arghh. So infuriating. WHY WHY WHY? So consequently, pointless and poorly-performed accents are now referred to as "The Cheadle" (others refer to it as "The Kidman"). So in Life Aquatic, Owen Wilson is the one responsible for "The Cheadle", a Southern accent that at best is superfluous, and in execution is thick and impenetrable sometimes, totally non-existent at others. But fear not, that hardly detracts from how great this film is. Owen Wilson is still cute. Bill Murray still rules. The movie is still amazing and funny. And the music is still perfect!
MPEG Stream: "Rebel Rebel"
MPEG Stream: "Rock N' Roll Suicide"
MPEG Stream: "Life On Mars?"

M83 Before The Dawn Heals Us (Mute ) cd 15.98
You'll be glad to know that M83 still basically sound like some strange and wonderful mix of My Bloody Valentine, the Orb, Boards Of Canada, Stereolab and New Order. And they most definitely are still the only band around making this sort of lush, fuzzed out, electronic bliss pop. But the new record takes a strange turn. Some around here think a not so advisable one. But we'll elaborate a bit and you make the call.
First, strap yourself in, and set the controls for the heart of... the eighties.
It starts with the ultra-cheesy cover art, a late night big city scape with the band name written in a thick white graffiti scrawl. If you didn't know M83 was a band you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a Bacardi ad for some new drink.
And sonically it follows a similar time travelling path. Imagine the eighties is a big packet of Lick-Em-Aid, you know that weird colored sugar you'd eat as a kid. So after a year of listening to the first M83 record non stop, it's nice and wet, so go ahead and dip it into your packet of eighties Lick-Em-Aid and you've basically got Before The Dawn Heals Us. Where Dead Cities was almost timeless sounding in its seamless melding of eighties pop, anime soundtrack, modern electronica, nineties shoegaze and classic Krautrock, the new record is eighties through and through. Every song could be music for a montage from Gleaming The Cube or Pump Up The Volume or Back To The Future. When you close your eyes, you can almost visualize the credits rolling over garish splashes of pastel, listing all of the other songs on the 'soundtrack' by folks like Rick Springfield, Ray Parker Jr., Cyndi Lauper, etc. That said, this is still an amazing record. For every moment of cringeworthy fluff, there's three or four of utter pop brilliance. Totally alien snatches of shimmering synth, stuttering studio fuckery, the entire thing peppered with little sounds, electronic and organic, some barely noticeable, some completely defining the songs. Before The Dawn Heals Us sounds best when the band is going full bore, firing a warm beam of thick guitars and fuzzed out synths straight up into the starry sky, stretched out over a rigid framework of drum machine and pulsing bass, that gets so bombastic it almost sounds like Dimmu Borgir or Cradle Of Filth. On first listen the cheese factor was definitely too distracting, but on each listen, those bits of dated pop just sound like pieces of a glorious bigger picture. They may stick out at first but soon, you can't imagine the rest of the record without them. Which makes sense as soon as you spend some time with the record. The whole thing just sort of flows like some unearthed eighties arthouse soundtrack. A deliriously abstract, emotionally charged musical arc, with strange snippets of dialogue and spoken word moving the musical plot forward.
On its own this might not be the perfect record, but as the second part of M83's fuzzy, blissed out musical journey into the shimmery ether, it's an absolute masterpiece.
MPEG Stream: "Moon Child"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Save Us From The Flames"
MPEG Stream: "A Guitar And A Heart"

MANIACS DREAM Die, Learn, No Way (HP Cycle) lp 13.98
Yet another mysterious musical discovery from the wild wooly world of underground Finnish rock. On first listen, Maniacs Dream sounds like they just might follow the same path as fellow Finns Avarus, Anaksimandros, or Kemiallliset Ystevat, with splattery, droning, free folk clatter. But we're in for a rude awakening as the band launches into a series of massive psych rock jams, echoey, reverby and relentlessly propulsive, with heavily affected riffing underpinning huge shards of angular guitar melodies. Like some unholy union of Faust and the Butthole Surfers. The ban dips into homemade electronica, damaged and slathered in all sorts of cobbled together effects, and what sounds like some sort of alien circus music, skronky and bouncy but still noisy and sinister. But those get sort of chopped up anyway, into stumbling bursts of rhythmic space rock oddness that become more raw material for MD's freaky psych rock weirdness.

MANILLA ROAD Invasion / Metal (Cult Metal Classics) 2cd 21.00
As, I suppose, with so many things we sell, for some this release will mean nothing -- to others, holy crap! Check the label name: Cult Metal Classics. Well, with this release they're not lying. Perhaps you're a metal cultist yourself and/or recall us here at AQ raving about this '80s vintage metal band and the various recent (and already, again, often hard to come by) reissues of their albums, or even their latest, the return to former glories that was the Spiral Castle album. Wichita, Kansas' Manilla Road, the epitome of obscure epick, eccentrick metal! The band that The Lord Weird Slough Feg can't avoid being compared to (not because Manilla Road were an influence, they weren't, but because both bands, as traditionally metal as they are, can be so gosh darn weird). And this here is doubtless the weirdest of the whole screw-loose Manilla Road discography. Two albums actually, their 1980 debut Invasion and the 1982 follow-up Metal, which had been bootlegged before but never properly compact-disc'd until this double cd release. Though the production (and the cover art) is oh so low-budget and lo-fi, the band's imagination certainly wasn't limited. These guys were into Rush, Hawkwind, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Motorhead -- and dosing on LSD and reading pulp fantasy fiction. And, in these early days, they were bound by no "traditional" metal blueprints (or, for that matter, commerical considerations). Heck Iron Maiden wasn't even an influence until at least their second album, the bluntly-titled Metal. So Manilla Road were free to blend psych and prog and hard rock and whatever else into what they considered to be "epic space-metal". Who else would do a song called "Defender", written from the perspective of a Defender video arcade machine?? You gotta love that. And then there's the love 'em or hate 'em vocals of guitarist Mark "The Shark" Shelton -- growling, soaring, dramatic and outlandish, ranging all over these songs, whether they be riffy and rockin', or epic and theatrical. And his guitar does the same. Quirky, pioneering, pure underground metal (or, proto-metal) indeed. About as underground as it gets. Now most folks aren't gonna like this, I'll admit right now, but a select few will -- and if you're already like Manilla Road, or the aforementioned Slough Feg, or Cirith Ungol or Brocas Helm, or are perhaps just into retro, ridiculous, unashamed rock n' roll, that might be you. There's just an infectious zeal to these proceedings that I for one can't deny.
And by the way, this reissue is a fan's delight, including lyrics and lengthy liner notes that give a very detailed early history of the band.
MPEG Stream: "Queen Of The Black Coast"
MPEG Stream: "Street Jammer"

MCCOMBS, CASS PREfection (Monitor) cd 14.98
On his sophomore outing PREfection, Mr. Cass McCombs proves he's no run of the mill singer/songwriter. Imagine the quirky pop of Robyn Hitchcock crossed with the swoonsome elegance of Rufus Wainwright and laced with the British melancholia of Morrissey, but then drench it all in cavernous cathedral reverb a la Neko Case or My Morning Jacket. Sound good to you? He's sure got quite a knack for crafting seemingly straightforward songs that your ears will like, but he's got a few tricks up his sleeve to boot. Check out the peppy retro British pop stylings (complete with organ!) of the second song, "Subtraction". It's a great kickstart-your-morning kind of tune, not unlike a gentler version of Iggy's "Lust For Life". The next number "Multiple Suns" is quite a bit darker and more brooding, but still wholly engaging. He saves his most unconventional track for last, "All Your Dreams May Come True". For the first few minutes it's a straightforward sensitive pop song but it eventually dissolves into a lengthy soundscape.
MPEG Stream: "Subtraction"
MPEG Stream: "All Your Dreams May Come True"

MISERY INDEX Dissent (Anarchos) cd 8.98
Get ready extreme metal fans -- the most punk rock band in death metal return again with perhaps their single best recording yet. I've been an enormous fan of these Baltimore-area death/grinders since most of the band's members initially splintered off from Dying Fetus and its more narrow death-metal trappings. Misery Index retains the intensity of death metal, but further incorporate more focused song structures from a hardcore punk perspective. Don't be misled -- they're still a million times more technical than most, but they have the most anarchist-friendly smash-the-state lyrical agenda this side of a Crass compilation. Misery Index stand alone in their ability to achieve the rare combination of totally brutal heaviness contained within the context of distinct, catchy memorable and unique songs -- a sadly rare anomaly in metal these days. And the drumming! The Herculean drum abilities of the inimitable Kevin Talley have been mentioned in these pages before, but it bares repeating, if only because Talley has been absent from the last couple recording sessions. Well, he's back again, and just a few seconds of his playing will send prospective metal drummers back to the rehearsal studio, tail between legs and head bowed in shame. Overall, an intensely powerful five-song ep and a very welcome return to form. Stay with the band Kevin!
MPEG Stream: "Dissent II. Exception to the Ruled"
MPEG Stream: "Dissent III. The Imperial Ambition"

NORDVARGR / DRAKH Infinitas In Aeternum (Cyclic Law) cd 15.98
For now, the AQ list / site may not reflect it, but we have been MASSIVE, almost obsessive fans of the work of one Nordvargr, who we first discovered as the driving force behind the mysterious black metal dark ambient outift MZ412. He would later go on to record some of the most gorgeously bleak, martial ambient / drone musick as Folkstorm, Toroidh, and under his given name Henrik N Bjorkk. He is a modern master of dark ambient death drone. Most of his records have been really tough to track down, so we were super excited to be able to get enough of these to list. The name Drakh may be even less familiar to you than Nordvargr, but some of you may immediately recognize him as Nordvargr's partner in MZ412! So the hopes were quite high for what basically amounts to a new MZ412 record. And thankfully, you dark ambient death drone doom fanatics will not be disappointed. This is a crushing black souled threnody. Massive sheets of dark sound, shift and shimmer, disembodied voices crumble into sonic shards, oppressive walls of suffocating rumble, roll endlessly into the dark oblivion. But what sets this apart from other dark ambient / drone records is the guitars. Yep, guitars. About halfway in, bookended on either side by bleak shimmering lowend ambience, sirens wail, and drones creep slowly onward, as huge downtuned guitars unfurl slow motion riffs, lugubrious and lumbering, so distorted, and tuned so low you can hear the chords crumbling into pieces, while the whole thing lurches forward, through a cloud of black tar mist. It's like a Sunn 0))) track stuck in the middle of a Lustmord record. Like endless blackness being painted even more black. Like dropping a black hole into another even blacker hole...
MPEG Stream: "Black Emitting Oven"
MPEG Stream: "Scotopic Vision"

NURSE WITH WOUND + JIM O'ROURKE Angry Eelectric Finger 1 : Tape Monkey Mooch (Beta-Lactam) cd 15.98
Early in 2004, Steven Stapleton offered a taste of the Angry Eelectric Finger project in the form of a CD published through World Serpent on his United Dairies imprint. The intent was to offer a precursor to a massive 3LP / 3CD set in which Stapleton had commissioned reworkings of unpublished Nurse With Wound material from irr. app. (ext.), Cyclobe, and Jim O'Rourke. As World Serpent went out of business some six months after releasing this teaser to the Angry Eelectric Finger project (without paying Stapleton a dime for two years worth of royalties!!!), the 3LP / 3CD set fell into limbo.
Fortunately, Beta-Lactam has picked up the slack where World Serpent failed miserably, and released the Angry Eelectric Finger project in its entirety.
The Nurse With Wound source material for all of the Angry Eelectric Finger project includes interlocking varispeed warbles, prepared piano recordings, ominously seasick rhythms, and a variety of metallic crashes and slashing cymbals. Stapleton also gave the remixing artists recordings made with members of Krautrock icons Xhol Caravan as well as with David Tibet on "apocalyptic guitar." For the most part, this template of sounds is similar to the spacious, bleakness of his early Surrealist masterpiece Homotopy For Marie, although each of the remixing artists takes the material in a unique way reflecting both their own artistry as well as Stapleton's genius.
Jim O'Rourke offers a soft kaleidoscope of DSP-impacted organ drones which mutate into clanking industrial loops. The second track features much more of the aforementioned Xhol Caravan sessions of free-improv sax and flute solos. Kinda 'jazzy'.
MPEG Stream: "Tape Monkey Mooch I"

NURSE WITH WOUND + JIM O'ROURKE Angry Eelectric Finger 1 : Tape Monkey Mooch (Beta-Lactam) lp 21.00
Early in 2004, Steven Stapleton offered a taste of the Angry Eelectric Finger project in the form of a CD published through World Serpent on his United Dairies imprint. The intent was to offer a precursor to a massive 3LP / 3CD set in which Stapleton had commissioned reworkings of unpublished Nurse With Wound material from irr. app. (ext.), Cyclobe, and Jim O'Rourke. As World Serpent went out of business some six months after releasing this teaser to the Angry Eelectric Finger project (without paying Stapleton a dime for two years worth of royalties!!!), the 3LP / 3CD set fell into limbo.
Fortunately, Beta-Lactam has picked up the slack where World Serpent failed miserably, and released the Angry Eelectric Finger project in its entirety.
The Nurse With Wound source material for all of the Angry Eelectric Finger project includes interlocking varispeed warbles, prepared piano recordings, ominously seasick rhythms, and a variety of metallic crashes and slashing cymbals. Stapleton also gave the remixing artists recordings made with members of Krautrock icons Xhol Caravan as well as with David Tibet on "apocalyptic guitar." For the most part, this template of sounds is similar to the spacious, bleakness of his early Surrealist masterpiece Homotopy For Marie, although each of the remixing artists takes the material in a unique way reflecting both their own artistry as well as Stapleton's genius.
Jim O'Rourke offers a soft kaleidoscope of DSP-impacted organ drones which mutate into clanking industrial loops. The second track features much more of the aforementioned Xhol Caravan sessions of free-improv sax and flute solos. Kinda 'jazzy'.
MPEG Stream: "Tape Monkey Mooch I"

NURSE WITH WOUND + CYCLOBE Angry Eelectric Finger 2 : Paraparaparallelogrammatica (Beta-Lactam) cd 15.98
Early in 2004, Steven Stapleton offered a taste of the Angry Eelectric Finger project in the form of a CD released through World Serpent on his United Dairies imprint. The intent was to offer a precursor to a massive 3LP / 3CD set in which Stapleton had commissioned reworkings of unpublished Nurse With Wound material from irr. app. (ext.), Cyclobe, and Jim O'Rourke. As World Serpent went out of business some six months after releasing this teaser to the Angry Eelectric Finger project (without paying Stapleton a dime for two years worth of royalties!!!), the 3LP / 3CD set fell into limbo.
Fortunately, Beta-Lactam has picked up the slack where World Serpent failed miserably, and released the Angry Eelectric Finger project in its entirety.
The Nurse With Wound source material for all of the Angry Eelectric Finger project includes interlocking varispeed warbles, prepared piano recordings, ominously seasick rhythms, and a variety of metallic crashes and slashing cymbals. Stapleton also gave the remixing artists recordings made with members of Krautrock icons Xhol Caravan as well as with David Tibet on "apocalyptic guitar." For the most part, this template of sounds is similar to the spacious, bleakness of his early Surrealist masterpiece Homotopy For Marie, although each of the remixing artists takes the material in a unique way reflecting both their own artistry as well as Stapleton's genius.
Cyclobe's alchemy upon the source material is clearly the most extreme of the three reworkings, as very little of the Stapleton and Xhol source material emerges intact on this album. Comprised of former Coil member Stephen Thrower along with Ossian Brown, Cyclobe (not Cylob) has often paralleled the golden, decadent timbre's of Coil sidereal dronescaping. With sparse and eerie ambience ghosting throughout the stereofield, Cyclobe's contribution to the Angry Eelectric Finger is probably the best we've heard from them.
MPEG Stream: "Paraparaparallelogrammatica 1"
MPEG Stream: "Paraparaparallelogrammatica 4"

NURSE WITH WOUND + CYCLOBE Angry Eelectric Finger 2 : Paraparaparallelogrammatica (Beta-Lactam) lp 21.00
Early in 2004, Steven Stapleton offered a taste of the Angry Eelectric Finger project in the form of a CD released through World Serpent on his United Dairies imprint. The intent was to offer a precursor to a massive 3LP / 3CD set in which Stapleton had commissioned reworkings of unpublished Nurse With Wound material from irr. app. (ext.), Cyclobe, and Jim O'Rourke. As World Serpent went out of business some six months after releasing this teaser to the Angry Eelectric Finger project (without paying Stapleton a dime for two years worth of royalties!!!), the 3LP / 3CD set fell into limbo.
Fortunately, Beta-Lactam has picked up the slack where World Serpent failed miserably, and released the Angry Eelectric Finger project in its entirety.
The Nurse With Wound source material for all of the Angry Eelectric Finger project includes interlocking varispeed warbles, prepared piano recordings, ominously seasick rhythms, and a variety of metallic crashes and slashing cymbals. Stapleton also gave the remixing artists recordings made with members of Krautrock icons Xhol Caravan as well as with David Tibet on "apocalyptic guitar." For the most part, this template of sounds is similar to the spacious, bleakness of his early Surrealist masterpiece Homotopy For Marie, although each of the remixing artists takes the material in a unique way reflecting both their own artistry as well as Stapleton's genius.
Cyclobe's alchemy upon the source material is clearly the most extreme of the three reworkings, as very little of the Stapleton and Xhol source material emerges intact on this album. Comprised of former Coil member Stephen Thrower along with Ossian Brown, Cyclobe (not Cylob) has often paralleled the golden, decadent timbre's of Coil sidereal dronescaping. With sparse and eerie ambience ghosting throughout the stereofield, Cyclobe's contribution to the Angry Eelectric Finger is probably the best we've heard from them.
MPEG Stream: "Paraparaparallelogrammatica 1"
MPEG Stream: "Paraparaparallelogrammatica 4"

NURSE WITH WOUND + IRR. APP. (EXT.) Angry Eelectric Finger 3 : Mute Bell Extinction Process (Beta-Lactam) cd 15.98
Early in 2004, Steven Stapleton offered a taste of the Angry Eelectric Finger project in the form of a CD published through World Serpent on his United Dairies imprint. The intent was to offer a precursor to a massive 3LP / 3CD set in which Stapleton had commissioned reworkings of unpublished Nurse With Wound material from irr. app. (ext.), Cyclobe, and Jim O'Rourke. As World Serpent went out of business some six months after releasing this teaser to the Angry Eelectric Finger project (without paying Stapleton a dime for two years worth of royalties!!!), the 3LP / 3CD set fell into limbo.
Fortunately, Beta-Lactam has picked up the slack where World Serpent failed miserably, and released the Angry Eelectric Finger project in its entirety.
The Nurse With Wound source material for all of the Angry Eelectric Finger project includes interlocking varispeed warbles, prepared piano recordings, ominously seasick rhythms, and a variety of metallic crashes and slashing cymbals. Stapleton also gave the remixing artists recordings made with members of Krautrock icons Xhol Caravan as well as with David Tibet on "apocalyptic guitar." For the most part, this template of sounds is similar to the spacious, bleakness of his early Surrealist masterpiece Homotopy For Marie, although each of the remixing artists takes the material in a unique way reflecting both their own artistry as well as Stapleton's genius.
For my money, the irr. app. (ext.) is the best of the three. Much like the stunning NWW album Salt Marie Celeste, Waldron's album rumbles as a sustained droning mantra; this time, it's from a muffled funereal bell while broken springs, distant mechanical engines, and washboard scrapes bounce throughout the stereofield as an aggregate of sonic detritus suspended against a black hole of sound.
MPEG Stream: "Mute Bell Extinction Process I"
MPEG Stream: "Mute Bell Extinction Process II"

NURSE WITH WOUND + IRR. APP. (EXT.) Angry Eelectric Finger 3 : Mute Bell Extinction Process (Beta-Lactam) lp 21.00
Early in 2004, Steven Stapleton offered a taste of the Angry Eelectric Finger project in the form of a CD published through World Serpent on his United Dairies imprint. The intent was to offer a precursor to a massive 3LP / 3CD set in which Stapleton had commissioned reworkings of unpublished Nurse With Wound material from irr. app. (ext.), Cyclobe, and Jim O'Rourke. As World Serpent went out of business some six months after releasing this teaser to the Angry Eelectric Finger project (without paying Stapleton a dime for two years worth of royalties!!!), the 3LP / 3CD set fell into limbo.
Fortunately, Beta-Lactam has picked up the slack where World Serpent failed miserably, and released the Angry Eelectric Finger project in its entirety.
The Nurse With Wound source material for all of the Angry Eelectric Finger project includes interlocking varispeed warbles, prepared piano recordings, ominously seasick rhythms, and a variety of metallic crashes and slashing cymbals. Stapleton also gave the remixing artists recordings made with members of Krautrock icons Xhol Caravan as well as with David Tibet on "apocalyptic guitar." For the most part, this template of sounds is similar to the spacious, bleakness of his early Surrealist masterpiece Homotopy For Marie, although each of the remixing artists takes the material in a unique way reflecting both their own artistry as well as Stapleton's genius.
For my money, the irr. app. (ext.) is the best of the three. Much like the stunning NWW album Salt Marie Celeste, Waldron's album rumbles as a sustained droning mantra; this time, it's from a muffled funereal bell while broken springs, distant mechanical engines, and washboard scrapes bounce throughout the stereofield as an aggregate of sonic detritus suspended against a black hole of sound.
MPEG Stream: "Mute Bell Extinction Process I"
MPEG Stream: "Mute Bell Extinction Process II"

OAKEN THRONE Number Two - Winter 2004 magazine 5.00
The return of the only true, cult, black metal magazine out there. Immediately recognizable beacuse of it's unweildy format (17" by 5" or thereabouts) and it's gorgeous silkscreened silver on black cover. This time around there's articles on / interviews with SF black metallers Ludicra, the mighty Watain, Crebain (who had a recent split with Leviathan on Andee's tUMULt label), Unearthly Trance, Atomizer, Gospel Of The Horns, Hell Militia, and of course Leviathan. As well as some record and demo reviews. Well written, and nicely laid out. With some serious financial backing these guys could easily topple the Terrorizer / Metal Maniacs / SOD / PIT / BWBK metal mag monopoly in one fell swoop. Be sure to peep the gorgeous tUMULt ad on the back cover, designed by Oaken Throne designer Ben West. Wow! Maybe even nicer than the actual cover!
And remember, that due to the magazine's size, unless you want it folded up, you're gonna have to spring for a little extra postage for it to be shipped separately. But well worth it!

OCTIS Ocrilim (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 11.98
Fretboard brainiac Mick Barr (of Orthrelm, Crom-Tech, Quix*o*tic, and Octis) is back with a new album from his solo manifestation Octis (and is also now living here in San Francisco, playing in the Flying Luttenbachers). Ocrilim is one 33 minute track of squiggly quasi-metallic guitar and drum machine. Electro-shock therapy too expensive? Try this! A tinny drone jabbed and jarred with manic outbursts of hyper spazz guitar, with which the drum machine can barely keep up. It's, in a word, maddening. And of course we love it.
MPEG Stream: "Ocrilim [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Ocrilim [excerpt 2]"

ONE MILE NORTH / COLOPHON / THE WIND-UP BIRD Conduction. Convection. Radiation. (Music Fellowship) cd 14.98
Although this cd is credited to the individual talents of three artists -- Colophon aka Jefre Cantu of Tarentel, the guitar and synthesizer duo 1 Mile North and The Wind-Up Bird aka multi-instrumentalist Joe Grimm -- you really can't tell where one ends and the other begins. Indeed, Conduction. Convection. Radiation. as a whole is a cohesive, near-seamless work. Very spacious, drifting and atmospheric, the first three tracks are by 1 Mile North, and the following three are by Colophon. Gauzy drones cloud the skies with occasional austere guitar melodies coming in and out of focus. The latter four tracks are by The Wind-Up Bird and they're crafted from delicate elements such as violin strings that softly wheeze, and piano keys that sound as if they're being struck as if by random raindrops. Beautiful and haunting.
MPEG Stream: COLOPHON "Texas Heat"
MPEG Stream: THE WIND-UP BIRD "Violin & Trumpet"

PARKER, JEFF The Relatives (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
This gent might be most familiar to folks as being the guitarist in many of the most prominent bands in the Chicago postrock scene. Yup, he's played in Isotope 217, Chicago Underground Duo (and Trio and Quartet and Orchestra... you get the picture) and of course Tortoise. That said his musical leanings frequently delve into considerably more avant garde and free jazz territory. He has participated in numerous collaborations, but he's also plenty prolific on his own. The Relatives marks his second full length on which he's the captain steering the ship (his first was 2003's Like-Coping on Delmark Records). And well, to put it kindly, this is perhaps his most accessible work to date... verging on easy-listening soft jazz. Dinner jazz even. Very skillfully executed tapioca.
MPEG Stream: "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You"
MPEG Stream: " Istanbul"

PARTCH, HARRY Collection Volume 3 (New World / CRI) cd 16.98
The choice of Partch works selected for this third volume of his music highlight the corporeal aspects of his art: be it incorporating dance and drama into his compositions or scoring for films. One piece, "Rotate The Body In All Of Its Planes" (1961), was even written for gymnasts while performing at the Collegiate Gymnastics Championship at the University of Illinois Charles Pond and later preserved onto film by Madeline Tourtelot. "Windsong" (1958) is another composition for a film collaboration with Tourtelot. The first piece on the disc, "The Dreamer That Remains" (1972) was Partch's last completed work. Commissioned by long time friend Betty Freeman, The Dreamer was a largely autobiographical work, detailing childhood memories, his hoboing days and even outing himself to the world -- something that caused Freeman some consternation at the time. The final piece, "Water! Water! -- An Intermission With Prologues And Epilogues" (1961), is a satyrical piece of theater postulating that the greatest satisfaction for the audience in any performance was the arrival of intermission when they could finally leave their seats for some refreshments.
MPEG Stream: "The Dreamer That Remains"
MPEG Stream: "Water! Water!"

PIANO MAGIC Opencast Heart (Important ) cd 11.98
The Important Records sticker that's plastered to the shrinkwrap of this album plainly states that "this is the most purely electronic record Piano Magic has ever made." Yes, that is certainly true; although the mood and atmosphere of Opencast Heart is no different hear than on previous Piano Magic records, as Glen Johnson (who's Piano Magic's chief songwriter / producer and only returning member of each incarnation for the band) continues to spin delicate, precious songs whose fragility hint at something slightly dark and wintery. With the icy electronic whirrs and naked vocals from both Johnson and chanteuse Angele David-Guillou, Opencast Heart has more in common with the Mark Van Hoen / Locust recordings than with the archetypal 4AD sound that Johnson had reified on the Piano Magic classic album Low Birth Weight.
MPEG Stream: "Echoes On The Ice"
MPEG Stream: "This Heart Machinery"

PICKPOCKET ENSEMBLE Fingerpainting In Red Wine (Odd Shaped Case) cd 14.98
Now on their fourth full length release, the Pickpocket Ensemble continue to pursue the Middle Eastern direction that they had begun to explore in their last outing If I Were A Highway (2003). The core lineup remains the same with frontman Rick Corrigan on accordion, Marguerite Ostrovski on violin, Tim Fox on guitar and assisted on a couple tracks by some additional clarinet and cello. Along with the increased concentration on pan-Mediterranean strains of music, the group has picked up a lot more confidence in their playing, taking more time to fully flesh out songs, with Corrigan, Ostrovski and Fox each taking turns with solos and building their counterpoint as they do. Further, more and more complex and interesting time signatures seem to be the order of the day on Fingerpainting In Red Wine. Interesting developments from an always interesting group.
MPEG Stream: "Disarray Of Roses"
MPEG Stream: "Renee At Ocean Beach"

POPOFF, MARTIN The Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal Vol. 1: The Seventies (Collector's Guide Publishing) book + cd 23.95
Strangely enough (or not?) for someone who spends a lot of their time writing music reviews, I just LOVE to read music reviews. And if it's reviews of old heavy metal records, even better! And there's few reviewers whose reviews I get as much of a kick out of as those of Canadian heavy metal opinionmeister Martin Popoff. Back in 1997 he wrote a book -- a tome, in truth, with 3,740 reviews -- entitled The Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal, itself an update of Popoff's previously published opus Riff Kills Man: 25 Years Of Hard Rock & Heavy Metal (a mere 1,942 reviews in that one). And that wasn't enough. So now he's back, revising and expanding the his ultimate heavy metal review resource into not one but three volumes, one per decade of metal, starting with this one, devoted to pretty much anything that rocked out and exhibited some degree of heaviosity in the '70s! And some relevant late '60s albums sneak in too. Hundreds upon hundreds of albums are covered here, each getting a paragraph-or-two review and ratings on not one but two 10-point scales: first for heaviness (which in Martin's world seems more akin to "metalness") and a second for simply just how much Martin likes the album in question. These two scores often correlate but not always. And of course it's not clear that these faux-scientific numerical rankings are a good idea, since it leads to silly comparisons... Blue Cheer's Vincebus Eruptum gets a "6" for heaviness (I woulda gone higher!) while he gives the same rating to Jo Jo Gunne's Jumpin' The Gunne. And they actually both get the same quality rating too, both 6's. Huh? But that is part of the charming eccentricity of this book and its author. Agree with him or not, he'll still get you stoked on some great music.
That's the best thing about this -- that despite the title, it's not really a "collector's" guide. That is, it's not at all about what's rare and valuable and hard to find and that sort of thing. Sure, the occasional ridiculous eBay price gets mentioned, and Martin will bring up some peculiarity of a reissue or whatever if he thinks it's interesting. But what this book is REALLY about is the music, something that most "collector's guides" barely ever even seem concerned with amidst concerns about rarity and monetary value. Sure, Martin's a collector, i.e., he's got lots of records. And so am I. But the motivation for the collecting -- and review-writing -- is an abiding love for the "Greatest Music In The World" (as Martin puts it, and I won't argue) and a desire to share that excitement. So don't come to this book expecting to read a lot about different vinyl pressings and suchlike, thank god. And indeed, part of Martin's mission here is to dispel some collector's myths. He wants to examine some so-called "collector's holy grails" and see if they really stand up against the more popular, better-known bands in the heaviness stakes. Some do, but the point he's making is that just 'cause something costs $500 for an original pressing doesn't mean it's in the same league musically as, say, the Scorpions LP you can still pick up for relatively cheap at a flea market. Kind of a record-collector reality check. And that's good...although of course I'm still drooling over some of these hard-to-find obscurities regardless! And that's what this is for too... covering as it does everything from the obvious (Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen...) to the obscure (Buffalo, I Teoremi, Leafhound, Bang, Jerusalem...). And Martin devotes a bit of space at the beginning of the book explaining how the definition of heavy metal in the '70s is a bit broader than in later decades, as he includes in lots of stuff that the average headbanger today wouldn't consider metal, from hard rock (Foreigner, Aerosmith, Foghat...) to punk acts (The Stooges, DMZ, The Damned, The Saints, Sex Pistols...) to some harder prog and krautrock. But "heavy metal" meant something a little different back in the '70s anyway (as any reader of Black To Comm 'zine will confirm).
There's very few omissions I could think of (and lots of stuff in here I'd never even heard of before!). He even includes an appendix listing bands that you might think (from the name or album cover) are heavy that aren't! And after hours of reading I've only come across one factual mistake. Opinion-wise, there's more to argue with -- as I said, I don't always agree with his reviews, but they're enthused and amusing and even if he trashes an album I personally love I still read it with a chuckle. For a music (and heavy '70s rock) junkie like me, this is a real can't put down page turner like some people find the latest Stephen King or John Grisham. His style is sportswriterly colourful, sometimes just a little crazed, and real conversational. I shouldn't make this review any longer than it is already by quoting from Popoff's prose, but here's a sample from his (10/10) review of Black Sabbath's Sabotage: "...a tour de force from a quartet improbably tormented by the demons of genius and more probably towel-whipped by the gnomes of stupidity." Nice.
Getting into this guy's music n' metal-mad mind, with all his rankings and charts and appendices and personal reminicences is amazing. And as a fellow-review writer, can I just say how freaking impressed I am with his accomplishment here? Pretty much essential for any historical-minded metalhead or retro-rocker who likes to read! Oh yeah, plus there's a bonus cd comp with tracks from the Monster records reissue roster.

POPOL VUH Affenstunde (SPV) cd 16.98
Along with composing the scores for some of Werner Herzog's greatest films, Florian Fricke was as much a musical pioneer as were his contemporaries Faust, Neu and Cluster. Unlike his contemporaries, Fricke's music is informed as much by music from arounds the world as it was rock and classical composition (in which he was schooled). Sitars, pan flutes and assorted ethnic percussion have as much a place in any given Popol Vuh album as moog synths, guitars, bass and drums. One only need look at his choice of a band name, taken from the title of a sacred Mayan text, to see where Fricke's affinities lay.
Affenstunde, recorded in 1970, was Popol Vuh's first album. The four original album tracks are a combination of dark, droning synth soundscapes, hippy drum circle-ish drum james and improvised moog keyboard workouts. Imagine if you could crunch the bubbly synth era of Tangerine Dream into their dark, early days circa Electronic Meditation and Alpha Centari. In contrast to his later works for film, Affenstunde is much more textural, intentionally devoid of any melody. As a bonus this remastered edition, like the others in this series, comes with an additional -- previously unreleased -- track from the same period. And that cover picture! Hard to resist.
MPEG Stream: "Ich Mache Einen Spiegel - Dream Part 4"
MPEG Stream: "Train Through Time"

PREWITT, ARCHER Wilderness (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
Dagnabit, if we didn't know this was Archer Prewitt, we're not sure if we'd be touching it with a ten foot pole! Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but even if it is, that's a still pretty unsettling thought, isn't it? I mean, we've loved many of his past recordings (particularly his solo debut In The Sun and EVERYTHING with the Coctails), and new Prewitt albums are always warmly anticipated around these parts. So what's the deal? Well, in a blind listening test, the words "soft rock" and "mainstream" immediately sprung to mind. Many songs on Wilderness sound like something you'd have dialed in on your AM Radio back in the '70s... and not necessarily in a cool Eagles-y or Fleetwood Mac-y bewitching kind of way though... no, more like Bread or England Dan & John Ford Coley (meaning: solid, sentimental, adult contemporary pop). Not that that is any surprise really, you might recall us comparing Prewitt's voice on his last album Three to James Taylor. Okay, that's not always such a bad thing, but Prewitt used to insert details and personality quirks that gave each song a little edge and made it stick in your head... and made you happy that it was stuck there. Those have grown increasingly scarce with each subsequent album. Hate to say it, but the very smooth'n'elegant Wilderness just may be a little TOO smooth'n'elegant. Actually fans of ultra mellow pop a la Kings Of Convenience might find this album quite to their liking.
MPEG Stream: "Way Of The Sun"
MPEG Stream: "Judy, Judy"

PUTRESCENCE Mangled, Hollowed Out And Vomit Filled (No Escape) cd 10.98
Sometimes, only death metal really hits the spot. Some of you know exactly what we mean. Every once in a while, you're just in the mood for good 'ol big dumb, thrashy hair spinning, denim jacketed, leather spiked, knee-to-the-groin, splattery, grindy, buzzy, grunted and growled old school death metal. And it certainly doesn't hurt when you mix in some super-tech goregrind and occasional moshy metalcore and once in a while even some weird stretched out static-drone-riffs. In fact that just turns helps turn decent death metal into really cool and seriously fucked up death metal. So thus, we have Putrescence (featuring members of the recently reviewed Head Hits Concrete), who spew forth a torrent of sick sick , downtuned, buzzsaw death metal. With rumbling cookie monster vocals, illegible logo, severed bloody head album art, pentagram-made-out-of-scalpels disc art, ridiculous song titles ("Blood Loss And Trauma From A Vengeful Hatchet Assault To Penile Shaft", "Gunked Up Tree Chipper", "Ebola Infected Plane Crash Victims Raining On A Church Picnic", "Detrunked Wizard Hacked To Bloodied Ribbons" and more!), a sick album title (Mangled, Hollowed Out And Vomit Filled) and of course appropriately evil / stupid band member names and instrumentation credits. "Soiled Depends: studded crotch packed with dope, pants caked with shizzat. Grimmgore: grapefruit clutching six string Satan worship, mass poseur slayings. Dark Lord Skullbong: severer of ties with sobriety, unholy beast summoning. Necromagnon: cataclysmic thunder and reeks of shit from beyond the grave." Yep. Throw in a handful of funny / creepy samples and let 'er rip. Actually the more we listen to this, the more you can tell this isn't 'real' death metal, but actually death metal played by grindcore geeks with a wicked sense of humor.. Which is most definitely a good thing! It's all just way too grindingly technical and weirdly arranged. On one level it may be a pisstake on how goofy metal is, but at the same time, it's also one ultra-pummelling, massively crushing slab of deathgrind brutality!
MPEG Stream: "Raised In An Oscillated Brain Tumour"
MPEG Stream: "Detrunked Wizard Hacked To Bloodied Ribbons"
MPEG Stream: "Self-Strangulation In A Locked Refigerator"

RAMMSTEIN Reise, Reise (Universal) cd 15.98
How can you not love Rammstein? Huge metallic riffs. Pounding thunderous Teutonic rhythms. Uber-grandiose fist pumping anthems. Crystal clear perfect production. And let's not forget the live spectacle of flames and explosions and fireworks (and of course the infamous flame-throwing codpiece). They are the perfect blend of orchestral black metal bombast a la Cradle Of Filth / Dimmu Borgir and Laibach style Wagnerian industrial pomp. Plus when they lock into a groove, they sound strangely like Finnish hypno-rockers Circle. Which is ALWAYS a good thing. This is probably the best Rammstein record yet. The songs are heavy and catchy and weird and really really good. All of the above sonic elements are in full effect, with lots of that Circle-ish mesmer we can't get enough of, as well as a couple standout tracks, a really biting anti-America song that is sung in English, with lyrics that reference the Wonderbra (!) and Coca-Cola and explain that "This is not a love song, I don't sing my mother tongue", a track sung partially in Russian, as well as a really amazing track with killer female vocal counterpoint. Plus strings, a choir, a full orchestra, and of course vocalist Till Lindemann's instantly recognizable, totally menacing, low low low growl. So good. Another band who if you can get beyond the endless 'hype' and media bullshit, will totally and completely kick your ass.
MPEG Stream: "Reise, Reise"
MPEG Stream: "Los"

SERENE LAKES s/t (self-released) cd 3.98
A six-song debut EP from this SF trio. Gently swaying postrock that bring to mind the fine college rock bands from the '90s like Seam, Ida and Versus. Swells of quiet/loud/quiet electric guitars, hushed vocals and washy cymbals build atop the solid bass and drums. Very pretty and wistful.
MPEG Stream: "Tall Beam & Coke"
MPEG Stream: "Timeless"

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE School Of The Flower (Drag City) cd 14.98
AQ-fave underground psych-folk troubadour Ben Chasny hits the "big time" with this Drag City debut. Ok, Drag City's not a major label but it's a popular indie. If this was the '70s, he'd have been flown out to a rented mansion in LA by the label, where he'd have spent months recording in drug-fuelled debauchery. It being just boring old now, we're sure that didn't happen. Despite that, Ben still steps up and delivers with this new Six Organs opus of his. Not that he's ever disappointed, but this could be one of his best. And it is in fact his first ever actual studio-recorded release. The Basho/Fahey guitar pickin', the pagan folk, the cosmic mystic vibes... all shining through. And with School Of The Flower he reveals his obsession with the music of one Gary Higgins, an obscure '70s singer-songwriter who did a now much-talked-of-in-certain-circles LP entitled Red Hash. Until someone tracks him down (according to the liner notes, Drag City is trying), the closest you'll probably get to hearing it is the cover of his "Thicker Than A Smokey" that appears here!
FYI: the music on track five ("Home") is basically the bass line for Rod Stewart's "Ooh La La" played on acoustic guitar!
MPEG Stream: "Eighth Cognition/All You've Left"
MPEG Stream: "Procession Of Cherry Blossom Spirits"

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE School Of The Flower (Drag City) lp 14.98
AQ-fave underground psych-folk troubadour Ben Chasny hits the "big time" with this Drag City debut. Ok, Drag City's not a major label but it's a popular indie. If this was the '70s, he'd have been flown out to a rented mansion in LA by the label, where he'd have spent months recording in drug-fuelled debauchery. It being just boring old now, we're sure that didn't happen. Despite that, Ben still steps up and delivers with this new Six Organs opus of his. Not that he's ever disappointed, but this could be one of his best. And it is in fact his first ever actual studio-recorded release. The Basho/Fahey guitar pickin', the pagan folk, the cosmic mystic vibes... all shining through. And with School Of The Flower he reveals his obsession with the music of one Gary Higgins, an obscure '70s singer-songwriter who did a now much-talked-of-in-certain-circles LP entitled Red Hash. Until someone tracks him down (according to the liner notes, Drag City is trying), the closest you'll probably get to hearing it is the cover of his "Thicker Than A Smokey" that appears here!
FYI: the music on track five ("Home") is basically the bass line for Rod Stewart's "Ooh La La" played on acoustic guitar!
MPEG Stream: "Eighth Cognition/All You've Left"
MPEG Stream: "Procession Of Cherry Blossom Spirits"

SKYGREEN LEOPARDS, THE Life & Love In Sparrow's Meadow (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Of the very many, very special tines of the Jewelled Antler, it's the Skygreen Leopards perhaps who are best known for airy-fairy folk songcraft. The pastoral folk duo of Donovan Quinn (Verdure, Horticultural Compass) and Glenn Donaldson (Thuja, Ivytree, Blithe Sons, Buried Civilizations, Franciscan Hobbies, Horticultural Compass, etc. etc.), with the occasional help of their "Skyband", have now brought us their third or so album proper (for which the LP-only and now-out-of-print Child God In The Garden Of Idols reviewed last list was but a hazy prelude). Listen in to these boys strumming and singing and lazing about in a sunny Sunday sound-world, grooving with the birds in the trees and the flowers in the fields, into which they've introduced flute and organ and, above all, their voices. Voices that are a little bit Richard Youngs, a little bit Ariel Pink... breathy and high and delicate. As suggested by the artwork -- one of Glenn's lovely nature-fantasia collages -- this is the words and music of fragile fluttering butterflies thinking deep thoughts, mystical thoughts...not that the quasi-religious themes of the lyrics are all that easy to decipher within the raw Jewelled Antler production aesthetic.
MPEG Stream: "Mother The Sun Makes Me Cry"
MPEG Stream: "Egyptian Rosemarie"

SKYGREEN LEOPARDS, THE Life & Love In Sparrow's Meadow (Jagjaguwar) lp 13.98
Of the very many, very special tines of the Jewelled Antler, it's the Skygreen Leopards perhaps who are best known for airy-fairy folk songcraft. The pastoral folk duo of Donovan Quinn (Verdure, Horticultural Compass) and Glenn Donaldson (Thuja, Ivytree, Blithe Sons, Buried Civilizations, Franciscan Hobbies, Horticultural Compass, etc. etc.), with the occasional help of their "Skyband", have now brought us their third or so album proper (for which the LP-only and now-out-of-print Child God In The Garden Of Idols reviewed last list was but a hazy prelude). Listen in to these boys strumming and singing and lazing about in a sunny Sunday sound-world, grooving with the birds in the trees and the flowers in the fields, into which they've introduced flute and organ and, above all, their voices. Voices that are a little bit Richard Youngs, a little bit Ariel Pink... breathy and high and delicate. As suggested by the artwork -- one of Glenn's lovely nature-fantasia collages -- this is the words and music of fragile fluttering butterflies thinking deep thoughts, mystical thoughts...not that the quasi-religious themes of the lyrics are all that easy to decipher within the raw Jewelled Antler production aesthetic.
MPEG Stream: "Mother The Sun Makes Me Cry"
MPEG Stream: "Egyptian Rosemarie"

SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM Of Natural History (Web of Mimicry) cd 13.98
Second album (third if you count the live one) from this Bay Area band (ex-Idiot Flesh) of musical maniacs into math and metal and, uh, museums. Herking and jerking heavily, this is surely some theatrical, bombastic prog, like a gothic industrial version of, say, Mr. Bungle, with both male and female vocals. At (rapid) turns spastic, melodic, melancholic, complex and controlled... Maybe a bit over-the-top for some -- too thespian for rock and roll y'know -- but definitely a good fit for the Web of Mimicry label and that whole surreal circusy scene, so fans of the Secret Chiefs and (of course) Sleepytime themselves will be well pleased.
MPEG Stream: "The Donkey-Headed Adversary Of Humanity Opens The Discussion"
MPEG Stream: "Phthisis"

SPIRES THAT IN THE SUNSET RISE s/t (Graveface) cd 9.98
Finally available on cd! The debut recording from this Chicago trio of damaged hippie primitivists who unleash a miasmic flow of creepy, primal free-folk ragas woven from guitars, cellos, autoharp, melodica, harmonium, spike fiddle(!), mbira, piano, violin, voice and percussion. Childlike and playful, innocent and haunting, disturbing and dreamy, eliciting acid fried flashbacks to such pagan classics as Comus, Current 93, the Wicker Man and of course NNCK and the Sunburned Hand!
MPEG Stream: "I Am Sewn"
MPEG Stream: "Birds Of Paradise"

SPROUT, TOBIN Live At The Horseshoe Tavern April 19, 2004 (Wigwam) 2cd 17.98
Well, if you've been in mourning about the demise of beloved band Guided By Voices (who played their final show this past New Year's Eve), you can take some solace in the fact that its individual former members haven't stopped making music... nor playing it live! This is a double cd of a complete Tobin Sprout performance in Toronto last year. From the very first unmistakable guitar strum, it's a definite fan pleaser filled with lots of old Sprout/GBV favorites and plenty of crowd hoots and hollerin'. Added bonus: demo versions of even more old faves "And I Wonder", "Inside Your Serious", "Over Then, and Back Again".
MPEG Stream: "Get Out Of My Throat"
MPEG Stream: "Inside Your Serious"

SWEENEY, MATT & BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY Superwolf (Drag City) cd 14.98
After just reviewing one of our old favorite records, Chavez's Gone Glimmering, we were pretty darned excited to discover that the new Bonny Prince Billy record was actually a collaboration between Will Oldham (aka BPP) and Matt Sweeney from Chavez! Sweeney also just happened to front one of our favorite eighties/nineties college rock outfits Skunk (someone should definitely resissue the first Skunk lp on cd!!) as well as playing guitar in the post Smashing pumpkins supergroup Zwan. This collaboration was born of a challenge, Oldham had Sweeney write music, and Oldham would then write the lyrics and they would record the record together. The overall result is not immediately all that different than a Palace or Bonny Prince Billy record. The vocals are still sweet and warbly, the music is still twangy and mournful. But Sweeney has definitely come up with some beautiful tunes, well written but also nicely arranged, often augmented by big drums and rich keyboards, much less spartan than a lot of Oldham's past recordings. And a bit more rocking, with hints of the Allman Brothers, seventies rock, fuzzy psychedelia, and once or twice some big crashing chords and wailing leads that are straight out of the Skunk / Chavez songbook. Sweeney's vocals sound perfect with Oldham's, the two weaving and harmonizing beautifully. And of course Oldham's lyrics are as wry and cryptically sweet as ever. This definitely ranks up there with Ease On Down The Road and Master And Everyone as one of Oldham's finer moments.
MPEG Stream: "My Home Is The Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Beast For Thee"
MPEG Stream: "What Are You?"

SWEENEY, MATT & BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY Superwolf (Drag City) lp 14.98
After just reviewing one of our old favorite records, Chavez's Gone Glimmering, we were pretty darned excited to discover that the new Bonny Prince Billy record was actually a collaboration between Will Oldham (aka BPP) and Matt Sweeney from Chavez! Sweeney also just happened to front one of our favorite eighties/nineties college rock outfits Skunk (someone should definitely resissue the first Skunk lp on cd!!) as well as playing guitar in the post Smashing pumpkins supergroup Zwan. This collaboration was born of a challenge, Oldham had Sweeney write music, and Oldham would then write the lyrics and they would record the record together. The overall result is not immediately all that different than a Palace or Bonny Prince Billy record. The vocals are still sweet and warbly, the music is still twangy and mournful. But Sweeney has definitely come up with some beautiful tunes, well written but also nicely arranged, often augmented by big drums and rich keyboards, much less spartan than a lot of Oldham's past recordings. And a bit more rocking, with hints of the Allman Brothers, seventies rock, fuzzy psychedelia, and once or twice some big crashing chords and wailing leads that are straight out of the Skunk / Chavez songbook. Sweeney's vocals sound perfect with Oldham's, the two weaving and harmonizing beautifully. And of course Oldham's lyrics are as wry and cryptically sweet as ever. This definitely ranks up there with Ease On Down The Road and Master And Everyone as one of Oldham's finer moments.
MPEG Stream: "My Home Is The Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Beast For Thee"
MPEG Stream: "What Are You?"

TUSSLE Here It Comes! + Lockgrooves! (Troubleman) 12" 5.98
For six bucks, this is a great little nugget of Tussle! Moreso a sweet morsel for the discodubby DJ, this 12" is a good start for those still caught unawares by the perma-lockgroove styles from this San Francisco fourpiece; nom: Tussle. Actually, if you're gonna buy one thing, it best be the Kling Klang (their full-length debut that came out late last year). Still, Here It Comes! + Lockgrooves! has the tiltle track, a punky electro-noise workout that totally kills and two alternate versions, one a DSP / Banghra freakout, and the other a super laid back Neu-ish groove.

TWILIGHT SINGERS She Loves You (Birdman) lp 13.98
Now on vinyl!
Greg Dulli is a strange strange man. After fronting the very ungrunge grunge outift the Afghan Whigs, he struck out on his own, giving in fully to his all consuming obsessions, sex and soul music. The later Afghan Whigs records hinted at his proclivities, certainly his creepy, depraved sex life was already on display for all to see (much like mope rockers Arab Strap) and said soul music was gradually seeping through the cracks of the Whigs songs. Unfortunately those later Whigs records reflected a band that didn't quite seem to know how to handle Dulli's drive for musical soulfulness and sonic sensuality. Things not easily conveyed in the standard rock format. Thus those records were blunted and not all that effective, syrupy instead of emotionally charged, and sonically not all that inspired. That all changed with the Twilight Singers. A sexy swaggering, dark and dangerous rock band, infused with sweet soul and tragic heartbreak. The last Twilight Singers record, ...Plays Blackberry Belle, was an absolutely gorgeous album, an emotionally devastating sonic map of Dulli's battered and bruised soul. Much like the Afghan Whigs classic Gentlemen, it was a dark and brutal collection of ultra personal songs, equally capable of moving you to tears as it was of making you want to drag Dulli into an alley and beat the shit out of him. While She Loves You is not quite as powerful, it does manage to convey many of the same emotions, bitterness, lonliness, unrequited love, seething hate, undying love, through a curious, but perfectly chosen collection of covers. Songs by Bjork, Fleetwood Mac, Mary J. Blige, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye and more, all deep and devastating in their own right, manage to become even darker and moodier and sound like they could have come straight from Dulli's own poison pen. Drunken waltzes, stuttering loping drums, rumbling ambience, creepy minor key piano all underscore Dulli's tortured vocals, sometimes an urgent whisper, but more often an anguished wail. Mark Lanegan contributes vocals to many of the tracks, his world weary, whiskey soaked drawl adding even more emotional weight. There's been lots of mixed reactions to this record around here, and if you don't already dig Dulli and the Afghan Whigs, this record is not likely to change your mind. But those of you who already like to stroll through Dulli's dark and dreary world of love and sex and death will feel right at home.
MPEG Stream: "Hyperballad"
MPEG Stream: "Too Tough To Die"

WIRE, THE #252 February 2005 magazine 7.50
On the cover: the one and only Anthony Braxton. Also: Soft Pink Truth (Drew doin' the "Invisible Jukebox"), Mike Ladd, Gang Gang Dance, Dylan Nyoukis, Toshiya Tsunoda (interviewed by our own Jim Haynes) and more. Including an "Epiphany" about the Firesign Theater. And the usual slew of reviews. Oh, and of especial interest to some of us here, there's a guide to what the Wire calls "Subterranean Metal"! Edwin Pouncey talks about Earth, Corrupted, Sleep, Abruptum, Khanate, Leviathan, Boris, SunnO))), etc. -- lots of our faves. Wow, there's more metally stuff here than the last year's worth of Wire's combined! Although, as opposed to noisy-avant-sludge-drone stuff made by hipster types, there's really not so many actual full-on metal albums discussed in depth. And we wonder if Ulver's Nattens Madrigal would even be there if that band hadn't latter morphed into an electronica act. Still it's a good sign of what we hope might be the Wire's newly expanded coverage of metal, which has been creeping up and up anyway.

YAMATAKA EYE & JOHN ZORN Naninani II (Tzadik) cd 16.98
To certain ears, to fans of fucked-up avant-garde noisy ridiculousness (like us), the names John Zorn and Yamataka Eye separately but especially together are magical ones. To be perfectly honest, I (Allan) would have to credit the two of them, via Zorn's seminal genre-gargling "jazz" group Naked City for which Eye vocalised, for helping me on the way towards first experiencing some of the really fundamental, now-long-time-fave artists of my personal musical pantheon...(Eye's band) the Boredoms, then the Ruins, and from thence the whole Japanese noise (and psych, and prog) scene... So this disc is for folks like me/you/us. The extreme sax of Zorn, the extreme vocals of Eye, the additional extreme musical imaginings of both of 'em, combined on one crazy disc, the follow-up to their previous Naninani album on Tzadik from about nine years ago...wow, has it been that long? The obi strip on this cd points out that Eye and Zorn have been occasional musical collaborators for about twenty years now, having first met in Japan in 1986! So yeah, good thing we weren't holding our breath for this one. But it had to happen. And it holds up with the first Naninani (though, there's no beating "Bad Hawkwind") and their psuedo-historical disc of cantorial-inspired singing Zohar as well. The tracks here are quite diverse -- the first sounds like hysterical foreign children trapped in some physics experiment, while others are textural/drone experiments or are more overtly sax/jazz oriented freekouts. But even in a blindfold test, after hearing a few tracks fans of the duo should have no trouble guessing who is (ir)responsible for this.
MPEG Stream: "Fuckxotica"
MPEG Stream: "Bar Time With Eno"

YOUNGS, RICHARD / ALEXANDER NEILSON Beating Stars (HP Cycle) lp 13.98
Four lengthy tracks of ambient electronic shimmer. Gorgeous and dreamily exploratory. The first track features Youngs' tentative warble over a haunting theremin like drone, demarcated by a simple thudding rhythm and mellow chiming percussion. Like an Irish folk song performed acapella alongside a super subdued Wolf Eyes or an extra minimal Sunroof!. The rest of the record is mostly instrumental and filled with free form clouds of dreamy psychedelia woven from pealing feedback, ambient electronic chatter, complex shuffling rhythms, all keening and swirling lazily in the still air, very high up and very far out.



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V/A Hall Of Mirrors (Emperor Jones) 2cd 13.98
Anyone, ANYONE, who likes their psych all spaced-out and sludgy, with guitars and (especially) effects in full, uh, effect will definitely want to wash their earholes with this excellent new space-rock comp. Compiler Mason Jones (whom you might know as the ex-guitarist of SubArachnoid Space, currently in project called Numinous) knows his stuff and has pulled together tracks from a stellar international cast of rockers who like to freak-out, drone-on, and/or toke-up. Here's who's here: Kinski, Circle, Gravitar, Overhang Party, Tarantula Hawk, Up-Tight, Vocokesh, DMBQ, Bardo Pond, Acid Mothers Temple, Yeti, ST-37, Escapade, Rubble, Abunai!, SubArachnoid Space, Numinous, Farflung, Primordial Undermind, Fuzzhead, Speaker/Cranker, and Transpacific! Whew. As you can see, with Mason in charge, of course the Japanese contingent is well-represented.
The tracks on here are mostly live recordings, and, as far as we can tell, all otherwise unreleased (with the exception of the Tarantula Hawk one, which is an edit from their now-out-of-print Live At KFJC cd-r). Pretty much a killer comp, ranging as it does from the groove of Circle to the grind of Gravitar, with some bands doin' stuff closer to stoner rawk, others more on the bliss-drone side of things. Now, I might have tried to put the more rockin' cuts towards the front end of the discs, to avoid disturbing the slumber of those of us who like to doze off listening to the more blissful stuff (or maybe left off one or two cuts) but that's just me. Overall, Hall Of Mirrors is fully droned, stoned, and ET-phoned. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: KINSKI "Teen Center"
MPEG Stream: OVERHANG PARTY "Le Fantome De La Liberte (edit)"

V/A Total Freakout (Mucho Gusto) cd 16.98
This great comp disappeared quickly right after we first listed it back in December, but now at last it's been repressed and is back in stock again!
How can you argue with a comp of totally obscure, French and Belgian and French Canadian, late sixties / early seventies psychedelic rock? Especially when you most likely haven't heard of a single one of these artists, and the cover features people in bear suits IN space suits hanging out on the moon and the disc art features a band dressed up like psychedelic Indians and the songs are so completely whacked and weird? Well, you can't. Nor should you. Why deny yourself the drugged out damaged beauty contained herein? Eighteen tracks of completely out-there psych rock, rife with all sort of wild and wooly outerspace effects, funky horns, fuzzy lead guitars, hooks galore and sung mostly in French!
The opening track by P.B. + 3 1/2 is a funky soft porn soundtrack (well, sounds like it, the liner notes assure us it is not even though the artist did indeed to porn sountracks) slowly loping bassline and the melody played by a kazoo. Yep, a kazoo. Complete with summery feel-good background vocals and bizarre Perrey And Kingsley sound effects. Apparently P.B moved to L.A. and recorded music for Star Trek: The Next Generation! Track two is just as wacked with a total head nodding groove, the main riff played on a violin and booming Morricone choral style men's choir background vocals, swirling cinematic strings and a wailing Scott Walker-ish vocal, super dramatic and WAY over the top. The third track is a fuzzy, psychedelic girl-group-groove from Sixties French pop idol Stella, a totally guitar heavy workout, with a super Hendrixy 'scuse me.. type riff, kick ass horns and her throaty, over affected vocals, but totally catchy and wonderful. And the whole record continues in the same fashion, Just when you think it couldn't get weirder or cooler, it does. Big time! Partridge Family style Sixties summer pop, dipped in acid and left to fry in the sun, keyboard heavy ? And The Mysterians style repeating grooves dissembled and put together again like some psych rock Frankenstein and on and on and on...We get flooded with comps of 'lost classics', but this one definitely holds up as one of our favorites (and definitely one of the most bizarre). All the tracks were collected by some guy named Satan Belanger, a legendary underground musician and record collector in Quebec. Really funny liner notes too, in both French and English, though we could have used even more info. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: P.B + 3 1/2 "Gazou, Gazou"
MPEG Stream: CHRIS GALLBERT "Sing-Sing"
MPEG Stream: STELLA "L'idole Des Jaunes"

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DAVIS, MILES Miles Electric: A Different Kind Of Blue (Eagle Eye Media) dvd 21.00
You know when you buy a present for your boyfriend (or girlfriend) and it's really so you can enjoy it yourself -- also fondly called Homer Simpson gifting? Well, I have to admit my own HSG guilt, the gift being this Miles Electric dvd. Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But man, am I glad I bought it for "our" enjoyment. It's an incredible look inside later period (electric) Miles Davis. With in-depth and well-edited interviews of his Isle Of Wight era musicians (Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea) as well as Carlos Santana, and others, this documentary explains how the Electric took shape in the eyes of Miles, in the studio (with Bitches Brew) and in juxtoposition to the acoustic jazz establishment from which Miles' electricity exploded to a seriously unprepared audience.
The unfolding dramatization culminates with the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival performance by Miles and his septet before 600,000 festival-goers in its 38 minute entirety. Some extra talking head style interviews give further explanation of Miles at that time. The film itself could be critiqued at length, though its interviews render such a full story, there should be no doubt of this documentary's importance.

FORBIDDEN ZONE (Hercules Films) dvd 22.00
Available for the first time on DVD, the Elfman brothers legendary 1980 film. Filmed on an incredibly low budget with a cast of family and devoted friends, Forbidden Zone has long been a cult classic. It all started from a D.I.Y. cabaret-esque stage troup -- The Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo -- which Richard and brother Danny along with several friends had been schlepping around Los Angeles in the late 70's. As a final blowout to their ever more complex show, Richard decided to produce a film featuring the Mystic Knights and friends. Shot in black & white, Forbidden Zone is a surreal tale involving the sixth dimension -- run by King Fausto (Herve Villechaise of Fantasy Island) and his Queen Doris (Susan Tyrrell) -- and an unfortunate family of freaks that happen to fall into it one by one. Like an insane amalgam of Busby Berkeley intertwined with The Residents' Vileness Fats and imbued with an almost unhealthy scatalogical sense of humor, Forbidden Zone is a movie unlike any other. Handmade sets, costumes, music and more, the film is a product of its time and perhaps offers more than just a little insight into the workings of the soon to become famous Danny Elfman with his future post-ska new wave Oingo Boingo and hit film scores. Pay close attention when you watch this film to see if you can spot a young Willy Winant (Mr. Bungle, John Zorn, avant garde percussionist extraordinaire) dressed up in drag. The DVD comes packaged with a whole heaping of bonus material, including early footage of The Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo's stage show, an extended discussion by director Richard Elfman with his brother and other key players in the film, an Oingo Boingo video ("Private Life"), deleted scenes, and more.

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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.

AEOLIAN STRING ENSEMBLE "Eclipse" (Robot) cd 15.98
AJATTARA "Tyhjyys" (Spikefarm) cd 17.98
ALVA NOTO "Transall Cycle Part One: Transrapid" (Raster-Noton) cd ep 11.98
ALVA NOTO "Transall Cycle Part Two: Transvision" (Raster-Noton) cd ep 11.98
AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD "Worlds Apart" (Interscope) cd 14.98
BARLOW, LOU "Emoh" (Merge) cd 14.98
BEEQUEEN "Music For The Head Ballet" (Infraction) cd 11.98
BEEQUEEN "The Bodyshop" (Important) cd 13.98
BIBLIO "F1" (Mush) cd 14.98
CARTER, TOM AND VANESSA ARN / THE MOGLASS "Snake-Tongued Swallow-Tailed" cd 11.98
COLLINS, SHIRLEY "Adieu To Old England" (Fledg'ling) cd 16.98
CURRAN, ALVIN "Canti Illuminati" (Fringes Archive) cd 21.00
CURSED "II" (Goodfellow Records) cd 14.98
DAVE GLEASON'S WASTED DAYS "Midnight, California" (Dollar Record Records) lp 11.98
DAVENPORT "Marble Seed" (Jyrk Collective) cd-r 5.98
DAWE, TIM "Penrod" (Radioactive) cd 17.98
DILLOWAY, AARON "Boggs, Volume 2" (Hanson) cd 14.98
DOORMOUSE "I Heart Country" (Addict) 12" 14.98
DREYBLATT, ARNOLD "Nodal Excitation" (Drag City) cd 14.98
EYE / ZORN DUO "John Zorn 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 10" (Tzadik) cd 15.98
FAITHFULL, MARIANNE "Before The Poison" (Anti) cd 15.98
FENNESZ, CHRISTIAN / SACHIKO M / OTOMO YOSHIHIDE / PETER REHBERG (Erstwhile) cd 14.98
FIELD MICE, THE "For Keeps" (LTM) cd 17.98
FIELD MICE, THE "Skywriting" (LTM) 2cd 17.98
FIELD MICE, THE "Snowball" (LTM) cd 17.98
FONTAINE, BRIGITTE "Rue Saint Louis en L'ile" (Virgin) cd 32.00
FOOD "Last Supper" (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
FRANTIC BLEEP "The Sense Apparatus" (The End) cd 11.98
GOPAL, SAM "Escalator" (Breathless) cd 15.98
GOSSIP / TRACY AND THE PLASTICS "Real Damage EP" (Dim Mak) cd ep/7" 4.50/4.50
HARRIS, MICK "Hednod Sessions" (Hidden Art) cd 15.98
HENKE, ROBERT "Signal To Noise" (Imbalance Computer Music) cd 16.98
HIVE MIND "Death Tone" (Hanson) cd 14.98
HORTICULTURAL COMPASS "The Apparition Of Bees" (Jewelled Antler) cd-r 9.98
JANDEK "A Kingdom He Likes" (Corwood) cd 8.98
JONES, SHARON AND THE DAP-KINGS "Naturally" (Daptone) cd 16.98
KAADA AND PATTON "Romances" (Ipecac) cd 15.98
KRONOS QUARTET "Mugam Sayagi: Music Of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh" (Nonesuch) cd 14.98
LILBURN, DOUGLAS "Complete Electro-Acoustic Works" (Atoll) 2cd + dvd 74.00
LILES, ANDREW "New York Doll" (Infraction) cd 17.98
LUCAS, JEFFREY LUCK "Hell Then Divine" (Antebellum) cd 12.98
MIRROR "Nightwalkers" (Robot) cd 15.98
MORRICONE, ENNIO "La Corta Notte Delle Bambole Di Vetro" (Dagored) cd 15.98
MORRICONE, ENNIO "Tepepa" (Dagored) cd 15.98
MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT "Time & Withering" (Translation Loss) cd 13.98
MY CAT IS AN ALIEN "Through The Reflex Of The Rain" (Free Porcupine) cd 14.98
NEW IDEA SOCIETY "You Are Awake Or Asleep" (Magic Bullet) cd 14.98
ORGANUM / DAVID JACKMAN "Penguin Eat Fish / Little Dark Wing" (Robot) 7" 8.98
PEDESTRIAN "Volume One: Unindian Songs" (Anticon) cd 14.98
PRYOR, RICHARD "Evolution Revolution: The Early Years" (Rhino) 2cd 18.98
RAMESSES "We Will Lead You To The Glorious Times" (This Dark Reign) cd 14.98
RECCHION, TOM "I Love My Organ" (Birdman) cd 13.98
REVENGE "Victory.Intolerance.Mastery" (Osmose / Red Stream) cd 14.98
SAGE FRANCIS "A Healthy Distrust" (Epitaph) cd 13.98
SHIT AND SHINE "You're Lucky To Have Friends Like Us" (Riot Season) lp 14.98
SMEGMA "Rumblings" (Hanson) cd 14.98
SUBTLE "Earthsick" (Dose) cd 14.98
TAGC (THE ANTI GROUP) (Die Stadt) cd ep 21.00
THE DIRTBOMBS / KING KHAN & HIS SHRINES "Billiard At Nine Thirty" (Sounds of Subterranial) cd 21.00
TOBIN, AMON "Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory" (Ninja Tune) cd 15.98
TODD, MIA DOI "Manzanita" (Plug Research) cd 16.98
TROUBLE FUNK "E Flat Boogie" (Swollen) cd 15.98
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "A Beard of Stars" (Universal) cd 16.98
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "My People Were Fair and Had Sky In Their Hair... But Now They're Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows" (Universal) cd 16.98
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "Prophets, Seers & Sages, The Angels Of The Ages" (Universal) cd 16.98
TYRANNOSAURUS REX "Unicorn" (Universal) cd 16.98
V/A "!Policia!" (Militia Group) cd 15.98
V/A "Grime 2" (Rephlex) cd 15.98

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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 :
--------------------------------
1-2 items $4.50 USPS Priority Mail
3+ items $6.50 UPS Ground

Further Explanation (Please Read!):
Within the USA, an order of 3 or more items will be shipped via UPS ground for a flat fee of $6.50. These packages are automatically insured and trackable.

However, if your package contains just 1 or 2 items, we will ship your order via USPS Priority Mail, and charge you $4.50 for shipping. These packages are NOT insured or trackable, sorry. So if you desire those safeguards, please request UPS delivery at the $6.50 rate. You must mention this in the comments field of our online order form.

Also, please note that UPS will not ship to PO Boxes. If you only have a PO Box, we can ship packages of 3+ items via US Postal Service and charge you by weight according to their rates. Special shipping needs (e.g. UPS Next Day) are also do-able, just ask.

Another important note: box sets DON'T (usually) count as one item. Sorry. A box set will generally bump you up into the "three or more items" category. Y'know, they're big. Boxes.


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

----} February 8th
Postal Service "We Will Become Silhouettes" cd on Sub Pop
Robbers On High Street "Tree City" cd on New Line
Dalek "Absence" cd on Ipecac
Boom Bip "Blue Eyed In The Red Room" cd/2lp on Lex

----} February 15th
LCD Soundsystem "tba" cd on Capitol
Subarachnoid Space "The Red Veil" cd on Strange Attractors Audio House
Destroyer "Notorious Lightning and Other Works" 12" on Soft Abuse
Harris Newman "Accidents With Nature and Each Other" cd on Strange Attractors Audio House
a whole buncha REM reissues
They Might Be Giants "Here Come The ABC's" cd for kids

----} February 22nd
Iron and Wine "Woman King" on Sub Pop
Reeks and The Wrecks "Knife Hits" cd on tUMULt
Avarus "Ruskeatimantti" 2cd on tUMULt
Bastro "Antlers: Live 1991" cd on Blue Chopsticks
Bastro "Sings The Troubled Beast & s/t" 2-on-1 cd reissue on Drag City
Mogwai "Government Commissions" cd on Matador
Dead Meadow "Feathers" cd/2lp on Matador
M.Ward "Transistor Radio" cd Merge
Crooked Fingers "Dignity and Shame" cd Merge
Sons Of Otis "X" cd on Small Stone
Arcade Fire "Funeral" vinyl edition Merge
Karate "In the fishtank 12" cd on Fishtank
Nedelle "From the Lion's Mouth" cd on Kill Rock Stars
Solex & Maarten Altene Ensemble "In the fishtank 13" cd on Fishtank
Howling Hex "All-Night Fox" cd on Drag City
Ulrich Schnauss "Far Away Trains Passing" domestic cd reissue on Domino
Aesop Rock "Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives" cdep on Definitive Jux
Thievery Corporation "The Cosmic Game" cd on ESL Music
The Residents "Animal Lover" cd on Mute
Stereolab "Switched On" cd reissue
v/a "Soul Gospel" cd/2lp on Soul Jazz
Tori Amos "Beekeeper" cd on Sony
Ida "Heart Like A River" cd on Polyvinyl

----} March 1st
Tarentel "Big Black Square" cd on Temporary Residence Limited
Tarentel "Paper White" cd on Temporary Residence Limited
Eluvium "Walk Amongst the Trees" cd on Temporary Residence Limited
v/a "Spire: Live at St. Pierre Cathedral, Geneva 5th September 20" 2cd on Touch

----} March 8th
The Kills "No Wow" cd on RCA
v/a "Next: Tribute To Jacques Brel" cd on DRG
Albert Ayler "Holy Ghost" 3lp version on Revenant
Black Label Society "Mafia" cd on Artemis
v/a "Next: Tribute To Jacques Brel" cd on DRG
Guapo "Black Oni" cd on Ipecac
Kid Koala "Live From Short Attention Span" cd+dvd on Ninjatune
MF Doom "Live From Planet X!" cd on Nature Sounds
Marduk "Plague Angel" cd on Candlelight

----} March 22nd
Decemberists "Picaresque cd on Kill Rock Stars
DMBQ "The Essential Sounds From The Far East" cd on Estrus
Radar Brothers "The Fallen Leaf Page" cd on Merge
Shipping News "Flies The Fields" cd on Quarterstick
The Mars Volta "Frances the Mute" lp on GSL
Dinosaur Jr. "Bug" cd reissue on Merge
Dinosaur Jr. "Dinosaur" cd reissue on Merge
Dinosaur Jr. "You're living all over me" cd reissue on Merge
Bob James Trio "Explosions" cd reissue on ESP-Disk
v/a "East Village Other" cd reissue on ESP-Disk
Flamin' Groovies "Jumpin' In The Night" cd reissue on DBK Works
Angelo Lavagino "Gamma I Quadrilogy" OST cd on Dagored
Ennio Morricone "La Califfa" OST cd on Dagored
Speedy West "Steel Guitar" cd reissue on Sundazed
Merle Travis & Joe Maphis "Country Music's Two Guitar Greats" cd reissue on Sundazed
James Burton & Ralph Mooney "Corn Pickin' & Slick Slidin'" cd reissue on Sundazed
Mr. Dorgon "God Is Greatest" cd on Tzadik
Masada "Sanhedrin" 2cd on Tzadik
Matthew Welch "Dream Tigers" cd on Tzadik
Toshinori Kondo "Fukyo" cd on Tzadik

----} April
Damien Jurado "On My Way To Absence" cd on Secretly Canadian

----} May
Wooden Wand "Harem of the Sundrum & the Wtness Figg" cd on Soft Abuse
Felipe & forte "Shaggy Black" cd on Soft Abuse

----} also upcoming, sooner or later
Out Hud "One Life to Leave" cd on Kranky
v/a "Looking for a Thrill: An Anthology of Inspiration" dvd on Thrill Jockey
Sam Prekop "Who's Your New Professor" cd/lp on Thrill Jockey
Spirits of Life "Haitian Voodoo" cd/2lp on Soul Jazz
Wolf Eyes "Burned Mind" lp version
Ya Ho Wha "Penetration" reissue on Swordfish
Kemialliset Ystavat "Lumottu Karkkipurkki" cd re-issue on Fonal
Solar Anus "Skull Alcoholic" 2cd on tUMULt
Sinistri (previously known as Starfuckers) cd on Hapna
Glass Candy "Life After Sundown" cd on Troubleman
High On Fire/Ruins "Brother In The Wind/Gwodhuqa" split 7" + comic book on Skin Graft
Ruins "Vrresto" cd reissue w/ 2 bonus tracks, remixed and remastered on Skin Graft
Crooked Fingers "Dignity and Shame" cd on Merge
The Hafler Trio "A Eg Ad, Halda Afram?" cd on Important Records
Henry Flynt "Purified By The Fire" cd on Locust
Lau Lau "Kuutarha" cd on Locust (vocalist of Kiila and Paivansade)
Wrens "Abbott 1135" cd reissue on Absolutely Kosher
Wolf Eyes "Fuck The Old Miami" 12" on Important Records

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Quote of the week:

"Y'know, I'm really happy with my blast these days" -- Elliott Lange, our double-kick, mailorder tech

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SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

Upcoming Events and Opportunities at Southern Exposure

#1 Public Program - Guided Tour: The Walk
February 12, 2005, 12:00 pm š 2:00 pm

#2 Closing Reception for On-Site Education Program: Do-It-Yourself Kits
Saturday, February 12, 2005, 2:00 pm š 4:00 pm

#3 Event - Southern Exposure‰s 5th Annual Monster Drawing Rally
Friday, February 18, 2005, 6:00 pm š 10:30 pm

#4 Events š SoExchange Workshops
Installation Basics: Tuesday, February 22, 2005, 7:00 pm š 9:00 pm
Writing your Artist Statement: Wednesday, April 6, 2005, 7:00 pm š 9:00 pm

#5 Artists in Education Teaching Position: Youth Advisory Board Artist/Mentor

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#1 Public Program - Guided Tour: The Walk
February 12, 2005
12:00 pm š 2:00 pm

Kate Pocrass, orchestrator of Mundane Journeys will navigate the public through the city streets calling attention to easily overlooked, everyday details. To participate in the tour, please meet at Southern Exposure at 12 noon on Saturday, February 12th. In addition, her project Mundane Journeys: The Walk, an audio soundtrack that provides walking destinations and narratives, is available for check out during gallery hours.


#2 Closing Reception for On-Site Education Program: Do-It-Yourself Kits
Saturday, February 12, 2005
2:00 pm š 4:00 pm

Join us for a closing reception for Do-It-Yourself Kits, Southern Exposure‰s On-Site Education Program on February 12th from 2:00 pm š 4:00 pm. Do-It-Yourself Kits is a workshop for young artists led by exhibiting artist Claudia Tennyson and Gloria Reyes with eight youth. Workshop participants used recycled materials to construct kits that address a specific personal issue or societal concern. The resulting artwork will be exhibited in Southern Exposure‰s OVERLOOK Project Space from Saturday, January 28 - Saturday, February 12, 2005.


#3 Event - Southern Exposure‰s 5th Annual Monster Drawing Rally
Friday, February 18, 2005
6:00 pm š 10:30 pm
Suggested donation: $5 and up

Save the date for this live drawing event where more than 100 artists will create work, live and in person! Drawings will be available for purchase for $50 each to benefit Southern Exposure‰s Exhibitions and Artists in Education Programs.

Artists include: Nick Ackerman, Kathy Aoki, Michael Arcega, Chester Arnold, Nora Auston, Rina Ayuyang, Amy Berk, Sarah Bostwick, Jon Brumit, Jason Byers, Aaron Cardella, Jim Christensen, Lauren Davies, Veronica De Jesus, Chris Duncan, Amanda Eicher, Cathy Ellis, Tia Factor, Christiana Ferroggiaro, Rhea Fontaine, Cecilia Galiena, Jim Gaylord, Larry Gonick, Debra Greene, Michael Hall, David Hamill, Cliff Hengst, John Herschend, Scott Hewicker, Amy Hicks, Jake Huffman, Amanda Hughen, Suzanne Husky, Misako Inaoka, Jason Jagel, Marisa Jahn, Packard Jennings, Kerri Lee Johnson, Patrick Kavanagh, Jeddie Kawahatsu, Tae Kitakata, Jason Kleidosty, Stella Lai, Noah Lang, Max Lariviere Hedrick, Eric Larson, Carrie Leeb, Anli Liu, Frederick Loomis, Reuben Lorch Miller, Saaba MBB Lutzeler, Amber MacLean, Hector Magaöa, Kara Maria, Stephanie Metz, Deborah Morris, Chris Natrop, Brion Nuda Rosch, Sarah Partch-Smith, Kamau Patton, Matt Pawlowski, Alison Pebworth, Mel Prest, Clare Price, Emil
y Prince, Amy Rathbone, Ben Riesman, Lettie Jane Rennekamp, Fanny Retsek, Lisa Ricci, Walter Robinson, Thorina Rose, Jon Rubin, Alena Rudolph, Pico Sanchez, Jovi Schnell, Andrew Schoultz, Brian Scott, Mary Joy Scott, Emily Sevier, Steve Shada, Tim Sharman, Christine Shields, Sarah Smith, Jessica Snow, Chris Sollars, Travis Somerville, Laura Splan, Sandra Starkey-Simon, Jennifer Starkweather, William Swanson, Weston Teruya, Tara Tucker, Adrian Van Allen, Victoria Wagner, Robin Ward, Wei Weng, Christine Wilcox Ackerman, Megan Wilson, Jenifer Wofford, Lena Wolff, and Sandra Wong.


#4 Event š SoExchange Workshop: Installation Basics

SoExchange: Artists Teaching Artists
A series of professional and creative development workshops for the artist community.

Installation Basics
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 7pm - 9pm
Find out how to install your artwork like a pro in this hands-on session. Instructor: Michael Arcega, Artist and Preparator, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Admission: $5 members/ $10 non-members.

Writing your Artist Statement
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Gain insights on what makes an effective statement and how to avoid common pitfalls. Presenters: Alison Bing, Independent Critic; and Leah Modigliani, Artist and Associate Director of Graduate Admissions, California College of the Arts.
Admission: $5 members/ $10 non-members.

#5 Artists in Education Teaching Position: Youth Advisory Board Artist/Mentor

Southern Exposure seeks a dynamic individual to fill the position of Youth Advisory Board Artist/Mentor. This is an 8-month, contract teaching position in Southern Exposure's Artists in Education Program. The deadline to receive applications is February 25, 2005 at 5pm. The Youth Advisory Board Artist/Mentor works with and coordinates Southern Exposure's Youth Advisory Board, a group of high school students, college students, and community leaders from diverse communities throughout the Bay Area. Twelve YAB members serve to help develop arts related projects that create a network for young artists to engage and interact with one another. Southern provides YAB with a space to create their own events to have their collective voices heard. YAB uses art as a community-building tool and serves as a task force to empower youth. The Youth Advisory Board Artist/Mentor is responsible for coordinating up to four projects with YAB members including their youth arts website, www.the-ARTe
ry.org, YAB‰s annual open house event, and two other projects.

For more information on how to apply and full job description, please go to www.soex.org and click on General Information and then Opportunities at the bottom of the page.

Southern Exposure is committed to being an organization by and for people of all races, classes, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, and abilities. Southern Exposure is an equal opportunity employer strongly committed to diversity.


******

For more information about Southern Exposure‰s Exhibitions, Artists in Education Programs, and Public events, please call 415/863-2141 or email soex@soex.org or director@soex.org. Gallery hours are 11 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. Gallery Admission is FREE.

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
401 Alabama St. @ 17th St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
t: 415.863.2141
f: 415.863.1841
e: soex@soex.org
w: SOEX

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THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ACTIVATING THE MEDIUM
PRESENTED BY: 23five Incorporated
23five
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2005, 8PM
SOMARTS, 934 Brannan Street (between 8th and 9th), San Francisco
$10 at the door

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12:
8PM: Performances at SomArts, San Francisco

CHOP SHOP (New York)
THE HATERS (San Francisco/Los Angeles)
BLACKHUMOUR (Seattle, Washington)
AMK (Los Angeles)

SomArts website: SomArts


23five Incorporated proudly presents the Eighth Annual Activating the Medium. Founded in 1998, The Activating the Medium festivals set out to expose and educate new audiences to trans-disciplinary themes explored within the genre of Sound Art. Since its inception, seven festivals have spanned the state of California.

This year's festival brings together a reunion of early pioneers of "American Noise". In other words, this year's festival celebrates the "OLD SCHOOL" noise scene. The eighth installment of Activating the Medium will feature a first-time ever Bay Area live appearance from the influential artist CHOP SHOP (New York). Also performing will be BLACKHUMOUR (Washington), AMK (Los Angeles), and local hero THE HATERS (San Francisco). Curated by Randy H.Y. Yau and David Prochaska.

Since 1987, Scott Konzelmann has worked under the moniker CHOP SHOP, presenting installations, performances, and installations involving heavily fortified speaker constructions. The assemblages of scavenged materials and loudspeakers operate with specific sounds that reflect these objects' particular physical and sonic characteristics. Chop Shop's contribution to the Francisco Lopez project Buildings NYC received an honorable mention at the prestigious Ars Electronica in 2002.

GX Jupitter-Larsen formed THE HATERS in New York in 1979 as a personal post-punk mandate that was seaking the kind of noise not necessarily audible through the ears, but through a kind of sociological transmission. The Haters have performed around the globe over 150 times, focusing upon such conceptual agendas as the celebration of entropy, the building of negative space, the measurement of the psychic weight for sound, and the theatrical absurdity of professional wrestling.

AMK's primary tool are records and the turntable, although he is quick to distance himself from the realm of DJ culture. His body of work resembles an assemblage of sounds regurgitated from broken records, scrambled and archaically pieced back together in disembodied forms. Simply put, he sculpts records, scratches records, cuts records, glues records, plays records, and puts out records. AMK is also the owner of Banned Production, a label that in its 15 years of existence has released over 115 recordings of experimental sounds.

Finally, BLACKHUMOUR is the sensation everyone will be anticipating. BLACKHUMOUR audio uses the sound of untreated found-object spoken human voice to create a four-dimensional poetry. active in audio art since 1983, blackhumour has performed in complete darkness in boulder, colorado, in your host bobby's bedroom, at private strip clubs in chicago, and the occasional art gallery. BLACKHUMOUR wants your voice. nudity is always an option.


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Lots of love from your devoted AQ staff

Andee Cup Byram Jim AllanAlisonand Elliott