GROUP INERANE Guitars From Agadez (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
Originally released exclusively as a super limited lp (which is now out of print), this amazing chunk of brain melting, heart wrenching, psychedelic guitar gorgeousness is finally available on cd! The only reason we didn't make this Record Of The Week first time around was because a bunch of you still don't have turntables (shame on you!) but now it's on cd, so it pretty much had to be ROTW!
Another winner from Sublime Frequencies! We're beginning to think with all this hidden music to be discovered and lost classics to be recovered, there's definitely no point in having so many new bands, we oughta just have some of them swap their gear in and just join the hunt for all these amazing hidden sonic gems...
But until then we've got the Sublime Frequencies fellas on the case, and this latest discovery has definitely got to be one of the best yet. Group Inerane are spearheading the Tureg Guitar movement, inspired by the musicians who used this music as a political weapon in the Libyan refugee camps in the late eighties, early nineties. This is how the blues should sound. Groovy, intense, funky, emotional, dark, gorgeous, the guitars grinding and crunching and wailing, slithering and soaring, accompanied by chanted and sung vocals, that are perfectly woven into the lush fabric of the various guitar parts. The riffing is fluid, but also bit jagged and rough. The opening track is a killer. One of the most amazing and intense songs we've ever heard, worth the price of admission alone. Just guitar and vocals, chunky and propulsive, but also weirdly slippery and sinewy, the melody swaying back and forth from major key to minor key, an incredible hook and the riff, well, one of THE best riffs ever.
Most of the rest of the record is more a sort of African surf rock, fuzzy and twangy, with surfy guitar, soaring vocals, the whole thing wild and festive, jubilant and celebratory, but hold up, the final track on side one, "Nadan Al Kazawnin", is something else entirely, with its super distorted grimy guitars, a totally blown out in the red production, the riff looped and hypnotic, the vocals intense and heartfelt, the whole song howling and buzzing, sounding as gorgeously fucked up and raw as some experimental indie avant noise group, the guitar is indescribable, incendiary and white hot, all tangled up with the vocals, and bathed in distortion, wouldn't be out of place on some super limited cd-r... Totally amazing.
MPEG Stream: "Nadan Al Kazawnin"
MPEG Stream: "Kuni Majagani"
MPEG Stream: "Awal September"

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ALTER ECHO AND ERS-ONE MEET DR. ISRAEL Dubwise (Anthem Records) 7" 2.98
Awesome archival release from Alter Echo and ERS-One, featuring Dr. Israel, who aQ folks might remember from his killer dubbed out Sabbath cover. But this here disc is a killer chunk of low-slung, proto-dubstep, a thick slithery dubby groove and some super filthy buzzy low end, cranked the whole store shook, gunshots and toasting here and there throughout, the whole vibe hazy and ghostly and druggy and laid back, but that bassline and the minimal rhythm is totally irresistible.
One sided single, in a plain yellow sleeve. WAY LIMITED.

ANCESTORS Neptune With Fire (North Atlantic Sound / Tee Pee) cd 14.98
Not to be confused with the -other- Ancestors, the noise drenched, blackened lo-fi, blown out raw as fuck punk metal outfit, no, this is something all together more stoned and groovy, spaced out and ROCK.
Don't know too much about these guys other than they're a 5 piece from LA, and man can they riff with the best of 'em. Two looooong songs, one nearly 17 minutes, the other almost 22, each a sprawling stoner rock psychedelic groovescape. Think Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Hawkwind, Earthless, Dead Meadow, Acrimony, Los Natas. The songs are less proper songs, and more epic jams, the actual verses and chorus and vocals relegated to popping up here and there, while the majority of the song is spent rocking the fuck out, unfurling majestic sun baked soundscapes of riff and groove and killer leads EVERYWHERE. Occasionally, the songs bliss out, and get all tripped out and druggy, with soft Santana-y guitar squalls, and tons of effects, but those parts inevitably build and build until suddenly the song is back in full swing, the band lurching and lumbering and grooving relentlessly. This is the sort of jam band we can get behind, epic heaviness and endless riffery.
The second track is almost Melvins-y at the beginning, howled vocals over slow churning guitar grind, before slipping back into something way more sixties and psychedelic sounding. Like the super kick ass outro of every killer space rock song all stitched into one epic mega-jam. Near the end, the track blisses out and transforms into a loping moody dirge, with reverbed guitars and haunting female vocals way off in the distance, finally kicking back into gear for the last few minutes, a whirring minor key organ making the groove seem melancholy and strangely funereal.
Killer stuff for sure. Any one into heavy heavy post rock, stoner rock, riff heavy jams, sweet leads, or ANY or any of the above mentioned bands will most definitely dig this.
Housed in a sweet digipak with awesome artwork by Arik Moonhawk Roper!
MPEG Stream: "Orcus"
MPEG Stream: "Neptune With Fire"

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS Another World (Secretly Canadian) cd 9.98
It's been three years since Antony & The Johnsons captivated us, along with the rest of the world, with the devastatingly gorgeous I Am A Bird Now. But luckily we've been able to hear his voice on lots of releases since, as he's lent his striking vocals to records by folks like Bjork, Matmos, Current 93, Yoko Ono, Michael Cashmore, Nico Muhly and channeled his inner disco diva on the great Hercules & Love Affair debut. But of course we've still been craving a new full on Antony & The Johnsons album and it looks like that's on the horizon, but for now there is this brand new five song ep that once gain offers up that ineffable magic in Antony's voice and that unique songwriting that is still such a sound to behold.
The title track, which leads off the ep. literally made us freeze and fill with goosebumps the second we first heard it and "Shake That Devil" would make the best companion piece to Nina Simone's "Take Me To The Water/I'm Going Back Home". The ep's closer is filled with solemn soul and mournful glory making this a totally essential slab of dark beauty. Only one of these songs will be on the brand new album, so of course this is a must have for all Antony fans!
MPEG Stream: "Another World"
MPEG Stream: "Shake That Devil"

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS Another World (Secretly Canadian) 12" 13.98
It's been three years since Antony & The Johnsons captivated us, along with the rest of the world, with the devastatingly gorgeous I Am A Bird Now. But luckily we've been able to hear his voice on lots of releases since, as he's lent his striking vocals to records by folks like Bjork, Matmos, Current 93, Yoko Ono, Michael Cashmore, Nico Muhly and channeled his inner disco diva on the great Hercules & Love Affair debut. But of course we've still been craving a new full on Antony & The Johnsons album and it looks like that's on the horizon, but for now there is this brand new five song ep that once gain offers up that ineffable magic in Antony's voice and that unique songwriting that is still such a sound to behold.
The title track, which leads off the ep. literally made us freeze and fill with goosebumps the second we first heard it and "Shake That Devil" would make the best companion piece to Nina Simone's "Take Me To The Water/I'm Going Back Home". The ep's closer is filled with solemn soul and mournful glory making this a totally essential slab of dark beauty. Only one of these songs will be on the brand new album, so of course this is a must have for all Antony fans!
MPEG Stream: "Another World"
MPEG Stream: "Shake That Devil"

APM Sprint Mill (ICR) cd 17.98
Chris Atkins, Colin Potter, and Phil Mouldycliff are the British drone / field recording collective working as APM. Potter is a brilliant technician whose work we are well acquainted with through his long-standing contributions to Nurse With Wound, Ora, and Monos, not to mention his impressive solo work of processed field recordings and sinister electronics. Mouldycliff is a multimedia artist whose has worked with Loren Chasse, Michael Nyman, and Keith Rowe, and we've had a few of his recordings pass through here. But this Chris Atkins is a character we cannot impart much in the way of a shorthand biography. In any case, APM had travelled to the rustic environs of the Sprint Mill in the northwest of England. This Mill is currently inhabited by one Edward Acland, an eccentric artist who had recently opened up the Mill to various installations and performances. Presumably, APM had performed at Sprint Mill; but it's equally likely that they just collected a plethora of field recordings from all of the Industrial Revolution-era machinery, antiquated plumbing, drafty windows, and the overgrown gardens from the grounds of the Mill. This becomes a beautifully rendered collage slipping between the natural detritus surrounding the Mill and the haunted resonance of the tools in the Mill. Thus, massed aggregates of leaves, sticks, and branches coagulate into watery field recordings of rain, wind, and rushing streams. Throughout, the trio gently intrudes with looping structures of rasping metal where the bell-like chiming of the metal is tempered by the years of use. Where you might expect the drone to be dominant given Potter and Mouldycliff's previous work, it's far more rustic and less all-consuming than we might have thought, although there are some mighty fine drone elements to this album! An excellent piece of manipulated field recording for sure along with the likes of Murmer, Tarab, Jgrzinich, and Loren Chasse!
MPEG Stream: "Sprint Mill Mix 1"
MPEG Stream: "Sprint Mill Mix 4"
MPEG Stream: "Sprint Mill Mix 7"

AT THE HEAD OF THE WOODS Secrets Beyond Time & Space (Glass Throat) cd 14.98
Lately, we just can't get seem to get enough of all the great mystical ambient music happening. Portland's At the Head of the Woods, a solo project of James Woodhead (Blood of the Black Owl, Elemental Chrysalis) is the perfect example of this super beautiful, dim and desolate sound that we love so much. Considering the band name and all, we thought it'd be a good idea to take this album along for a Sunday evening drive through the redwoods. And man, it turned out to be the perfect experience. Nothing like lush, woodsy dronescapes to accompany an evening drive. Striking acoustic and electric guitar melodies played over round, turning tones that move and crawl across the forest ground like dense fog. Awesome stuff. We know how easy it is for a drone album to become a bit one dimensional, but this one really takes the listener along for an epic journey through still meadows and onto seaside crags. The album builds momentum from hovering vocal and guitar drones to slow rural dirges lead by full on pummeling, sloooooow-paced drums. Reminds us a lot of the newer Earth albums, but slightly darker and more mystical, with less of the country twang. There's a great balance between colorful textures and engaging composition, really makes for an immersive listen that's sure to make you feel like you're watching sunlight fade behind the silhouettes of towering trees.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled (one)"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled (two)"

AUSTERITY PROGRAM, THE Song 20 (The River) (Hydra Head) 7" 7.98
A while back we made the debut full length from drum machine noise rock duo The Austerity Program our record of the week. And we still throw it on pretty regularly. Heavy, abrasive, hooky, a modern Big Black, but with a way better sense of humor.
We've been waiting patiently for the band to release something else, and now the waiting has finally paid off. A brand new two track 7", featuring "Track 20" and the oh so illusive "Track 1". One of these days we'll figure out their modus operandi, do they just pick numbers at random to attach to songs? Or, as we hope, are they chronological, all written in a flurry of activity, and picked out haphazardly for various releases. Thus this 7" would contain one of their more recent tracks, and the very first one! It sort of sounds like it too, but more on that in a second.
"Track 20" brings it all back, it starts out all slow and brooding, but soon launches into a surprisingly melodic blast of machinelike metal, of industrial noise rock indie pop, not sure what to call it, but it most definitely hits the spot. Super distorted guitars, Justin Foley's anguished howls, the drums as sharp and creatively programmed as ever. Part way through there's a killer mathy breakdown, the riffs splintering into space, complete with some swooping backwards high-hats, and a big finish where the drums get wild enough that it almost sounds like a real drummer.
But the flip side, "Track 1", is KILLER, super dynamic stop / start arrangement, the riffing eventually locking into a seriously buzzy loop, the whole track turning a wee bit black metal in face, even the drums get turned up a notch with flurries of double kick drum, underpinning the instrumental crush above. In some ways, it almost sounds unfinished, like a sketch almost, but even in its sketch like form, it's most definitely one of our favorite AP tracks yet!
SUPER LIMITED of course, packaged in a cool thick sleeve made out of some mysterious map, inside, a little sticker guiding you to a download of the two tracks!

BARN OWL From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light (Not Not Fun) lp 16.98
Repressed and back in stock, but probably not for long!
Not only have Barn Owl become one of our favorite musical projects right here in SF, but they are now serious contenders to the throne of best purveyors of deep hitting and soul satisfying drone anywhere in the world. While just about everything they've released up to this point has been way too limited and thus are now all sadly out of print, they finally have a release that while still limited will at least get to reach a lot more ears then anything they've put out so far. These are sounds that deserve to be heard by anyone with an appreciation for all things droney, stoney and drifty, done so totally right.
While drone-folk bands have become a somewhat common entity in the last couple years, it's actually rare when you hear one that you really feel true soul and spirited passion from. From Our Mouths A Perpetual Light finds Barn Owl striking a perfect balance between sparkling sonics and commanding doom. Imagine Sleep/OM running in the mud with sticks and stones and then meeting up with Windy & Carl, Bardo Pond and Tom Carter. The lp format suits the duo so well, as their songs are filled with deep and slowly swirling grooves. We just listened to one side over and over and over before we even moved on to the second side with which we then did the same. There is both patience and payoff in Barn Owl's sound. Music that makes you want to close your eyes because you know you are entranced by artists that know so well what they are doing. While they pressed up way more lps than anything else they've released (and this is the second pressing!), it's all relative, meaning these LP's are still limited and are most likely not going to be around too long
Highly recommended, but act fast!

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER No Escape (Static Caravan) 7" 5.98
Super limited new slab of sickness from these purveyors of gloriously abject noise drone filth. So limited in fact that it's already out of print, and we have the last 20 or so.
Brutal ambient filth from the Pacific Northwest, as only BSBC can do it. Moving further and further away from any semblance of doomdronedirge and more into a totally abstract free noise direction, albeit their sound still infused with an element of doom.
These two tracks are sprawling soundscapes of hissy buzz, industrial clatter, rumbling drones, post industrial ambience, an almost static wall of murky sound, but distinctly depressive and doomy for sure. A continuous grinding low end assault, that makes Khanate and Bunkur seem downright musical, which they actually are compared to BSBC, who seem to be more interested in evoking terrifying feelings with sound, of creating a bleak and soul shattering soundworld from walls of black buzz and rumbling doom drenched drones. Mission accomplished.
LIMITED TO 250 COPIES. ALREADY OUT OF PRINT. THESE ARE THE LAST COPIES EVER. Creepy black and white sleeves, pressed on thick white vinyl.

BRAINBOMBS Live At Smalands Nation (Richie) lp 16.98
BRAINBOMBS! LIVE! Not sure about all of you, but that's pretty much all we needed to hear. A live document of a rare Brainbombs performance, captured way back in 1993, Burning Hell era, in all its sludgy, filthy, misanthropic lo-fi glory. And it is lo-fi, BIG TIME. The sound is reminiscent of the Les Rallizes Denudes records, super hissy and in the red, captured on a shitty tape player most likely, all the sounds in-the-red, and much like with Les Rallizes, that sort of sound most definitely suits the Brainbombs. The perfect compliment to their already murky and muddy sound.
The bad news is we could only get 15 copies, it's already sold out, and out of print, and these are the last copies we'll ever have, and by now you all know what that means...

BRIGGS, ANNE s/t (Water) cd 15.98
There are few voices as pure and natural as Anne Briggs, an untrained but highly influential figure of the British Folk Tradition. This is a fine reissue of Briggs' first album from 1971 comprised mostly of traditional material that has only been previously available as expensive imports. While a few songs are backed by her guitar playing, a large number of them are sung a cappella. But with a voice like hers, the songs don't need much accompaniment. "Go Your Way" is one of our all time favorite songs period and well worth the price of admission. If fans of Shirley Collins or of all portents of magical folk music haven't already discovered and devoured Anne Briggs' scant but essential discography (she only recorded 30 songs before her self-imposed retirement at age 29!), the time has come!!
MPEG Stream: "Blackwater Slide"
MPEG Stream: "Go Your Way"

BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT Motion to Rejoin (Matador) cd 13.98
Picking up so nicely where their Matador debut left off a couple years back, Brightblack Morning Light are back with a new set of dreamy hippie hymnals that sway and melt with ease and affection. Adding subtle horns and gospel-like back up vocals to their slow and beautiful songs, they've made a record that after constant listens has seeped into out souls wrapping our psyches in warm and woozy sound. With rich connections to the land and the sky Brightblack are able to make music that feels natural and ethereal and unlike so many others polluting the world with overly forced takes on psych-folk. There is something undeniably sincere and for real about the tender and textured sounds that BBML create. Their stunning opening set last year for Vashti Bunyan showed that even when the pressure is on these are people whose music and presence is always so relaxed and tranquil and dreamily psychedelic, their bodies and spirits so at peace. Make sure to spend some serious time with this record as it's one that really benefits from deep listening, and will reward you with its deep melting glow.
MPEG Stream: "A Rainbow Aims"
MPEG Stream: "Oppressions Each"
MPEG Stream: "Hologram Buffalo"

BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT Motion to Rejoin (Matador) lp 14.98
Picking up so nicely where their Matador debut left off a couple years back, Brightblack Morning Light are back with a new set of dreamy hippie hymnals that sway and melt with ease and affection. Adding subtle horns and gospel-like back up vocals to their slow and beautiful songs, they've made a record that after constant listens has seeped into out souls wrapping our psyches in warm and woozy sound. With rich connections to the land and the sky Brightblack are able to make music that feels natural and ethereal and unlike so many others polluting the world with overly forced takes on psych-folk. There is something undeniably sincere and for real about the tender and textured sounds that BBML create. Their stunning opening set last year for Vashti Bunyan showed that even when the pressure is on these are people whose music and presence is always so relaxed and tranquil and dreamily psychedelic, their bodies and spirits so at peace. Make sure to spend some serious time with this record as it's one that really benefits from deep listening, and will reward you with its deep melting glow.
MPEG Stream: "A Rainbow Aims"
MPEG Stream: "Oppressions Each"
MPEG Stream: "Hologram Buffalo"

CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE Town Topic (Tomlab) cd ep 10.98
Oh how we miss having Owen Ashworth, aka Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, as a neighbor since he moved away from the Bay Area a few years ago, but luckily his busy touring schedule finds him in town quite often, so we do get frequent visits, and the store is always brightened by his easy going and sweet demeanor, and lucky for us he's own of those rare folks whose music is a direct reflection of his personality.
Owen's latest offering finds him in top form, with many of the short tracks being instrumental it makes sense that some of them were written for the soundtrack to the indie film Stay The Same Never Change, as they do such a perfect job in setting a breezy and daydreamy atmosphere. In many ways this is CFTPA at their/his stripped down best, while we did like some of the recordings that came out of Owen expanding his efforts with a full band, truth be told the true charm of his music comes directly from his rudimentary DIY approach to electro-pop. The few tracks that do have vocals had us thinking a lot of Stephen Merrit when he's doing Future Bible Heros and the overall feeling of this twenty minute ep captures a colorful and rich, melting sensation that's as earnest as it is endearing.
MPEG Stream: "Ice Cream Truck"
MPEG Stream: "Lesley Gore On The Tami Show"
MPEG Stream: "OMG"

CAVE Butthash (Trensmat) 7" + cd-r 8.98
Finally! Some new music from Chicago drone kraut post everything combo, Cave, whose now sadly out of print Hunt Like Devil record was one of favorite jams of the last however many years. The funny thing too, was that Cave was sort of an accidental discovery, as we were way into the related band Warhammer 48k, whose sound was a confusional crush of noise rock, space rock, and psych rock. So is really shouldn't have been that surprising that some of those guys would split to from another somewhat confusing, but no less appealing hybrid - Cave's sound a sort of post krautrock, looped guitars, tribal percussion, almost funky, definitely groovy, wild and energetic, mesmerizing and totally hypnotic, falling somewhere between the blown out swirl of Hawkwind, the looped mesmer of Circle, but with groovier, almost alien dancefloor vibe, or better yet, some cosmic ritual, like a spaced out drug drenched drum circle, but with heavy guitars.
For this ep, the band launch into action with the weird protofunk of "Butthash", a bouncy groover, with swirly synths, caffeinated rhythms, and buried vocals, a bit angular, a little new wave, equal parts krautrock, and spaced out shimmer, but all tangled up and kaleidoscopic, which leads directly into "Machines & Muscles" with its Circle-like guitar groove, some hand drums, very tribal and looped sounding, suspended in a field of space streakings and smears of soft effects in the background, the drums get a little more obtuse, a bit busier, but that main riff stays LOCKED in, until it begins to get ALL tripped out, distorted, effects drenched, swinging from speaker to speaker, dizzyingly tripped out, and then finally, the drums kick in proper, and we're in total hynorock bliss, little bits of keyboard pepper, the stuttery rhythm, the main riff staying solid and unwavering, while all around it various other sounds swoop and shimmer. Fucking awesome. Live they must stretch that out for ages, at least we hope so, in fact we sort of wish that this wasn't only a 7". Thankfully, it's NOT only a 7", as it comes with a cd-r, that includes the two tracks from the 7", and also an awesome even more blissed out version of "Machines & Muscles", the keyboards much more prominent, the vibe much more electronic and new wave, almost like Circle meets Stereolab, with plenty of buzz and glitch, lacing the propulsive groove. As well, there's a brief 85 second closer, that sounds like it was yanked from the middle of an hours-long live drug jam, with tripped out keyboards, buzzing bass, looped drums. Such a tease to only give us a 85 seconds!
And as if that weren't enough, the cd-r also includes a super abstract prismatic video / light show, to accompany, Cave's relentless space-y groove, all rainbowed blur and staticky colors, swirling and shimmery and a perfect visual complement.
Comes in a full color sleeve, pressed on swirled green vinyl, with a proper printed cd-r, and of course CRAZY LIMITED!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Butthash"
MPEG Stream: "Machines And Muscles"

CHEVAL SOMBRE I Sleep (Trensmat) 7" + cd-r 8.98
The second of two new releases from the UK's Trensmat Records, the first being the long awaited Cave ep elsewhere on this list, and this one, the first we've heard from a one man band from NY called Cheval Sombre, whose sound is a delicate, druggy slowcore, not all that far removed from folks like Galaxie 500 or Spacemen 3, the music soft billowy swirls, slow burning soft focus buzz, all drifting gently beneath hushed soft vocals, that are sometimes a dead ringer for the Spacemen.
As with all Trensmat 7"s, the record also includes a bonus cd-r, featuring the tracks from the 7" as well as an extra bonus track. The opener is a gorgeous lazy, late night slow crawl, soporific and cough syrupy, no drums, just long slowly unfurling ribbons of guitar and keyboard, and those sweet lullaby like vocals. The second track, produced by Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom, is an even murkier blurrier version of the opener, all the sounds muted and smeared into indistinct streaks of buzz, the vocals flipped backwards (you know how we love backwards!), the whole track woozy and off kilter, melty and psychedelic, but still dark and dizzy and dreamy.
The bonus track on the cd-r, also features a slowcore, bliss rock guest, Britta Phillips from the duo Dean & Britta (with Dean from Galaxie 500) produces, the result, another hazy, washed out soft around the edges slow folky drift, all glimmering guitar, tinkling chimes, reverbed vocals, all floating in an expanse of sweetly swirling lowercase musical murmur. So lovely.
Fans of druggy slow motion blessed out psych pop (who isn't?!?) will definitely love this. Full color sleeve, printed cd-r, and of course, as always, SUPER LIMITED!
MPEG Stream: "I Sleep (Alpha Waves)"
MPEG Stream: "I Sleep (Delta Waves)"

COLEMAN, GEORGE Bongo Joe (Mississippi) lp 12.98
NEW ON MISSISSIPPI RECORDS. Just thought we'd get that out of the way, since it seems like folks want anything and everything this tiny Portland label releases, and for good reason, they have amazing taste for one, their records look and sound fantastic, and probably most importantly, most of their releases have never been available on vinyl before.
Originally released on Arhoolie in 1969 (and still available from them on cd!), this lp features the collected wildness, weirdness and wisdom of one George Coleman, also known as Bongo Joe, on vinyl for the first time in AGES (you may remember Bongo Joe was on the bonus 7"s that originally came with the first pressing of the Mississippi release Life Is A Problem!)
George Coleman is not called Bongo Joe because he plays the bongos, it's because, well no one is sure exactly, but he does play the drums, or more specifically, the giant oil barrel. Modified of course. Coleman's instrument of choice is a 55 gallon oil drum, its sound customized by dents and bulges and tears created with a small axe. He beats this oil drum with hammer handles, the bottom of the barrel filled with sand and buckshot to create a sort of rattle. And while that might be amazing on its own, it's Coleman's singing, or rapping, or whatever it is, probably somewhere right in between that really seals the deal. When former aQ staffer Byram worked here this was his FAVORITE record and he played it incessantly, and we all eventually grew to love it, a totally wacked stripped down freaky funky sort-of-steel-drum rhythm and blues, Coleman calls it "fundamental beat music", as played by a crazy Texas street musician, who has plenty to say about pretty much everything, and does so quite eloquently, and a bit confusionally, a wild unhinged delivery that some folks around here have likened to Wesley Willis, but we think it's way more soulful, like James Brown crossed with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, imagine one of those guys jamming with Moondog, and voila!
Bongo Joe played all over Texas, once with Dizzy Gillespie, for presidents, for Muhammad Ali, in front of the Alamo, he eventually ended up in San Antonio after a retirement community complained about the racket he was making outside. And at one point he shot a man who he thought was going to rob him while he was performing. Woah.
But none of that matters as much as the music, and the music is amazing. Far out and funky, rhythmic and stripped down, wild and strange and beautiful and pretty much unlike anything else you'll ever hear.
[Fair warning, Mississippi is a pretty DIY operation, so very often the lps are not in absolutely perfect condition, the records themselves are immaculate, but sometimes the sleeves have slightly bent corners or something similar, all very minor, but super vinyl collector nerds beware]

DEAD REPTILE SHRINE Burning Black Infinity (Cocainacopia) 2lp 29.00
The newest release from these Finnish black metal weirdos, which we listed on cassette a couple lists back (we have a very few left!) is now available on vinyl. Super deluxe, 180 gram colored vinyl, black and white and grey swirled, limited to 333 copies, hand numbered, super thick deluxe full colored gatefold with cool reflective spot varnish printing on top, so over the top and thus pricey and again CRAZY LIMITED!
We're always going on and on about the weirdest, most fucked up black metal bands ever, even elsewhere on this list, we review the new one from Tasmanian one man band Striborg, and declare it maybe the weirdest yet. But there's weird, and then there's Dead Reptile Shrine, who beyond being weird, are barely even black metal, the metallic elements far outweighed by the fractured folk and total whatthefuck elements, and the blackness, well that infuses pretty much every sound they produce, just not in the way most folks are used to or most metalheads want. Instead, DRS do their own thing, and their own thing is some fucked up mix of dark dronemusic, detuned free folk, stumbling chaotic black metal, some orchestral bits, tortured vocals, all wound into a confusional world of black rituals and mysterious sonic otherworlds.
While we anxiously await the forth coming double cd on tUMULt, we have this brand new damaged black sonic ritual to tide us over. Burning Black Intensity offers up a taste of what will be found on the soon to come sprawling tUMULt 2cd full length, and if BBI is any indication, then two whole cds of this stuff is going to DESTROY. This record begins with some creepy, orchestral Peter And The Wolf type sounds, strings and percussion, sampled we assume, while DRS croon over the top, offering up wavery clean vocals, strange incantations, and various other vocalizations, the result is truly twisted. This goes on for several tracks before the band launch into some black metal, but DRS black metal is a whole other thing, the drums buried in the mix, barely audible, the guitars strangled, and gnarled, buzzing, blurred and murky, dueling vocals, one a high howled screech, the other a rumbling demonic gurgle, both drenched in reverb, both howling maniacally, and relentlessly, while the guitars churn and the drums stumble, the whole thing lurching drunkenly, super raw and primitive and lo-fi and fractured and FUCKED for sure. The next track demonstrates that no matter how weird it gets, everything they do is deliberate, the guitars are thick and fuzzy, the drums simple but propulsive, the riff a near static black groove, the bass, pulsing and undulating, more typical black metal vocals screeching over the top, while way in the distance a voice shrieks hysterically, the two vocals all tangled up, the guitar spewing forth a super mesmerizing singular riff, totally hypnotic and trancelike, the vocals growing more and more unhinged. The next track is a murky muddy Wold style soundscape, melodies and guitars smeared and blurred into bleary eyed streaks of sound, the vocals an ominous rumble, the drums a chaotic blast beat, while the guitars swoon woozily, the whole track dizzy and druggy and weirdly dreamlike, the vocal eventually growing more and more warped, almost cartoonish, sing songy and almost operatic, wrapped in fluttery flutes and more distorted soft buzz.
Needless to say, this is brilliantly twisted stuff, totally wacked, outsider blackness, as true as any of the more classically TROO black metal, but unlike those, DRS are true only to themselves, any resemblance between their music and other black metal is not only coincidental it's a fluke, as most of this sounds like nothing you've ever heard.

DEERHOOF Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars) cd 14.98
Our long standing love affair with Deerhoof is still in full force after all these years. Not only do they continue to make fantastic and rewarding music, but they've managed to remain in touch with the wondrous spirit and deep creativity that made them so irresistible right from ther beginning. While their sound has been fleshed out and fine tuned over the years, they have not lost any of the unique and off kilter elements that made their music so special. They're perhaps the only band you can play for your two year old niece AND your weird druggy psychedelic uncle, and chances are they both would be bopping and bouncing and grinning like crazy and loving every sound coming out of the speakers.
Offend Maggie could just be their most effortless sounding outing to date, it's so cool that despite being such precise and proficient players they've found a way to make their songs jump, hop and skip through all sorts of wonderful shapes and colors without ever sounding self conscious. There is a delightful freedom and sense of play and wonder in these songs that has us falling in love with Deerhoof all over again. Much like the most recent outing by Stereolab, the songs on Offend Maggie really start blossoming after repeated listens and we're pretty sure we'll be spinning this over and over for the rest of the year. It's almost a decade since they were our little San Francisco secret, and now they've shared tours with the likes of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips, and earned a spot as one of the more popular and respected bands in the indie rock world while keeping their music so innovative and inspired and original!
MPEG Stream: "Offend Maggie"
MPEG Stream: "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back"
MPEG Stream: "The Tears Of Music And Love"

DEERHOOF Offend Maggie (Kill Rock Stars) lp 14.98
Our long standing love affair with Deerhoof is still in full force after all these years. Not only do they continue to make fantastic and rewarding music, but they've managed to remain in touch with the wondrous spirit and deep creativity that made them so irresistible right from ther beginning. While their sound has been fleshed out and fine tuned over the years, they have not lost any of the unique and off kilter elements that made their music so special. They're perhaps the only band you can play for your two year old niece AND your weird druggy psychedelic uncle, and chances are they both would be bopping and bouncing and grinning like crazy and loving every sound coming out of the speakers.
Offend Maggie could just be their most effortless sounding outing to date, it's so cool that despite being such precise and proficient players they've found a way to make their songs jump, hop and skip through all sorts of wonderful shapes and colors without ever sounding self conscious. There is a delightful freedom and sense of play and wonder in these songs that has us falling in love with Deerhoof all over again. Much like the most recent outing by Stereolab, the songs on Offend Maggie really start blossoming after repeated listens and we're pretty sure we'll be spinning this over and over for the rest of the year. It's almost a decade since they were our little San Francisco secret, and now they've shared tours with the likes of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips, and earned a spot as one of the more popular and respected bands in the indie rock world while keeping their music so innovative and inspired and original!
MPEG Stream: "Offend Maggie"
MPEG Stream: "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back"
MPEG Stream: "The Tears Of Music And Love"

DUNGEN 4 (Kemado) cd 11.98
In the last few years Dungen have gone from being a mysterious underground Swedish psych sensation to one of the most beloved bands in the indie music landscape. With 4 they prove they deserve all the acclaim and recognition that's come their way as they continue to evolve and expand their sonic horizons in such pleasing ways. It's not always how hard you hit but instead what kind of magic you can create with sound, thus this is probably the least rock sounding record Dungen have made, and we think the lush arrangements and warm texture suits them perfectly. While this could still pass for some lost gem from the Scandinavian psych underground of the early '70s there is something so unique and distinctive about their sound. They are one of those bands that after hearing only several seconds, their signature sound is already evident. But unlike folks such as Clinic who also have a sound we like but continue to make the same record over and over, Dungen have proven to be imaginative and skilled songwriters who move forward with each release, while remaining the Dungen we know and love. It's almost like they've been listening intently to the more nuanced and atmospheric psychedelic reissues from Ennio Morricone we've seen lately. Along with the new record by The Alps reviewed last list, this Dungen is more exciting evidence that that folks are still finding fresh (also lush and gorgeous) ways to enter a psychedelic state of mind. So great!
MPEG Stream: "Det Tar Tid"
MPEG Stream: "Fredag"
MPEG Stream: "Satt Att Se"

DUNGEN 4 (Subliminal Sounds) lp 28.00
In the last few years Dungen have gone from being a mysterious underground Swedish psych sensation to one of the most beloved bands in the indie music landscape. With 4 they prove they deserve all the acclaim and recognition that's come their way as they continue to evolve and expand their sonic horizons in such pleasing ways. It's not always how hard you hit but instead what kind of magic you can create with sound, thus this is probably the least rock sounding record Dungen have made, and we think the lush arrangements and warm texture suits them perfectly. While this could still pass for some lost gem from the Scandinavian psych underground of the early '70s there is something so unique and distinctive about their sound. They are one of those bands that after hearing only several seconds, their signature sound is already evident. But unlike folks such as Clinic who also have a sound we like but continue to make the same record over and over, Dungen have proven to be imaginative and skilled songwriters who move forward with each release, while remaining the Dungen we know and love. It's almost like they've been listening intently to the more nuanced and atmospheric psychedelic reissues from Ennio Morricone we've seen lately. Along with the new record by The Alps reviewed last list, this Dungen is more exciting evidence that that folks are still finding fresh (also lush and gorgeous) ways to enter a psychedelic state of mind. So great!
Please note: right now we just have this fancy, import clear-vinyl version of the Dungen 4 lp. But there will be a cheaper domestic LP alternative we'll have sometime soon, too.
MPEG Stream: "Det Tar Tid"
MPEG Stream: "Fredag"
MPEG Stream: "Satt Att Se"

EAST OF EDEN Mercator Projected (Esoteric Recordings) cd 23.00
Of the many, many prog rock reissues out there, here's a recent one we HAD to list, the 1969 debut album from this UK band. Why? Well, track two "Isadora" reminds us a bit of the flute-laced pastoral pagan-folk ceremony of AQ faves Comus! Elsewhere this band unleash psychedelic freakouts amidst jazz-inflected grooves, wielding electric violin, distorted guitar, and "Sumerian saxophones" in a mixture of rocked out fiddle frenzies, tricky time signatures, folky vocal melodies, and moody Eastern atmospheres. It's a mystical-Mingus hybrid, as played by a rock band, their wide ranging non-rock inspirations also allowing for one track, "Communion", to be based on a Bartok string quartet.
We'd compare 'em to contemporaneous acts like early King Crimson, and violin heavies High Tide, though these guys seem a bit more, uh, playful than either of those groups. Despite (or because of) such songs as "In The Stable Of The Sphinx", East of Eden's Ancient Egypt schtick has got to be a little tongue in cheek - check out the band photos, they simply can't be serious in that King Tut drag they're wearing! Their music certainly sounds like it comes from Swinging Sixties London, rather than out of a dusty sarcophagus. It's groovy, baby. Ferinstance, the riffy "Centaur Woman" is like Cream with bluesy harp seguing into an eruption of full on free improv horns, and also boasts an extensive bass solo (hence the tagline for that one: "half-woman, half-beast, half bass-guitar"). If they had let themselves go much further out, maybe they'd have started sounding like Japan's Food Brain from around the same time. But instead East Of Eden stick with what might play in the pop scene of the day, being exotic but not overindulgently experimental.
This nice new reish includes three previously unreleased bonus tracks - two demo versions and a cover of "Eight Miles High"!
MPEG Stream: "Northern Hemisphere"
MPEG Stream: "Isadora"

EATER The Album + The Singles Plus (Anagram) 2cd 17.98
Maybe not the most important nor most influential '77 punk band from the UK, no, but definitely one of our personal all time faves! And Eater were both one of the earliest (forming in '76, debuting with a single in March '77) and youngest (they were literally schoolboys, their drummer Dee Generate was only 13 years old!). That's pretty punk, innit? Being snotty and pissed off wasn't a problem for them. Neither was writing high energy, highly catchy tunes that usually did the dirty deed in under two minutes, tops. Gotta love the poppy punk power of tracks like "Public Toys", "Room For One", and their age-adjusted Alice Cooper cover, "Fifteen". They also covered tracks by T-Rex and the Velvet Underground, always infusing 'em with their own teenaged punk 'tude. Which admittedly (and not unexpectedly, giving their age/testosterone combo) gets a little un-PC on their own "Get Raped", though that's still a catchy number too...
They're all here, 'cause this comprehensive Eater anthology consists of their album, The Album, and a bonus disc collecting their singles cuts. Maybe you've heard the Sex Pistols a few too many times, but probably not Eater. We're pretty stoked to have this new reissue to recommend. Get it!!
MPEG Stream: "Room For One"
MPEG Stream: "Fifteen"
MPEG Stream: "Get Raped"

ELDRIG Everlasting War Divinity (Eastside) lp 16.98
This epic chunk of grim and grand black fury, available on vinyl for the first time. And of course ULTRA ULTRA LIMITED. ONLY 100 COPIES PRESSED. In beautiful hand screened silver on black jackets, with a super deluxe full color fold out insert. Here's our review of the cd when we first got it in:
Second of two new releases from this Portland black metal horde, the first, Kali, reviewed a while back, was a glorious chunk of epic and majestic, nearly symphonic buzz, three looooong tracks separated by gorgeous little ambient drone interludes. Everlasting War Divinity, while structured differently, is if anything, even more massive and grandiose, triumphant and fucking EPIC.
As we mentioned in the review of the other album, there does seem to be some questionable politics lurking below the surface. Nothing obvious, not in the song titles, the lyrics or the artwork, like most black metal it seems to be more concerned with nature and misery, war and death, but folks who are sensitive to the problematic politics that underscore a lot of black metal, might do well to read the other Eldrig review. But if you can look past that stuff, and as we mentioned it's not really that difficult here, as the band seem more concerned with crafting soaring blackened buzzscapes, and the cryptic lyrics (if you could make them out at all) are cries of war and wails of anguish.
But the music, holy shit. The sound of Eldrig manages to be buzzing and grim and brutal, but at the same time, the riffing is totally majestic, almost chiming, the melodies soaring skyward, the drums a furious thrashing framework, the vocals a barely audible howl, all woven into what sounds like a black metal Explosions In The Sky or a Satanic Godspeed. Spiraling riffage that just builds and builds, the melodies so intense and emotional, everything peppered with swaths of swirling keyboards, but unlike the other Eldrig, here the riffs sound almost like classic eighties metal, little bursts of NWOBHM tangled into much blacker shapes. But the sound is somehow impossible poppy, like if you stripped all the snarling guitars and the demonic rasps, the blasting beats, you'd be left with some sort of simple catchy lullaby, or some perfect pop song, but here it's buzzed and blackened into some impossible black metal hybrid. So fast and furious and black, but so goddamn catchy and moody and melodic, culminating in the near power metal sounding outro to the final track "Death To The Unwilling", with classical sounding keyboard runs, chiming keyboards, and super poppy riffage, all whipped into a glorious frenzy, before it fades out with a strange skipping cd sound, and then returns with a programmed drum fill, only to explode into an even more over the top power/back metal frenzy with epic keyboards, those majestic riffs, all wrapped in wild squiggly leads, only to eventually fade out into some churning, mournful, abstract riffage.
MPEG Stream: "Power Ascension"
MPEG Stream: "Death To The Unwilling"

FARFLUNG A Wound In Eternity (Meteor City) cd 14.98
It a bit weird we've never listed any records by LA space rockers Farflung. They've been plugging away for almost 12 years, and A Wound In Eternity is in fact record number 12. At least one or two of us here have some old FF records in our collection, regardless, it's finally time to right this very wrong.
Self proclaimed the heaviest and trippiest FF record yet, A Wound In Eternity is indeed both trippy and heavy, due possibly to the recent addition of various new members, their sound as always borrows heavily from Hawkwind, Monster Magnet, Kyuss, the usual heavies, but with their own distinct twist, and listening to this now, we're feeling a definite glam vibe, a bit of garagey-stomp, really catchy and hooky, but just the tone and the arrangement is sort of reminiscent of classic seventies glam, albeit super charged and a bit more drugged up and spaced out. Which is probably why we hear so much Monster Magnet in FF's sound, they have a similar over the top glamrock meets space metal crunch.
Chunky riffs, propulsive rhythms, dramatic vocals, all wound up into a set-the-controls-for-the-heart-of-the-sun stoner psych space rock blowout. The tracks often burn slow, sometimes pounding away, other times drifting lazily through space, but most of them culminate in huge drone-y psychedelic freakout outros, everything wrapped in swirls of FX, the guitars blossoming like supernovas, the drums growing more and more chaotic. A few tracks have a definite Circle vibe going on too, the group locked into super mesmerizing looped hypnorock grooves, but even then, the band eventually looses themselves from gravity, drifting into the stratosphere, only to burn out in a blaze of blinding, deafening distorted effects drenched buzz...
The lp version is ultra deluxe, and while they last, we have the super limited edition cd version, that comes in a fancy mini-lp style gatefold sleeve, and includes the same two bonus tracks that are on the lp.
MPEG Stream: "Unborn Planet"
MPEG Stream: "Endless Drifting Wreck"
MPEG Stream: "Possession"

FARFLUNG A Wound In Eternity (Meteor City) lp 22.00
It a bit weird we've never listed any records by LA space rockers Farflung. They've been plugging away for almost 12 years, and A Wound In Eternity is in fact record number 12. Several of us here have at least one or two old FF records in our collection, so it's finally time to right that very wrong.
Self proclaimed the heaviest and trippiest FF record yet, A Wound In Eternity is indeed both trippy and heavy, due possibly to the recent addition of various new members, their sound as always borrows heavily from Hawkwind, Monster Magnet, Kyuss, the usual heavies, but with their own distinct twist, and listening to this now, we're feeling a definite glam vibe, a bit of garagey-stomp, really catchy and hooky, but just the tone and the arrangement is sort of reminiscent of classic seventies glam, albeit super charged and a bit more drugged up and spaced out. Which is probably why we hear so much Monster Magnet in FF's sound, they have a similar over the top glamrock meets space metal crunch.
Chunky riffs, propulsive rhythms, dramatic vocals, all wound up into a set-the-controls-for-the-heart-of-the-sun stoner psych space rock blowout. The tracks often burn slow, sometimes pounding away, other times drifting lazily through space, but most of them culminate in huge drone-y psychedelic freakout outros, everything wrapped in swirls of FX, the guitars blossoming like supernovas, the drums growing more and more chaotic. A few tracks have a definite Circle vibe going on too, the group locked into super mesmerizing looped hypnorock grooves, but even then, the band eventually looses themselves from gravity, drifting into the stratosphere, only to burn out in a blaze of blinding, deafening distorted effects drenched buzz...
The lp version is super deluxe, and while they last, we have the super limited edition cd version, that comes in a super fancy mini-lp style gatefold sleeve, and includes the same two bonus tracks that are on the lp.
MPEG Stream: "Unborn Planet"
MPEG Stream: "Endless Drifting Wreck"
MPEG Stream: "Possession"

GOODWIN, SCOTT Impeccable Surface (Autonomous Object) cd-r 8.98
Scott Goodwin is probably not a name most of you know off the top of your head. But as the man behind minimal drone combo Bonus, we were pretty excited to hear what he had been up to lately, especially since the Bonus discs we'd carried in the past were some of our favorite minimal drone music,
Impeccable Surface is definitely less rumbly and buzzy and low end than Bonus, but no less drone-y or hypnotic, this 32 minute disc begins with a pulse like high end tone, some strange klaxon, bleating out a machine like throb, while beneath and all around it, thick textured electronic tones ebb and flow, swallowing the pulse entirely, then fading to a distant whisper, the sound incredibly lush and full, the sounds slipping back and forth from ear to ear, heavily panned, the sound very spatial and expansive. A few minutes in and another, louder layer of tones join the fray, and seem to swoop wildly over the proceedings, but begin to blend with the various other sounds, and suddenly it's almost like one of those paintings you stare at a different shapes emerge. The tones blend and then beat against each other, the sounds stuttering, buzzing, transforming into smooth long harmonies, and then back again, a glorious sonic tangle, that seems to spin and change shape, change colors, change appearance right before our ears. A dog whistle tone soon joins in and the whole thing gets that much more intense, until finally, at about the halfway mark, the piece becomes much more minimal, a single tone undulating, wavering, joined by another tone, way off in the distance, the distant ultra high tone eventually eclipsing the lower tone, until it sounds like Ryoji Ikeda or Francisco Lopez. The main tone lurches back in, and suddenly the tones are winding in and out of each other's space, drawing all sorts of minimal melodies and not quite rhythms until the track shuts down, leaving just that impossible dog whistle tone, and then silence.
Some seriously incredible minimal drone music for sure. The usual suspects will definitely need this. And of course, be warned, SUPER LIMITED, when we run out, we may not be able to get more.
MPEG Stream: "Impeccable Surface"

GRAILS Doomsdayer's Holiday (Temporary Residence) cd 14.98
As Grails continue to grow and develop, they move further and further away from the various other groups and scenes they tend to be most associated with, deftly carving their own distinctive sonic niche, one that incorporates post rock, doom metal, world music, psych rock, jazz, drone, in less capable hands it would be a mess for sure, and Doomsdayer's Holiday while definitely all over the map is hardly a mess, all the various sounds and songs somehow woven into a surprisingly cohesive whole.
The opener definitely sets the stage, with some strange animal call, the beating hooves of horses, super blown out drums, swirling drones and buzz, and then some angular Marc Ribot style guitaring, the track sounding like a post apocalyptic heavy metal Tom Waits jam that builds into a cinematic crescendo, albeit one wrapped around a very Maiden-esque guitar part. Confusing for sure, but pretty damn exhilarating. The track ends with the drums getting all dubbed out and everything melting back into just the sounds of thundering hooves.
But then out of nowhere, the second track begins with some sort of horn, playing a distinctly Middle Eastern melody, the drums kick in, the guitars come crashing down, and again, it's like some metallicized Sun City Girls or something. Like Neurosis covering Torch Of The Mystics, perhaps! Eventually the track morphs into a jazzy psychedelic breakdown, and then a super spacious guitar flecked dronescape. Awesome stuff, but as we mentioned, definitely difficult to describe. The is a record by a band at the top of their game, with the time and money to experiment, and some of the stuff here sounds like the band exploring, but thankfully most of it works pretty really well. There are long drawn out folkdrone jams, with fluttering flute and meandering steel string guitars, there's slow burning psychedelic space rock, strange interludes of jazzy free drumming and glitched out electronics, field recordings and space-y ambience, some metallic chamber jazz (not sure how else to describe it), some killer Eastern tinged mathy post rock, still more sweeping epic Godpseed like vistas, deep dark guitar drones that morph into haunting apocalyptic doomfolk, finally finishing off with the longest track on the record, the 8 minute "Acid Rain", a wide open wander through a glimmering sun drenched world of soft psychedelic rock, the guitars all shimmery and warm, the melodies ebullient and effervescent, before slipping back into a warm swirl of soft drones and glistening harmonics, a surprising finish to a surprising record.
MPEG Stream: "Doomsdayer's Holiday"
MPEG Stream: "Reincarnation Blues"
MPEG Stream: "Acid Rain"

GRIVF Sortenlund (Demo 2005) (NOTHingness) cd-r 9.98
We reviewed a record by Canadian drone combo Ashtorath a few lists back, an amazing disc of dark and harrowing, cinematic dronescapes. Released on one of our favorite labels, NOTHingness. As we mentioned in that review, NOTHingness closed up shop, and in its place was born Consouling Sounds. We proclaimed Ashtorath the last NOTHingness release, when in fact there was one more, this, the 2005 demo from Grivf, a mysterious funeral folk metal one man band from Denmark. Reissued as a super limited cd-r last year, this is in fact the first we've heard from Grivf, and we have to say we're pretty into it.
Falling sonically somewhere between Skepticism and Make A Change Kill Yourself, but with long stretches of spacey dark ambience, no drums to speak of, so even at its heaviest, the record sprawls and oozes, the vocals a rumbling demonic gurgle, the guitars mournful and so so depressive, everything swathed in distortion, the melodies minor key and miserable, the tracks crawling and slithering, through black clouds and even blacker fields of sonic misery .
Some tracks lace acoustic guitars over pounded piano, unfurling a creepy funereal folk, that broods intensely, only to be swallowed up by a wave of crumbling distorted buzz, and harsh blackened vokills, but the guitar and the piano never stop. Instead infusing the black metallic drone with a super creepy vibe, elsewhere strings and synths play the same part, spreading out into long grey streaks, everything washed out and lit by a dying black sun, this is some of the most fantastically and gorgeously depressive music we've heard in ages. A few of the tracks take distorted riffage, steel string guitars, and piano, and let them get all tangled up, weaving a heartbreaking doomic black lament, weirdly melodic but still oh so melancholy.
Dark and depressive, heavy and slow, ambient and abstract, drone-y and sludge-y, miserable and mournful, drone-y and utterly haunting, some seriously essential listening for the black hearted.
SUPER LIMITED. ALREADY OUT OF PRINT. We did get a bunch, but these are the last copies, the label is defunct, so once these are gone, they are gone forever.
MPEG Stream: "Midgaard"
MPEG Stream: "Hvad Isen Skjuler"

HARVEY MILK Courtesy And Good Will Toward Men (Chunklet) 2lp 30.00
Finally available on vinyl again FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME, the original lp release's packaging lovingly reproduced, letterpressed, diecut, embossed, complete with the paste-on front cover image, this might even be nicer than the original. Super thick 180 gram grey colored vinyl. ONLY 300 COPIES AVAILABLE, we got a huge chunk of those but most likely they will disappear in a heartbeat...
Thus ONLY ONE PER CUSTOMER!!!
Here's a slightly altered version of the review we wrote when we listed the cd:
We love doom sludge dirgelords Harvey Milk. That should be painfully self evident by now. This is perhaps Harvey Milk's finest moment, an all time doom dirge slowcore sludge classic, Courtesy And Good Will Toward Men. If you're new to Harvey Milk, but are a fan of any sort of slow, heaviness, that for the love of all that is unholy, pick this up, it is your new favorite record. And if you already have a copy, well, if you're as obsessed with HM as we are, you'll just have to buy it again. and probably need it on vinyl too anyway....
Crushing and pummeling majestic beauty, interspersed with delicate moments of hushed whispery strum. Lumbering downtuned hyper-rhythmic skull crack dropped delicately into suffocating expanses of near silence. Delicate pointillist piano mutates into a dirgey exercise in tension that sounds like a lost Dario Argento soundtrack performed by the Melvins. Lilting and melancholy near-ballads are disrupted by incessant and brutally heavy riffs. Amidst the pummel and beneath the negative space swirls a barely audible maelstrom of whispered vocals, warbling turntables and whirring vacuum cleaners, all adding to the confusional brilliance that is Harvey Milk. And their heart wrenching cover of Leonard Cohen's "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" features what has to be the most tortured and anguished vocal performance ever recorded.
Too heavy to be post rock. Too weird to be metal. Too everything to be anything, Harvey Milk are unconventional and wholly unique, both structurally and sonically, touching on territory mined by the likes of Gastr Del Sol, Codeine, Queen, Husker Du, Man Is The Bastard, the Melvins, and ZZ Top, but slowing it down, making it HEAVY, and fucking it up. Making it more beautiful, while making it difficult to listen to at all.
Hypnotic, repetitive and jarring. Unpredictable, exhausting and perplexing.
And although we do get carried away now and again, and declare certain records best ever, and weirdest ever, without any trace of hyperbole or irony, we can unequivocally proclaim that Courtesy And Good Will Toward Men is quite possibly, the greatest, heaviest, weirdest, saddest, most beautiful record ever made. Seriously.
MPEG Stream: "The Boy With The Bosoms"
MPEG Stream: "Pinnochio's Example"

HARVEY MILK My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be (Chunklet) 2lp 22.00
The first Harvey Milk album, available on vinyl for the first time EVER. Nice thick jacket, 180 gram black vinyl. Of course these will not be around for long. ONLY 680 COPIES AVAILABLE, we got a huge chunk of those, but as you might imagine, people have been freaking out and these are gonna fly out of here.
So... ONLY ONE PER CUSTOMER!!!
Here's our review of My Love when we first reviewed the cd a while back:
My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be. What an awesome title. And the record cover, a bull and a rooster and an ornate candle, the words Harvey Milk in tiny blue type over the rooster. On the cd, the text: "Harvey Milk is Cronos, Mantis, Abadon". Song titles like "Where The Bee Sucks, There Suck I", "The Anvil Will Fall" and "Merlin Is Magic". By now most avid AQ customers are very familiar with the mysterious sludge rock power trio Harvey Milk, but when we first laid hands on this disc, back in 1994, we had no idea what to think. As if the artwork wasn't enough to have us scratching our heads, the music inside was even more willfully difficult. And still is. Obviously borne of some serious Melvins worship, Harvey Milk, took the already difficult sound of the Melvins to new heights, or depths, crafting lengthy sludge jams, packed with as much space as riffs, long expanses of spastic John Bonham like drumming, vocals a whiskey soaked gravelly bellow, guitars thick black sheets. This was without a doubt some of the strangest music we had ever heard. But at the same time, somehow the most beautiful. The sound of Harvey Milk was some impossible blend of noise rock, math rock, post rock, punk rock, twentieth century composition and METAL. All tangled into one huge gnarled black hole of sound. A sound that crawls more than it rocks, but when it does rock, it blows away pretty much any other band in the land. 
Lots of you no doubt already own Courtesy And Goodwill Toward Men, arguably one of the greatest records EVER, heavy, sludgy or otherwise. If you don't you need to stop reading for a second and go buy it right now. We'll wait...........
Okay, Courtesy was HM record number two, and found the band 'tightening' up their sound, taking the chaos of My Love, and crafting it into, well, more chaos. It's hard to say how they changed between these two records. My Love is a tiny bit faster. The best way to describe it is like this: My Love is to Courtesy, the way Nirvana's Bleach is to Nevermind, more immediate and raw, but with some of the best songs the band ever wrote, and like Bleach, it's a record that tons of fans continue to insist is the best thing they've ever done. And while we are of the mind that Courtesy is in fact the best Harvey Milk record ever (unless you ask Allan, who would probably say The Pleaser, the -other- HM reissue this week, a killer disc of Harvey Milked ZZ Top worship) returning to My Love has us maybe reconsidering. We can't actually decide. There are so many amazing songs on My Love that we had forgotten about, as good as anything on Courtesy. It would probably be more realistic to proclaim My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be / Courtesy And Goodwill Toward Men as the ultimate math-sludge-slow-motion-dirge-doom-whatever one-two punch EVER. Maybe the greatest first and second record combo of all time. Needless to say, if you're at all into the current crop of slow motion doom mongers, and have somehow missed out on these records, you will lose your fucking mind (and odds are loads of you have never heard My Love as it's been out of print for ages). It's no exaggeration when we say every song on My Love is darn near perfect. But a few of our favorites:
"A Small Turn Of Human Kindness" was the absolute first peep we ever heard out of HM, and it's brutal and beautiful, so utterly confusing and unlike anything ever. A frustratingly obtuse abstract jam, even calling it a jam is stretching the definition of the word jam, there's LOTS of space, the track begins with a minute of weird electronic noodling, a huge wash of cymbals and guitar scrape, a killer BIG drum fill, and then... nothing... a weird barely there buzz, some cymbal dings, a moaning cello.... How amazing is that?!?!? It isn't until halfway through the song before the riff finally kicks in, and even then, it's like pulling teeth to get these guys to let loose and rock. In fact, it's not until the last two minutes that the band really go for it. And it was worth the wait, but before you know it comes "Women Dig it", slowing everything waaaaaaaaay back down. A super drawn out exercise in tension and release, with long stretches of just drums, big Zeppelin style drums, accompanied by mewled vocal, but which features one of the most awesome riffs EVER, so much so, that when it kicks in, it makes you want to rock the fuck out, which you could do if it wasn't just played once every couple minutes.... oh the glorious frustration!!! It's the sort of riff most bands would not only kill for, but that most bands would repeat over and over and over and base a whole song around, whereas the Milk kick out that riff maybe twenty times, in the whole song, and all clumped together, with the rest of the song spent plodding and drifting and doing anything but locking into a killer groove. But that's what makes Harvey Milk so great, when that riff DOES drop, it's a ridiculous release, like an orgasm, this unbelievable rock-out relief, but like with most things it's the wait, the build up, that is the best part. Or at least the 'other' best part.
Another classic Milk track is "The Anvil Will Fall", a moody drifting whispery ballad, peppered by huge bursts of downtuned pummel, when out of nowhere, in come the strings, some patriotic hymn, an almost recognizable tune that Creston sings along too in his warbly raspy croon, even kicking it up into a wicked falsetto, before petering back out into the original hushed crawl, eventually launching into a super moving moody goddamned ANTHEM. The sort of song that should have sludge fans teary eyed with hat in hand, and hand over heart. And finally...
"Where The Bee Sucks, There Suck I", besides being the best song title maybe EVER, it's also one of the greatest songs ever, a really really fucking weird song, howled tortured vocals over a relentless tribal drum fill with occasional bursts of Zeppelin like riffage, before the guitar transforms into a static rumbling drone, and the drums just sort of do whatever the hell they want, for ever it feels like... and then the band launches back into it and it's some relentless bastardized groovy Southern sludge jam, but like all HM songs, they stop not long after to just sort of wander, and plod and wait, and pause, before doing it all over again....
We could go one and on, and get all mushy and fanboy about every single song on My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be, but you get the drift. This record is magical. Majestic. Freaked out. Furious. Heavy as anything you've ever heard. Strangely pretty. Mind meltingly difficult. Crushing. Confusing. Baffling. Brutal. And pretty much one of our favorite records ever...
MPEG Stream: "A Small Turn Of Human Kindness"
MPEG Stream: "Women Dig It"
MPEG Stream: "The Anvil Will Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Where The Bee Sucks, There Suck I"

HEADDRESS Turquoise (Mexican Summer / Kemado) lp 17.98
Now available on vinyl! LIMITED TO ONLY 500 COPIES!!!
Formerly known as Worship (they released a small cd-r pressing under that moniker), the elusive group who now answer to the name Headdress continue their dusk lit creep through the enchanted wilderness. On Turquoise they craft a beautiful loosely woven tapestry of ivy-like guitar tendrils, lichen-encrusted percussion, solemn mossy male vocals that reside somewhere between Jandek and M. Ward. The album's fifth song "Babylon" sounds strangely like a deconstructed folk rendition of America's "Horse With No Name". Whether intentional or not, the glinting familiarity of the latter's central melody adds to the existing subtle hallucinatory atmosphere of the proceedings. The crowning jewel of rough hewn Turquoise though is the sixth track titled "Moon Of Shedding Ponies". It's a frayed, meditative instrumental populated with generous turns of a rainstick and what sounds like howling wolves or banshees.
If you dig the rustic, abstracted psych-folk sounds of Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice and the many bewitching branches of the Jewelled Antler Collective, don't miss this!
MPEG Stream: "Babylon"
MPEG Stream: "Moon Of Shedding Ponies"

IKEDA, RYOJI See You At Regis Debray (OST) (Syntax) 2cd 23.00
Ryoji Ikeda scored the soundtrack for CS Leigh's film See You At The Regis Debray; and this two disc set is the entire soundtrack to the film split into two sections, approximately 45 minutes each. We've not seen the film; but from what we can gather, it describes a few days in 1969 when Andreas Baader (of Baader-Meinhof fame) spent with the French intellectual Regis Debray, while Baader was on the run from the German authorities. Debray himself had quite a storied past, having spent time in a Bolivian jail for associating with Che Guevera.
Ikeda's soundtrack begins as you would expect any Ikeda album to start: with a slow-building ascension of precisely micro-shifting digital tones. Ikeda cuts to a collage of the jarring ring of telephones that dissolves into a repetitive strum of a low-slung guitar that sounds very much like a Morricone sample from The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. This detours into a subterranean field recording of various clanks, muffled rumblings, and distant voices. Then an elegiac chorale of reverb saturated drones with snippets of radio transmission (bells? gongs? chimes? those same digital tones?) completes the first disc. The second disc returns to that Morricone riff, only flushed out this time, given more of an Achim Reichel energy of bad-ass Western twang matching futurist arpeggiation. These 15 - 20 minutes of the soundtrack are the highlight of the album, and make us wish Ikeda would do more of this type of work. The rest of the second disc consists of an eerie collage of someone panting heavily transitioning to a collage of chimpmunked AM radio hits then to dissonant guitar squalor sort of like early Nurse With Wound, before turning to a collection of old Spanish political speeches, perhaps Che Guevera?
MPEG Stream: "01"
MPEG Stream: "MoRT"
MPEG Stream: ""

JAMES PANTS Welcome (Stones Throw) cd 14.98
Here at AQ have always been big supporters of most anything Stones Throw puts out. We get off on the dense, sample driven rhythms and beats from the likes of the late great J Dilla, Madlib, his brother in crime Oh No, MF Doom and the rest of the gang. They're untouchable. There's always bound to be pristine production and everything always fits in its right place, reviving forgotten gems and bringing them back to life with new meaning, new avenues of sound experimentation. They are truly in a league of their own! But one thing's for certain, they have been known to go a bit leftfield at times, straying from the vein of deep, hard hitting breaks and indie hip hop tunes, as they're mainly known for, with releases from artists like the more vintage punk driven Baron Zen, spacey funk pioneer Gary Wilson, Madlib's brokenbeat soul alias DJ Rels, and now... their latest attempt, Mr. James Pants.
Straight out of Spokane Washington, James' Stones Throw stint began as a position as a trusty intern at the office headquarters in Los Angeles, until he was finally taken in by his dream DJ, none other than label founder Peanut Butter Wolf as "the next big thing", with a long awaited offer to release an album. He's a goofy lookin' dude that seems fun to hang out with, which could easily relate to the music he produces. Actually, a friend of AQ grew up with him and he supposedly has a shitload of analog equipment in one room, and the majority of the time takes a non directional approach, simply "jamming out" improv style and once the arrangements are all melded together they blossom into an addictive psychedelic haze.
That's pretty much the gist of Welcome, it's a James Pants one man band, jam session. Full of layers upon layers of percussion, at one point it can be mistaken for various remakes of funky Fraggle Rock theme songs, the next it's drumless atmospheres of milky synthesis, and warm tones backed with random drops of spastic and muffled vocal samples, like unexpected crowd roars and yelps. He even sings/wails a bit throughout numerous songs which at times sounds like drunken howling, surprisingly fused into blissful, whispered singing and creepy vocoded melodies. Cosmic indeed, each tune is saturated with unexpected change ups and transitions. The instrumentation is a melting pot of space-y and druggy vibes, wah synths, harps, dubbed out wood blocks, and the occasional off beat guitar riffs. Picture an enhanced drum circle on Mars with guest appearances from Bootsy Collins and Tangerine Dream, far fetched, yes but listen and see for yourself. Stones Throw described it best, comparing it to '80s Soul, Electro Boogie, Early Rap, New Wave, and Post-Punk Disco, definitely one to check out!
MPEG Stream: "We're Through"
MPEG Stream: "Crystal Lite"
MPEG Stream: "Voodoo Caves"

JOHANNES, EERO s/t (Planet Mu) cd 14.98
That's right, we're not crazy. We knew we'd be hearing some more skweee soon. Skweee? That's the Scandinavian DIY funked-up, glitched-out instrumental electro subgenre that we got all addicted to when we discovered it last year. We raved about two rad skweee comps, the Museums Of Future Sound Vols. 1 and 2, released by the Swedish skweee-centric Flogsta Danshall label. And we figured we'd be hearing more, once word really got out.
Well, it's England's Planet Mu label who now takes the lead in getting down with the skweee, signing Eero Johannes for his debut album. Eero had a track on MoFS Vol. 2, which also appears here (re-recorded?): "Finnrexin". That one is killer, but there's lots more here besides that's cool too, from the nervous blip-blip-blippage of "HAL Manifesto" to the 8-bit-y video game funk of "Natt I Sparvagnen" to the utterly catchy "We Could Be Skweeeroes" (which we'd encountered before on the internet)...
Indeed, all 13 tracks on this eponymous disc find Eero droppin' the bass with some slammin', squelching fat beats, gettin' jiggy with it, yet somehow (mostly) stayin' chill and relaxed at the same time. He's got a knack for working catchy melodies into his tracks, however frantic they may be. While our preference in skweee leans towards the stuff that's most lo-fi damaged and fucked up, and Eero's music, whilst crunchy, is sorta on the somewhat more polished/produced side of skweee, we're digging it plenty, spinning it a lot in the store.
Heck, didn't we tell ya? This is just the beginning. Warp had better make a skweee signing soon too.
Best skweee album of the year, so far!
MPEG Stream: "Natt I Sparvagnen"
MPEG Stream: "Katt With 700 Watts"
MPEG Stream: "We Could Be Skweeeroes"

JOHANNES, EERO s/t (Planet Mu) 2lp 17.98
That's right, we're not crazy. We knew we'd be hearing some more skweee soon. Skweee? That's the Scandinavian DIY funked-up, glitched-out instrumental electro subgenre that we got all addicted to when we discovered it last year. We raved about two rad skweee comps, the Museums Of Future Sound Vols. 1 and 2, released by the Swedish skweee-centric Flogsta Danshall label. And we figured we'd be hearing more, once word really got out.
Well, it's England's Planet Mu label who now takes the lead in getting down with the skweee, signing Eero Johannes for his debut album. Eero had a track on MoFS Vol. 2, which also appears here (re-recorded?): "Finnrexin". That one is killer, but there's lots more here besides that's cool too, from the nervous blip-blip-blippage of "HAL Manifesto" to the 8-bit-y video game funk of "Natt I Sparvagnen" to the utterly catchy "We Could Be Skweeeroes" (which we'd encountered before on the internet)...
Indeed, all 13 tracks on this eponymous disc find Eero droppin' the bass with some slammin', squelching fat beats, gettin' jiggy with it, yet somehow (mostly) stayin' chill and relaxed at the same time. He's got a knack for working catchy melodies into his tracks, however frantic they may be. While our preference in skweee leans towards the stuff that's most lo-fi damaged and fucked up, and Eero's music, whilst crunchy, is sorta on the somewhat more polished/produced side of skweee, we're digging it plenty, spinning it a lot in the store.
Heck, didn't we tell ya? This is just the beginning. Warp had better make a skweee signing soon too.
Best skweee album of the year, so far!
MPEG Stream: "Natt I Sparvagnen"
MPEG Stream: "Katt With 700 Watts"
MPEG Stream: "We Could Be Skweeeroes"

KOWLOON WALLED CITY Turk Street (self released) 10" 11.98
Pretty much every metalhead in SF went to see Carcass at the Grand Ballroom the other night (in fact, we were joking that a well placed incendiary device could have wiped out the entire scene in one fell swoop). And yeah, of course Carcass destroyed, but the very same night, all the way across town, a band called Kowloon Walled City were faced with the daunting task of laying waste to a room not exactly full of the few metalheads who for whatever reason were not at the Carcass show.
And listening to this, the debut release from this SF foursome, we'd be hard pressed to say that the folks at Carcass, ourselves included, didn't miss out on something serious. Thankfully, unlike Carcass, KWC are a going concern, so we'll get another chance, but until then, get a load of this five song ep, of fierce, furious, crushing heaviness. Think Unsane, old Helmet, the Melvins, Buzzov-en, Neurosis of course, this is some seriously heavy shit. The guitars massive and downtuned, a relentless sea of roiling chug and churn, the drums dense and pounding, the vocals a throat shredding howl. The AmRep vibe is all over these songs, the sound incredibly thick and corrosive, the rhythms alternatingly pounding and lurching, most often settling into a lumbering almost-groove, the melodies buried amidst the crunch and rumble, sometimes surfacing as the band slips into something more dynamic, letting the guitars moan and keen, the drums getting all spacious, sheets of Eyehategod style feedback, a weirdly doomy sort of abstract sludge, before slipping back into a furious grinding metallic crush. Pretty fucking excellent, and definitely has us looking forward to finally seeing what we missed that fateful night.
The vinyl is limited to 300 copies, and is pressed on cool swirled red and black vinyl. The cd-r is limited to 100 copies, packaged in super nice, silkscreened cardstock style sleeves with a printed insert, each one hand numbered.
MPEG Stream: "Another Corporate Takeover"
MPEG Stream: "Turk, Taylor, and Jones"

KOWLOON WALLED CITY Turk Street (self released) cd-r 8.98
Pretty much every metalhead in SF went to see Carcass at the Grand Ballroom the other night (in fact, we were joking that a well placed incendiary device could have wiped out the entire scene in one fell swoop). And yeah, of course Carcass destroyed, but the very same night, all the way across town, a band called Kowloon Walled City were faced with the daunting task of laying waste to a room not exactly full of the few metalheads who for whatever reason were not at the Carcass show.
And listening to this, the debut release from this SF foursome, we'd be hard pressed to say that the folks at Carcass, ourselves included, didn't miss out on something serious. Thankfully, unlike Carcass, KWC are a going concern, so we'll get another chance, but until then, get a load of this five song ep, of fierce, furious, crushing heaviness. Think Unsane, old Helmet, the Melvins, Buzzov-en, Neurosis of course, this is some seriously heavy shit. The guitars massive and downtuned, a relentless sea of roiling chug and churn, the drums dense and pounding, the vocals a throat shredding howl. The AmRep vibe is all over these songs, the sound incredibly thick and corrosive, the rhythms alternatingly pounding and lurching, most often settling into a lumbering almost-groove, the melodies buried amidst the crunch and rumble, sometimes surfacing as the band slips into something more dynamic, letting the guitars moan and keen, the drums getting all spacious, sheets of Eyehategod style feedback, a weirdly doomy sort of abstract sludge, before slipping back into a furious grinding metallic crush. Pretty fucking excellent, and definitely has us looking forward to finally seeing what we missed that fateful night.
The vinyl is limited to 300 copies, and is pressed on cool swirled red and black vinyl. The cd-r is limited to 100 copies, packaged in super nice, silkscreened cardstock style sleeves with a printed insert, each one hand numbered.
MPEG Stream: "Another Corporate Takeover"
MPEG Stream: "Turk, Taylor, and Jones"

KRYSMOPOMPAS Heute Schlafen - Morgen Aufwachen (S-S Records) 2lp 19.98
With this release, S-S Records brings us a reissue of two 12"s by German band Krysmopompas. The plastic sleeve has a sticker referencing "neue Deutsche welle and krautrock with Wire-like minimalism." Well said, although we're not going to make it quite so reductive. Bands like Der KFC, Abwarts, and Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle definitely deserve mention, and maybe even a little Art Brut minus the slappy irony. Although, these guys' sense of melody is much more restrained than the latter, with simplistic structures rooted in repetition and sparse application. That's pretty much where the German new wave thing comes in. Anyway, the early '80s can be a little confusing given that there were so many newly emerging and intermingling genres, (even though Krysmopompas are actually contemporary) but if we had to try and explain a little more then we'd say that this is somewhere between post-punk and punk influenced new (or cold) wave. But closer to the punk side of things. And there's not really much synth. We read somewhere that they were "post-post," and while we're not entirely sure what that means, it kinda makes sense. Things could always be a little weirder and we wouldn't complain, but this fits very nicely next to compilations like IVG, BIPP, B9 Belgian Cold Wave, or even Des Jeunes Gens Modernes. If, like us, you can get into that, then this is for you! Maybe it helps shed light on things pointing out that S-S Records was also responsible for putting out music by A-Frames and Monoshock, two more excellent, crazy post-punk-what-the-fuck bands.

MIKO Parade (Plop) cd 17.98
While our Japanese section at AQ is known for its loud & noisy disposition, we know that there's another side to the wonderful sounds coming out of Japan and this record by Miko is some of the best shoegaze dream pop we've heard from -anywhere- in ages!
Like an amazing combination of everything we loved about The Softies and the first couple records by Mum, Miko uses electronics with such a tender and warm touch while crafting songs that Tujiko Noriko might make if she was on Too Pure or Creation. Swirling melodies that can be both hypnotic and playful, daydream vocals that transport us into wide open blue skies with the most lovely and fluffy soft clouds to roll around in.
What makes Parade such a special record is that unlike so much other dreampop that tends to become a bit monotonous over a whole album, there is enough variety, and really well paced, well crafted songwriting here that the record manages to always be enthralling and intriguing yet never too busy, never distracting from the ultimate beauty of these songs. The album makes us wish we could astrally transport ourselves to the Japanese countryside, floating over rolling hills of lush green grass where Miko plays her breathtaking songs, as we lay on our backs staring into the sky, as the wind takes us wherever it wants. So beautiful!
MPEG Stream: "Parade"
MPEG Stream: "Jagajaga"
MPEG Stream: "Rocket"

MOGWAI The Hawk Is Howling (Matador) cd 13.98
IIt must be pretty frustrating being in Mogwai, 'cause no matter what you do, no matter how far you push and stretch your sound, people just want to hear Young Team. Not that we can blame them - see the Young Team review elsewhere on the aQ site, and observe us gushing appropriately over the record that probably is single handedly responsible for about half of the indie rock made today. But you know, that probably happens to every successful band. Can you imagine if you had gone to see My Bloody Valentine on their recent reunion tour and they didn't play -anything- off of Loveless, just new songs? We went to see Dio once a while back, and all we wanted to hear was old stuff (of course) but instead he played his newly released concept record all the way through. More power to him but geeze. Still, we do understand, no matter how awesome a song is, no one wants to be playing it forever. Think about the Stones playing "Satisfaction". How long have they been playing that song? 40 years? Sheesh!
Anyway, in most fans' eyes, Mogwai can do no wrong, and even if they continue to NOT make Young Team part 2, they do continue to make awesome records. Their grasp of dynamics, and their ability to make an extended instrumental not only interesting but rocking and catchy as well, far surpasses most of the bands who want to be them, and very little has changed on The Hawk Is Howling. While the record starts off with the stately and serene (and awesomely titled "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"), the follow up "Batcat" finds the band unleashing some serious riffage, and some cool and strange guitar filigree. It's a one part song (maybe two) but boy is it a good part, and it gets looped and twisted, the band building and building, much like the more metal Godspeed they always seemed to be. Epic and crunchy and heavy and so good we probably wouldn't mind if the song was twice (or three times, or four times...) as along.
The next few tracks find the band mellowing back out a bit, letting their songs sprawl and spread out organically, a dreamy, laid back post rock, with no particular place to go, and with Mogwai it's all about the journey, not the destination anyway.
"The Sun Smells Too Loud" is a definite twist on the Mogwai formula, lots of synths and keyboards, and a slow build, slow burn, that gets bigger and louder, without necessarily getting heavier. The main hook, the guitar figure repeated again and again will stick in your head like crazy, the perfect substitute for vocals, if you were even missing them. "I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School" is classic Mogwai, again harkening back toy Young Team, all loping strum and shuffling rhythms, glistening melodies, lots of texture and ambience, until about the last minute when the band erupts into a super intense psychedelic freakout, still grounded by the melancholy melody that runs through the whole song. There's plenty more drifting and meandering dreamily before closer "The Precipice", which begins soft and breathless, before morphing into something a bit more ominous, the guitars a tad more crunchy, and finally a killer two minute outro, that features gorgeous spidery guitar lines, pounding drums, and gorgeous tangled minor key melodies.
You want Young Team? Probably best to just get over it. Go listen to Young Team. Heck we might just go listen to Young Team again. But really, at this point we're way more interested in seeing where the sounds of Mogwai take us.
There are two versions of the cd, one is the regular edition, the other, WHILE THEY LAST, is slightly more expensive and comes with a dvd, which features the creepy and haunting video for "Batcat", a cool animated fan made video for the same song, and a short, very arty, and quite beautiful documentary about the band.
MPEG Stream: "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Batcat"
MPEG Stream: "I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School"

MOGWAI The Hawk Is Howling (Deluxe Edition) (Matador) cd/dvd 15.98
It must be pretty frustrating being in Mogwai, 'cause no matter what you do, no matter how far you push and stretch your sound, people just want to hear Young Team. Not that we can blame them - see the Young Team review elsewhere on the aQ site, and observe us gushing appropriately over the record that probably is single handedly responsible for about half of the indie rock made today. But you know, that probably happens to every successful band. Can you imagine if you had gone to see My Bloody Valentine on their recent reunion tour and they didn't play -anything- off of Loveless, just new songs? We went to see Dio once a while back, and all we wanted to hear was old stuff (of course) but instead he played his newly released concept record all the way through. More power to him but geeze. Still, we do understand, no matter how awesome a song is, no one wants to be playing it forever. Think about the Stones playing "Satisfaction". How long have they been playing that song? 40 years? Sheesh!
Anyway, in most fans' eyes, Mogwai can do no wrong, and even if they continue to NOT make Young Team part 2, they do continue to make awesome records. Their grasp of dynamics, and their ability to make an extended instrumental not only interesting but rocking and catchy as well, far surpasses most of the bands who want to be them, and very little has changed on The Hawk Is Howling. While the record starts off with the stately and serene (and awesomely titled "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"), the follow up "Batcat" finds the band unleashing some serious riffage, and some cool and strange guitar filigree. It's a one part song (maybe two) but boy is it a good part, and it gets looped and twisted, the band building and building, much like the more metal Godspeed they always seemed to be. Epic and crunchy and heavy and so good we probably wouldn't mind if the song was twice (or three times, or four times...) as along.
The next few tracks find the band mellowing back out a bit, letting their songs sprawl and spread out organically, a dreamy, laid back post rock, with no particular place to go, and with Mogwai it's all about the journey, not the destination anyway.
"The Sun Smells Too Loud" is a definite twist on the Mogwai formula, lots of synths and keyboards, and a slow build, slow burn, that gets bigger and louder, without necessarily getting heavier. The main hook, the guitar figure repeated again and again will stick in your head like crazy, the perfect substitute for vocals, if you were even missing them. "I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School" is classic Mogwai, again harkening back toy Young Team, all loping strum and shuffling rhythms, glistening melodies, lots of texture and ambience, until about the last minute when the band erupts into a super intense psychedelic freakout, still grounded by the melancholy melody that runs through the whole song. There's plenty more drifting and meandering dreamily before closer "The Precipice", which begins soft and breathless, before morphing into something a bit more ominous, the guitars a tad more crunchy, and finally a killer two minute outro, that features gorgeous spidery guitar lines, pounding drums, and gorgeous tangled minor key melodies.
You want Young Team? Probably best to just get over it. Go listen to Young Team. Heck we might just go listen to Young Team again. But really, at this point we're way more interested in seeing where the sounds of Mogwai take us.
There are two versions of the cd, one is the regular edition, the other, WHILE THEY LAST, is slightly more expensive and comes with a dvd, which features the creepy and haunting video for "Batcat", a cool animated fan made video for the same song, and a short, very arty, and quite beautiful documentary about the band.
MPEG Stream: "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Batcat"
MPEG Stream: "I Love You, I'm Going To Blow Up Your School"

NADJA Trembled (Utech) cd 16.98
This long out of print Nadja finally gets a super deluxe reissue, as a real cd, remastered sound, new art, and most importantly, extra tracks!!!
Originally released as a cd-r in a limited run of 200 copies Trembled was a crushingly kaleidoscopic sonic demonstration of why we love Nadja so much: your every day run of the mill doomy sludge is somehow rendered, lovely, pretty, gorgeous even. The sound is thick and heavy and low, but it's suffused with some ineffable warmth, something that makes the sludge sound impossibly sun dappled. Could be the lilting melodies, the drifting disembodied vocals, the fuzzy blissed out production. Regardless, the sound of Nadja almost has more in common with My Bloody Valentine and M83 than SUNNO))) or Boris. It is definitely dirgey, but it's also subtly poppy and just so pretty. Nadja are so good at crafting that perfect otherworldly, drifting away, sinking to the bottom of a fuzz filled sea sort of sound, that we can never ever ever get enough of. What we forgot to mention first time around was that track two is in fact a Swans cover, and its crushing pummel is easily transformed into what definitely sounds like a Nadja original. This reissue features two bonus tracks, a new unreleased song, and an alternate version of the (almost) title track, both recorded live earlier this year.
The packaging is cool too, designed by aQ pal and customer Justin Bartlett, whose art you've definitely seen around, and who designed the first in the about to launch series of artist designed aQ shirt! Still limited, but to 900 copies this time...
As always, WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

NAGASI NI TE Yosuga (Jagjaguar) cd 14.98
We've always been big fans of the warm and shimmery sounds of this great Japanese psych-pop outfit but somehow their new album is making us fall in love with them all over again and it's proving to be quite possibly their best outing yet! We love how the band are able to evoke those hard to describe lingering moments on lazy Sunday afternoons, or the feeling of walking along the pier as the sun slightly reflects against the slow moving waves and all your other thoughts just fade away. Tapping into the great tradition of Japanese psych-folk/pop that folks like Melting Glass Box and Happy End first explored in the '70s, and even reminding us at times of that great Milton Nascimento record Clube Da Esquina that we gushed about last list. As always we hear the influence of the dreamy passages of Neil Young records, especially On The Beach, which we've been listening to immediately after this record pretty much every single Sunday since Yosuga came out. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Premonition"
MPEG Stream: "Reaction In G"
MPEG Stream: "Kumao"

NAGASI NI TE Yosuga (Jagjaguar) 2lp 25.00
We've always been big fans of the warm and shimmery sounds of this great Japanese psych-pop outfit but somehow their new album is making us fall in love with them all over again and it's proving to be quite possibly their best outing yet! We love how the band are able to evoke those hard to describe lingering moments on lazy Sunday afternoons, or the feeling of walking along the pier as the sun slightly reflects against the slow moving waves and all your other thoughts just fade away. Tapping into the great tradition of Japanese psych-folk/pop that folks like Melting Glass Box and Happy End first explored in the '70s, and even reminding us at times of that great Milton Nascimento record Clube Da Esquina that we gushed about last list. As always we hear the influence of the dreamy passages of Neil Young records, especially On The Beach, which we've been listening to immediately after this record pretty much every single Sunday since Yosuga came out. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Premonition"
MPEG Stream: "Reaction In G"
MPEG Stream: "Kumao"

O LEVEL (INC. TEENAGE FILMSTARS) A Day In The Life of Gilbert and George: 1977-1980 (Artpop!) cd 17.98
We made the recent reissue of Teenage Filmstars' Star a Record of the Week, and plan on doing the same for the other TF records as soon as they're reissued. Furthermore, one person who works here even proclaimed TF better than My Bloody Valentine, and sticks by that inflammatory claim! But much like MBV, TF weren't always masters of tripped out backwards space psych, in fact long before TF became a swirling spaced out bliss rocking psychedelic juggernaut, they were a kick ass, old school jangly UK punk rock band. Teenage Filmstars mainman Ed Ball, and his partners Daniel Treacy and Joseph Foster also did time in the Television Personalities, and would later go on to start the Rev-ola, Artpop! and Creation labels. That's some serious pop star power for sure.
But back then, things were much simpler, especially the sound, many of these tracks are indeed credited to Teenage Filmstars instead of O Level, but TF were a whole different beast, channeling the sound of the Kinks, the Who, the Jam, the Undertones, the Rezillos (who even get name checked on one song), all angular post punk and groovy garage-y stomp, catchy and hooky and simple and rollicking and more pop than punk, whereas the O Level tracks seem a bit more abstract, a bit more out there, than the TF tracks, which are more catchy and energetic, but to be fair, if the tracks were uncredited to one band or the other it might be difficult to tell them apart. They are basically the same band after all.
There are some amazing tracks here, the all time classic "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape", the melancholy summery strum of "I Love To Clean My Polaris Missile", the Beatlesesque "Everybody's On Revolver Tonight", some tracks even a have a bit of ska guitar here and there, lots of bloopy dubby bass, the guitars are angular and jangly, the vocals are all over, a Cockney growl one minute, a sweet croon the next, and the songs are fun, catchy, noisy, poppy, the lyrics are super clever and snarky too, sometimes sharp and funny, other times subtly dark, all in all a killer comp of seminal UK punk / pop and a brilliant glimpse at the roots of a sound and scene that would eventually blossom into a serious obsession!
Amazing packaging, all the original tracks, tons of bonus tracks, lots of photos, super entertaining and confusional liner notes, almost as fun to read as the record is to listen to.
MPEG Stream: O LEVEL "Pseudo Punk"
MPEG Stream: O LEVEL "O Levels"
MPEG Stream: TEENAGE FILMSTARS "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape"
MPEG Stream: TEENAGE FILMSTARS "The Odd Man Out"
MPEG Stream: O LEVEL "Stairway To Boredom"
MPEG Stream: TEENAGE FILMSTARS "I Love To Clean My Polaris Missle"

O'ROURKE, JIM Despite The Water Supply (Touch) 7" 8.98
Latest in Touch's 7" series, this one folks have been clamoring for, comes from Mr. Jim O'Rourke, a name that should no doubt be familiar to most folks by now! Brise Glace, Gastr Del Sol, SONIC YOUTH, as well as about a million more, not to mention a vast body of solo work. Well before O'Rourke was an in demand producer, a guest guitarist, dabbling in noise rock and Appalachia, he was a master of the drone, and this 2 part single track 7" harkens back to those days, with an amazing and beautiful arrangement of buzz and whir, of excited strings and resonating metal.
It's almost a shame the track had to be split up on a 7" as the two parts flow so perfectly into each other. Beginning with a deep resonant buzz, sounds like a guitar, but could be a harmonium, wheezing and whirring, warm and thick and lustrous, bits of feedback lace the blurred drift, over the top delicate high end melodies, float and shimmer, becoming more and more active until they seem to be driving the piece, the whole thing strangely looped and weirdly melancholy, beneath the track, deep rumbling swells pulse and throb. By the second side, the sound has gotten more abrasive, much more scraping and metal buzz, electronic streaks, the sound tangled and constantly shifting, managing to sprawl into an expanse of beautifully noisy dronemusic.
As always beautiful cover by Touch head honcho Jon Wozencroft, and like the rest in the series, probably limited.

ř (MIKA VAINIO) Oleva (Sahko) cd 23.00
If you happen to be reading this review online and you get some unkempt bit of jibberish for the artist's name, this is Mika Vaino using his moniker of just an O with Slash through it. While the ascii may come out all screwy, we've been told that the correct pronunciation is "ohm." Anyway, Mika Vainio is the Finnish electronic genius who began recording in 1993 under this moniker with a handful of absolutely essential singles matching the equally essential Metri cd from 1994. Along with Ilpo Vaisanen, Vainio is also responsible for the equally Arctic but considerably more muscular techno project Pan Sonic (nee Panasonic). The records he's best known for embarked on a hyper minimal techno of 4/4 pulses smashing through phase-shifting patterns from his self-built synthesizers and so called "complex sound generators." Recently, the rigidity of Vainio's techno architecture has given way to slinkier grooves of variable breakbeats and plenty of excursions into electro-acoustic abstraction. As cool as his devices are, he's never been one to muster anything truly exceptional without being grounded upon rhythmic principles; and for the most part, Vainio delivers the beat. And he delivers a mighty fine album of frozen electronica. The tracks are dominated by very groovy breakbeats with pristine electronic melodies, frigid ambient gestures and descending icy tones with slinky basslines. It's certainly more captivating than Alva Noto or Ryoji Ikeda, but coming from a similar place. Vainio also offers a mighty fine cover of Pink Floyd's "Set The Controls To The Heart Of The Sun" with the vocals cast as an downer electroid riff laced with acid squiggle. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "S-Bahn"
MPEG Stream: "Set The Controls To The Heart Of The Sun"
MPEG Stream: "U-Bahn"

ř (MIKA VAINIO) Oleva (Sahko) 2lp 32.00
If you happen to be reading this review online and you get some unkempt bit of jibberish for the artist's name, this is Mika Vaino using his moniker of just an O with Slash through it. While the ascii may come out all screwy, we've been told that the correct pronunciation is "ohm." Anyway, Mika Vainio is the Finnish electronic genius who began recording in 1993 under this moniker with a handful of absolutely essential singles matching the equally essential Metri cd from 1994. Along with Ilpo Vaisanen, Vainio is also responsible for the equally Arctic but considerably more muscular techno project Pan Sonic (nee Panasonic). The records he's best known for embarked on a hyper minimal techno of 4/4 pulses smashing through phase-shifting patterns from his self-built synthesizers and so called "complex sound generators." Recently, the rigidity of Vainio's techno architecture has given way to slinkier grooves of variable breakbeats and plenty of excursions into electro-acoustic abstraction. As cool as his devices are, he's never been one to muster anything truly exceptional without being grounded upon rhythmic principles; and for the most part, Vainio delivers the beat. And he delivers a mighty fine album of frozen electronica. The tracks are dominated by very groovy breakbeats with pristine electronic melodies, frigid ambient gestures and descending icy tones with slinky basslines. It's certainly more captivating than Alva Noto or Ryoji Ikeda, but coming from a similar place. Vainio also offers a mighty fine cover of Pink Floyd's "Set The Controls To The Heart Of The Sun" with the vocals cast as an downer electroid riff laced with acid squiggle. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "S-Bahn"
MPEG Stream: "Set The Controls To The Heart Of The Sun"
MPEG Stream: "U-Bahn"

PHOSPHENE RIVER s/t (self-released) cd 10.98
When Brooklyn's White Hills was here last week (they played a rad instore, hope you made it), they brought us some copies of this new compilation on which they appear, alongside the likes of Mammatus, The Heads, Kawabata Makoto, Residual Echoes, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Fuzzhead, and a couple others (many of whom are depicted in the cover drawing montage, done by Plastic Crimewave, whose art you may know from his Galactic Zoo Dossier 'zine). Heavy duty, fuzzed out, psychedelic stoner rock nirvana here, folks! But it's NOT exactly a comp, actually. It's the follow-up to an out of print disc called Jamnation that we reviewed (thumbs up) a few years back. And that's the catch, kinda. Both Jamnation and now Phosphene River aren't just various artists collections, they're spoken word projects from the fevered mind of one Dan McGuire, who lays down his gritty beatnik poetry overtop the instrumental spacey effects laden bliss and/or throbbing distorted guitar riffage being pumped out by these bands. We've said it before, we'll say it again, we're not so big on the spoken word thing. You'll never catch us at a poetry slam. BUT, we gotta say, first off McGuire's rambling Lizard King orations, we can deal with, usually. His subject matter is surreal and sinister enough to somewhat make up for the sheer self parodic silliness of the whole spoken word thing. And, his words don't really get in the way of the music, which is really why we're listening. He slips right in there like he belongs, instead of being a total distraction. He's got a cool, gritty voice (we compared him to turned on, dropped out John Wayne / Henry Rollins hybrid before) and sorta sounds like the hardboiled detective doing the voiceover in some '50s noir movie, except with the drug fueled, fear & loathing laden, imagination of a Hunter S. Thompson. Even when he's getting Biblical, as he does on the PCS track "Are You A Dragon". His streams of consciousness can be sort of hypnotic - we'll admit to listening less to what he's saying and more to the heavy sound of the whole thing. And as we said when we reviewed Jamnation, McGuire has a knack for knowing when to back off and leave space for the music. He'll let a track play halfway through sometimes before opening his mouth - and the tracks he's selected for this disc are of course good 'uns, as you might have already guessed from the quality lineup who contributed. It's pretty well done for what it is!
So, if you like stoner psych -and- spoken word, this is for you for sure. If just stoner psych, well we'd say that this comp is rad enough to withstand the inclusion of all that jawing. And think about it, McGuire's purple flow of deviant verbiage is really not that different from what these band's guitarists are doing with their axes, wailing away, off on their own freaky trips...
MPEG Stream: FUZZHEAD "Her Kind"
MPEG Stream: WHITE HILLS "Potter's Field"
MPEG Stream: MAMMATUS "Sire"

PRESTON, JOE AND DANIEL MENCHE Cerberic Doxology (Anthem Records) dualdisc 14.98
What might you expect from a match up between Mr. Joe Preston, he of Harvey Milk, Thrones, High On Fire and a million more, and Mr. Daniel Menche serious noise maker in his own right? Well definitely not this, although safe to say we're surprised but most assuredly not disappointed.
Cerberic Doxology is a single 25 minute piece, for just vocals, a glorious primal, ritual of chants and longform vocal tones, which at first, and only for the briefest of seconds, sounds a bit odd, maybe because we were expecting to be blasted out of our seats, but within moments, the voices grow much less distinct, the sound around them gets hazier and blurrier, the floor drops out and the listener is suddenly suspended in some whirling otherworld, the low voices become fuzzier and buzzier and soon become thick undulating drones, the higher vocals, soar and shimmer, and offer up soft smears of melody. It's like Ligeti or Part filtered through SUNNO))) or Earth, a totally immersive and nearly suffocating soundscape of layered thrum and throb. With headphones, at about the halfway mark we forgot what we were listening to, but it had totally transported us, and we found ourselves gloriously lost in a seemingly endless vocal drone.
Flip the dualdisc over, and play it in your dvd player, and not only will you be treated to enhanced sound, a super hi fidelity rendering of the music from the flipside, but you'll also get to see the accompanying images, slow shots of deserts and mountains, of wide open skies, smoldering volcanoes, strange stone monoliths, dark clouds, crashing surf, all shot in blacks and greys, and with some subtle yet strange effects, where the image will blur briefly, or the same few seconds will lock into a barely discernible loop, but always returning to it's slow haunting drift.

PRETTY & NICE Get Young (Hardly Art) cd 12.98
We had been complaining a lot lately about the dearth of amazing pop music, then out of nowhere, comes not one, but two contenders for pop record of the year. Elsewhere you can read about the lush Beach Boys / Zombies retro pop of the Rollo Treadway, a record that has been in a constant battle with this one right here for top spot. And it's one of those cases that whichever one we're listening to is at that moment, THE ONE. Until, that is, we throw on the other. What's a pop fanatic to do? Thankfully, there's more than enough space for multiple best pop records ever, in our brains, in our ears, in our collections, on our year end lists and in our hearts!
Pretty & Nice are an East Coast trio, who take the classic pop sounds of groups like XTC, Devo, Gang Of Four and folks like Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello, supercharge it, then mash it all up with more modern pop masters like the Cardiacs, the New Pornographers, Maximo Park. Angular propulsive, kinetic, rambunctious, wild, energetic, SO SO SO SO catchy, with killer falsetto vocals, jagged guitars, wild frenetic drumming, and hooks galore, and the whole thing shot through with nods to classic pop of the past.
"Tora Tora Tora" has been on constant repeat play, with its weird synthy breakdown, new wave synths, wrapped around a killer power pop hook, with an amazing stuttery start stop bridge, where the vocals slip into a falsetto, before the song shifts gear into some almost metallic crunch. Hot on the heels of that one is "Pixies", that instead of aping the soft/loud/soft dynamic of the song's namesake, is a strange mathy angular new wave groove, and a chorus the Cardiacs would kill for, with soft strummed guitars, dreamy sweet vocal harmonies. And then there's "Peekaboo", that sounds so much like a lost New Pornographers jam it's uncanny, but P&N manage to take what in a Pornographers song might just be a single part, and stretch it out into something dreamlike and ethereal, moving and slightly melancholy, another possible pop song of the year! We're also pretty partial to "Nuts & Bolts", which sounds like it could be the latest dancefloor destroying post new wave jam from some UK band. But Maximo Park, the Killers, Arctic Monkeys, etc. ain't got nothing on these guys, especially here, with a weird electronic skitter woven into the crunch and bounce, the guitars heavy, the vocals swooping wildly from croon to hushed falsetto and back, and again, a hook most bands could base their whole career on.
Needless to say, the rest of the tracks stack up just as well, we literally have been blasting this over and over every day, with no end in site. There's just something so amazing about pop music like this, the sounds and the songs, the hooks and the vibe, the energy, it's pretty rare for all of those things to just fall perfectly into place, but when they do, it's total fucking magic.
Pop record of the year. One of 'em at least!
MPEG Stream: "Tora Tora Tora"
MPEG Stream: "Pixies"
MPEG Stream: "Peekaboo"
MPEG Stream: "Nuts And Bolts"

ROLLO TREADWAY, THE s/t (Rollosound) cd 14.98
Pop music definitely seems more and more like a lost art every day. For every hundred bands that can whip up a chaotic noise rock racket, or every thousand bands who tune down and unfurl walls of crumbling low end sludge, there are maybe only one or two bands, who are creating true, timeless, amazing pop music. Rife with amazing production, incredible songwriting, lush harmonies, clever lyrics, mind blowing hooks, maybe even horns and strings, and out of those bands, maybe only a fraction are doing something truly original. Aping the Beach Boys or the Zombies or the Beatles can only take you so far. And to be totally honest, way too many bands claim the Beach Boys or the Zombies as an inspiration, most taking just the surface stuff, which was only part of the musical magic involved.
So thus we have the strangely named Rollo Treadway, from Brooklyn, although on first listen we would have sworn they were from sixties London, or perhaps sixties Los Angeles. This disc showed up out of the blue in the mail one day, and on first listen we were already proclaiming this pop record of the year. How could we not, this is everything we love. Retro pop so good, that if you didn't know better, you might assume this was the real thing. And heck, it IS the real thing, just 40 years later. The strangest thing about this band is the fact that the drummer is Blake Fleming, formerly of the Mars Volta, and before that, the godlike Laddio Bolocko! But don't be expecting any of that sort of stuff, this is pure pop. Lush, string laden, harmony drenched pop. Mellotrons, warm organs, jangly guitars, and some of the most gorgeous breathy vocals harmonies we've heard in ages. The other amazing thing about this disc, is that it's a concept record of sorts, the first song, "Kidnapped" is sung by the male half of a couple of siblings who have been kidnapped, it's strangely moving, and super creepy. Later in the record, a track begins with the sound of a typewriter, and the song reveals itself as a letter from the kidnapper to the kids' family. The high concept never derails the songs though, and the songs are damn near perfect.
The opener, is quite possible THE pop song of the year. Quite reminiscent of Belle And Sebastian's "Step Into My Office, Baby" from their Dear Catastrophe Waitress (a record even the B&S hating Andee LOVES), beginning with twangy Western guitar, some cool percussion, maracas, shakers, a woozy guitar melody, all beneath a super effected stuttering main riff, then a circusy bridge, with gorgeous falsetto vocals, soaring strings, even some horns, a very Zombies like string break, there's even a flute solo. It manages to be dreamy and ethereal, but also surprisingly rocking. We've probably listened to this song a hundred times since we first got this in. Thankfully, the rest of the record is just as gorgeous, borrowing heavily from the above mentioned influences, but wrapping those influences in their own distinct song writing, some incredible intricate guitars, super varied drumming and percussion, horns and strings everywhere, whirring organs, but the focal point is definitely the vocals, lush and whispery and soft, the harmonies rich and layered and seemingly effortless.
"Dear Mr. Doe" continues the kidnapping plotline, the typewriter leading into a jaunty organ riff, and a simple propulsive rhythm, wandering bassline, and the vocals, multi tracked, each one complimenting the other, vibes, more organs, a shimmery sixties groove, almost dreamlike, while the lyrics instruct the parents not to call the police and where to leave the money if they ever hope to see the kids alive again.
It's really hard to explain what exactly is so magical about this record, other than the sound is amazing, and the songs are fantastic. Just listen to the sound samples, if "Kidnapped" doesn't immediately send you into paroxysms of pop bliss, then you need to march right down to your local Pop Music headquarters and turn in your membership. Pop kids of any stripe will dig this like crazy. If you love the Zombies, Beach Boys, Badfinger, Beatles, Kinks, or more modern pop revivalists like Jellyfish, the Three O'Clock, the Wondermints, Silver Sun, Redd Kross, Belle And Sebastian you will definitely love getting lost in the Rollo Treadway's lush baroque pop wonderland.
MPEG Stream: "Kidnapped"
MPEG Stream: "Dear Mr. Doe"
MPEG Stream: "Rua Gararu 188"
MPEG Stream: "You Laugh, I Cry"

SLEESTAK The Power Of Gemini(a (Thumbprint Press) cd 10.98
We still can't figure out how the hell we missed this band when they were still a going concern. Ex-members of the mighty Man Is The Bastard, a sound that is so aQ at times it sounds like they made this record just for us. Super rhythmic, hypnotic, krautrocky, heavy, noisy, squalls of analog noise, walls of feedback, buried distorted vocals, heavy and mesmerizing, like a power violence This Heat for sure. Sound familiar? It should. We described former aQ record of the Week honorees Geronimo similarly, which makes sense since basically, Sleestak eventually morphed into Geronimo shedding some of the grit and noise, but not all of it, tightening up their sound into something almost machinelike. Sleestak also sonically predated/predicted another aQ Record of the Week outfit, French post kraut noise rockers Aluk Todolo. So anyone who went nuts for either of those discs, or loved the Sleestak disc we listed a few lists back, you're probably gonna need this one too. Another mind blowing collection of mangled avant krauty noise rock, that is both brutal and abrasive, as well as weirdly repetitive and seriously heavy.
The drums are the core, and the heart of the sound, locked into seemingly simple grooves, the belie surprisingly complex arrangements, the drums are dense, hard hitting, the recording lo-fi but still thick and crunchy, swinging from doomy plod, to tripped out and space rocky, to totally abstract and spacious. While the drums pound away, the rest of the band wrap the rhythms in thick clouds of buzzing analog crunch, all manner of glitch and grit, squealing synths, rumbling downtuned bass, streaks of malfunctioning electronics, strange sound bites and snippets, and vocals, that range from howling guttural roar, to hysterical shrike, to hushed whisper. The band lets the drums drop out, sometimes for long stretches, the electronics and synths spread out swirling and churning, changing shape and sound, building all sorts of tension so when the drums do crash back in, it's super intense.
The Power Of Gemini(a was the first Sleestak record, originally released in 1997, and as such, it's definitely much more raw, more noisy, more lo-fi, the connection to MITB and various other post Bastard projects much more pronounced, but even back then, the band were already forging a super fucked up and gloriously idiosyncratic path, creating a sound, that managed to fuse the crushing heaviness and DIY roots of the members' previous bands, with a near maniacal future vision of some twisted, off kilter, and rhythmically obtuse post-everything sound.
Gorgeously packaged in a silkscreened letter pressed fold up origami style cardstock sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "Endo"
MPEG Stream: "Mothball Coffin"
MPEG Stream: "Viva Santanas"

SLOAN Parallel Play (Yep Roc) lp 25.00
A new Sloan record is big news around these parts, especially since the two resident Pop freeks at aQ count Canada's Sloan among their all time pop favorites! But the interesting thing about Sloan, is that every record, bar one or two, are definitely growers. We talked about this in the review of Action Pact, about how somehow all of the past Sloan records are on such constant rotation, even years later, and the songs so firmly lodged in our heads and hearts, that a new record can't help but disappoint. At least at first. Like every Sloan record so far, all it took was a handful of listens, and suddenly Parallel Play slipped effortlessly into Sloan's pantheon of perfect pop. They have a sound that is so distinct, the voices, the harmonies, the sounds of the guitars. A good example was when we were driving the other day, flipped on the radio, and heard two seconds of crunchy guitar, and immediately, we thought "Why is Sloan on NPR?" And whadda you know? It was indeed them. And weirdly enough, hearing Parallel Play in that context, helped win us over as well. Even though these guys are so talented, and write such amazingly catchy songs, you still don't hear them on the radio. So hearing that sound, THAT sound, all we could think was what a revelation Sloan must be for someone who had never heard them.
And so it remains. The sound incredibly varied, since the four members share songwriting duties, and thus vocal duties, and each of them can handle whatever instrument is left vacant, bass, guitars, piano, drums, after a while, Sloan fanatics definitely pick their favorites, but fuck it, they're all great, and Parallel Play is no different, right out of the gate, the band kick it off with the crunchy power pop anthem "Believe", a should-have-been hit single if we've ever heard one, and from there on out it's pure Sloan, a sound that could really be no one else, slipping from super bouncy pop, to stripped down rockers, to brooding ballads, and all the various stops in between.
As good a place to start as any for Sloan newbies, but we'll always be partial to Twice Removed and One Chord To Another. Another fantastic record from one of our all time favorite pop groups EVER!!
MPEG Stream: "Believe In Me"
MPEG Stream: "Witch's Wand"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Not A Kid Anymore"

SLOAN Parallel Play (Yep Roc) cd 14.98
A new Sloan record is big news around these parts, especially since the two resident Pop freeks at aQ count Canada's Sloan among their all time pop favorites! But the interesting thing about Sloan, is that every record, bar one or two, are definitely growers. We talked about this in the review of Action Pact, about how somehow all of the past Sloan records are on such constant rotation, even years later, and the songs so firmly lodged in our heads and hearts, that a new record can't help but disappoint. At least at first. Like every Sloan record so far, all it took was a handful of listens, and suddenly Parallel Play slipped effortlessly into Sloan's pantheon of perfect pop. They have a sound that is so distinct, the voices, the harmonies, the sounds of the guitars. A good example was when we were driving the other day, flipped on the radio, and heard two seconds of crunchy guitar, and immediately, we thought "Why is Sloan on NPR?" And whadda you know? It was indeed them. And weirdly enough, hearing Parallel Play in that context, helped win us over as well. Even though these guys are so talented, and write such amazingly catchy songs, you still don't hear them on the radio. So hearing that sound, THAT sound, all we could think was what a revelation Sloan must be for someone who had never heard them.
And so it remains. The sound incredibly varied, since the four members share songwriting duties, and thus vocal duties, and each of them can handle whatever instrument is left vacant, bass, guitars, piano, drums, after a while, Sloan fanatics definitely pick their favorites, but fuck it, they're all great, and Parallel Play is no different, right out of the gate, the band kick it off with the crunchy power pop anthem "Believe", a should-have-been hit single if we've ever heard one, and from there on out it's pure Sloan, a sound that could really be no one else, slipping from super bouncy pop, to stripped down rockers, to brooding ballads, and all the various stops in between.
As good a place to start as any for Sloan newbies, but we'll always be partial to Twice Removed and One Chord To Another. Another fantastic record from one of our all time favorite pop groups EVER!!
MPEG Stream: "Believe In Me"
MPEG Stream: "Witch's Wand"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Not A Kid Anymore"

SOL Let There Be A Massacre (Van) cd 13.98
Finally, time to clear away the dirt, drag that huge concrete slab to the side, reach way down into the ancient gloom and haul that old wooden crate up from the depths, pry open that rusted padlock, unwind the heavy chains, and pull out the nails, one by one, until we can remove the lid, and unleash the many many 'o's stashed there long ago. Confused? Well, it's been a while since we needed a bunch of extra o's for a doom review, but now that we finally have enough copies of Sol's Let There Be A Massacre to review, all of these o's are most definitely going to come in handy.
And yes, this is most definitely doooooooooooooom, but not of the slow motion near static sludge variety, no the doom of Sol is much more classic, and epic, melodic and majestic, almost like a Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride record slowed down, fucked up, and turned into something at once, totally familiar, but also strangely twisted and bizarre. The work of one man, a Danish dude called Emil Sol Brahe, and while he definitely has his fundamentals in place. Lumbering tempos, mournful melodies, thick buzzing guitars, howled demonic vox, the sound of Sol is anything but typical doom. It's another one of those instances where if you stripped away the distortion, it would almost be some gorgeously lilting slowcore post rock. The main guitar soars and sings, over a swirling wash of droning buzz, pounding drum plod. And the rumbling guttural vocals. The first track almost sounds like some strange mix of Skepticism and Godspeed, You Black Emperor. Very cinematic, and emotional, not evil or brutal as much as melancholy and haunting.
Check out the third track "Boginki", with its strange martial drum intro, the sound of the drums weirdly effected, the cymbals a distorted sizzle, the guitar comes in, a warped downtuned looped churning almost static riff, and then the vocals, super distorted and anguished, all wrapped up by a strange almost jig like synthesizer melody. In some weird way it almost sounds like Laibach. Which is definitely not a bad thing. There are occasional stretches of folky acoustic guitar, murky drones, and roiling buzz, but for the most part, Brahe and his Sol unfurl thick heaving slabs of that gorgeous epic doom majesty they just don't seem to make that much anymore. The final track is a weary woozy lament, all muted rhythmic thump and wheezing minor key accordion, finishing off with creepy minimal backporch banjo, folky and somber, mysterious and quite lovely, but in some strange way just as crushingly sad and funereally heavy as the rest of the disc.
Definitely essential for doomlords and doomaidens, and for anyone who has been lamenting the recent lack of multiple o'd reviews, but also, just melodic and pretty enough to possibly appeal to fans of apocalyptic doomfolk like Kiss The Anus, Ignatz, Woven Hand, Svarte Greiner, as long as they can handle their doom folk, HEAVY on the DOOOOOOOM...
MPEG Stream: "Centuries Of Human Filth"
MPEG Stream: "Boginki"
MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse"

SUNN O))) Domkirke (Live In Bergen Cathedral 031807) (Southern Lord) 2lp 17.98
Recorded live, in an ancient cathedral in Bergen, Norway, Domkirke is pretty impressive slab of avant heaviness, and continues to display SUNNO))), the duo of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson (and usually any number of auxiliary members), moving further and further away from their Earth worshipping roots. Having become a bona fide ART band, you're now more likely to catch SUNNO))) in a gallery, or a cathedral, than on a metal bill, which is fine, as their sound is the rare beast that does manage to bridge that gap, and most appealingly, manages to alienate and piss off folks on both sides of the divide.
So for this performance, the band chose to create a piece that reflected the history of the cathedral, creating something much more ritualistic sonically, vocal based, incorporating chants, Gregorian hymns of the Middle Ages, evoking the despair of a time of plague and death, a truly medieval sound, woven into SUNNO))'s more modern minimal glacial dronemusic. The two most noticeable additions to the SUNNO))) sound for this performance are Attila's powerful operatic vocals, and the gorgeous buzz of the cathedral's massive pipe organ. And the opening track is just that, ditching the guitars entirely, letting the organ unfurl massive minor key whirs and shimmering rich harmonies, while Attila moans and croons, sometimes adding another layer of low rumbles, other times, wailing dramatically. The organ so rich and lustrous and majestic and powerful. Reminds you that no matter how many amps you have and how much distortion you use, some things are inherently heavier than guitars. But that doesn't keep the Sunn boys from trying, as the second track returns to more familiar territory, offering up a glacial slow motion flow of crumbling super distorted guitars, more melodic than usual, churning over a back drop of shimmering organ drones, and again Attila's vocals slipping from hissed whisper, to rich mellifluous chant. Add to that a bit of electronic filigree from noisemaker Lasse Marhaug, and you've got a pretty ominous and intense slab of medieval murk. The guitars do unwind into surprisingly melodic figures now and again, but always return find their way back to that main, heaving tarpit riff.
The third side (movement), begins as more of the same, although this time the track sprawls into some almost free noise, the vocals demonic and intense, the guitars spilling out of the amps in noxious black clouds, squalls of electronics, sheets of feedback, sounds almost like SUNNO))) free jazz, unhinged and frenzied, but still bleak and black and heavy. The final movement might be the heaviest of the bunch, those oh so familiar slow motion riffs, wash over that swirling sea of whirring organ, a massive organic, almost fluid sound, alive with energy, black, yet glowing from within, building to a suffocatingly intense climax, the guitars crumbling and blown out, the organ at fever pitch, the vocals another layer of buzz and howl, the whole thing threatening to bring down the ancient stone walls, before dropping out completely, leaving Attila's rumbling low end growl, and then finally leaving just the organ, to play out mournfully and mysteriously.
Pretty fantastic. It almost makes us wish SUNNO))) would just get a pipe organ in the band, permanently. Might make touring a bit tough, but heck, it might just be worth it!
Incredible packaging, one of the thickest gatefold sleeves we've ever seen, adorned with gorgeous abstract oil paintings on the outside, and photos of the performance on the inside, full color printed sleeves, with more performance photos, pressed on black vinyl, limited to 5000 copies, never to be released as a cd or a digital download.

TOUGH ALLIANCE, THE A New Chance (Modular) cd 10.98
It's fun to look back at reviews we've written and see how we feel about them after some time has passed and we've spent more time with the record in question, records that we sometimes had to write about way too soon after first hearing. While we gave the latest outing by Australia's Cut Copy a favorable review we didn't gush and really rave about it as much as we might now. It's a record that became and still is one of our big pop addictions of the year. We've lost count of how many times we've listened to that record and it's looking like label mates The Tough Alliance are on their way to achieving that same state of pure dance pop bliss. Hailing from Sweden, where they've always known a thing or two about producing pleasing pop perfection, this is a record that channels eighties sounds from the Happy Mondays to OMD to The Human League. Breezy and infectious equal parts Manchester scene, indie pop, nu-rave, electro-pop and hi-energy, it's a whole album that sounds a little like some of our favorite songs stretched out into a whole record, like the Vaselines cover of Divine's "You Think You're A Man" or Death Cab For Cutie's most infectious song ever "Soul Meets Body". A New Chance doesn't reinvent the wheel but it sure makes us jump and spin and swirl in pure bliss and you can't ask for much more than that in a pop album. So fun and and so good!
MPEG Stream: "Neo Violence"
MPEG Stream: "Miami"
MPEG Stream: "Something Special"

VIVIAN GIRLS s/t (In The Red) cd 13.98
Yay! We've been pretty excited to hear this one for a while. After digging a couple of their 7"s we knew this was going to be one of our new favorite stripped-down, in-the-garage, but-with-a-sweet-side-too bands. It's so cool how they somehow manage to bring the worlds of cuddle core and garage rock together seamlessly as if they were always meant to be. We hear so many of our favorite sounds and bands in their songs, from Young Marble Giants to Quixotic to Thee Oh Sees... Tiger Trap, Electrelane, Holy Golightly... and even our own Cup's old band Cub. If you were to think of drawing a diagram and finding that magical place where the worlds of K Records and In The Red intersect, it would be in the sounds of the Vivian Girls. And while the latter label are the lucky ones to be releasing this record, there is still so much K-style melody, sassiness and dreamy punch to the Vivian Girls' garage styled pop. We can't think of a better band we'd want to have play a raucous drunken house party, and then sleepover and have pillow fights with, and then spin the Shaggs, B-52's and Holy Golightly with when we woke up in the morning, if you can follow that fantasy scenario. These girls are on fire!
MPEG Stream: "Where Do You Run To"
MPEG Stream: "Wild Eyes"
MPEG Stream: "No"

WADA, YOSHI Off The Wall (EM Records / Omega Point) cd 21.00
We have to thank Japan's EM Records - actually, we've been doing that a lot lately - but this time we have to thank 'em for turning us on to the celestial soundworlds of dronologist Yoshi Wada. If you've read our reviews of EM's two previous Wada reissues, you know he's a Japanese sculptor/composer who made his way to New York City in the late '60s, delving into the Fluxus conceptual art movement and hanging out with folks like pioneering minimalist LaMonte Young. In 1982, Wada issued an LP entitled Lament For The Rise And Fall Of Elephantine Crocodile, featuring his voice and homebuilt instruments. When it was reissued on EM last year, we were bowled over by its unique deep drone soundings. EM's second Wada reissue, The Appointed Cloud, from 1987, was equally amazing.
Happily, there's more Wada releases in the vaults than we'd thought. Now EM has brought out a cd version this one, Off The Wall, which was originally released on vinyl in 1985 by the German free improv label FMP. Dubbed a "majestic minimalist monsterpiece" by EM, it consists of two long tracks (over twenty minutes each), a part one and part two of the same performance, which features the bagpipe blowing of Yoshi Wada and colleague Wayne Hankin, along with the "adapted organ" (pipe organ put together by Wada) played by Marilyn Bogerd, and the percussion of Andreas Schmidt-Neri.
EM have also added a bonus cut - this third (and even longer than either of the others, at 27:14) track, "Die Konsonanten Pfeifen", was recorded in Berlin in 1983 and originally issued as a cassette. Again, Wada and Hankin play the bagpipes, this time accompanied by percussion (tympani, tam tam, and cymbal) from one Kevin Newhoff, which kicks in, with a hiccup, near about the halfway point, providing steady, ominous pulsations that bring to mind some of the portentous mood of Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra".
Bagpipes, that's right, this is bagpipe music. But it doesn't sound much like Scotland's The Black Watch. Maybe if the Royal Highland Regiment were marching to 20th century avant-classical. Keening endlessly, the twin bagpipes of Wada and Hankin weave exotic-sounding tones and overtones together in slowly shifting, shimmering patterns, that seem to keep one step head of your sensory apparatus, so that you realize there's something new going on in the piece only after you've been hearing it already for a few moments. The effect of these modulations is quite mesmeric, almost meditative, New Age with an edge, like Phill Niblock meets Terry Riley, taken to a Far Eastern extreme. The multiple instrumental voices blend into one total drone, yet upon examination each has its own wending and winding part to play. The usual repetition of "minimalist" music isn't so mechanically evident here, Wada's drones floating high into the expanses of space, combining with the rumbling earth-bound drums to achieve a sort of ceremonial aspect and dramatic impact.
Yes, thank you EM! This is packaged in the usual excellent EM fashion, in a tri-fold sleeve with original liner notes in both English and Japanese translation, also b&w photographs, and a full-color reproduction of the original graphic score for "Off The Wall".
MPEG Stream: "Off The Wall I"
MPEG Stream: "Die Konsonanten Pfeifen"

WALKER, SCOTT 'Til The Band Comes In (Water) cd 15.98
Recorded right after his stellar quartet of numbered records 1-4, 'Til the Band Comes In, was in our opinion, unfairly panned upon its original release in 1970. Now the Water label gives us all a chance to re-evaluate. While not his outright best record ever (that would be Scott 2!), and definitely not the weirdest (The Drift), it's noteworthy for being the beginning of his more experimental later period, while at the same time adopting the old school variety-show schtick of his television show in full force. The record starts out with a couple of moments of anticipatory sounds, a low rumble, a bit of noisy shuffling that wouldn't sound out of place at the start of any metal record today before the sonic onslaught is unleashed, but instead here we get an orchestra swooping into the full wall-of-sound pop production of the first song "Little Things (That Keep Us Together)", that harkens back to the sublime pop of The Walker Brothers. Other songs like "Time Operator" use the recordings of the telephone time lady as a backdrop for a ballad of utter loneliness. Largely the songs are of the big war-time ballad variety that we love from his previous records, with some moments of baroque country and ecstatic pop, only occasionally drooping into some vaudevillian schmaltz that is fun but not quite as endearing. The last few songs go into some well-worn covers territory like Classics IV's "Stormy" and "What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life", which are performed well but seem to be reaching out to a different audience altogether. An admitted oddity in an already odd discography, this is still classic Scott Walker where hits and misses are pretty much relative to each listener.
MPEG Stream: "Little Things (That Keep Us Together)"
MPEG Stream: "Time Operator"
MPEG Stream: "Stormy"

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AUTISTIC DAUGHTERS Uneasy Flowers (Staubgold) lp 17.98
Now, finally, on vinyl (via Staubgold, while the cd was on Kranky)...
Teeter-tottering betwixt morose indie-rock songishness and purely textural, experimental soundscapery, this avant garde and all together moody international trio, consisting of Dean Roberts (Thela, White Winged Moth), Werner Dafeldecker and Martin Brandlmayr (Radian, Trapist) brings us their second album for Kranky, following up 2004's Jealousy & Diamond. Slow and steady and suffused with low-key drama, Uneasy Flowers should satisfy anyone's yen for (again) an uneasy-feeling yet smoothly executed mix of New Zealand indie-murk free noise and European glitch-drone laptoppery. The album is pleasingly bathed in a glow of wavering distortion/feedback (shortwave static style), scattered with This Heatish percussive patterns (from Brandlmayr) and fragile vocals (from Roberts). Nice!!
MPEG Stream: "Uneasy Flowers"
MPEG Stream: "Liquid And Starch"

COIL / THE NEW BLOCKADERS / VORTEX CAMPAIGN The Melancholy Mad Tenant (Important) lp 29.00
In the early '90s, I (Jim) remember seeing a peculiar cassette listed in the RRR catalogue for several years. It was some sort of collaboration between Coil (who I was enthralled with), The New Blockaders (who I was curious about through their work with Organum), and Vortex Campaign (who I thought had a cool name, but knew nothing about). Foolishly, I never picked up that cassette, especially since the damn thing was limited to 50 copies. Oh well. Thankfully, Important Records is doing their best Vinyl-On-Demand impersonation with a hefty reissue of an terminally obscure piece of early noise culture. There's still no background information as to the identity of Vortex Campaign, other than that they are Belgian and that they invited both Coil and The New Blockaders to collaborate on that one off cassette back in 1984. Since then, Vortex Campaign did make an appearance on the Broken Flag 5lp anthology released by Vinyl-On-Demand; but beyond that, they're still a mystery. Coil had gone on to great things in all realms of occult electronics mired in psychedelic darkness; and The New Blockaders had manifested explosive recordings of hellish noise in their pursuit of anti-art.
This lp collects the two sprawling collaborative tracks from that cassette, leaving off the solo Vortex Campaign tracks - just to make me kick myself even more for not buying that cassette back in the day. These are two complex collages of snarling loops, dragged through shit, vomit, and blood leaving a bruised and stained mess of obsessively repetitive growls, blisters, and blurts of industrial noise. The energy on these two tracks is profoundly negative, and could be easily confused with anything that Prurient or Wolf Eyes might muster in this day and age. Supposedly there was a cd version of the cassette, but that too is out of print, leaving this vinyl-only production from Important as a rare glimpse back at these recordings. Limited to 500 copies. We only got a paltry few and that's IT.

COOPER, ALICE Flush The Fashion (Rhino Encore) cd 13.98
First things first, allow us (well, Cup at least!) to proclaim that one song on this 1980 Alice Cooper album shines brighter than all the rest! That'd be "Clones (We're All)", the album's absolutely infectious, unexpectedly New Wave second track. It's another dose of AC social commentary, but this time it comes cloaked in the guise of remarkably clean synthesizer pop, a la Gary Numan. Makes for a very surprising contrast to Alice's trashy glam rock past which still lingers a bit in the album opener "Talk Talk", a cover of the garagey sixties Music Machine nugget. As for the rest of Flush The Fashion? Sorry, it simply pales in comparison, and hasn't aged quite as well, though it has its moments, and it's interesting to see ol' AC grapple with the onset of the eighties, dealing with such issues of the day as "Leather Boots", being "Nuclear Infected", and "Aspirin Damage". Plus, THAT one "Clones" song is sooooo good!
FYI, this is another one of those Rhino Encore reissues supposedly available only for a six-month window.
MPEG Stream: "Talk Talk"
MPEG Stream: "Clones (We're All)"

DRESSY BESSY Holler And Stomp (Transdreamer) cd 14.98
Dressy Bessy have always been known for perky lo-fi indie pop that rides the fence between sweet and twee. As with pretty much all of their Elephant 6 Collective cohorts (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc), Tammy Ealom (formerly of The Minders), John Hill (also of Apples In Stereo) are seldom at a loss in the candy-coated pop hook department. That said, many of the tunes on their fourth album, the suitably titled Holler And Stomp, jump out with far more crunch and punch than the band has ever mustered before. Maybe we should've taken the hint from their chosen cover art - an illustration of a trash and graffiti strewn alleyway with a street sign that says "Dressy Bessy Way", a butterfly smoking a cigarette flitters by. Hmmm, a Dressy Bessy makeover (or make-under)? The pumped up sassy, edgy attitude led to immediate comparisons with contemporary gal-fronted bands such as Metric and Teegan & Sara!
MPEG Stream: "Automatic"
MPEG Stream: "Dressed The Part"

EAGLE KEYS s/t (Even Stilte) cd 12.98
Eagle Keys (which is probably just the name of the record, not the name of the band, but since it's on the spine we're calling 'em Eagle Keys) is two dudes, one whom we know and one whom we don't. Respectively, there's electric bassist Tim Olive, who we most recently heard in the Supernatural Hot Rug And Not Used duo recording from EM Records. He's been in some other bands over the years, including Nimrod and Soap-Jo Henshi, best known to Japanese-music nerds like ourselves. The other fella is Francisco Meirino, responsible here for "computer and acoustics". Together they have produced two long tracks, "Eagle Keys Part One" and "Eagle Keys Part Two", about 50 minutes total of crinkly-crankly improvised soundscapes, littered with abstract, atmospheric detail. Part One begins with shuffling clicks and whirring hum and rattling gurgle, sounding a bit like some sort of shaggy electronic beast snuffling through its dinner. Long quiet drones and sizzling hissing and ominous creakings and chaotic clankings occur as this duo rummage about with their instruments and and objects and microphones, the whole process finally building into a dense, satisfying distorted drone-howl at almost the very end of its 34 minutes. Then, the 15 and a half minute Part Two is more about gentle flutter and whispered feedback. It's spooky and hissy and whistle-y (enough so that at points, dogs might not like it!). It comes to an end with a sudden, satisfying "clunkgluntch"!
MPEG Stream: "Eagle Keys Part One"
MPEG Stream: "Eagle Keys Part Two"

FORSYTH, CHRIS Live Journal at The Mice Machine VIP Dance Floor (Incunabulum) cd 14.98
What a title! Don't know what the heck it means, but we love the sounds contained inside. Released on Jozef Van Wissem's Incunabulum imprint, this is a beautiful solo 12-string record by Chris Forsyth, Brooklynite multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Peeesseye (PSI). But this has a different approach to the solo guitar genre than we've heard before. Focusing on a restless back-porch style minimalism, Forsyth layers overlapping and slow repetitive cascades of mandala-like rhythms and patterns with subtly shifting melodic changes. Often undercut with organ drones, cymbal washes, and minimal percussion, the sounds unfold like intricate patterns of Oriental tapestry or Tibetan sand-paintings, captivating and mesmerizing us into circling and swirling trance-like states. Quite lovely and very limited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Anxious"
MPEG Stream: "Wind Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Contrarian's Lament"

FOSTER, JOSEPHINE This Coming Gladness (Bo'Weavil) lp 25.00
Now on vinyl!!
Another timeless gem from Chicago's Josephine Foster. Her third full length, This Coming Gladness is a heartfelt collection of breezy folk tunes that don't veer too far from Ms. Foster's usual stylings. Her wavering, Shirley Collins-ish voice we know and love is accompanied by Victor Herrero on lead guitar and Alex Nielson (Richard Youngs, Jandek) on drums. The two do a fine job of creating a warm, relaxed environment that perfectly envelops the voice and words of Ms. Foster. And inside on the sleeve is an awesome picture of the beautiful Ms. Foster herself, posing wearing a plastic armor breastplate, like an ancient warrior. What a charming gal.
MPEG Stream: "Lullaby to All"
MPEG Stream: "All I Wanted was the Moon"
MPEG Stream: "Waltz of Green"

FOTHERINGAY 2 (Fledg'ling) cd 17.98
The first (and before now, only) Fotheringay album from 1970 is one of our favorite records of the British folk era, but they were a group that from the beginning seemed like they were never meant to last. Led by a post-Fairport Sandy Denny and her husband, former Eclection guitarist Trevor Lucas, Fotheringay was more like a temporary dalliance away from the larger entity of Fairport Convention with Denny departing for solo stardom (and tragedy) after their first album, and most of the other members joining Fairport later on. A second album was in the works but never completed, well, until now that is! The Fledg'ling label has gone to great lengths to rescue the shelved tapes and restore the tracks to their seventies British folk glory. The sound is incredible and typical of Joe Boyd and using a light touch, sounds like a lost artifact from a previous era. While these are mostly traditional tunes and covers, their are five original compositions including two from Sandy Denny that have been little heard before now. We can't say that it betters the first album, but there are plenty of great songs for fans of this era. Named after the castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded, it's interesting that after 38 years when this recording was started and long after it's two principle members have passed on, that the ghosts of the past are singing once more.
MPEG Stream: "John The Gun"
MPEG Stream: "Eppie Moray"
MPEG Stream: "Silver Thread and Golden Needles"

G*PARK Reuters (Tochnit Aleph) lp 25.00
It's unfortunate that we've not listed any G*Park recordings until now; but it's certainly better late than never. G*Park is the work of Marc Zeier who has been quietly generating some of the most evocative musique concrete / electro-acoustic whatnot / broken drones / softened noisejunk since the mid '80s. These recordings had mostly been on cassette back in the day, with a couple of discs appearing over the past decade thanks to Blossoming Noise and the defunkt Zabriskie Point label. He's also an auxiliary member of the aktionist Schimpfluch collective, although his work shares little of their scatological hyper-violence of smeared fish guts, vomit, and bloodletting. Yet, the G*Park recordings mirrors the sinister vibe of Schimplfuch through his delicately disfigured field recordings and tape-cut manipulation. Zeier presents a masterful collage of disjointed repetitions from handcranked mechanisms that rupture with bellowing drones and aqueous gurglings. Elsewhere, air raid sirens explode through the laser-whipsnap recoil of cellphone tension wires being struck, and the reverberation of prepared piano abuse slams against densely packed drones into thunderous punctures. These pieces are clinical studies of decay amplified from a microscopic order; and considering that Zeier's occupation is a plankton fisherman (seriously!), perhaps these are the birth pangs and death throes of those tiny creatures. A very highly recommended piece of sound art!

HOLLOWAY, IAN A Lonely Place (Quiet World) cd-r 14.98
BACK IN STOCK!!! Ian Holloway has thoughtfully repressed this exceptional release, in a second edition. There's still only a handful of these in stock, but hopefully, we'll have enough for those who didn't get this the first time around!!!
Earlier in 2008, we received a fantastic collaborative project from Darren Tate, Ian Holloway, and Banks Bailey. At the time, we were well acquainted with the work of Darren Tate, thanks to his ongoing British drone eccentricities as Monos and his former Ora project with Andrew Chalk, Colin Potter, and others; but Ian Holloway and Banks Bailey were two whose work we didn't know anything about. Thanks to a suggestion from a long time customer here at the shop, we looked into the solo projects from Mr. Holloway; and damn if that tip didn't pay off with this fantastic cd-r (with more to come from Holloway in the coming weeks!). Self-released in a tiny edition of 50 copies, A Lonely Place is a breathtaking composition for time-stop dronemusik, achieving a similar stasis and similar dark beauty as Andrew Chalk did on his masterpiece East Of The Sun. It's hard to say what Holloway used as a source material for the album -- maybe guitar, maybe long-thin wire constructions, maybe field recordings, or maybe not. Like plenty of dronemusik before, it's the production that guides Holloway's success, as his deft manipulation of acoustics and electronics generates smoke, fog, and mirrors through sound that result in this amazing piece of long-form drone-smear. There's billowing swells of deep architectural space. Kosmiche electronics, rasping gong tones stretched toward infinity, and subharmonic thrumb swaddled in soft focus reverb. Think Expo '70 gone ashen black or Aidan Baker's ambient work at his most somber. Altogether wonderful, altogether very limited. Very highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "A Lonely Place (extract 1)"
MPEG Stream: "A Lonely Place (extracy 2)"

HUMAN LEAGUE Golden Hour Of The Future (Black Melody) cd 21.00
BACK IN PRINT!!! Perhaps you've heard the quiet rumbling accolades for The Human League's early non-synthpop recordings. Up until now, only mere glimpses were available via their Reproduction album from 1979 and to a lesser degree 1980's Travelogue. Well, here's a UK import of twenty previously unreleased songs that predate their '80s glory. They were compiled from the label's own collection of bootlegs as well as from restored master tapes that have been locked away in the group's studio for over two decades. In those days ('77 to '79) they were also known as The Future. Decidedly un-pop, this Human League was an altogether different entity back then with a line-up that included Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh (who went on to form Heaven 17). Actually many of these works were performed by only these two gents. It was they rather than Philip Oakey who pretty much ran the early Future / Human League show. They constructed much more abstract and exploratory soundscapes with a heavier, graver mood than the later Oakey-fronted fluff that would bring the group fame (i.e, the weak songwriting, thin synth sounds, and off-key vocals of "Fascination").
Odd, yet effectively frail falsetto and deep spoken vocals converse over the low viscous electronic marches and swooping spaced-out analog synthesizer excursions with no drums or guitars. It actually would be quite at home accompanying the art-wave film Liquid Sky or on a bill with the Residents. Truly, much of this sounds quite fresh and adventurous today. All except one track were produced by Ware and Marsh. Note: the sound quality does vary from track to track, however this compilation still stands up as a revealing and intriguing document of this group's early works. Much more impressive and much less dated than both Heaven 17 and later Human League combined. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "4JG"
MPEG Stream: "Year Of The Jet Packs"

IDA My Fair, My Dark EP (Polyvinyl Record Co.) cd ep 10.98
Another subtle beauty from these slowcore veterans out of New York. While they've done a superb job of quality control over the years there have been a few outings that while not bad were somewhat forgettable, but such is not the case with this lovely ep! Sitting somewhere perfectly between the devastatingly sad side of Low and the head out of the window daydreams of Red House Painters these are seven songs we've been listening to over and over as we stare into space and let the world pass by, as we catch our breath and linger in the sweet breeze of these gorgeous songs. There's even a few really nice moments of twang and folk on this ep but it's their slow sad beauties that we love the most.
MPEG Stream: "My Fair, My Dark"
MPEG Stream: "Still Life"

IDA My Fair, My Dark EP (Polyvinyl Record Co.) 12" 11.98
Another subtle beauty from these slowcore veterans out of New York. While they've done a superb job of quality control over the years there have been a few outings that while not bad were somewhat forgettable, but such is not the case with this lovely ep! Sitting somewhere perfectly between the devastatingly sad side of Low and the head out of the window daydreams of Red House Painters these are seven songs we've been listening to over and over as we stare into space and let the world pass by, as we catch our breath and linger in the sweet breeze of these gorgeous songs. There's even a few really nice moments of twang and folk on this ep but it's their slow sad beauties that we love the most.
MPEG Stream: "My Fair, My Dark"
MPEG Stream: "Still Life"

ILLUSION OF SAFETY In Session (Waystyx) cd 17.98
The first proper record from Illusion Of Safety in well over 5 years emerges from the Russian label Waystyx, meaning that this will not be around for long and will not be easy for us to track down once these are gone. Just a caveat before we launch into the, um, virtues of this exercise in muscular electronics and brainmelting dronescaping. Illusion Of Safety began well over two decades ago, firmly embracing the death factory imagery and psychological tension that came through the work of Throbbing Gristle, John Duncan, and The Hafler Trio. While the grizzly subjects of torture and sexual violence have dissolved over time, Illusion Of Safety's interest in unsettled soundscapes, collages, and electronic walls of noise remain as powerful as ever. Illusion Of Safety has always been a revolving door project centered around Chicago's Dan Burke; and In Session finds Burke alone at the helms of Illusion Of Safety, concocting a dizzying series of arcing electroshock compositions filled with intense dynamics and rapid crescendos of incremental noise quickly nosediving into subharmonic tones and microtonal squiggles, with plenty of slow building elements in between. The piercing drones that dominate the Illusion Of Safety palette are matched with crumbled textures from electronic circuits on the verge of collapse (see Wolf Eyes, Carlos Giffoni) and contact microphone agitation (see Tarab, Eric La Casa, Loren Chasse, etc.). There's one track of grim psychedelic arpeggiations which sounds as if Prurient were attempting a Terry Riley piece, with bad intentions running through the phase shifting loops. Totally fantastic, if not totally disquieting!
MPEG Stream: "Revealing The Process"
MPEG Stream: "Waiting Room"
MPEG Stream: "Fragile"

IRR. APP. (EXT.) Cosmic Superimposition (Errata In Excelsis) cd 14.98
BACK IN PRINT!!! A couple of years ago, Aquarius enjoyed a brief moonlight gig as an art space (which we hope to make happen again someday), proposing the same curious aesthetic on the visual front as we continue to do on the musical. One of the more intriguing exhibitions we hosted was from an ambitious, if under-recognized artist by the name of Matthew Waldron. His meticulously eccentric drawings, paintings, and assemblages depicted mutated beings conducting psychic surgery upon each other with all sorts of psychosexual overtones. These provocative and compelling images held their own with the classic Surrealist works of Hans Bellmer and early Salvador Dali. At the same time, Waldron introduced us to the equally ambitious catalogue of sound constructions that he had been quietly making in the Santa Cruz mountains under the moniker irr. app. (ext.). These albums followed in the deconstructed / abstracted sound collage traditions of Nurse With Wound, The Hafler Trio, and HNAS, often times surpassing the quality of those which came before. Sadly, very few people had heard of irr. app. (ext.) because of Waldron's unfortunate round of luck with record labels and general low profile.
Jump forward to the contemporary era, and things look entirely different. Today, you will find Waldron a mainstay in the Nurse With Wound performance entourage, being whisked away to play in all sorts of unlikely European festivals; and irr. app. (ext.) has consistently released albums that build upon the successes of those which we had heard before. So for us here at Aquarius, it's very satisfying to see an artist we once supported have their career take off...
And that leads us to Cosmic Superimposition, the second in a proposed trilogy from irr. app. (ext.) of releases based upon the writings of Wilhelm Reich. Cosmic Superimposition was a book that Reich had written in 1951; and in that book, he argued how the superimposition of multiple energies is the common functioning principle throughout the natural world. It was through these ideas that Reich arrived at the ideas of Orgone, cloudbursting, etc. On the single 45-minute track that comprises Cosmis Superimposition, irr. app. (ext.) presents a revolving set of organic fluctuations that wax and wane in accordance with a well-tuned internal logic. Glassine ambient passages of processed environmental noise slide into the sustained harmonics of bowed metals which in turn couples with the off-kilter phase pattern of an exhaust fan whose motor is not quite properly aligned. All the while gurgles from streams, clatter from subterranean actions, singing bowl reverberations, and dark elliptical cycles of blackened electronics pock the stately progressions of Cosmic Superimposition's dronemusik foundation. As is stated in the liner notes, Waldron repurposed the source material from the first stage of the trilogy Ozeanische Gefuhle; but Cosmis Superimposition is hardly a replicant remix of the first. Rather, the ghosts, shadows, and ripples of his earlier album emerge in the fluid ambience of the second as bridge that points to Waldron's ambitious and highly successful undertaking. One of the best records of 2007, for sure.
MPEG Stream: "Extract 1"
MPEG Stream: "Extract 2"
MPEG Stream: "Extract 3"

IRR. APP. (EXT.) Ozeanische Gefuhle (The Helen Scarsdale Agency) cd 14.98
BACK IN PRINT!!! If anyone has the ability to carry the post-Surrealist torch of Nurse With Wound, it would have to be Matt Waldron through his irr. app. (ext.) project. Like Nurse With Wound's eccentric genius Stapleton, Waldron would never qualify himself as a Surrealist, but it's a good jumping off point to describe their respective works. With Ozeanische Gefuhle, Waldron establishes irr. app. (ext.) establishes himself as one of the most gifted sound-sculptors whose work have passed through the doors of Aquarius. If you've ever picked up any drone / minimalist / ambient records or even just anything that Andee has poetically described as 'completely fucked', then you owe it yourself to pick up Ozeanische Gefuhle. This review could ramble on and on, but let's cut to the chase and state the obvious, this album is brilliant.
Strangely enough, Ozeanische Gefuhle -- as great as it is -- almost disappeared into the ether, as it was slated for release a few years back on another label who just sat on it for years, much to the chagrin of Mr. Waldron. Fortunately, the good people at the Helen Scarsdale Agency rectified the situation and made sure this album got its due recognition.
The title itself is an allusion to Wilhelm Reich, who used the term to describe the natural state of every healthy organism as connected to and engaged with the world around it. Such ideas in lesser hands would result in limp idylltronica with New Age sentimentality; but this is not the case for irr. app. (ext.), who solidly grounds this record upon a fundamental drone, which slinks its way through numerous field recordings and performative gestures. Waldron's masterpiece emerges as a tidal current of electronic sound, rumbling through blackened spaces and soaring with divine expressivity. As good if not better than anything by Nurse With Wound, Organum, :zoviet france:, Phill Niblock, and the Hafler Trio. Yeah, it's that good!
MPEG Stream: "Ozeanische Gefuhle (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Ozeanische Gefuhle (excerpt 2)"
MPEG Stream: "The Demiurge's Presumption"

JACKIE O MOTHERFUCKER Freedom Land (Very Friendly) cd 17.98
There was a time where we were pretty obsessed with Jackie-O Motherfucker. They definitely put out some amazing material. Nice freeform jams that offered up sounds new and exciting. But it seems, that maybe, that time is past. Tedious instrumental passages and really horrible vocals, mixed weirdly too but not really in a good way. Not sure what happened, but whatever it is, we wish it hadn't. Definitely don't bother with this one, there are plenty of other amazing JOMF records still available.
MPEG Stream: "Devotion"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Ride"

KISS Hotter Than Hell (Mercury) cd 10.98
All right, gonna wrap up the Kiss reviewing, for a little while anyway. Talkin' this week about not one, but THREE Kiss classics: Hotter Than Hell (1974), Dressed To Kill (1975), and Rock And Roll Over (1976). With these three reviewed, that means we will have covered all the Kiss studio albums up through 1981's Music From The Elder, except the universally loathed Unmasked... which might be for the best. (Crucial albums Alive I and II also remain to be reviewed.)
I don't mean to give any of these three short shrift by doing 'em briefly all together, it's just that lengthy reviews might not really be necessary. So, to begin: Hotter Than Hell, Kiss's second album, followed up their self-titled debut with another strong collection of songs, perhaps chief among them the heavy headbanging groove of Ace's "Parasite" (later covered by Anthrax) and the majestic lecherous lament of Gene's "Goin' Blind" (later covered by the Melvins). Meanwhile, tracks like "Let Me Go, Rock And Roll", "All The Way", and the title track are ones to crank come party-time. Actually the whole record is pretty much a rockin', rollin' barn-burner, aside from the aforementioned dirgey "Goin' Blind", and also album-ender "Strange Ways", whose lyrics and metallic plod have a sinister vibe that could weird out some partygoers. Cool though! Really, nothin' in they way of weak ones here, though maybe Paul's opener "Got To Choose" will be a bit too Bad Company sounding for some. Hotter Than Hell is an accurate album title I've gotta say, though it's too bad it didn't get the production job it deserved.
Next up, Kiss platter number 3, Dressed To Kill. There's a bunch of fairly poppy, finger snapping, boot-stomping hard rockers on here, Kiss again (almost) reminding us of the MC5 circa Back In The USA on opener "Room Service"... The immortal hits from this album include the Stonesy "C'mon And Love Me", mission statement "Rock And Roll All Night" (which you've probably heard a few million times too many), and "She", which lumbers a heckuva lot like BoC's "Godzilla". They go all flowery and acoustic for the first half of one song, but snap out of it in time to kick some ass ("Rock Bottom"). Incipient self-parody may be noticeable here, with groupie-themed lyrics and rock n' roll anthems making soon-to-be predictable appearances, but that's ok, some of my favorite Kiss albums later on are ALL self-parody and none the worse for it.
And then we skip ahead ('cause I've already reviewed the intervening Destroyer) to Rock And Roll Over, which fits in between the big D and Love Gun as their 5th studio album. This one starts off with one of my very favorite Kiss songs EVER, "I Want You", with its deceptively pretty n' sweet melodic intro immediately bursting into godlike amps-on-11, chest-thumping heavy metal riff rock that's about as catchy as it gets. Lyrically, it's the lustful essence of Kiss. But is Paul singing romantically about a longtime love, or rather more sleazily about the blonde in the third row, center, who just caught his eye? Probably the latter. Gene's "Calling Dr. Love" was another hit here, and definitely meant for that blonde... in fact, not just her, but all the willing ladies in the audience, no doubt!
What else? Peter sings an acoustic ballady number that's not too bad, "Hard Luck Woman", likely intended as this album's "Beth" (the sensitive, surprise hit he had on Destroyer, though this time, Paul wrote the song). Otherwise, not too much to say. "Take Me", "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em", "Makin' Love", "Mr. Speed", etc., it's all decent enuff Kiss stuff but nothing really stands out for me. Well, dumbest one "Ladies Room" maybe stands out, but not in a good way. But, dumb or not, Kiss knows what they're doing, and you'll be singing along to lots of Rock And Roll Over before it's over. And besides, it's got "I Want You"!
Ok, with these three albums, maybe that's all the Kiss we'll be reviewing for a while. Whew! But I'll start another series of reviews of another overlooked (by AQ) band, next time...
MPEG Stream: "Parasite"
MPEG Stream: "Watchin' You"

KISS Dressed To Kill (Mercury) cd 10.98
All right, gonna wrap up the Kiss reviewing, for a little while anyway. Talkin' this week about not one, but THREE Kiss classics: Hotter Than Hell (1974), Dressed To Kill (1975), and Rock And Roll Over (1976). With these three reviewed, that means we will have covered all the Kiss studio albums up through 1981's Music From The Elder, except the universally loathed Unmasked... which might be for the best. (Crucial albums Alive I and II also remain to be reviewed.)
I don't mean to give any of these three short shrift by doing 'em briefly all together, it's just that lengthy reviews might not really be necessary. So, to begin: Hotter Than Hell, Kiss's second album, followed up their self-titled debut with another strong collection of songs, perhaps chief among them the heavy headbanging groove of Ace's "Parasite" (later covered by Anthrax) and the majestic lecherous lament of Gene's "Goin' Blind" (later covered by the Melvins). Meanwhile, tracks like "Let Me Go, Rock And Roll", "All The Way", and the title track are ones to crank come party-time. Actually the whole record is pretty much a rockin', rollin' barn-burner, aside from the aforementioned dirgey "Goin' Blind", and also album-ender "Strange Ways", whose lyrics and metallic plod have a sinister vibe that could weird out some partygoers. Cool though! Really, nothin' in they way of weak ones here, though maybe Paul's opener "Got To Choose" will be a bit too Bad Company sounding for some. Hotter Than Hell is an accurate album title I've gotta say, though it's too bad it didn't get the production job it deserved.
Next up, Kiss platter number 3, Dressed To Kill. There's a bunch of fairly poppy, finger snapping, boot-stomping hard rockers on here, Kiss again (almost) reminding us of the MC5 circa Back In The USA on opener "Room Service"... The immortal hits from this album include the Stonesy "C'mon And Love Me", mission statement "Rock And Roll All Night" (which you've probably heard a few million times too many), and "She", which lumbers a heckuva lot like BoC's "Godzilla". They go all flowery and acoustic for the first half of one song, but snap out of it in time to kick some ass ("Rock Bottom"). Incipient self-parody may be noticeable here, with groupie-themed lyrics and rock n' roll anthems making soon-to-be predictable appearances, but that's ok, some of my favorite Kiss albums later on are ALL self-parody and none the worse for it.
And then we skip ahead ('cause I've already reviewed the intervening Destroyer) to Rock And Roll Over, which fits in between the big D and Love Gun as their 5th studio album. This one starts off with one of my very favorite Kiss songs EVER, "I Want You", with its deceptively pretty n' sweet melodic intro immediately bursting into godlike amps-on-11, chest-thumping heavy metal riff rock that's about as catchy as it gets. Lyrically, it's the lustful essence of Kiss. But is Paul singing romantically about a longtime love, or rather more sleazily about the blonde in the third row, center, who just caught his eye? Probably the latter. Gene's "Calling Dr. Love" was another hit here, and definitely meant for that blonde... in fact, not just her, but all the willing ladies in the audience, no doubt!
What else? Peter sings an acoustic ballady number that's not too bad, "Hard Luck Woman", likely intended as this album's "Beth" (the sensitive, surprise hit he had on Destroyer, though this time, Paul wrote the song). Otherwise, not too much to say. "Take Me", "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em", "Makin' Love", "Mr. Speed", etc., it's all decent enuff Kiss stuff but nothing really stands out for me. Well, dumbest one "Ladies Room" maybe stands out, but not in a good way. But, dumb or not, Kiss knows what they're doing, and you'll be singing along to lots of Rock And Roll Over before it's over. And besides, it's got "I Want You"!
Ok, with these three albums, maybe that's all the Kiss we'll be reviewing for a while. Whew! But I'll start another series of reviews of another overlooked (by AQ) band, next time...
MPEG Stream: "She"
MPEG Stream: "Rock Bottom"

KISS Rock And Roll Over (Mercury) cd 10.98
All right, gonna wrap up the Kiss reviewing, for a little while anyway. Talkin' this week about not one, but THREE Kiss classics: Hotter Than Hell (1974), Dressed To Kill (1975), and Rock And Roll Over (1976). With these three reviewed, that means we will have covered all the Kiss studio albums up through 1981's Music From The Elder, except the universally loathed Unmasked... which might be for the best. (Crucial albums Alive I and II also remain to be reviewed.)
I don't mean to give any of these three short shrift by doing 'em briefly all together, it's just that lengthy reviews might not really be necessary. So, to begin: Hotter Than Hell, Kiss's second album, followed up their self-titled debut with another strong collection of songs, perhaps chief among them the heavy headbanging groove of Ace's "Parasite" (later covered by Anthrax) and the majestic lecherous lament of Gene's "Goin' Blind" (later covered by the Melvins). Meanwhile, tracks like "Let Me Go, Rock And Roll", "All The Way", and the title track are ones to crank come party-time. Actually the whole record is pretty much a rockin', rollin' barn-burner, aside from the aforementioned dirgey "Goin' Blind", and also album-ender "Strange Ways", whose lyrics and metallic plod have a sinister vibe that could weird out some partygoers. Cool though! Really, nothin' in they way of weak ones here, though maybe Paul's opener "Got To Choose" will be a bit too Bad Company sounding for some. Hotter Than Hell is an accurate album title I've gotta say, though it's too bad it didn't get the production job it deserved.
Next up, Kiss platter number 3, Dressed To Kill. There's a bunch of fairly poppy, finger snapping, boot-stomping hard rockers on here, Kiss again (almost) reminding us of the MC5 circa Back In The USA on opener "Room Service"... The immortal hits from this album include the Stonesy "C'mon And Love Me", mission statement "Rock And Roll All Night" (which you've probably heard a few million times too many), and "She", which lumbers a heckuva lot like BoC's "Godzilla". They go all flowery and acoustic for the first half of one song, but snap out of it in time to kick some ass ("Rock Bottom"). Incipient self-parody may be noticeable here, with groupie-themed lyrics and rock n' roll anthems making soon-to-be predictable appearances, but that's ok, some of my favorite Kiss albums later on are ALL self-parody and none the worse for it.
And then we skip ahead ('cause I've already reviewed the intervening Destroyer) to Rock And Roll Over, which fits in between the big D and Love Gun as their 5th studio album. This one starts off with one of my very favorite Kiss songs EVER, "I Want You", with its deceptively pretty n' sweet melodic intro immediately bursting into godlike amps-on-11, chest-thumping heavy metal riff rock that's about as catchy as it gets. Lyrically, it's the lustful essence of Kiss. But is Paul singing romantically about a longtime love, or rather more sleazily about the blonde in the third row, center, who just caught his eye? Probably the latter. Gene's "Calling Dr. Love" was another hit here, and definitely meant for that blonde... in fact, not just her, but all the willing ladies in the audience, no doubt!
What else? Peter sings an acoustic ballady number that's not too bad, "Hard Luck Woman", likely intended as this album's "Beth" (the sensitive, surprise hit he had on Destroyer, though this time, Paul wrote the song). Otherwise, not too much to say. "Take Me", "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em", "Makin' Love", "Mr. Speed", etc., it's all decent enuff Kiss stuff but nothing really stands out for me. Well, dumbest one "Ladies Room" maybe stands out, but not in a good way. But, dumb or not, Kiss knows what they're doing, and you'll be singing along to lots of Rock And Roll Over before it's over. And besides, it's got "I Want You"!
Ok, with these three albums, maybe that's all the Kiss we'll be reviewing for a while. Whew! But I'll start another series of reviews of another overlooked (by AQ) band, next time...
MPEG Stream: "I Want You"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me"

KLANGMUTATIONEN Schwarshagel (Utech) cd 16.98
"Organic free metal from Malaysia" is what we had heard about Klangmutationen. Wow, really? Utech doesn't provide much information at all about this band, other than to describe them as a "mystery" (how helpful), and compare their music to the work of outside '70s free improv artists from Europe (the FMP label) and Japan (Masayuki Takayangi, Kaoru Abe). We're also told that this mysterious group hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Do we believe it? Maybe. We'd like to.
Certainly their music has a dark, strange vibe - literally, vibrations - cycles of low-end droning, sounding like giant metal springs being vibrated... or more likely, electric guitars, detuned. Strings/springs flapping loosely, arcing with electricity. Weird and atmospheric. Like Harry Bertoia meets Caspar Brotzmann!?
That's the first track (2:19) and part of the second into which it flows (25:05). But before long, the lengthy track two develops a serious case of screaming, saxophone/flute/clarinet skree, definitely giving some skronked-out substance to those free jazz comparisons. It's pretty intense and extreme, right on for those into Rudolph Grey's Blue Humans, John Zorn's Painkiller, Peter Brotzmann, Charles Gayle, Arthur Doyle, Albert Ayler, cats like that... yet it's definitely not, y'know, jazz. More like "jazz" for fans of SUNNO))) and Aufgehoben... or drone music for fans of Borbetomagus. Dense and distorted, this is the sound of plunging into the abyss, with a witches' chorus of reed-squealing cacophony as company.
The third track, clocking in at 19:42, is almost as much of a juggernaut. More whale-call feedback guitar grind, murk and moodiness. And then this disc comes to a close with the brief (1:58), relatively quiet caresses of fourth, final track. An eerie, wispy coda that could be the soundtrack music heard as a landing party from TV's Star Trek beams down to some strange, oddly lit world... and they should be glad they don't have to face whatever alien threats the album's earlier tracks would provide cues for!
Curious stuff, this Klangmutationen. Heavy too. We're enjoying repeat spins of this disc, and also should mention we have another release of theirs, yet to be reviewed - an LP on the Holy Mountain label (which affiliation in itself is a recommendation).
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"

LINDSTROM Where You Go I Go Too (Smalltown Supersound) 2lp 25.00
Now on vinyl!
It would be difficult to say that Lindstrom has finally come into his own, but it's really not his fault. Given the retro-modern angle of his entire project, it's not really even a good or bad thing. The sounds, the composition, the melodic structures, they're all questionably '80s. Not '80s like Giorgio Moroder or Daniele Baldelli - as most commonly referenced, but more like a blend of Jan Hammer, Rick Astley, and, like, Paul Lekakis? Sure, a little John Carpenter even. If you can overlook all the kitsch, the bizarre nostalgia for music that may or may not have really been necessary, then Lindstrom is your guy. This particular release shows him both more minimal and more maximal, restrained and indulgent. Each of the three tracks unfold slowly, releasing one arpeggiation after another, deftly resting upon various analog drum sounds and sampled percussive devices. The production is great as usual, and no doubt the guy must have an impressive collection of vintage synths, etc. So far as songwriting, it's suspiciously absent. As with the majority of his releases, the focus is on process, development, and a definite amount of abandon as a listener. Just sitting back and seeing where he wants to take you, which is more often than not just some '80s soundtrack. Sure, "I Feel Space" was a great track, and undoubtedly helped to spark the fairly recent explosion of space disco and gave people a strange justification to somehow openly talk about Todd Rundgren as a musical hero, or something. However, the promise of that single has largely fallen flat. Truth be told, this release is better than his usual fare, but not really essential for anyone other than completists or huge fans.
MPEG Stream: "Grand Ideas"
MPEG Stream: "The Long Way Home"

MERCH Crash Boom Bash (Sassafras) cd 11.98
Merch is the perfect name for this young DIY pop-punk outfit of local transplants from Fresno, California who have been rocking the all-ages scene with their infectiously hook-y lo-fi power anthems. Made even more off-kilter due to their unique use of cello and banjo as well as electric guitar as lead instruments, this reminds us at times of early Pavement, Camper Van Beethoven and Guided By Voices, but done in a way that feels like more of their own making rather than deliberately mining similar sonic influences. A fine debut that makes great use of its rough-around-the-edges production with fun catchy songs that stay with us long after they're over. Cool!
MPEG Stream: "Boxcar"
MPEG Stream: "Short Stint"
MPEG Stream: "What Business Is It of Yours?"

MILLER, POLK This Old South Quartette (Tompkins Square) cd 15.98
Boy, this is a strange one. Not your standard old tyme fare, Polk Miller was a rare figure in the world of early American musical theater. Born in Virginia, and a Civil War veteran who fought for the South, he dropped a lucrative pharmaceutical and veterinarian medicine career (he created the first pet-care products for what would become Sargent) to follow his musical dream, leading a traveling all-black singing group, playing banjo and spinning song-stories about his plantation upbringing and singing songs that adopted the vernacular and celebrated the rural and musical traditions of pre-war black life. But a mixed-race group removed from the element of farce and without the use of black-face was a bold concept in the 1890's, garnering praise and derision from both Northern and Southern audiences. His highest praise came from Mark Twain, who suffered similarly divided criticisms for Huckleberry Finn. But the show and the group were very popular nonetheless lasting off and on for over 30 years, even after Miller died in 1913.
Culled from seven cylinder recordings made in 1909 and seven rare 78 rpm recordings made almost 20 years later in 1928, this disc this has some of the earliest recordings of whites and blacks playing together and some of the best examples of pre-war American gospel music. But the most interesting songs are the strange musical theater numbers such as "Laughing Song", that sounds like characters from a maniacal Disneyland ride and "Pussycat Rag" consisting of the quartette singing like, well, cats. Songs like, ah, "Watermelon Party" may cause some cringing, but let's face it, music rarely gets as unashamedly real as this!
MPEG Stream: "Laughing Song"
MPEG Stream: "Oysters and Wine at 2 AM"
MPEG Stream: "Pussycat Rag"

MIRAH The Old Days Of Feeling (Modern Radio Record Label) cd 11.98
While folks like Teegan & Sara and Feist have used a similar yet much more slick aesthetic to achieve big success and relative fame, our hearts will always be with Mirah when it comes to interesting, introspective and bittersweet indie pop/folk. The Old Days Of Feeling compiles lots of hard to find tracks from cassettes, 7"s and other releases as well as a handful of unreleased tracks. Kimya Dawson might have been the lucky one to get the call from Juno filmmakers and become the latest former underground lo-fi rocker to hit the bigtime, but it could have just as easily been Mirah getting that call as her songs are just as honest, endearing, and heart wrenching. With lots of these songs recorded on 4-track with bare bones production it's a great reminder of how strong the core of Mirah's songwriting really is and how her charisma shines whether with an orchestra by her side or alone in her bedroom.
MPEG Stream: "The Place"
MPEG Stream: "Heat Gets Hotter"
MPEG Stream: "Get It?"

MOU, LIPS! Untree (Moar) cd 13.98
Mou, Lips! is the work of Andrea Gabriele formerly of the Italian project Tu m'; and here, Gabriele ventures into the digital headspace of pixel-point abstraction with smartly placed hints of a pop sweet tooth. His tone-bent digital errata and languid samples of intimately plucked classical guitar, blurting trumpets, maudlin French horns, and scratchy violins from old '78s return to some of the finer moments of post-pop electronica that Sonig and Mille Plateaux were championing many years ago. Untree is a quirky and playful album which lends itself to sounding like Terry Riley being redone by Lithops and / or Vladislav Delay.
MPEG Stream: "Non E Colpa Mia!"
MPEG Stream: "Untree"

NACHTMYSTIUM Worldfall (Mexican Summer / Kemado) 12" 15.98
Now On Vinyl! Numbered and limited to 1000 copies, comes with download card.
Here's what we said about the cd version of this ep, which preceded their recent full-length from these Chicago psychedelic black metallers, Assassins: Black Meddle Part I:
There's just two new songs here, one very very psych, slow and spacey ("Worldfall") and another much more traditionally black metally ("Depravity"). There's also a re-recording of an older tune of theirs ("Solitary Voyage"), and two covers: Death In June's "Rose Clouds Of Holocaust" and Goatsnakes's "IV", interesting 'cause industrial-folk and Sabbathy stoner-doom are not exactly Nachtmystium's core sound.
So, how does it stack up? We gotta say whoa, the blasting tracks two and three remind us a lot of With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness era At the Gates. Fucking rad! Also, the Death In June cover is shockingly faithful to the original, and the Goatsnake cover is pretty good too, even those of us who don't like Goatsnake that much agreed. Again it's pretty faithful, but has been black metallized with raspy vocals improving upon the original... so, something for everyone here, or maybe just for Nachtmystium fans.
MPEG Stream: "Worldfall"
MPEG Stream: "Rose Clouds Of Holocaust"

NEGURA BUNGET Om (Enucleation) lp 27.00
Finally available on vinyl, this amazing slab of beautifully bizarre Romanian blackness. Thick vinyl, super deluxe gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves. Limited of course, and most importantly, an exclusive vinyl BONUS TRACK not on the cd version! Here's our original review:
Brand new record from unconventional Romanian black metallers Negura Bunget, who began life as a buzzing Norwegian style shrieking black metal beast, sonically quite reminiscent of legendary SF horde Weakling, but who quickly developed into a super unique, folk flecked avant metal combo, mixing their buzzing blackness, with traditional folk melodies, plenty of ambient drone, and with Romanian lyrical themes well outside the prescribed satanic and evil norms of their black brethren.
On this, their latest record, they spread their wings even further, letting songs and parts of songs, develop slowly, build even more gradually, or bliss out into long stretches of droning buzz.
Following a similar path as Enslaved, the band continue to incorporate more and more distinctly un-black metal elements, in the process becoming more and more proggy, with extended song structures, lengthy convoluted instrumental passages, LOTS of keyboards, multiple vocals and unlikely harmonies, dense rhythmic workouts and thick fuzzy almost-postrock. Quite weird, so much so that it sometimes doesn't feel like a black metal record at all. More of a super heavy, atmospheric rock record, with little bits of thrash and prog and blackness mixed in.
Om is most definitely the most moody and atmospheric of NB's releases. Plenty of time is definitely spent buzzing and blasting blackly, but it feels like more of the record is split between loping midtempo jams, long stretches of ethereal space rock ambience and gorgeous bits of dreamy dronefolk drift.
A few folks we spoke to found the new NB a little too out there, too melodic, and not nearly black enough, but as far as we're concerned, Om is plenty black, it's just surrounded by various shades of grey (even some light blues and browns), which, if you're like us, and you like your black metal unpredictable and confusional, then that's exactly what you want. And need!
MPEG Stream: "Tesarul De Lumini"
MPEG Stream: "Conoas Terea Tacuta"

O'HAGAN, SEAN & JEAN PIERRE MULLER The Musical Paintings Volume 1 (Drag City) book+cd 17.98
High Llamas fans, you probably don't want to miss this! Indeed, you're probably already well aware that band leader Sean O'Hagan composes plenty of lovely music outside of his main band, right? But you probably weren't able to attend the various aural art installations he and Belgian pop-artist Jean Pierre Muller have collaborated on for the past half decade, were you? This new book+cd set, though nowhere near the actual experience of being in those environments, will have to do!
The 5.5"x6" 96-page hardcover book is filled with full color photo documentation of the first two installations' preparation, Muller's touch-sensitive art pieces as well as the attendees interacting with them.
The cd features O'Hagan's unmistakable soft-focus space age cocktail hour soundtracks which formed the interactive sonic loops in the installation. Their burbling dreaminess make for quite a languid contrast to the immediacy of the eye-poppingly vibrant paint and collage visuals!
MPEG Stream: "Almond Return"
MPEG Stream: "Ocean No Ocean"

PAYSAGE D'HIVER logo patch patch 8.98
Super cool embroidered patch from one of our favorite black metal bands. Black and white and silver, the band's logo frosted with snow. Your denim vest wants one of these soooooo bad. We only have a tiny handful of these so don't be too bummed out if they're gone before you get one...

PLANKTON WAT Crystal Wizard (Stunned) cd-r 8.98
Freakin' awesome steel stringed explorations through space and time with Dewey Mahood, guitarist of Portland's Eternal Tapestry! He's released a handful of tapes in the past, but Crystal Wizard is the first cd-r release from this psychedelic mystery man, and it's a doozy. Layers of bells, hazy vocal drones and colorful whips of delayed guitar adorn the steel-stringed compositions. Roots music meets psychedelia in a wild hoopla of acoustic trippiness. Super limited and complete with cosmic artwork by Mr. Mahood himself. Yes!

MPEG Stream: "Still Water"
MPEG Stream: "Serenity Boundless in Black Night"

RAGLANI Of Sirens Born (Kranky) cd 14.98
Joseph Raglani has released a handful of micro-editions on cd-r, cassette, and lp during the past four or five years, operating in a Klaus Schulze / Cluster vein of synthetic orchestration before catching the attention of Kranky Records. With all of the swoop and sweep of Raglani's electronics that parallel the drone-rock of Growing and Stars Of The Lid, Kranky is a good fit for Raglani. He casts a wide net of aesthetics on Of Sirens Born with some lovely pastoral moments coaxed from sampled harp and strings not that far removed from Colleen's lilting sound; and later on, he ignites a powderkeg of Merzbowian noise which disintegrates into atonal bowings of metal. But his deftly rendered ambience is rife with plenty of squiggle and slow-burning crescendos from his patch bay synthesizer, forming the crux of this enjoyable album.
MPEG Stream: "Of Sirens Born"
MPEG Stream: "Rivers in the Promise of Wood"
MPEG Stream: "Jubilee"

RENAULT, HELENE Perfection's Somewhere Near Your Bones (self-released) cd-r 11.98
Sunny local French ex-pat singer / songwriter Helene Renault has been playing around San Francisco for a few years now, touring with the likes of Ruthann Friedman, Bart Davenport and Sean Smith. We've always been fans, and before her new record comes out next year (recorded by Jason Quever of Papercuts), we've managed to get a handful of her self-released debut from a couple of years back. Inspired by British folk and French pop, she weaves her delicate guitar playing through wistful and melancholic original songs with a couple of covers, one a beautiful rendition of John Martyn's "Run Sally Run". Perfect for these last few warm weeks of fall! Fans of Sibyelle Baier, Ruthann Friedman, and Francoise Hardy take note!
MPEG Stream: "I Know"
MPEG Stream: "Spring Wind"
MPEG Stream: "Run Honey Run"

ROEDELIUS, HANS-JOACHIM & TIM STORY Inlandish (Gronland) cd 14.98
Most 74 year olds aren't still making vital music, let alone going on tours with their kraut/kosmische pioneering outfits Cluster and Harmonia, but then again Hans-Joachim Roedelius really does seem like one of a kind. Hot on the heels of his stunning performances here in the Bay Area with Cluster (including a never to be forgotten AQ instore!) Roedelius has quietly released a new collaborative album with Tim Story. And while the pairing of Roedelius with a Windham Hill alumni may make some AQ faithful squirm, we have to say that while this does fall on the very soft and pretty side of things it still remains very tasteful, and shimmers with a subtle beauty and a hazy gaze. Like some of the more calming and subdued outings by folks we love like Harold Budd, Max Richter and Brian Eno, Roedelius proves that even when he's in a soothing kind of mood he's able to transcend the mediocre new-age/massage parlor sound of other artists of a similar ilk, who forego subtly and lay the schmaltz on thick. We've been giving Klimek and the Pop Ambient series a break from being our go-to-sleep nighttime listening, and in their place, Inlandish has been the perfect soundtrack to guide us to a blissful dreamstate.
MPEG Stream: "As It Were"
MPEG Stream: "Ripple And Fade"

SCHULTZ, STEVEN AND FRIENDS Stalin Claus Superstar! (Spam Records) 4cd 14.98
On New Arrivals list #301, we began a perhaps ill advised campaign to relist all of the insane and ridiculous releases by long time aQ pal, and musical, um... genius, Steven Schultz. Now living in Japan, with a wife and a child, he left us a stash of records, so we could spread the word to a whole new generation! Folks who just discovered aQ and the list, might have missed out on some of these gems, none more over the top, baffling and befuddling than this massive 4cd rock opera. Here's what we had to say about it when we first listed it way back in 2001. But be warned, only a very few can handle the brain frying whatthefuck that is STALIN CLAUS SUPERSTAR!!!
Subtitled, Another Suplex Prune Hittite Fantasy! But we think this needs a little more explanation. Argh. Ok, some of you will remember Steven Schultz for his remarkable History of Vats cd, or his rap album, the I Forgot To Get A Rap Name! cd-r. Now, although I doubt the world is ready, he unleashes his most absurd opus yet: the three-and-a-half-hour, four-cd boxed-set rock opera "Stalin Claus Superstar!". And it's only 15 bucks (how do they do it?). Yes, Steve, with co-composer/collaborator Jason Kocol (who, in a small-world-after-all twist, was second runner up in the Guitar Godathon contest that Allan got to judge a few years back!) and a cast of thousands, have created what must be the most STUPID yet impressively massive and well-executed (and thus, sad) home-recorded rock opera (or anything) ever! Musically, this ranges from faux-soundtrack orchestrations to circus-y Frank Zappa/Mr. Bungle goofiness to pretty excellent black metal pastiche and indie-rock parody. Did we mention Frank Zappa? Yes. And if 4-cds of just the music itself wouldn't drive you insane, then there's the crucial matter of the lyrics. This is where it gets *really* stupid. The opera is about, uh, ohmigod I can't cope... concepts/characters like Captain Lou Albano and his Evil Black Metal Beardhairs, a Hittite Salesman, Hulk Hogan, a singing bedpan, Retin-A, Spectral Carl Sagan...argh. Here are some of the song titles: "The Bodyslamming of the Flowcharts in Full Effect", "Check Your Elf Before You Wreck Your Elf", "Fuckin' Ancient Sumer", "Self-Ripping Shirt Negotiations In Grueling Detail"...argh. I give up. Let me just quote from Steve's introduction in the liner notes, where he both describes the opera and attempts to pre-empt criticism: "...the plot ties together cutting-edge neurobiology, pro wrestling, the secrets of Stonehenge, Black Metal madness, the hidden connection between Santa and Stalin, Bronze age tribes of the Mideast, the spread of media empires via satellite communication, and of course the archeological ramifications of the Slim Jim. Why? Why take on a musical project as insanely difficult as it is totally unnecessary? Why do something so complex as to baffle all but the most intelligent, and yet so juvenile as to alienate anyone with half a brain? So preposterous it would embarrass Wagner, yet so...well anyway... The answer is simple: this opera answers the universal human questions of our age...Why do we grow old and die? How does Retin-A really work? What's in that omelet? What happens if a bunch of senile Systems Analysts shoot Randy Savage's brain at an unsuspecting Iraqi plum farmer who fancies himself a Muslim Marqui Marq? Well perhaps the answer to the last question is common knowledge these days, what with the 'internet' and all, but clearly Americans are ready to ask the other questions. If you really want to know the hidden connection between Stalinism and Stonehenge, would you trust N'Sync to provide all the answers? Garth Brooks? Deicide??? No, you'll have to turn to us -- the 'operageneers'!"
The four cds come packaged in a cardboard box, complete with a thick booklet providing you with the entire libretto, and more. Basically, this is the Conet Project of "comedy"! (that is, if you can consider this comedy...)
This also features a special guest star, a certain local metal singer who desperately desires to remain anonymous (hint: it's Mike Scalzi of Slough Feg, formerly of Hammers Of Misfortune), who, as a favor for Steve, played the role of Hulk Hogan! ...I also think I heard Bob Dylan on here...
So, if you think pro wrestling characters from the '80s are amusing and that the slang term 'hella' is funny and you like Frank Zappa, or if you are simply a connoisseur of the idiotically ridiculous, this is for you!! Don't say we didn't warn you. Basically, if you can stand to listen to the entire thing, you've got problems. (See http://www.hellodamage.com/warusaru/stalinclaus/finalflow2.gif for a helpful flowchart explaining the, uh, plot.)
MPEG Stream: "Kaos In My Beard"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled"

SHEARWATER Rook (Matador) cd 12.98
Following their acclaimed 2007 concept album Palo Santo, Texas band Shearwater deliver another haunting, dramatic work. Whether its title refers to the bird or chess piece of the same name we aren't certain (it's probably the second because main man Jonathan Meiburg studies ornithology), but both are quite apropos. The ten songs are imbued with the airborne grace of the former and the formidable icy stone gravity of the latter. If you've yet to hear this band's music, imagining a more ominous Coldplay (whom the band has opened for in concert) is a good place to start. Their sound at once harkens back to '70s UK folk rock as well as perhaps early '90s Talk Talk and the late '90s epic loud-quiet postrock of Godspeed or Mogwai. The swooping high vocals of Meiburg conjuring comparisons to Nick Drake, Mark Kozelek or Ron Sexsmith. Fans of any/all of the above, definitely check this somber beauty out!
MPEG Stream: "Rooks"
MPEG Stream: "Home Life"

SI, CLARO Static on the Station (Phonograph) 7" 4.98
Folks in SF probably remember Brian Girgus from stints behind the kit for AmRep noise rockers Lowercase and of course beloved SF popsters Track Star, but since then, Girgus has been doing something a little different. Well a LOT different than Lowercase, a little different from Trackstar.
The sound is still pop, but unlike Trackstar's jagged loud/soft noisepop, Si, Claro is more straight ahead, more simple and heartfelt. For a while now Girgus has been playing around town with nothing but an acoustic guitar, but for his first foray into a recording studio, he recruited a whole band, and even recorded one track in Sweden with Wyatt from Trackstar. The sound is quite reminiscent of nineties college rock, pure jangle indie rock. Though where Trackstar channeled Pavement, Girgus is less concerned with the noise and dynamics and snark of that side of indie rock, and instead focuses on simple solid songcraft. The two track are both straight ahead, verse chorus verse, acoustic they sounded a bit folky, but fleshed out with an actual band, they sound surprisingly lush, multiple guitars, strummed acoustic and sharper electric, some piano here and there, the drumming solid and swinging, and Girgus' vocals sweet and earnest, the lyrics are simple, sincere, the delivery plaintive, perfectly suited to the strum and jangle and shuffle that backs it up.
A sweetly solid chunk of modern indie jangle pop.

TERRORIZER issue #174 magazine 9.99
We said we'd now be getting this essential UK magazine of metallic (and other) extremity on a regular basis, and so we are. Here's #174, right on schedule!
Paradise Lost, Anathema and My Dying Bride share the cover, celebrating 20 years of the British doom-death scene they helped create. Also, stuck to the cover: a -double- cd sampler, with tracks from PL, MDB, Anathema, Oakenshield, Canvas Solaris, Dragonforce, Darkspace, Dwellers Of Twilight, Coffins, and loads more.
Inside the magazine, there's stuff on Esoteric, Motorhead, Krisiun, Gnaw Their Tongues, Krallice, The Wounded Kings, Kalmah, Wold, Harkonin, Coffins... Genghis Tron/Nachtmystium on tour, Destruction (the band) in the studio, a label profile on 20 Buck Spin, an Italian death metal scene report, tons and tons of reviews, and a look back at Possessed's classic Seven Churches. Oh, and Anaal Nathrakh do the "Hard Of Hearing" feature, guessing as to the identity of a bunch of tracks being played for them, getting stumped by everything except for Iron Monkey...

TINDERSTICKS Hungry Saw (Constellation) cd 15.98
Tindersticks creep their way back into our hearts with their latest (and seventh) album - their first studio full length since 2003's Waiting For The Moon. As always, their music lures you into its clutches with its balance of soulful threadbare emotions, gently caressing instrumentations and slowly (downward) spiralling arrangements. No one captures the essence of devastatingly beautiful despair like Stuart Staples and co. However, there are a couple of unexpected numbers on Hungry Saw in which the band, dare we say, almost has a skip in their step - case in point, the title track! Nevertheless, this is classic Tindersticks, a fine bruise-red vintage to drown your sorrows in. Sure to not only please their legions of devoted fans, but also captivate many new ones!
MPEG Stream: "The Other Side Of The World"
MPEG Stream: "Hungry Saw"

TINDERSTICKS Hungry Saw (Constellation) lp 15.98
Tindersticks creep their way back into our hearts with their latest (and seventh) album - their first studio full length since 2003's Waiting For The Moon. As always, their music lures you into its clutches with its balance of soulful threadbare emotions, gently caressing instrumentations and slowly (downward) spiralling arrangements. No one captures the essence of devastatingly beautiful despair like Stuart Staples and co. However, there are a couple of unexpected numbers on Hungry Saw in which the band, dare we say, almost has a skip in their step - case in point, the title track! Nevertheless, this is classic Tindersticks, a fine bruise-red vintage to drown your sorrows in. Sure to not only please their legions of devoted fans, but also captivate many new ones!
MPEG Stream: "The Other Side Of The World"
MPEG Stream: "Hungry Saw"

WAX POETICS #30 magazine 9.99
Without a doubt, one of the most passionate and well written music magazines around. Now on their 30th issue, Wax Poetics has been a shining light for all of us who love and need plenty of soul, funk, psych and free minded jazz in our lives. This issue is "The Rock Issue" and there are some great articles on AQ favorites like Rodriguez, Black Merda and cover stars Bad Brains. Also a Turkish psych primer, memorial pieces on Bo Didley, Jimmy McGriff, Ike Turner and Buddy Miles, and more. There are really insightful features on the last great Elvis Presley record In Memphis, a great feature on Dave Bartholomew, interviews with The Rascals, Don Letts and Ernie Isley... Wax Poetics is really one of the only music magazines we devour and read cover to cover every issue. Informative and so well written, with such obvious love for the music they cover. Filled with tons of amazing photos as well, each issue always so cohesive and such an obvious labor of love.

WEST COAST POP ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND, THE Part One (Reprise / Rhino) lp 14.98
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band is one of those groups whose status in the collectorskum underground means that plenty of folks found themselves forking over HUGE sums for copies of the original releases. Thankfully most of their recorded output was reissued on cd by the excellent reissue label Sundazed. And now released on vinyl by Reprise / Rhino. This band never quite made it big, never had a hit record, but god were they good. They were stalwarts on the LA pop scene in the late '60s and released six albums (we think). The music is arty and psychedelic but also totally appealing and approachable, like a weird mix of Capt Beefheart and the Association or the Byrds. Very fun and very "of its time" - with several anti-Vietnam War songs, the requisite sitars, Fifth Dimension-style vocals, lyrics invoking fairies and dwarves, etc. Their sound was alternately sweet and silly, epic and serious... and you must hear it!
We recently discovered that what looks like the main guy in the band (he's in the middle in all the pictures) was this eccentric trust fund millionaire who kind of took over the band by buying them a big ole psychedelic light show system (their live performances were famous for this) and who was so annoying and odd that the other guys in the band tried to not let him do anything else on stage but play tambourine. The other band members, say they hated him and feel like they would've been a better more popular band without him etc. Sour grapes! But perhaps that's what made the band so amazing, the push and pull of varying aesthetics resulting in a beautiful music. Needless to say, all three of these albums are essential listening, and these reissues are super swank, done up right, and not all that expensive. Definitely Recommended.

WEST COAST POP ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND, THE Vol. 2 (Reprise / Rhino) lp 14.98
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band is one of those groups whose status in the collectorskum underground means that plenty of folks found themselves forking over HUGE sums for copies of the original releases. Thankfully most of their recorded output was reissued on cd by the excellent reissue label Sundazed. And now released on vinyl by Reprise / Rhino. This band never quite made it big, never had a hit record, but god were they good. They were stalwarts on the LA pop scene in the late '60s and released six albums (we think). The music is arty and psychedelic but also totally appealing and approachable, like a weird mix of Capt Beefheart and the Association or the Byrds. Very fun and very "of its time" - with several anti-Vietnam War songs, the requisite sitars, Fifth Dimension-style vocals, lyrics invoking fairies and dwarves, etc. Their sound was alternately sweet and silly, epic and serious... and you must hear it!
We recently discovered that what looks like the main guy in the band (he's in the middle in all the pictures) was this eccentric trust fund millionaire who kind of took over the band by buying them a big ole psychedelic light show system (their live performances were famous for this) and who was so annoying and odd that the other guys in the band tried to not let him do anything else on stage but play tambourine. The other band members, say they hated him and feel like they would've been a better more popular band without him etc. Sour grapes! But perhaps that's what made the band so amazing, the push and pull of varying aesthetics resulting in a beautiful music. Needless to say, all three of these albums are essential listening, and these reissues are super swank, done up right, and not all that expensive. Definitely Recommended.

WEST COAST POP ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND, THE Vol. 3: A Child's Guide to Good and Evil (Reprise / Rhino) lp 14.98
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band is one of those groups whose status in the collectorskum underground means that plenty of folks found themselves forking over HUGE sums for copies of the original releases. Thankfully most of their recorded output was reissued on cd by the excellent reissue label Sundazed. And now released on vinyl by Reprise / Rhino. This band never quite made it big, never had a hit record, but god were they good. They were stalwarts on the LA pop scene in the late '60s and released six albums (we think). The music is arty and psychedelic but also totally appealing and approachable, like a weird mix of Capt Beefheart and the Association or the Byrds. Very fun and very "of its time" - with several anti-Vietnam War songs, the requisite sitars, Fifth Dimension-style vocals, lyrics invoking fairies and dwarves, etc. Their sound was alternately sweet and silly, epic and serious... and you must hear it!
We recently discovered that what looks like the main guy in the band (he's in the middle in all the pictures) was this eccentric trust fund millionaire who kind of took over the band by buying them a big ole psychedelic light show system (their live performances were famous for this) and who was so annoying and odd that the other guys in the band tried to not let him do anything else on stage but play tambourine. The other band members, say they hated him and feel like they would've been a better more popular band without him etc. Sour grapes! But perhaps that's what made the band so amazing, the push and pull of varying aesthetics resulting in a beautiful music. Needless to say, all three of these albums are essential listening, and these reissues are super swank, done up right, and not all that expensive. Definitely Recommended.

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V/A Encyclopedia Asthmatica Vol. 1 (Asthmatic Kitty) dvd 15.98
Whoops, how'd this one slip under our radar? Encyclopedia Asthmatica Vol. 1 presents 32 playful, whimsical visuals from the ultra blissed out indie label's roster of gentle folk and electronic pop - Sufjan Stevens, The Curtains, Castanets, Shapes And Sizes, Half-Handed Cloud, Rafter, Bunky, Liz Janes, My Brightest Diamond! A hi-fi and lo-fi mix of animation, live clips, found footage and more, the dvd's probably worth nabbing for the Stevens clips alone, but the rest are super dreamy delights too!

V/A No Noise Compilation (Even Stilte) cd 12.98
This international, experimental comp from the Japan-based Even Stilte label features a couple big AQ faves, Birchville Cat Motel and Reynols, among others. The comp's called No Noise, but that title is ironic or something. Somebody call the Better Business Bureau with a truth in advertising complaint. Yes Noise is more like it. And if you don't think the first track (by Japanese skreemongers Dustbreeders aided and abetted by vocalist Junko from Hijokaidan) is noisy enough, first of all you're either deaf or crazy, and second of all, ok see what you think of track two, from Japan's even noisier Guilty Connector. We literally had to leap to the stereo to turn it down. It's noise all right, of the universe collapsing all around you in a howling tumble of feedback and fuzzed out, fucked up distortion variety. Damn. Halfway through, though, this track takes a turn into much less loud realm of insectoid buzz and freeform clatter, which actually is more the sort of "noise" that this comp itself is mostly about. Instead of the full-on, speaker-shredding, ear-shrivelling noise, of the first track and a half, this delves into some smaller noises as well. And also even some shambolic, avant-rock ritual strangeness from Argentina's wonderful Reynols. But mostly abstract, soundscapey drone stuff for the most part. Such as, the aforementioned BCM turns in a track that seemingly tunes in the zings of long thin wires. Electric zapping and humming and hissing.
We were also interested to hear from the artists that we weren't so familiar with, like Sky Burial, whose track is a moody drift, rising and falling in rumbling, soothing swells. Someone or something named Phrog provides even more minimal, "microscopic" sounds, vaguely field-recording-ish, as is Dave Phillips' lengthily-titled yet barely-there "From Wars Over Control and Oil to Environmental and Mental Destruction and Renewable Sources and Minds (at a Loss for Words)". Kyoshi Mizutani's "Yamaokmai Tunnel" is another one probably constructed from environmental sources. And Acid Mothers Temple member Tabata, if he used field recordings, they must have been loops of someone shooting down aliens in an anonymous videogame, processed into something much calmer. Somewhat more active is the track by Rudolf Eb.er (of Runzelstirn & Gurglestock infamy), a chopped-up soundscape, that settles into an uneasy, clomping rhythm. (Eb.er also provided the "Body World" styled cover painting for this cd.) So, while far from "No Noise" this comp is a good way to get to -know- some noise, in all its extremes, from around the world.
All the tracks here are apparently exclusive, except possibly the GC one. So we were told by the Even Stilte label boss, from whom we picked up just handful of these comps, when he stopped by the store whilst passing through SF recently.
MPEG Stream: BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL "Noise Is Everpresent"
MPEG Stream: SKY BURIAL "Awakening From Someone Else's Dream"
MPEG Stream: GUILTY CONNECTOR "Yopparai Asagaya - Last Suginami Session"

V/A PDX Pop Now! 2008 (PDX Pop Now!) 2cd 7.98
No doubt about it, there is so much great music and art coming out of Portland lately. Not to sound bitter, but we here in San Francisco have lost some of our most talented folks in recent years to the cheaper rent and more laid back lifestyle up in Portland and some of them (Yellow Swans, SubArachnoid Space) pop up on this great two disc collection, which features a wide variety of PDX music including talented folks like Yacht, Valet, Au, New Bloods, Pink Martini, Panther and a bunch more. Forty songs in all and for sure something for everyone on here. Compiled by the folks at PDX Pop Now, a really cool nonprofit in Portland that helps provide resources, venues and facilitate a true sense of community amongst the musicians and audience members in the independent arts scene in Portland. So cool.
MPEG Stream: VALET "We Went There"
MPEG Stream: AU "Are Animals"
MPEG Stream: YACHT "Ring The Bell (Premix)"

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SILVER JEWS Silver Jew (Drag City) dvd 15.98
Faithful indie rockers knew that prior to 2006 there wasn't a hope in hell that they'd be seeing one of their favorite bands live in concert. Silver Jews' team captain David Berman chose to keep it that way, much to his fans despair. So, why the change of heart after fifteen long years? We've no idea, and we choose not to pry, but the band hit the road, and how! They toured right across the country and around the globe. This dvd doesn't document the entire trip, but heck, we've all seen tons of footage of bands on the road, right? The grueling, the touching, the hilarious, the ho hum, etc., etc. Instead filmmaker Michael Tully chose to focus on one particular stop in the band's travels, the distant land of Tel Aviv, Israel. The film does include a few clips of the band performing live, but more so, it resonates with the profound intimate impact the visit had on Berman. A must-see for any Silver Jews fan!




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5TH DIMENSION, THE  "The Magic Garden"  (Rev-Ola)  cd  15.98
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO  "Hotter Than Inferno: Live
In Osaka 2007"  (AMT)  dvd  21.00
ADRENALIN O.D.  "The Wacky Hi-Jinks Of..."  (Chunksaah)  2cd  15.98
ALICE COOPER  "Muscle Of Love"  (Warner Bros)  cd  13.98
ANNEXUS QUAM  "Osmose"  (Captain Trip)  cd  33.00
AZRAEL  "Obdurate / Unto Death"  (Moribund)  cd  14.98
BAHIMIRON  "Southern Nihilizm"  (Moribund)  cd  14.98
BASTIEN, PIERRE  "Visions Of Doing"  (Western Vinyl)  cd  14.98
BEHEXEN  "My Soul For His Glory"  (Moribund)  cd  14.98
BOSTON SPACESHIPS  "Brown Submarine"  (Guided By Voices)  cd  14.98
BUNNY BRAINS, THE  "What Makes You Think You Can Save Yourself (From
Yourself)?"  (self-released)  cd  13.98
CAMPBELL, ISOBEL & MARK LANEGAN  "Sunday At Devil Dirt"  (V2)  cd  25.00
CAPTAIN BEYOND  "Dawn Explosion"  (Friday Music)  cd  15.98
CELESTIAL BLOODSHED  "Cursed, Scarred and Forever
Possessed"  (Moribund)  cd  14.98
CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO  "Rodante"  (ZZK)  cd  16.98
CHASSE, LOREN  "The Footpath"  (Naturestrip)  cd  16.98
COLD WAR KIDS  "Loyalty To Loyalty"  (Downtown Records)  cd+dvd  21.00
COOPER, ALICE  "From The Inside"  (Warner Bros)  cd  13.98
COSMIC FORCE  "Ghetto Down"  (Truth and Soul)  12"  8.98
COURTIS, ALAN  "Unstringed Guitar & Cymbals"  (Blossoming Noise)  cd 14.98
CRYSTAL ANTLERS  "EP"  (Touch & Go)  cd  8.98
DEAD C  "Secret Earth"  (Ba Da Bing)  cd  10.98
DEATH VESSEL  "Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us"  (Sub Pop)  cd  13.98
DIGITAL LEATHER  "Sorcerer"  (Goner Records)  cd  10.98
DIPLO  "I Like Turtles"  (Mad Greasy)  cd  9.98
DJ / RUPTURE  "Uproot"  (The Agriculture Records)  cd  16.98
DRY RIB  "Whose Last Trickle"  (Hyped To Death)  cd  12.98
DUNGEN  "Satt Att Se"  (Subliminal Sounds)  12"  16.98
DUSK & BLACKDOWN  "Margins Music"  (Keysound Recordings)  cd  15.98
EMPEROR MACHINE  "What's In The Box"  (DC Recordings)  12"  13.98
ETERNAL TAPESTRY  "Mystic Induction"  (Not Not Fun)  lp  14.98
FALCONER  "Among Beggars And Thieves"  (Matal Blade)  cd  14.98
FANISK  "Die and Become"  (Stellar Winter)  cd  13.98
FANNYPACK  "Ghetto Bootleg"  (Tommy Boy)  cd  14.98
FAXED HEAD  "From Coalinga To Osaka: Live In Japan 1985"  (Web Of Mimicry)  dvd 14.98
FIVE OR SIX  "Acting On Impulse"  (Cherry Red)  cd  17.98
FLAMES OF HELL  "Fire and Steel"  (Draconian Records)  cd  18.98
FREEDOM'S CHILDREN  "Astra"  (Shadoks / Normal)  cd  17.98
FREEDOM'S CHILDREN  "Battle Hymn Of The Broken-Hearted
Horde"  (Shadoks / Normal)  cd  17.98
FREEDOM'S CHILDREN  "Galactic Vibes"  (Shadoks / Normal)  cd  17.98
FUCK BUTTONS  "Colours Move"  (ATP)  12"  10.98
FUCKED UP  "Crooked Head"  (Matador)  7"  3.98
FUCKED UP  "The Chemistry Of Common Life"  (Matador)  cd  13.98
GAYE, MARVIN  "What's Going On"  (Vinyl Lovers)  lp  31.00
GENGHIS TRON  "Remixed"  (Temporary Residence)  12"  14.98
GILLESPIE, DANA  "Box Of Surprises"  (Rev-Ola)  cd  17.98
GLASS CANDY  "Beatbox"  (Italians Do It Better)  lp+7"  14.98
GOTO80  "Made On Internet"  (Pinipung)  cd  17.98
HANK IV  "Refuge In Genre"  (Siltbreeze)  lp  14.98
HATCHET  "Awaiting Evil"  (Metal Blade)  cd  13.98
HEALTH  "Triceratops/Lost Time"  (Lovepump)  12"  14.98
HERMANN, BERNARD  "Aldous Huxley's Brave New World"  (El / Cherry Red)  cd  17.98
HILL, ZACH  "Astrological Straits"  (Ipecac)  cd/lp  16.98/22.00
HIROSHIGE, JOJO & MASONNA  "The Last Destruction Noise: At Namba Bears, Osaka, 2007.12.29"  (Alchemy)  dvd-r  14.98
INDRICOTHERE  "s/t"  (Gilead Media)  lp+cd  14.98
ITAL TEK  "Cyclical"  (Planet Mu)  cd  14.98
JAMES DIN A4  "Fistel Rose"  (Pingipung)  cd  21.00
JANDREUS, PETER  "The Encyclopedia Of Swedish Punk 1977-1987"  (Premium)  book  66.00
JEPSON, WARNER  "Totentanz and Other Electronic Works, 1958 - 1973"  (Melon Expander)  cd  19.98
JOBRIATH  "Creatures Of The Night"  (Collector's Choice Music)  cd 13.98
JOBRIATH  "s/t"  (Collector's Choice Music)  cd  13.98
JOYNSON, VERNON  "Dreams, Fantasies & Nightmares: Canadian, Australian, Latin American & South African Rock & Pop 1963-76"  (Borderline)  book
KALINICH, STEPHEN JOHN  "A World Of Peace Must Come"  (Light In The Attic)  cd  14.98
KAWABATA MAKOTO  "We Don't Know Where We Came From"  (Important)  lp 23.00
KAWAGUCHI MASAMI'S NEW ROCK SYNDICATE  "Cat Vs. Frog"  (Palindrone) lp  17.98
KEEP OF KALESSIN  "Kolossus"  (Nuclear Blast)  cd + dvd  13.98
KLANGMUTATIONEN  "Weibe Messe"  (Holy Mountain)  lp  14.98
KULTIVATOR  "Barndomens Stigar"  (Mellotronen)  2cd  28.00
LANDED  "How Little Will It Take"  (Load)  cd+3"cd  15.98
LASCOWIEC / MARBLEBOG / VERZIVATAR  "Deep Horizons Of
Eternity"  (Turanian Honour)  cd  13.98
MADLIB  "WLIB AM: King Of The Wigflip"  (Rapster)  cd  14.98
MAGIC LANTERN  "High Beams"  (Not Not Fun)  lp  17.98
MANCINI, HENRY  "The Versatile"  (El / Cherry Red)  cd  17.98
MASTERS, MARC  "No Wave"  (Black Dog Publishing)  book  29.95
MAX, AGATHE  "This Silver String"  (Xeric)  cd  16.98
MAYER, NATHANIEL  "I Want Love And Affection Not The House Of Correction"  (Vampi Soul)  cd  17.98
MERCH  "Crash Boom Bash"  (Sassafras)  cd  11.98
MERZBOW  "Eucalypse"  (Soleilmoon)  cd  28.00
MI AMI  "Ark Of The Covenant"  (Lovers Rock)  12"  11.98
MIGHTY DIAMONDS, THE  "Right Time"  (Virgin)  cd  14.98
MOUNT EERIE WITH JULIE DOIRON & FRED SQUIRE  "Lost Wisdom"  (P.W. Elverum & Sun)  cd/lp  12.98/15.98
MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT  "Quietly"  (Translation Loss Records)  cd  14.98
NISENNENMONDAI  "Tori / Neji"  (Smalltown Supersound)  cd  16.98
O.W.L.  "Of Wondrous Legends"  (Locust)  cd  14.98
OPETH  "Watershed (Collector's Edition)"  (Roadrunner)  2cd  23.00
ORCHESTRA BAOBAB  "Made In Dakar"  (Nonesuch)  cd  17.98
PARKER, WILLIAM  "Double Sunrise Over Neptune"  (Aum Fidelity)  cd 14.98
PERFORMING FERRETS  "No One Told Us"  (Hyped To Death)  cd  12.98
PINHAS, RICHARD / MERZBOW  "Keio Line"  (Cuniform)  cd/lp  16.98/42.00
PIOULARD, BENOIT  "Temper / Precis"  (Kranky)  2lp  16.98
PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE SOUND  "s/t"  (Eclipse)  lp  21.00
PLASTICIAN  "Rinse: 06"  (Rinse)  cd  21.00
PLUSH  "Fed"  (Broken Horse)  cd  21.00
POLVO  "Exploded Drawing"  (Touch and Go)  lp  15.98
POLVO  "Shapes"  (Touch and Go)  lp  13.98
POMASSL  "Spare Parts"  (Raster-Noton)  cd  17.98
PRESENT, THE  "World I See"  (Loaf)  cd/lp  14.98/22.00
PRICE, MELVYN  "Rhythm And Blues"  (Waxpoetics)  cd/lp  16.98/21.00
QUATRAIN  "s/t"  (Sundazed)  cd  16.98
REATARD, JAY  "Matador Singles '08"  (Matador)  cd/lp  13.98/14.98
REPLACEMENTS, THE  "All Shook Down"  (Sire / Rhino)  cd  16.98
REPLACEMENTS, THE  "Don't Tell A Soul"  (Sire / Rhino)  cd  16.98
REPLACEMENTS, THE  "Pleased To Meet Me"  (Sire / Rhino)  cd  16.98
REPLACEMENTS, THE  "Tim"  (Sire / Rhino)  cd  16.98
RICHTER, MAX  "24 Postcards"  (Fat Cat)  cd  14.98
SALVATORE  "Days of Rage"  (Racing Junior)  cd  37.00
SAMOTHRACE  "Life's Trade"  (20 Buck Spin)  cd/2lp  13.98/22.00
SERENA-MANEESH  "S-M Backwards"  (Smalltown Supersound)  2cd  28.00
SEVEN THAT SPELLS  "Black OM Rising"  (Beta-Lactam)  cd  26.00
SHADES OF BROWN  "S.O.B."  (Dusty Groove)  cd  13.98
SHINING PATH  "Take You So Low So You Can Fly So High"  (Planaria) lp  12.98
SNAKE FLOWER 2  "Renegade Daydream"  (Tic Tac Totally Records)  cd 11.98
SPITE EXTREME WING  "Vltra"  (Avantgarde)  cd  14.98
STARGAZERS ASSISTANT, THE  "Shivers & Voids"  (Utech)  cd  16.98
STERN, MARNIE  "This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That"  (Kill Rock Stars)  cd  14.98
STOOGES, THE  "Gimme Some Skin"  (Get Back)  cd/lp  17.98/16.98
SUN RA  "Newport Jazz Festival / The Electric Circus"  (Transparency) 2cd  16.98
SWALLOW THE SUN  "Plague Of Butterflies"  (Spikefarm)  cdep  10.98
TECUMSEH  "Avalanche and Inundation"  (Important)  cd  14.98
TEN KENS  "s/t"  (Fat Cat)  cd  14.98
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES  "Tail Swallower And Dove"  (Suicide Squeez) cd  14.98
TOBACCO  "Fucked Up Friends"  (Anticon)  cd/lp  14.98/14.98
TOKUMARU, SHUGO  "Exit"  (Star Time)  cd  13.98
TV ON THE RADIO  "Dear Science"  (DGC / Interscope)  cd/lp  14.98/14.98
V/A  "Dubstars Vol 1"  (Echo Beach)  cd  17.98
V/A  "Jump Back : A Tribute To James Brown"  (Le Smoke Disques)  cd 14.98
V/A  "More Dirty Laundry: The Soul Of Black Country"  (Trikont)  cd 19.98
V/A  "My Own Wolf: A New Approach To Ulver"  (Cold Dimensions)  2cd 22.00
V/A  "Singing For Life: Songs Of Hope, Healing, And HIV/AIDS In Uganda"  (Smithsonian Folkways)  cd  16.98
VEGETABLE ORCHESTRA  "Remixed"  (Karmarouge)  cd  17.98
VELEBNY, KAREL  "SHQ"  (ESP-Disk)  cd  14.98
VOLCANO THE BEAR  "The Mountains Among Us"  (Beta-lactam Ring)  cd 22.00
WALKMEN  "You & Me"  (Gigantic Music)  cd  12.98
WAX POETICS ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 2  book  39.95
WAY OF THE CROSS  "Mind Of The Dolphin"  (Phoenix)  lp  16.98
WAYLANDER  "Honour Among Chaos"  (Listenable Records)  cd  13.98
WEE  "You Can Fly On My Aeroplane"  (* (Asterik))  cd  14.98
WHITE LIGHT CIRCUS  "Break The Circuit"  (DC Recordings)  12"  13.98
WICKHAM-SMITH, SIMON  "Love & Lamentation"  (Pogus Productions)  cd 14.98
WICKHAM-SMITH, SIMON & RICHARD YOUNGS  "Veil (For Greg)"  (Jagjaguwar)  cd  14.98
WIGGWAUM / POOR SCHOOL  "s/t"  (Killer Tree)  lp+cd-r  14.98
WINDY AND CARL  "Songs For The Broken Hearted"  (Kranky)  2lp  16.98
WINTERFYLLETH  "Ghost of Heritage"  (Profound Lore)  cd  13.98
YAHOWHA 13  "Feather Of Wisdom"  (Phoenix)  lp  23.00
YAMASHTA, STOMU / STEVE WINWOOD / MICHAEL SHRIEVE  "Go"  (Esoteric) cd  22.00
YAMASHTA, STOMU & COME TO THE EDGE  "Floating Music"  (Esoteric)  cd 21.00
YAMASHTA'S, STOMU RED BUDDHA THEATRE  "The Man From The East"  (Esoteric)  cd  21.00

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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

----} real soon we're hoping / on the way to us now
La Dusseldorf cd reissues on Water ("s/t", "Viva", and "Individuellos")
White Magic "New Egypt" cd on Latitudes
The (Fallen) Black Deer "Requiem" cd on Latitudes
Earthless "Live At Roadburn" 2cd on Tee Pee
USAisamonster "Space Programs" cd on Load
Ovo "Croce Via" cd/lp on Load
Witchfinder General "Resurrected" cd on Buried In Time And Dust/
Nuclear War Now!
Conifer "Crown Fire" 2lp version on Important

----} October 7th
Sun Ra & His Solar Arkestra "Secrets Of The Sun" cd reissue on Atavistic
Polvo "Cor-Crane Secret" lp reissue on Merge
Jay Reatard "Matador Singles '08" cd/lp on Matador
Fucked Up "The Chemistry Of Common Life" cd/2lp on Matador
Fripp & Eno "No Pussyfooting" 2cd reissue on DGM/Inner Knot
Juana Molina "Un Dia" cd on Domino

----} October 14th
Dead C "Secret Earth" lp on Ba Da Bing
Early Man "Beware The Circling Fin" cdep/10" on The End
v/a "1970's Algerian Proto-Rai Underground" lp on Sublime Frequencies
The Alps "III" cd on Type
Skull Defekts "Drone Drug" lp version on Actual Noise
Winterfylleth "Ghost Of Heritage" cd on Profound Lore
Jarboe "Mahakali" cd/deluxe cd on The End

----} October 21st
Bohren & Der Club Of Gore "Dolores" cd on Ipecac
Blithe Sons "The Great Orthochromatic Wheel" lp on Family Vineyard
Skepticism "Alloy" cd on Red Stream
Earthless "Live At Roadburn" 2lp on Tee Pee
v/a "Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples" cd on Numero

----} October 28th
Hammers Of Misfortune "Fields/Church Of Broken Glass" 2cd on Profound
Lore
Crystal Stilts "Alight Of Night" cd/lp on Slumberland
Der TPK (Teenage Panzerkorps) "Games For Slaves" lp on Siltbreeze
Adam Payne "Organ" cd/lp on Holy Mountain
Cobra Verde "Haven't Slept All Year" cd on Scat
Last Step "1961" Planet Mu
Red Snapper "Pale Blue Dot" cd on Lo
White/Light "Black Acts" cd on Smells Like
Larkin Grimm "Parplar" cd on Young God
Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power & The Amorphous Strums "Dark Developments" on
Orange Twin

----} November 4th
Oxbow "Fuckfest" cd reissue on Hydrahead
Cave / California split 10" on Permanent Records
Black Moth Super Rainbow "Drippers" cd/10" on Graveface

----} November 11th
Helios "Caesura" cd/lp on Type
Peter Rehberg "Work For GV 2004-2008" cd on Editions Mego
Luomo "Convivial" cd on Huume
Circus Devils "Ataxia" cd/lp on Happy Jack
Free Blood "Singles" cd on DFA

----} November 18th
v/a "The Jewelled Antler Library" 4cd box set on Porter Records
La Otracina "Blood Moon Riders" cd/lp on Holy Mountain
MGR Y Destructo "Amigos De La Guitarra" cd/lp on Neurot
KK Null "Oxygen Flash" cd on Neurot

----} also in November
Mudhoney/Mugstar "Sonic Attack Trilogy v.1" split 7" of Hawkwind
covers on Tresmat
Acid Mothers Temple/White Hills "Sonic Attack Trilogy v.2" split 7"
of Hawkwind covers on Tresmat
Kinski/Bardo Pond "Sonic Attack Trilogy v.3" split 7" of Hawkwind
covers on Tresmat
Blood Ceremony "s/t" cd on Candlelight
Capricorns "River, Bear Your Bones" cd on Candlelight

----} December 12th
B. Fleischmann "Angst Is Not A Weltanschauung!" cd/lp on Morr Music

----} February 15th, 2009
Bunkur "Nullify" cd on Displeased

----} also upcoming sooner or later or sooner or later
Girl Talk "Feed the Animals" cd on Illegal Art
Hammers Of Misfortune "Fields/Church Of Broken Glass" 2lp version on
20 Buck Spin
Combat Astronomy "Dreams No Longer Hesitate" cd
Combat Astronomy "Earth Divided by Zero" cd
Ovens "s/t" cd on tUMULt
Diamatregon "Crossroad" cd on tUMULt
Amocoma "Go To Hell" cd on tUMULt
The Memories Attack "s/t" cd tUMULt
Moha! "One Way Ticket To Candyland" cd/lp on Rune Grammofon
Rosetta "Wake/Lift" vinyl version
Cold Sun "Dark Shadows" lp+10" reissue on World in Sound
Coh "Strings" 2cd on Raster-Noton
Necrofrost "Blackeon Lightharvest" cd
Mariana Topley-Bird w/ Dangermouse
Loren Chasse & Michael Mnortham "Otolth"
Anton Batagov "Passionate Desire To Be An Angel" cd on Long Arms Records
The Heads tba 2cd 'best of' on Leafhound
Gore reissues on Southern Lord
Black Boned Angel / Nadja collaboration cd/lp on 20 Buck Spin
Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg cd reissue on Light In The Attic
Serge Gainsbourg "Histoire de Melody Nelson" cd reissue on Light In
The Attic
Serge Gainsbourg "L'homme ŕ tęte de chou" cd reissue on Light In The
Attic
Japancakes "If I Could See Dallas"
Kath Bloom "Terror" cd on Chapter
Iro "Tamafuri" cd on PSF
Diza Star "Contact High Diza Star" cd on Fractal
DDAA "Action and Japanese Demonstration" cd reissue on Fractal
Wolfgang Voigt "Freiland - Klaviermusik" 12" on Profan
When "Are You Silent" cd on Jester
Sean Smith "Eternal" cd on Ultra Hard Gel
Plastikman "Rine 06" cd on Rinse
Jonas Reinhardt "s/t" cd on Kranky
Deerhunter "Microcastle" cd/lp on Kranky
Hototogisu "Pale Fatal Sister" 2lp on Important
Risto "Live!" cd on Fonal
Sperm "Shh!" lp reissue on Destijl
Jandek "Glasgow Sunday 2005" cd on Corwood
Jazzfinger "The Sun's Golden Blood" cd on Beta-Lactam Ring
Troum "Eald-Ge-Streon" cd/2lp/2cd on Beta-Lactam Ring
Slough Feg "Ape Uprising" cd on Cruz Del Sur

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_______________________________________________________________________

Dead Channels is baaaaack

AQ is co-sponsoring this rad film fest:

2nd Annual
DEAD CHANNELS: THE SAN FRANCISCO FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILM
October 2 - 10, 2008

Last year's fest featured tons of new and vintage sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action, exploitation and beyond including the U.S. premiere of UWE BOLL's Postal, TAKESHI MIIKE's Big Bang Love: Juvenile A, and a live soundtrack performed by Spoonbender 1.1.1 (featuring our own Cup!) to DAVID CRONENBERG's Crimes Of The Future.

This year, don't miss the U.S. theatrical premiere of Puffball (an adaptation of FAY WELDON's book of the same title) by NICHOLAS ROEG (The Man Who Fell To Earth, Performance, Don't Look Now, Walkabout, and more), Surveillance by JENNIFER CHAMBERS LYNCH (aka DAVID LYNCH's daughter), the amazing sexy, psychedelic thriller The 10th Victim from 1965 starring URSULA ANDRESS and MARCELLO MASTROIANNI, an early '70s super-computer flick Colossus: The Forbin Project, a rare early '70s ultra-violent western from Spain titled Cut-throats Nine (La Decima Vittima), and more!
Psst, share your popcorn with Andee at the 10pm showing of Tokyo Gore Police on Saturday!
Oh, and the opening night party will feature Toomorrow, a 1970 musical confectionery starring OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN (no, it's definitely no Xanadu or Grease, but it's pretty remarkable unto itself). Plus Cup and her IAS comrade Dustin will be providing the music for the closing festivities (note: contrary to media reports they will not be performing live)!
Don't miss!

The fest will be taking place at The Vortex Room (SF), The Roxie Film Center (SF), and Parkway Speakasy (Oakland).

For a complete schedule and more info...
http://www.deadchannels.com


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IAMINDUST 2008


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4

James Goode [San Francisco]

PARLOUR MUSIC COMMUNICATIONS (lOS aNGELES)

Ethos [Austin, TX]

Nux Vomica [San Francisco]

ILLUSION OF SAFETY (Spanning the Globe)

Voice of Eye [Taos, New Mexico]

KWISP (San Francisco)

Free-Form Multi-Artist Collaborative Set

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5

A.S. [SF Bay Area)

Bloodbox [Seattle]

Troum [Bremen, GERMANY]

AIDAN BAKER (Canada)

NADJA (CANADA)

Ure Thrall [San Francisco]

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_______________________________________________________________________

NADJA tour!!!

Oct 3 @ tba w/ Troum & Tecumseh - Portland, Oregon
Oct 5 @ i.am.indust2008 festival (Aidan Baker + Nadja sets) - Oakland, California
Oct 6 @ Stork Club w/ Tecumseh & Maleficia - Oakland, California
Oct 7 @ Hemlock w/ Kris Force & Tecumseh - San Francisco, California
Oct 8 @ Relax Bar w/ Tecumseh - Los Angeles, California

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________


Lots of love from your devoted AQ staff

Andee Cup Jim AllanIrwinScottSallyAntaeusCameronandJon