SHIT AND SHINE 229-2299 Girls Against Shit! (Riot Season) cd 16.98
When we first heard / heard about Shit And Shine, a mysterious noise rock collective from the UK, they definitely seemed custom made for aQ, multiple drummers, multiple bass players, someone playing lawnmower, a sound equal parts vintage Butthole Surfers, classic Hawkwind, and modern kraut-psych-drone-rock a la Circle and Pharaoh Overlord and Cave and the like, not to mention the garish, sometimes offensive album, art, the hilarious and usually offensive song titles, we were sold, smitten, totally obsessed. And thankfully, in the several years since that very first 12", very little has changed, almost all of the aforementioned essentials are still part and parcel of the Shit And Shine experience (minus the lawnmowers, but then the more we've come to understand these jokers, the more we realize that probably a lot of the 'facts' circulating about S&S is total bullshit, so odds are there never was any lawnmowers, sigh), and if anything, they've managed the impossible, getting tighter and more polished, more rocking, with better and somewhat proper 'songs', while simultaneously getting more and more fucked up and far out, taking super minimal elements and combining them into something massive and bewitching and baffling and heavy as fuck, but sounding literally unlike anything we've ever heard. Sure there are elements of plenty of stuff we love, but the way these guys twist those elements and cram them into whatever shape THIS is, just blows our minds, and eardrums.
So yeah, garish pink on white cover, masked lady with one of her breasts out on the front, a weird long necked headless super hero lady on the back, inside an awesome scary photo of two little girls, long hair obscuring their faces, standing hand in hand in front of a massive wall of amps, and song titles: "Have You Really Thought About Your Presentation?", "Goodbye And Good Gardening", "Girls Against Shit", "20 Years Of Caring For The Nations Eyes", "The Cusp Of Innocence, Prettily", "I'm Making My Lunch", " People Like You... REALLY!" and on and on, but none of that would mean shit if there wasn't a head spinning gut churning din to back it up, and holy shit do these guys bring the noise this time around.
The opening track, "Have Your Really Thought About Your Presentation" is equal parts Brainbombs and last list's Record Of The Weekers Rusted Shut, but with a little bit of krautish hypnorock mixed in, so what you get is a crushing, super distorted mega main RIFF, a pounding mesmerizing drum beat, everything super hot and blown out and in the red, looped and locked and pounding away over and over and over and over, but with some weird stuff going on, buried vocals, strange bits of glitch and crunch, and the weirdest part of all, seems impossible to play, but every few measures, it sounds like the band skips a beat, almost like the record skips, but it's super subtle, like a weird stutter step, that just makes it all the more weird, but no less trancelike and heavy, and it only gets weirder from there on out.
All the songs here are based on rhythms, which comes with the territory when you have multiple drummers, the second track begins all skittery, an almost drum machine sounding shuffle, which slips into a looped dubbed out pound, while all around the rhythms is buffeted by swirling FX, jagged shards of jangle guitar, and super distorted wild over-saturated leads and weird voices buried in the mix. The next track explodes in a tangle of twisted string buzz and fractured electronics, before those sounds coalesce into a crazy noise drenched rock racket, rife with angular guitars and layer upon layer of drones and voices and feedback and sonic chaos. "USA / Mexico" is some Buttholes gone black metal weirdness, super murky muddy riffage, pounding blast beats, start stop rhythms, bizarre vokills and crazy electronics all over the place.
The crushing stop start chug of "The Cusp Of Innocence, Prettily", almost makes the record for us, with a killer main riff, and an increasingly distorted guitar tone, until a sample of some cheesy European sounding folk song comes in, and like magic, the crunch and chug and pound lock in and fit perfectly with that lilting little ditty, turning it into something nasty and scary and AWESOME. It's only a second, but it's sooooo good.
The abstract dub of the title track, the main rhythm made out of what sounds like someone writing on a chalkboard, some super effected tripped out dubby bursts, random spoken words, thick sheets of warm washed out guitars, until the track gets all Circle-y, but filtered through some fractured nineties industrial, like Pharaoh Overlord jamming Meat Beat Manifesto, but with strangled metal guitars and vrooming motorcycle sounds. There's some dance-y almost house sounding throb and pulse, but it's butted up right against a twisted angular noise rock / electro mashup, that is so distorted it's dabbling in Merzbow territory.
The other looooong track "Roberts Church Problem" sounds like it was recorded live, ad thus sounds like vintage S&S in full on unhinged Buttholes mode, multiple pounding drummers, wall of buzz, fuzzed out heaviness, repetitive and looped and seemingly never ending (we wish!). "Friseur Nelson is another good one, all very Circle, distorted and murky, a killer tribal rhythm, crumbling fuzz bass, and a muted chugging low end, some weird haunting chiming minor key melodies, another one that could have been stretched out to the end of the record and we would have been perfectly happy.
We could go on and on and on (even more than we already have), but why bother? Every song here rules, they're all super strange and heavy and hooky and groovy and noisy, and somehow, for being so disparate, they all manage to sound like part of a proper record. Well, certainly not a PROPER record, but you know what we mean. And while the rest of the songs are just as tripped out, and what-the-fuck and holy shit! as the ones we already described, odds are by now you probably got the feel for whether this is your cup of blown out rhythmic heaviness or not.
The sound of Shit And Shine is like some constantly twisting and transforming, bloody and mangled wreckage, equal parts This Heat, Aluk Todolo, Geronimo, Butthole Surfers, Rusted Shut, Brainbombs, Merzbow, Terminal Cheesecake, Strangulated Beatoffs, Faust, Laddio Bollocko, all pulled apart and reassembled into some damaged Frankenhooker noiserock drum circle spacejam. And odds are if you like any or all of those bands, you're gonna LOVE this...
MPEG Stream: "Have You Really Thought About Your Presentation?"
MPEG Stream: "USA / Mexico"
MPEG Stream: "The Cusp Of Innocence. Prettily"
MPEG Stream: "Girls Against Shit"
MPEG Stream: "Friseur Nelson"

LEGION OF TWO Riffs (Planet Mu) cd 14.98
Of all the 'electronica' labels out there, we're beginning to think Planet Mu might be our favorite, certain the most relevant. For a while Warp were unbeatable, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Squarepusher, Plaid, Autechre, and while that stuff still rules, Warp definitely seems like old guard, whereas Planet Mu has been moving forward, pushing boundaries, even the old school artists on Planet Mu seem to be similarly progressive. So compare the Planet Mu roster to the above Warp one: Venetian Snares, Shitmat, Distance, Vex'd, Pinch, Boxcutter, Neil Landstrumm, Eero Johannes, Milanese, Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble... Planet Mu is always on the cusp of whatever new sound surfaces, the home to most of the kick ass dubstep released in the US, but still supporting it's older artists, who in turn support the label by changing and transforming and progressing. All that said, we still were totally blindsided by Legion Of Two.
With a record title like Riffs, we were already prepared for something different, and a record called Riffs on Planet Mu definitely had us intrigued, but still we would have never expected this. Imagine Neurosis doing dubstep, or some ambient doom band dabbling in electronica, or a heavier, more modern and avant Tortoise, thick sheets of distorted buzz, plenty of bleeps and bloops, that awesome hoovery dubstep bass buzz, but with REAL drums, big drums, pounding and punishing and massive, just take the opening one two punch. The first track, a sort of intro, is a swirling cloud of hiss and whir, streaks of feedback, layer upon layer of gauzy distorted thrum, peppered with bursts of big booming drums, until the song finally kicks in, and it's like Black Boned Angel or something, but a bit stripped down, and instead of downtuned riffage, it's a sea of undulating synths, and rumbling low end, and shards of melody and feedback swirling all around the pounding lumbering doomic crush. We almost wish that track was the whole of the record, but then we would have missed out on the second track, which is where we got the dubstep Neurosis thing, that's not quite accurate, but for an 'electronic' record it definitely doesn't get heavier than this, a loping drum part, over deep throbbing low end, laced with little space-y squelches, and some woodpecker clicks, as well as intense bursts of in-the-red bass fuzz, and finally some techno synths laced over the top, the sound getting thicker and thicker and heavier and heavier, eventually building to a full on glitched out effects drenched psychedelic electronic freakout, the rhythm never faltering, finishing off with a fierce almost metallic dirge. Holy shit. How did these guys end up on Planet Mu, and how the hell did they come up with this bizarre sonic hybrid?
The whole record is sort of a series of rhythmic workouts, from crushing metallic dubstep, to blissed out post rock, to mathy techno jams, to deep listening laid back grooves, but all anchored by the incredible drumming, and the sound of real drums, which is probably what makes this stuff sound so fresh and organic, live drums and electronics end up creating something dense and blown out, heavy and 'live' sounding.
"Palace (Dub)" isn't so much dub, as a tangled bit of complex looped drumming, beneath a repetitive synth line and some buzzing bass squelches, and diaphanous sheets of high end shimmer in the background, tense and dramatic and cinematic, almost like a more twisted avant mathy electronic Goblin or Zombi. "Legion Of Two", is a loping almost eighties sounding groove, with some of the buzziest heaviest synth sounds ever, and plenty of tweaked effects, and soaring faux strings, and tinkling late night glimmer. Much of the second half of the record is more laid back, soporific, almost jazzy, hence the Tortoise comparison, looped and hypnotic, the drums and bass locked into totally mesmerizing jams, while all around keyboards chime and ring out, the melodies haunting and minor key, occasionally slipping into jagged bursts of stuttery noise drenched stop start riff heavy math rock, before slipping back into the groove. The lengthy "Handling Noise" finds the band doing so just fine, crafting a long slow burning creepfest, all otherworldly swells, strange electronic sounds, creepy ambience, jazzy drum skitter, all wreathed in static and crackle and hiss, exploding in the last few minutes in a full on Nadja style shoegaze, noise rock psychdrone blow out. "It Really Does Take Time" is the most electronic of the bunch, a bit house-y, with dubbed out effects, weird loops of children's voices, haunting and trippy, but this track too finally exploding in a frenzy of tribal rhythms and wild psychedelic synths.
The record finishes off with the 10+ minute "Cast Out Your Demons", which is like a dubby space rock jam, big loping drums, sizzling space-y synths, whirling effects, but within all the blissedout stargazing mesmer, subtle bits of dubby guitar, the drums really driving the track, to a gorgeous hazy drone drenched outro, definitely reminds us of White Hills or one of those modern psych combos, but infused with some weirdly abstract space dub.
Really cool stuff, and even with the preceding lengthy review, hard to describe, or at least hard to do justice to. This record has been on repeat play since the day it showed up, in the store, at home, on the headphones, at once groovy and dark, hazy and heavy, druggy and psychedelic, electronic and metallic, a gorgeous confusional chunk of psych-dub space doom free jazz noise rock. Or something. Whatever you call it, most definitely one of our new favorites...
MPEG Stream: "(Intro) Starbound"
MPEG Stream: "And Now We Wait"
MPEG Stream: "Palace (Dub)"
MPEG Stream: "Legion Of Two"

LEGION OF TWO Riffs (Planet Mu) lp 17.98
Of all the 'electronica' labels out there, we're beginning to think Planet Mu might be our favorite, certain the most relevant. For a while Warp were unbeatable, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Squarepusher, Plaid, Autechre, and while that stuff still rules, Warp definitely seems like old guard, whereas Planet Mu has been moving forward, pushing boundaries, even the old school artists on Planet Mu seem to be similarly progressive. So compare the Planet Mu roster to the above Warp one: Venetian Snares, Shitmat, Distance, Vex'd, Pinch, Boxcutter, Neil Landstrumm, Eero Johannes, Milanese, Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble... Planet Mu is always on the cusp of whatever new sound surfaces, the home to most of the kick ass dubstep released in the US, but still supporting it's older artists, who in turn support the label by changing and transforming and progressing. All that said, we still were totally blindsided by Legion Of Two.
With a record title like Riffs, we were already prepared for something different, and a record called Riffs on Planet Mu definitely had us intrigued, but still we would have never expected this. Imagine Neurosis doing dubstep, or some ambient doom band dabbling in electronica, or a heavier, more modern and avant Tortoise, thick sheets of distorted buzz, plenty of bleeps and bloops, that awesome hoovery dubstep bass buzz, but with REAL drums, big drums, pounding and punishing and massive, just take the opening one two punch. The first track, a sort of intro, is a swirling cloud of hiss and whir, streaks of feedback, layer upon layer of gauzy distorted thrum, peppered with bursts of big booming drums, until the song finally kicks in, and it's like Black Boned Angel or something, but a bit stripped down, and instead of downtuned riffage, it's a sea of undulating synths, and rumbling low end, and shards of melody and feedback swirling all around the pounding lumbering doomic crush. We almost wish that track was the whole of the record, but then we would have missed out on the second track, which is where we got the dubstep Neurosis thing, that's not quite accurate, but for an 'electronic' record it definitely doesn't get heavier than this, a loping drum part, over deep throbbing low end, laced with little space-y squelches, and some woodpecker clicks, as well as intense bursts of in-the-red bass fuzz, and finally some techno synths laced over the top, the sound getting thicker and thicker and heavier and heavier, eventually building to a full on glitched out effects drenched psychedelic electronic freakout, the rhythm never faltering, finishing off with a fierce almost metallic dirge. Holy shit. How did these guys end up on Planet Mu, and how the hell did they come up with this bizarre sonic hybrid?
The whole record is sort of a series of rhythmic workouts, from crushing metallic dubstep, to blissed out post rock, to mathy techno jams, to deep listening laid back grooves, but all anchored by the incredible drumming, and the sound of real drums, which is probably what makes this stuff sound so fresh and organic, live drums and electronics end up creating something dense and blown out, heavy and 'live' sounding.
"Palace (Dub)" isn't so much dub, as a tangled bit of complex looped drumming, beneath a repetitive synth line and some buzzing bass squelches, and diaphanous sheets of high end shimmer in the background, tense and dramatic and cinematic, almost like a more twisted avant mathy electronic Goblin or Zombi. "Legion Of Two", is a loping almost eighties sounding groove, with some of the buzziest heaviest synth sounds ever, and plenty of tweaked effects, and soaring faux strings, and tinkling late night glimmer. Much of the second half of the record is more laid back, soporific, almost jazzy, hence the Tortoise comparison, looped and hypnotic, the drums and bass locked into totally mesmerizing jams, while all around keyboards chime and ring out, the melodies haunting and minor key, occasionally slipping into jagged bursts of stuttery noise drenched stop start riff heavy math rock, before slipping back into the groove. The lengthy "Handling Noise" finds the band doing so just fine, crafting a long slow burning creepfest, all otherworldly swells, strange electronic sounds, creepy ambience, jazzy drum skitter, all wreathed in static and crackle and hiss, exploding in the last few minutes in a full on Nadja style shoegaze, noise rock psychdrone blow out. "It Really Does Take Time" is the most electronic of the bunch, a bit house-y, with dubbed out effects, weird loops of children's voices, haunting and trippy, but this track too finally exploding in a frenzy of tribal rhythms and wild psychedelic synths.
The record finishes off with the 10+ minute "Cast Out Your Demons", which is like a dubby space rock jam, big loping drums, sizzling space-y synths, whirling effects, but within all the blissedout stargazing mesmer, subtle bits of dubby guitar, the drums really driving the track, to a gorgeous hazy drone drenched outro, definitely reminds us of White Hills or one of those modern psych combos, but infused with some weirdly abstract space dub.
Really cool stuff, and even with the preceding lengthy review, hard to describe, or at least hard to do justice to. This record has been on repeat play since the day it showed up, in the store, at home, on the headphones, at once groovy and dark, hazy and heavy, druggy and psychedelic, electronic and metallic, a gorgeous confusional chunk of psych-dub space doom free jazz noise rock. Or something. Whatever you call it, most definitely one of our new favorites...
MPEG Stream: "(Intro) Starbound"
MPEG Stream: "And Now We Wait"
MPEG Stream: "Palace (Dub)"
MPEG Stream: "Legion Of Two"

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AANAL BEEHEMOTH Forest Paranoid (Suffering Jesus Productions) cd 13.98
We know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but c'mon!!! When that book is a cd by a couple of Finnish primitive black metal weirdos called Aanal Beehemoth and said cover features one of the members getting all Nosferatu in shades of green and white under a scrawled metal logo, with a little circle in the corner that reads "In Nekro Satanik Stereo Paranoia Sound"!! And on the other side you'll see both band members in ultra creepy clown-like corpsepaint, tongues out, shooting up, next to some ransom letter text that reads "100% Ultra Misery Blackout Metal Nekropunk Psykosound", and then let's not forget the inside cover, that features again both band members, in crazy corpsepaint, their names now revealed to be Deathly Fightar and Crazy Bomber (umlauts over the vowels of course) who play respectively: Deathbeat, OD guitar, bass and BG vox (that's Deathly) and Exorcism, bass, fuzz guitar and organ (!) (that's Crazy)...
You see what we're getting at, we knew this would rule before we even threw it on, it was just a matter of HOW it would rule, and just how much. The answer of how much is easier to address, cuz it's a WHOLE FREAKING SHIT TON, that's how much it rules, but exactly how might be a bit harder to explain. Needless to say, these guys are fucked up and freaky, their blackness not so much of the blasting buzzy variety and the pounding punkish lo-fi raw and primitive variety, think Akitsa, Malveillance, Ash Pool. Ancestors, but even more punk rock, and weirdly poppy. Just check out the kick ass opener (after the ubiquitous creepy intro) "Dirty Soul", it almost sounds more like Turbonegro or Brainbombs, bounding punk rock rhythms, looped stripped down riffage, but then they paint it black and wrap it all up in tangled squiggly leads, the vocalist delivering his hellish sermons in an awesome croak / bark vokill, totally wrapped in reverb and seriously unhinged. The reverb sometimes going haywire making the vocals sound all dubbed out.
As the record goes on, the blackness recedes and these guys sound more and more punk rock, which is not a bad thing at all, the sound is maybe like Darkthrone at their punkest, but this is Finnish after all, and these guys are nuts, so tracks slip into washed out woozy ambience, guitars explode into squalls of atonal Greg Ginn-ish freakouts, fuzzy organs drift in and out giving some of the tracks a weird underground garage psych vibe (check out "Witch Hunt"), that said, there are definitely some moments of full on frenzied classic sounding blackness, it's just that more often than not those parts lead directly into something much more fucked up and off kilter and WAY bizarre.
This got released as a free download a while back, but it's way cooler to actually finally have the cd, with all its garish freaky green tinted artwork and weird scrawled lyrics, and of course with the download you would never have know that this was "recorded in stinky misery cubic helvete during period of total black morkness, mental distortion & painful agony of ghouls with the helping hands of Satan (naturally) $ Ass Lipstick, Pelvis, Onslow, under the influence of HELL!!!!".
MPEG Stream: "Forest Paranoid"
MPEG Stream: "From Aanal With Love"
MPEG Stream: "Penetrator"
MPEG Stream: "Frost In Head"

BARFIELD, CECIL South Georgia Blues (Mississippi) lp 14.98
MISSISSIPPI ALERT!!!!MISSISSIPPI ALERT!!!!MISSISSIPPI ALERT!!!!MISSISSIPPI ALERT!!!!
Ok, we aren't sure if this is the best blues album ever or the most bizarre, it just depends on who you ask. When we first played it, some of us thought it couldn't be real, it had to be a parody. Perhaps someone making fun of how anyone can play the blues, because the singing sounds like complete mushmouth gibberish! Seriously, you and your pals can have a fun drinking game trying to figure out what the hell he's saying! But it's really no joke, Cecil Barfield (aka William Robertson, more on that in a minute...), one of the last surviving Southern Georgian bluesmen (according to the liner notes) was discovered in 1976 by George Mitchell, who was touring the state for field research in hopes of finding unknown ol' traditional rural bluesmen for a planned festival. One of the scant few left was Barfield, who to Mitchell's delight was previously unrecorded, living outside a tiny farm town on a meager disability check (in fact, the original lp was released under the name William Robertson, because Barfield was scared that he would lose his disability benefits if he released the record under his own name).
Born in 1922, he first started playing when he was just five years old, making his own instruments by attaching a neck to a cooking oil can and tying a string to it. Learning music from what he could hear off records at parties, Barfield's style comes from what he calls "rag pieces", bits of popular tunes picked up from round dances and parties and often individually reworked according to the player. His moaning, wrenching vocal style lends a definite outsider quality to the performance, but supports the superstitious nature of some of the tunes, where he's singing about evil spells called "roots". He even refused to be photographed, because he feared anyone could turn the photo face down and kill him. But of course it's this oddball quality that we love in these records, and of course what makes them totally recommended in our book!

BASS COMMUNION Chiaroscuro (Headphone Dust) cd 14.98
Brand new record from dronelord / guitar deconstructionist Bass Communion, aka Steven Wilson, whose day job is playing with prog superstars Porcupine Tree, but who spends the rest of his time, crafting gorgeous sprawling guitardrones and minimal psychedelic landscapes. The latest of which is captured here, Chiaroscuro is a document of the very first live Bass Communion performance, which took place at the Frenzy Of The Absolute festival curated by Fear Falls Burning. And we're happy to report that BC live is something to behold, a buzzing shimmering cloud of washed out psyche guitar drift, dense blackened billows, floating heavenward, while deep downtuned tones keep the proceedings grounded, amidst the swirl and drift, little shards of melody, and high end fragments surface now and again, only to sink back into the glorious druggy haze. The track shifts gears a few times, an acid fried slow burn blow out gives way to soft focus chiming ambience which slips slowly into a deep meditative rumble, finally drifting off in a hushed whir.
The second track was originally released on a split 7" with Fear Falls Burning, available exclusively to attendees of the concert, and finds Wilson with his guitar plugged into his laptop, and again conjuring up some haunting otherworldly minimalism, delicate and abstract, before exploding into a wall of crumbling blown out droneblissdoom heaviness, a wild squall of frenzied psych guitar practically melts the speakers. Wow. Would have liked to hear him do that live.
Once again, gorgeous stuff, dark and droney and blissed out and occasionally heavy as all get out, essential listening for the guitardoomdronedirge obsessed among you...
Packaged in a super fancy, full color mini gatefold lp style cd sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "Fusilier"
MPEG Stream: "Chiaroscuro"

BIXBY, DAVE Ode To Quetzalcoatl (Guerssen) cd 17.98
What a long strange trip it was for Dave Bixby, from a young man playing covers in a folk pop band in the sixties, to spending a year high on LSD, to discovering God, to then becoming disillusioned with God, to contemplating suicide, to finally speaking to God (or having God speak to him) and thus recording both Ode To Quetzalcoatl and most of its follow up, Second Coming, eventually released under the name Harbinger, both records chronicling Bixby's life and struggles with spirituality and drugs.
Ode To Quetzalcoatl, originally a super rare private press release, that regularly fetched thousands of dollars, was and maybe still is one of the most legendary/infamous downer/loner folk records ever, the recording sparse and mournful, mostly just acoustic guitar, reverb laden vocals, occasional harmonica or flute, but mostly just guitar and vocals, but it was enough, so haunting and heartwrenching, the lyrics twisted and depressive, so miserable and dark and anguished, the reverb only adding to the otherwordliness, the guitar lazy and languorous, the melodies minor key and melancholy, a little like Jandek if he could actually sing and play guitar. And was a recovered drug addict, born again Christian.
A simply gorgeous slab of super personal doomfolk from before there even was doomfolk, for fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay, Roy Harper, Charles Manson and all dark mysterious folkmusic...
MPEG Stream: "Drug Song"
MPEG Stream: "Free Indeed"
MPEG Stream: "I Have Seen Him"
MPEG Stream: "666"

BIXBY, DAVE Ode To Quetzalcoatl (Guerssen) lp 26.00
What a long strange trip it was for Dave Bixby, from a young man playing covers in a folk pop band in the sixties, to spending a year high on LSD, to discovering God, to then becoming disillusioned with God, to contemplating suicide, to finally speaking to God (or having God speak to him) and thus recording both Ode To Quetzalcoatl and most of its follow up, Second Coming, eventually released under the name Harbinger, both records chronicling Bixby's life and struggles with spirituality and drugs.
Ode To Quetzalcoatl, originally a super rare private press release, that regularly fetched thousands of dollars, was and maybe still is one of the most legendary/infamous downer/loner folk records ever, the recording sparse and mournful, mostly just acoustic guitar, reverb laden vocals, occasional harmonica or flute, but mostly just guitar and vocals, but it was enough, so haunting and heartwrenching, the lyrics twisted and depressive, so miserable and dark and anguished, the reverb only adding to the otherwordliness, the guitar lazy and languorous, the melodies minor key and melancholy, a little like Jandek if he could actually sing and play guitar. And was a recovered drug addict, born again Christian.
A simply gorgeous slab of super personal doomfolk from before there even was doomfolk, for fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay, Roy Harper, Charles Manson and all dark mysterious folkmusic...
MPEG Stream: "Drug Song"
MPEG Stream: "Free Indeed"
MPEG Stream: "I Have Seen Him"
MPEG Stream: "666"

BLACK BONED ANGEL Verdun (Riot Season) cd 16.98
Birchville Cat Motel may be dead, only to be replaced by the quite similar sounding, but much more massive and electronic flecked Our Love Will Destroy The World. But thankfully, Black Boned Angel, the other long running musical project of Campbell Kneale, lives on, with not one, but TWO new releases this list. The other, a second collaboration with like-minded musical heavies Nadja, and this, the latest full length after last year's devastating The Endless Coming Into Life.
Verdun, named for the legendary battle presumably, is almost like an Endless Coming part two, dialing back the sheer heaviness and exploring space and dynamics, but in the process, somehow sounding so much heavier. Three long songs, all tracked as a single 52 minute epic, takes ages to get going, which is just fine, in doom as in life, it's not about the destination it's about the journey, and BBA's journey is a death march through burning fields and soot filled skies, but that's a few minutes away. A slow slow slow build, all barely there ambience, before some massive drums kick in, and then it's JUST drums, pounding away, in a spaced out vacuum, spare but punishing, and then THE RIFF, a massive one, the sort of riff, that once written, becomes a part of the writer, and soon after the listener. Sleep has a few, Sabbath has lots, now BBA has one, a slow, slithery crawl, a handful of notes spread way out into a dark descending minor key melody, the drums, just there to drive it home, as this is the sort of riff that needs nothing else, the sort of riff any metalhead could listen to looped over and over and over forever. About 12 minutes in, the tone changes, some high end shimmer sneaks in, sheets of feedback, the riff is pulled apart, various notes left to ring out, the drums a little more active, before everything drops out completely, leaving just a distant keening riff, left to moan and groan, to ring out, mournful and so so doomy, at about the half hour mark, the main riff returns, but this time it's been transformed into something strangely melodic, almost like power metal played at 16rpm, epic, but still so slooooooow, building ever building, eventually crumbling into a swirling bit of noise and crumbled buzz, and a gorgeous classical chorus, a choir of voices just below the churning distorted surface, totally epic and weirdly haunting, the sounds of warfare, guns and planes and explosions, surfacing from below the sprawling low end rumble, eventually taking over completely, the last few minutes a harrowing collage of death and destruction, of bombs and the cries of the dying.
Definitely a different beast than many of the older BBA records, which blended the kitchen sink drones of Birchville Cat Motel with a sort of abstract black doom element, Verdun is more of a proper metal record, although to be sure 'proper metal record' is really relative, since as metal as this is, it's also just as much an experimental doomdronedirge record, regardless, it is maybe the most fully realized Black Boned Angel record yet, not sure if it's THAT RIFF, or because Kneale just keeps getting better and better, or because it's a concept record, so it's essentially a suite of interconnected songs. It's actually probably a little of all three, although as you might have guessed, we're definitely leaning toward THAT RIFF.
MPEG Stream: "Prayer Sodden Holes"

BLUES CONTROL Local Flavor (Siltbreeze) cd 14.98
The puzzlingly (and pleasantly) abstract New York duo known as Blues Control is back, making the jump to Siltbreeze with this new record, a spacey hybrid of Suicide/Velvet Underground droned out rock with more dreamy moments along the lines of Windy & Carl. They weave a lush tapestry of meditative sound collages warped with wavering piano flutters and beaming drones, all rising steadily toward the hazy sky. It's four songs, but almost 35 minutes, so dunno if this is a long ep or a short album. In any case, we'll take what we can get from Blues Control, and what we get here is quite nice indeed, a fine addition to their brief discography that includes the AQ recommended releases Puff on Fusetron and the eponymous one on Holy Mountain.
"Good Morning" (as in, little school girl?) opens up the disc with what must be the most actually blues-like thing that these guys have ever controlled. Kicking off with a single piano note (a la "I Wanna Be Your Dog"), they really shake it here, the track turning into a driving instrumental onslaught of gorgeously distorted guitar/bass fuzz, with honky tonk piano skittering o'er pounding drum beats... and then, horns! And electronic effects echoing the 13th Floor Elevators' famous jug. Badass. In part 'cause apparently garage-rock fiend Kurt Vile helps out.
The piano takes the fore on the next cut, the ambient jazz flecked loveliness of "Rest On Water". More a hazy soundscape than an actual song, it's like a lost transmission of a loose piano melody, with slow strings fading in alongside some acoustic strumming. More rhythmic is "Tangier", and more and more distorted and dubbed-out it also gets, as its eight mesmeric minutes proceed. It opens with a cool, lo-fi Casio kalimba sound, soon building upon itself before a huge wave of cloudy ambience comes in, along with a simple, steady rhythm with a dreamy keyboard melody floating on top. A thing of throbbing beauty. And then "On Through The Night" (which we don't think is meant to be a Def Leppard reference, though that would have been cool) takes up pretty much the entire second half of the disc, a 16:50 trip deep into Blues Control land, a realm of rumbling echo-effected dubbiness, woozy hints of string orchestration, creepy carnival organ, droned out drama, and pulsating mystery, their music looping like the multiple hoop earrings piercing the ear of the "primitive" person depicted on the cover, caressing YOUR ears though, rather than piercing them. The melody is murky, yet easy to detect, BC taking a thankfully melodic approach that many experimental bands ignore entirely.
Even at their most aggressive ("Good Morning") there's something gentle about Blues Control. That first track we'd especially recommend to the Wooden Shjips fans, and then elsewhere on here there's stuff to offer folks into the likes of everyone/thing from Eno to Sun Araw to Alice Coltrane Moolah to Expo '70. Elements of all of which combine uniquely within Blues Control's cracked and krautrockish DIY avant-blues experiments. A nice blend of pop catchiness and free-psych trippyness, the perfect record for a summer walk around town or a sunny BBQ burn out, this one is recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Good Morning"
MPEG Stream: "Tangier"

BLUES CONTROL Local Flavor (Siltbreeze) lp 14.98
The puzzlingly (and pleasantly) abstract New York duo known as Blues Control is back, making the jump to Siltbreeze with this new record, a spacey hybrid of Suicide/Velvet Underground droned out rock with more dreamy moments along the lines of Windy & Carl. They weave a lush tapestry of meditative sound collages warped with wavering piano flutters and beaming drones, all rising steadily toward the hazy sky. It's four songs, but almost 35 minutes, so dunno if this is a long ep or a short album. In any case, we'll take what we can get from Blues Control, and what we get here is quite nice indeed, a fine addition to their brief discography that includes the AQ recommended releases Puff on Fusetron and the eponymous one on Holy Mountain.
"Good Morning" (as in, little school girl?) opens up the disc with what must be the most actually blues-like thing that these guys have ever controlled. Kicking off with a single piano note (a la "I Wanna Be Your Dog"), they really shake it here, the track turning into a driving instrumental onslaught of gorgeously distorted guitar/bass fuzz, with honky tonk piano skittering o'er pounding drum beats... and then, horns! And electronic effects echoing the 13th Floor Elevators' famous jug. Badass. In part 'cause apparently garage-rock fiend Kurt Vile helps out.
The piano takes the fore on the next cut, the ambient jazz flecked loveliness of "Rest On Water". More a hazy soundscape than an actual song, it's like a lost transmission of a loose piano melody, with slow strings fading in alongside some acoustic strumming. More rhythmic is "Tangier", and more and more distorted and dubbed-out it also gets, as its eight mesmeric minutes proceed. It opens with a cool, lo-fi Casio kalimba sound, soon building upon itself before a huge wave of cloudy ambience comes in, along with a simple, steady rhythm with a dreamy keyboard melody floating on top. A thing of throbbing beauty. And then "On Through The Night" (which we don't think is meant to be a Def Leppard reference, though that would have been cool) takes up pretty much the entire second half of the disc, a 16:50 trip deep into Blues Control land, a realm of rumbling echo-effected dubbiness, woozy hints of string orchestration, creepy carnival organ, droned out drama, and pulsating mystery, their music looping like the multiple hoop earrings piercing the ear of the "primitive" person depicted on the cover, caressing YOUR ears though, rather than piercing them. The melody is murky, yet easy to detect, BC taking a thankfully melodic approach that many experimental bands ignore entirely.
Even at their most aggressive ("Good Morning") there's something gentle about Blues Control. That first track we'd especially recommend to the Wooden Shjips fans, and then elsewhere on here there's stuff to offer folks into the likes of everyone/thing from Eno to Sun Araw to Alice Coltrane Moolah to Expo '70. Elements of all of which combine uniquely within Blues Control's cracked and krautrockish DIY avant-blues experiments. A nice blend of pop catchiness and free-psych trippyness, the perfect record for a summer walk around town or a sunny BBQ burn out, this one is recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Good Morning"
MPEG Stream: "Tangier"

CIRCLE OF OUROBORUS Old Ghosts (Cocainacopia) lp 16.98
Once again, Finnish 'black metal' weirdos distance themselves even further from what most of us would consider to be black metal. This compiles two 'sides' originally recorded for 2 planned split lps with another bunch of outsider black metallers, Urfaust. For whatever reason, said splits failed to materialize, thus we have this, two part bit of oddness called Old Ghosts, not a new album technically (part 3 of the Shores - Stream - Islands trilogy is coming out soon) but heck, new album or not, this is in fact a new full length from our of our favorite purveyors of damaged, off kilter blackness.
And as we mentioned above, CoO were never really the black and buzzy type, instead they took those elements and fused them with their more sort of abstract folk flecked, Jandekian stumble, the result something we found genius, but a fair amount of TROO black metal warriors found to be hard to handle. Moody, noodily slow motion almost new wave sounding guitars, reminding us quite a bit of some lost Cure demo, dark and spidery and creepy, the vocals sort of sung/spoken, often slipping into weird out of tune crooning, it's easy to see how these jams were intended to be on a split with Urfaust, the same sort of dramatic poppiness, a lurching, bizarrely rendered bit of not very metal blackness.
After the first track, the drums kick in, there's then a bit more buzz, but other than that, the sound remains essentially the same, dour and depressive, stripped down, almost jangly, more a sort of lo-fi doom-pop than black metal, very much along the same lines as the last few Hypothermia records, or maybe Dead Reptile Shrine at their most folky and poppy.
For being two different records, the two sides flow together fairly seamlessly, a sprawling collection of lumbering, loping, downtuned depressive, jangle flecked, blackened, gothic new wave pop weirdness. Further cementing these guys' position as one of our favorite groups around. Both sides finish off with short bursts of urgently strummed atonal acoustic folk, that sounds a bit like a more fucked up blackened Mountain Goats?! So cool.
Comes with a printed insert, with liner notes and lyrics, and features one of the best covers we've EVER seen on a 'metal' record for sure.

CLOAKS Versus Grain (Baked Goods) cd 15.98
Don't confuse THIS Cloaks with the other Cloaks we've reviewed in the past, or you're in for a rude awakening. Whereas that Cloaks was a Starving Weirdos related bit of tripped out dronemusic, THIS Cloaks is a crushing, super distorted beat heavy juggernaut. They're described as Burial meets Einsturzende Neubauten, which is not that far off the mark. It IS sort of dubstep, the rhythms, the beats, but the fact that many of the beats are constructed from experiments in damage and destruction, treated recordings of pieces of metal being pounded, glass shattering, well that's where the Neubaten comes in.
Apparently these guys rarely play live, as their performances typically leave tons of equipment damaged and / or destroyed, and crowds (be they metal or dancefloor) confused and a little bit freaked out.
We, however, are psyched, this is so right up our alley, and presumably some of yours, easily the heaviest, crunchiest, ultra distorted-est dance music EVER. Heck, even calling it dance music makes this stuff sound not nearly as caustic and abrasive as it is. Not sure how many folks remember the Fever record on DHR from years back, a crazy noisy distorted hiphop record, well this sounds a bit like an instrumental version of that record, but even noisier and more chaotic. The beats grind and throb, pulse and pound, set amidst a churning sea of malfunctioning electronics, thick feedback, buzzing synths, and all sorts of other processed noises, the beats stutter and skitter, it's definitely groovy, but at the same time just SO mean sounding. This is the direction we wish industrial music had taken. From murky muddy throbbing minimal shuffles to full on pipe fight pound, to blown out buzz drenched dirge, these jams are ear candy for folks like us into decay and destruction. It almost sounds like some dubstep record remixed by Tim Hecker or Fennesz or Merzbow, or heck more like all three! The beats seeming to rust and crumble before our very ears, the surrounding sounds gritty and grimey and filthy, the vocals sung into a broken transistor radio broadcast through a short circuiting bullhorn, all that stuff, dipped in distortion, wreathed in damaged FX, wrapped up into some lurching, lumbering post industrial dubstep pound, capable of destroying any dancefloor that crosses its path!
So totally recommended.
MPEG Stream: "#00148"
MPEG Stream: "Junk"
MPEG Stream: "Against"

COHEN, TIM Two Sides of Tim Cohen (Secret Seven) lp 14.98
As if fronting super hyped garage rockers the Fresh & Onlys wasn't enough, or being the one man in one man weirdo black metal horde AmocomA, or playing in Black Fiction and Three Leafs or any of a number of other local bands, or even being the back up band for psych rock legend Rodriguez, well, apparently none of that is enough, as here's a brand new full length from Mr. Tim Cohen, he of all the above mentioned rockness.
The Two Sides seems to focus on another side of Cohen we've only gotten little glimpses of, and that's the classic popsmith. And yeah, classic pop sounds infuse pretty much everything he does (heck, even AmocomA has a distinctly pop vibe), but this is definitely his 'pop' record, a sort of lo-fi, ramshackle, home brewed psychedelic Pet Sounds for the current landscape of FM radio revivalists, a la Ariel Pink, Ty Segall, etc. But where Pink is truly drug addled and twisted, and Segall tends towards the slightly more rocking, Cohen here is emotional and sincere, the lyrics plenty twisted and bizarre, the music fractured and freaky, but it's all wound into something definitely classic sounding, Beach Boys, Beatles, of course, but more than the sound it's the vibe and the feel, as folky as it is classic rock, poppy all over, slipping effortlessly from moody and brooding almost Nick Drake sounding intimacy, to surprisingly lush almost radio ready old school FM pop. The vocals drift from softly sung spoken to soaring falsetto, wrapping themselves up in sweet harmonies, the musical backdrop more subtle than one might expect, intricate acoustic guitars, muted percussion, everything stripped down and wreathed in reverb and delay, a low key fuzzy psych pop, that will definitely appeal to the current crop of retro lo-fi drug poppers, but is way less willfully obscure, tapping into something a bit more classic, a bit more timeless.
Super nice packaging, thick eye popping sleeve, inside a printed lyric sheet, as well as an insert, with the code so you can download the whole record, as well as a bunch of digital only bonus tracks!

CONGOS, THE The Carl Craig Edits (Honest Jon's) 12" 12.98
Pure 12" perfection! Originally released back in 2003 we're super happy this has been finally repressed! Carl Craig had just the right touch on these edits of tracks from the amazing Congos album Heart Of The Congos. This is exactly what you want in a 12", jams to be played over and over and over, Craig piecing together the already potent elements from those amazing originals into a more minimal yet totally sizzling new sound. If you don't have that Congos record yet, this could be the perfect gateway to an amazing album and if you already love that record like we do, this manages to be respectful to the originals, while taking them in totally new directions. Carl Craig proves once again that when it comes to edits and remixes, no one does it better!

DESIRE II (Italians Do It Better) cd-r 13.98
Everything Johnny Jewel touches these days turns to sultry dancefloor gold. Whether it's Glass Candy, the Chromatics, or a handful of other groups on Italians Do It Better that have felt Jewel's magic touch, he has really been largely responsible for making IDIB a label to trust when it comes to sizzling, late night spaced out disco!
What sets Desire a little apart from other acts on Italians Do It Better is that it's much more of a full band effort, with an affection for analog synthesizers as well as strings, percussion, piano, and it's got an overall delivery that is much more warm and rich than some of the other similar sounding outfits on the label. Desire still have that icy-detached aesthetic that can be found in the sounds of Chromatics, but there is something a bit more personal sounding in the songs here. While most records in this genre tend to be filled with super immediate hooks that sometimes lose their staying power on repeated listens, this record is a serious grower. In fact on first listen we thought maybe this was going to be a bit of a let down, but we're so happy we gave it a few more spins, cuz we were eventually totally sucked into the moody, sultry stylings that Desire conjure up. Between this and the Nite Jewel record we gushed about recently, our late night coming down soundtrack is sounding better then ever. Feel the slow burn!
MPEG Stream: "Dans Mes Reves"
MPEG Stream: "Oxygene"
MPEG Stream: "Mirroir Mirroir"

DEUTER Aum (Kuckuck) cd 15.98
Out of all the classic New Age artists, the one that gets a definite pass around here is Deuter. Though many of his later records (Nada Himalaya excluded) venture into the cheesier areas of the new age genre, his early records are great examples of German kosmiche music and are just as good as Popol Vuh, Cluster and Agitation Free. For instance, Aum, which we just got in to list for the first time (though it's not a new reissue). Aum was recorded in 1972 and released a year after his debut record, D. While D was more about tape effects and studio experiments, Aum is his first obvious venture into a more spiritually based musical practice. Sounds of storms and birds, guitars and flutes open up the disc in what could be a track by South American psych-folk groups Satwa or Congregacion (or even Citay or The Alps!). But the following tracks venture into a quiet but pensive meditation of tablas, and warbling bass, simmering sitar drones and subtle chanting. The track "Sattwa" is a sitar and piano interaction while "Surat Shabda" is a trance-y exploration using ethnic percussion instruments. But the longest and prettiest track is "Susani", an eight minute delayed electric guitar excursion around a few rhythmically repeating chords over low minor key vocal drones and far off ocean swells that burn off into a fading hum. It's definitely one of those limbo records, mining a deeper territory of minimalist composition with psychedelic effects that would eventually be marketed as New Age. But this is long before that genre got ruined, and any fan of the bands mentioned above should check this out for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Phoenix"
MPEG Stream: "Soham"
MPEG Stream: "Morning Glory"

DISCOVERY LP (XL) cd 13.98
It seems like many of the figurative walls that used to keep musical scenes and and record collections segregated are finally crumbling to the ground. In recent years indie rockers have embraced pop and the dance floor while lots of pop, hip-hop and R&B artists have latched on to the always evolving world of electronica. Discovery are kind of like the perfect poster boys for this evolution.
While best known for their more indie rock minded bands (one of those bands being quite the buzz band from a couple years ago) these two soundmakers have taken the opportunity to fully embrace their love of un-ironic pure dance pop delight. Much like the way Hot Chip brought the sound of Prince to a more indie sensibility, Discovery have crafted totally irresistible modern pop gems that kind of sound like the newest Phoenix record mixed with Kanye West. There is something so bright, colorful and refreshing about the sounds on LP. A bit more bouncy and playful then the Junior Boys while still using a bit of the same sonic template that they and Hot Chip helped create a few years back. The beats and electronics on LP are executed so flawlessly, if tweaked just a bit more they would sound right at home on a skweee record, but even so, this record is all about full on shiny pop perfection. Imagine the sound in the mall as we all roller-skated down the escalators after hours, in some teen movie with an Orange Julius in our hands, the food court behind us and a Forever 21 on the horizon. So yummy!
MPEG Stream: "Osaka Loop Line"
MPEG Stream: "So Insane"
MPEG Stream: "Carby"

ETERNAL TAPESTRY Palace of The Night Skies (Three Lobed) lp+cd 24.00
So when the Eternal Tapestry guys ripped through town last month, they dropped off a few cdrs, needless to say, they were gone in no time. We even had to keep bugging them to send more down to the shop because so many of you loyal psych heads couldn't get enough of ETAP's cosmic fury!! Well, we are pleased to present the latest full length lp from Portland's heaviest psych sludge trio, Palace of The Night Skies! The good people at Three Lobed bring us this tripped out, fuzzed out psychedelic masterpiece, golden shimmering riffs plodding on into infinity, wailing fuzz from the depths of a swirling acid trip, all anchored to Earth by Jed Bindeman's (Heavy Winged) in the pocket, solid as rock drumming. Prism Light Traveler, Side A, kicks things off with a krauty, stoned-out riff, repetitive and hypnotic, Nick Bindeman (JOMF, Tunnels) and Dewey Mahood sacrifice their guitars at the psychedelic altar of kraut riffage. Layers of wailing feedback, endless washes of blaring tones burn a hole right through the speakers, the gates of infinity are opened and all trippers are welcome inside. Side B, titled The Hidden Void, begins with the slowest riff we've heard these guys unleash. Soooo slooow and trudging, like someone falling asleep while playing, kinda reminds us of listening to a Les Rallizes Denudes lp at half speed. Other layers of wailing guitar and distant drones slowly creep into the mix as the slow paced, stonerific trudge plods on. We love how heeeeavy and loud the record sounds, so raw and fucked up, just they type of low-fi warmth we love with our psych. Palace of The Night Skies is essential, especially for fans of Bong, Wooden Shjips, Parson Sound, Loop or anything remotely psychedelic. Limited to 730 copies, each lp comes with a cd (cd also includes one bonus track!) and is housed in a beautifully prinited, cosmic cover. Don't be left in the dust on this heavy-kraut gem!!
MPEG Stream: "Prism Light Traveller"
MPEG Stream: "The Hidden Void"

ETHNIC ACID Power-Works 1986-88 (Industrial Recollections / Freak Animal) 2cd 15.98
Anthony Di Franco is probably best known as a member of British noise rockers Ramleh, as well as the legendary Skullflower, playing on that band's seminal, industrial sludge records including Obsidian Shaking Codex, a bunch of impossible to find singles, and the universally revered IIIrd Gatekeeper. Di Franco also had a couple of other solo projects in Ax and Novatron, the latter has proven to be an awesome, if rarely heard slab of headrinsing, low-end noise, and Ax, holy shit, so punishingly good, c'mon someone, reissue those NOW!!!
Di Franco was also the man responsible for the power electronics noise project Ethnic Acid, which existed for a short two year period from 1986 to 1988 but managed eight cassettes during that time period. A couple of those tapes were self-released through Di Franco's own JFK imprint; and most importantly as a historical note, one of those cassettes was released by Broken Flag. It's most likely due to Di Franco's working relationship with Broken Flag's Gary Mundy, that he become one of the revolving members of Mundy's Ramleh. Outside of his better known bands, Di Franco's solo work has always been very worthwhile, and these early recordings of tape splatter and electronic bloodletting do not disappoint! Managing to be heavy and noisy and caustic, but also surprisingly listenable. As we've mentioned before in the past, we're not always that into full on noise / power electronics, we're way more into texture and timbre and dynamics, and thankfully, for every spurt of face melting crush found on Power-Works, there's a long stretch of rumbling drone, or strange stuttering collaged heaviness.
Di Franco's pedigree should probably be enough to get most folks on board, and noiseniks were probably already anxiously awaiting this collection, but for the rest of you, definitely check this out, if you're not into noisemusic AT ALL, this might not be your thing, but anyone into dronemusic and dark ambience, and experimental tape music, this is some seriously powerful and varied stuff. From heaving digital crunch, to stuttering almost metallic sounding loops, to murky stumble and blackened rumble, to spaced out soundscapes of sine waves and looped classical music, to wild squalls of distorted sort-of-riffage, to whispered industrial whir, to smeared and blurred dronescapes, it's all pretty fantastic and heady stuff, especially for being 20 years old. And anyone who's been digging Skullflower's recent return to noisiness (Vile Veil, Malediction, The Paris Working, Desire For A Holy Warm, Pure Imperial Reform) will most likely find lots to love here, although in comparison to those discs, lots of this stuff is downright pretty!
MPEG Stream: "Severed From Life"
MPEG Stream: "Il Papa"
MPEG Stream: "Sexodus I"
MPEG Stream: "Sexodus II"

EXPO 70 Psychosis (Peasant Magik) lp 17.98
What else to say really about Expo 70 that we haven't already? Every new release is another gorgeous, softly psychedelic transmission from soft distant corner of the universe. Stray broadcasts traveling across the expanses of space, a sort of timeless music that sounds more like it just IS, and always WAS, more than it sounds created. Justin Wright who is Expo 70, seems to dismantle his guitar at the molecular level, once cracked open, his now rended axe emits a stream of notes and melodies, opens a portal, unleashing a slow burning black fog of sound and texture, through which one can observe and experience other worlds and alternate dimensions.
Heavy crumbling blackness settles atop hushed drifts of crystalline melodic shimmer, eventually transforming into something much more songy, a super druggy spaced out psych jam of the highest order, sounding a bit like Santana fronting SUNNO))), dense rumbling buzz drenched swells beneath super emotional almost wailing leads.
The flipside is another otherworldly songsuite, this one divided into three parts, slipping from minimal and looped to crushing and doomy to hushed and murky and space-y. The opener is a gorgeous spaced out bit of repetitive, stripped down new age kraut rock, a main pulse throbs beneath swirls of warm keyboards, simple chordal strum and muted electronics, super hypnotic and mesmerizing and quite possibly one of our favorite Expo jams yet.
The second track is a thick roiling swirl of crumbling distorted heaviness, slow sprawling chords overlapping into a doomy textured expanse of tarpit riff fueled ambience, before dissipating into part three, a murmured post industrial soundscape that sounds like a field recording of some derelict space station set to music. Creepy and haunting and also quite lovely.
Killer packaging, thick full color sleeve, with a printed full color Japanese style obi, inside, a 12"x24" silk screened poster! [The first bunch came with a bonus cd-r, featuring a live set, recorded on KFJC back in 2008, but those are gone, this is JUST the lp, but heck, that should be more than enough!]

FOUST! Jungle Fever (Swill Radio) cd 14.98
Not to be confused with the legendary krautrock band (notice the spelling, and the punctuation), Foust! is in fact Scott Foust, member of experimental soundmaking combo Idea Fire Company, who share a label and an aesthetic to a certain degree with the Shadow Ring.
For Foust's first solo record, he's conjured up a nearly 80 minute soundscape of lo-fi loped rhythms and drones. The first 35+ minutes are slowly shifting, barely changing bit of stutter and thump, wreathed in hiss and set atop a soft bed of static, super mesmerizing and hypnotic, while the rhythm remains virtually unchanged, the sounds around it, softly and slowly shift, growing more and more murky, the tone and timbre gradually transforming until finally the rhythms drops out, leaving long shimmering tones, stretched out over what sounds like field recordings, the various tones are layered into almost-harmonies, the low tones thick and undulating in slow motion way up in the mix, higher tones way off in the distance, a soft tangle of warm languid dronemusic, until with about twenty minutes left, the drones fade out leaving mostly just ambient sounds, birdcalls, rainfall, running water, the crackle of leaves and branches, while way off in the distance, remnants of the first half of the record hang on until they too finally disappear, the sound building to a hiss until the track ends with the storm disappearing in a little swirl of effects.
So nice. An awesome combination of soundscaping, dronemusic and field recordings, definitely for fans of all three!
MPEG Stream: "Jungle Fever (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Jungle Fever (excerpt 2)"

GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER #8 Summer '09 (Drag City) magazine + cd 16.98
Boy howdy, it's another enormous, fully freaked out issue of the psychedelic rock / folk magazine edited by artist, musician, and megafan Plastic Crimewave. As always, it's all hand-written, and full of PCW's underground comix style artwork, including random portraits of such bands as Suicide and Kaleidoscope UK. Textwise, this time we get interviews with Ya Ho Wha 13, Vashti Bunyan, Peter Walker, Guru Guru, MV and EE, and "light show pioneer" Bill Ham. Plus features on Hoyt Axton, Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic, Brian Wilson, The George-Edwards Group, The Gods, The Zombies, and much more!! Including a lot of cool stuff about superhero comic book art.
And then there's the bonus compilation "head-melting cd of mega-rarities" also found here, with tracks from, among others: Vashti Bunyan, Simply Saucer, Ruthann Friedmann, Peter Walker, Ya Ho Wha, Samara Lubelski, George-Edwards, La Otracina, Christina Carter, Plastic Crimewave Sound (natch) and freakin' Monster Magnet (an unreleased '86 demo track)!
And of course, this is also bagged with more of GZD's trademark Plastic Crimewave illustrated TRADING CARDS. Several sheets of 'em, again divided between "Damaged Guitar Gods" (set four) and "Astral Folk Godesses" (set two). The DGG's range from Alessandro Alessandroni who played on many of Ennio Morricone's Spaghetti Western soundtracks to Takashi Mizutani of Japan's Les Ralllizes Denudes to Ygarr of Zolar X from outer space. AFG's include the lovely likes of Sibylle Baier, Dorothy Moskowitz of United States Of America, and avant-prog chanteuse Dagmar Krause.
Each issue of GZD is a wonderful opportunity to revel in your musical obsessions (those that intersect with PCW's that is, which we bet they do) as well as probably learn about a few other obscure soon-to-be obsessions. Way cool.

GANGLIANS Monster Head Room (Weird Forest) lp+7" 21.00
Now also in stock on vinyl, with a bonus 7" too! Though it's been surprisingly cold here in San Francisco as of late, things are starting to warm up nicely, and if we needed any reminder that summertime is IN EFFECT, Ganglians' Monster Head Room does just the trick. This Sacramento group's lo-fi but somewhat orchestral approach to making bouncy, feel good pop is perfect for this weather, with a playful experimental side (check out the cool sound collage of "The Void" and the field recordings used in "To June") and breezy Beach Boys-esque harmonies blending expertly into the mix almost like another instrument altogether. Even at their more "out there" moments, Ganglians' songs are firmly in the pop realm and will no doubt appeal to fans of Animal Collective, good old 90s indie rock, and even the current crop of Shitgazers. There are plenty of mellow folky moments, but the band is not afraid to rock out either, like on the pounding, white hot "100 Years". Throughout it all, Ganglians have created a shimmering set of densely layered pop gems that we can't get enough of. Recommended!
While they last, the lp version comes with an Eat Skull 7", yep, NOT a Ganglians 7", an EAT SKULL 7"!
MPEG Stream: "Lost Words"
MPEG Stream: "The Void"
MPEG Stream: "100 Years"

GARCIA, RUSS Fantastica: Music From Outer Space (Basta) cd 21.00
Despite the over saturation of lounge and exotica reissues (especially the glut that surfaced a few years back), we never tire of those stereophonic space age bachelor pad sounds, especially of course when they are all about outer space: Frank Comstock's Music From Outer Space, Ferrante and Teicher's Sound Blast!, John Hill's 6 Moons of Jupiter, Esquivel's Other Worlds, Other Sounds, and now added to the list is Russ Garcia's 1958 sci-fi epic, Fantastica: Music From Outer Space. First time reissued on cd, the music takes on a fantastic rocket journey and imagines what the planets as well as their inhabitants would sound like through tracks such as "The Lost Souls of Saturn", "The Monsters of Jupiter", and "Water Creatures of Astra". Using a full orchestra with some specially designed electronic effects, the most amazing sounds come from the experimental analog recording techniques and mundane objects used as instruments: a vibrating knife blade off the edge of a table, blowing a straw into gelatin water, moving a microphone around a gong etc., and then speeding up, reversing or slowing down those recorded sounds, so they sound like rippling lava, magnetic fields, or an army of blobular menacing creatures! Why this wasn't reissued during the lounge exotica resurgence is a mystery because it's totally amazing and beautiful and at times dark and mysterious. A masterpiece of the genre that is well worth the trip!
MPEG Stream: "Water Creatures of Astra"
MPEG Stream: "Volcanos of Mercury"
MPEG Stream: "Frozen Neptune"

GARET, RICHARD & BRENDAN MURRAY Of Distance (Unframed) cd 14.98
Dronesculptor extraordinaire Brendan Murray should need no introduction, after his slew of stunning releases through Students Of Decay, 23five, and Intransitive; but this collaboration gives us some insight into the work of NYC based composer / painter / photographer Richard Garet. The two began collaborating back in 2004 and worked throughout the intervening years on the two sprawling compositions that make up Of Distance, heavily processed out of field recordings, textured improvisation, occluded dronescaping, and shortwave radio.
Given the presence of shortwave radio static and detuned transmissions rippling through this fine exercise in tense minimalism, there is an obvious parallel between this album and the work of John Duncan. But it's not just those grey smears of disembodied voice and cracked ether that provide such a reference. Garet and Murray have built an album with its crucible of noise that vulcanizes sound into harmonically vibrant if psychologically dark accretions of fluctuating drone.
Broken into two long-form pieces, the album opens with slashes of metallic timbres that gradually give into a series of tactile cracklings, whereby the shortwave radio static and broadcast detritus filter through the mix. A low growling rumble intercedes as a structural girder, only to cast an ominous hue across the piece, which intensifies in its pierced tones, industrial grade electrical fields, and radioluminous hum. This is probably not a track for headphones given some of the upper registered frequencies, and they certainly cut through the ambient din of Valencia Street here at aQuarius quite easily! The second piece follows suit with an initial thrust of aerated white noise pocked with utility signal bleeps (these again are shortwave transmissions, nothing as overtly creepy as numbers stations, but far more common). As this chunk of sound collapses into a slow build of rarefied drones, Murray and Garet offer another evolving composition of tonal intensity, smeared with aggregate textures and extended harmonic exercises. Murray has never let us down before, and his work with Richard Garet does not disappoint!
MPEG Stream: "In Parallel"
MPEG Stream: "The Tyranny Of Objects"

HARVEY MILK The Singles (Relapse) 2lp 26.00
FINALLY AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!
Who would've though this would ever come to pass?! Those of you who love things slow and sludgy and heavy, should be on your knees, thanking whatever god you pray to, for allowing this divine musical covenant to be placed in your dirty, filthy unworthy hands!
Harvey Milk were Atlanta's answer to the Melvins, but slowed waaaaaaaay down and spaced waaaaaay out. Songs so spare but somehow so impossibly heavy, riffs so thick that they threaten to clog your speakers and rhythms so stretched out that they can barely be called rhythms. Add in a serious free jazz + ZZ Top obsession and you've got the recipe for one of the greatest, heaviest bands EVER. They recorded two brilliant full lengths (with their original lineup), one of which was re-issued on Andee's tUMULt label a couple years ago. And we thought then, sadly that we had heard the end of HM forever. But along comes Relapse to save the day, collecting all of Harvey Milk's impossibly rare 7"s and compilation tracks onto one black-hole-heavy chunk of aluminum. Most singles collections allow you to trace the development of a band, watching them slowly turn into the band you already know and love, but this collection proves that HM spontaneously combusted, emerging from their tarpit womb a fully formed, lumbering, molten, sludge rock colossus. From plodding, 3 mph sludgy, dirgey Melvins's worship, to chaotic noisy caveman thud, to Codeine-ish slow motion mood rock, to spare, rhythmic bass and drums space-scapes with demonic, anguished howls and Hendrix like riffs dipped in tar and sprinkled with wild peals of head-shearing feedback, to semi-acoustic tear jerkers, with warbly barely-in-key vocals, I mean, they even do a fucking Peter Criss solo song! How brilliant is that! Harvey Milk confounds as much as they just flat out destroy. How the fuck does a three piece rock band actually sound like they're playing on the wrong speed?! It's as if the entire band had a pitch control knob, and they keep turning it down and down and dooooown. And playing drums for this band must be utter hell. Massive expanses of space, demarcated by pounding beats, spread so far apart they just barely make up a rhythm, with enough space between beats for the drummer to get up, go to the bar, have a cigarette, and make it back in plenty of time for the next beat. So minimal and hypnotic and difficult and heavy, it just blows all other sludge rock hopefuls back to the stone age. And even in the context of a 'singles collection', songs that were never meant to be together on a record, this stuff falls so perfectly into place, you would never know this wasn't conceived as a proper record. Yet another testimony to the under-appreciated genius of the mighty Harvey Milk. Liner notes from AQ pal and Chunklet head honcho Henry Owings. Essential for those of you who love Boris, Corrupted, Earth, SUNNO))) and the like, as well as their massively head crushing opus Courtesy And Goodwill Towards Men!
MPEG Stream: "Yer Mouse Gets My Dander Up"
MPEG Stream: "I Do Not Know How To Live My Life"

HAYNES, JIM Sever (Intransitive) cd 13.98
We listed this recently as a double disc limited edition, unfortunately that is now out of print, but the single disc is well worth the price of admission. Here's our review attesting to that...
Much like his art, the music of Jim Haynes is based on, and is a continual exploration of the act of decay, an imagining of natural (and un-natural) processes rendered into sound, a world of crumbling landscapes and of microscopic worlds collapsing. While he has yet to figure out a way to actually record the process of metal rusting, Haynes has managed to create a soundworld that sounds precisely how he, and perhaps we, might imagine it.
The process of decay, and erosion, found on and in Sever, is some sort of sprawling sonic time lapse, each track as much about the sounds as the sources, as much about the arrangements as the process of listening, as much about texture as timbre, as much about the tiny details, and the expansive whole, the opening track for instance, is all clatter and crunch, chiming and tinkling, to these ears it sounds like wandering through a ruined world, a dead planet, the sun drying every living thing to husks, these sounds are the dried carapaces, hung from rotted fence posts, rubbing against one another in what little breeze is left under a harsh midday sun. The sound of footsteps, the crunch and scrape of a despondent trudge, a death march, but all of this is carefully blurred and smeared, the obvious references are blunted, so the sound evokes all of the above, yet as if it were a dream, the edges a bit fuzzy, the sounds slightly gauzy, the colors hazy, the sound almost underwater sounding at times, a feverdream in sound.
The rest of the tracks explore a different world altogether. A world of darkness and blight, of grim emptiness and eternal blackness, three variations on the darkness beyond, varying shades of grey and black, ominous, haunting, threatening, abject, deep and so very dark. Almost as if the listener from the first track, stumbled into the cool darkness of a cave, sheltered through the sun, only to find his or herself wandering through an endless labyrinth of tunnels and caverns, the sound massive and bottomless, but simultaneously hushed and intimate, the blackness rife with buried melodies, with warm whirring textures, the haunting clang and clatter of bells? Some sort of metal on metal. Crunch and crackle adds grit to Haynes' subterranean drift, the sound growing ever more ominous, the low end shimmer transformed into a grinding hiss, a black hum, wreathed in clouds of effervescent static, beneath it all, an unlikely pulse, a barely audible throb, a machinelike anti-groove buried beneath, a slow swirling noxious obsidian haze.
The final track explodes with what sounds like the grind of stone against stone, whirring processed textures, that slowly shift and are pulled apart into strands of greyed melody, a whirring, gritty expanse of softly intertwined layers, that seem to extend forever, the various bits of grit and grime worn away as the track progresses, the sounds getting smoother as they grow darker, as if the sounds are dragging the listener further down into the dark, the light from above fading, becoming a warm orange glow, then a smudge of red, before any and all color is swallowed up, leaving just the echoes to ring out before they too disappear.
MPEG Stream: ":"
MPEG Stream: "::"

JAYHAWKS Music From The North County: The Jayhawks Anthology (American) cd 13.98
The whole No Depression movement spawned so many great bands, Uncle Tupelo of course, and post UT acts Wilco and Son Volt, Blue Mountain, Whiskeytown, Freakwater, Old 97's, Scud Mountain Boys, Robbie Fulks, Tarnation, Split Lip Rayfield, and on and on. Very few of those bands, no matter how good or how much we dig 'em, come close to the sheer song writing genius and kick ass rocking of genre namesakes Uncle Tupelo, except for one. The Jayhawks, a consistently amazing band. Every record jam packed with incredible timeless songsmithery. The two vocalists, Gary Louris and Mark Olson, had voices like angels, crafting perfect soaring harmonies, and both were incredible songwriters, one of those partnerships that comes along once in a blue moon. And the band, a crack collection of amazing players, they had EVERYTHING going for them. Yet for their whole career, success eluded them. While other, lesser bands went on to become critical darlings, or to make shit tons of money, the Jayhawks toiled in relative obscurity. So legendary was their bad luck that they were the subject of an extensive article in a national magazine (Newsweek, Business Day?) all about how to survive as a band, or not, as was the case with the Jayhawks. And their bad luck extended beyond the music business, as Mark Olson left at the height of the band's popularity to care for his wife, Victoria Williams, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
And listening to these songs again, it is criminal, and tragic, and simply hard to believe that a band this good, and songs this amazing, managed to remain so under the radar for so long. But there's something to be said for a cult following, and the Jayhawks have that in spades, fans are generally obsessed, and fans FOR LIFE. With Wilco or Ryan Adams, ask fans of those bands, and you'll probably get a "yeah, they're cool", or "sure I totally dig them, the new record is killer", but talk to ANY Jayhawks fan (Andee for instance) and you'll get an explosion of superlatives, a rant about how much better the Jayhawks are than ANY of their contemporaries, and how fucked it is that they were never huge, and since it's Andee who is writing this, well, needless to say, the Jayhawks ARE better than all of their contemporaries, and yeah, we're including Wilco and whoever else you want to stack up against these guys. It's a little country, a little rock, a little folk, a lot of pop, but they've created a sound and a style so immediately recognizable, and those voices, you'll never mistake these guys for anyone else. Easily some of the best music of the last 20 years, country, No Depression or otherwise.
Listen to the sound samples, that should really be all it takes, totally perfect, twang flecked, utterly timeless pop music of the highest order, or maybe it IS country music, but whatever you want to call it, to these ears it sounds heavenly, and like the Jayhawks and no one else.
For diehards, and anyone who is totally blown away by the sound samples below, there's also a super deluxe version with a second disc of rarities and unreleased tracks, as well as a DVD featuring all the bands videos, $33, needless to say WELL worth it. If you want that one, it's on the aQ site, search for it and add it to your cart. Otherwise, this single disc version is the perfect introduction to a group that could be your new favorite band.
MPEG Stream: "Waiting For The Sun"
MPEG Stream: "Blue"
MPEG Stream: "I'd Run Away"
MPEG Stream: "Tailspin"

KRENG L'Autopsie Pheneomenale De Dieu (Miasmah) lp 19.98
Sombre and strange record of post-classical miniatures originally recorded to accompany various ballet and dance pieces. Sparse piano, Eastern-European strings, field recordings, eerie found sounds and electric-acoustic chamber drones with dark and haunting textures reference a kind of surrealist narrative that wouldn't be out of place in a film by Luis Bunuel. Perhaps not as somnolent as past Miasmah recordings from Elegi and Jacaszek, as the dynamics of the score can veer into some occasional, theatrical dramatics. Best not let it lull you into sleep, for fear of unsettling dreams or being abruptly jarred awake. Recommended nonetheless!
MPEG Stream: "Na De Sex"
MPEG Stream: "Meisje In Auto"
MPEG Stream: "Aspyxia"

KRENG L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu (Miasmah) cd 15.98
Sombre and strange record of post-classical miniatures originally recorded to accompany various ballet and dance pieces. Sparse piano, Eastern-European strings, field recordings, eerie found sounds and electric-acoustic chamber drones with dark and haunting textures reference a kind of surrealist narrative that wouldn't be out of place in a film by Luis Bunuel. Perhaps not as somnolent as past Miasmah recordings from Elegi and Jacaszek, as the dynamics of the score can veer into some occasional, theatrical dramatics. Best not let it lull you into sleep, for fear of unsettling dreams or being abruptly jarred awake. Recommended nonetheless!
MPEG Stream: "Na De Sex"
MPEG Stream: "Meisje In Auto"
MPEG Stream: "Aspyxia"

LENCHATIN, PAZ Songs For Luci (Black Tent Press) lp 23.00
One of two new releases from newly launched boutique label/press Black Tent, the other being the long circulating but never released until now Pajo disc of Misfits covers also reviewed this list, and this, the first solo release from Paz Lenchatin, who some of you might know as a member of Tool side project A Perfect Circle, and, more recently, and perhaps relevantly, of The Entrance Band.
We weren't sure what to expect, but it's actually quite lovely. Acoustic guitar, violin, ethereal vocals, a sort of folky chamber country, singing strings, all moody and cinematic, a little sun dappled and washed out, the arrangements spare and minor key, the guitars delicate and crystalline, sometimes almost bluegrass sounding, sometimes seriously old timey sounding, the vocals are what set it apart, when Lenchatin isn't doing her best Patsy Cline, her voice is a breathless angelic croon, that sounds like it would be more at home on a Grouper record than here, but it transforms these simple stripped down folk songs into something a bit more transcendent. So so lovely.
And the packaging, WOW. 130 gram vinyl, housed in a thick sleeve with a 2 color serigraph on French Paper, comes with a cd (not a cd-r) featuring all the music on the lp. LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES!
MPEG Stream: "Kentucky Hymn"
MPEG Stream: "365"
MPEG Stream: "The Parade"

LIMOSINE s/t (s/r) cd-r + poster 5.98
SF locals Limosine offer up their debut, a 5-song cd-r about 36 minutes long featuring much in the way of rumbling repetitive percussion, blown-out distortion, ceremonial atmospheres, squealing tape manipulations, droning doomic vocal chant, mad scientist bloops and bleeps, and indie-angsty vox... Limosine's layers of lo-fi loops are a sort of psychedelic DIY industrial musick that we imagine could appeal to fans of such disparate acts as Pain Teens, the Dead C, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, and Wildildlife. Weird stuff, we can say that! And we like it.
Track one, "Only Poise, Only Prizes" is the heaviest, most claustrophobic cut, with the next two "Stillborn" and "Lo And Behold" being much airier and (relatively) blissful, though then the final two songs here, "Weird Waver" and "Alrosa Villa" bring back more of the distortion and shambolic mayhem of the first track. Not that the spacious "Stillborn", in the course of its nearly 12 minute running time, doesn't get into some intense areas too.
The band is a trio, with Sarah Bernat on guitar and vocals, Grant Valley on vocals and acoustic guitar, and Bert Bergen on drums, electronics, and cassette tape loops. The one we know among 'em is Bert, and you can definitely hear him loud and clear here. He's also a visual artist, his work usual featuring fantastical crystalline patterns, bearded gurus, and innocent marine mammals, you've probably seen it around town on wheatpasted posters advertising rock shows and art gallery events. And he was the drummer (as well as what you might call artistic director) for the now-disbanded new age space rock outfit Ascended Master, which also featured former AQ staffer Lauren, as well as members of Crime In Choir. While we're sorry Ascended Master is no more, we're digging Bert's new ride, Limosine.
The way this is packaged, you could easily mistake it for a 7", but like we said it's actually a cd-r with a folded-up 21"x18" poster, a numbered, signed print featuring freaky art by Bert and Grant. Limited to only 59 copies!!
MPEG Stream: "Only Poise, Only Prizes"
MPEG Stream: "Stillborn"
MPEG Stream: "Weird Waver"

LOCRIAN Drenched Lands (Bloodlust) lp + 3" cd-r 23.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL AS AN LP + 3" CD-R (as the record apparently was too long to fit on a single lp)!!!
Somehow this is exactly what we've been hankering for. A sprawling blackened songsuite, equal parts dark ambience, dense drones, heavy electronics, buzzy lo-fi almost new wave sounding keyboards, spidery post rock guitars and soft noise. Even writing it, that seems like a pretty unworkable, or unrealistic combination, but somehow these Midwesterners make it work. Big time.
They definitely could be considered sonic brethren of bands like SUNNO))), Pussygutt, MZ412, Troum, To Blacken The Pages, Wolf Eyes, Vulture Club and the like. However, Locrian take that sound someplace all their own, creating actual SONGS, as opposed to just soundscapes or drones. And there's a definitely black metal component for sure, no matter how abstract. Guitars are everywhere, seemingly the foundation for Locrian's sound, although as often as the guitars are unfurling spidery post rocky melodies, or distant reverbed riffs, they are also smeared into warm whirling clouds, left to drift and gradually change shape, or pulled apart and allowed to crumble into jagged little shards. Noise in a big component too, often the prettiest parts are treated with a patina of grinding soft focus electronics, or groaning downtuned tones.
The record opens with a gorgeous, elegiac guitar part, simple and stripped down, like it could be a black metal intro, until the organ comes in, wheezy and warbly, giving the track a weirdly lo-fi almost industrial vibe, definitely had us wishing it was in fact more than just a two minute intro.
That is until track two, "Ghost Repeater" takes over. An epic slow motion drift, strange echoey sounds floating in a warm muted sea of buzz and drone, glitched out bits of electronics, and eventually, a very epic black metal riff, that remains off in the distance, repeated and repeated until it too simply becomes another layer of sound.
"Barren Temple Obscured By Contaminated Fogs" (another great title), begins again with some creepy spindly guitar, draped over a deep pulsing low end, before transforming into some seriously abject and WAY abstract blacknoise. Shrieked distorted vokills over that same spidery guitar, Abruptum like ambience meets warped Goblinesque synth drones, the whole track twisted and warbly, eventually the vocals dropping out, leaving the buzzing guitars and wheezing keyboards to play out a super haunting horrorscape. "Epicedium" is delicate and crystalline, noodly guitar lines looped beneath a glimmering softly throbbing drone, peppered with fragmented strums, soon the track begins to grow gradually more and more distorted, the guitars more tense and frantic, the mood so haunting and weirdly beautiful and so subtly dramatic, reminding us of a super twisted soundtrack to some lost Giallo.
The record proper ends with another awesomely titled jam: "Obsolete Elegy In Cast Concrete", tolling bells, space kraut drones, all washed out and shimmery, the bed for some seriously corrosive guitar buzz and grind, adding layer after layer of crunch and rumble, but also slipping to some seriously black chug, joined by still more harsh hellish vox, a strange combination for sure but manages to be both beautiful and brutal, until the very end, where the track shifts gears and becomes all dramatic and melodic and weirdly majestic.
The cd features a bonus track called "Greyfield Shrines", which is nearly as long as all of the other tracks combined, a sprawling slow building blackened world of sound that slithers from hushed drift, to fractured buzz, to woozy moody ambience to blown out speaker shredding crunch, absolutely epic, super cinematic, mysterious, and even at it's noisiest, still quite melodic and blackly beautiful. Most definitely a track that could have been (and we think maybe was) a record all on its own.
MPEG Stream: "Obsolete Elegy In Effluvia and Dross"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost Repeater"
MPEG Stream: "Obsolete Elegy In Lost Concrete"

MI AMI Towers Fall (Hoss) 12" 16.98
Hoss is a newish label that are working with eclectic minded bands (Excepter, Lichens, WZT Hearts, Ecstatic Sunshine, Jason Forest, etc.) for limited edition vinyl releases where the artists are encouraged to really push and expand a side of their musical DNA in a way that they haven't before. So it makes perfect sense that they reeled in San Francisco's Mi Ami to launch their new "techno" series, which allows Mi Ami the opportunity to fully indulge in their love of techno and craft some serious dance floor burners. We hope Mi Ami keep exploring this side as they really understand how to weave an array of dance/electronic influences into such a fresh and eclectic sound. This is not the screamy/punky side of Mi Ami, instead Towers Fall finds the boys crafting a truly unique slice of electronica that somehow fuses the Berlin school, Chicago and Detroit house and even dubstep, without sounding stale, retro or rehashed. Each side of this 12" is about 10 minutes long, giving the tracks space to breathe and sprawl so nicely. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Towers Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Towers Fall (Cassette Mix)"

MILANESE Lockout (Planet Mu) cd 14.98
Milanese's Extend record from back in 2006 instantly became an all time aQ favorite. A total headspinning mix of old school jungle, hip hop, ragga, grime and who knows what else. A massive block rocking, dancefloor destroying, speaker shaking dancemusic freakout. We still throw that one on all the time. Then came Adapt, which was remixes, and took Extend and twisted it up and freaked it out evern MORE. And now we have Lockout, which seems like a proper new full length, although it's jam packed with remixes and guests and multiple versions, but right out of the gate, we're totally sold. Big phat buzz synth basslines, swooping space FX, and some super tweaked helium vocals, until part way through when everything shifts, the beats flip backwards, the tempo drops to half time, and a new vocalist joins the fray, his lazy flow perfectly matching the woozy buzzy lope. The second track is more of the same, a sort of supercharged junly techno, with a dash of dubstep, and some tongu twisting rapping over the top, the whole thing peppered with weird distorted tracheaotomy croaks and warped computer vox. And it just gets weirder and weirder and better and better.
Skittery hiccupping beats wrapped around creepy looped little girl voices, huge chopped jagged shards of low end, warped stumbling big beats, some twisted Tracy Morgan like flows, clipped sirens, clouds of squelch and glitch, a bunch of awesome samples and fractured melodies, a definite Sensational / Dr. Octagon vibe all over the place, as well as a gritty sheen of buzzy grime, a couple tracks dip their toes into diva / radio hip-pop, but even those jams are plenty tweaked.
Another winner for sure, and another record from Milanese that manages to go way beyond dubstep or grime or techno or hip hop or whatever other label you can come up with that barely begins to cover whatever the fuck is going on here. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "Baby Blue Remix Ft. RQM & Oliver Grimball"
MPEG Stream: "Disclosure Ft. Ben Sharpa"
MPEG Stream: "The End (Off Mix)"

MILANESE Lockout (Planet Mu) 2x12" 17.98
Milanese's Extend record from back in 2006 instantly became an all time aQ favorite. A total headspinning mix of old school jungle, hip hop, ragga, grime and who knows what else. A massive block rocking, dancefloor destroying, speaker shaking dancemusic freakout. We still throw that one on all the time. Then came Adapt, which was remixes, and took Extend and twisted it up and freaked it out evern MORE. And now we have Lockout, which seems like a proper new full length, although it's jam packed with remixes and guests and multiple versions, but right out of the gate, we're totally sold. Big phat buzz synth basslines, swooping space FX, and some super tweaked helium vocals, until part way through when everything shifts, the beats flip backwards, the tempo drops to half time, and a new vocalist joins the fray, his lazy flow perfectly matching the woozy buzzy lope. The second track is more of the same, a sort of supercharged junly techno, with a dash of dubstep, and some tongu twisting rapping over the top, the whole thing peppered with weird distorted tracheaotomy croaks and warped computer vox. And it just gets weirder and weirder and better and better.
Skittery hiccupping beats wrapped around creepy looped little girl voices, huge chopped jagged shards of low end, warped stumbling big beats, some twisted Tracy Morgan like flows, clipped sirens, clouds of squelch and glitch, a bunch of awesome samples and fractured melodies, a definite Sensational / Dr. Octagon vibe all over the place, as well as a gritty sheen of buzzy grime, a couple tracks dip their toes into diva / radio hip-pop, but even those jams are plenty tweaked.
Another winner for sure, and another record from Milanese that manages to go way beyond dubstep or grime or techno or hip hop or whatever other label you can come up with that barely begins to cover whatever the fuck is going on here. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "Baby Blue Remix Ft. RQM & Oliver Grimball"
MPEG Stream: "Disclosure Ft. Ben Sharpa"
MPEG Stream: "The End (Off Mix)"

MOON DUO Love On The Sea (Sick Thirst) 12" 8.98
We'll just spare the long-winded build up and get straight to the point: Moon Duo is the new side project from Ripley, guitarist for San Francisco's psychedelic heroes Wooden Shjips, and it kicks plenty of ass. This lengthy two song ep rocks in a similar, albeit slightly more stripped down way, and like the Shjips, Moon Duo is all about super hypnotic, highly rhythmic repetition with plenty of awesome fuzz guitars and simple but powerful drumming. And like all vinyl only offerings from Ripley's main gig, this is also coming to you in highly limited numbers, so act now or suffer later.
The first track, "Love On The Sea," previously appeared in edited form on a recent Yeti magazine compilation. But really, why would anyone want something coming from a Wooden Shjips dude to be slimmed down to fit on a cd with other groups? Thankfully, the version here uses an entire side to help you get even further lost in its endless melodic grooves. The song comes off as the perfect mix of krauty propulsion with fuzzed out, druggy American garage rock from the '60s, and the lo-fi recording works really well to get you nice and disoriented. Murky vocals, swirling organs and bright guitar accents give you the impression of what it would be like to relax in a room full of strobe lights going full blast, and after a while you can't tell whether the drums are a thumping backbeat or a straightforward groove. Whatever the case, it's sounding damn good to our ears.
On side 2 we have "E-Z Street Ext," which actually sounds a bit like an instrumental minor key version of the song "Down By The Sea" from the Shjips' recent Dos record. There's a nice dose of wild fuzz guitar action, but here the organ takes center stage with its awesome underwater sound. The drums are a steady pound, and as the guitar begins to decay into crumpling waves of distortion, things seem to speed up and build in intensity before arriving at a prolonged cymbal loop which itself appropriately ends in a locked groove.
Again, this is super limited, and if you couldn't already tell, it is absolutely required listening for those who can't get enough Wooden Shjips.

MOONDOG The Story Of Moondog (4 Men With Beards) lp 16.98
Psychedelic percussion, field recordings, long never ending beards, a Viking helmet, homemade instruments, a warped sense of humor, playing music, writing poems and making art on dirty street corners. Sounds like the ingredients for someone in today's experimental music scene, but Luis Hardin (aka Moondog) was doing it all and more back in 1957! Holy shit, we love Moondog so much even we forget sometimes that he was making these totally left-field yet completely entrancing and musically visionary sounds over fifty years ago!
Listening to The Story Of Moondog is like a crazy collaged snapshot of all the sounds that we love at AQ. He truly created music from another world, as these songs would sound perfect on any of the amazing Nonesuch Explorer Series or Sublime Frequencies releases, that is if they had installments for music from other worlds! The songs and sound here are like the blueprints for everyone from The Boredoms to Philip Jeck To Ricardo Villalobos. Without a doubt Moondog is one of the most innovative, creative and genre defying composers and music makers of all time. The instruments he invented and played on this recording leave us in awe, and the rhythms, moods and melodies that come leaping out of these grooves definitely transport us to that fantastical otherworld that Moondog created with his music. Until now the only way to track down this record was on the cd issue of More Moondog/The Story of Moondog so it's so great to finally have these songs on vinyl!

NADJA / BLACK BONED ANGEL s/t (20 Buck Spin) cd 10.98
A match made in dreamdrone heaven, one that has now spawned a second collaboration, between two of the most prolific in their field. Swapping files back and forth to create a devastatingly potent sonic brew, Nadja and Black Boned Angel have delivered two crushing epics, heavy and blackened, a sonic representation of their combined might.
Unlike the surprisingly poppiness of their first match up, this is a much grimmer beast. Starting with an almost Xasthur-esque opening, rife with slightly sour funereal guitars, a creeping wave of distortion slowly moves in like a persistent rainstorm. After about 6 minutes, the drums kick in like the beginning of a forced march towards a very bleak end. Soon a cloak of industrial strength feedback takes over everything else with occasional pounds of a drum popping up here and there. The results are somewhat like Skullflower's recent work with pulverizing feedback and a harsh grinding feel. Eventually, the blankets of distortion subside and the song ends with a low rumbling sound and a sustained burst of high pitched skree. The second number here opens with a low hum that constantly turns on itself before a sloooooooooooow dirgey beat comes in, taking the on its strange circular path. Some heavy subsonic riffs enter the picture at the 13 minute mark, merging with the rest of the fuzzed out drones, and the song becomes so heavy that it seems like at any moment it might collapse on itself due to the sheer density of it all. Still, a discernible melody cuts through to bring the piece to its SUNNO)))-styled conclusion, 26 minutes later. Whew.
Perfect listening for anyone looking to get lost in the epic sonic sludge of these two masters.
MPEG Stream: "I"
MPEG Stream: "II"

NECROFROST Dark Fog Hovers Near The Wooden Caves of Uldrakhilan Bloodforests (Aphelion) 10" 21.00
With a title like Dark Fog Hovers Near The Wooden Caves Of Aldrakkiian Bloodforest, it's gotta be Necrofrost, easily one of our favorite fucked up outsider black metal hordes. Quite possibly THE favorite. They might just be one of the most referenced bands on the aQ site, since whenever we need to describe a band that is warped and confusional and baffling and freaky and fucked up and damaged and retarded, well, Necrofrost is pretty much the gold standard.
Dark Fog Hovens Near The Wooden Caves Of Aldrakkiian Bloodforest is Necrofrost's legendary 1998 demo, so limited we had never even heard of it until we heard about this reissue, available on vinyl for the first time ever, and of course crazy limited. And while most of the songs here were re-recorded later for the albums proper, here, they are, and we never thought it could be possible, EVEN MORE fucked up and amazing.
Beginning with some strange synth and strings and tympanis sort of classical intro, the band launch into some of the sickest, most frenzied and furious black buzz EVER. Super blown out and in the red, the guitars so distorted they threaten to crumble into pieces, the drums a relentless pound, and the vocals, you thought they were sick before, here they're super high in the mix, LOUD, and inhuman, and super effected, the howls and screams nearly swallowing up the rest of the music. And that music, weirdly melodic, but plenty buzzy and black, with woozy super alien sounding tinny leads all over the place, the overall sound so distorted and weirdly recorded that it almost sounds avant, especially when the guitars and vocals lock into weirdly convoluted lurching bursts of fragmented buzz. So goddamn good. Anyone who owns the other Necrofrost records NEEDS this, and if you've never heard these guys before, then this will either blow your mind completely, or send you running off in terror. Either way, this fucking RULES.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES, each one hand numbered.

NURSE WITH WOUND Surveillance Lounge (United Dirter) cd 19.98
A frightening record. Even by the standards set by the darkened mind of Steven Stapleton, the Surveillance Lounge is a terrifying album in fact. This set of recordings began through a 2007 commission by the F.W. Murnau Foundation to provide a live soundtrack for the 1922 Murnau film Der Brennende Acker ("The Burning Soil"). A silent film that was thought to be lost until 1978, it tells a tale of a man who grew up in the rural life but cut himself from that existence through greed, lust, and ambition, rife with moral and psychological dilemmas. Nurse With Wound is no stranger to the art of the homage, having constructed the ultra-minimalist masterpiece A Missing Sense under the influence of Robert Ashley's Automatic Writing and the two Echoe Poem discs drew inspiration from the French New Wave film Last Year At Marienbad. The sessions, which gave us The Surveillance Lounge, came out of the initial material used for that soundtrack and were completed during the ensuing years. The bulk of those sessions actually had been encapsulated in a super limited edition box-set called The Memory Surface, which may be out of print by now, if not impossible to track down. That said, the Surveillance Lounge represents the best of this material, which was produced by Stapleton and Andrew Liles with vocal support from David Tibet, Freek Kinkelaar, and a host of others.
Moaning vocals and creepy whisperings set a darkened hue for the Surveillance Lounge, which also adopts a chilling set of piano notes that seem to allude to another soundtrack, Coil's rejected score to Hellraiser. Soon afterwards, a textured smearing of sand, earth, and rock conjoin to a deep wooden creaking that ominously lurch forward in a similar manner to the epochal NWW album Salt Marie Celeste. The use of vocal snippets - in French, in German, from David Tibet, of children wailing - are signature moves from Stapleton, and are used in some of the best collage material that Stapleton has generated since Homotopy To Marie. Vocal and textural elements always seem to collapse into darkened shadows, only to find Stapleton and Liles forcing another scream of noise, voice, and electronics to the foreground with jarring effect. For the central track "The Golden Age Of Telekinesis," NWW slowly build a shuffling rhythm out of the shards of broken glass that intensifies through the development of a screeching noise buttressed by the rapid-fire glossolalia of what sounds like an auctioneer. Expect to find a dynamic chasm between the relative quiet of the early moments of this track to the ear-splitting crescendo of a tape machine whirling out of control. As the album draws near to a close, NWW explode land mines of noise, scorched earth, and Tibet's screams in barren soundscapes of disembodied voices and shadowy drones. By contrast the album ends on a note of soft-hued easy listening muzak with its politely swaggering guitar, which is creepy given the context of its cancerous segue. Like we said, frightening! This might be a good entree to NWW for those of you who normally only by black metal or ultradoom albums...
MPEG Stream: "Close To You"
MPEG Stream: "The Golden Age Of Telekinesis"
MPEG Stream: "Yon Assassin Is My Equal"

O'MALLEY, STEPHEN Keep An Eye Out (Table Of The Elements) lp 15.98
This is the one everybody's been waiting for. We sold out of these some months ago, before we even had a chance to list them, and have been waiting and waiting for them to press more, and finally here it is, Stephen O'Malley of SUNNO))), Khanate, KTL, Aethenor, Thorr's Hammer, Ginnungagap, etc... with his contribution to Table Of The Elements' 'Guitar' series.
And we're happy to report it's quite lovely, just acoustic guitar and oscillator, O'Malley weaves a gorgeous thrum of steel string shimmer, a softly swirling almost static stretch of deep surprisingly lush hum, very Niblock sounding for sure, a rich layered expanse of tones and overtones, subtly beating against each other, the steel strings emitting little clouds of almost-melody here and there, while throughout, subtle rhythms emerge from the miasma but just as quickly dissipate and drift off.
It's almost like an acoustic, and largely riff-less SUNNO))), the same sort of expansive sonic sprawl, building a thick epic drone, that manages to sound dense and ominous, but also delicate and crystalline, soft focus and dreamy, exactly the sort of thing, that we could listen to for hours and hours. Even at it's most intense, the sound still manages to be soothing and hypnotic, the whole thing a gorgeous, languorous soundscape of ethereal buzz and drift.
Pressed on orange swirl vinyl, one sided, the other side with an awesome etching by Savage Pencil, housed in a thick PVC sleeve, and of course, as always, VERY LIMITED!

ONEIDA Rated O (Jagjaguwar) 3cd 15.98
Here it finally is. Oneida's loooooong promised TRIPLE album, itself part two in a trilogy of releases that appear to chronicle the long and epic history of Oneida itself. We're still trying to piece together a narrative, but judging by song titles like "Story Of O" and "O", not to mention the album title, the fact that the previous record was called Preteen Weaponry, and artwork that seems to imply the chronicling of said long and epic history, we're just going with our gut on this one. Either way, with a decade plus of mostly ups, Oneida have delivered what is arguably their best record yet, or at least since 2001's psychedelic mind fuck Anthem Of The Moon, and it's really one of the most challenging, out there, and overwhelmingly rad albums of the year. The greatest thing about this band is how they use psychedelia as a blueprint, reinterpreting it in the process, and twisting their tunes into something beyond simple classification. There's heaps of krauty goodness, ominous electro groove, strange dubbed out hellscapes, and bluesy psychedelic squall, but in the end Oneida sound unlike anyone else, not even themselves on their other records (though we won't neglect to mention that anyone digging the recent works of groups like Circle and Cave will find plenty to go crazy for with this one).
One of the most noteworthy things about Rated O is the truly astounding precision playing that keeps everything in place. Everyone in the band (now augmented by Shahin Motia of Ex-Models and long time collaborator Barry London) is an ace performer, but GODDAMN is drummer Kid Millions' sense of pure rhythm mind boggling. The patterns Kid creates are essential to holding it all together, and his cyclical drumbeats are definitely the kind of next level shit that we should all aspire to. Coupled with literally some of the best fuzzed out organ tones ever committed to tape (EVER) and plenty of amazing psych guitar work, Rated O rocks and sways in all kinds of different directions, and it goes without saying that over the course of almost two hours, Oneida have given themselves plenty of time to seer their super repetitive jams deep into every nook and cranny of your brain. Throughout it all, they never cease to surprise, amaze, and with one song in particular, completely terrify (more on that in a bit).
Rated O plays out like a long journey, with each disc representing specific elements of the diverse sound Oneida has forged over the years. The album begins with the uncharacteristic yet somehow totally appropriate "Brownout In Lagos," an electro-dub sort of number with a constant sub bass presence providing much of the movement as atmospheric noises swoosh about. When the awesome guest vocalist comes in you have to remind yourself that you are listening to Oneida as your eardrums are pounded into supplication. "What's Up Jackal?" sounds more like what you might expect from these guys, with feral, distorted howls and a bubbling, percussive organ accompanied by all kinds of synthy ambience and what sounds like an electric sitar. While they have no difficulty pounding out expansive drugged out numbers, this song perfectly displays Oneida's unique talent at creating tense, claustrophobic psych pieces that seem much more focused than anything that could be produced with mindless jamming. No doubt, the big surprise here is "The Human Factor," which pretty much succeeds at redefining "heavy". We almost couldn't believe what or who we were listening to, since this number is more what you might expect from Khanate of Fleshpress. The song begins with an impossibly slow, yet super tight drum pattern, which remains throughout the 13 minute song. The only other sound is provided by an electronic hum, and eventually creepy siren noises and the most HELLISH, completely out of control screaming we have heard in ages. We're still trying to figure out just how Oneida managed to create such an unsettling and awesome piece with so little, making most doom bands sound like Dan Fogelberg in comparison. This song obviously tested the limits of many folks, but if you are able to sit back and focus, you will find yourself marveling at the almost comedic yet totally fucked up intensity of it all.
Disc 2 is the most typically Oneida-sounding of the three, starting with the epic jam "The River." This song is very much in the vein of the material from "Each One Teach One," with awesome repetitive organ pulses and fuzzy guitars that are both heavy and beautiful. Things really take off with this song, as the majestic sustained guitar chords and somewhat mournful vocals add a good amount of emotion. "I Will Haunt You" follows into similar psychedelic territory with big MC5 guitars and a generally mountainous sound.
The final disc is the loosest and seemingly most improvised of the album, its three songs venturing farthest into the drug zone with their lumbering improvisational feel. Closing number "Folk Wisdom" is a huge 20 minute piece, perfectly sounding like the culmination of the entire record with its epic, growing intensity before ending with a queasy organ blip. If you've gone about things the right way, you will have listened to all of Rated O straight through, and you will wonder just what the hell hit you.
Double albums are often enough to scare the shit out of any discerning music fan, and triple albums are generally unheard of. But Oneida cannot be generalized in terms of what is going on now or in the past. They are one of the few bands that truly has found its own unique voice and has taken things into realms most bands would never consider. Rated O is a serious piece of work, maybe a little too intimidating for the casual listener, but enough to keep Oneida's rabid fanbase jonesing for part three of the trilogy.
MPEG Stream: "Brownout In Lagos"
MPEG Stream: "The Human Factor"
MPEG Stream: "The River"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost In The Room"
MPEG Stream: "Folk Wisdom"

ONEIDA Rated O (Jagjaguwar) 3lp 33.00
Here it finally is. Oneida's loooooong promised TRIPLE album, itself part two in a trilogy of releases that appear to chronicle the long and epic history of Oneida itself. We're still trying to piece together a narrative, but judging by song titles like "Story Of O" and "O", not to mention the album title, the fact that the previous record was called Preteen Weaponry, and artwork that seems to imply the chronicling of said long and epic history, we're just going with our gut on this one. Either way, with a decade plus of mostly ups, Oneida have delivered what is arguably their best record yet, or at least since 2001's psychedelic mind fuck Anthem Of The Moon, and it's really one of the most challenging, out there, and overwhelmingly rad albums of the year. The greatest thing about this band is how they use psychedelia as a blueprint, reinterpreting it in the process, and twisting their tunes into something beyond simple classification. There's heaps of krauty goodness, ominous electro groove, strange dubbed out hellscapes, and bluesy psychedelic squall, but in the end Oneida sound unlike anyone else, not even themselves on their other records (though we won't neglect to mention that anyone digging the recent works of groups like Circle and Cave will find plenty to go crazy for with this one).
One of the most noteworthy things about Rated O is the truly astounding precision playing that keeps everything in place. Everyone in the band (now augmented by Shahin Motia of Ex-Models and long time collaborator Barry London) is an ace performer, but GODDAMN is drummer Kid Millions' sense of pure rhythm mind boggling. The patterns Kid creates are essential to holding it all together, and his cyclical drumbeats are definitely the kind of next level shit that we should all aspire to. Coupled with literally some of the best fuzzed out organ tones ever committed to tape (EVER) and plenty of amazing psych guitar work, Rated O rocks and sways in all kinds of different directions, and it goes without saying that over the course of almost two hours, Oneida have given themselves plenty of time to seer their super repetitive jams deep into every nook and cranny of your brain. Throughout it all, they never cease to surprise, amaze, and with one song in particular, completely terrify (more on that in a bit).
Rated O plays out like a long journey, with each disc representing specific elements of the diverse sound Oneida has forged over the years. The album begins with the uncharacteristic yet somehow totally appropriate "Brownout In Lagos," an electro-dub sort of number with a constant sub bass presence providing much of the movement as atmospheric noises swoosh about. When the awesome guest vocalist comes in you have to remind yourself that you are listening to Oneida as your eardrums are pounded into supplication. "What's Up Jackal?" sounds more like what you might expect from these guys, with feral, distorted howls and a bubbling, percussive organ accompanied by all kinds of synthy ambience and what sounds like an electric sitar. While they have no difficulty pounding out expansive drugged out numbers, this song perfectly displays Oneida's unique talent at creating tense, claustrophobic psych pieces that seem much more focused than anything that could be produced with mindless jamming. No doubt, the big surprise here is "The Human Factor," which pretty much succeeds at redefining "heavy". We almost couldn't believe what or who we were listening to, since this number is more what you might expect from Khanate of Fleshpress. The song begins with an impossibly slow, yet super tight drum pattern, which remains throughout the 13 minute song. The only other sound is provided by an electronic hum, and eventually creepy siren noises and the most HELLISH, completely out of control screaming we have heard in ages. We're still trying to figure out just how Oneida managed to create such an unsettling and awesome piece with so little, making most doom bands sound like Dan Fogelberg in comparison. This song obviously tested the limits of many folks, but if you are able to sit back and focus, you will find yourself marveling at the almost comedic yet totally fucked up intensity of it all.
Disc 2 is the most typically Oneida-sounding of the three, starting with the epic jam "The River." This song is very much in the vein of the material from "Each One Teach One," with awesome repetitive organ pulses and fuzzy guitars that are both heavy and beautiful. Things really take off with this song, as the majestic sustained guitar chords and somewhat mournful vocals add a good amount of emotion. "I Will Haunt You" follows into similar psychedelic territory with big MC5 guitars and a generally mountainous sound.
The final disc is the loosest and seemingly most improvised of the album, its three songs venturing farthest into the drug zone with their lumbering improvisational feel. Closing number "Folk Wisdom" is a huge 20 minute piece, perfectly sounding like the culmination of the entire record with its epic, growing intensity before ending with a queasy organ blip. If you've gone about things the right way, you will have listened to all of Rated O straight through, and you will wonder just what the hell hit you.
Double albums are often enough to scare the shit out of any discerning music fan, and triple albums are generally unheard of. But Oneida cannot be generalized in terms of what is going on now or in the past. They are one of the few bands that truly has found its own unique voice and has taken things into realms most bands would never consider. Rated O is a serious piece of work, maybe a little too intimidating for the casual listener, but enough to keep Oneida's rabid fanbase jonesing for part three of the trilogy.
MPEG Stream: "Brownout In Lagos"
MPEG Stream: "The Human Factor"
MPEG Stream: "The River"
MPEG Stream: "Ghost In The Room"
MPEG Stream: "Folk Wisdom"

PAJO Scream With Me (Black Tent Press) lp 23.00
For the first release from the newly launched Black Tent Press, comes this legendary recording, all acoustic covers of Misfits songs by Dave Pajo, he of Slint, Papa M, Aerial M and loads more. Recorded on a crappy hand held tape recorder way back in 2004, these recordings have been circulating for years, passed around from band to band on tour, duped and dubbed over and over, until it acquired near mythical status. Well now, it's finally available, proper like, and this is no crappy dubbed cassette, nope, it's now a super fancy deluxe lp!
As we mentioned above, Dave Pajo has been a part of so many records that we hold near and dear. First as a member of all-time AQ favorite's Slint and then guesting on records like The West by Matmos and a ton of solo records under his own name and as Papa M and Aerial M, as well as some serious arena rock action as a member of Zwan with Billy Corgan and Paz Lenchantin (who also has a rad limited edition LP on Black Tent, reviewed elsewhere on this list) and right now he's even a part of the touring band for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Phew!
But finally we get to hear Pajo playing a handful of classic Misfits songs, in his own hushed and stripped down style. Both a testament to how great Misfits songs were and Pajo's soft delicate touch, these songs sound perfect all hushed and acoustic, like he recorded them right in your bedroom not even using a microphone, just sitting on the edge of your bed, singing right in your ear. It's pretty amazing to hear Pajo sing some of these lyrics, we're reminded how totally scandalous these Misfits lyrics were back in the day, and if you couldn't understand them then, you sure can now! A cool juxtaposition of delicate acoustic prettiness, and bloody gory nasty brutishness. Pajo is definitely not the first to give the Misfits an acoustic makeover, even the Lemonheads did a gorgeous stripped down cover of "Skulls", but somehow tackling this whole set of songs, it just works, and minus the lyrics, Scream With Me could almost sound like some lost Pajo record, or some unreleased demo.
Incredible packaging, 130 gram vinyl, housed in a thick sleeve, with a 1 color spray painted serigraph on French paper, comes with a cd featuring all the music on the lp, and is LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.
MPEG Stream: "Angelfuck"
MPEG Stream: "Teenagers From Mars"
MPEG Stream: "Attitude"

PALE HOARSE s/t (self-released) cd ep 9.98
Follow-up to their stellar debut, The Gospels, this eponymous ep by local folk duo Pale Hoarse gives us five more gorgeous tracks of strung out sorrow. One of them a beautiful cover of Gene Clark's "With Tomorrow". This time the songs seem to be less about sin and salvation and more geared towards a nature-reverent British folk approach. Their dual male/female harmonies reminding us of a more mournful John Doe and Exene Cervenka, but on this ep exuding a more smoldering hopefulness than the dusty haunted doom of their debut. Quite lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Temple Bell Song"
MPEG Stream: "Nameless"

PANOPTICON Collapse (Lundr / Pagan Flames Productions) cd 9.98
We get a lot of weird black metal here, that is after all some of our favorite stuff, but this may just be the first disc we've gotten from an anarcho vegan pagan black metal band! We've gotten a few cd-r's from this Kentucky based one man black metal band over the last little while but have been waiting patiently for a proper full length, that we could get enough of to list, and this, Collapse, is it.
And it was well worth the wait, a crushing, expansive, super varied chunk of crusty outsider black metal. Rife with news samples, killer mathy and not typically black metal drumming, spidery guitars wrapped around the usual buzz drenched riffage, the sound not just grim and buzzy, but epic and majestic and melodic. The first song is nearly 16 minutes long, and shifts through more parts and moods than most black metal full lengths. The opening 5 minutes is all intro, or seems it, a lilting minor key drift in the beginning, a pounding blackened buzz later, all underpinning depressive newscasts, before the song really explodes, literally almost, as the blasting and buzzing and pounding is interspersed with recordings of gunshots and explosions, perfectly tangled up with the music so it's difficult to tell what's drumming, and what are reports from tanks and guns, pretty effective, and noisy and chaotic, the song shifts gears a few more times, from doomy plod, to furious blast, to stripped down bluegrass, pretty sure that's a banjo, maybe even some slide guitar, but weirdly haunting and twangy, and somehow it doesn't sound out of place at all.
The second track is another 15 minute epic, which begins as many metal tracks do with the sound or thunder and rainfall, before more acoustic guitar joins in, still more slide, very twangy as well, then the drums come in, and some chimes or bells, a strange combination, loping and folky and darkly mysterious, it's not until nearly halfway in before the track explodes in another frenzy of black buzz, croaked vox, frenzied riffage, blasting drums, building to a super noisy coda, before an outro made up entirely of insect buzz.
After another 10 minute blowout, equal parts menacing majestic pagan blackness and abstract drifting folkiness, comes the strangely melodic final track, all hand drums, bongos maybe, almost jaunty guitar melodies, hushed whispered vocals, minimal, but strangely distorted drums, all wound around a stomping murky insistent doomfolk outro.
Needless to say, way recommend, an exciting new variant of the ever evolving sound of black metal, one we definitely never expected, but are digging big time.
MPEG Stream: "The Death Of Baldr And The Coming War"
MPEG Stream: "Aptrgangr"

PEDESTRIAN DEPOSIT Austere (Monorail Trespassing) cd 11.98
Pedestrian Deposit began as a full-throttle noise project back in 2000 by Jon Borges, then a high-school kid living in the Central Valley town of Tulare, California. For those of you not familiar with the geography of California, Tulare and the outlying areas do not instill the psychogeographical sense of wonder that The Starving Weirdos get from Humboldt County of that Jewelled Antler invoke from the Sonoma coastline. Nope, this is a depressed place in terms of culture, the economy, and opportunities beyond low-rent gangs and cheap drugs for the youth of Tulare. Borges had been clearly channeling much of his discomfort with his place through noise, occasionally interwoven with simple, downer melodies; and even as he's matured into his twenties and found a new home in Los Angeles, a steely fist operates behind the curtains of his relatively subdued constructs. Nowadays, Pedestrian Deposit is a duo with Borges joined by Shannon Kennedy on electronics and cello, while Borges' solo work is now expressed through the spectral drones-plus-noise of Emaciator.
Austere begins with a crackle of electrical static that bristles against a unsettled loop that collapses into a necrotic low-end hum, which seems intent on declaring that something ominous is afoot. For the next twenty minutes, Borges and Kennedy unravel lilting passages of post-Basinski loops pointing to a melancholy antiquity, hypnotic ambience full of shadow, smoke, and mirror, and gliding tones from Kennedy's cello. That sense of foreboding and dread which opened the album definitely subsides, and that's certainly by design as it only heightens the impact from the bursts of noise that crash through the mix at unexpected points through the latter half of the record. The album does explode for a blistering six or seven minutes by the end of the album in a power electronics fury, before fading into oblivion through a beguiling set of soft-focus loops. Quite nice.
MPEG Stream: "Impermanence"
MPEG Stream: "Trail"
MPEG Stream: "You Didn't Break Me"

RADIANT HUSK Beyond An Endless Swale (Bezoar Formations) cassette 5.98
Though we sold out pretty quick, some of you aQ-loyalists might remember a super killer cd-r we got awhile back from local guy Matt Erickson, otherwise known as Radiant Husk. Aside from also playing in the free-psych noise duo Sudden Oak, which is equally as awesome (although most of their releases are now out of print), Erickson has been busy conjuring a fantastic offering of ritual saxophone sorcery. In relatively the same vein as Terry Riley's alto sax work in the seventies, Beyond An Endless Swale explores the more damaged, far reaching capabilities of the sax. And despite any reservation you might have about the sax, take it from us, there ain't nothing smooth or soft about Radiant Husk. Beyond An Endless Swale will lure you to the twisted outlands of grey shorelines where distant foghorns coax you into hypnosis, improvised melodies hover above richly layered drones and singing overtones, reverbed sax riffs lull into the dreamy horizon. An endless journey exploring all kind of sonic territory, at times Erickson pushes his sax on the verge of fiery collapse, piling dense layers of blistering noise and feedback, bird-like squeaks and wails, only to let it all melt away into the soft-droning sky. All housed in hand made tape inserts assembled in a very limited quantity, this cassette is a gem and should really not be missed!

RAPE & HONEY Issue One: Razor Of Occam magazine 2.50
How much do we love Oaken Throne magazine? It is easily one of, if not THE, best metal magazines going. Considering how many we sell, you all must agree. But what's a writer to do when the magazine he writes for comes out so infrequently? Well start a new magazine of course. But if you're John Mincemoyer, one half of the team that produces Oaken Throne, you don't just start any old magazine, you come up with something weird, and cool, ad gorgeously designed, and pretty much unlike any other magazine you've ever seen, thus we have the first issue of Rape & Honey, and besides being named after one of the best Ministry records ever, it also just so happens to have a pretty odd concept. First off, it's a microzine, and is all of three (3) pages. Second of all, the entire thing is about ONE band. Just one. And it consists of ONE review, and ONE interview with said band. Cool. For the first issue, Mincemoyer focuses on blackened thrashers Razor Of Occam and their record Homage To Martyrs. We had never heard of Razor Of Occam, but it hardly matters, the review is great, the interview is super interesting, as much about philosophy and lyrical content as it is about music and metal, even more so, and of course, gorgeously laid out, an oversized cardstock gatefold, with a full color cover, inside there's a vellum envelope, with a letter and introduction from Mincemoyer, also a review of the RoO record, printed in full color on a mini transparency, all sealed up in a plastic bag. Cool stuff for sure. Definitely might hold you over until the next Oaken Throne, or at least the next Rape & Honey which will feature Funeral Mist!

RIECHMANN Wunderbar (Bureau B) cd 17.98
YAY, NOW AVAILABLE ON CD!
Cosmic-kraut lost masterpiece! We knew we would get your attention with that, and for good reason because this is a record that any fan of spaced out kosmiche needs to own. Released in 1978, Wunderbar was the only solo album by Wolfgang Riechmann, as he was tragically murdered just a few weeks before this record originally came out.
Influenced by the sounds around him in Germany you can hear bits of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Neu!, Kraftwerk, etc. The record has a fluidity to it that just soars and flows with such a shimmering grace. Makes a lot of sense that he was in a band in the early '70s with Michael Rother (Neu!, Harmonia) and Wolfgang Flur (Kraftwerk) called Spirits Of Sound. Recorded over thirty years ago, you can definitely hear Wunderbar's possible influence in the music of folks like Lindstrom, Prins Thomas, Arp, Jonas Reinhardt, Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom, Growing, Emeralds, etc. Riechmann would have sounded right at home on the Pilooski curated Dirty Space Disco compilation we love so much, which connected the dots between the spaced out electronic sounds of '70s Germany and cosmic disco dancefloors. We wouldn't be surprised if Matmos was listening to this as inspiration before they made Supreme Balloon. Wunderbar is that rare kind of album that allows you to get lost in space while never losing its keen melodic sense, a sound that is fresh and alive, never stagnant or pointlessly self absorbed. Mind boggling to think how his music would have evolved over the years if his life wasn't ended so abruptly, but here's hoping that Wunderbar finally gets the recognition and respect is so rightfully deserves!
MPEG Stream: "Wunderbar"
MPEG Stream: "Himmelblau"
MPEG Stream: "Silberland"

ROSE, JACK & THE BLACK TWIG PICKERS s/t (VHF) cd 13.98
NOW ON CD!!
Sometime labelmates Jack Rose and the Black Twig Pickers finally team up for a record together. Unlike most Rose records, which while delicate and dark and beautiful, are also showcases for one of the most incredible guitar virtuosos playing these days, this collaboration is way more of a team effort. There are definitely moments where you can hear Rose doing his thing, but for the most part, he's part of the band here, and the rest of the Twig Pickers are pretty serious players themselves.
Guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass drum, harmonica, vocals and bones (!), the tracks here veer from wild campfire old school blue grass hoedowns to more darkly contemplative folk explorations, and pretty much every stop in between. Tone of intricate fingerpicking, the stringed instruments getting tangled up in flurries of rapid fire notes, the vocals wild and loose, in fact the whole recording is pretty loose, like they just got together and jammed, which who knows, could be just how this happened.
Folks looking for pure solo guitar Appalachia probably won't find what they're looking for, although elements surface throughout, but for folks into old timey blues, classic bluegrass, those Mississippi blues reissue lps, and the more rollicking tracks on past Rose records, this will totally hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Little Sadie"
MPEG Stream: "Sail Away Ladies / I Shall Not Be Moved"
MPEG Stream: "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane"

SANDBLEISTIFT, MILAN / AIDAN BAKER / RELAPXYCH.0 Saite An Saite (Licht-Ung) cd 17.98
Here's a three-way split, presented as 'a string based compilation.' Yup, the guitar is the centerpiece to these experimental smears and dronescapes, starring Aidan Baker, Licht-Ung label boss Milan Sandbleistift, and Relapxych.0 (an upcoming Swedish laptop trickster, or so we assume). Sandbleistift's gauzy drones hover above a thick amplifier hum, coupled with metal-on-metal scrapes, electrical interference directed into the pick-ups, and spidery textures that wiggle into the mix as he plucks away at the bridge of his guitar. Imagine Keith Rowe recording for Celebrate Psi Phenomenon. This is a pretty good track; but to be honest, it's Aidan Baker who steals the show on this album. Even with his esteemed catalogue of ethereal ambience and doomdronedirge excursions, "One Step Ahead, One Step Behind" is pretty exceptional. A desolate guitar melody repeats throughout the entire track, alluding to the doom of Nadja had he kicked on the distortion pedals. But without, there's a sadness which permeates the track, accompanied by ghostly flickers of complimentary drones, flanging bursts of static, and a slow-burning roar of distant distortion that eventually consumes the entire piece. So good! Relapxych.0 holds his own in creating a series of guitar-meets-the-laptop abstractions that looks to Fennesz and Tim Hecker for inspiration, and does a pretty good job in the way of an homage. Limited to a mere 300 copies; and it remains to be seen, if any more will be made available to us!
MPEG Stream: MILAN SANDBLEISTIFT "Seymour In Der Huette"
MPEG Stream: AIDAN BAKER "One Step Ahead, One Step Behind"
MPEG Stream: RELAPXYCH.0 "Insomniactivity"

SCANTILY CLAD s/t (self-released) cd-r 7.98
Scantily Clad is the curious moniker of this duo of bedroom space-rock improvisors from Paso Robles, CA. Creating cosmic percolating synthscapes that venture from electronica lullabies ("Bedroom Giggles") to Yellow Swans-ish drone abrasion ("Stoned, Street Goblins") to epic post-rock swells ("Promegranate") and tribal abstractions ("Bone-Colored Moon"). Bathed in a lo-fi glowing fuzz, the warm sound of the vintage analog synths immerse us in its dreamy drifting wake, a sound we can live in forever in its multiple mutating forms. Though short, the six tracks over 25 minutes definitely leave us wanting more and we hope to see what this group does next. Packaged in handmade bronze or silver sleeves with black and white photocopied artwork. Not sure how limited these are, but with all things homemade and self-released, don't wait too long!
MPEG Stream: "Prickly Glow"
MPEG Stream: "Promegranate"
MPEG Stream: "Bone-Colored Moon"

SEGALL, TY Lemons (Goner Records) cd 11.98
We've been in love with the raw passionate sounds of Ty Segall ever since we first heard him, his sound channeling the best of garage punk's past while sounding so immediate and charismatic and heartfelt, with a distinctive style all his own.
Lemons is his newest full length and it once again proves that we're going to be hearing great music from TS for so many years to come. One of those rare examples of someone who has both technical talent (a shredder on the guitar, perhaps that's why he's recently been recruited as a member of Sic Alps!), but he also understands that less can be so much more than, well... more! Stripping away the fat and keeping only the notes and sounds that matter, stripped down and urgent, lean and mean. While Lemons does contain the fast and blasting way blown out sound that he's become known for, we're also happy to hear a few slower songs that demonstrate he can really write strong and irresistible songs that get jammed in your head. Lots of Lemons has us imagining raw demos of Nirvana jamming out covers of the Sonics and tracks from the first Redd Kross record. Whether soaked in psychedelic fuzzed out acid garage rock or bursting with infectious melody and surf rock undertones, all the disparate elements on Lemons come together for such a potent result. Much like his buddies Thee Oh Sees, Segall's massive output of totally great songs of late proves that the he is still totally on fire!
FYI, for a limited time, we're selling the cd at a special discount, $2 less than normal retail price ($11.98 instead of $13.98)!! Through July 31st, 2009 only.
MPEG Stream: "Standing At The Station"
MPEG Stream: " Lovely One"
MPEG Stream: "Cents"
MPEG Stream: "Die Tonight"
MPEG Stream: ""

SEGALL, TY Lemons (Goner Records) lp 14.98
We've been in love with the raw passionate sounds of Ty Segall ever since we first heard him, his sound channeling the best of garage punk's past while sounding so immediate and charismatic and heartfelt, with a distinctive style all his own.
Lemons is his newest full length and it once again proves that we're going to be hearing great music from TS for so many years to come. One of those rare examples of someone who has both technical talent (a shredder on the guitar, perhaps that's why he's recently been recruited as a member of Sic Alps!), but he also understands that less can be so much more than, well... more! Stripping away the fat and keeping only the notes and sounds that matter, stripped down and urgent, lean and mean. While Lemons does contain the fast and blasting way blown out sound that he's become known for, we're also happy to hear a few slower songs that demonstrate he can really write strong and irresistible songs that get jammed in your head. Lots of Lemons has us imagining raw demos of Nirvana jamming out covers of the Sonics and tracks from the first Redd Kross record. Whether soaked in psychedelic fuzzed out acid garage rock or bursting with infectious melody and surf rock undertones, all the disparate elements on Lemons come together for such a potent result. Much like his buddies Thee Oh Sees, Segall's massive output of totally great songs of late proves that the he is still totally on fire!
FYI, for a limited time, we're selling the cd at a special discount, $2 less than normal retail price ($11.98 instead of $13.98)!! Through July 31st, 2009 only.
MPEG Stream: "Standing At The Station"
MPEG Stream: " Lovely One"
MPEG Stream: "Cents"
MPEG Stream: "Die Tonight"
MPEG Stream: ""

SIMONES, AL Corridor Of Dreams / Enchanted Forest (South Side) cd 24.00
We could barely find out anything about this guy on the internet, but what we do know, is this is some seriously tripped out, druggy and damaged folk flecked wild psychedelia. The bit surprise is that it's not from the sixties, or the seventies, or even the eighties, this stuff was recorded in the early to mid nineties, but everything about it screams lost sixties psych rarity, which was obviously the intent. Some folks here were quite surprised once we discovered it was in fact relatively modern, but hell, that hardly takes away from the genius tweakage going on here.
The first minute of "Peakin'" should have you convinced, urgently strummed minor key steel string acoustic guitar, wandering rubbery basslines, and a non stop barrage of super wild freaked out psychedelic leads, not to mention some truly bizarre vocals, a sort of guttural groan, or that sound you make when you slow down your voices as slow as possible "aaaaaaaaaaaa a a a a a a" or when you try to talk while breathing in, whatever he's doing, it's freaky, there seems to be some other female vocals swooping in from time to time, but it's all about the throat singing like groans, and those shredding leads.
Not all of the stuff is so heavy and far out, but it's all pretty twisted, jangly and sixties sounding, always with some strange sheen, whether it's effects or strange production, and every song is rife with sonic mysteries and oddities, treated backwards guitars, found sounds, mysterious vocals, croaking frogs, all sorts of strange distortions and delays, and almost always a squall of super freaked out wild and woolly fuzz guitar. Even with all that craziness and weirdness, the songs manage to still sound pretty, and woozy, and dreamy and catchy, in addition to sounding twisted and demented.
All in all, some seriously freaky, far out, kick ass private press psychedelia, limited to 500, and a total mindblower, no matter what decade it's from...
MPEG Stream: "Peakin'"
MPEG Stream: "Colors"
MPEG Stream: "The Bee Song"
MPEG Stream: "Special Place"

SLOUGH FEG Ape Uprising! (Iron Kodex) lp 17.98
NOW ON VINYL! Super limited (666 copies), already all gone at the label. We only got about a dozen. Packaged in a gatefold sleeve, with large insert. Here's a slightly abreviated version of our review of the cd, a recent Record Of The Week:
Underground hometown heavy metal heroes Slough Feg, aka The Lord Weird Slough Feg are back on the attack with this new album, their seventh (not counting their most recent release, the demos/live collection The Slay Stack Grows, reviewed here not long ago). You may recall us raving about several (all!) of their previous efforts, though in our review of Slay Stack, we did say that one was pretty much intended for fans only, not the place to start if you were new to the band. But, if you're someone who still hasn't checked out a proper Slough Feg album, well THIS one would certainly be recommended. And Slough Feg fans who loved their last studio record, Hardworlder, will find Ape Uprising! takes that sound and, well, goes a bit ape with it. Some have called this their heaviest album yet. We'd say, yes, maybe, due to certain doom elements and the thick, '70s sounding production with prominent bass. But it's also perhaps their poppiest! At a tight 37 and a half minutes it brilliantly synthesizes all the best of the band's '70s and '80s classic metal and hard rock influences (Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, etc. - nothing past, say, 1982) whilst also sounding like something only THIS eccentric band of nerd barbarians could or would ever record. Utter heavy metal zeal unleashed via massively heavy, awesome riffage, triumphant vocals, memorable melodies, and twin guitar shred EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. Yes! For an example of said awesome riffage, look no further than the start of the 10-minute-plus title track. And for an example of the latter, try the dazzling midpoint of "Ape Outro". Or just drop the needle (well, laser for now) on this anyplace! All that plus intelligent, ironic lyrics that make mention of opposable thumbs.
It's not exactly a Planet Of The Apes concept album, but it's close... half of the eight songs here have to do with the apes vs. humans theme (as ridiculously depicted in the wonderfully comic book-y cover art, that kinda makes this look like a punk rock album). And those four songs make it pretty clear that Slough Feg are on the side of the apes. Charleton Heston would not approve. In the progtastic "Simian Manifesto", a song full of over the top Queen-like drama, sudden stoner rock groove, and even some jangly placid pop parts, Mike says it best with the immortal lines: "Never coming down from the trees / Never bending down on my knees!"
We asked AQ customer and Slough Feg fan Glenn Simpson to shoulder a bit of the burden and write some more for us about Slough Feg's new album. He was nice enough to give it a shot, so let's turn this over to him:
"I want to start by saying that I'm not sure what this review can really accomplish. If you're a fan of Slough Feg, you automatically want their new album, right? If you're not a fan, I don't know what to say to change your mind that Aquarius hasn't already said in reviews of previous albums. But here goes. Ape Uprising! is more of everything that makes Slough Feg one of the best metal bands on the planet. At once familiar and fresh, this new album carries on musical and lyrical motifs that are distinctly Feg-ian, while simultaneously developing its own clear identity. This trait runs throughout the band's discography. There is an unmistakable Slough Feg sound, yet a song from one album would seem out of place on any other album. One of this album's compositional quirks: in the past, Slough Feg records have usually included a few instrumentals. This one doesn't, but several of the songs basically turn into instrumentals halfway through. Scalzi gets the singing out of the way, and then he and fellow guitarist Don Angelo Tringali go to town on their Les Pauls. Maybe that's by way of indicating that the (non-verbal) apes have taken over? Though it happens in several of the non-apey songs as well.
Some early reviews of Ape Uprising have deemed it one of the band's heavier albums. With the acknowledgment that "heavy" means different things to different people, I would say instead, I was struck by overall how energetic and frenetic much of this is, displaying attitude which maybe makes sense given the concept implied by the album's title. About half of the tracks on Ape Uprising! share a sort of punk aggressiveness. You'll hear a little more chug in the guitars, a little more gruffness in the singing, and a little more thud in the drums than on the band's galloping and epic sci-fi opus Traveller (2003), for instance. While I would not come anywhere near calling this Slough Feg's "punk" album, I would say they've scaled back the Thin Lizzy a wee bit and inserted some Stiff Little Fingers - or at least some Motorhead. But maybe that's just me. Also, a few parts of Ape Uprising! expand on the near boogie rock element that cropped up first on Atavism (2005) and then on Hardworlder (2007). This album's "Frankfurt-Hahn Airport Blues" is I guess the NWOBHMish hot rocking ripper "Shakedown At The Six", complete with brief drum solo breakdown. However, Slough Feg also haven't lost their Celtic folk touch, which you'll most prominently in the majestically stirring "White Cousin", with lovely acoustic guitars woven in. Really, its mishmash of influences from the 1970s makes Ape Uprising! sound somewhat timeless....I wish I didn't have to wait two years between Slough Feg albums."
Us too!
MPEG Stream: "Ape Uprising"
MPEG Stream: "Simian Manifesto"
MPEG Stream: "Shakedown At The Six"
MPEG Stream: "Nasty Hero"

SOUNDCARRIERS, THE Harmonium (Melodic) cd 16.98
We're always up for really well executed and super engaging psych-pop. The UK's Soundcarriers are hitting the spot so perfectly this summer, updating '60s psych-pop (a la Stereolab) an creating new sound with a totally timeless feel. Everything about this album is so flawlessly executed. Recorded with such deep flowing warmth we wouldn't be surprised if these songs were all captured to analog tape, as each instrument sounds so rich and full. Armed with a strong pop sensibility, the Soundcarriers remind us of a bit more muscular Belle & Sebastian, with nice doses of pastoral psychedelic undertones that bring to mind a more pop minded version of Dungen. They also know how to tap into a slight groove with just the right touches of breezy effervescence and have us hearing hints of a wide range of folks like Sergio Mendes, Alceu Valenca, Galaxie 500, American Analog Set, The Free Design, and The Elephant's Memory who some of you might remember from their role as the stand-in-band for the Velvet Underground in Midnight Cowboy. There is a fluidity to these songs and a flow to this album that proves that The Soundcarriers have found a way to bring strong influences of the past to create something modern, yet timeless, of their own. So nice!
MPEG Stream: "Time Will Come"
MPEG Stream: "On That Line"
MPEG Stream: "Harmonium"

STARVING WEIRDOS, THE B/P/M Series 1 (Blackest Rainbow) lp 21.00
Aracta's one and only avant-drone duo the Starving Weirdos are back with a brand new lp on UK's Blackest Rainbow. After delivering yet another impressively far-out full length on Bo' Weavil a few months back, the weirdos offer up some new ideas on B/P/M Series 1. Since both Brian Pyle and Merrick McKinlay have spent time recording the legendary Humbolt based pianist Darius Brottman, they've decided to take a break from their usual musical formula to use these recordings as source material for this new lp. Each side features a different reworking of Brottman's recordings, all arranged and cut up to reveal two distinctly unique sides of gorgeous piano bliss. Though both sides exhibit that distinct production style of all Weirdos recordings, they each uniquely reiterate the virtuosity of Brottman's playing. Side A opens with brief, straightforward piano before more layers of tones and clinks build into a signature Weirdos wall of sound type composition. Side B starts on the more psychedelic side of things, all at once erupting in a sea of reversed loops, chaotic, vigorous piano and reverberating tones. Really great stuff, both sides completely hypnotic and wonderful, like being caught in some orchestral dream world or being lost on acid in a giant piano shop. Beautifully housed in a pro-printed lp sleeve adorned with the psychedelic artwork of Mick Wiggins, this one is limited to 500 and will be gone in no time.

SUBWAY II (Soul Jazz) cd 17.98
Have to say, we haven't always been too keen on some of the contemporary acts on the Soul Jazz label. What with all the amazing reissues and vintage compilations, the newer bands often pale in comparison. But on the last couple of Soul Jazz singles comps, the tracks by British duo Subway have always caught our attention. And now we have this full length (their first for the Soul Jazz label) and it has barely left our cd player (or turntable, for some of us)! The opener "Persuasion" is a stunner, marrying cosmic Baleria with Seefeel like dub house. Krautrock influences are on full display from Kraftwerk to Cluster (obvious with a track called "Harmonia"), but with a warm edge that feels authentic rather than a pastiche of styles. And it's not all just geared for the dancefloor, with thoughtful meditative soundscapes and propulsive Moroder-esque themes offering the perfect cooling off music for hot summer nights! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Persuasion"
MPEG Stream: "Harmonia"
MPEG Stream: "Xam"

SUBWAY II (Soul Jazz) 2lp 27.00
Have to say, we haven't always been too keen on some of the contemporary acts on the Soul Jazz label. What with all the amazing reissues and vintage compilations, the newer bands often pale in comparison. But on the last couple of Soul Jazz singles comps, the tracks by British duo Subway have always caught our attention. And now we have this full length (their first for the Soul Jazz label) and it has barely left our cd player (or turntable, for some of us)! The opener "Persuasion" is a stunner, marrying cosmic Baleria with Seefeel like dub house. Krautrock influences are on full display from Kraftwerk to Cluster (obvious with a track called "Harmonia"), but with a warm edge that feels authentic rather than a pastiche of styles. And it's not all just geared for the dancefloor, with thoughtful meditative soundscapes and propulsive Moroder-esque themes offering the perfect cooling off music for hot summer nights! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Persuasion"
MPEG Stream: "Harmonia"
MPEG Stream: "Xam"

SUMMER CATS Songs For Tuesdays (Slumberland Records) cd 13.98
Where were you in '92? If you were anything like some of us you were getting swept off your feet by the amazingly infectious sound of a new breed of indie pop bands who were pumping out catchy gems that were as just as hook laden as they were raw and energetic and feisty.
Summer Cats are a brand new band who just so happen to be channeling that same golden age of indie pop, with some pretty sizzling results! Featuring both female and male vocals, and songs with no wasted space, Songs For Tuesdays is an album that reminds us why we fell in love with bands like Superchunk, Velocity Girl, and Tsunami back in the day. They even manage to capture the full on pop side of The Breeders on some of these songs. Summer Cats are able to tap into that same kind of of wide eyed exuberant songcraft, whipping out the kind of summer (duh!) jams that are meant to be blasted LOUD on neverending summer days. Slumberland continues to be the label to trust when it comes to smart and satisfying pop done so right.
MPEG Stream: "Let's Go"
MPEG Stream: "Super"
MPEG Stream: "Waking Up"

SUMMER CATS Songs For Tuesdays (Slumberland Records) lp 10.98
Where were you in '92? If you were anything like some of us you were getting swept off your feet by the amazingly infectious sound of a new breed of indie pop bands who were pumping out catchy gems that were as just as hook laden as they were raw and energetic and feisty.
Summer Cats are a brand new band who just so happen to be channeling that same golden age of indie pop, with some pretty sizzling results! Featuring both female and male vocals, and songs with no wasted space, Songs For Tuesdays is an album that reminds us why we fell in love with bands like Superchunk, Velocity Girl, and Tsunami back in the day. They even manage to capture the full on pop side of The Breeders on some of these songs. Summer Cats are able to tap into that same kind of of wide eyed exuberant songcraft, whipping out the kind of summer (duh!) jams that are meant to be blasted LOUD on neverending summer days. Slumberland continues to be the label to trust when it comes to smart and satisfying pop done so right.
MPEG Stream: "Let's Go"
MPEG Stream: "Super"
MPEG Stream: "Waking Up"

TETRAGON Nature (Lion) cd 14.98
Achtung! Here's another kool krautrock reissue brought to us by the Lion label, continuing their noble efforts in that area recently represented by reissues of Sergius Golowin, Guru Guru, and Emtidi. This is one that some of us here (well, Allan) had been looking forward to for a while - he'd been trying to find a copy of a previous, out of print, import only reissue of this album ever since hearing part of it on his own kraut/psych/prog radio show Klaus To The Edge (co-DJ Alison had played a track), so it's nice to have this new domestic reissue! The deal with Tetragon is that they performed a wonderfully proggy, mostly instrumental, technically accomplished style of krautrock, very much inspired by classical keyboards of British proto-prog act The Nice (Keith Emerson's band before ELP, dontcha know), as well as by Soft Machine, the electric jazz experiments of Miles Davis, and the heavier sort of psychedelic blues rock a la Cream.
Originally a teenage three-piece (keys/bass/drums) named Trikolon, formed in 1967, in 1971 they added a guitarist and thus became Tetragon. Their keyboard dominated sound (Hammond organ, clavinet, piano) now had distorted wah wah guitar to increase its heft and complexity. That same year saw the release of Tetragon's sole album on their own label Soma, in an edition of just 400 copies, housed in a lovely green cover to match the ecologically "green" nature theme of the title. It's a virtuoso performance, particularly considering each track was recorded in just a few takes, with no overdubs! While some krautrock music we dig is all about drugged out primitivism, this is the sort of thing that benefits from the players' tasteful musicianship. The first track, "Fugue" sorta sets the tone for this melodically moody, yet grooving, album. It's 16 minutes long, and based on a piece by J.S. Bach (though we don't think Bach ever envisioned an electronically-effected drum solo, or wild acid rock guitar soloing!). Elsewhere on the album, Tetragon also adapt some of Gershwin's music from West Side Story (via jazz drummer Buddy Rich's arrangement, apparently) on the 13+ minute "A Short Story". But not every track here is long - there's the mere 19 second bizarre electronic outburst of "Jokus" to balance things out.
This is another album to feed our fantasy of someday opening another store called "1971" that ONLY sells reissues of records originally released in 1971! Whaddya think? It could happen. Maybe we will change Aquarius to that format.
As we've come to expect from Lion, this reissue is quite nicely done, with lengthy, informative liner notes and photos in the cd booklet, plus on the disc itself a significant bonus track, the live 14+ minute mega-jam "Doors In Between" from '72.
MPEG Stream: "Irgendwas"
MPEG Stream: "Fugue"

TINY VIPERS Life On Earth (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
A couple of years ago, we were drawn into the captivating shadows of a "Forest On Fire". 'Twas a fantastic lengthy track from Tiny Vipers' Hands Across The Void debut album. It brought together two of our favorite things - droning soundscapes and heart-baring folk melancholia. So good. On this Ms Jesy Fortino's second full length, the haunting shadowy tendrils of her dark dark folk wind themselves even deeper into the dark recesses of your heart. As Life On Earth progresses at its solemn pace, each word and pluck from her acoustic guitar strings tighten the grip further in wringing despair. She's drawn comparisons to elder acoustic folk foremothers Sybille Baier and Karen Dalton as well as contemporaries Joanna Newsom and Chan Marshall, but electrified embellishments set her apart. Oftentimes, her drowsy guitar and whispery tremulous vocals are so hushed and bare bones that they seem in danger of shattering or being drowned out by any external elements. You want to hold it close, and offer it safe harbor, but then a slow creeping haze of drone or feedback materializes and provide a haunting veil of refuge. In a sense her music is conjuring its own stormy forces. Crushingly beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Eyes Like Ours"
MPEG Stream: "Dreamer"
MPEG Stream: "Life On Earth"

TO BLACKEN THE PAGES Crow's Nest (Colony) 12" + cd-r 11.98
The return of Irish one man guitar dronedoomdirge noisemaker, Paul McAree aka To Blacken The Pages, with his first vinyl release, and to commemorate, McAree mixes it up a bit, offering up at least one side dramatically different from what we're used to hearing on TBTP records up until now.
Originally recorded for a sound exhibition in Dublin, "Crow's Nest" strips away most of the thick rumbling distorted guitars we might have been expecting, leaving a strange haunting bit of effects drenched shadowy sound in their place, the result though is quite pleasing, much more mysterious and otherworldly, lots of delay and reverb, bits of clang and crunch sent spinning into the ether, here and there long notes ring out, the overall sound is super spare and abstract, soft tangled melodies, the guitars smolder instead of roar, plenty of scrabble and scrape but smeared and blurred into solar flares of Sunroof!-ed sound, but unlike the raga-like ur-drone of Sunroof!, the sound and sounds here are way more spaced out, both figuratively AND literally. Warm washes of feedback bathe the whole track in a rich glow, and strange little flutters surface here and there, like some alien birdsong.
The track on the B-side is more similar to past TBTP outings, but McAree manages to meld the old sounds, with the new sounds found on the flip, the same strange assemblage of high end crunch and scrape and squiggle, but set in a landscape much more black and buzzy, thickly layered, undulating sea of sound, blown out an streaked with feedback, the weird effected shards of melody, drifting on that thick, rumbling undercurrent. Dense and drone-y looped and hypnotic sounding here and there, but for the most part a massive organic sprawl of minimal psychedelic guitar drone dreaminess.
Housed in a simple black 12" style sleeve with the middle holes cut out, a printed obi with all the artwork and liner notes, and comes with a black cd-r, packaged in its own sleeve with a proper insert, containing, both the tracks, but a WAY extended and remixed version of the B-side!
MPEG Stream: "Crows Nest"
MPEG Stream: "Crowsun"

TOMUTONTTU Tomutonto (Fonal) cd 17.98
Another reissue from Finland's Tomutonttu, the solo guise of Jan Anderzen, better know as a member of Avarus, Anaksimandros, Kemialliset Ystavat and about a million others.
Tomutonto (notice the slight difference) as originally released as a super limited lp on Ultra Eczema back in 2006, and is now available on cd for the first time. Anderzen explores all sorts of sonic space as Tomutonttu, on the recently listed self titled cd, another reissue, the sounds was a kaleidoscopic tripped out primitivism, a stumbling forest folk, ritualistic and abstract, and while this disc offers up some similar sounding jams, it's much more out there, much more unhinged and experimental.
What songs there are, end up fragmented and all tangled up in a squirming heap, droned out organ tones, squeaks and creaks and thumps and clangs, muted percussion, processed vocals, hiccupping loops, bursts of distorted voices, damaged effects, malfunctioning electronics, fractured loops, swirling filed of spaced out buzz and birdcall like flitter, chant like vocals over Spanish sounding guitars, all wrapped in weird murk, reverb drenched operatic howls and moans, over distant creaking, and warm riffy humming, sped up strings, rhythmic clickings, all twisted and tweaked and warped and warbly.
Definitely on the TRIPPY end of the Finnish free rock underground foresty freak folk spectrum, but anyone into the rest of the Fonal catalog, and other Finnish weirdness should for sure check it out, give the sound samples a listen, that should decide it or you lickety split.
MPEG Stream: "1"
MPEG Stream: "2"
MPEG Stream: "4"

TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR Hemlosa Katter (Homeless Cats) (Gashud / Subliminal Sounds) cd 17.98
We're forever amazed at this band of Swedish psych veterans. They've been around for what, 40 years?? Yep, if you go all the way back to their Parson Sound incarnation, one of our favorite archival dronerock releases ever. Trad Gras Och Stenar's 2002 comeback/reunion album Ajn Schvajn Draj was a most pleasant surprise, and their US tours afterwards honestly mindblowing. Seeing 'em live is a once, twice, let's hope a few more times in a lifetime event. Grizzled they may be, but they put many of today's young, so-called psychedelic bands to shame.
So here they are in 2009 with a new album. And it's again something special, for fans young and old and yet to be. Eleven songs, some sprawling, some not, that come across quite a bit like an especially drugged out, somnolent Circle or Pharaoh Overlord! It's supremely moody and immersive, the senior psych statesmen of TGOS slowly kicking out the heavy-lidded (and sometimes just plain heavy) lumbering riff repetition and instrumental interplay.
Be aware however, the very first song is actually a bit of an anomaly on this album, it's almost a pop number, with English language vocals, that can be a bit off-putting at first. The lyrics to "Punkrockarn" are a surprise as well: "Yes I am a punk rocker I am". Weird, or what? Then again, we get the idea that these guys really were the original punk rockers, back in the '60s. Political hippies, in a time of war and strife, doing subversive things the DIY way. In any event, it's an interesting if odd start to this album, which turns out of be mostly instrumental otherwise, and much more in a sleepy improv jam mode, full of both distorted guitar riffing and dreamy arctic ambience. Ferinstance, immediately with track two "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse" we're definitely in more familiar Trad Gras territory, the song a seesawing grind and spaced out druggy lope, a nearly 7 minute jam that's timelessly TGOS (and thus nods as much to ye olde krautrock as it seems current with the likes of Wooden Shjips and Acid Mothers Temple). More of that, please? That's what they give us! Heck, these Homeless Cats end up sounding like something that the Holy Mountain label would be eagerly adopting regardless of whether their lease allowed pets or not! Also, several tracks, like "Svarmors Brudpolska", reveal hints of the traditional Nordic folk vibe that TGOS and precursors Harvester/International Harvester evoked in back in '70s, as well.
Definitely recommended, and we hope this means they'll be coming back to the States again to tour, it's been too long.
MPEG Stream: "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse"
MPEG Stream: "Svarmors Brudpolska"
MPEG Stream: "Tankte Bara Undra"

TRAD GRAS OCH STENAR Hemlosa Katter (Homeless Cats) (Subliminal Sounds) 2lp 34.00
We're forever amazed at this band of Swedish psych veterans. They've been around for what, 40 years?? Yep, if you go all the way back to their Parson Sound incarnation, one of our favorite archival dronerock releases ever. Trad Gras Och Stenar's 2002 comeback/reunion album Ajn Schvajn Draj was a most pleasant surprise, and their US tours afterwards honestly mindblowing. Seeing 'em live is a once, twice, let's hope a few more times in a lifetime event. Grizzled they may be, but they put many of today's young, so-called psychedelic bands to shame.
So here they are in 2009 with a new album. And it's again something special, for fans young and old and yet to be. Eleven songs, some sprawling, some not, that come across quite a bit like an especially drugged out, somnolent Circle or Pharaoh Overlord! It's supremely moody and immersive, the senior psych statesmen of TGOS slowly kicking out the heavy-lidded (and sometimes just plain heavy) lumbering riff repetition and instrumental interplay.
Be aware however, the very first song is actually a bit of an anomaly on this album, it's almost a pop number, with English language vocals, that can be a bit off-putting at first. The lyrics to "Punkrockarn" are a surprise as well: "Yes I am a punk rocker I am". Weird, or what? Then again, we get the idea that these guys really were the original punk rockers, back in the '60s. Political hippies, in a time of war and strife, doing subversive things the DIY way. In any event, it's an interesting if odd start to this album, which turns out of be mostly instrumental otherwise, and much more in a sleepy improv jam mode, full of both distorted guitar riffing and dreamy arctic ambience. Ferinstance, immediately with track two "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse" we're definitely in more familiar Trad Gras territory, the song a seasawing grind and spaced out druggy lope, a nearly 7 minute jam that's timelessly TGOS (and thus nods as much to ye olde krautrock as it seems current with the likes of Wooden Shjips and Acid Mothers Temple). More of that, please? That's what they give us! Heck, these Homeless Cats end up sounding like something that the Holy Mountain label would be eagerly adopting regardless of whether their lease allowed pets or not! Also, several tracks, like "Svarmors Brudpolska", reveal hints of the traditional Nordic folk vibe that TGOS and precursors Harvester/International Harvester evoked in back in '70s, as well.
Definitely recommended, and we hope this means they'll be coming back to the States again to tour, it's been too long.
MPEG Stream: "Folkets Lok I Obeveklig Rorelse"
MPEG Stream: "Svarmors Brudpolska"
MPEG Stream: "Tankte Bara Undra"

TUNNELS In Between Dreams (Peasant Magik) cassette 5.98
It's been a while since we've had a proper full length from Tunnels, aka Nicholas Bindeman, who over the last few years has given us a whole mess of gorgeous, and sadly for the most part all out of print, cd-r's of deep shimmering drone music, abstract minimal freak folk, and everything in between. This latest tape finds Bindeman taking his sound even further into that more songy direction, and we're digging it big time. Fuzzy and psychedelic and woozy and groovy and druggy, mixing looped droning ambience with buzzy hypnotic Spacemen 3 style drug psych, even a bit of Wooden Shjips drug rock, each track seems to be built around a single riff, locked and looped, mesmerizing and tripped out, while all around, guitar leads tangle and super reverbed vocals croon WAY down in the mix, the vibe is sun baked and lysergic, surprisingly rocking too, acoustic guitars unfurl all folkily, before they begin to buzz and suddenly we're in Six Organs or Jack rose territory, a little buzz drenched Appalachia, but infused with plenty of ramshackle foresty tinkle and chime, and there's even some of the old school Tunnels dronemusic happening, but that too is all psychedelic and blown out, reminding us of newer sonic explorers like Expo 70. Needless to say, it's about time folks into all that new fangled modern psych, and abstract krautdrone got hip to Tunnels, this definitely pushes all the same buttons. Expo 70, White Hills, Wooden Shjips, Lamp Of The Universe, Heavy Winged, Sleepy Sun, all that sort of stuff, this is just as heavy and dreamy and trippy and psychedelic and awesome as any of that. Buy this now, and track down the rest of the Tunnels records if you can, this sort of shit can't stay under the radar for much longer.
Super fancy packaging, deluxe 6 panel full color fold out sleeve, with a printed vellum obi, each one hand numbered, LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!

V/A Dirty French Psychedelics (Dirty) cd 16.98
From the same great tastemakers who put together the Dirty Space Disco collection that has become an all-time AQ favorite, comes this collection of sultry and sensual French psychedelia. These are the sounds and artists that have influenced folks like Sebastian Tellier, Air, Islaja, Blonde Redhead, Bjork, Broadcast, Komeda, etc.
And while we of course love the peppy sounds of classic French ye-ye pop, it's the more seductive, warped and tripped out sounds from France in the '70s that really gets us going! When we realized that one of our favorite songs of all time, "Il Pleut" by Brigitte Fontaine (complete with arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier!) was included, we knew there was some mighty fine curatorial work going on here.
But it's not just that one track, not even close, this comp has turned us on to amazing sounds from new-to-us folks like Christophe, Nino Ferrer, Jeanne Marie Sens as well as long beloved AQ faves like Dashiell Hedayat, Ilous & Decuyper, and Francois de Roubaix. While many of their US and UK counterparts were injecting large amounts of blues and hard rock into their psychedelia, the French kept it sensual, steamy and tripped out, realizing an alternate yet completely enticing musical universe. Full on sexy psychedelic seduction! Weirdness too, like the awesome track whose grooves are backed with the sounds of revving race cars.
MPEG Stream: BRIGITTE FONTAINE "Il Pleut"
MPEG Stream: CHRISTOPHE "Sunny Road To Salina"
MPEG Stream: JEANNE-MARIE SENS "Tape Tape Tape"

V/A Punk Ja Yak (Stupido) 4cd box 75.00
FINNISH PUNK! PRE-ORDER! FINNISH PUNK! PRE-ORDER!
Holy shit does this look amazing. 4 cd's, 132 songs, 78 bands, 5 hours of classic FINNISH PUNK! Comes with a massive 76 page booklet (probably in Finnish though, but bet there are lots of pictures!). We don't have this in stock, nor have we even seen one, but we freaked out when we found out about this and thought you might too. We hardly know any of the bands, Terveet Kadet, Radiopuhelimet, a few others, but considering how much we dig those bands, and Finnish music in general, this seemed pretty amazing. They are a bit pricey, so we're only gonna get as many as we get orders for, so think long and hard, if you want one, add it to your cart, and we'll have one for you in the next few weeks, hopefully. Needless to say, this is a pre-order, so whatever else you order will NOT be held for these, we can ship your Finnish punk box on its own when it arrives, or with your next order. And if you weren't already convinced, have a gander at all the cool-sounding acts/songs on the track list:
CD 1:
1. Briard: I Really Hate Ya
2. Pelle Miljoona & N.U.S.: Olen tyoton
3. Eppu Normaali: Poliisi pamputtaa taas
4. Problems?: Ei taa lama päähän käy
5. Pelle Miljoona: Lahdetaan kiitamaan
6. Se: Ei asfaltti liiku 
7. Pelle Miljoona & N.U.S.: Vakivalta ja paihdeongelma
8. Eppu Normaali: Nipa 
9. Maukka & Nahkatakit: Tahdon sotaa apatiaa vastaan
10. Pelle Miljoona & 1980: Pelkistettya todellisuutta
11. Problems?: Tapan aikaa
12. Ratsia: Lontoon skidit
13. Maukka ja Nahkatakit: Sapinaa 
14. Pelle Miljoona & 1980: Mulla menee lujaa 
15. Eppu Normaali: Mekin tehtiin rakkautta
16. Ratsia: Ole hyva nyt 
17. Pelle Miljoona & 1980: Nuoret sankarit  
18. Ratsia: Tama hetki ja tulevaisuus
19. Hassisen Kone: Muoviruusuja omenapuissa
20. Problems?: Katupoikien laulu 
21. Hassisen Kone: Hassisen Kone 
22. Pelle Miljoona Oy: Viesti 
23. Problems?: Maanantaina
24. Ratsia: Taalta tulee yo  
25. Hassisen Kone: Rappiolla  
26. Pelle Miljoona Oy: Moottoritie on kuuma 
CD 2:
1. Kollaa Kestaa: Musti sotakoira 
2. Sehr Schnell: Orja   
3. Ypo-5: Energia on A ja O  
4. Briard: Fuck The Army
5. Sehr Schnell: 18 v.v.k
6. Karanteeni: Kaljupainen gangsteri
7. Sensuuri: Kirjoitan seinaan
8. Sehr Schnell: Vaihda vapaalle     
9. Kollaa Kestaa: Kirjoituksia kellarista
10. Loose Prick: Mua potkitaan paahan
11. Sehr Schnell: Neuroottiset pohkeet  
12. Ypo-5: Mari pogoaa  
13. Widows: Famous Five  
14. Briard: Miss World  
15. Karanteeni: Sid Vicious  
16. Vaavi: Mihin jai punk?  
17. Vandaalit: Ala pilaa nuoruuttasi
18. Ypo-5: Kaupunki muistaa nuoria
19. Karanteeni: Ei ole meilla mitaan paikkaa  
20. Sensuuri: Kaupunki nukkuu  
21. Widows: Wall Of Berlin  
22. Loose Prick: Kaupunki elamaa  
23. Kollaa Kestaa: Jaahyvaiset aseille 
24. Vaavi: Tytot hymyilee  
25. Kadotetut: Anna sydämesi  
26. Vaavi: Rakkauden orjat   
27. Widows: We´re Comin´
28. Sensuuri: Hengissa lapi Helsingin
29. Vandaalit: Betonikolossit    
30. Fucking World: Human Rights
31. Kadotetut: Hiljaiset kyyneleet
CD 3:
1. Lama: Totuus loytyy kaurapuurosta
2. Rattus: Muotipunk
3. Terveet Kadet: Vapaa Pohjola 
4. Lama: Nimeton
5. Kohu-63: Paavola      
6. Terveet Kadet: Mull on liian lyhyt sanky
7. Kaaos: Kytat on natsisikoja  
8. Cadgers: Kaaosta taa maa kaipaa 
9. Appendix: Ei raha oo mun valuuttaa
10. Rattus: Rajoitettu ydinsota    
11. Bastards: World Burns To Death
12. Terveet Kadet: Tornion kevat  
13. Riistetyt: Poliisivaltio  
14. Lama: Penisten vapautusrintama 
15. Maho Neitsyt: Ne ei myyneet mulle viinaa  
16. Kohu-63: Kaatakaa rauhanjuna  
17. Riistetyt: Ala luota systeemiin
18. Nato: Helsingin yot
19. Antikeho: Suomi -83  
20. Maho Neitsyt: Mika mun paassa nykii  
21. Dachau: Huomenna haudassa
22. Lama: Ajatuksen loppu  
23. Unicef: Kakimassaa  
24. Kaaos: Mellakka    
25. Destrucktions: Hinta 
26. Tampere SS: Painajainen olohuoneessa    
27. Riistetyt: Systeemi tappaa  
28. Fucking Finland: Loputon sota   
29. Marionetti: Palvele valtioo  
30. Terveet Kadet: Jeesus perkele  
31. Appendix: Huora    
32. Bastards: Jumalan sotilaat   
33. HIC Systeemi: Ei ikina  
34. Kansan Uutiset: Koira on parempi kuin poliisi  
35. Aivoproteesi: Porojen maa  
36. Klimax: Suvivirsi    
37. Varaus: Syyllinen  
38. Riistetyt: Bella Ciao  
39. Vaurio: Musta unelma  
40. Maho Neitsyt: Ei tippa tapa    
41. Kansan Uutiset: Ankee aamu
42. Mellakka: Kiitollinen kansalainen    
43. Pyhakoulu: Sa keinut  
44. KTMK: Kalinka     
45. Euthanasia: CCCP (Stalishnaja Hojo)
46. Maaseudun Tulevaisuus: Verenkuva    
47. Radiopuhelimet: Saalimattoman ovela mies   
48. CMX: Lapsi    
CD 4:
1. Popeda: Erkki ja Leena
2. Se: Tulitikkutytto      
3. Vihan Muna: Terasmies  
4. Wrum: Takapihojen rocktahdet
5. Hellhound: Pakoon neonarmeijaa  
6. Raime: Ottaa paahan  
7. Paat: Jet set      
8. Tinneri: Mustavalkoinen maailma
9. Sig: Lauantaina    
10. Se: Punk on typeraa  
11. Maukka ja Nahkatakit: Kun sa tuomitset mut
12. Paat: Rotat  
13. Hymy Taskinen & co: Hei, tytto, hei!  
14. Korroosio: Hei hei hei    
15. Rattlers: Vaahtopaat 
16. Lola Ego: Kaupungin tytto  
17. Xtaasi: Eräs lauantaiyo  
18. Woude: Vanhat pierut
19. TV:n Orjat: Tavallinen ihminen    
20. Vau!!: Yo asematunnelin keskitysleirissä    
21. Hurskas: Isanmaa huumaa  
22. 000: Silminnakija
23. Teurastamo 5: Elavia ruumiita  
24. 013: En jaksa enaa  
25. 000: Tanaan taalla, huomenna poissa     
26. Ne Luumaet: Sam pani kai jotain juomaani
27. Reds: Sydamenmurskaajat  

WALKER, PETER Rainy Day Raga (Harte) lp 16.98
Finally reissued and on vinyl, is one of our all time favorite solo guitar records, Rainy Day Raga by Peter Walker!!! Released on Vanguard in 1966, it sits perfectly between John Fahey's Requia and Sandy Bull's Inventions. Like Bull, Walker was fascinated and influenced by Middle Eastern, raga and modal forms (as well as Spanish and Baltic Romantic motifs) and found the perfect venue to explore the raga's hypnotic trance-like properties in Cambridge, Massachusetts as musical director of Timothy Leary's Celebration festivals. Offering up a mostly original record, save for a beautiful rendition of The Beatles "Norwegian Wood", the lysergic qualities of Walker's performance here are augmented by accompanying musicians Bruce Langhorne (!!) on percussion and Jeremy Steig on flute displaying a gentle pastoralism to the sometimes intense raga workouts. But even the quieter solo parts like "River" and "April In Cambridge" showcase Walker's astute knack for dynamic technique in his performances, and composition. While he only recorded two albums for Vanguard in the sixties, before his recent resurgence, they aptly showcase what a visionary he was to the current generation of solo guitar excursionists, and we are so grateful that this record is available once again to prove it! Highest Recommendation!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Morning Joy"
MPEG Stream: "Rainy Day Raga"
MPEG Stream: "River"

WICKED KING WICKER Borne Black (Noiseville) cd 11.98
Those who worship at the altar of all that is slow and low and heavy and sludgey and doomy and droney, you must now bow before a new lord, the duo from New York known simply as Wicked King Wicker. After three records, each heavier than the last, comes Borne Black, a sprawling black sun explosion of creepy crawly riffage, lumbering lugubrious tempos, tarpit sludge, and spaced out abstract buzz and shimmer, if you fancy Moss, Bunkur, Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, SUNNO))), Wolf Eyes, Khanate, Skullflower, Human Quena Orchestra, Monarch, Corrupted, Otesanek, Habsyll, and all the various other denizens of the inky black dronedirgedoom underworld, and have yet to hear WKW, you are in for a treat. That is, if a treat for you is two guys all dressed in black, mere shadows, pummeling you to within an inch of your life with bloodied guitars, tossing your limp form into a freshly dug grave, before toppling a Guitar Center's worth of amplifiers into the hole, then burying you alive, before pushing the amps, the bloody guitars and your mangled corpse across an endless expanse of blackened filth and debris with a massive demonic KILLdozer. That's kind of what it feels like listening to Borne Black, five lengthy tracks of ultra slow riffing, and black ambient soundscaping. And while these guys can lean their guitars against the amps with the best of 'em, conjuring up thick black clouds of noxious low end slither, they are also masters of the RIFF, and most of these songs do in in fact contain riffs, not always right up in front, but the songs are driven by the riff, giving them more weight, more heaviness, and making them sound way more METAL than most of their contemporaries.
Just have a listen to album opener "There Is Only Pain", a crushing descending, depressive doom riff, that just churns relentlessly, pounding away, a gloriously miserablist sonic trudge, all amidst a constantly swirling field of white noise, static buzz, and caustic feedback. Over the course of 10 + minutes, the riff, and the demonic vokills that accompany it, sing slowly into the abyss, as the swirling clouds of noise around it grow more and more thick, the main riff eventually crumbles into a tangle of what sounds like drum machine and electronics, before finally disappearing completely in a doomic haze of black psychedelic power electronics. Woah. We could stop right there, and you'd definitely be getting your $12 worth. But there's nearly 40 minutes of 'wickedness' to go...
Woozy washed out shimmer gives way to ultra distorted crunch, which in turn gives way to some post industrial noise drenched pummel. Murky groaning ambience spreads out like some black fog, underneath which delicate melodies struggle for air, the textures shift and the layers roil, before an insanely distorted riff emerges, the distortion so thick and crumbling and blown out, it's difficult to discern the actual notes, that riff plays out, transforming as it goes from sharp caustic crunch, to muddy murky mumble, always wrapped in bellowed vox and a steady barrage of FX-saturated noize, until finally, the 13 minute noise doom dirge of album closer "They Are Suffering Alone And Terrified", a feedback slathered stumble through a field of erratic metallic buzz, chugging grinding guitarnoise and weirdly dubbed out drums, a twisting tangled bout of abstract heaviness, so corrosive and chaotic, any semblance of metal can only be glimpsed through a constantly heaving haze of blackened fury.
Fucking awesome, and definitely some seriously difficult listening, but for the legions of the slow and low, who can't ever seem to get enough glacial, near static, demonically riff-ed, doom-ed blacknoize, then Borne Black is yet another gloriously grim missive from the darkside, another black sonic stone to hurl at the heavens, as let these sounds drag you further into the fiery deep.
WAY recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "There Is Only Pain"
MPEG Stream: "Against The Wisting Meadow"
MPEG Stream: "Tripping A Light Abomination"

YOB The Great Cessation (Profound Lore) cd 13.98
Oregonian space-sludge doom mongers YOB have been through a lot. After four albums together (all of 'em big AQ faves), and some success, things went awry. First, in 2006, the original band splits up (creative differences?). Then after some struggle, mainman Mike Scheidt (vocals/guitar) gets a new band together, the mighty Middian, whose album Age Eternal we highlighted back on list #263, two years ago. Good news for doom fans. But THEN, some stupid unknown band whose name isn't even spelled the same way as Middian's (one less d) threatens to sue them for, like, trademark infringement. Middian's label, Metal Blade, apparently deathly afraid of anything to do with lawyers, promptly drops 'em - and the Middian album, along with pretty much the entire earlier YOB discography, goes out of print! Good grief. Heck, but they're a doom band, so it's all grist for the mill. And after all, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Perhaps taking all this as a sign that YOB should rise again, Scheidt teamed up once more with his former YOB (and H.C. Minds) bandmate, drummer Travis Foster, also enlisting new bassist Aaron Reiseberg. And now, on the ever-reliable Profound Lore label, we have the return of YOB, with what will undoubtedly be one of 2009's doomiest releases, The Great Cessation. Not really a cessation though, quite the opposite, a rebirth!
Engineered, mixed, co-produced by Sanford Parker (so you know it's heavy, probably the heaviest thing he's recorded since Samothrace), The Great Cessation sees YOB positively thriving on the negativity of the recent experiences. This is a meaner, darker, blacker YOB for sure. How can we tell? One clue is the graphic design (mostly all black!) and the new, more spiky, blackmetal-ly YOB logo. Then there's the lyrics and song titles ("Burning The Altar", "Silence Of Heaven", "The Lie That Is Sin", etc.) that indicate an (anti-) religious theme, in the black metal ballpark. Or, just listen...! The spaced out sounds of YOB are now so far into space they've entered a black hole. The five songs, one hour of music here brutally burst with surging waves of downtuned doom riffage, and distorted exotic snakecharmer guitar leads. There's also plenty of post rock dynamics, brief quiet acoustic interludes, melodic majesty, Neur-Isis crush, stoner swing... at times this suggests a blackened Sleep. And, the usual unique YOB-isms are present as well, especially Scheidt's trademark soaring vocals, electronically eerily treated and vaguely Geddy Lee-ish, mixed with belching death grunts. Imagine Dead Meadow meets My Dying Bride. And the final, title track definitely demonstrates this is in the tradition of vintage YOB, it's 20+ minutes long, after all! Talk about doomed. Call it a comeback. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Burning The Altar"
MPEG Stream: "The Lie That Is Sin"

YOUNG WIDOWS / MY DISCO split (Temporary Residence) 7" 5.98
Final installment in Young Widows' 4 part split single series, the first three were with Will Oldham, Melt-Banana and Pelican, this last one is with a band called My Disco, but no matter how good the other bands are, pick these up for the Young Widows' jams, all four of em, including this latest, are total nineties AmRep, Touch And Go style noise rock rippers of the highest order, also bucking the trend of throw away tracks on 7"s, again bringing us back to an era where 7"s were precisely where the best songs by a band were to be found, and damn if these 4 tracks aren't the best thing we've heard from Young Widows, sludgey low slung bass lines, pounding math rock drummage, chiming angular guitars, slicing and arcing over drawled sung / spoken / shouted vocals, and catchy as all get out, think Rapeman, Tar, Vertigo, Jesus Lizard all that stuff and you'll be in the right neighborhood (and right decade).
My Disco do their own sort of dour post punk noise rock, stripped down and spread out, caustic minor key guitars over loping basslines and lazy drums, hazy and weary and a bit woozy, a laid back soft noise jam, definitely a good fit with the Young Widows, a slight gothic tinge, but definitely the tone and timbre make this sound like it could have been some AmRep B-side. Rad stuff.
Here's hoping these all get compiled on a cd sometime soon, but for now, you'll have to buy all 4, especially cuz they all have killer cover art and the four sleeves all fit together into one big 14" x 14" image. Cool...

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3 HUR-EL Hurel Arsivi (Guerssen) lp 26.00
Now available on vinyl!
The early nineties saw the big Krautrock revival, while more recently we've seen waves of interest in Swedish psychedelic folk reissues and Latin American garage rock of the sixties. But maybe now the next big old thing is '60s-'70s Middle Eastern psychedelic pop music. Really, soon we're gonna have to dedicate a bin here in the store for all the great (and popular) reissues that have been coming out lately, from the Turkish Delights and Hava Narghile"compilations to albums by The Devil's Anvil and John Berberian's Rock East Ensemble, and most recently Erkin Koray's Elektronik Turkuler.
Now, here's another one for that bin! It's apparently the second album from the three Hur-el brothers (Feridun, Onur, and Haldun), recorded between 1970 and 1975. A rare LP indeed, the original Diskotur pressing worth $1000+ today we're told. Dunno about that, but it's definitely worth eighteen bucks if you're into the undeniably kick-ass combination of traditional Turkish folk styles with the rock n' roll licks of the West. Middle Easternized rollicking pop rock with acid fuzz guitar and electric piano, plus Eastern ethnic percussion and stringed instruments, and emotive vocals in Turkish. Yup, 3 Hur-el play music that's been called "ethno-psychedelic" and "the heavy hashish sound"...real nice. One of the tracks here also appeared on the Love Peace & Poetry: Asian Psychedelia"compilation. They also have a track on that Hava Narghile comp, but that was from an early single, not this album.
MPEG Stream: "Canim Kurban"
MPEG Stream: "Omur Biter Yol Bitmez"

A BROKEN CONSORT Box Of Birch (Tompkins Square) lp 16.98
NOW ALSO AVAILABLE ON VINYL!
A Broken Consort is only one of the monickers under which UK sound artist Richard Skelton performs, and this, Box Of Birch, only one of many releases under various guises, but the first to receive any sort of widespread release.
Skelton started a private press after the passing of his wife, who was a visual artist. She left him all sorts of unfinished works, drawings and sketches, and the purpose of the press was to release her artwork posthumously, collaborating together, her art, his music, a tribute to her memory.
But it's not just the source of this music and the story behind it that makes Box Of Birch so dark and heartfelt and bittersweet, the music itself is a gorgeous tribute to a lost love, to sorrow and remembrance, moving forward but also to never forgetting.
Haunting and lush, the 4 long tracks here are epic and orchestral, long tones, layered drones, darkly minor key melodies, a muted blissed out sort of cosmic space drift. Dark dreamlike ragas constructed from softly strummed guitars, wheezing accordions, tinkling percussion, all manner of buzzing strings woven into deep gentle sonic swells, it's at once abstract and ethereal, but also subtly song based, the tracks feel composed, as much as they feel free. Strings saw out intensely emotional melodies over having soundscapes of dark dark shimmer. The music here is not at all tranquil, not new age-y or easy listening, no these are complex, emotionally charged sounds, these songs, or pieces, throb with passion and energy, they ooze sadness and misery, but also mange to evoke hope, the long slow burning drones seems to constantly drift heavenward, glowing and glistening, a timeless expanse of rumble and whir and buzz, effulgent and everbright, shrouded in darkness for now, but the warm heart within seems to grow with every listen, in every song, an organic living progression, as the record plays, it seems inevitable that the mysterious warmth, will undoubtedly overpower the dark.
Absolutely gorgeous. Lovely artwork too. Recommended for folks into blissed out drones, deep buzzing ragas and minimal abstract space rock: Lamp Of The Universe, Sunroof!, Expo '70, Emeralds, Astral Social Club, Golden Sores, Barn Owl, etc...
MPEG Stream: "A Sundering Path"
MPEG Stream: "Weight Of Days"

AFCGT Live Recording (Fire Breathing Turtle) cd-r 12.98
Yup. A Frames and Climax Golden Twins are AFCGT, get it? And they do play out quite a bit, but rarely outside the confines of the Pacific Northwest. The five dudes of AFCGT did make an excursion down to San Francisco for a one-night only show at the lovely El Rio a few weeks back; and as great as they are on record, they kick ass live. The performance confirms a lot of things we figured about the band, that the members of A Frames set up the taut grooves on bass, guitar, and drums for the Twins to splinter away from in their dueling mutations of psychedelia, post-hardcore sludge, spy thriller licks, and punk intensity. For those not fortunate enough to have caught them at the El Rio, this live cd-r should do quite nicely; and even as an AFCGT record - live or otherwise - it's pretty damn great. Well, considering that the band probably just sets up a single mic in a room anyway to record, the presence of a live audience doesn't detract from the sound. AFCGT offers two cuts from their Dirty Knobby 10" and a track from their self-titled debut, plus two previously unreleased tracks. Hopefully, there will be more of this cd-r than the 20 copies of which we are currently aware.
MPEG Stream: "Atabat (Live)"
MPEG Stream: "Old Spy (Live)"
MPEG Stream: "Two Legged Dog (Live)"

AFCGT Square Microphones Tapes (Fire Breathing Turtle) cd-r 12.98
Oh, shit. Here's one of those discs that we just know we don't have enough copies of. AFCGT is an acronym for A Frames + Climax Golden Twins, a project that fortunately didn't just disappear as a one-off collaboration. The five-piece, instrumental ensemble for three guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer had knocked our socks off with a couple of awesome recordings in 2008, most notably their eponymous debut of noir-tinged noise rock girded by uncanny, propulsive grooves; and they're still doing it in 2009. The Square Microphone Tapes are cracked sessions of mutant psychedelia transposed through damaged punk-post-punk slabs of sludge, woozy noise, and art-damaged riffage. The opening cut "Strike 9" is a barnstormed of a scuzzed garage rock track with allusions to the days when Sub Pop and grunge meant something that was crafted on a shitty 4-track in some Northwest warehouse. Well, that's exactly where this was recorded! AFCGT unravels the recordings through a divergent set of x-ray guitar licks breaking off low-slung backbeats, some slo-mo tape exercises that come across as Stooges outtake played back at the wrong speed a la Neu! 2, and lots of heavy-tracks that could be the improbable sound of the Sun City Girls recording an album for AmRep. In other words, it's pretty fucking awesome. Hopefully, there will be more than the 20 copies we know exist...
MPEG Stream: "Strike 9"
MPEG Stream: "Downward Spiral"
MPEG Stream: "To The Floor"

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Summertime Clothes (Domino) 12" 11.98
First single off the latest Animal Collective release, Merriweather Post Pavillion. Features remixes by Dam-Funk, Leon Day aka L.D., and Zomby!

BLACKSHAW, JAMES Glass Bead Game (Young God) lp+cd 15.98
NOW ON VINYL!! (Includes free cd of the album too!)
So on his last album, Blackshaw stepped into new territory with some orchestral instrumentation, even laying down a few piano tracks. And even though we didn't think it was possible, he just might have outdone himself, yet again, with his most dynamic album to date, The Glass Bead Game, released on the infamous Young God Records. Most aQ costumers are well aware of the talent and mystery that surrounds Mr. Blackshaw and his twelve-string mastery. And while we've really dug all of his numerous past albums, it seems like Blackshaw has never sounded so confident in his mantra-like finger picking and ornate compositions. With the freedom to compose works for piano, strings, flute, clarinet and a choir, Blackshaw's vision has grown from a small sprout into a sea of blooming vines.
It baffles us how cinematic this stuff is. These tracks all tell epic tales of being lost at sea, nighttime woodland campfires, sad goodbyes and lonely mornings, all without any lyrics. Sometimes there are these moments where Blackshaw will simply change chords and suddenly the piece takes on a whole new feel, a whole new sound, and you can't help but feel emotionally struck. His playing is so recognizable and distinguished from his solo-guitar peers, a perfect marriage of patients and skill, droning and droning on one chord only to build suspense and anticipation before suddenly revealing the next movement, so good! And there's something about his playing that is so European, so different from the Americana-type sound of other finger pickin' contemporaries. Blackshaw's pieces seem to shimmer with an ethereal haze that faintly glows like an old lantern in the woods, casting flickering light on faces of spirits in the night.
The Glass Bead Games starts things off running with a lush harmonium drone and Blackshaw's quick, raga-esque finger picking soaring above. Gradually female vocals and strings creep in to blanket Blackshaw's guitar in a silky ambience, creating an almost dreamlike experience. We really love how the vocals have this Philip Glass or Steve Reich orchestral kind of vibe. Instead of long swells the voices are short, repetitive wordless ohs and ahs, kind of like some carousel organ or angelic harp. "Cross" builds and retreats in some cosmic ebb and flow, continually swirling with deep, melodic range and heartfelt emotion, all with the twelve string at its glowing core. "Bled", the second track, begins with a slow, contemplative mood. Notes plucked then left to dissipate into thin air. Somber and desolate, the piece only grows into a dark journey through Eastern ragas and into celestial radiance, only to return in the 9th minute to the opening, contemplative passage.   
The album comes to a gorgeous close with the 18 minute "Arc". With James on the piano, he builds from quiet contemplative drops of rain into huge waves of quickly flourishing arpeggios, not all that different sounding from his guitar picking. We totally love how his style and aesthetic remains intact, whether he's sitting at the piano or with a guitar on his knee, his close attention to detail and use of hypnotic, emotionally captivating melodies shines throughout. Notes flickering and shimmering about as overtones soar above like clouds. There's so much about this record that you can get fully wrapped up in, so much detail it would be impossible to absorb it all in just one listen. We've already been listening to Glass Bead Game for over a week, and still new details keep popping out of the woodwork. And to top it off, beautifully fitting, earth-toned artwork of various birds of prey perfectly adorns the album with some magical visual hex. By far our favorite Blackshaw album to date and quite possibly his best, highly and fully recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Cross"
MPEG Stream: "Bled"

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER / PENETRATION CAMP Bleak Village / Mob Rules (Drug Front Productions) lp 13.98
We'll keep this short, since we wanted to get 20 or 30 of these, ended up getting 10, and by the time this hits the list, we'll probably have less than that. We have way more copies of the forthcoming BSBC already reserved, but for this one, only the first lucky handful of you will likely score one of these.
Blue Sabbath Black Cheer teams up with a band called Penetration Camp for two sides of crushing abstract low end heaviness (as if you were expecting something else?). The BSBC side is 33rpm, for maximum sloooooooowness, a whirring crackling hissing rumbling drift, like the wash of helicopter rotors, the crackle of burning torches, this almost sounds like some strange field recording, and is definitely the prettiest thing we've heard from these guys. At least at first. Deep swells, warm and weirdly melodic, building to a coda of abrasive crashing chaos, thick and prickly and crunchy, before settling back down into a second movement, which sounds like the first, only the sounds have been doused in extra treble and skree, everything sharper and more jagged, laced with inhuman screams and the hellish sounds of dying electronics.
The flipside is at 45, and no matter what the title or the bastardized insert artwork might lead you to believe, sadly this is NOT a cover of Black Sabbath's "Mob Rules", or if it is, kudos to Penetration Camp for rendering it 100 percent unrecognizable. The perfect match for BSBC, a bleak bit of creeped out black ambient crawl, fucked up stretched out heavily effected vocals wrapped around bit bursts of industrial crunch, thick swaths of sinister buzz, the grinding scrape and crumbling crunch eventually overtaking the deep rumbling drones.
SUPER LIMITED, already out of print, we have less than 10 copies, cool silkscreened paste on covers, two printed inserts, sorry we couldn't get more.

COALESCE Ox (Relapse) lp 24.00
Also on now vinyl! Super limited! We only have a few...
Who would have thought we'd ever see a new Coalesce album, ever again? After a spate of unbelievable records, and a fairly acrimonious breakup, we figured we'd have to make do with Give Them Rope and Revolution In Just Listening and Functioning on Impatience, which hell, is the sort of 'making do' most bands would kill to be able to offer their faithful. But this new Coalesce pretty much picks up right where the last one left off, after a 10 year break, the sound is immediately recognizable, churning chugging super complex mathy post hardcore metal fury, stop start arrangements, lurching mosh worthy blowouts, the guitars massive, the drumming relentless, and the vocals, how can Sean Ingram still sound like this ten years later? Actually how can he even speak after a decade of vitriolic bellowing. But for all that stayed the same, a lot has changed in the decade since Revolution. On "The Comedian In Question", the band break down into a sort of droned out lope, and the vocals slip into some clear crooning, the sound is definitely sort of Alice In Chains, but on Coalesce it sounds so good. Great in fact.
Then there's the beginning of "Wild Ox Moan", a total lo-fi distorted blues jam, again with clean vox, the guitar clangy and clean, some slippery slide slipped in as well, before the band erupts into another furious pounding anvil to the skull. Long stretches of reverbed nylon string guitar butt up against some of the heaviest punishment these guys have ever doled out, which is saying something considering they're old enough to be the parents of most of the kids in the crowd (not counting us old guys), cool angular Drive Like Jehu high end guitar melodies wind around bizarre vocals and spill over into a weirdly groovy churn that sounds as much like Pantera as it does Coalesce, some stripped down jazzy moodiness, and at least one track that is so awesomely off kilter and slippery and dizzy, the whirling woozy guitars constantly causing the listener's head to spin, and while all the weird shit sticks out the most, it's really not the most prevalent stuff going on here, although the weirdness does seep into most of the more classic Coalesce sounding riffage, even so, the majority of this record IS in fact classic sounding Coalesce, just a bit more twisted, still heavy as fuck, and still weirdly catchy, maybe more so then ever, the weird stuff only makes it cooler and more fun.
MPEG Stream: "The Plot Against My Love"
MPEG Stream: "The Comedian In Question"
MPEG Stream: "Wild Ox Moan"
MPEG Stream: "Designed To Break A Man"

DECIBEL #58 August 2009 magazine 4.95
One of our favorite monthly metal reads, the glossy (but "extremely exteme") magazine Decibel is a worthy American rival to the UK's Terrorizer. And they definitely have some good writers, the sort who manage to entertain and amuse even when, sometimes, you didn't think you cared about the band being covered. This issue, though, there's definitely bands you care about. On the cover, good ol' Slayer. Inside: 1349, Anaal Nathrakh, Amesoeurs, Slough Feg, Goatwhore, Velnias, and plenty more. Plus reviews and news and columns (including as always John "Mountain Goats" Darnielle's back page bit of humor) and all that good stuff. And a special report on the resurgence of old school death metal.
About the only thing this ish we thought we didn't really care about is the Hall of Fame feature on NYHC straight edge band Judge's 1989 album Bringin' It Down... but we still read it, and now might give that album a spin if we run across a copy.

FARQUHAR, JW The Formal Female (Brainblobru) lp 14.98
Reissued recently by Shadoks on cd, now also available on vinyl!
Woah. This is a weird one. A home-recorded psychedelic one-man-band "rock opera" from 1972, originally a rare privately pressed LP, now reissued. Super freaky and moody and fuzzed out, with a messed-up "my woman done me wrong" vibe to it all. One JW Farquhar of Philadelphia sang and played all the instruments, though there are some other, presumably non-existent musicians credited on the sleeve... get a load of his supposed band, some of the best fake names ever: "Riffery Lowknut" on fender bass, "Slash Mullethead" on percussion, and "Callust Likfinker" on lead guitar! Steel Mammoth wishes they'd thought of those.
In the liner notes JW says that many of these songs "were written as an outcry against the materialistic nature of the woman during that time period". Maybe a little bit misogynistic? Well, apparently JW had just recently gone through a difficult divorce after having been married for 10 years, and was pretty down on women in general. Regardless of the merits of his bitter outlook, the bummed-out emotions expressed are certainly real. And feed into some genuinely twisted, trippy music.
The first two tracks, "The Formal Female" and "The Want Machine", are both multi-part suites, 11-12 minutes each. Groovy, laid back, lonely stuff, rife with FX and heavy doses of fuzz guitar (at one point, JW does to the traditional wedding march what Hendrix did to the "Star Spangled Banner"). "The Want Machine", with its funky guitar and guttural dialogue, almost sounds like the freakin' Jimmy Castor Bunch circa It's Just Begun, jivin' and acid-dosed (here, downer-dosed).
On "My Bundle Of Joy", JW's sad, melodic vocals are accompanied by what sounds like a primitive drum machine ticking away. It's really weird and lovely. Not sure what it reminds us of, maybe Vincent Gallo? Also, there's a good deal of woozy harmonica, or what could be Augustus Pablo style reggae melodica, all throughout the album. "Where Have You Been" and "Mansions" are equally odd and entrancing. Spacey, echoey, outsider rad dudeness! JW Farquhar is part George Brigman, part Dreamies, part Bobb Trimble, part Perry Leopold... like we said, a weird one. Not every Shadoks reissue [the cd reish is on Shadoks] is amazing, but sometimes when they find an obscure gem, like this, they really hit it out of the park, we're telling you. And as break-up records go, this one's unique.
MPEG Stream: "The Formal Female"
MPEG Stream: "The Want Machine"
MPEG Stream: "My Bundle Of Joy"

IRONSWORD Overlords Of Chaos (Shadow Kingdom) cd 12.98
This is not the first time we've heard from these Portuguese heavy metallers, but might be the best time! Either this band has gotten better over the years, or our ears have gotten more and more leathery (possibly both). This is their first release since the NWOBHM covers split 7" they did with Slough Feg back in 2005, and it's been worth the wait, that is if you're into epick swords and sorcery metal '80s style. Overlords Of Chaos is escapist metal manna to sate the bloodthirsty appetites of true metal warriors, the lyrics based on works of Robert E. Howard (just like their doomier brothers-in-arms The Gates Of Slumber). Underground, only-for-the-true stuff, very much in the vein of Ironsword's big heroes Manilla Road. So much so, that they actually got Manilla Road's Mark "The Shark" Shelton to sing backup on a few of the tracks here. Boy, the Ironsword dudes must have been excited about that! We're almost surprised that Shelton wasn't too busy signing each band member's entire Manilla Road collection to actually have time to get behind the microphone.
Ironsword's regular vocalist also sounds a lot like Shelton, delivering these barbaric battle hymns in a manner both gruff and triumphant. That well matches the music, seriously pounding and powerful. We say seriously, and if you can't take these Conan-inspired tracks ("Wrath Of Crom", "Cimmeria", "Dark Shadows Of Stygia", etc.) in that spirit, well... either this isn't for you, or at least you'll get some laughs out of it! If the latter is the case, fine, but you'll be missing the gist of something that really means a lot to these guys... they're not doing this for laughs at all. R.E. Howard and Manilla Road speak to their hearts, and maybe Ironsword can speak to yours if you let them.
All thirteen tracks here, from the uber-majestic opening sweep of "Death Of The Gods" to the glorious "Hyperborean Hordes" to the ripping "Fear The Night" to the semi-acoustic requiem of "The Pyre Of Kings" are Howardian headbangers par excellence. But it's the rockin' "Road Warriors" with its monomaniacal, repetitive riff break that starts at about the 3 minute mark that is the highlight for us, though. Suddenly they're Pharaoh Overlord, for about 45 seconds at least! Otherwise, it's all about good stuff like Cirith Ungol, Omen, Manowar, Sacred Steel, Doomsword, The Gates Of Slumber, and of course Manilla Road.
There's another retro-'80s "true metal" album reviewed this list, the self-titled one by Portrait. Comparing the two, well, they're both gonna be cult items. But Ironsword seems to be the geekier gang, yet their music is heavier and rawer as well. If you had to choose between Portrait and Ironsword (we like 'em both), it's a basically a choice between Mercyful Fate and Manilla Road... and if you aren't into either of *those* bands, then we imagine that both Portrait and Ironsword would want no part of you anyway.
MPEG Stream: "Cimmeria"
MPEG Stream: "Hyperborean Hordes"
MPEG Stream: "Road Warriors"

JOHANNSSON, JOHANN Englaborn (Touch) lp 16.98
This AQ favorite, finally available on vinyl!
Founding member of the Kitchen Motors arts organization in Reykjavik, Johann Johannsson has been at the forefront of adventurous music in Iceland, performing with the Apparat Organ Ensemble and working with some of the more acclaimed Icelandic exports (i.e. members of Sigur Ros, Mum, Stilluppsteypa, Halfer Trio, etc.). Englaborn is the first album for Johannsson, who reconstructed this album from the score he wrote for the stage play by Havar Sigurjonsson. Johannsson stated that "The play is extremely violent and disturbing; and basically, when faced with the script, I decided to work against it as much as possible and just try to write the most beautiful music I could." While we do not have the benefit of witnessing the play itself or any images for that matter (beautiful Jon Wozencroft photographs of the sea grace the cover of this album), Johannsson invokes a profound sadness through his descending chord progressions for the Epos Spring Quartet which he augments with Spartan use of percussion, electronics, piano, computerized voices, and harmonium. Where Sigur Ros has crafted grandiose operas of Icelandic melancholia, Johann Johannsson simplifies his scores into poignant short stories that nevertheless resonate with those emotions.
MPEG Stream: "Odi Et Amo"
MPEG Stream: "Eg Atti Graa Asku"
MPEG Stream: "ef Eg Hefdi Aldrei..."

LIFELOVER Konkurs (Avantgarde Music) cd 14.98
BACK IN STOCK!
For a band that counts among its lineup members of suicidal black metallers Hypothermia, satanic black blasters Ondskapt, weirdo blackened doomsters Dimhymn, and buzzing black and rollers IXXI, Lifelover still manage to confound, somehow creating music at once the sum of all those parts, and at the same time a sound completely cracked, totally damaged, and gleefully bizarre, to the point of seemingly alienating all but the most broadminded of listeners. But if you're like us, and were crazy obsessed with Lifelover's last two discs, Pulver and Erotik, both confusional mixes of downtuned depressive black buzz, haunting epic minor key sadcore, and a plenty of sonic whatthefuck, then Konkurs should hit the spot big time. But even if you've yet to hear Lifelover before now, you still might fight yourself ensorcelled, as have many of the less metal minded folks around here. Lifelover occupy some strange space, not quite pop, not quite black metal. The guitars are distorted, but they don't quite buzz, the melodies are grim and depressive, but more gloomy and melancholic than hateful and harsh. Fans of groups like Alcest, Amesoeurs and especially Katatonia, at least those who aren't averse to some serious weirdness, could very well discover a whole new, darker and more demented side to their musical taste, courtesy of these freaked out Swedes.
Konkurs manages to expand on the sonic universe explored over the course of the two prior discs, while taking the sound even further, better production, more diverse and expansive instrumentation, better songs, and while bizarre, not nearly as schizophrenic, with a much better flow, like a proper album, as opposed to a collection of strange songs, but it's all still laced with plenty of gorgeously gloomy melodies, awesome metallic crunch, all sorts of tortured maniacal vocals, the tracks are peppered with skittery drum machines, bizarre feedbacked melodies, plaintive piano, swoonsome crooned vocals, all wrapped around gloriously miserable and epic minor key dirges, and super catchy twisted blackened doom pop.
From the very first moment, a strange echo drenched metallic clang, the band swoops in cloaked in a warm haze of black buzz, draped over a time keeping trash can lid cymbal, the vocals anguished and tortured, the guitars woven into soaring majestic melodies, while a piano plinks out its own sad melody right alongside. It really does sound like some Katatonia B-side, but filtered through some sort of cracked black lens. And from there, the record swoons and swirls, the tracks unfurling woozily, the second track has a killer main hook, a murky piano / fuzzy guitar harmony, blurred and smeared beneath simple motorik drumming, while the track after that borrows a little groove from Norwegian Nirvana worshipping black metallers Khold, but add a whole 'nother dimension of soft focus miserablism. Every track, no matter how normal, or how fucked up, is impossibly catchy, hooks galore, but also rife with elements that in any other band would stick out like a blackened and bloodied sore thumb. Whether it's some grinding muted chunk chunk chunk guitar, a recording of some polka-like accordion music, or a shimmery stretch of detuned piano, or perhaps some ominous spoken word, a bit of folky guitar strum, recordings of waves lapping on the shore, Sunn 0)))-like slow motion black guitar buzz, or lots of piano, almost always wreathed in tons of effects making it ethereal and shimmery, those elements seem to melt into the sounds around them, and after a few listens it's almost impossible to imagine the songs without them.
Not really heavy, not really all that black, but then that doesn't seem to be at all the point when it comes to Lifelover. Instead, the sounds here are a mysterious strain of outsider pop music, infused with elements of black metal and doom and slowcore and all sorts of other things, but those remain just elements, and become harder and harder to discern within the swirling jangly grinding blasting buzzing droney drifty twisted catchy and creepy whole that is Konkurs. Brilliant. And baffling. And beautiful. And absolutely recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Shallow"
MPEG Stream: "Mental Central Dialog"
MPEG Stream: "Brand"
MPEG Stream: "Spiken I Kistan"

MASTER MUSICIANS OF BUKKAKE Totem One (Conspiracy) lp 15.98
BACK IN STOCK!
We got the last few (like, ten of 'em) vinyl copies of this they had at the distributor, and won't be able to get any more. So if you missed it before, better grab it now... Sun City Girls fans! Drone-doom freaks! Here's your unlikely crossover dream come true, kind of. A psychedelically heavy (sometimes) and always eerily exotic new album on the Conspiracy label from this band with the wiseass faux-ethnic name (if you don't know what Bukkake is, don't ask, and definitely don't Google it - if you do, be aware it's NSFW). Now including members of Earth and Burning Witch amongst their ranks, and once again boasting cameo appearances from folks belonging to the Sun City Girls and Secret Chiefs 3, this is exactly (and excellently) what we might have expected from this project. Acoustic ethnic instrument buzz and drone meets guitars-leaning-on-amps buzz and drone. There's electronic FX and analog synths alongside field recordings, bells and chimes and gamelan percussion mixed with Tibetan monkish low-end drone-chant, and let's not forget the flute and Mellotron... The seven tracks of Totem One span a wild, wide range of (moody) moods, from the heavy throbbing maelstrom that is "Schism Prism / Adamatios" to the spacey, spooky folk ramble of "Cascade Cathedral". The most Sun City Girlish moment here is probably "People Of The Drifting Houses", not surprisingly the track which features guest vocals provided by Alan Bishop of SCGs and Sublime Frequencies fame.
"In The Lightness Of The Sonoran" could be the recently reviewed Harappian Night Recordings attempting to channel SUNNO))), whilst other tracks (simultaneously) bring to mind such not-entirely-disparate artists as Angus MacLise, Blood Of The Black Owl, Six Organs Of Admittance, Ghost, and Acid Mothers Temple. The latter especially, for instance on the most freaked out parts of the aforementioned "Schism Prism / Adamatios" or during the blissful ceremony of the album-ending nine minute long "Eaglewolf". Fantastic. We're now eagerly looking forward to further Totem installments! (Totem Two is due out later this year on the SCG-related Abduction label, that released MMOB's prior album as well.)
NB. The vinyl version of this comes with a coupon for free mp3 download of the whole album.
MPEG Stream: "A Mist Of Illness"
MPEG Stream: "In The Lightness Of the Sonoran"
MPEG Stream: "Cascade Cathedral"

OGRE Plague Of The Planet (Shadow Kingdom) cd 13.98
Over the top, '70s worshipping B-movie sci-fi stoner rock? Yes indeedy. You gotta give 'em props for this. Whacked out heavies Ogre from up in Maine - who we already liked for their riff rockin' retro-proto-doom-metal on such previous albums as Dawn Of The Proto-man and Seven Hells - have upped the ante with this new release, totally progging it up with a concept album consisting of just one long song (that's right, one track, but it's over 37 minutes long)! Although it's programmed as one track on the cd, it consists of eleven seamlessly segueing parts, including "II: End-Days", "IV: Queen Of Gasoline", "VIII: Battle At Doom Capital", and "XI: Dawn Of The Proto-man". To be sure, after a few listens, we're still not quite ready or able to summarize the narrative here, but we get the idea that it has something to do with a post-apocalyptic scenario involving environmental catastrophy, gasoline rationing and rampaging dog-men? It's all very Flash Gordon, campy and comic book-y (hence the Kirby-esqe cover artwork) with an underground comix '70s Heavy Metal magazine vibe.
Musically, at various points, and for various reasons, this reminds us of King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, Jesus Christ Superstar, and, let's see, Steamhammer's Speech (at about the 27 minute mark). Among other things... The storytelling aspect also might appeal to fans of Hammers Of Misfortune's The Bastard and Slough Feg's Traveller (which also features dog-men), though Ogre isn't at all power metal.
Vocally, Ogre are as always eccentric and expressive, the singer sounding sorta Ozzy-ish, but really dramatic, rising into unhinged screams. He's a bit Mike Patton-y, too (circa The Real Thing?). Once again, we have to say that the vocals here will make it or break it for a lot of folks. Well, that and the whole uber-prog concept deal. Yup, Plague Of The Planet is a love it or hate it proposition for sure. We happen to love it, and say kudos to them for going for it like this. And there's no question that the rollicking riffage on offer is gonna be a positive for anybody who likes, you know, heavy music. (Heavy this is, several members of Ogre also now having joined the new lineup of cult doomsters Blood Farmers by the way.)
This was originally released last year on the Japanese stoner/doom label Leaf Hound, who have unfortunately since folded. Thankfully, Shadow Kingdom in the USA has picked up this disc for domestic reissue.
MPEG Stream: "Plague Of The Planet excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "Plague Of The Planet excerpt 2"

OH SEES, THE Sucks Blood (Castle Face) lp 13.98
HOORAY! FINALLY REPRESSED!
John Dwyer has been a busy bee as of late. His great new free jazz outfit Swords & Sandals has been playing fiery short sets all around town. He's started his own record label, Castle Face and his first release on the label is his latest Oh Sees (OCS) record which just might be the best one yet! Produced by Kelly Stoltz, Sucks Blood has a wonderful focus that gets stoney, blurry and all bleary and sunsoaked yet the songs still feel so well crafted and the record so perfectly paced. The opening track finds Dwyer reconstructing his garage rock roots with a smokin' lo-fi burner that would make Roky Erickson proud. As the record moves on there is an intoxicating hazy moodiness that emanates so effortlessly from every track start to finish. We love how timeless this record sounds and feels. It's doesn't at all feel like a part of any current trend or scene. Instead it sounds like someone locked up in their room with a window half open as sun, clouds and wind mingle in the sky and songs grow and blossom organically. With no one to please but himself, you get the feeling that Dwyer was able to totally relax and make exactly the record he's been wanting to make for ages. We've already been listening to this in our headphones as we walk through the city, on those afternoons made for wandering aimlessly just to see where you might end up, and this is the perfect soundtrack for sure. Whether laying in the grass, or sitting on the porch, or staying in bed till late in the afternoon, this is the perfect sounds for being busy doing nothing. So totally nice!
MPEG Stream: "It Killed Mom"
MPEG Stream: "You Make Me Sick, Oh Yeah"
MPEG Stream: "Ship"

PIG DESTROYER Natasha (Relapse) lp 16.98
Now also in stock on vinyl... Originally available as a bonus DVD audio disc with the first pressing of Pig Destroyer's Terrifyer album, the half hour plus track "Natasha" functions almost better as its own record (which it now is), seeing as it was pretty sonically removed from the rest of the grinding mayhem found on Terrifyer.
Rumored to have originally been intended for a two-part split with the similarly godlike (and sadly defunct) Creation Is Crucifixion, which never materialized, "Natasha" is possibly the single strangest and greatest effort yet from these Pig Destroying psychopaths. Extrapolating on the previous love-scorned dementia lyrical themes of their Prowler In The Yard opus, "Natasha" is a hallucinogenic half-hour nightmare of epic proportions. Heavy, plodding sonorous drums (and finally a bass guitar!) crash like thunder as ominous feedback echoes off the graven landscape of lyricist JR Hayes's surreal acid-trip of uncomfortable adolescent obsession gone horribly awry. The piece metamorphoses through several states, from long quiet ambient passages to keyboard dirges to full-on metallic surges before finally dissolving into the audio equivalent of the gnashing jaws of the song's eponymous protagonist. Absolutely stunningly majestically heavy and downright, dare we say, beautiful - like a psylocybin-striated amalgam of Corrupted, Boris, Godflesh, Buried at Sea, Old Man Gloom and Neurosis. Includes the same disturbing short story liner notes as before, but with some gorgeously garish new artwork. Natasha is an absolute must-hear and definitely proves once again that Pig Destroyer remain at the very fore of extreme music innovation.
MPEG Stream: "Natasha (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Natasha (excerpt 2)"

PORTRAIT s/t (Holycaust) cd 13.98
Recently we've been chuffed to review some great new releases by what we might call New Wave Of Old School Heavy Metal bands, such as Cauldron and Enforcer. And there was that Heavy Metal Killers comp on Earache recently too, which included those two bands, and these guys, Portrait from Sweden. All young bands doing metal like it was meant to be, back in the day. Portrait certainly deliver tons of speedy energy, galloping riffage, evil atmospheres. Melody too. And of course, no cookie monster vocals! Although singer Philip Svennefelt sometimes switches to gruff rasps, he really loves to break into a wailing witchy falsetto a la King Diamond... so Mercyful Fate seems to be a BIG influence here. Mercyful Fate were, along with Venom, one of the '80s originators of black metal, before the church burning Norwegian types took over, and Portrait's fixation on occultic, Satanic themes (song titles include "Hell", "Bow Unto The Devil", and "Beware The Demons") fits the bill. Totally black metal, that is if the '90s never happened. Not to mention that the picture of guitarist Christian Lindell makes him look positively demon-possessed himself, despite his first name. Eyes wide, and mouth a rictus grin, his expression really sums up why Portrait is so appealing, nay, compelling. It's not just the songs and the sound, it's the spirit. The sinister spirit of their influences - Mercyful Fate, and Satan! So while this is fannishly '80s, it's more than that. Not simplistic - their compositions are often quite long (over nine minutes in the case of "The Adversary") with lots of interesting, dynamically intertwined parts, well paced and put together - and not shallow. They channel the ancient spirit with ripping reverence.
Now reissued domestically, this album originally came out last year in a limited die hard edition on Germany's Iron Kodex label, who also just brought us the new vinyl from AQ faves Slough Feg, who could be considered charter members of the NWOOSHM (nuh-whoosh-um), since they've been at it for a while!
One final note: don't you think Portrait is an odd name for a metal band? But actually, according to the Encyclopedia Metallum, they're not the only Portrait around. Hmm. They've just got to find a metal band named Landscape to tour with! (Another search of the Encyclopedia Metallum DID turn up one Landscape, and they're from Sweden, but defunct... oh well.)
MPEG Stream: "Consecration "
MPEG Stream: "Hell"

ROBEDOOR Exorcist Blues (Monorail Trespassing) cassette 6.98
Seems like the LA based doooom dronelords Robedoor have slowed their endlessly prolific output lately, pretty sure these guys are in a bunch of other projects and are busy running record labels and stuff, but either way we're happy to have a few copies of their brand new cassette on Monorail Trespassing. Exorcism Blues delivers four brand new tracks of mind-melting, ground ripping heavy drone that falls somewhere between the synth sorcery of the recent secret abuse lps and the dark, doom drone stylings of earlier Robedoor recordings. Slow trudging glacial ambience that melts beneath the paralyzing summer heat. Super killer and super limited, we've only got a handful of these so act fast in you want one, they'll be gone before you know it!

SEGALL, TY / BLACK TIME split (Telephone Explosion) lp 14.98
Wish we had more of these, apparently it's out of print already (until they repress, c'mon) and we only have a couple...
It's been raining Ty Segall the last few weeks with a slew of rad vinyl offerings that have flown out the door. This new split LP with Black Time finds Ty at his most raw and rocking! Seven brand new songs including a smoking cover of The Dwarves "Be A Caveman" from back in their total garage punk days. Black Time were new to our ears and they definitely prove that London can get raw and fuzzy with the best of them, as their way lo-fi and in-the-red sound make them a perfect match for Segall. Maybe a bit more punk in sound and aesthetic then TS while still totally tapping into the more damaged and distorted side of primitive garage punk. Such a good time to be a fan of raw and impassioned garage rock cause folks like Ty and Black Time are totally coming correct.

UNAGI Reinventing The Eel (442) cd 10.98
Unagi has been one of the most solid forces in the Bay Area hip-hop scene over the last several years. With Reinventing The Eel he continues to display his great taste in vintage soul/funk inspired breaks and invites lots of guest MC's to join in, adding to the flow of these nicely layered tracks. Unagi is carrying on the hip hop tradition that folks like DJ Shadow and Hieroglyphics started a decade ago. We wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on Stones Throw one of these days as his beats and aesthetic would be a perfect fit.
MPEG Stream: "Liftoff"
MPEG Stream: "Bird Of Paradise (Featuring Chee Malabar)"




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----* Compilations :
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V/A The Sound of Wonder: Rare Electronic Pop From The Lollywood Vaults 1973-1980 (Finders Keepers / B-Music) cd 12.98
D'oh. We didn't know it when we listed this as an import not long ago, but there's a payoff for any procrastinators who wanted this, 'cause it's now available as a much more affordable domestic release!
Yay! It's been awhile since we've had a new Finder's Keepers release, and this one is amazing!
By now we're all too familiar with the Eastern cinematic pop splendor and sitar funk of Bollywood. But what about Lollywood? Yes, just to the north in Pakistan, the city of Lahore had their own cottage film industry. Perhaps not as well known outside Pakistan, Lollywood was highly profitable in the seventies and eighties, housing a unique music division with its own equivalent of Bollywood's R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosle in M. Ashraf and his female collaborator, Nahid Akhtar. With the help of EMI, Pakistani musicians were able to create ambitious music in a world class studio, using far-out instrumentation like Moogs and other synthesizers, accordions, surf-guitars, and tons of traditional hand percussion instruments instead of a proper drum set. It's definitely a far more electric and electronic pop sound , than what we're used to hearing in classic Bollywood music. Having an almost retro-futurist bent in its explosive collision of Eastern and Western musical touchstones: Freak-Beat and Surf Rock meets Space-Age Moog Pop and Urdu Groove! Originally released on 7" mini-lps (a curious marketing scheme was to release one soundtrack on 3 separate 7"s!), this is the first time these wild and delightful cinematic obscurities have been collected. Let's hope more get discovered. This IS the Sound of Wonder!
MPEG Stream: M. ASHRAF "Dama Dam Mast Qalander"
MPEG Stream: TAFO "Karye Pyar"
MPEG Stream: NAZIR ALI "Society Girl"

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----* In Stock, Not Yet Reviewed :
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If you want to order one of these, just search for the item, then click on the buy button and it will be added to your cart!

A BOLHA "Um Passo a Frente" (Lion) cd 14.98
ALVA NOTO & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO WITH ENSEMBLE MODERN "UTP_" (Raster Norton) cd+dvd 32.00
AMBER ASYLUM "Bitter River" (Profound Lore) cd 13.98
AMENRA "Mass IIII / Mass III-II" (Init Records) 2cd 14.98
ANALS "Total Anal" (Permanent) lp 16.98
ASTRA "The Weirding" (Rise Above) cd 13.98
BIBLE OF THE DEVIL / BLADE OF THE RIPPER "split" (Scarey Records) 7" 5.98
BOWERBIRDS "Upper Air" (Dead Oceans) cd/lp 15.98/17.98
BUBBLE PUPPY "A Gathering Of Promises" (Charly) cd 17.98
CARTER, DEAN "Call Of The Wild" (Big Beat) cd 16.98
CASH, TOMMY "Rise And Shine" (Omni Recording Corporation) cd 16.98
COLTRANE, ALICE "Huntington Ashram Monastery" (Impulse) lp 15.98
ERIC B. & RAKIM "Follow The Leader" (4 Men With Beards) lp 16.98
FENRIZ' RED PLANET / NATTEFROST "Engansgrill" (Indie Recordings) cd 21.00
FIERY FURNACES, THE "I'm Going Away" (Thrill Jockey) cd/lp 14.98/17.98
FUNKE, MAXINE "Lace" (Next Best Way) cd 14.98
GALAXIE 500 "On Fire" (20/20/20) lp 15.98
GALAXIE 500 "This Is Our Music" (20/20/20) lp 15.98
GALAXIE 500 "Today" (20/20/20) lp 15.98
GARY WAR "Horribles Parade" (Sacred Bones) lp 16.98
GOES CUBE "Another Day Has Passed" (The End) cd 14.98
GREENE, LORNE "The Man" (Omni Recording Corporation) cd 16.98
HABOOB "s/t" (Long Hair) cd 27.00
HARBINGER "Second Coming" (Guerssen) cd/lp 17.98/26.00
HENNES SISTE HOST "s/t" (Init Records) cd 13.98
HENRIKSEN, ARVE "Cartography" (ECM) cd 17.98
HIGH PLACES / SOFT CIRCLE "Split" (PPM) 12" 10.98
HIGH RISE "Psychedelic Speed Freaks Live 1986" (PSF) dvd 27.00
IRON MAN "I Have Returned" (Shadow Kingdom) cd 12.98
JAFFE, SARA & MIA CLARKE "The Art of Touring" (Square Root Books) book + cd 19.95
JOHN'S CHILDREN "Jagged Time Lapse" (Vinyl Lovers) lp 24.00
JOHNSON, BLIND WILLIE "If I Had My Way, I'd Tear The Building Down" (Monk) lp 22.00
K11 "Voices From Thelema" (Aurora Borealis) cd 14.98
L' ACEPHALE "Malefeasance" (Aurora Borealis) cd 17.98
LI JIANHONG "Classic Of The Mountains And Seas" (PSF) cd 22.00
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. "Josephine" (Secretly Canadian) cd/lp 12.98/14.98
MANTLES, THE "Trust" (Mt. St. Mtn.) 7" 9.98
MCTELL, BLIND WILLIE "Scarey Day Blues" (Monk) lp 30.00
MONOSOV, DJ ILYA AND THE 21 CENTURY PUNKS "New Music" (Holy Mountain) 12" 13.98
MULLINS, DEE "The Continuing Story" (Omni Recording Company) cd 16.98
P.H.O.B.O.S. "Anoedipal" (megaton) cd 28.00
PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC "1976 Live Mothership Connection" (Mojo Working / Shout Factory) dvd 14.98
PASSION PIT "Manners" (French Kiss) cd 12.98
PATTON, CHARLEY "Electrically Recorded: High Water Everywhere" (Monk) lp 22.00
PATTON, CHARLEY "Electrically Recorded: Jesus Is A Dying-Bed Maker" (Monk) lp 22.00
PERSISTENCE IN MOURNING "Undead Shall Rise" (At War With False Noise) lp 15.98
PRINCE BUSTER "Sings His Hit Song "Ten Commandments"" (Reel Music) cd 14.98
RILEY, TERRY "A Rainbow In Curved Air" (Columbia) lp 17.98
ROEDELIUS, HANS-JOACHIM "Durch Die Wuste" (Bureau) lp 17.98
SANGARE, OUMOU "Seya" (Nonesuch) cd 17.98
SARKE "Vorunah" (Indie Recordings) cd 21.00
SON VOLT "American Central Dust" (Rounder) cd 15.98
STELLASTARR "Civilized" (Bloated Wife) cd 14.98
STRENG, PEKKA & TSAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI "Magneettimiehen Kuolema" (Love) cd 17.98
STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB "s/t" (Epitaph) cd 16.98
STRENG, PEKKA "Kesamaa" (Love) cd 17.98
SUN RA "Nidhamu & Dark Myth Equation Visitation" (Art Yard) cd 22.00
SYLVESTER ANFANG II "s/t" (Aurora Borealis) cd/2lp 17.98/24.00
TAKAYANAGI, MASAYUKI "Archive 1" (Jinya) 5cd 95.00
TEENAGE PANZERKORPS "Games For Slaves" (Siltbreeze) lp 15.98
TREE PEOPLE, THE "Human Voices" (Guerssen) cd 17.98
V/A "Dub Echoes" (Soul Jazz Films) dvd 21.00
V/A "School Me! Vol. 1 (1968-1975)" (Stage Band Research) lp 19.98
V/A "Take Me To The Water: Immersion Baptism In Vintage Music And Photography 1890-1950" (Dust To Digital) book + cd 34.00
V/A "Thai Funk ZudRangMa" (ZRM) cd 23.00
V/A "Transmissions From Sinai" (Arthur) cd 13.98
VAN WEY, BROCK "White Clouds Drift On And On" (Echospace) 2cd 21.00
VOIVOD "Infini" (Relapse) cd 14.98
VON OSWALD TRIO, MORITZ "Vertical Ascent" (Honest Jons) cd/2lp 17.98/22.00
WARDRUNA "Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga" (Indie Recordings / Fimbullijod) cd 21.00
WITCH TRIALS "s/t" (Alternative Tentacles) cd 10.98
WOLF "Ravenous" (Century Media) cd 12.98
XYX "s/t" (Skulltones) 7" 7.98
ZOLA JESUS "The Spoils" (Sacred Bones) lp 16.98

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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    $5.00 USPS Priority Mail
3+ items    $7.50 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 $7.50. 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 $5.00 for shipping. These packages are NOT insured or trackable, sorry. So if you desire those safeguards, please request UPS delivery at the $7.50 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 at the $7.50 rate. 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 ("First Class International"). 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" category and see the price for "First Class International". 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" category and see the price for "Priority Mail International". 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound. 1 lp is usually a little over 1.5 pounds.)


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" category and see the price for "Priority Mail International", which is the way insured packages are sent. 1-3 cds is usually 1 pound. 1 lp is usually a little over 1.5 pounds.)

For example: for a one-pound package worth $18 going to England, shipping without insurance is about $11.00. But with insurance, the shipping / insurance total is over $26.00!

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 :
-------------------------------- We accept the following credit cards: Visa, MC, Discover, and Amex. We will not charge your credit card until your order is ready to ship.

Money orders are accepted, but only in $USD. International customers please note that they must be international postal money orders purchased at a post office. Additional processing fees may apply. 

If you wish to pay by money order, you must confirm the order with us through email or phone BEFORE you send any payment. It's best to just use the secure order form on the website, and when checking out mark money order as your payment choice. We will then process your order and respond with all the crucial payment info.

We also accept payment by Paypal. If you opt for this payment method, we will send you a paypal total and payment instructions as soon as we've confirmed your order with you. Please do not send payment until you have received human contact from our mailorder department.

Unfortunately, we cannot take personal checks for mailorder, sorry!


QUESTION?
-------------------------------- Email the mailorder department: mailorder@aquariusrecords.org
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SOME SELECTED UPCOMING RELEASES

----} sometime soon/on the way/where is it?
Circle "Taantumus" cd reissue on Ektro w/ bonus track
Thor "Unchained" cd reissue on Ektro
Acid Mothers Temple "Are We Experimental" cd
Bible Of The Devil "Freedom Rock" lp version
Anaal Nathrakh "In The Constellation Of The Black Widow" cd on Candlelight

----} July 28th
Yacht "See Mystery Lights" cd on DFA

----} August 4th
Fruit Bats "The Ruminant Band" cd/lp on Sub Pop

----} August 11th
Bloody Panda "Summon" cd on Profound Lore
Bizzy B "Retrospective" cd/2lp on Planet Mu

----} August 18th
Pissed Jeans "King Of Jeans" cd/lp on Sub Pop
Steven R. Smith "Cities" lp on Immune
Final "Reading All The Right Signals Wrong" cd on No Quarter
Dock Boggs "Legendary Singer And Banjo Player" lp on Folkways
Elisabeth Cotten "When I'm Gone" lp on Folkways
John Fahey "America" lp reissue on Four Men With Beards
Roscoe Holcomb "High Lonesome Sound" lp reissue on Folkways

----} August 25th
16 Horsepower "Secret South" cd+dvd/lp+dvd on Alternative Tentacles
Cloudland Canyon "Silver Tongue Sisyphus" lp version on Holy Mountain
Jega "Variance" cd/2lp on Planet Mu
Liturgy "Renihiliation" cd on 20 Buck Spin
Laudanum "Coronation" cd on 20 Buck Spin
Sic Alps "L Mansion" 7" on Slumberland
Yoga "Megafauna" cd on Holy Mountain

----} also upcoming sooner or later or sooner or later
Six Organs Of Admittance "Luminous Night" cd/lp on Drag City
Gösta Berlings Saga "Detta Har Hant" cd on Transubstans Records
Om "Live Conference" lp on Important
v/a "Kompakt Total 10" 2cd/3lp on Kompakt
v/a "The Electric Asylum Volume 3: Rare British Acid Freakrock" cd on Past & Present
Black Boned Angel "Verdun" lp on Riot Season
Shit And Shine "229 2299 Girls Against Shit" lp on Riot Season
Der TPK "s/t" 12" on Captured Tracks
Ocean "Pantheon Of The Lesser" 2lp version on Important
Bunkur "Nullify" cd on Displeased
Grumbling Fur (Guapo + Jussi from Circle) cd
Der TPK (Teenage Panzerkorps) "Games For Slaves" lp on Siltbreeze
Oxbow "Fuckfest" cd reissue on Hydrahead
Combat Astronomy "Earth Divided by Zero" cd
Rosetta "Wake/Lift" vinyl version
Anton Batagov "Passionate Desire To Be An Angel" cd on Long Arms Records
Japancakes "If I Could See Dallas"
Sean Smith "Eternal" cd on Ultra Hard Gel
Jazzfinger "The Sun's Golden Blood" cd on Beta-Lactam Ring
v/a "Noise Room" cd on Soniq
Country Teasers / Ezee Tiger split lp on Holy Mountain
Erase Errata TBA cd on Kill Rock Stars
Xiu Xiu TBA cd on Kill Rock Stars
The Black Heart Procession TBA cd/lp on Touch And Go
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists TBA cd/lp on Touch And Go
Rodan TBA cd/lp on Quarterstick
Deftones "Eros" cd on Warner Bros.
Swell Maps "International Rescue" clear vinyl LP reissue on Alive
Black Lips "We Didn't Know..." green vinyl LP on Bomp!
Loss "Despond" cd on Profound Lore


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Lots of love from your devoted AQ staff

Andee Cup Jim AllanIrwinScottNickSallyJonandAndrew