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00000======================00000
0 0 Aquarius Records 0 0
0 New Arrivals #70 0
0 0 October 23, 1998 0 0
00000======================00000
Beloved Customers:
We sincerely apologize for the length of this missive -- there's a hell
of a lot of good records out right now. New subscribers take heart
that the New Arrivals list isn't usually this l-o-n-g.
Please come to our *Takako Minekawa* instore this Friday night (TONIGHT!)
October 23 at 7pm. Takako plays a sweet synthpop bedroom brew and
has been remixed by such luminaries as Trans Am, Portastatic, Land
of the Loops, and Buffalo Daughter. If the thumbs-up by artists of
that caliber isn't a high enough recommendation then I don't know
what is.
Our other exciting news is that in a few months Aquarius will be the
-SOLE- source for Kid Koala's new 7", a project with his band Bullfrog,
who sound like a mix between Martin Denny and the Meters with Kid K
scratching the vocals on top!
Please note that you have my funny and smart co-workers Marc Kate and
Jim Haynes to thank for most of the reviews in this issue. Jim and
Marc are also collaborating on Aquarius' HAUNTED HOUSE, an installation
featuring creepy artwork and sinister sounds. The HAUNTED HOUSE opens
Halloween in "the slaughterhouse" behind Aquarius and will run to
Nov 13. Children beware. Have a wonderful Halloween!
In this issue: 
New Arrivals
Printed Matter
Tickets For Sale/Recommended Shows
Upcoming Releases
----*
----* Record of the Week :
----*
ICU "Chotto Matte A Moment" (K) cd/2lp 12.98/10.98
A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED debut album from this Olympia Trio! Lo-fi drum &
bass whose ethos of live instrumentation at all costs lends comparisons to
a quirkier, more lively Red Snapper or at times Can (like what the
'Sacrilege' remix album was supposed to sound like)! This is one of the few
groups who can carry off their sound live, including theremin, turntables,
standup bass, and keyboards (and NOT ONE preprogrammed tape) into the mix.
----*
----* Disaster of the Week :
----*
UNKLE "Psyence Fiction"
Sigh. This is not as good as those salivating music critics would have
you believe. The sizable and impressive line-up of cameos does not save
this disaster of an album, and shouldn't even be listed for fear of
embarrassing the artists associated--oh hell, UNKLE '98 is James Lavelle of
Mo'Wax (what happened to the other guy?) who has roped in DJ Shadow as his
new partner, with appearances by Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Mike D. of
Beastie Boys, and Jason Newstead of Metallica along with a bunch of
others... "Psyence Fiction" is like the aftermath of the collision of a
Lexus and a BMW, as both drivers of the vehicles were too busy making
record deals on their cell phones to pay attention to the road. You just
get pissed-off waiting for it to end while the tow-trucks come to drag the
sad wreckage out of your way. Mo' money, mo' problems--this is like when
someone gets too rich, too fast and buys a really big ugly house. There's
no accounting for taste, but somehow this ostentatious display is
aesthetically offensive. It's supposed to be THE end-of-the-millennium
hybrid-genre watershed record that crosses boundaries and all that crap.
But we all know what's *really* gonna be playing when 1999 rolls over to
2000--"Wonderwall".
----*
----* Necessary Excess of the Week :
----*
YaHoWha 13 "God and Hair" (Captain Trip) 13cd 180.00
For 13 discs you better get the complete recordings... and here on "God
and Hair" that is what you get. Led by the late, legendary Father Yod (who
supposedly died in a hang-gliding accident in the late 70s... just like
Ic!) YaHoWha 13 "epitomize the insanity of highly-personalized
psychedelic exploration via the fringes of rock music and its subsequent
private documentation better than anything else produced by the human race
to date." (a glorious if over the top description from the fine folk at
Forced Exposure)... This collection ranges from the tribal acid pound with
weird noises floating in and out of aural spaces alongside Yod's
megalomaniacal vocal output (as on the unbelievable masterpieces
"Penetration" and "The Lovers") to the cult-guru sermons over simple
acoustic guitar (which give the uncanny resemblance to Charles Manson's
folk). Warning: it's VERY hippie. The huge 13" x 13" heavy duty box houses
the 13 discs and a 50 page booklet (which is unfortunately only in
Japanese). So fucking cool.
(If anyone out there has any more information about this band (in
English) please direct us to it.)
Please Note: Due to the sheer cost of this thing, AQ will only have 1 or
2 in stock at any given time. We will certainly do our best to fill any
orders that come in, but please be patient with us! And it's a limited
edition, too, of course, so don't delay...
----*
----* Select New Arrivals :
----*
PANACEA "Twisted Designz" (Industrial Strength / Chrome) cd 15.98
Oh how we LOVE LOVE LOVE the rotund German darkstep musician Panacea.
Finally, the domestic release of Panacea's second album sees the light of
day (with two US-only bonus tracks absent from the import). Monstrous
apocalyptic breaks and industrial noise that has been mutated far from the
tropes of drum & bass that it may have transcended such a description.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those with strong ears.
CIRCLE "Pori" (Metamorphos) cd 15.98
Circle is comprised of six classically trained Finnish musicians whose
signature style over their past six albums has been to construct
ever-shifting, hypnotic, repetitive structures (hence the name Circle). The
immediate comparisons to Circle would be to Can's "Tago Mago" or a
prog-rock variant of Trans Am, with intricate grooves that are intertwined
with simple & melodic guitar riffs, antiquated synthesizers, and deep
Teutonic male chanting, that doesn't sound too far off from some of the
more bombastic black metal attempts at Viking lore. As with all good prog
rock albums, this is a conceptual album of sorts about the Pori River in
Finland and a regiment of the Finnish army who fought at that river in the
Finnish War of 1808. A very highly recommended album from Aquarius!
HIGH LLAMAS "Lollo Rosso" (V2) cd 10.98
Excellent collection of remixes by Mouse on Mars, Cornelius, Kid Loco,
Jim O'Rourke, Stock, Hausen and Walkman, Schneider TM (of Kreidler) and one
they remixed themselves. This is really really good, simple, pleasant
electronica that will please beginners and advanced folk alike.
FREE DESIGN "Kites Are Fun" (Varese Sarabande) cd 14.98
The best of Free Design. Four fancy-free voices from the '70's singing
life-affirming songs about kites and bubbles and love. Beautiful harmonies
with lush orchestrations, produced by Enoch Light. Like The Carpenters on
ecstasy, or a less cynical Stereolab unplugged. You always knew who is the
biggest influence on Stereolab's music (Neu!) but now you know who most
affected their vocals, 'cos most of this sounds EXACTLY like Mary and
Laetitia harmonizing.
FREE DESIGN "Raindrops" (Siesta) cd/2x10" 15.98/17.98
Another collection of saccharine sweet songs from '67 to '73. For these
songs, add a little more Ray Conniff Singers to the description above.
Mostly covers here--"California Dreamin'", "If I Were a Carpenter", "59th
Street (Feelin' Groovy)", and even, yes, "Can You Tell Me How to Get to
Sesame Street?"
The vinyl is a double 10"--one in sky blue, the other in seafoam green
and they look like they could have fallen out of a gumball machine.
APOCALYPTICA "Inquisition Symphony" (Mercury) cd 15.98
Tracks from the first Apocalyptica album were prominently featured in
the recent film "Your Friends and Neighbors" as this cello quartet
performed blistering versions of Metallica songs. Their second album is a
far more advanced affair as the quartet was granted a larger budget for
recording. Not just Metallica is represented as we are treated to
renditions of tunes by Sepultura, Faith No More, and Pantera, as well as
two quite excellent self-penned Apocalyptica tracks of completely intense
metal riffs played exclusively on cellos! Very highly recommended by all
who work here.
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE "How It Feels to Be Something On..."
(Sub Pop) cd 14.98
It's a good thing that Jeremy Enigk's Sunny Day Real Estate got back
together or else we would be without this lovely album. The desolate emo
epics build and collapse much like the more recent pop masterpieces from
Built to Spill. Highly recommended.
STEREOLAB "Aluminum Tunes" (Drag City) 2cd/3lp 21.00/21.00
Drag City swears that there is no discernable difference between this
pressing and the Duophonic pressing of this record (although we'll do our
best to get the rumored future Japanese version that'll be comprised of
colored vinyl, a glitter 7", stickers, and a T-shirt in a box.) Regardless,
this is a monstrous collection in fold-out packaging consisting of
disgustingly rare,out-of-print singles, compilation tracks, and even the
tracks for Stereolab's soundtrack to artist Charles Long's "Music for the
Amorphous Body Study Center". The tracks are from the period in between
"Mars Audiac Quartet" and "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" and the whole package
flows together quite well. Better than "Dots and Loops" by a mile.
THE EX "Starters Alternaters" (Touch & Go) cd 13.98
The latest recordings by The Ex have found their way onto Touch & Go. It
should be noted that this is NOT a reissue of older material. Time has
mellowed out the legendary punk agitators from Holland, yet they still
deliver a powerful album of angular punk rage. A few tracks take on almost
folk harmonics in their praise of the proletariat.
NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL "Holland" (Blue Rose) 7" 5.98
Limited to 1000 copies (we think), this gorgeous 7" picture disc
contains a foldout poster and one song ("Engine") unavailable elsewhere.
Buy now or cry later, we won't have it for long.
BONNIE PRINCE BILLIE 7" (All City) 3.99
This is back in print so we thought we'd list it again for all you who
didn't get it the first time around. Will Oldham of Palace with 2 of his
best songs in a while! Recommended.
WISDOM OF HARRY (Static Caravan) 7" 4.98
New songs from one of Windy's favorite new groups, Wisdom of Harry, who
play a bewitching mellow brew of Smog-like bedroom angst layered with
subtle electronic layers. For fans of Sparklehorse.
BEDHEAD "Lepidoptera/Leper" (Trance Syndicate) 10" 6.98
"The only song anyone in the band has ever written in musical notation
is 'Lepidoptera', the seventh song on 'Transaction de Nova'. A few months
ago, in a rare serendipitous moment, the page of the music was turned
upside down -- the bass clef became the treble clef, the treble became the
bass -- It instantly made sense. It didn't sound backwards, but it sounded
reversed, turned inside out and over all at once... a song that forms a
mirror image of another song and is, literally, the perfect b-side, the
record turned upside down." - from Bedhead's description of 'Leper'.
TORTOISE/AUTECHRE remix (Thrill Jockey) 12" 6.98
Expected in today! The second remix 12" from Tortoise's "TNT" album.
EDITH FROST "Telescopic" (Drag City) cd/lp 13.98/9.98
Second and most ambitious full-length from this talented singer/songwriter.
HIGH RISE "II" (Squealer) lp 13.98
HIGH RISE "Dispersion" (Squealer) lp 13.98
The unexpected domestic reissues of these classic PSF albums of
psychguitar overload from this Japanese combo (on tour in the US for
the first time ever right about now!). First time on vinyl, and although
the incredibly bad job Squealer did on the packaging is already causing
much horror/laughter among those that have seen it, the vinyl itself is
quite nice. Cds to follow in a few weeks?
SON VOLT "Wide Swing Tremolo" (Warner Bros) cd 15.98
Jay Farrar and other ex-Uncle Tupelo folk with their third Son Volt
album, this one a bit noisier and looser (in a good way) than previous
efforts. We like it.
JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION "Acme" (Matador) cd/lp 14.98/8.98
Dunno what to say about this one except that Windy who hates Jon Spencer
thinks this is almost palatable with it's leaning toward soul and blues
(backup singers etc, the whole shebang) and the production talents of the
Automator and Alec Empire etc. But then again the longtime Spencer fans who
work here all uniformly dislike it. Make of this what you will.
SILVANIA "Delay Tambor" (Stereophonic Elefant Dance) cd 14.98
Polyrhythmic pop-electronica from this Spanish duo who got a stellar
line-up of remixes from Locust, Scorn, Autechre, Seefeel and Scanner.
JOHN FAHEY "Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts" (Table of the Elements) cd
15.98
Five fantastic solo guitar performances recorded live from a show in
Atlanta in 1997. Powerful yet beautiful pseudo-improv Fahey-style
avant-twang. The last few years have seen the coming of many imitators;
recordings like this put them back in their place.
MASSACRE "Funny Valentine" (Tzadik) cd 15.98
18 years later, Fred Frith (Naked City, Henry Cow, Skeleton Crew) and
Bill Laswell (Praxis, Material, Painkiller, Arcana) are joined by Charles
Hayward (This Heat) to reform Massacre--a brutal and complex improv-rock
trio that wupped asses and ears back in the early '80's. Adolf Wolfli cover
art.
PLONE "Plock" (Warp) cd 8.98
The debut single on Warp from this twee electronica outfit who had a few
singles out on Wurtlizer Jukebox. Far more loungey and spacepop than
"electronica."
FIEND "3: Caledonian Mystic" (God Bless) cd 15.98
This is the third solo project from Brendan O'Hare of Mogwai, Teenage
Fanclub, and the Telstar Ponies. Desperate space rock complete with
drug-addled vocals, knob twiddling, and sparse guitar based structures.
WAGON CHRIST "Tally Ho" (Astralwerks) cd/2lp 15.98/29.00
Before Plug, Luke Vibert recorded some wacky off-kilter trip hop under
the guise Wagon Christ... If anyone is curious what 'clown hop' is as
Aquarius' (via Sean Cooper's) taxonomic definition of this specific
sub-genre of electronica (see also u-Ziq and Dr. Rockit), Wagon Christ's
records are exemplary of the definition. "Tally Ho", his latest release,
shows a clear influence from the awesome Amon Tobin. And yeah, the vinyl is
import only... sorry.
TALVIN SINGH "OK" (Island) 2lp 26.00
Singh's now legendary status is much deserved--renown for his tablas
playing skills, his production for other artists, and his dance club
"Anokha" that brings the sounds of the Asian Underground to the dancefloor.
His new release (for now, only in beautiful limited edition double vinyl
packaging) proves that he is every bit deserving of his status. Part dance
music (from anywhere between London and Bombay), and part film soundtrack
(from anywhere between London and Bombay) this record takes you on an
amazing journey with 23 guests artists, the Madras Philharmonic Orchestra
and a whole choir along for the ride--includes notables Bill Laswell, Ustad
Sultan Khan and Ryuichi Sakamoto. This is Marc's new favorite record. Out
on cd November 3.
BAD LIVERS "Industry & Thrift" (Sugar Hill) cd 15.98
Twangy fingerpickin' Austin duo play their own brand of hillbilly
boogie, like the Squirrel Nut Zippers if they were country, not swing.
TOVE NILSEN "Flash Caravan" (Rune Grammofon) cd 14.98
It certainly is nice to be constantly guessing what this label is going
to be putting out, as the last two releases we got in from Rune Grammofon
were the bleak musique concrete from Arne Nordheim and the weird avant jazz
from Supersilent. Here, Rune Grammofon presents Tove Nilsen, a Swedish
chanteuse who sounds quite similar to and who gets a lot out of her backing
band to create some lovely acoustic grooves (also quite similar to Bjork).
MIRZA "Iron Compass Flux" (Darla) cd/lp 12.98/12.98
It makes sense that Mirza hails from San Francisco, as they must spend
an awful lot of time watching the fog roll in over Twin Peaks down into the
Mission. Melancholic and cold guitar drones fade in and out of
consciousness much like Flying Saucer Attack or Maeror Tri. Let us know if
we're crazy or not, but it sounds to us like the second track ('Ember
Lights') is a deconstructed version of 'Rio' by Duran Duran... and that is
certainly a very good thing!
GANGER "Hammock Style" (Merge) cd 14.98
Neo Kraut, bass heavy grooves from this British ensemble that sound like
a propulsive, non adult-contemporary version of Tortoise.
CADALLACA "Introducing" (K) cd/lp 12.98/8.98
Cadallaca features Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney. It's less fierce than
Sleater Kinney, but just as heartfelt with organs and off-key vocals.
PARIS 1942 "s/t" (Majora) lp 9.99
"This past August, I was in Nashville on vacation listening to WRVU, the
'alternative' radio station affiliated with Vanderbilt University. For
thirty minutes or so, they were playing this amazing avant-garage-drone
track by 'The Legendary Dave Cloud'... needless to say, it was a friend of
the DJ who had recorded this track on his 4-track earlier that day. Until I
find any of his recordings (hopefully he has sent some demos to Drunken
Fish or Majora, who should appreciate this hidden talent), there's this
kick-ass album from Paris 1942, which includes Rick & Alan Bishop (of the
Sun City Girls) and Moe Tucker! They only played together 4 times but had
enough sense to record at least an album's worth of lo-fi improv
garage-punk tracks. Highly Recommended!" - Jim, AQ staff guy who would love
any info / demos on the aforementioned Dave Cloud.
JOHN CARPENTER "Halloween OST" (Varese Sarabande) cd 15.98
The 20th anniversary edition soundtrack. It certainly is pretty damn
cool that two of the pioneers of horror films (John Carpenter and Dario
Argento) scored their own films. The soundtrack for "Halloween" is a tense
pulsing score of piano and synthesizers that comes off as an evil fusion
between Terry Riley and Mike Oldfield. Lots of soundbites from the movie
also make their way onto this CD as the remastering of the disc was
probably done directly off of a print of the film.
PHOTEK "Form & Function" (Astralwerks) cd/2lp 17.98/23.00
Certainly a misnomer of a title, as the name of the first two Photek
singles were called "Form & Function" vol 1 & 2, yet none of those tracks
appear on this album. Instead, this album collects tracks from the
following three singles "Water Margin", "Seventh Samurai", "UFO / Rings
Around Saturn" (one of Marc's favorite 12"s ever), two new tracks, and
remixes from J Majik, Digital, Peshay, Decoder, and Doc Scott. Sparse yet
tense drum & bass with occasional Pharoah Sanders samples.
ORANJ SYMPHONETTE "The Oranj Album" (Ryko) cd 15.98
Second album from local band featuring experimental reeds/horn player
Ralph Carney and lauded guitarist Joe Gore, among others.
"Adrenaline-fueled far-out ride through '60s and '70s film soundtracks and
radically reinterpreted standards."
SEAM "The Pace is Glacial" (Touch & Go) cd/lp 13.98/8.98
Chicago's kings of indie rock have been doing this so long they can only
further refine the genre. Slow buildups and melodic layers, murmured
vocals, very pleasant.
CAT POWER "Moon Pix" (Matador) cd/lp 13.98/8.98
Chan Marshall's latest album shows a definite maturation of her voice.
This is not to say that there is not a distinct charm to hearing her voice
crack on every other song, however, she is far more confident in her
ability to generate the sad harmonies of her songs. As a bonus, Jim White
and Mick Turner (both of the Dirty Three) are Chan's backing band on this
album.
PROLAPSE "The Italian Flag" (Jetset) cd 12.98
If Arab Strap and Mogwai occupy the depressive end of Scottish mope
rock, than Prolapse can claim the bittersweet band of the spectrum. The
dueling male / female vocals come off as a beleaguered working class couple
in mid-fight with a propulsive fusion of The Fall and My Bloody Valentine
backing them up. An excellent album, their best yet!
BOARDS OF CANADA "Music Has the Right to Children"
(Matador) cd/2lp 13.98/10.98
The domestic release of the recent Warp/Skam album by Scotland's Boards
of Canada, who clearly follow the disjointed electronica breakbeats of
Autechre and Aphex Twin, but with a distinctive downer quality that makes
this great rainy day listening. Hopefully Matador will continue the trend
of licensing future albums from the perennially innovative electronica
label Warp (they'd do the job a lot better than Nothing, see below).
Windy's new favorite record.
V/A "Sushi 4004" (Bungalow) cd/lp 16.98/17.98
Subtitled, "The Return of Spectacular Japanese Clubpop".
DO MAKE SAY THINK "s/t" (Constellation) cd 13.98
The first album from Do Make Say Think showcases their hypnotic rhythm
section which alternates from jazzy grooves to intricate pop structures. On
top of this solid base, swells of guitar noise and organ drones explode and
dissolve much like a cross between Bardo Pond and a weirder version of
Spiritualized. On the same label that brought you the fantastic Godspeed
You Black Emperor (!!) and also from Canada.
COLOSSAMITE "Economy of Motion" (Skin Graft) cd 13.98
After a couple of EPs, Colossamite has released their first full album
of mutant hardcore/jazz-rock. This collective features Nick Sakes, the
former vocalist for the Dazzling Killmen, and Chad & Ed from the Iceburn
Collective. Odd angular guitar riffs and irregular time signatures played
through a precisely calculated intensity. Very nice!
PLUSH "More You Becomes You" (Drag City) cd/lp 13.98/13.98
Sticky sweet piano and voice ballads that fall somewhere between the
lush pop harmonies of Sloan and the maturing 'post-rock' of all the Chicago
bands (Gastr Del Sol, Tortoise, Pullman, etc...).
MARILYN MANSON "Mechanical Animals" (Nothing) cd 15.98
I really wonder how much the goth subculture will be altered by this
album, as very little of the doom & gloom found on previous Marilyn Manson
releases is present. Nonetheless, his / their new visual aesthetics of
anthropomorphic plasticity (which is not too far from a Photoshop version
of Matthew Barney's weird prosthetic fusions with goats, sheep, fish,
etc...) recall the electro glam posturing of Gary Numan and are matched by
the new wave electro on the album.
AUTECHRE "s/t (LP5)" (Nothing/Warp) cd 15.98
SQUAREPUSHER "Big Loada" (Nothing/Warp) cd 15.98
PLAID "Not For Threes" (Nothing/Warp) cd 15.98
Ever since Autechre's stellar self titled album was released a few
months back on Warp, we have heard rumors of Nothing releasing this
stateside. But attempts to uncover information from Nothing was met with
ignorance and belligerence. OK, Nothing might be really busy promoting the
aforementioned Marilyn Manson record more so than these... after all he and
Trent Reznor provide the hefty sums that purchase the UK rights for
Autechre, Squarepusher, and Plaid... but does that give clueless Nothing
the excuse to deny information to those who are genuinely interested?
Regardless, if you haven't picked up the new Autechre record by now,
please do so. It may be the year's best electronica record! And if you are
a vinyl person, we do still stock the Warp lp as Nothing will not be
issuing this on vinyl.
The Squarepusher collection features all of the tracks from the "Big
Loada" ep, the "Port Rhombus" ep, half of the "Vic Acid" ep (not the tracks
also on "Hard Normal Daddy"), and a kick ass video as a cd-rom bonus. To
repeat: KICK ASS VIDEO -- a miniature movie in fact -- fully worth the price
of the disc itself, although if you don't have "Port Rhombus" etc. this
entire package is pretty essential anyway.
Plaid's "Not For Threes" album is a blissful neo-electro album of
oceanic keyboards and disjointed breaks. Plaid features the talented
members of the now defunct Black Dog. With two domestic-only bonus tracks,
apparently.
To conclude, please note that while we *do* have the Autechre right now,
we're *out* of the Plaid and Squarepusher at the moment, but *will* have
more of those next week, when we'll also be getting the totally weird,
totally great *brand new* Squarepusher album "Music Is Rotted One Note"
which sounds almost exactly like 1970's electric jazz-era Miles Davis!
Unbelievable!
WU-TANG "Reunited - the Remixes" (Loud) cd 10.98
The only relic of the original song that links all of these remixes
together is the repetitive chorus of "Wu Motherfucker... Wu-Tang
Motherfucker". Remixes include the ridiculously catchy Parisian house remix
from WestBam, the noxious dub of Zulutronic (aka Kerosene & Jammin' Unit),
the slow jam 'radio edit' by Hithunter which does not do away with any of
the profanities, and the stellar Autechre-influenced remix by Funkstorung
(who recently did wonders with Bjork's "All Is Full of Love")
FLAMING LIPS "A Collection of Songs Representing..." (Restless) cd 16.98
I guess you could call this a 'best of' collection of tracks from 1984 -
1990 from the Flaming Lips, but most of the tracks are such odd choices as
to qualify for such a title (not that they aren't good). Nonetheless, more
of the weird post-Butthole Surfers psychedelia and lysergic pop one has
grown to expect from the.
UCHIHASHI KAZUHISA & HANS REICHEL "King Pawns" (Zenbei) cd 17.98
Delightfully improvised pieces with no overdubs played on guitar and
Hans Reichel's self-built daxophone. Difficult-but-fun music that recalls
Raymond Scott's wonderfully cartoonish jazz, but with a much more avant
garde slant.
OOIOO (Kill Rock Stars) cd 11.98
While the Boredoms weirdly and wonderfully work out their new
psychedelic rock (rock?) jams-kick, Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms
drummer/vocalist/trumpeter) takes her all-girl ensemble OOIOO down similar
paths as previous Boredoms records with this groove-infused
avant-vaudvillian punk, with a slant towards the poppier electronica-era
rock of Buffalo Daughter and even some hints of Devo. Updates the sound of
her stranger-than-Boredoms solo singles.
MUDHONEY "Tomorrow Hit Today" (Reprise) cd 15.98
Q-BERT "Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik" cd 14.98
Features that legendary tear-up of Rush's "Tom Sawyer" before Z-Trip or
Mix Master Mike ever got a hold of it. Includes bonus cuts with DJ Disk and
Shortkut. This is a Japanese compact disc pressing of the rare samenamed
cassette issued by the Piklz.
DJ SPOOKY "Haunted Beats Vol.1" (Liquid Sky) lp 8.98
Spooky's very own album of breaks for adventurous DJs. Still retains
respect to the old school battle records, but has creepy repetitions we
would expect from DJ Spooky. For battling with goblins, phantoms and the
like.
FAULTLINE "Control" (Fused and Bruised) 10"lp 9.99
Very nice tweaked electronica with lots of processed strings (which are
not cheesy) that end up sounding like Matmos or something from Skam.
IOS SMOLDERS "Dup Zap Standard Version" 2cd (Staalplaat) 23.00
"Dub Zap Pro Version" cd (Staalplaat) 18.98
The "Standard Version" of this multi-package features 20
minutes of electronica sound bites created by Ios Smolders and additional
software (one CD is Mac compatible and has D-sound Pro while the other is
for Windows and has Cool Edit & possibly Hammerhead).
The "Pro Version" is a compilation of sorts on which the artists invited
to appear on the album took these programs and samples to create tracks of
their own. Featured are Bryn Jones (Muslimgauze, Rehberg & Bauer (Mego),
RLW, Dummy Run (Stock, Hausen, and Walkman), LoSD, Twilight Circus, and
more.
BOREDOMS "Super Go!!!!!->Shine In*Shine On" (WEA) cdep 14.98
20 minutes on two tracks from the Boredoms. Neither of these tracks
appear anywhere on the latest album ("Super Are") which will be coming out
stateside in the near future. Surprisingly beautiful psyche-rock grooves
that continue on their noisy Amon Duul kick.
V/A "The Sound of Cologne, Vol. 1" (Sound of Cologne) 2cd 16.98
A diverse collection of hard techno & angular electronica from Cologne,
Germany... featuring Mouse on Mars, Schlammpeitziger, F.X. Ramdomiz, Club
Off Chaos, Dr. Walker, and many more.
ROLAND KIRK "I Talk with the Spirits" (Verve) cd 15.98
Remastered from 1964.
TINDERSTICKS "Donkeys 92-97" (Island) cd 25.00
A collection of rarities, singles (that SubPop single you never see
anymore), and unreleased recordings... one of the tracks seems to be a
Pavement cover. Lovely cover art is a riff on Duke Ellington's "Anatomy of
a Murder" soundtrack.
V/A "Orbitones: Spoon Harps & Bellowphones: Experimental Musical
Instruments"
(Ellipsis Art) cd+book 18.98
A follow-up to "Gravikords Whirligigs and Pyrophones," this book
(written again by Bart Hopkin with an introduction by Robert Moog) and cd
compilation (with Aphex Twin, Tom Waits, John Cage, Stomp, Lou Harrison...)
is another celebration of the creative spirit of instrument invention. A
nice Christmas gift possibility.
KATHLEEN HANNA "Julie Ruin" (Kill Rock Stars) cd 11.98
Former member of now defunct Bikini Kill breaks out with her own solo
album, wherein she makes all the music and vocals. New to her sound is an
emphasis on loops and manufactured beats.
BASECK "Mental Destrukshun" tp 5.98
Mixtape of brutal, pummelling digital hardcore. Phat beats clawing their
way through a dense jungle of distortion.
TOMORROWLAND "Sequence of the Negative Space Changes"
(Kranky) cd/lp 13.98/7.98
Your parents like Windham Hill, you like Kranky.
ARCHERS OF LOAF "White Trash Heroes" (Alias) cd/lp 12.98/8.98
After a period of silence from Archers of Loaf (during which time it
seems they listened exclusively to Radiohead and the Fall), "White Trash
Heroes" is pretty solid pastiche of artful post punk (like Pavement) and
the aforementioned Brits.
DOCK BOGGS "His Folkways Years 1963-1968" (Smithsonian Folkways) 2cd 16.98
"Dock Boggs only recorded 12 songs in the 1920s, but his raw, powerful
singing and distinctive banjo-playing caused Harry Smith to include him in
his 'Anthology of American Folk Music' and Mike Seeger to search for him in
the hills of Kentucky in 1963. A new series of recording sessions captured
the 50 blues, instrumentals, regional and religious songs included on this
two-CD set." Includes extensive notes by Mike Seeger and Barry O'Connell.
DAVID GRUBBS "The Thicket" (Drag City) cd/lp 12.98/7.98
Solo outing from half of Gastr Del Sol, recording Fahey-like ditties and
avant acoustic noodlings with help from Tony Conrad and John McEntire.
CURRENT 93 "Soft Black Stars" (World Serpent) cd/2lp 22.00/26.00
While Steven Stapleton and Christoph Heemann are respectively credited
for performing "whirl" and "swirl" on this Current 93 album, their presence
is hardly felt as David Tibet concentrates on the untreated melancholic
piano and his ghastly allegories of the end of the world.
MOUSE ON MARS "Glam" (JASRAC) cd 26.00
The Japanese import of the once only lp... as with most Japanese
imports, this does come with 3 bonus tracks! To those of you who bought the
vinyl 'cos we told you there would be no cd, we apologize. This came as a
surprise to us too.
GALAXIE 500 "The Portable..." (Ryko) cd 15.98
A selection of twelve of Galaxie 500's finest recordings, gathered from
their four albums and the Galaxie 500 box set... & the CD-rom track is the
video of "Blue Thunder".
BJORK & FUNKSTORUNG "All Is Full of Love" (Fat Cat) cd 9.98
Funkstorung has previously made a name for themselves with a few singles
for their Mask label (which could be seen as an anagram for Skam - who are
certainly the origin for Funkstorung / Mask in terms of aesthetics). If you
liked the last Autechre and Boards of Canada records, you shouldn't let
this pass you by! Funkstorung fractures three different remixes from the
last track from Bjork's "Homogenic" album that range from disjointed
breakbeats to weird drum & bass.
SONIC SUBJUNKIES "Live at the Suicide Club"
(DHR Limited) cd 11.98
Rare to see a live electronica album, but for DHR it certainly works.
Sonic Subjunkies manifest belligerent Amen drum & bass breaks, furious
noise, and an occasional groove (which can be hard to find on the typical
DHR release). The cd also features the first two out-of-print singles from
the band.
PETER JEFFERIES "Substatic" cd (Emperor Jones) 13.98
Easily the very best stuff that Peter Jefferies has done since he
collaborated with his brother Graeme in This Kind of Punishment and
Nocturnal Projections back in the early 80's. Dark, beautiful, tense
instrumentals with guitar, piano, drums, and drones that recall Joy
Division at their bleakest.
J CHURCH "Altamont '99" (Au-Go-Go) cd 11.98
Rarities, B-sides, and other anomalies from SF's punk ensemble whose
lovable Lance Hahn is slightly upset with "the fuckers who released this
domestically."
V/A "Ethiopiques 1" (Buda Musique) cd 14.98
V/A "Ethiopiques 2" (Buda Musique) cd 14.98
V/A "Ethiopiques 3" (Buda Musique) cd 14.98
V/A "Ethiopiques 4" (Buda Musique) cd 14.98
Following the beautiful funk / rocksteady / Ethiopian folk fusions on
the first compilation, AQ has stocked the full catalogue of the
"Ethiopiques" series. Here's a shortened version of what Windy wrote in her
Bay Guardian review of the albums. I recommend you pick up #3 and the
stunning instrumental volume #4, then #1. Volume #2 is from the 1990s, not
the 1970s as are the other three, and is good but very different.
"From 1969 to 1975, spanning an astonishingly short six years, a
fascinating set of factors contributed to the golden age of modern
Ethiopian music. Unless you're already a Mahmoud Ahmed fan or own the sadly
out-of-print 'Ethiopian Groove' compilation, then this is some of the most
amazingly beautiful music you've never ever heard. Ethiopia, unlike the
rest of Africa, was never deeply colonized. Thus the institutional bands,
like the Imperial Body Guard Orchestra and the Police Band, used
conventional western instruments without regard for western song forms; the
music sounds at once familiar and strange, a tantalizing combination.
Alternately wistful and eerie arpeggios in pentatonic scales are warbled by
the vocalists and horns. Rhythm guitar and jazz-like drums wreak havoc on a
westerner's sense of time (once you think you're tapping toes along with
the beat, you realize you've lost it.) And American sixties soul-type
guitar follows its own melody above it all."
V/A "The Eagle Has Landed" (Tranquility Base) 2LP 10.98
From indie/new-wave to math rock with Don Caballero, Hourly Radio, Ke
Chandara, Glorium, Cordial, Stratego, Cerberus Shoal, and more! Comes with
a free map!
LYLE LOVETT "Step Inside This House" (MCA) 2cd 23.00
DAVID SHIRE "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three OST"
(Retrograde) cd 15.98
The nice guys over at Film Score Monthly (www.filmscoremonthly.com), a
glossy magazine devoted to soundtracks, have issued this
never-before-available soundtrack to fantastic 1974 suspense film featuring
Walter Matthau as salty New York Transit Authority cop. The 12-tone
jazz/funk masterpiece of a score was composed by David Shire, who is
responsible for the all-piano score to "The Conversation" (which really
ought to be issued as well), among many others. So now Windy doesn't have
to start a label to reissue this soundtrack, but maybe she will anyway --
"Barbarella" and "Yojimbo" still beckon...
EXPERIMENTAL AUDIO RESEARCH
"Speak and Spell" (Space Age) cd 17.98
"Death of a Robot/Automatic Music" (Ochre) 9"lp 16.98
And thus spake Sonic Boom on 'Speak & Spell', "The sound collages on
this disc were created using 8 human voice synthesizing toys originally
marketed by Texas Instruments as the 'Speak & Spell' range during the
1970's. These instruments have been customized with added switches,
buttons, knobs, & wiring to give phoneme looping, random phase generation,
various modulation, pitch shifting, & other non-standard effects."
"Death of a Robot..." is a surprisingly good E.A.R. record not nearly
as tinny as some of his other records. Here Sonic Boom and E.A.R. make two
long tracks in the drone tradition of early electronic composers like
Ussachevsky or Xenakis.
MATTHEW THOMAS "Remodulation" (Dorobo) cd 18.98
While no information is present in the liner notes as to the origin of
the strange clicks and whirls on this CD, I'm gonna go out on a limb and
say that Matthew Thomas is reprocessing shortwave radio static and noises
into tentative structures that every once in a while give hint at melodies.
A very poetic album that falls between Stockhausen's "Hymnen" and the
shortwave radio experiments of John Duncan.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE / BEAVER "Split"
(Man's Ruin) cd/10" 8.98/8.98
Intercontinental stoner rock summit between Queen of the Stone Age (the
reincarnation of Kyuss, although they freshen up the Kyuss sound with
seeming nods to Foo Fighters and Black Flag) and Beaver, sludge rock from
Holland, where you'd think there'd be lots of competition in the stoner
rock field, and yep, they're good.
ALEC EMPIRE "The Destroyer" (DHR) cd/lp 12.98/11.98
The domestic issue of the bruitist drum & bass / Rotterdam fusion that
opened the floodgates for future Digital Hardcore albums by Atari Teenage
Riot, Shizuo, and the rest of the gang. Two new tracks added to this US
version.
HOVERCRAFT "Experiment Below" (Mute) cd 14.98
Easily the best album from this Seattle psyche-rock outfit, as their new
drummer adds a far more propulsive element to the incendiary psychedelic
guitar freakouts.
SPOOKY VS. SPECTRE "s/t" (Black Hoodz) 10" 8.98
A split 10" with two tracks from each. Spooky does hyper kinetic blunted
drum & bass followed by a weird little downtown jazz / electronica /
illbient number, while Spectre keeps up the doom and gloom with his morose
style of hip hop.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS "Assistant to the Assistant"
(Parallelism) cd 12.98
Mr. Gerard Cosloy and Ms. Claire Pannell return with their third album
of indie-skronk. If you and your best friend were really good at
improvising on a processed guitar, an analogue synth and a drum kit after
listening to DNA, Handful of Dust, and Fushitsusha, then yes, you too could
be as good as Air Traffic Controllers... then again you too might be CEO of
Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
DESIGNER "Gebarck Star" (Duophonic) 12" 8.98
Casey Rice (one of the superstar Chicago producers whose talents have
been featured in Tortoise, Liz Phair, etc.) is the latest to release a
fetish object for Duophonic. Well produced, but terminally dull 'quirky'
drum & bass / electronica grooves. Due to the Duophonic tag this will at
least make for a good investment for future collectors.
AZUSA PLANE "Cheltenham" 10" (Ochre) 9.98
The two Jasons of Azusa Plane make more of their rainy day droning
psychedelia for twin guitars. Limited edition.
PJ HARVEY "Is This Desire" (Island) cd
New album even more mellow than "To Bring You My Love".
THE MINDERS "Hooray for Tuesday" (Spin Art/Elephant6) cd 12.98
"Black Balloon" (Little Army/Elephant6) 7" 3.98
Sweet, strong pop very reminiscent of the Kinks and the Beatles on the
wondrous Elephant 6 label, home of Olivia Tremor Control, Apples in Stereo,
Neutral Milk Hotel.
V/A "Rancho Relaxo Allstars Vol. 1" (Disko B) cd 17.98
Actually this record is a few years old, but on first glance you could
see why it got little attention. A rather shitty photoshop montage of the
heads of four of the "Allstars" onto a cornball western snapshot as cover
art illustrates the problematic artwork. For such reasons, this record has
been spotted in the country / western bargain bins at large uninformed
record stores.
Anyway, what you get on the disc is spacious hyperminimal electronics
that is the result of collaborations between Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic,
Philius, etc.), Abe Duque (Kirlian), Suzanne Brokesche (the much
unappreciated yet brilliant Sil Electronics), and many other minimal
tweakers. Very similar in scope to the last Plastikman record.
KOOL DJ RIZE "Who's the MC" (Malvado) lp 7.98
An 8-track mini-LP of sorts from this local DJ whose smooth production
carries over into the nice hip hop breaks and scratching. Certainly a great
scratching record to drop in one's set.
RENDERERS "A Dream of the Sea" (Siltbreeze) cd 12.98
The latest from New Zealand's Renderers is a dissonant post-punk hybrid
of a NZ depressive avant-folk aesthetic (i.e. Graeme Jefferies or Alastair
Galbraith) with the US post-punk fury of Sonic Youth or Mission of Burma.
Their best full length yet, very lovely. Touring the East Coast in November
but, sadly, not coming to SF.
BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL "s/t" (Drunken Fish) cd 12.98
An enigmatic debut from this New Zealand (I think... they are pretty
enigmatic after all...) ensemble which drones on through guitar,
appliances, cymbals, and some dizzying device which generates a warbling
tonality which hits some pretty nauseating (in a good way, like
rollercoasters are entertainment through nausea) frequencies.
rH BAND "First Tone" (Drunken Fish) cd 12.98
The second full album of improvised dronology very similar to AMM or the
more acoustic oriented Zoviet France played with circuits, wires, analogue
feedback, things bowed, 'McNaughton' (what/whoever that is...), delay
units, smoke, and 'that fucking flute'.
BARBARA MANNING "In New Zealand" (Communion) cd/lp 12.98/8.98
While touring with cohorts John Convertino and Joey Burns (both of
Calexico), Barbara Manning spent some time recording with New Zealand
luminaries, David Kilgour of the Clean, David Mitchell and Denise Roughan
of the 3D's, Chris Knox, Graeme Roughan of the Verlaines, and the
Renderers. The resulting album is a brooding yet gentle collection of tales
of fatalistic love.
DJ SPOOKY "Riddim Warfare"
(Asphodel/Outpost/Geffen) 2lp/cd 12.98/15.98
Surprisingly excellent album from Spooky, full of kickass hip hop (with
Sir Menelik and Kool Keith), non-boring drum'n'bass, and
obvious-yet-not-irritating influences from bhangra to dub to ketjak to
electric-1970s-era Miles Davis. Even the "filler" bits are interesting.
Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth guests on one track. The cd has a few more
tracks than the vinyl version.
LOW/PIANO MAGIC/TRANSIENT WAVES 7" (Rocket Girl) 4.98
Lovely 7" featuring the three bands collaborating on one side, and a
solo Transient Waves track on the flip. On the great new label Rocket Girl
(run by Vinita from Che) -- it's a UK import so buy now or cry later.
YUME BITSU "giant surface music falling to earth like jewels from the sky"
(BaDaBing!) cd 12.98
Minimal, spaced-out bliss/drone/mope rock heavy on the ambient side, for
fans of Jessamine and the like. On Ben Goldberg's dependable BaDaBing
imprint.
SCALA "Compass Heart" (Touch) cd 15.98
Their previous album "Beauty Nowhere" was a furious incarnation of
belligerent electronica / noise almost sounding like "Leichenschrie" era
SPK with a female vocalist. Here Scala (whose members feature the talented
remnants of the once great Seefeel - Sarah Peacock and Daren Fletcher - as
well as Locust's Mark Van Hoen) have created a darker, more sublime album
of leftfield electronica with a surprisingly silky atmosphere lingering
around the processed guitars and subdued breakbeats... not too far from the
last Tricky album.
MODULATIONS: Cinema for the Ear - OST (Caipirihna) cd 14.98
Aside from the many problems which arose from the movie that accompanies
this 'soundtrack', it should be noted that Metamkine - the brilliant
musique concrete label from Paris - began a series called "Cinema for the
Ear" about eight years ago. Unfortunately for Jerome (the man behind
Metamkine), this movie did not even come close to acknowledging Metamkine
and only gave namechecking references to Stockhausen and Cage.
As a compilation that documents the history of populist electronic music
from the past 20 years, it hits on some important players but acts more as
a canonizing agent than as a collection of 'fresh' sounds. The drum & bass
representatives of Panacea, Aphrodite, and Goldie sound unimpressively
dated, the one unifying problem for all of electronica with a few
exceptions. Fortunately, two of those exceptions are present - Giorgio
Moroder's production on the diva-disco classic Donna Summer's "I Feel Love"
and "No UFOs" by Model 500, the track which spawned the Detroit sound of
techno.
At best this is a mixed bag of tracks, and we certainly recommend that
you check out the full albums by some of the artists present (i.e. Giorgio
Moroder, Afrika Bambaataa, Model 500 / Juan Atkins, LFO, Derrick May,
Panacea, Ryoji Ikeda, Coldcut, and To Rococo Rot...) and the singles from
Metalheadz (cos Goldie's full length albums have been utter crap) and
Aphrodite (ditto).
COBRA KILLER "s/t" (Digital Hardcore) cd/lp 22.00/18.98
Either you'll love it or hate it, but that may be the case with most
stuff from Digital Hardcore. Cobra Killer is the collaborative effort from
Gina of EC8OR and Annika of Shizuo (whom you may remember as the woman
from Shizuo's recent tour grinding relentlessly to Shizuo's music on stage
and exposing herself to the audience). Taking 60's Blue Note soul records
and purposefully arrhythmic beats, Cobra Killer does not groove in the
least. Instead they take Throbbing Gristle's gleeful antagonism to rock &
roll, electronica, whatever... and scream like Lydia Lunch (age 16) over
top. A very stupid record.
OIL 10 "In/Out" (Noise Museum) cd 16.98
While Noise Museum has predominantly been a bleak isolationist/noise
label, Oil 10 may seem to be an anomaly to their catalogue with the black
lung rhythms chugging along like Pan Sonic's 'complex rhythm generator'...
for fans of Autechre or Matmos.
LEGENDARY PINK DOTS "Nemesis Online" (Soleilmoon) cd 15.98
The initial listen to each unheard Legendary Pink Dots album is a
frustrating experience as one waits for that one utterly crappy piece of
carnivalesque junk to ruin an otherwise decent album of gothic psychedelia.
Fortunately for "Nemesis Online," that one song is missing... Making this
quite an enjoyable LPD record of unnerving lullabies and noirish beats not
too dissimilar to Portishead.
V/A "Algebra Spaghetti" (Siesta) cd 15.98
A children's fantasy pop album produced by Richard Preston and Louis
Phillipe, whose sophisticated production surrounds playful songs about
bears, tigers, candy floss, orange marmalade, and sunshine... that at times
sounds like the Raincoats, or possibly the Brady Bunch.
TECHNO ANIMAL "Radio Hades" (Position Chrome) cd
A collection of a ton of compilation tracks (mostly from their
contributions to the "Electric Ladyland" series on Force Inc) and singles
for Chrome. More of the devastating dub and heavy-handed hip-hop you've
grown to expect from Kevin Martin and Justin Broadrick.
ICE "Bad Blood" (In Bloom/Reprise) cd 14.98
A dark, illbient hip-hop with beats laden with sludge from the minds of
Kevin Martin (God & Techno Animal & Bug), Justin Broadrick (Godflesh &
Techno Animal), Dave Cochrane (God) and Lou Ciccotelli (God). A sort-of
supergroup of angry white guys. Blixa of Neubauten adds desperate-for-air
raspy vocals, DJ Vadim (also from Bug) does something on wax too ill to be
called scratching, and Sensational's rap is from the other end of the sewer.
For fans of Spectre and the other WordSound artists. This is a serious
departure from previous Ice records. How something this "ill" ended up on
Reprise, and why something this WordSound isn't on WordSound, is a mystery
to us.
THIRD EYE FOUNDATION "You Guys Kill Me" (Merge) cd/lp 13.98/8.98
Matt Elliot latest full length dissolves almost all of the recognizable
associations once held with former collaborators Flying Saucer Attack.
"You Guys Kill Me" actually holds more in common with another super star of
Bristol... Tricky. Creepy over-processed guitar noises that end up wailing
like screaming animals (see track 43 on the 'Sounds of North American
Frogs' collection on Folkways) with disjointed breakbeats. A little
lighter, a little less angry and a little more playful than previous Third
Eye records, but still maintains the intensity of lulling drones
accompanied by edge-of-yr-seat rolling beats. Somewhere in the midst of
Bowery Electric, Portishead and Bauhaus.
CORNELIUS "Star Fruits Surf Rider (Blue)" (Matador) cdep/12" 7.98/7.98
CORNELIUS "Star Fruits Surf Rider (Green)" (Matador) cdep/12" 7.98/7.98
Matador UK is acting like the English majors by releasing two singles of
the same song when the six tracks on these two releases could easily fit on
one piece of vinyl or one cd. Cheesy label tactics. But these tunes are so
darn charming, capitalist manipulations soon fly away like air blown
popcorn. On blue: a Damon Albarn remix and "Surf Rider Blue" (tres
jungley!) and on green: "Ball In -Kick Off" (tres funky!) and "Star Fruits
Green" (acoustic guitar with string orchestration).
----*
----* Turntablist New Arrivals :
----*
Q-BERT & YOGA FROG "Reverse Oyster Beard"
(Invisibl Skratch Piklz) video 18.98
The antics cannot be stopped. Features A-Trak, Q-Bert, Roc Raida, Cash
Money, and many more, plus the super great (I was there) Cut Chemist with
Shortkut and Mr Dibbs with DJ Quest sets.
V/A "Deeper Concentration" (Om Records) 2cd/3lp 16.98/16.98
A new compilation to follow the crowd pleasing "Deep Concentration"
collection of turntablism and electronica with tracks from Mix Master Mike,
Rob Swift, DJ Spooky, Apollo & Fluid Motion, Beat Junkies, and many more!
This is far more "hip hop" than the first volume. Also comes with MixMan
program which you can stick in your computer and remix the sounds on the cd
itself. (Cd version will be back in stock on Monday, but we've got the
vinyl now.)
THE WORLD FAMOUS BEAT JUNKIES "Volume 2"
(Blackberry Records) 2cd/3lp 15.98/15.98
Featuring DJ Rhettmatic, mixing Jurassic 5, Mos Def, T-Love, Alkaholiks,
Xzibit, Rasco, more.
DJ QUEST "Attack of the Killer Cuts" tape 8.98
"Yo quiero DJ Quest!" Space Travelers DJ breaks out with a very cool new
tape. Wild scratching and imaginative samples make this perfect for the car
(it's been in Windy's car deck since we got it last week and shows no sign
of being usurped except when I get in a Kid Koala mood). Recommended.
----*
----* Reading Material :
----*
"HARRY PARTCH: A Biography" book by Bob Gilmore 30.00
From this recently published book's jacket: "Visionary composer,
theorist, and creator of musical instruments, Harry Partch was a leading
figure in the development of an indigenously American contemporary music.
He is acknowledged as a major inspiration to postwar experimental composers
as diverse as Gyorgy Ligeti, Lou Harrison, Philip Glass, and Laurie
Anderson. This book is the first to tell the complete story of Partch's
life and work. Drawing on interviews with many of Partch's associates and
on the complete archives of the Harry Partch Estate, Bob Gilmore provides a
full and sympathetic portrait of this extraordinary creative artist. He
describes Partch's complicated relationships with friends, patrons, the
musical establishment, and the world at large. He traces Partch's
upbringing in the remote desert town of the Southwest, his explosive
encounter with formal music education in Los Angeles, and his revolutionary
course as a composer that began with an interest in the musicality of
speech patterns. After immersing himself in hobo subculture during the
Depression, Partch came to occupy a lonely and uncompromising position as a
cultural outsider."
UNCOOL BEANS #9 magazine+cd 5.95
Matt Kelly's Cool Beans zine mutates into Uncool Beans this time around,
with cover art depicting Beanie Baby As Roadkill (very nice). Interview
with Mudhoney, PEE tour diary written by AQ's very own Andee Connors (who
also writes a hilarious review of the Dynamo metalfest in Holland), The
Worst Of San Francisco, more cabbie insider trivia, and a CD featuring 28
tracks from the likes of PEE, Mudhoney, Eric Gaffney (ex-Sebadoh), MK
Ultra, 50 Million, etc.
COMETBUS #43 zine 2.00
AMAZEZINE magazine+7" 5.98
Stereolab, Bowery Electric, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and a 7"
featuring Godspeed You Black Emperor and Fly Pan Am.
__________________________________________________________________
UPCOMING RECOMMENDED SHOWS (** means we have tickets for sale)
LOW / TARENTEL
Cafe Du Nord
Thursday October 29
TIM FOLJAHN of Mosquito, 2 Dollar Guitar, and La Lengua Assisina
instore at Aquarius
Sunday November 1 at 4pm
(Tim has also recorded with Cat Power and Thurston Moore)
TALVIN SINGH
Justice League **$10.50 CASH ONLY
Monday November 2
THE ROOTS
Justice League **$20.50 CASH ONLY
Friday November 6 and Saturday November 7
[Due to cancellation of tour the Joel Phelps instore is not happening.]
__________________________________________________________________
UPCOMING RELEASES
october 27th
eric b. & rakim "paid in full: the platinum edition"
marianne faithfull "a perfect stranger: the island anthology"
mia x "mama drama"
r.e.m. "up"
john cale "nico"
afghan whigs "1965"
various "electric ladyland vol. 6"
prince charming "fantastic voyage" (new wordsound title)
refused "the shape of punk to come" domestic release
november 3rd
asian dub foundation "rafi's revenge" domestic issue with extra tracks
karate "the bed is in the ocean"
talvin singh "ok" domestic cd
beck "mutations"
the cardigans "gran turismo"
portishead "roseland NYC" live album
cradle of filth "cruelty & the beast special double disc edition"
plastikman "artifakts (BC)"
his name is alive "fort lake" domestic issue!
dr. israel "inna city pressure"
hefner "breaking god's heart"
volume all star "s/t"
robert wyatt "dondestan" reissue
n.w.a. "n.w.a. 10th anniversary"
alanis morissette "supposed former infatuation junkie"
john lennon "anthology" 4cd box
skid row "40 season: the best of skid row"
purple penguin "question"
coldcut "stoned...chilled...groove"
borknagar "the archaic course"
macha "macha" (on jetset)
meshuggah "chaosphere"
november 10
virginia dare "baby got away" on absolutely kosher
qbert "wave twisters" full length disc on the skratch piklz new label,
galactic butt hair.
refused cdep on honey bear
spiritualized "live"
november 17th
ice cube "war & peace--the war disc"
the offspring "americana"
god is my copilot "get busy"
flying luttenbachers "gods of chaos" reissue
you fantastic "homesickness"
quintron "these hands of mine" LP
curse of the golden vampire "s/t" domestic issue
beastie boys "the in sound from way out" lp (re?)issue
red crayola "live 1967" double cd (with guest john fahey on one track)
moebius/plank/thompson "ludwig's law" lp/cd (unreleased 80's artifact)
a. licht & l. mazzacane-connors "hoffman estates" lp/cd (large ensemble
improv album with ken vandermark, kevin drumm, darin gray...)
bootsy collins "fresh outta 'p' university" domestic release
james brown "back again"
method man "tical 2, judgement day"
the orb "u.f. off/the best of"
november 24th
rza "rza as bobby digital in stereo"
december 8th
beastie boys "paul's boutique" double lp reissue
__________________________________________________________________
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* Aquarius Records -------- *
* 1055 Valencia Street *
* San Francisco, California *
* 94110 USA *
* tel 415.647.2272 *
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* --------- store@aquariusrecords.org *
* http://aquariusrecords.org *
"Many white hip-hoppers, myself included, still wrestle with an
age-old disease,which I call, only somewhat ironically, 'double
unconsciousness.' It's the white flipside to WEB DuBois's turn
of the century diagnosis, 'double consciousness,' which suggests
blacks in America are 'always looking at oneself through the eyes
of others'... Conversely, double unconsciousness means failing to
look at oneself through the eyes of others, and living under the
delusion of 'oneness,' the myth that if you, as an individual,
don't behave in an actively racist fashion, then you're not
shaped by racism. THe doubly unconscious refuse to acknowledge
how certain institutions (education, housing) constantly watch
their backs. They want extra credit for entertaining different
points of view. They love black music, talk to a few black
friends, and believe they are developing an understanding of
black people (when in fact, they are only developing an image of
themselves)."
--smart white guy Charles Aaron in this month's SPIN magazine.
Love,
Windy Allan Andee Jim Marc Byram Elisabeth