Disclaimer:
Some items in our catalogs may be out of print or currently unavailable.
All prices subject to change (we only change our prices when our costs change).
Place your order, and email confirmations will inform you of updated prices and availability.
home
catalog / list archive
This page is an archived list. If you want to order an item appearing here, you must go to our front page and perform a search for it. If it is still available, then click the item's "add to cart" button.
() = = ()
() === Aquarius Records === ()
() ===== New Arrivals #77 ===== ()
() === July 15 1999 === ()
() = = ()
Beloved Customers and Friends:
NEWS:
Please welcome our newest co-worker, Cup, to the staff of Aquarius,
and bid a fond farewell to Marc, who's gone on to the exciting world of mp3
technology at listen.com.
Our new URL has recently been registered by our web benefactors at
Bianca's. It's http://www.aquariusrecords.org (the old one still works
too). Warning: typing in aquariusrecords.com (i.e. without the SF) will
take you to a lame Canadian record label!
Our own Jim is looking for a studio - for making art, not for living.
It can be a garage, a shared space, a corner of a warehouse space, pretty
much anything, but it must have access to water and electricity...adequate
ventilation and light. A nice white wall would be nice...and somewhere
close to the Mission...Lastly, please note that Andee needs to find someone
to give him $25,000 to help subsidize his label. :)
JIM AND ANDEE PERFORM:
TONIGHT, Thursday July 15, 1999 is the debut performance for We Can
See Edith By Radio, erroneously refered to as the "Aquarius Sound System",
at the Greatwater - 373 Broadway at Montgomery. Or for all North Beach
regulars, this bar is next to Centerfolds, so don't get confused. We Can
See Edith By Radio is the turntablist experiment performed by Aquarius
staffers Andee (Tic War, ex-P.E.E., ex-A Minor Forest) and Jim (a few
entirely un-noteworthy bands)... expect a dadaist assault of blips,
clinical pulses, drum 'n' bass played at 33 rpm instead of 45,
Skullflowerish free-noise, and George Winston.
In this issue:
Records of the Month
New Arrivals
Printed Matter
Terrastock III Announcement
Upcoming Releases
----*
----* Records of the Month :
----*
ORIGINAL HARMONY RIDGE CREEK DIPPERS "Zola and the Tulip Tree" cd 12.98
Even though I know it's sacrilege to suggest that there are records
somehwere in the vicinity of being as good as Gram Parsons two solo
records, I'm a'gonna go out on a limb and say that if you are a fan of Gram
and Emmylou, you really oughta hear the Original Harmony Ridge Creek
Dippers.
Since 1997, Victoria Williams, Mark Olson (of the wonderful alt.country
group Jayhawks), and Razz Russell have been living in Joshua Tree (scaring
up Gram's ghost, no doubt) and selfreleasing their own music on their own
label. Recording as the Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers, they've crafted a
delicate, sunbaked country rock sound complete with perfectly-written songs
(that tell stories, hey!), shuffling twang, and AMAZING harmonies (imagine
the break-yr-heart chord changes Jayhawks were famous for, alongside
Victoria's completely unique voice). The sound is augmented with "juice"
harp, mandolin, and pedal steel, and guests include John Covertino of
Calexico and some guy from the Black Crowes. The Creek Dippers actually
sound a lot like you'd expect them to, which is a VERY good thing.
We HIGHLY recommend ALL of the Creekdippers releases, especially for
fans of Victoria Williams who've been wondering what she's been up to, and
for fans of the Jayhawks (cos these are the first appearances of Mark Olson
since leaving Jayhawks). The selftitled one came out first (1997), Pacific
Coast Rambler is the second (1998), and Zola and the Tulip Tree is the new
one. Each is 12.98 and we have all of them in stock.
FLAMING LIPS "The Soft Bulletin" (Warner Brothers) cd 15.98
Following a wholly unique progression, from drug-addled psych rock jam
band to off kilter pop geniuses, the Flaming Lips keep on stretching the
boundaries of 'pop' music, never losing sight of the song. They seem to
have a unique understanding of the absurdity of the music they produce.
We're not talking about the garden variety, pedestrian pastiche efforts of
so many of today's indie pop bands (i.e. avant garde = birdsounds or 'out
there' segues). The Lips' weirdness isn't manufactured or forced, it seems
rather to be the result of some sort of dropped-on-their-head childhood
mishap or an unprecedented series of synaptic misfires. It comes as less of
a surprise then that this band was dragged kicking and screaming into
mainstream success by a catchy little pop song about masturbation.
The Flaming Lips seem to be taking great advantage of their lofty
position on a major label, doing their best to piss off the business minded
folk of Warner, while at the same time managing to make truely amazing and
creative records, like their last release 'Zaireeka', a 4 cd set composed
to be listened to simultaneously on four seperate cd players. While
certainly not as labor-intensive for the listener as "Zaireeka", "The Soft
Bulletin" is another set of perfectly imperfect popsongs, albeit now
accessible to the traditional one cd player household.
It's hard to describe The Flaming Lips without providing a visual
reference, take their live show at Slims a few years back. It began with a
pathetic solitary spotlight illuminating the band huddled around their
instruments and plucking fragile solitary notes. With the initial crack of
the drums, a dizzying kaleidoscope of tens of thousands of Christmas lights
burst to life and engulfed Slims, offereing a hallucinatory visual equal to
the Lips' psychedelic pop dadaism.
The Lips' disparate and patently un-pop elements; huge and fuzzy John
Bonham-esque percussive bombast, ultra low frequency Moog oscillations,
Wayne Coyne's still-getting-out-of-puberty voice crack, bizarre song
struture, and an insane mastery of recording studio-as-instrument, come
together more seamlessly than ever on "The Soft Bulletin", making it our
record of the week, and for some of us, record of the year.
I'm kind of shocked that it's taken people so long to catch on, as the
last 3 Flaming Lips albums are as essential as the new one, and currently
in stock: "Clouds Taste Metallic" (1995), "Transmissions From the Satellite
Heart" (1993), "Hit to Death in the Future Head" (1992).
(Please note that due to the overwhelming popularity of this excellent
record, we've been having some trouble keeping it in stock, and our
suppliers have been having the same problem...but of course when/if we run
out we'll do our best to get more asap.)
----*
----* Selected New Arrivals in Alphabetical Order :
----*
ABIGOR "Channeling The Quintessence Of Satan" (Napalm) cd 15.98
With an album title like that, you can't go wrong, can you? These
Austrian black metal gods return with their upteenth effort of expertly
wrought epic evil. In league with the likes of Emperor, as well as Satan
and His Quintessence.
AFRO CUBAN ALL STARS "A Toda Cuba le Gusta" (Nonesuch) cd 17.98
A Buena Vista Social Club spinoff project. A group of Cuba's finest
musicians, young and old (including a 6 piece horn section) got together to
play and record for fun. Features some BVSC favorites, including Ibrahim
Ferrer.
AISLERS SET/#POUNDSIGN# (Slumberland) split 7" 3.99
A single specially made for April 1999's Japanese tour, we've got a few
copies for sale. If you're a fan, then don't wait; we won't have this much
longer.
AMERICAN ANALOG SET "The Golden Band" (Emperor Jones) cd 12.98
Dark and slow post rock; warm, laid back and a little bit fuzzy. Fans of
The Sea and Cake: this is right up your alley. Breezy.
APPENDIX OUT "Daylight Saving" (Drag City) cd 13.98
Dark and forlorn hillbilly country dirges from this Scottish group.
Very reminiscent of Palace or Songs:ohia (to the point where, when we play
this cd, people always ask if it is Palace), so fans of Will Oldham will
LOVE this. Sparse and achingly beautiful.
APPLES IN STEREO "Her Wallpaper Reverie" (SpinArt) cd 11.98
The return of the most polished and shiny of the Elephant 6 pop groups.
The songs are slower, more layered, and more substantial than on previous
Apples records, which is a good thing: for example, if you like "Strawberry
Fields Forever" you will LOVE this album. In fact, any fan of the Beatles
should welcome this record with open arms -- yes it is that good. Robert
Schneider's voice is even more perfectly juicy than ever before. Highly
recommended.
AUTECHRE "ep7.1" (Warp) 12" 10.98
"ep7.2" (Warp) 12" 10.98
"ep7" (Nothing) cd 13.98
This new release from Autechre is available domestically on one cd, or
split into two import-only vinyl 12"s. It's also somewhat misleadingly
termed an "ep", seeing as the cd is actually pretty long. Since 1992,
Autechre has been digitally redesiging the electro mainframe into terse
fragmented breakbeats bearing little resemblance to the sounds of Afrika
Bambaata. Hard disc skippings, flanging distortion, and other digital
'mistakes', which had been stumbled upon by all sorts of artists (Oval,
Ryoji Ikeda, V/VM, etc...), have become the sources for Autechre's sound.
Autechre's stuttering staccatic rhythms appear as the attempts to fuse the
flesh and bone of Autechre's human bodies with their machines: blood flows
as streaming digital pulses, neural synapses fire erratic distorted beats,
and melody has been gradually dissolved perhaps as metaphor of the
transformation of the 'human spirit' into its mechanical other.
I will admit to being excessive in my analysis of all things
Autechre...but this outfit is something really special and this ep is no
exception.
BELLE & SEBASTIAN "Tigermilk" (Matador) cd/lp 13.98/15.98
Long awaited reissue of B&S' now totally unavailable (unless you like
paying hundreds of dollars on eBay) debut album, originally issued in an
edition of 1000 copies. Extremely toothsome (almost too sweet for some
folks) pop songs full of hooks and melodies and lisping vocals. Often
compared to Donovan.
BETA BAND "s/t" (Astralwerks) cd 15.98
This excellent Scottish (and somewhat Beck-ish) pop band return with
their first full-length album, the follow-up to their
unanimously-an-AQ-fave ep collection "The Three EPs"...while this hasn't
grown on us as much as that summertime-lovely disc did, several of us did
recently witness them live, putting on a great show here in San Francisco,
where the new songs came across quite well, so perhaps it will yet take
hold. This new album is just a bit too gimmicky to be as good as their "The
Three EPs", as if they don't trust themselves to simply write good songs.
Of course, the Beta Band themselves have been quoted in the NME as saying
they hate this new album...I suppose it's quite cute to be that humble (and
good publicity?) but don't let them discourage you, make up your own mind.
BRAND, MAX "In Memoriam" (Rhiz) cd2 23.00
Born in 1896 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Max Brand lived throughout
Europe before emmigrating to the US in 1946. A contemporary of Schoenberg,
Berg, Weil and Kranek, Brand was one of the early pioneers of electronic
music, but most of his works were destroyed or lost and he slipped into
obscurity. (Or, he never existed and this disc is a clever hoax, just the
kind of thing we like!) Disc One of this set is a primer of Max Brand's
multi-faceted electronic works, including some bizarre commercials. Disc
Two is a tribute to him by members of the new electronic scene in Vienna
including: Pita, Pure, Fon, Curd Duca and others.
BURN THE PRIEST "s/t" (Legion) cd 8.98
Fast and furious, stop and start, ultra brutal metal/grind from
Virginia. Produced by Steve Austin (from Today is the Day). Beautiful cover
art. Punk price too, for a full-length cd.
CATHARS "Amorpheus" (Miau Miau International) cd 12.98
The project of Kurt Ralske from old timey 4AD faves Ultravivid Scene.
Pretty, clicky swoonscapes for fans of Main.
CAVE-IN "Creative Eclipses" (Hydrahead) cdep 7.98
A weird departure for the up-until-now brutally heavy Cave-In. 5 songs,
very melodic, like a heavier Pink Floyd. 2 weird electronic ambient pieces,
one acoustic song (sounding a lot like Simon and Garfunkel, really), one
really catchy song, and a Failure cover!? This is a pretty good record, but
don't look here for your usual Hydrahead fix.
CHEAP TRICK "Music For Hangovers" (Cheap Trick Unlimited) cd 15.98
"The ultimate live album from the ultimate live band" it says, and
that's not far from the truth. Taken from their recent "first three albums"
concert tour, at shows in Chicago--thus guest spots from the likes of Billy
Corgan. Long may they wave.
"Children's Record" (Lucky Kitchen) cd 11.98
More audio fuckery from Lucky Kitchen (the label that brought us that
great "Blip Bleep" imaginary videogames comp, and "The Family Record"
wherein Drew of Matmos came out to his parents!). This is a selection of
children's songs and childlike behavior chopped up and messed up. Weird and
wonderful, and as with all Lucky Kitchen releases, super limited.
COUP "Kill My Landlord" (Wild Pitch Records) cd/2lp 14.98/xxxx
This hot Bay Area political/alt-rap group recently came out with the
popular "Steal This Album"--here's one of their earlier, classic efforts
now back in circulation after a few years of frustrating out of print-ness.
CREEPS ON CANDY "Wonders of Giardia" (Alternative Tentcles) cd/lp
10.98/7.98
Super ass kicking angular new wave. Heavy like you would expect from
ex-members of Dead and Gone, but with generous helpings of The Fall, Pere
Ubu, Television, Voidoids. Fans of the following should check out Creeps on
Candy: VSS, Calculators, Slaves, Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, and East Bay
crust-core as well as Chicago no-wave.
CRESCENT "Collected Songs" (Roomtone) cd 13.98
Due to Bristol's rather incestuous pool of avant rock bands, Crescent's
name often appears in conjunction with Flying Saucer Attack, Movietone,
Third Eye Foundation, and Amp. As it should, since members of Crescent have
performed with all three of those groups. It is a tad disheartening to see
customers buy Crescent records with the hope of hearing a cosmic drone of
blissful feedback, only to find an antithetical abject muck, and then
selling them back.
And you know what, there's absolutely nothing wrong with an abject muck,
actually we really like abject muck. If you listen closely to the tracks
that Matt Jones (Crescent's mastermind) has appeared on in Amp and
Movietone, you'll realise that everything he touches ends up with a gritty
lo-fi quality. And for Crescent's third album, he has taken up residence in
a Bristol church to capture a rather humid, almost rusting sound on top of
his very loose songs. A gothic (NOT in the Trench Coat Mafia definition)
sensibility of decaying atmospheres, permeates the slow moving waves of
sonorous basslines, loose hammond organ semi-improvisations, and skittering
rhythms, somewhere between jazz and krautrock.
CUSTER, BETH "In the Broken Fields Where I Lie" cd 11.98
Collected solo work from reeds playin', multi instrumentalist Beth
Custer, founding member of Club Foot Orchestra and Eighty Mile Beach, and
all around San Francisco institution.
DAVKA "Judith" (Tzadik) cd 15.98
From the obi: "Based in San Francisco, Davka is an acoustic group at the
forefront of the new Jewish Rennaissance. These three masterful musicians
have been performing modern Jewish music together since 1992 and 'Judith,'
their latest release, features their flowing melodic compostitions and
magical interplay in ten distinctive compostitions drawing upon Sephaardic
and Ashkenazi traditions, jazz, and classical chamber music. Beautiful,
soulful music performed with astonishing technique and passion.
DEERHOOF "Holdypaws" (Kill Rock Stars) cd 10.98
2nd disc on KRS by this cult San Francisco outfit. Featuring one-half of
the unfortunately underappreciated and thus long-gone Nitre Pit (who were a
kind of Melvins-meets-Caroliner band), Deerhoof experiment with weird,
angular, noisy, pop. Slightly reminiscent of the Thinking Fellers, with
female vocals, surreal lyrics, and assorted other strangeness.
DEFEVER, WARN "I Want You To Live 100 Years" (Lo Recordings) cd 16.98
About two hundred miles north east of Chicago lies the town of Livonia,
Michigan - the home of Warn (Warren) Defever (who you may have heard in
such bands as His Name Is Alive and Princess Dragon Mom). While members of
the Chicago "avantgarde" have been mimicking John Fahey of late, this
Livonian takes on the tradition represented by the "Anthology of American
Folk Music" box set by writing antiquated folk songs complete with really
shitty production (which is ALL treble) and an excessive amount of fake
surface noise to add to the "authenticity" of the record. While DeFever's
songwriting on this isn't quite at the level reached by the best of HNIA's
'pop' songs, this is still quite quite an amusingly divergent take on the
alt.country phenomenon.
(Note: we're very low on this one, but more are coming in next week.)
DELAY, VLADISLAV "Helsinki" (Max Ernst) 12" 10.98
Thomas Brinkmann's influence on Vladislav Delay is far well beyond the
fact that Brinkmann released this single on his Max Ernst label. The
motorik machines that tick with clockwork precision (and a very static
'groove') are signature of Brinkmann's minimalist techno. However,
Vladislav Delay (who also has a great album on the New Zealand label Sigma)
does appear to be doing more with the digital metronome in sprinkling
cavernous dub and frozen atmospheres, falling closer to the sound of
Plastikman or some of the Chain Reaction kids.
DRAKE, NICK "Tanworth-In-Arden 1967/68" (Anthology) cd 22.00
We're listing this again cos we've finally come across a steady
supplier. Long a treasured bootleg amongst Drake fans, these are 18 rare
home recordings that sit comfortably beside his 4 other essential albums.
So lovely!
ELECTRIC WIZARD "Come My Fanatics/Electric Wizard"
(The Music Cartel/Rise Above) 2cd 16.98
With a sickly sweet haze baked around half formed thoughts of science
fictions and demonic mythologies, Electric Wizard's stoner metal has just
enough intellect to roll out the gargantuan post-Sabbath riffs and
burnt-out grooves. Dude. More proof that the crappy 10" Electric Wizard
made for Man's Ruin was just a sad anomaly, this double cd compiling their
first two records is a neccesity for the next time you decide to fire up
that bong. (Or not, seeing as how Andee and Allan definitely seem to enjoy
this quite a bit and neither have ever "fired up" a "bong" in their lives,
"dude". Well, okay, Allan did smoke a joint once but he didn't
"inhale"...very much at all.) Especially suitable for all fans of Sleep's
immense "Jerusalem" opus and those recent AQ-record-of-the-week-winning
Esoteric double cds!! Electric Wizard are in fact notorious rivals of
Esoteric, as they compete for England's throne of ultimate heaviness.
Anyone who's heard Electric Wizard's more recent "Supercoven" ep will know
what they're in for: the ultimate bellbottoms doom trip, a Lovecraftian
space sludge psych jam that'll do your head in right.
ELECTROLETTES "Octane Lies" (Kill Rock Stars) 7" 3.99
Local musician Sharon Cheslow (also of Red Eye). Electrolettes is her
guitar/tapes/drums project: infectiously charming punk meets beatbox
goodness.
ELLIOT, MISSY MISDEMEANOR "Da Real World" (Elektra) cd 15.98
More of that Timbaland style 'unfunky funk' that we've all grown to
love. Lots of huge beats, lots of strings, lots of swearing, and lots of
guests (Lil' Kim, Eminem, Aaliyah, Redman, Outkast, and more).
FAHEY, JOHN, AND HIS ORCHESTRA "Of Rivers And Religion"
(Warner Japan) cd 22.00
Import-only reissue of this wonderful 1972 Fahey release, featuring an
eight-piece band playing fiddle, banjos, trumpet, trombone, piano,
calliope, clarinet, dobro, mandolin, guitars, etc. Definitely on the twang
end of things.
FERRARI, LUC "Interrupteur/Tautologos 3" (Blue Chopsticks) cd 13.98
The debut release on David "Gastr Del Sol" Grubbs' new Drag
City-sponsored label is the cd reissue of this rare LP by French musique
concrete artist Ferrari. Apparently such an important work that the label
states that "any other record that sounds like this is but a pale
imitation."
FERRER, IBRAHIM "Buena Vista Social Club Presents" (Nonesuch) cd 17.98
You may have already heard Ibrahim Ferrer on the spectacular second
track off the Buena Vista Social Club record, his high, light voice soaring
over the expert Cuban instrumentalists backing him up. How lucky are we to
have an entire album of Ferrer's lovely voice?
FRED IS DEAD "Mosaic" (Hausmusik) lp 11.98
A Teutonic Magnetic Fields? An emo variant of post-rock? A John
McEntire spartan production of Prolapse's 'beauty and the beast'
jangle-pop? Maybe all of the above. On Hausmusik, home of AQ favorites
Village of Savoonga.
FRIDGE "Eph" (Go Beat) cd/lp 25.00/21.00
So beautiful! Windy's new favorite record. Mellow, serious electronica
filled with lovely layers and melodies.
"The latest full-length from the trio of Sam Jefers, Kieren Hedben (aka
Fourtet), and Adem Ilhan, after a handful of beautifully packaged/sounding
EPs and albums for Output, Piao, and Go Beat. The timing is perfect for
someone to concoct a millenium-lullaby out of old casio beats, organ
drones, phased guitars, swell loopery, and random acoustic/electric
machinery; these guys have done it (with a few bright months to squeeze in
a few table tennis matches). Positively, absolutely destined to be 'huge',
if not I'm going into hiding, deep within the earth's crust until this
whole thing blows over..." - Hrvatski/Forced Exposure
(Note: we're very low on the cd of this one, but more are coming in next
week.)
"Free Lunch" (Kittyboo) 7" 4.98
Artist/illustrator J.otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh's children's classic
"Free Lunch" is here read and musically riffed upon by Brian Dewan. A rare
single we got straight from J.otto, so buy now or cry later.
EDITH FROST "Love Is Real" (Drag City) cdep 4.98
Lovely new single from AQ-fave Miss Frost. Beautiful and heartfelt,
maybe like a less-neurotic Cat Power. Backed up by most of the Coctails
(R.I.P.)!
GOATSNAKE "Goatsnake I" (Man's Ruin) cd/lp 12.98/12.98
"This is the record that Black Sabbath would have recorded if they were
starting today" sez Man's Ruin & various parrot-like distributors. Well, I
don't know about that! What nerve. If true, it's a good thing that Black
Sabbath aren't starting today, 'cause this ain't no "Black Sabbath". Not
that this is a bad record, in fact, for fans of the currently-burgeoning
Sabbath-influenced school of stoner/doom rock/metal should be quite happy
with this release. A supergroup of sorts, featuring ex-members of The
Obsessed, Engine Kid, and Scream/Wool. Heavy, heavy, heavy, with a lot of
rock groove and even some vaguely Ian Astbury-like vocals...
GODFLESH "Us And Them" (Earache) cd 14.98
This pioneering industrial-metal duo return with another slab of
sledgehammer pain. Too bad they're just to stoned to know that the
drum'n'bass breaks they're using are just a little tired. And Justin
Broadrick's grunting vocals haven't gotten any easier to take. Still, this
delivers some of the trademark Godflesh sound that made their classic
"Streetcleaner" one of the most nihilistically heavy albums ever.
GONZALEZ, RUBEN "Introducing..." (Nonesuch/World Circuit) cd 17.98
So wonderful! Ry Cooder says Ruben Gonzalez is "the greatest piano
soloist I have ever heard in my life. A Cuban cross between Thelonious Monk
and Felix the Cat." The liner notes read: "This is the debut album by one
of Cuba's national treasures. Made over fifty years after his first classic
recordings with the great Arsenio Rodriguez, it was recorded 'live' with no
overdubs in two days at Egrem Studios in Havana."
GRUBBS, DAVID with MATS GUSTAFSSON "Apertura" (Blue Chopsticks) cd 13.98
Until the best albums Grubbs made get reissued (Bastro's "Diablo Guapo"
and "Sing the Troubled Beast"), we'll settle for this uber-academic duet of
phasing drones for harmonium and saxophone.
GUITAR WOLF "Jet Generation" (Matador) cd/lp 13.98/10.98
Billed as "the loudest cd ever recorded"! Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf and
Drums Wolf don their leather and shades and kick out the jams for yet
another blast of the distorted-all-to-hell garageabilly that this Japanese
trio is known for. Only Guitar Wolf could get away with doing yet another
version of "Summertime Blues"...
GZA/GENIUS "Beneath The Surface" (MCA) cd 15.98
Great cover art depicting the earth after an impact with an asteroid
that leaves a GZA-logo shaped crater. A pretty darn good disc for those who
need their Wu-fix.
HUNT, JERRY "SongDrapes" (Tzadik) cd 15.98
From the obi: "Born in Waco, Texas, Jerry Hunt was a friend of Jack
Ruby, a pianist in strip clubs, a student of the occult and the founder of
his own mailorder church at the age of 15. Jerry Hunt was also one of the
great pioneers of live electronic music. Very much a modern-day shaman, he
designed most of his own equipment and used it in ways to create backdrops
for his own magical performances that referred to, among many other things,
exotic ritual, the esoteric traditions of Rosicrucianism, Aleister Crowley
and modern science. The 'SongDrapes' were some of Jerry's last and greatest
creations, and feature vocalists Karen Finley, Shelley Hirsch and Mike
Patton."
IDYLL SWORDS "s/t" (The Communion Label) cd 12.98
Dave of Polvo, Chuck of Spatula, and Grant of, er, Grant play with
eastern modal structures and melodies on all kinds of acoustic instruments
like oud, saz, and dulcimer. Quite nice stuff in the
faux-ethnomusicological genre (see also Can, Sun City Girls, Hochenkeit,
Macha, etc.)
IF.THEN.ELSE "Realizations" (Emanate) cd 10.98
Blip. Bleep. Boom.
Pole. Dub.
Autechre. Skitter. Electro.
If. Then. What else?
...recommended Bay Area electronica, originally featured on the
acclaimed "Emanated" compilation.
JUNE OF 44 "Anahata" (1/4 Stick) cd 13.98
Veering drastically from their Slintishly Rodanic past, "Anahata" heads
for Fugazi country, with new markedly off key vocals,and some pseudo-ethno
percussion. Immersed in the insulated world of indie rock, where a pedigree
is everything, and everyone is an ego stroking yesman, there is no one to
tell JO44, that they are not breaking new ground, they are slowly becoming
less and less unique, and that Doug Scharin is not Stewart Copeland. A lot
of people I know like this record, but if June of 44 for you (like me) were
merely one of many bands, trying desperately to fill the void left by the
demise of Slint/Rodan/Bastro, then this record will surely disappoint. Oh
yeah. their usually sublime packaging has been replaced by the
bad-rock-band-collage normally reserved for bands like Foghat or UFO.
KID LOCO "Jesus Life For Children Under 12 Inches"
(Yellow) cd/2lp 21.00/19.98
The industry standard for the remix album does not always make for easy
listening; for example, a remix by Oval sequenced next to a remix by
Cornelius can easily be an unlistenable juxtaposition. Fortunately, a few
artists and labels have realized this blunder in reconstruction, and have
compiled albums containing the the work of a SINGLE remixer. Kid Loco's
collection is the second of this superior interpretation of the remix album
that we have discovered (Funkstorung's being the first).
Kid Loco's seductive neo-funk/trip-hop remix work melds the disparate
sounds of The Pastels, Uriel, St. Etienne, Talvin Singh, Kat Onoma, High
Llamas, Pulp, Gak Sato, Badmarsh + Shri, Mogwai, Cornu, and Tommy Hools.
All of these tracks have been previously released; if you didn't get 'em
the first time round, you can get 'em now.
KID LOCO "Prelude to a Grand Love Story" (Atlantic) cd 11.98
3 tracks off the proper "Grand Love Story" album (the double disc French
import many of you have bought from us already), plus 3 remixes from the
likes of St. Etienne, Gak Sato, Jim O'Rourke, Dmitri From Paris, and more.
Why Atlantic released this thing domestically instead of the proper full
album (which they have no plans to release despite its excellence) is a
mystery to us. But for those who've never heard Kid Loco, this is a fine
introduction to some of his best songs ("Love Me Sweet" and "She's My
Lover").
KOTTKE, LEO "One Guitar, No Vocals" (Private Music) cd 15.98
Super lovely acoustic guitar twangy figerpicking. Just perfect! A new
recording from Kottke, and his first all-instrumental all-guitar album
since his legendary "6 & 12 String Guitar" debut 30 or so years ago!
"Lies, Sissies and Fiascoes: The Best of 'This American Life'"
(Rhino) 2cd 15.98
Eleven pieces culled from Ira Glass' National Public Radio show, with
contributions from David Sedaris, Dishwasher Pete, and more. Contains the
unbelievable "Hands on a Hard Body" piece, about a 'deep-thinking' trailer
trash competition to see who can win a shiny new truck by keeping their
hands literally ON it for three days straight. Bonus: gorgeous artwork from
Chris Ware, creator of the Acme Novelty Library.
LILIENTHAL "Castor & Pollux" (Emanate) cd 10.98
Skittery, dreamy electronica, kind of like a cross between Bords of
Canada and Aphex Twin. Featured on the 'Emanated' compilation from a few
lists back (an amazing compilation of local-ish electronica, still in
stock, $10.98)
LORENZO ARRUGA, DAVE LOMBARDO & FRIENDS "Vivaldi: The Meeting"
(Thirsty Ear) cd 14.98
Yes, ex-SLAYER drummer, Dave Lombardo drumming furiously along to
VIVALDI. Simultaneously amazing and ridiculous. Produced by Alberto
Contini, who some metalheads might remember as A.C. Wild from Bulldozer
(Italy's answer to Venom). Highly recommended. Sort of. One of those
completely uncalled-for projects like, uh, well I can't think of one quite
like this actually. Note: the Vivaldi is not "arranged for thrash-metal",
"switched-on" or anything like that - it's straight operatic classical
Vivaldi with The Great Lombardo incongrously adding his trap kit double
bass stylings... Apparently inspired by a real encounter that Vivaldi
himself had with a Cuban percussionist several hundred years ago (Lombardo
is Cuban-born). Possibly the ultimate novelty record of the year so far!
LOS ANGELES FREE MUSIC SOCIETY "Blorp Esette Collector's Edition"
(Transparency) 4cd 26.00
As if the 10cd box set previously released by Organ of Corti was not
enough, the Transparency label now reissues another 4 discs of material
from this semi-legendary, decidedly anti-rock, '70s pseudo-collective.
Fortunately, this release is a lot easier on the wallet than that previous
box set was. Taking Captain Beefheart's destruction of the song to the
outsider art extreme of non-musicality, the members of the LAMFS experiment
with noise, broken instruments, and juvenile behavior. Tracks from Smegma,
Christian Death (!!?--yeah, it's good!), Rick Potts, Henry Kaiser, etc.
LOVETT, LYLE "Live In Texas" (MCA) cd 17.98
Lyle fans, get in line.
LUSCIOUS JACKSON "Electric Honey" (Capitol/Grand Royal) cd 15.98
Does anybody really care?
MARDUK "Panzer Division Marduk" (Osmose) cd 14.98
Any vestige of dirge found on their last record has has been obliterated
by these Swedish heavyweights, who have become a lightning fast black metal
machine. The theme is war, the imagery is war, and the sound is all out
war. A furiously brutal blur.
MATTHEWS, KAFFE "Cd Cecile" (Annette Works) cd 16.98
"Live convertor Kaffe Matthews on the case in Oslo, Chicago, and
London." This disc documents her synthesis of sampled and processed
shortwave radio and violin scrapings into pulsating, crackling electronic
dronescapes.
MERCEDES "Rear End" (No Limit) cd 15.98
Master P's No Limit label will be soon following this release with the
album "Let's Ride" by A. Lexus! (geddit? Alexis?) And following that, an
album by another female rapper named Porsche! No, seriously! It's the new
trend. But Mercedes is the original, and here's her long-awaited debut.
MINEKAWA, TAKAKO "Ximer" (Emperor Norton) cd/ep 10.98/6.98
The second collection of remixes of Takako Minekawa's twee
electronica/drum'n'bass, with the reconstructions performed by Cornelius,
Kid Loco, Oval, Mark Borthwick/Holland (remixing what is credited as a Joe
Meek cover, though I'll be damned if I can hear any part of "Telstar"),
Nobukazu Takemura, and Takako herself presenting an acoustic version of
"Cloud Cuckoo Land". The cd features two extra remixes by Darla staples
Junior Varsity KM and Sweet Trip. Recommended.
MISTIGO VARRGOTH DARKESTRA "The Key To The Gates Of Apocalypses" (The End
Records) cd 15.98
Yes, that's plural Apocalpyses, how evil is that?! And only one key to
those gates...anyway, this disc is perhaps Allan and Andee's favorite new
black metal find. A one-man side project of Russian (!) Emperor-clones
Nocturnal Mortem. While that band was merely ok, this project absolutely
rules. One track only, an over-seventy minute long "song" that begins with
dark ambient rumblings, encounters growling wolves, delves into Burzum-like
fuzz-trance, all that before erupting into truly epic black metal
riffing...an hour later you'll be hiding under your bed trembling with fear
(or perhaps slaking your thirst with blood and howling at the moon) but the
song still isn't over! A very impressive piece of work. Triumphant evil!
MOUSE ON MARS "Prickly Dred Rhizzoms" (Thrill Jockey) 12" 6.98
6 new songs from one of our favorite electronica duos known for making
deeply expressive, interesting mellow beats that cover a broad spectrum of
electronica's roots.
X-Sender: aqua@pop.sirius.com (Unverified)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 15:18:29 -0800
To: Aquarius Records
From: Aquarius Records
Subject: New Arrivals #77 : Part 2 of 2
---> continued from Part 1 :
MR. BUNGLE "California" (Warner Bros) cd 15.98
You could say Bungle has matured, as this, their third album seems more
cohesive than their previous bombastically spastic albums (which were good
in their own right, of course). An eerie Italian soundtrack-y vibe suffuses
the record, and there are even one or two off kilter pop songs wedged in
between the trademark Bungle strangeness. If the Beach Boys had been
collaborating with John Zorn when they made Smiley Smile, and Dario Argento
had made an Italian hooror film from it, it would sound like "California".
Rabid fans of the band (aren't they/we all?) will be quite happy, and this
is perhaps the record to check out if you haven't yet gotten into them.
Guest appearance by percussionist WIlliam Winant. Cleverly disguised to
look like a Jimmy Buffett record.
MUSICA TRANSONIC "Swing Strong Mod" (PSF) cd 17.98
Nanjo (High Rise, Mainliner), Kawabata (Mainliner, Toho Sara, Acid
Mother's Temple) and Yoshida (Ruins, Mainliner) team up again to produce a
new disc (their fifth, I believe) of distorted, freaked out psychedelic
jazz/rock. Much more spastic and "free" sounding than the one-or-two riff
jams that High Rise and Mainliner are known for, but equally loud, heavy
and trippy. (fyi Toho Sara also has a new PSF disc, but we've run
out...hopefully we'll have more soon, and list it properly then.)
MUSIC TAPES "1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad" (Merge) cd 14.98
Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel's weird instrument guy) and Robbie
Cucchiaro fashion thousands of hours of recording, tape splicing, editing
and orchestration into a very special "place". Maybe we're spoiled by the
songwriting prowess of the other groups within the Elephant 6 musical
collective (Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Apples in Stereo,
etc), but we nonetheless feel compelled to warn you that none of the pieces
here really gel; as in, writing actual songs was apparently not Music
Tapes' objective. If you know what I mean.
MU-ZIQ "The Fear" (Astralwerks) cdep 6.98
The three songs and one remix here kind of sound like Mike "Mu-Ziq"
Paradinas has donned a Teletubbies costume to play covers of Aphex Twin
songs (if that conjures anything up in your mind). But no, he wrote 'em
himself and probably only watches the Teletubbies on TV.
NIGHTWALKER "In Shop We Build Electric Chairs: Professional Music by
Nightwalker 1984-93: #3 in the Fading Captain Series" cd 14.98
Nightwalker = solo work by Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices. Some of
the rumored hundreds of songs he's got filed away in his basement...
NO NECK BLUES BAND "Birth of Both Worlds" (Zirth) 2cd 16.98
"Meets the Clear People... Live At Ken's Electric Lake" (Zirth) 2lp 16.98
The definitive moment at the No Neck Blues Band's recent performance at
the Clit Stop in San Francisco was when Keith, bespeckled in mirrored
shades, unplugged his guitar and began grooving out by making contact
between his quarter inch cable and his thumb... all the while the rest of
the band was oblivious to his noisy rhythms and continued with their super
stoned neo-kraut free jazz improvisations.
The No Neck Blues Band is a 9 piece ensemble from New York and has just
released these two live documents of their loose jams. Supposedly, these
weren't going to get the 'proper' distribution that their other records
get... so get 'em while you can!
NOISEGATE "The Towers are Burning" (tUMULt/Legion) cd/lp 10.98/6.98
For fans of Souled American. Well, maybe not, but this is the newest
release on AQ-executive-vice-president-for-advanced-musicianship Andee's
tUMULt label (a split release with Philadelphia's Legion), following those
lovely Souled American reissues. While the vague adjectives such as 'slow',
'dark', and 'hypnotic' may apply to both Souled American and Noisegate, the
differences far outweigh the similarities.
After four years, Oakland's Noisegate finally release their first cd
'The Towers are Burning'; four huge, ominous dronescapes sprawling across
sixty minutes. Noisegate's sound occupies a nether region between the
quarter speed muscularity of Earth, the death ambient experiments of
Lustmord, and the ear splitting noise of Merzbow, all delivered with the
glacial ferocity of grindcore 45s played at 16rpm. Noisegate spew forth a
wall of inpenetratable sound; waves of uneasy ambience construted from
teutonic rumbles, washes of tranquil hum disrupted by violent squalls of
hyper distorted slow motion riffs, crushing sludge shattered into a
thousand hypnotic pulses, as chest rattling rhythms dissipate into clouds
of shimmering feedback and corrosive electronics slowly rot the whole thing
from the inside out. Noisegate possess the ultra-lumbering brutality of
death metal devoid of a propulsion system, taking even the likes of
Godflesh and Skullflower deeper into the pit, drowning you in static chaos.
Dave from Neurosis adds his thunderous presence to their droning arsenal on
one of the tracks.
We still have the lps too, with beautiful sleeves and heavy vinyl, but
only 2 of the songs from the cd.
OVAL "Szenariodisk" (Thrill Jockey) cdep 7.98
This contains some of the two recent 12"s plus some
previously-unreleased material. Warm, full, yet very quiet and minimal
electronica -- everyone here at AQ loves Oval and suggest you give this
record a try.
PAVEMENT "Terror Twilight" (Matador) cd/lp 13.98/10.98
A nice surprise for Pavement fans who lost interest after "Slanted and
Enchanted", this is a decent record filled with more sweetness and light
than before.
PERE UBU "Dub Housing" (Thirsty Ear) cd 15.98
At long last available as a domestic cd! A fucking grade-A classic
album, as essential as Wire's "Pink Flag", the Velvets' "White Light White
Heat", and the first Television record. Yes, it is THAT GOOD. "Dub Housing"
is one of Windy's favorite records of all time, the second proper album by
Cleveland art-punk legends Pere Ubu, following "The Modern Dance". Verges
from Ubu's garage-rock roots into an eerie world of urgent, skewed
guitarwork and off-kilter, undeniably brilliant melodies. David Thomas'
warble is the focus, delivering his surreal take on a claustrophobic
Cleveland, Ohio of 1978. Seminal, brilliant, stunning, and any other
superlatives you can think of -- they all fit this record, and if you like
your popmusic challenging, it's destined to become one of your favorites
too.
PLAID "Rest Proof Clockwork" (Nothing) cd 15.98
Playful electronica for fans of Autechre.
POLTROON "Perfect Water" (Big Sound) cd 11.98
Eccentric post-rock along the lines of Thinking Fellers, from local
sweethearts. Fans of Rex will also enjoy this. A nice surprise!
QUANNUM MCs "Bombonyall" (Quannum Projects) 12" 6.98
Quannum is the Bay Area hip hop collective that include Latyrx and DJ
Shadow amongst others. This is an urgent, exciting single that recalls the
old school, very catchy vocal style that Jurassic 5 is also emulating.
RACHEL'S "Selenography" (1/4 Stick) cd/2lp 13.98/14.98
More quietly stunning and dramatic chamber music from this constantly
evolving group of post rockers playing viola, piano, cello, harpsichord,
vibraphone, guitar, zither, organ, etc. Beautiful.
REHBERG & BAUER "Ballt" (Touch) cd 15.98
"Designed to be the kind of cd you would never hear playing in a
megastore", this is second installment in a trilogy of records from Peter
Rehberg and Ramon Bauer - who are also the co-founders of Mego Records.
"Ballt" is an advanced collage of binary toggling utilising an expansive
palette of digital sound. An unsettling yet personal display of the effects
of the computer on the man.
ROCKET SCIENCE AND THE NIGGER LOVING FAGGOTS "s/t" (Vulgar Tango) lp 10.98
The debut album from this (questionably-named) San Francisco duo makes a
lot of improv racket with dissonant lo-fi guitar'n'amp damage and skittish
free jazz percussion. Wouldn't be a stretch at all to find this on Corpus
Hermeticum or Siltbreeze, near all that Bruce Russell free-noise.
ROTHKO "A Negative for Francis" (Lo Recordings) cd 16.98
There must be a distant land where 'post-rock' is a geological landmark
and where a tortoise is a turtle. While some may argue that Kansas is such
a place, I'd prefer to keep looking; and the hypnogogic space Rothko has
claimed as their own is pretty close. This all bass trio embraces the
aesthetics of the first Tortoise record and the once-dominant 4AD sound,
but filters out all of the questionable elements (propensities for lite
jazz and bad goth/darkwave). "A Negative for Francis" is a great record for
those finding the current trajectories of post rock nauseating.
Oh yeah, Rothko includes a nifty dose of "The Swedish Rapsody" - pop
music's favorite numbers station (see the Conet Project) to sample!
RYE COALITION "The Lipstick Game" (Gern Blandsten) cd/lp 11.98/8.98
East coast post-punk fury, from the fertile soil of New Jersey.
SATYRICON "Intermezzo II" (Nuclear Blast) cd 9.98
A four-song teaser to the eagerly-awaited upcoming "Rebel Extravaganza"
full-length. Much in the tradition of their "Meggido" ep, Norwegian black
metal masters Satyricon veer off into left field a bit with a new song, a
remix of an old song, a cover (a weirdly futuristic version of old school
Brazilian thrashers Sarcafago's "INRI"), and an electronic-ambient
experimental track.
SECRET CHIEFS 3 "Eyes Of Flesh, Eyes Of Flame" (Web Of Mimicry) cd 9.98
Mr. Bungle Fan Alert!! Here's a live recording of this brilliant Bungle
side-project, released on guitarist Trey Spruance's new label (and only
available via mailorder from their Web of Mimicry website, except that we,
being fans of all things Bungle, have it too). Recorded at Slim's, San
Francisco by Billy Anderson. Also of note: this features the violin of
Eyvind Kang, and a song by Ananda Shankar. Packaged in a cardboard sleeve
as part of Web of Mimicry's "nice price" effort I guess.
SEGUNDO, COMPAY "Lo Mejor de la Vida" (Nonesuch/Elektra) cd 16.98
Buana Vista Social Club alumnus Compay Segundo plays the armonico, an
instrument of his own creation which combines the guitar and the tres --
the armonica has seven strings but only six tones, which produces its
unique sound. An oldtimer who's an alumnus of the legendary Trio Matamoros,
Segundo recorded this record in Havana in 1997.
SENKING "20' to 2000: June" (Noton/Raster) cd 14.98
Definitely the 'summer album' for the stellar monthly series of
minimalist electronica counting down to the year 2000. Bubbling pulses from
banks of little black boxes build sounds that move from pretty drones into
dense if rather sedate electronic dub. Senking's twenty minutes share a lot
of the same tonalities and structures as Aphex Twin's monumental "Selected
Ambient Works Volume 2".
(Note: we're very low on this one, but more are coming in next week.)
SHANKAR, ANANDA s/t (Reprise UK) cd 14.98
His first recording, from 1970. Before he discovered funk and fusion,
this member of the legendary Shankar family was greatly inspired by the
psychedelic, hippy jam rock of the day. Mixing sitar and tabla with Moog,
bass, drums and guitar, Shankar creates swirling, spacious, melodious
explorations in hybridized East/West crossover. The fact that this features
covers of both "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Light My Fire" may also clue you
in to the cheese level/kitsch value of this release, but while no great
claims can thus be made for its genius, it's definitely a lot of fun.
SHRI SWIFTY & THE MANDALI OF MANTRA "The Canals Of The Atlantean Plain"
(Cherry Smash) cd 8.98
Just-intonation drone exotica. Mystic.
SILVER SUN s/t (Polydor UK) cd 24.00
SILVER SUN "Neo Wave" (Polydor UK) cd 24.00
At last, we actually have these back in stock again!! Unfortunately, the
high import prices are still in effect. But, if you have ever loved the
Zombies, Queen, Weezer, Cheap Trick, Jellyfish, Zumpano, the Beach Boys,
etc. -- you will LOVE this band, and find these discs well worth the dough.
The best take on kick ass power pop in years! Really loud and melodic, with
amazing three part harmonies (this last element so beautifully displayed at
their all-acoustic Aquarius instore performance). Both records rule! And
still no word on a US release, goshdarnit. When will America get a clue?
We've got a bunch of these but they won't last, so don't delay.
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE "Dust And Chimes" cd 8.98
Droney, psychedelic, acoustic numbers with middle-eastern-sounding John
Fahey flavor. Sounds like the musings of a hippie-folk commune but it's
really just one guy in his bedroom. Very nice.
SKEPTICISM "Aes" (Red Stream) cdep 9.98
A new, one-song ep from Finland's masters of depressive forest doom
metal. Of course, it's over 27 minutes long--over the course of which, they
somehow (slowly) 'rock out' moreso than on anything we've heard from them
thus far--but that is in no way to say that their crushing and suffocating
funereal doom is not the most devestating and intense we've perhaps ever
heard. It is. They still possess a stately, almost religious quality (and
enough ambience to maintain their AQ-declared status as the Labradford of
black metal).
SPEEDRANCH & JANSKI NOISE / ANTHONY CHILD & ANDREW READ (Fat Cat) 12" 9.98
This is the sixth in the kick ass series of split singles on Fat Cat for
things orbiting electronica, turntablism, and dronology. Speedranch &
Janksi Noise are the damaged turntable duo from Manchester with the agenda
"To Abandon, Eliminate, and Destroy A Spontaneous Trait Transference In The
Key Of C Minor"... which may be better explained as a brutal treatment of
breakbeats through a wall of distortion. Anthony Child and Andrew Read take
a page out of Maeror Tri's guitar drones, with 2 beautiful "Guitar
Treatments" which build breathtaking melodies out of swooping guitar drones
gently coaxed from their amps.
SQUAREPUSHER "Presents Maximum Priest E.P." (Nothing) cdep 9.98
Four new songs and three remixes from our favorite drill and bass turned
jazz funk artist...yep, this is still '70s Miles Davis-inspired jazz as per
his great "Music Is Rotted One Note" album, but there are reminders of the
crazy noise beats of old Squarepusher too--especially in the remixes, by
Autechre, Matt Yee-King (of the Trash collective), and Wagonchrist. Great
stuff. Mr. Jenkinson (with some help from his friends) still impresses.
SUPERCHUNK "Hello Hawk" (Merge) cdsingle 7.98
First single from forthcoming full length "Come Pick Me Up" recorded
with Jim O'Rourke. One song here will NOT be on the new album, however.
TAKEMURA, NOBUKAZU "Scope" (Thrill Jockey) cd 12.98
Japanese electronicist who was responsible for one of the best tracks on
the recent Steve Reich Remixed album. Making the most of very simple sounds
(synth, static, skipping cds), Takemura constructs surprisingly melodic and
appealing pieces. Oval fans will LOVE this...
TAKIZAWA, NAOKI "Issey Miyake Men" (Warner Japan) cd 25.00
Serene strings and quietly pretty electronica bring to mind Rachel's,
Oval, and Tortoise. This is actually Nobukazu Takemura and was recorded for
use by fashion designer Issey Miyake. So who's Takizawa then? Must send
list, don't have time to figure out--regardless, this is a lovely record.
TO ROCOCO ROT "The Amateur View" (Mute) cd 15.98
Lovely, unassuming, appealing electronica along the lines of a quieter
Mouse On Mars. Fans of Tortoise, Fridge, and Boards of Canada will like it
too. You may recall that Schneider TM of To Rococo Rot was responsible for
one of the prettiest, most artistically successful remixes on the recent
High Llamas remix album.
TRIBES OF NEUROT "Grace" (Neurot Recordings) cd 14.98
The ambient, ritualistic side-project of Neurosis. Meant to be played in
conjunction with that band's recent "Times Of Grace" album, so the dark
drones and spoken words of this disc fit with the hypnotic tribal chug of
that one. However, it's a fine listen all by itself (so don't fret if you
don't have two cd players).
U.S. MAPLE "Talker" (Drag City) cd 13.98
U.S. Maple graduate from the Skin Graft label to Drag City and...high
school, apparently the "theme" of this record. The third Maple record and
their most abstract yet, as the band attempts to destroy all notions of
proper rock n' roll methodology. Maybe not the place to start with this
band, but a great place to end up. On tour now with Pavement! Produced by
big fan Michael Gira of Swans. Look for their profile in The Wire #185.
WINDSOR FOR THE DERBY "Difference and Repitition" (Young God) cd 12.98
Windsor has always had a prediliction for the Slintish moped-down math
rock which has taken on an intellect of clinical precision on their aptly
titled album "Difference and Repitition". The production by M. Gira
(ex-Swans) adds a particularly somber quality to the rigid structuralism of
metronomic rhythms and slightly shifting plucked chords. Would I dare to
say that Windsor for the Derby has created the indie rock version of Thomas
Brinkman or Pan Sonic?
X-ECUTIONERS "Tour '98: Europe" (Fat Beats) video 18.98
Roc Raida, Rob Swift, Mista Sinista, and Total Eclipse spinning
"ultimate hip hop by 4 DJs on 8 tutntables" throughout their tour of Europe
of last year.
X-MEN "In X-Ercize #1" (Fat Beats) video 18.98
Featuring Mista SInista, Rob Swift, and Roc Raider!
V/A "Antitrade" (Touch) cd 15.98
"In the northern hemisphere from the southwest, a wind that blows
steadily in the opposite direction to the trade-wind" reads the definition
to the 'antitrade' on the disc itself. Aside from this oddly placed text,
there are very little clues to the reading of this baffling pseudo-concept
record from Ash International (R.I.P.). Collecting fragments of disembodied
voices, VLF radio noise, and field recordings of fireworks for Guy Fawkes
Day, the artists on this compilation manifest an aural purity of simple
drones to assimilate the disparate noises in a surprisingly cohesive whole.
It is a little hard to believe that this is a compilation as Bruce Gilbert
(Wire), S.E.T.I. (aka Andrew Lagowski), Disinformation, Hazard (who I
believe recorded as Morthound on Cold Meat Industries many moons ago), Lief
Elggren (Ghost Orchid), Aer, and hhh contribute on this album. An excellent
piece from the click and drone school.
V/A "Crooklyn Dub Consortium Volume 3" (Wordsound) cd 13.98
Watch the bassbins! A devastating collection of illbient dub and
ultra-twisted hip hop from the Wordsound crew: Spectre, Scarab, Bug,
Slotek, Lovecraft Technologies (aka Prince Charming), etc.!!! Awesome.
V/A "Deutscher Funk 02" (Caipirinha) cd 14.98
Second volume of German electronic "pop" compiled by Burnt Friedman, a
follow up to the excellent first "Deutscher Funk". Playful, bubbly songs,
some reminescent of Moebius & Rodelius et.al., and a few vocal tracks
including a decidedly German version of Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel". Includes
tracks by AQ-faves Tarwater, Holosud, and Lithops. This (and the first
volume) make a good intro to this scene, but if you're already into it you
might already have some of these pieces.
V/A "Microscopic Sound" (Caipirinha) cd 14.98
Aptly-named collection of sometimes-hard-to-hear, sometimes quite noisy
"minimal" electronica, a great introduction to the likes of Noto, Ryoji
Ikeda, goem, Komet, Thomas Brinkman, and others.
V/A "More Oar - A Tribute To The Skip Spence Album" (Birdman) cd 14.98
On April 16, 1999, Skip Spence, eccentric genius and former member of
Moby Grape, passed away. To honor the late songwriter, the Birdman
mega-conglomerate has put together this all-star tribute album of covers
from Spence's inspired and cultishly-revered 1969 solo album "Oar", with
such notables as Tom Waits, Robert Plant (sounding as if he's fronting
Tortoise with all thoses vibes behind him), Beck, Robyn Hitchcock, Flying
Saucer Attack, Alastair Galbraith, Mudhoney, The Minus 5, Alejandro
Escovedo, and many more!
V/A "Rawkus Presents: Soundbombing II, the Singles" (Rawkus) 12" 5.98
One of 5 singles taken from the Soundbombing II compilation album. This
one features Mos Def, Diamaond, and the always-interesting Company Flow.
----*
----* Printed Matter :
----*
DESCENT volume five magazine 7.98
The release of any (always long-awaited) new issue of this magazine is
always cause for excitement here at AQ. "Esoteric & Obscure Microcosm
Transmissions" are their forte, demonstrated by a line-up of interviews
that's virtually a who's who of underground black metal and
isolationist/industrial artists: Angelcorpse, Blood Axis, Bethlehem, Coil,
Darkthrone, Enslaved, Eyehategod, Marduk, Mayhem, Boyd Rice, Sleep,
Tiermes, and many more. The imaginative cross-pollination of metal and/or
experimental music is seldom so intelligently essayed. Where else would
you find an article on the works of composer and action artist Hermann
Nitsch mere pages away from a talk with San Francisco true metal legends
Brocas Helm?? As always, the pages are densely packed with both information
and beautifully-designed graphics. And the review pages are even *more*
densely packed. A magnifying glass is seriously suggested, but the effort
is worth it, if you're at all interested in the dark and difficult spectrum
of music that runs from Skepticism to Squarepusher, from Misanthropy to
Mille Plateaux. The writing clearly comes from real fans, with enthusiasm
but without pretention. Recommended.
GIANT ROBOT #15 magazine+flexi 3.95
Five year anniversary music issue, featuring Cibo Matto, Money Mark,
Automator, LA turntablists the Beat Junkies, DJ Krush, and... Shu Uemura
the makeup tycoon. Only 1000 of the issues come with the free Money Mark
flexidisc (exclusive material he recorded at the Giant Robot loft), but
luckily all of ours have it! There's also the usual little article by Windy
talking about "music no one's ever going to hear".
PUNK PLANET #32 magazine 3.50
As usual, Punk Planet has got its finger on the pulse like no other
magazine out there. Completely essential reading. This issue has
fascinating articles about American urban gentrification (how timely), DIY
business ("Making Music Fun Again with Aquarius Records"), Calvin Johnson
of {k} Records, letters from the Kosovo Crisis, miscegenation, "Murder Can
Be Fun", Neurosis, Asphodel Records, etc.
__________________________________________________________________
NEWS/RECOMMENDED SHOWS
TERRASTOCK III ANNOUNCEMENT
( Please note that Aquarius has NOTHING to do with
this year's festival, so please direct your
questions to the T3 personnel listed below. )
( Please also note that the new issue of the Terrascope,
#27, is due to arrive in a few weeks and as always
we expect them to go fast. Feel free to reserve a copy!)
Terrastock III is scheduled to take place the weekend of August 27th, 28th
and 29th 1999 at the ULU (the University of London), Malet Street, London
WC1.
The first home fixture for this prestigious event aims to build on the
runaway success of the first two Terrastock festivals, which were held in
Rhode Island and in San Francisco, USA during 1997 and '98 respectively.
This upcoming three-day festival is conceived in a similar spirit of
adventure and co-operation in order to celebrate the music championed by
the long-running independent fanzine The Ptolemaic Terrascope. This time we
are pleased to be associated with our good friends at Dreamy Records and
Rocket Girl, and with the added bonus of this being the first Terrastock on
home turf, it promises to be even bigger and if possible even better than
in previous years.
Terrastock is not an indie-rock A&R feeding frenzy. Bands and artists will
be there at the personal invitation of the organisers because we love their
music and they love the way we do things. It's simply about the music, and
about the whole "Terrastock spirit".
Below you'll find a list of confirmed bands to date, including many who are
travelling across vast oceans and continents under their own steam simply
in order to attend. THIS IS BY NO MEANS A FINAL LINE-UP as we are still
awaitinga number of confirmations.
Please be aware that in order to stand a chance of breaking even a NO GUEST
LIST, ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS policy has been adopted for this festival.
This includes all representatives of the press, TV and radio media, no
matter who you might be.
Persons buying tickets do so in the knowledge that they are investing in
the whole Terrastock experience. For that reason, one-day passes are not
available. Please bear in mind that we are aiming for a minimum of 15
separate performances at Terrastock on each of the 3 days, meaning
dedicated festival attendees will be paying an average of just GBPound 1.00
to watch each band.
Weekend passes can be purchased for GBpound 45.00 until July 31st,
thereafter a still reasonable GBpound 55.00 (subject to availability).
Cheques or money orders should be made payable to "Rocket Girl" and sent in
to the Rocket Girl address shown below. ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS are also
accepted. Orders must be post-marked by the cut-off date in order to get
the early supporter rate. Please note that places are limited, and as both
previous Terrastock festivals have sold out in a matter of days please do
not delay making a reservation if you have any intention of attending.
If you have questions regarding directions, travel information, sleeping
arrangements etc., feel free to ask Kate for information OR check our web
site at http://www.terrascope.org (currently under development... should be
updated by the end of this week)
To subscribeto the Terrascope's mailing list for updates and further ticket
news, send a message to terraguests@terrascope.org and put SUBSCRIBE in the
subject line.
(signed) Kate Saunders, Festival Director
CONFIRMED BANDS SO FAR (in alphabeticalish order)
Abunai!, The Alchemysts, Arco, The Autumn Leaves, Bablicon, Bardo Pond, The
Bevis Frond, Damon and Naomi, Elf Power, Green Pajamas, The Green Ray, Hood
The Lothars, Man, The Music Tapes, Piano Magic, Pop Off Tuesday, Tom Rapp,
Spaceheads, Warser Gate, Windy and Carl
CONTACT INFORMATION
Tickets: Rocket Girl, PO Box 13969, London E18 2UZ
Ph. +44 (0) 181 926 6289
Email: t3@rocketgirl.demon.co.uk
http://www.rocketgirl.demon.co.uk
Accommodation:
Kate Saunders: Kateterrastock@hotmail.com
Artist Liaison: Tracy Lee Jackson
Email: ts3@dreamyrecords.demon.co.uk
http://www.dreamyrecords.demon.co.uk
Press and Promotion:
UK & European: Please contact Kate, Tracy or Vinita
USA: Autotonic : autotonic@aol.com
__________________________________________________________________
UPCOMING NEW RELEASES (as always, subject to change!)
----> July 20
Kristin Hersh "Sky Motel"
Robyn Hitchcock "Jewels For Sophia"
Los Lobos "This Time"
Bill Monroe "Father Of Bluegrass (1940-47)"
Brokeback "Field Recordings From The Cook County Water Table"
Nerves "New Animal"
Candiria "Process Of Self Development"
Runaways UK "Step Up" 12"
Red House Painters "Red Perspective" collection of rarities
Swans "Public Castration" reissue
Lost Goat "Equator" on Man's Ruin
"Desert Sessions vol. V" on man's ruin
Pucho & The Latin Soul Bros. "El Nino" new 1999 album
John Fahey "Vanguard Sessions"
Today Is The Day "In The Eyes Of God"
----> July 27
Mu-Ziq "Royal Astronomy"
Morbid Angel "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh" reish w/ bonus cd of guitar solos!
Neurosis "Souls At Zero" reissue
----> August 3
Guided By Voices "Do The Collapse" on TVT
----> August 10
Superchunk "Come Pick Me Up"
The Birthday Party "Live 1981-82"
The Supersuckers "Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band In The World" Best Of/Rarities
Octant "Shock-No-Par" (Members Of Mocket And Satisfact) On Up
Pearls Before Swine "Constructive Melancholy: 30 Years Of Pearls Before Swine"
Isotope 217 "Utonian Automatic"
Watts "S/T" (Ex-Monomen)
Skull Kontrol "Deviate Beyond All Means..." Cdep (Delta 72 & Monorchid Folks)
East River Pipe "The Gasoline Age"
----> August 16
Unida "Coping With The Urban Coyote" on Man's Ruin
"desert Sessions Vol. VI" On Man's Ruin
----> august 24
Air "Premiers Symptomes (First Signs)" Early Mo'wax & Source Singles
Brutal Truth "Goodbye Cruel World" 2cd set of live/rare stuff
Nebula "To The Center" (except label Zero Hour just went out of biz, so...hmm)
Pere Ubu "Apocalypse Now" live, acoustic 1991
The Church "Box Of Birds" all covers
The Aluminum Group "Pedals"
(guests include Sean O'hagan, Doug Mccombs, Sally Timms, Edith Frost)
The Hellacopters "Devil Stole..." 7" picture disc
----> August 30
DJ Quest And Cue/DJ Ztrip split 12"
__________________________________________________________________
The Aquarius Records New Arrivals list has 3534 subscribers.
Thanks for reading. We like your comments so don't be shy.
Send us email to subscribe. Cheers.
__________________________________________________________________
* Aquarius Records -------- *
* 1055 Valencia Street *
* San Francisco, California *
* 94110 USA *
* tel 415.647.2272 *
* fax 415.647.3447 *
* --------- store@aquariusrecords.org *
* http://www.aquariusrecords.org *
Love,
Windy, Allan, Andee, Jim, Byram, Elisabeth and Cup