AMBARCHI, OREN Stacte Motors (Western Vinyl) lp 9.98

AMBARCHI, OREN Suspension (Touch) cd 15.98
Finally back in print!
While Christian Fennesz had been quite active in working with a diverse group of musicians, few of his collaborators exhibited as much of a sonic likemindedness as did Sydney's tinkering guitarist Oren Ambarchi. For both Ambarchi and Fennesz, the guitar is merely the jumping-off point for making ultimately electronic music. Within the oblique electric shards of Fennesz' "Endless Summer," the jangling strum of his guitar is most definitely heard; likewise, a gentle plucking from Ambarchi's guitar still resonates through his work, despite all of the processing. But those distinct guitar sounds are merely a tiny piece of a bigger, more gloriously expansive musical picture. "Suspension" was Ambarchi's second recording for Touch, and stands miles above the his previous album "Insulation." Citing Lucier as an influence (though much more in terms of tonality than methodology, as Lucier is far more interested in the execution of a system than Ambarchi), he has transformed the guitar into a strangely archaic tone generator that chimes with the color of a well weathered bell. A beautiful record in keeping with other essential Touch albums from Hazard and Rafael Toral.
MPEG Stream: "Vogler"
MPEG Stream: "This Evening So Soon"
MPEG Stream: "Gene"

AMBARCHI, OREN Suspension (Staubgold) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While Christian Fennesz has been very active in working with a diverse group of musicians, few of his collaborators have exhibited the likemindedness found in Sydney's tinkering guitarist Oren Ambarchi. For both Ambarchi and Fennesz, the guitar is the jumping-off point for making ultimately electronic music. Within the oblique electric shards of Fennesz' "Endless Summer," the jangling strum of his guitar is certainly heard; likewise, a gentle plucking from Ambarchi's guitar still resonates through his work, despite all of the processing. "Suspension" is Ambarchi's second recording for Touch, and stands miles above his previous album "Insulation." Citing Lucier as an influence (though much more in terms of tonality than methodology, as Lucier is far more interested in the execution of a system than Ambarchi), he has transformed the guitar into a strangely archaic tone generator that chimes with the color of a well weathered bell.
This beautiful record has been licensed from Touch to Staubgold for release on vinyl, which gets a couple of bonus remix treatments from the likes of Jim O'Rourke, Phill Niblock, Brendan Walls, and Micahel J. Schumacher.
RealAudio clip: "Vogler"
RealAudio clip: "This Evening So Soon"
RealAudio clip: "Gene"

AMBARCHI, OREN Triste (Southern Lord) cd 14.98
Finally, a cd reissue of this long out of print, previously LP-only release from Australian minimalist guitar improvisor Oren Ambarchi. The reissue comes, oddly enough, from the fine folks at Southern Lord, who until now have pretty much exclusively focused on the heavy and or sludge-y. Not sure if it's because Ambarchi is an outspoken metalhead (he is one of the only non-metal guests on the upcoming SUNNO))) Black 1 album) or if Southern Lord decided they just dug these dark and mysterious soundscapes, either way, it's about time this record made it onto cd, so all you non LP-playing folks can finally get a taste of some of the most gorgeous, understated ambient guitar work we've ever heard. You may remember some time back we made Ambarchi's Grapes From The Estate a record of the week, and damn if this record, released well before Grapes, isn't just as good. A gorgeous and glitchy, shimmering and subtle exploration of the guitar, and not just the strings and the notes and chords coaxed from them, but also the sound of faulty cords, subtle distortion, woozy warbly effects, all deftly interwoven and creating the effect of laptop manipulation, or skipping cd fuckery, but all managed with just a guitar and some pedals. Delicate, barely-there improvisations, wispy and ethereal, floating dreamily from the speakers towards your ears taking thier own sweet time. Notes hang suspended in space shimmering and slowly fading, until another note comes to join it or move it on its way. Eventually, during the last few minutes of the second twenty minute piece, the sounds of the guitar grow into a strangely alien sounding codes of glitch and creak, stutter and drone, equal parts high end skree and pulsing feedback squeals, a surprisingly noisy culmination to such a introspective record. The cd includes the two tracks that were included with the lp as a bonus 7", both remixes by Tom Recchion, who adds Hammond organ, tape loops, synthesizer and cds to the mix, turning the ultra minimal originals into extra dense soundscapes, adding layer upon layer of warble and whir, increasing the drone factor and giving the last two tracks a definite Philip Jeck feel, sounding all warm and washed out. So lovely! Comes packaged in a gorgeous miniature reproduction of the original gatefold sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "One "
MPEG Stream: "Three"

AMBARCHI, OREN Triste (Idea) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yet another gorgeously packaged, impeccaby recorded piece of modern minimalism from Idea records. We raved about the now out of print COH double lp a few lists back, and this release is just as nice. This time it's Australian Oren Ambarchi, who's delicate, barely-there guitar improvisations are gorgeously wispy and ethereal and float dreamily from the speakers towards your ears taking thier own sweet time. Notes hang suspended in space shimmering and slowly fading, until another note comes to join it or move it on its way. Super thick gatefold sleeve in an extra thick plastic sleeve. Double lp on super heavy 220 gram vinyl. The copies we have also come with a 7" featuring two extended remixes by Tom Rechion of the Los Angeles Free Music Society. So nice.

AMBARCHI, OREN & MARTIN NG Reconnaissance (Staubgold) cd 16.98
Feedback is as much about the context of recording as it is about musicians who set their guitars up against their amps while they step out for a bite to eat. Australia's Oren Ambarchi and Martin Ng have taken great care to find the right space to manufacture the lustrous feedback on Reconnaissance. The feedback here resists the urge to violently screech; rather it floats like the gentle waver of a Theremin. While the complex harmonics from this feedback loop situation might be sufficient for a Phill Niblock or a Bruce Russell recording, Ambarchi & Ng further slipped these recordings through laptops in order to crystallize elements of the feedback into fragile shimmers of high-end tonalities. Reconnaissance is an impressive fusion of guitar exploration and digital trickery.
RealAudio clip: "Procession"
RealAudio clip: "Surfacing"

AMBARCHI, OREN / GUNTER MULLER / VOICE CRACK Oystered (Audiosphere) cd 15.98
The latest (number six) in Audiosphere's "Invisible Architecture" series of super-sized-jewel-cased collaborative cds brings together up-and-coming Austrialian experimentalist Oren Ambarchi, the veteran Swiss "cracked everyday electronics" duo Voice Crack, and well-known improv percussion/electronics specialist Gunter Muller. Muller and Voice Crack have worked together before, and their aesthetic of mostly quiet, abstract chaos meshes well with Ambarchi's Fennesz-ish guitar and electronics. Not that you can really tell for sure exactly who is making what noises on this recording. Always dense and occasionally building in volume, there's a lot of interesting "microsounds" to catch here. Four tracks, 41 minutes of carefully crackling drone squeak buzz thwump brrr crzz whhhh.
MPEG Stream: "Walking Oysters"

AMBARCHI, OREN / JOHAN BERTHLING My Days Are Darker Than Your Nights (Hapna) cd 14.98
Pure drone bliss on offer here from the prolific Australian guitar experimentalist Oren Ambarchi (whom you may already know) and Swedish musician Johan Berthling (a less familiar name -- he's brother to Andreas Berthling, and with him a member of the field recordings group Tape, who are also to be found on Hapna). These two got together in a studio in Stockholm last year with the intent to drone, and drone they did, Ambarchi on electric guitar and Berthling playing the harmonium. They recorded what, with some editing, became this single track, thirty minute long cd release. "My Days Are Darker Than Your Nights" is a totally pleasant -- assuming that serious drones are yr cup of tea to begin with, that is -- shimmering, buzzing, faintly grinding drone piece. Ambarchi's guitar eventually, occasionally engages in some wavering tones, cyclic and repetitive in the vein of some '70s minimalist Reich/Riley thing, while Berthling's harmonium always pulsates mechanically, and ever so slightly melodically, in the background. The sound of both merges into a gorgeous whole. Good stuff, a strong n' steady drone release that really mesmerizes (though it's got a high end that might not allow peaceful sleep, a la some of Tony Conrad's drones). Is this sort of thing the religious music of the 21st century? Could be....
MPEG Stream: "My Days Are Darker Than Your Nights"

AMBER ASYLUM Frozen In Amber (Neurot) cd 14.98
Reissue of the debut cd from this atmospheric local group, that uses classical chamber music instrumentation to create dark, beautiful sounds akin to a black metal Rachel's. Black metal? Well, this was originally released this by Elfenblut, an imprint of now defunct British label Misanthropy, famous as the home of Burzum! And, for further "heavy" credentials, we should mention that band leader Kris Force has played with both Neurosis and Swans. This was previously only an import, and now boasts three bonus tracks exclusive to this new version!

AMBER ASYLUM Garden Of Love (Paradigms) cd 12.98
Originally released as a super limited 10", local moody metallic chamber ensemble Amber Asylum's latest Garden Of Love is now available on cd, again limited, this time to 750 copies, packaged in a mini lp style sleeve wrapped in a hand stamped brown paper outer sleeve, and includes the previously unreleased bonus track "Serenade" available only on this here cd. Four brand new tracks that take Amber Asylum's gothic strings and vocals sound even further out, having now expanded their lineup to include former members of The Gault and SF black metal legends Weakling. The opening track is quite possibly the best thing we've heard from them, a brooding dramatic soundscape of intensely moody strings, and anguished melodies. Locked in by simple almost programmed sounding rhythms with haunting operatic vocals drifting ghostlike through the mix. Sounds a bit like Skepticism with a string section, and you know that is a very good thing. The second track heads into almost Goblin territory at points with super aggressive pizzicato strings, bows sawing away at the strings emitting truly ominous melodies. The rest of the record is far more tranquil, expansive, romantic, epic, melancholic yet hopeful, with delicate crystalline piano figures, very subtle strings and sweetly plaintive vocals. So nice.
MPEG Stream: "Garden Of Love"
MPEG Stream: "Autonomy Suite"

AMBER ASYLUM Garden of Love, Autonomy Suite, Still Point (Bio-Fidelic) 10" 9.98
First we've heard from local moody metallic chamber ensemble Amber Asylum in quite some time. Rumor is there have been label problems, but you'd never know it from this amazing self released 10" (other than it being, um, self released). Three brand new tracks that take Amber Asylum's gothic strings and vocals soun even further out, having now expanded their lineup to include former members of the Gault and SF black metal legends Weakling. The opening track is quite possibly the best thing we've heard from them, a brooding dramatic soundscape of intensely moody strings, and anguished melodies. Locked in by simple almost programmed sounding rhythms with haunting operatic vocals drifting ghostlike through the mix. Sounds a bit like Skepticism with a string section, and you know that is a very good thing. The second track heads into almost Goblin territory at points with super aggressive pizzicato strings, bows sawing away at the strings emitting truly ominous melodies. Side B clocks in at a little over 12 minutes, and is far more tranquil, an expansive, romantic epic, melancholic yet hopeful, with delicate crystalline piano figures, very subtle strings and sweetly plaintive vocals. So nice. Available only on limited edition 10" vinyl!

AMBER ASYLUM Songs of Sex and Death (Release) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ignore the new age blurbs on the back of this cd, this is a beautiful piece of Morricone-style dark cinematic bliss from San Francisco violinist/vocalist Kris Force, featuring a revolving cast of guests, including John from A Minor Forest.

AMBER ASYLUM Still Point (Profound Lore) cd 12.98
Esteemed chamber music goddess Kris Force returns with what is quite possibly her most stark compositions to date. She's joined by some of the Bay Area's finest and most beloved of the indie metal and rock community including John Cobbett (Hammers Of Misfortune, Ludicra), Jackie Perez-Gratz (Grayceon), Tim Green (The Fucking Champs, Concentrick), Lorraine Rath (The Gault), and Sarah Schaffer (The Gault, Weakling). Still Point begins with three songs that slowly drift in on droning strings (violin, viola and cello) and ghostly choral vocals. From there the gothic proceedings build gradually with the entrance of minimal piano, guitar, flute, trumpet and percussion. As always, absolutely haunting and stunningly gorgeous!
MPEG Stream: "In The Still Point He Remains"
MPEG Stream: "Black Phoebe"
MPEG Stream: "The Summation"

AMBER ASYLUM The Natural Philosophy of Love (Release) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
2nd album (and domestic full-length debut) of atmospheric chamber music from this acclaimed San Francisco band, sort of the goth-metal answer to Rachel's. Not that this sounds metal at all, it just seems to be the eerie classical music thing that appeals equally to Satanic Black Metallers, "dark ambient" aficionados, and so forth - and the group's association with Neurosis adds to their metal cred.

AMBER ASYLUM The Supernatural Parlour Collection (Release) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fourth album from this popular local chamber-rock outfit. Somewhere between Dead Can Dance, Godspeed You Black Emperor, and In Extremo (the more RenFaire parts). Gothic atmospheres created with cello, violin, drums, and wispy female vocals. Mournful instrumental acoustic string-drone embellished with electronic effects: a beautiful, depressive sound. The album concludes with their surprisingly straightforward cello-metal version of "Black Sabbath" (complete with rain and thunder intro). That cover, which seemed so suitable, is a bit disappointing, but the rest of the disc is quite nice and mood-inducing.

AMEBIX Arise! (Alternative Tentacles) cd 12.98
Awesome reissue of this seminal crust classic. Heavy and noisy and brilliant. Includes 2 bonus tracks!

AMENTI SUNCROWN Zenith Pitch (World Serpent) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not your laptop processing from Mille Plateaux or 12K, Amenti Suncrown prefer the increasingly antiquated arsenal of multiple keyboards, samplers, and color flashing gadgets to achieve their dark ambient / electronic soundscapes. Aptly released by World Serpent, Amenti Suncrown reflects a number of the same ideas held by World Serpent staples Coil and Nurse With Wound, with an absurdist / sci-fi / occultist view of the seminal electronic synthesis created by Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler. For those of you current re-living New Wave through Adult, Fischerspooner, and The Faint, Amenti Suncrown will offer a slight detour back to the 'magick ov 23.'

AMERICAN ANALOG SET (Emperor Jones/Touch & Go) 7" 3.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sounds Extremely Close to a lighter, less technically proficient but just-as-enjoyable Jessamine, without the dark Can influences. For 4AD and Kranky fans. Beautiful sleeve.

AMERICAN ANALOG SET Know By Heart (Tiger Style) cd 14.98
Following last year's wonderful compilation of this Austin, TX gentle pop combo's miscellaneous singles and unreleased tracks 'Through The '90s' and their warm'n'breezy album from '99 'The Golden Band' is 'Know By Heart' their fourth full length. Another batch of the lovely, hushed tunes for which the A.A.S. are well known and loved. Plentiful chiming organ tones, lightly strummed guitars, and quiet boy vocals. But this time around they've thrown in a bit of a krautrock-y repetitive edge ("Like Foxes Through Fences"). Once again, quite recommended for fans of the Sea and Cake. If you're new to this group, I'd definitely suggest checking out the singles compilation first before moving on to this one.
RealAudio clip: "Like Foxes Through Fences"
RealAudio clip: "Choir Vandals"

AMERICAN ANALOG SET Promise of Love (Tiger Style) cd 14.98
Starting things off with lengthy cycle of a lil' drum beat and an off kilter organ melody, this new American Analog Set album sounds not unlike an indie, lo-fi Stereolab. Add some soft male and female vocals, a tambourine along with some electric guitars and the familiar AAS sound comes a little bit more into focus. However the next song stirs thoughts of Pinback and Portastatic. Perhaps it's because Promise Of Love is definitely one of AAS's most fleshed out albums. No great departures from past efforts, just positively brimming with mellow lushness. So pretty pretty pretty!
MPEG Stream: "Continuous Hit Music"
MPEG Stream: "The Hatist"

AMERICAN ANALOG SET Set Free (Arts & Crafts) cd 15.98
Wistful, blissful and oh so dreamy. The occasionally self-abbreviated AmAnSet hone their post-rock shaded indie pop stylings just a little bit more on Set Free. With their murmurred sleepy-boy vocals, smooth chiming tones and warm guitar interplay, they once again nestle in nicely right amongst the gentle likes of Sea & Cake, Low, Pinback and the slow Ira-sung songs of Yo La Tengo. Includes a suitably drowsy cover of Codeine's "Jr". Ahhh, no sharp edges here, just such soothing sweetness!
MPEG Stream: "Immaculate Heart 1"
MPEG Stream: "Sharp Briar"

AMERICAN ANALOG SET The Golden Band (Emperor Jones) cd 13.98
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.

AMERICAN ANALOG SET Through the 90's: Singles and Unreleased (Emperor Norton) cd 12.98
The soothing mellowness of American Analog Set is captured wonderfully on this collection of various singles and unreleased tracks (original sleeve artworks are reproduced in the liner notes). Conjuring lazy-summer-afternoon-in-a-hammock daydreams that bring to mind the sheer bliss of other dream pop crafters Yo La Tengo, The Sea & Cake or Low. Everything: slow, quiet, and lovely. Includes a remix and two live recordings. Wonderful.
RealAudio clip: "High Fidelity Vs. Guy Fidelity"
RealAudio clip: "Magnificent Seventies"

AMERICAN ANALOG SET Updates (Tiger Style) cd ep 8.98
Well, one thing's for sure, American Analog Set sure like their crash cymbals loud... at least that's how it seems from the first track "Desert Eagle (All I Want For Christmas Mix)". Rattled me right outta my seat. Luckily that doesn't happen too often on this six-song EP. Packed with reworkings and remixes, it features two tracks by the band themselves (one a remix, one a cover of a Her Space Holiday song), two contributions from their seeming electronic counterparts Her Space Holiday (actually those particular tracks also sound like there was some input from The Faint camp too... hmmm). HSH first stretch an already glistening, mellow AmAnSet pop tune out into an even more laidback, shuffling number, then picking things up a bit with an almost funky groovin' remix. The last two tracks are the re-workings of Belgian's Styrofoam who gently break AmAnSet's melodies apart and apply their own light, sparkling electronics to the picture.
RealAudio clip: "Desert Eagle (All I Want For Christmas Mix)"
RealAudio clip: "Know By Heart (Her Space Holiday Mix)"
RealAudio clip: "The Postman (Styrofoam's Just Like The Nineties Never Happened Mix)"

AMERICAN FOOTBALL s/t (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
Accounts of the music and sports worlds colliding should certainly have their own chapter in the rock history books - immediate visions of a putting Hootie and a soccerball-kickin' Robert Smith spring to mind - and oftentimes it seems a little questionable whether it was such a good idea. Case in point, this band's chosen moniker. Not to be confused with Death Cab For Cutie Ben Gibbard's side project All Time Quarterback! I admit I'm not aware of if the name has a story behind it or if they just thought it sounded good. All I imagine is them taking the stage with a "Hi, we're American Football!" But anyways, AF are a trio of lads namely Steve Holmes (on guitar), Steve Lamos (on drums and trumpet... just like in the movie "Waiting For Guffman" - well, sort of.) and vocalist Mike Kinsella (member of so many bands, we've lost count, some of which include Joan of Arc, Owls and Cap'n Jazz, not to mention his recent, lovely solo project Owen). It follows in very much the same path as all of Kinsella's other musical endeavours, that is, sensitive guy emo indie post-rock, with a bit of a jazzy feel. Pretty guitar melodies. Gentle, hushed vocals. Horns drifting in and out and all around. Quite nice, know what I mean? So, of course if you're a fan you won't be disappointed. Mike Kinsella completists: Collect 'em all just like baseball cards!

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Engine (Warner) cd 15.98
AMC's first 2 albums finally reissued on disc. This is Engine, the 2nd one. You still see Engine around in used LP bins, but Restless Stranger is really rare. I guess that's how Warner Bros justifies the price.

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Everclear (Alias) cd 14.98
Hey, look what SF classic just resurfaced after many moons languishing in label limbo / out-of-print-ness. American Music Club's fifth full length Everclear! This album which was originally released fifteen years ago delivers Mark Eitzel and co. in fine form from the bittersweet heartache of "Why Won't You Stay" to the anthemic proportions of "Rise" to the hillbilly hilarity of "Crabwalk". Really makes you wonder how great albums like this could be allowed to go out of print in the first place. Don't blow it, grab one of these before they disappear again...
MPEG Stream: "Why Won't You Stay"
MPEG Stream: "Crabwalk"

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Golden Age (Merge) cd 14.98
American Music Club's Mark Eitzel and Vudi are back with some new bandmates in tow, rhythm section Steve Didelot and Sean Hoffman. Golden Age marks this veteran SF/LA band's ninth album and it is perhaps their most elaborate and expansive to date! With freshly stoked fires, it overflows with burnished, well crafted earthy country pop/rock songs. The lushness of the vocal harmonies and arrangements is remarkable and unheard of prior to this album. They complement Eitzel's dusky vocals and words. Perpetually overcast in mood with a fevered furrowed brow, he cuts right to the heart... and to the heart of the matter with lyrics both politically insightful and intimately poetic. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Sleeping Beauty"
MPEG Stream: "The Window On The World"

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Love Songs For Patriots (Merge) cd 13.98
It's been just shy of a decade since this beloved Bay Area band parted ways with members pursuing various solo endeavors (most notably mainman Mark Eitzel) but the legions of patient American Music Club fans will surely extend a warm welcome to this, the group's reunion album, and it doesn't disappoint. Love Songs For Patriots is a suitably somber, burnished work that smoothly picks up where the band left off back in 1995. That means you can expect a consistently high standard of songcraft and musicianship on par with the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, mid-career Elvis Costello, and Red House Painters' Mark Kozelek. Really, the only thing that seems a bit out of place is the first song. It has a smoky, almost cabaret feel, but after that things settle into more familiar AMC achingly earnest, downbeat kind of mood.
MPEG Stream: "Love Is"
MPEG Stream: "Song Of The Rats Leaving The Sinking Ship"

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Love Songs For Patriots (Devil In The Woods) 2lp 17.98
Now on vinyl! It's been just shy of a decade since this beloved Bay Area band parted ways with members pursuing various solo endeavors (most notably mainman Mark Eitzel) but the legions of patient American Music Club fans will surely extend a warm welcome to this, the group's reunion album, and it doesn't disappoint. Love Songs For Patriots is a suitably somber, burnished work that smoothly picks up where the band left off back in 1995. That means you can expect a consistently high standard of songcraft and musicianship on par with the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, mid-career Elvis Costello, and Red House Painters' Mark Kozelek. Really, the only thing that seems a bit out of place is the first song. It has a smoky, almost cabaret feel, but after that things settle into more familiar AMC achingly earnest, downbeat kind of mood.
MPEG Stream: "Love Is"
MPEG Stream: "Song Of The Rats Leaving The Sinking Ship"

AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB The Restless Stranger (Warner) cd 15.98
AMC's first 2 albums finally reissued on disc. This is Restless Stranger, the first one. You still see Engine around in used LP bins, but Restless Stranger is really rare. I guess that's how Warner Bros justifies the price.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR (OST) (New Line Records) cd 16.98
Soundtrack to this great film about Harvey Pekar. Only two of the tracks here are what would be considered the "original score", composed by Mark Suozzo, the rest are the -- mostly -- jazz cuts featured throughout the film (undoubtedly some of Pekar's faves). Along with a couple tracks by close friend and collaborator Robert Crumb (with his Cheap Suit Serenaders) there are some rare and not-so-rare tracks by John Coltrane, Joe Maneri, Lester Young & Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Marvin Gaye and more. The collection is annotated with liner notes by Harvey himself -- how could it be otherwise, right? Also included on the disc, for those of you with computers (and I know one or two of you out there have one), is a collection of comic book covers, screen savers, instant messenger icons, desktop wallpaper, and an exclusive comic you can print out. Cool.
MPEG Stream: JOE MANERI "Paniots Nine"
MPEG Stream: MARK SUOZZO "Time Passes Strangely"

AMESOEURS Ruines Humaines (Northern Silence) cd ep 11.98
We had sort of given up on ever getting this in stock, which was killing us. One of our favorite records of last year (one of Andee's top 10), a record some of us listened to EVERY DAY, over and over. Heavy and buzzy, but so beautiful and relentlessly catchy. Sure we've had black metal records in the past that were 'pretty'. Catchy too. But those records took their hooks and their soaring melodies and wrapped them all up in spiky blackness, subtly catching our ear beneath all the buzz, the prettiness more a byproduct than a reason for being. But Amesoeurs are completely different. It's almost like some shoegazey, indie druggy drone rock band decided their blissed out indie jangle needed more, well, BLACKNESS, and thus enlisted a corpsepainted frontman, with a demonic banshee shriek, to wail and gnash his teeth over the band's nearly perfect buzzing pop.
From the first notes of the opener "Bonheur Ampute" you're hooked. If you didn't know what was playing, you'd probably be thinking it was some lost Swervedriver track, or some modern band channeling My Bloody Valentine and Ride. The music is that gorgeous. The guitars are thick and heavy, a little buzzy, but they glisten and sparkle, and well, jangle. The opening riff is so impossibly catchy, sort of minor key, but only barely, this is simply perfect pop music wrapped in a thin layer of buzzing blackness. There's no denying it. A loping riff, underpinned by strummed acoustic guitar, while over the top guitars keen and soar, melodies intertwine, harmonies drift and shimmer, even the black metal shriek starts to transform into something less evil becoming more just another element of the blissy poppy buzz. Near the end of the first track, all the other instruments drop out leaving just the acoustic guitar, and when the band kicks back in, they go for it, transforming the track into some otherworldy buzzpop, that original riff ringing out, but over the top some gorgeously melodic underwater, blooping Pinback like bass lines and soaring angular guitar melodies.
The second track begins with a haunting spidery Slinty guitar line, minor key and skeletal, hovering in a wide open expanse of dark shimmer, when the band lurches into action, the main riff sounds like some classic Maiden hook, transformed into a loping pop song, the band eventually ramp it up, the drums becoming a double kicking blast, the vocals shrieking, but the main melody remains and the song becomes a haunting emotional minor key buzz drenched slab of shoegazer black metal, complete with acoustic breakdowns and a mysterious percussive coda.
The final track opens up with another gorgeous tangled bit of clean guitar, that turns into straight up clean ringing indie jangle, but surprises us with ethereal female vocals, which transform it into some nineties sounding dark pop like Velocity Girl or something. Eventually, a buzzing guitar joins the fray, and by the end, it's another swirling blackened slab of blissed out buzz. So fucking awesome.
Black metal record of the year! Of forever! And that's assuming that this even counts as black metal... Either way, this is absolutely essential. Black metalheads don't be put off by the prettiness, we love us some Antaeus and Katharsis and Darkthrone and all that, but this is just so goddamn good. And all you indie rock mix tape makers, try blowing somebody's mind by slipping one of these tracks into your next mix, right there between Spoon and Pavement. The perfect black metal gateway drug...
And be sure to check out Amesoeurs mainman Neige's other bands, Alcest, who take the blissed out pop thing even further, and Peste Noire, a more black, but equally strange and pretty outfit.
MPEG Stream: "Bonheur Ampute"
MPEG Stream: "Ruines Humaines"

AMESOEURS Ruines Humaines (Northern Silence) 10" 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of our favorite blasts of black buzzing beauty available on vinyl for a super limited time, with new artwork and a printed insert.
Here's what we had to say about Ruines Humaines when we highlighted the cd on the list a short while back:
We had sort of given up on ever getting this in stock, which was killing us. One of our favorite records of last year (one of Andee's top 10), a record some of us listened to EVERY DAY, over and over. Heavy and buzzy, but so beautiful and relentlessly catchy. Sure we've had black metal records in the past that were 'pretty'. Catchy too. But those records took their hooks and their soaring melodies and wrapped them all up in spiky blackness, subtly catching our ear beneath all the buzz, the prettiness more a byproduct than a reason for being. But Amesoeurs are completely different. It's almost like some shoegazey, indie druggy drone rock band decided their blissed out indie jangle needed more, well, BLACKNESS, and thus enlisted a corpsepainted frontman, with a demonic banshee shriek, to wail and gnash his teeth over the band's nearly perfect buzzing pop.
From the first notes of the opener "Bonheur Ampute" you're hooked. If you didn't know what was playing, you'd probably be thinking it was some lost Swervedriver track, or some modern band channeling My Bloody Valentine and Ride. The music is that gorgeous. The guitars are thick and heavy, a little buzzy, but they glisten and sparkle, and well, jangle. The opening riff is so impossibly catchy, sort of minor key, but only barely, this is simply perfect pop music wrapped in a thin layer of buzzing blackness. There's no denying it. A loping riff, underpinned by strummed acoustic guitar, while over the top guitars keen and soar, melodies intertwine, harmonies drift and shimmer, even the black metal shriek starts to transform into something less evil becoming more just another element of the blissy poppy buzz. Near the end of the first track, all the other instruments drop out leaving just the acoustic guitar, and when the band kicks back in, they go for it, transforming the track into some otherworldy buzzpop, that original riff ringing out, but over the top some gorgeously melodic underwater, blooping Pinback like bass lines and soaring angular guitar melodies.
The second track begins with a haunting spidery Slinty guitar line, minor key and skeletal, hovering in a wide open expanse of dark shimmer, when the band lurches into action, the main riff sounds like some classic Maiden hook, transformed into a loping pop song, the band eventually ramp it up, the drums becoming a double kicking blast, the vocals shrieking, but the main melody remains and the song becomes a haunting emotional minor key buzz drenched slab of shoegazer black metal, complete with acoustic breakdowns and a mysterious percussive coda.
The final track opens up with another gorgeous tangled bit of clean guitar, that turns into straight up clean ringing indie jangle, but surprises us with ethereal female vocals, which transform it into some nineties sounding dark pop like Velocity Girl or something. Eventually, a buzzing guitar joins the fray, and by the end, it's another swirling blackened slab of blissed out buzz. So fucking awesome.
Black metal record of the year! Of forever! And that's assuming that this even counts as black metal... Either way, this is absolutely essential. Black metalheads don't be put off by the prettiness, we love us some Antaeus and Katharsis and Darkthrone and all that, but this is just so goddamn good. And all you indie rock mix tape makers, try blowing somebody's mind by slipping one of these tracks into your next mix, right there between Spoon and Pavement. The perfect black metal gateway drug...
And be sure to check out Amesoeurs mainman Neige's other bands, Alcest, who take the blissed out pop thing even further, and Peste Noire, a more black, but equally strange and pretty outfit.
MPEG Stream: "Bonheur Ampute"
MPEG Stream: "Ruines Humaines"

AMESOEURS / VALFUNDE split (De Profundis) 7" 10.98
Recently, we've been marveling at the fact, that otherwise troo, grim, cvlt metalheads, seem to be totally smitten with this new wave of blissed out dreamy, barely metal black metal. Most notably, Alcest, who are more My Bloody Valentine than Burzum, and Alcest mainman Neige's other not very metal project Amesoeurs. Sure that stuff is epic and sweeping and gorgeously gauzy, but it's barely metal, let alone BLACK metal. But here we are, anything from either of those outfits is like black gold to the black metalheads world wide.
Well, if the most recent Alcest had you wondering about the above, then this single will definitely be the true test. We'd been waiting ages for a new Amesoeurs record, the last ep, was an all time favorite around here, still heavy, but also mathy, and post rocky, and pretty damn shoegazey all at once. Well this most recent single, one brand new song, jettisons all traces of metal entirely. The result is pretty great, but it's hard for us to imagine metalheads digging this much. More than metal, it sounds like nineties indie rock, college rock, the female vocals are way up in front, over a jangly guitar, and super sunshiney major key melodies, hard not to think of stuff like Jale, Helium and Scrawl, which is not a bad thing at all, just a not very metal thing. But it's a killer song, and back in the day, these guys would have been huge on Simple Machines or K or one of those labels. Can't wait to hear what they do with the next full length.
The flipside features a band called Valfunde, which is essentially the exact same band, except with the addition of Peste Noire mainman Famine, and he brings a little bit of metal and a whole lot of what the fuck to the proceedings. The first Valfunde track begins much like the Amesoeurs track, strummed clean guitar, a bit of jangle, minor key, but over that, another guitar, super distorted and woozy, spills out a convoluted and stumbling sea sick melody, the sound is maniacal and druggy, almost like someone is constantly and randomly twisting the tuning pegs while the guitar is being played blindfolded. The result is a song that sounds a bit like a funhouse mirror sea shanty, dizzying and completely and awesomely fucked up. The second track is the only sort-of-metal thing going on here, with a midtempo Burzumy buzz, creepy haunted house organ, while the vocals are delivered in a raspy demonic shriek, eventually joined by soaring epic guitar leads, not as damaged as the first track, but still pretty freaky, in that distinctly Peste Noire way.
Good stuff for sure, but metalheads be warned, everyone else, as long as you're up for some weird shit, this might just hit the spot...

AMESTIGON/ANGIZIA (Napalm) split cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Two baroque Austrian black metal outfits on one cd. Angizia in particular is especially weird, with pretty keyboards and very demented vocals - one customer who heard this thought it sounded like Magma...

AMFM Getting Into Sinking (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
Already another release from Brian Sokel and Michael Parsell? Yes, hot on the heels of their March 2001 debut "Mutilate Us" comes "Getting Into Sinking" which reveals a much more dreamy, harmonious side to this duo. Just check out "And Then I Got To Thinking About The Animals" or "Come Suck Down A Cloud". Whereas their first record hopped around quite a bit stylistically, this is a cohesive collection of lovely, airy tunes with gentle guitars and vocals. They even cover a Leonard Cohen song and morph it into something decidedly Simon And Garfunkel-esque - from deeply somber to sweetly melancholic.
RealAudio clip: "And Then I Got To Thinking About Animals"
RealAudio clip: "Come Suck Down A Cloud"

AMFM Getting Into Sinking (Polyvinyl) lp 10.98
Already another release from Brian Sokel and Michael Parsell? Yes, hot on the heels of their March 2001 debut "Mutilate Us" comes "Getting Into Sinking" which reveals a much more dreamy, harmonious side to this duo. Just check out "And Then I Got To Thinking About The Animals" or "Come Suck Down A Cloud". Whereas their first record hopped around quite a bit stylistically, this is a cohesive collection of lovely, airy tunes with gentle guitars and vocals. They even cover a Leonard Cohen song and morph it into something decidedly Simon And Garfunkel-esque - from deeply sombre to sweetly melancholic.

AMFM Mutilate Us (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
When I saw the cover of this cd (two clean-cut , young lads in front of a city skyline) I immediately thought "from Chicago, possibly post-rock", and I suppose I wasn't too far off on the first part at least. Finding their home on Danville, IL label Polyvinyl Records, the two young men known as AM/FM explored their collection of instruments (including but not limited to Hammond organ, cello, glockenspiel, Rhodes piano, 12-string acoustic, electric and lapsteel guitars) with the help of a bunch of guest musicians and emerged with a pretty cool eclectic pop record. Subtly twangy with shades of Giant Sand and Thinking Fellers. Includes a cover of the Beach Boys' "Disney Girls".

AMIINA Kurr (Ever) cd 14.98
A couple of years ago these Icelandic faeries with gossamer Sigur Ros ties charmed us immensely with their first release, the Animamina cdep. Since then they've added another 'i' to their name, and now they've added another release to their young body of work. We're happy to report that their debut full length is just as lovely, if not more so, than their 2005 ep. To which we feel must be affixed the following warning:
Do not use while operating heavy machinery, driving a vehicle nor participating in any other activity that requires alertness.
Seriously, Kurr will lull you into a warm, inescapable, snuggly drowsiness. You might not even make it past the second song before you find yourself nodding off to their pure, gentle, chiming dreamscapes. Now, that's not a bad thing whatsoever if experienced in the appropriate, safe circumstances, right?
On the cover, the four ladies are shown hand knitting what looks to be an enormous muted hued woolen scarf. A fitting image for their cozy album Kurr!
MPEG Stream: "Sogg"
MPEG Stream: "Kolapot"

AMIINA Seoul (Rumraket) cd 9.98
We've been waiting oh so patiently for a full length from this delicate and beautiful Icelandic outfit ever since we were swept off our feet by their gorgeous debut ep a couple years back. Looks like there's more waiting to be done, as we wait for the soon to come full length, but at least for now, we have a brand new e.p. to keep us all warm & woozy until that fateful day finally arrives. Having spent the last few years opening for and playing with Sigur Ros, they've gradually managed to reach more and more ears, and that's a very good thing, as their lush and gorgeous, mostly instrumental and oh so melodic sound deserves a spot in all warm hearted record collections.
MPEG Stream: "Seoul"
MPEG Stream: "Ugla"

AMINA Animamina (The Worker's Institute / Fat Cat) cd ep 8.98
Amina is to Sigur Ros, as Silver Mt. Zion is to Godspeed! You Black Emperor. The four Icelandic women who comprise Amina have worked on the two more recent Sigur Ros albums, providing the additional strings to Sigur Ros' already symphonic ocean of sound. This short 4-track EP showcases their own compositions of lilting, romantic film-score music with heaving swells of violin, viola, and cello along with delicate notes upon piano, harpsichord, and small malleted instruments. Quite moody and wonderful!
MPEG Stream: "Skakka"
MPEG Stream: "Fjarskanistan"

AMLEE, ERIK Afternoon Dream (Mandragora / Fire Museum) cd 13.98
Earlier this year, we reviewed two volumes of dreamy psychedelic sitar improvisations from multi instrumentalist Erik Amlee. Two discs, both absolutely gorgeous, so gorgeous in fact that we could barely keep them in stock. So we were super excited to get our hands on this, the newest release from Amlee, an actual cd, not a cd-r, another set of improvisations, this time performed on both sitar and acoustic guitar, and again so lovely and tranquil, blissy and dreamy.
Deep swells of buzzing strings drift lazily, the acoustic guitar strumming along in the background, adding yet another layer of steel string buzz. Some of the tracks are totally loose and abstract, druggy expanses of slippery psychedelic sound, murky and fuzzy, like the jammiest spaciest parts of Spacemen 3 and Hawkwind stripped down into weird stoner acoustic ragas, all drone and shimmer, a buzzing swirl of warm drug den ambience and sunny afternoon sparkle, a seemingly impossible mix that sounds pretty much perfect together. Some of the other tracks are much more structured and guitar based, gorgeous little chunks of neo-Appalachia, but with all sorts of extra buzz, all nestled within a billowy fog of spacey FX. And still others are a glorious mix of the two, a dreamy collision of Eastern Raga and Western twang, a slithering squirming drone that buzzes and builds into thick squalls of resonating strings and swirling ambient hiss, all wrapped in a blown out, super distorted, reverb heavy sound thanks to some post-recording production. So great. The perfect balance of freaked out psychedelic raga bliss and shimmery lilting buzz and twang. SO RECOMMENDED!!
MPEG Stream: "Pulse Quickens"
MPEG Stream: "Entering The Mist"

AMLEE, ERIK Sitar (Mandragora) cd-r 11.98
We've been trying to list these Amlee discs for ages but we can never seem to keep enough in stock. Everytime we play them in the store, someone, sometimes several someones, always buys 'em. That's usually the truest barometer for how good a record is. And these discs are soooo good. Both of these discs feature Erik Amlee on sitar, the fact that Amlee is not a trained sitar player is part of what makes these discs so cool. The other being the totally bad ass drone and buzz of the sitar. We're beginning to think the sitar is the coolest instrument there is. It's like a guitar, but with way more buzzing and vibrating and droning. We can totally picture the heaviest metal band in the world with no guitars, just with electrified, amplified sitars. That's the same metal band that would have to have a Tuvan throat singer on lead vocals, but we digress. These lengthy improvisations are dense with buzzing overtones, haunting melodies, still very Eastern, as that's the nature of the instrument and its tuning, but also kind of spacey and blissed out, druggy and psychedelic. The whole thing is thick and soft and swoonsome, longform subtly shifting ragas, drowsy and fuzzy, all sepia toned and sun baked, rife with dizzyingly buzzy melodies and simple subtle percussion, and occasionaly electronic glitchery, but not so it's noticable, just adding more texture. And the recording is super casual and a bit lo-fi, you can hear shuffling feet, instrument buzz, every little nuance is just sort of captured and woven into the blurry dreamy sweetly torpid soundscape. So totally captivating. These records make the perfect late night listening, all thick and drifty and suffused with a soft rich glow that just sort of washes over you. Both volumes are equally amazing, and they're cheap too so there's no reason not to pick up the set!
MPEG Stream: "Awakening"
MPEG Stream: "Too Far Gone"

AMLEE, ERIK Sitar Vol. 2 (Mandragora) cd-r 11.98
We've been trying to list these Amlee discs for ages but we can never seem to keep enough in stock. Everytime we play them in the store, someone, sometimes several someones, always buys 'em. That's usually the truest barometer for how good a record is. And these discs are soooo good. Both of these discs feature Erik Amlee on sitar, the fact that Amlee is not a trained sitar player is part of what makes these discs so cool. The other being the totally bad ass drone and buzz of the sitar. We're beginning to think the sitar is the coolest instrument there is. It's like a guitar, but with way more buzzing and vibrating and droning. We can totally picture the heaviest metal band in the world with no guitars, just with electrified, amplified sitars. That's the same metal band that would have to have a Tuvan throat singer on lead vocals, but we digress. These lengthy improvisations are dense with buzzing overtones, haunting melodies, still very Eastern, as that's the nature of the instrument and its tuning, but also kind of spacey and blissed out, druggy and psychedelic. The whole thing is thick and soft and swoonsome, longform subtly shifting ragas, drowsy and fuzzy, all sepia toned and sun baked, rife with dizzyingly buzzy melodies and simple subtle percussion, and occasionaly electronic glitchery, but not so it's noticable, just adding more texture. And the recording is super casual and a bit lo-fi, you can hear shuffling feet, instrument buzz, every little nuance is just sort of captured and woven into the blurry dreamy sweetly torpid soundscape. So totally captivating. These records make the perfect late night listening, all thick and drifty and suffused with a soft rich glow that just sort of washes over you. Both volumes are equally amazing, and they're cheap too so there's no reason not to pick up the set!
MPEG Stream: "Baptized In Lotus Wine"
MPEG Stream: "Western Sun"

AMM AMMusic 1966 (ReR) cd 16.98

AMM At the Roundhouse (Anomalous) cd 14.98
British free improv pioneers AMM were recorded live in August 1972 at a festival in London called the International Carnival of Experimental Sound (its theme: Myth, Magic, Madness and Mysticism!). Now, over thirty years later, their set has been released for the first time ever as the debut in a cd series documenting the festival recordings! As ICES '72 featured over 300 performers from over 21 countries, we're bound to be in for some interesting surprises as this cd series unfolds. Starting off with AMM is a good solid choice, as they've certainly met the test of time, active and excellent even today. At this '72 show they consisted of just percussionist Eddie Prevost and saxophonist Lou Gare, along with what the press release accurately terms "their famous AMM silences". When not silent, they're VERY not silent however. Definitely more overtly "free jazz" than some of AMM's other, more meditative drone efforts. 47 minutes, one track.
MPEG Stream: "The Sound Of Indifference (excerpt)"

AMM Fine (Matchless) cd 17.98
AMM emerged from the first generation of UK free jazz musicians in the mid-60s, taking the notion of spontaneous improvisation well beyond any of the kind of restrictions that would locate their music within the realms of jazz, minimalism, rock, or Fluxus-based composition techniques. If there is any taxonomic space for AMM (beyond simply being AMM), it would have to be near John Cage's indeterminancy yet shaped by a collective understanding from a group that has been listening to each other quite intently for almost 40 years. While guitarist Keith Rowe and percussionist Eddie Prevost have been involved in AMM since the beginning, pianist John Tilbury began his tenure in the ensemble in the early '80s, superceding Lou Gare and Cornelius Cardew. Between Keith Rowe's growling guitar feedback and use of transistor radio hum, Prevost's scraped metals and bowed cymbals, and Tilbury's abstractions from prepared piano, AMM speaks between the borders of synethetic and acoustic to create their textually rich yet quietly mapped out music. "Fine" is their latest artifact created as the accompaniment for the dancer Fine Kwiatkowski. This album is one of AMM's quieter albums, utilizing space and volume very effectively throughout this gritty abstraction built from the tiniest application of electrical buzzings, grating motors, metallic clatter, shortwave modulations, steel string scrapings, and spartan clusters of notes from Tilbury's piano. Many talented artists have attempted to emulate them, but AMM remains in a class of its own, and this album is no exception.
RealAudio clip: "Part One"
RealAudio clip: "Part Six"

AMM Norwich (Matchless) cd 24.00

AMM The Inexhaustible Document (Matchless) cd 17.98