ANTICON. We Ain't Fessin' (Double Quotes) (Anticon) cd ep 7.98
East Bay hip hop crew Anticon continue to impress with their wordy, staccato raps, so speedy that they sound like when you run your finger up piano keys really quick. They're really into the texture of the vocals as well as the lyrics, and as always there's that Cannibal-Ox-style heavy rumbling melodicism to the production. Hey, John Herndon of Tortoise produced one of the three tracks here. Featuring Slug, Dose, Alias, Sole, Why? and a whole lot more. All three tracks are good, no filler.
RealAudio clip: "We Ain't Fessin' (Double Quotes)"
RealAudio clip: "Deep Puddle Dynamics"

ANTICON. We Ain't Fessin' (Double Quotes) (Anticon) 10" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl. East Bay hip hop crew Anticon continue to impress with their wordy, staccato raps, so speedy that they sound like when you run your finger up piano keys really quick. They're really into the texture of the vocals as well as the lyrics, and as always there's that Cannibal-Ox-style of heavy rumbling melodicism to the production. Hey, John Herndon of Tortoise produced one of the three tracks here. Featuring Slug, Dose, Alias, Sole, Why? and a whole lot more. All three tracks are good, no filler.
RealAudio clip: "We Ain't Fessin' (Double Quotes)"
RealAudio clip: "Deep Puddle Dynamics"

ANTIETAM Victory Park (Carrot Top) cd 14.98

ANTIOCH ARROW Gems of Masochism (Three.One.G) cd 14.98

ANTIPAN s/t (Pulled Out) lp 27.00
A one sided vinyl monster. Grinding splattery chaos. Super distorted rhythms beneath thick slabs of ultra distorted hiss and waves of crumbling crunch. That is the sound of Australia's Antipan, a fourpiece that traffics in spaced out aggressive free rock ambience. Or Neu! metal minimalism. Either way it's a gloriously unholy racket. Echoey guitars and streaks of feedback, all tangled up into a dense wall of krautrocky chaos, with buried vocals, and dense squalls of acid fried guitar malfunction and jagged melodic fragments. Those harsher moments are balanced by long stretches of distorted drone and glitchy throb, very reminiscent of their equally noisy countrymen Aufgehoben and Shit And Shine.
Pressed on SUPER thick bubblegum pink vinyl, one sided, the other side features an etching by Rizili from the Menstruation Sisters. Includes a dayglo pink insert, packaged in a hand screened, individually numbered pink on black sleeve.
LIMITED TO 275 COPIES. We only got eight, so you do the math...

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM Antipop vs Matthew Shipp (Thirsty Ear) cd 16.98
Seems like this would be the perfect AQ hip hop record. Minimal stream-of-consciousness rappers Antipop Consortium rapping over modern/free jazz courtesy of AQ fave Matthew Shipp. Initially we thought/hoped it would be some sort of live improv/jam thing, which would seem ideal as far as tapping into both groups' strengths. But Antipop simply sample Shipp tunes. While it is cool and few groups sample 'modern' jazz, rap songs based on chopped and looped jazz tunes are really nothing new. And the result just doesn't sound as inspired as we had hoped, with the rapping sounding sort of tossed off and stilted, and the 'jazz' sounding a little too lite, ala dinner jazz. Fans of both may find something to like, but I think maybe we just had our sights set too high.
MPEG Stream: "Staph"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Horn"

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM Arrhythmia (Warp) cd 16.98
First new full length since the waaay expensive Japanese import 'Shopping Carts Crashing' which we also carry, and it's a good one. With every release, the NY avant hip hop crew of rapper/producers Beans, M Sayyid and High Priest along with engineer extraordinaire E. Blaize continue to surprise us and isolate themselves from the rest of the pack. With "Arrhythmia", their highly anticipated debut long player from the premier UK electronic label Warp, the once abrasive and sonically confrontational crew take an unexpected, much more 'conventional' and accessible production route (ala Timbaland), yet remain fresh and highly original. Rather than relying on recycled breakbeats and appropriations of sounds vaguely familiar, APC whip up their own brand of electro street funk: hiccuping, misshapen beats complement speaker-rattling analogue synth stylings, topped with a generous amount of modulation, vocal transformation treatments and other studio stunts. APC are certainly more true to the classic electro sound, making bandwagon revivalists and overnight laptop superstars sound like it's fucking amateur night. Plus the fact that they independently produce their shit is astounding, a hip hop outfit that makes an electronica record better than most electronic artists. Jesus, I haven't even started on the dope flow, amazing wordplay, alliteration or street surrealist lyricism. Nor do I think I'm qualified. All I know is it's slammin'. And then there's "Mega", in which an aggressively arrhythmic syncopated beat underlies a dissonant algorithmic melody that suspensefully climaxes with an amazingly rendered faux operatic orchestration. Amazing, I say. Another great record from true hip hop visionaries.
RealAudio clip: "Mega"
RealAudio clip: "Dead In Motion"
RealAudio clip: "Ping Pong"
RealAudio clip: "Bubblz"

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM Shopping Carts Crashing (Antipop Recordings) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Anti-Pop has been one of my favorite hip hop groups almost from the first time I heard them, melding an old school, deadpan sort-of tongue-tied De La Soul flow, over unlikely loops and strange samples, with bizarre and confusingly brilliant lyrics that occasionally move beyond bragging and boasting. The deal was sealed when I got to see the ultimate soundclash: Alec Empire spinning rafter-rattling, hyper-distorted beats, Merzbow spitting out shrieking, hissing white noise, and the Anti Pop Consortium, somehow rapping over the whole mess, and fitting perfectly. 'Shopping Carts Crashing' is a Japanese-only release that came out last year, but we only just now got enough to list it. And it's worth the wait. Sparse and dark loop-scapes under a landslide of rapid fire rhyming, boasting on a level so beyond mere mortal rappers that those dissed will very likely not even realise it, instead, scratching their chins, confused, and reaching for their dictionaries. Awesome production, with soaring strings (plucked and bowed), buzzing electrical interference, woofer-rattling synths, old 606 and 909 drum programming, vocoder, space echo, and of course...shopping carts crashing, literally. But the MCs are the main attraction, spitting out rhyme after rhyme of verbose lyrical fuckery, free flowing non-sequiters, mutated metaphors and straight up old fashioned bad ass mouthing off! So so good. Worth the import price tag! And I like it even more since I discovered that one of the guys in the Anti-Pop Consortium is the same guy who is always mean to me whenever I visit a certain 'other' record store.
RealAudio clip: "Angular"
RealAudio clip: "Tilt"
RealAudio clip: "Throat Cultures"

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM The Ends Against The Middle (Warp) cdep 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM Tragic Epilogue (75 Ark) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Anti-Pop Consortium's strategic positioning outside of the mainstream of hip-hop landed them a 10" on New York dub label WordSound a few months back, as well as a notorious gig rapping alongside a live noise battle between Merzbow and Alec Empire! Their fluid verbal stylings, recalling the historically charged old school delivery of The Last Poets, are matched with the minimal production techniques often used by the WordSound crew (though without the stoner/darkcore references).

ANTISEEN 15 Minutes of Fame, 15 Years of Infamy (Steel Cage) cd 13.98
Rarely does a band make it to its third or fourth record, especially when the band plays sloppy, trashy, violent, totally uncommercial punk rock. But here it is, the year 2000, and Antiseen are still carving their messy, bloody swath across the punk underground, 15 years and counting. Especially amazing considering that frontman Jeff Clayton has been abusing his body in true rock and roll style, ending every show in a bloody disheveled heap on the floor. This is a collection of 7"s, compilation tracks, weird out of print stuff and some unreleased songs, as well as a bunch of covers (Roky Erickson, Screaming Lord Sutch, Troggs, Stooges) showcasing Antiseen at their trashy, fucked up, southern-fried best.

ANTISEEN Hell (Steel Cage) cd 13.98
North Carolina's kings of southern sludge, and the South's answer to GG Allin (due mostly to lead singer Jeff Clayton's penchant for violence, to himself and the crowd) return with a collection of covers culled from a handful of splits and compilations. Sloppy and noisy and crusty and silly. Includes ruined versions of sons by: Curtis Mayfield, Roky Erickson, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Ernest Tubb, Rancid Vat, Skrewdriver, Talking Heads, Jack Starr, Hank Williams Sr., Bob Dylan, Anti-Nowhere League, Sun Ra, Ramones, Roy Orbison, Alice Cooper and more.

ANTISEEN The Boys From Brutalsville (TKO13.98) cd 13.98
For being a band that's scary as shit to see live, and who may be the only practitioner of the long lost art of GG Allin style entertainment (one show had the singer leap from the PA onto a table covered with tacks, and all shows have him ending up covered in blood), Antiseen sure sound wimpier and wimpier with every record. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, just kind of weird. What started out as a roaring, metalised and punkified take on southern boogie, has now become, well, plain old southern boogie. So if you want some ZZ Top or some Lynryd Skynyrd but need more attitude, and maybe more blood, then Antiseen might just fit the bill.

ANTLER Nothing That A Bullet Couldn't Cure (Small Stone) cd 14.98
The return of our favorite classic hard rocking, shit kicking, wild eyed Southern rock band. Okay so, there's not a whole lot of them left, but that's exactly why we gotta love the ones we got. There's Raging Slab of course. Our love for them is eternal. There's new kids on the block, Black Stone Cherry, who are cool, but get a little close to mainstream MTV Nickelback territory. Then there's Antler. Who we originally thought were indie rock kids taking the piss. But their debut was just too fucking good. And too fucking genuine to be anything but. Allan and Andee saw them live at CMJ, in front of a slightly confused crowd, who were obviously unprepared to the cowboy boots, the cowboy hats, the Southern boogie, the twang and the killer classic Southern rock that was exactly what we were there to see.
Record number two finds the band in fine form. Still channeling Lynrd Skynrd, the Allman Brothers, the Outlaws, Blackfoot, but adding some extra stomp, some more crunchy guitar, but staying true to their Southern rock roots. It's perplexing why these guys were on Indie meta label Tortuga and are now part of Small Stone's stoner rock stable. These guys should be HUGE. On some major label. Playing stadiums, touring the Midwest and the South, showing rednecks worldwide that real Southern rock and roll is not dead. These guys should be wrapped in Confederate flags and showered with whiskey and weed, a harem of pretty little trailer trash girls, a private jet with a big set of antlers painted on the tail. That's what this sounds like. Kids who were 15 and 16 when Skynrd's Pronounced... came out, were getting high, getting drunk, and blasting shit like this in their Dad's pick up, parking by the lake and trying to get to second base with their second cousin.
Maybe one of these days, some label bigwig will figure out what the hell is going on, wine and dine these motherfuckers, hustle them into some penthouse office, ply them with booze and drugs, have them sign in blood on the dotted line, shove them in a tour bus and set them free to rule the rock and roll world like the boogie born Southern Rock scions they truly are!
MPEG Stream: "The Gentle Butcher"
MPEG Stream: "Deep In A Hole"
MPEG Stream: "A Little Goes A Long Way"

ANTLER s/t (Madoak / Tortuga) cd 14.98
When we first got this we were so psyched. Totally gorgeous layout / design courtesy of Hydra Head Honcho Aaron Turner, all silver metallic filligree on what looks like tooled leather. Cool band name, properly tough and mysterious. It's on Hydra Head sub label Tortuga, home to Old Man Gloom, 5ive, Tusk and other like minded metallic dronesters. So when we actually got around to listening to it we were a little confused. Actually a lot confused. We were convinced it had to be a joke. Or at least some HH/Tortuga heavy band's tongue in cheek side project. Straight up MTV country tinged rock. Full on fist in the air, beer in one hand, American (or Confederate!) flag in the other, epic arrangements and super throaty Eddie Vedder / Layne Staley / that-guy-from-Creed vocals, wailing guitar leads, heartfelt ballads, songs about cigarettes, and tombstones, and blood and battles and love and soulful, belted out lyrics like "It ain't right..." and " All I know...." and "I believe in you..."
We absolutely hated it. I mean why wouldn't we? But then something happened. I don't know what it was. I just decided to like it. There it is. Not sure why. No idea. I just did. And now I do like it. A lot! I love it actually. And I've been listening to it like crazy. It's just plain old super kick ass rock! It's sort of like Nickelback for the metalhead indie rock hipster set. That may not sound all that good, but it is. Trust me. I mean, c'mon, why should MTV watching lemmings get all the majestic arena cockrock, slide guitars, lighters held aloft and all that? It's not fair. So Antler is here to settle the score. And settle it they do.
Hard to say if this is tongue in cheek or totally genuine, but it's not really funny, or cheesy enough to be a joke (unless it's the most subtle joke ever), it's just totally commercial and radio ready. But in a good way. Just regular old stadium rock. But with that sort of glam western edge that was so popular a decade ago. Definitely makes me feel 17 again. Tooling around in my crappy 4 cylinder Mustang, feathered hair, ripped jeans, glam rock cowboy hat, blasting the first Bon Jovi record. Or maybe the Hangmen record. Yep. Just like that.
Allan and Elliott think the ballads sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their most melodic and commercial, you know like that "Under The Bridge" song. But if you've been paying attention to the AQ list, you know how much Allan likes the RHCP so no matter how much he denies it, that can only be an endorsement coming from him!
MPEG Stream: "Tombstones And Cigarettes"
MPEG Stream: "1975"
MPEG Stream: "I Got Lost"

ANTLERAND Branches (Sound Family) cd 11.98
The lead off track on this cd is so wintry you can almost see your breath while it's playing! Branches is the new album from Oregon band Antlerand, and it's a fine introduction. While they initially appear to be treading shimmering sonic ground that's already been well worn by the post rock likes of Mogwai and Sigur Ros, it soon becomes apparent that they're combining it with intelligent pop sensibilities akin to sensitive, smart pop folks Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire and Destroyer... and they're doing it exceptionally well. Chamber strings and horns join the sinewy electric guitars that just might send chills down your spine. Piano, stuttery electronics and chimes pretty things up, as do the sweet female vocals on songs such as "Maybe We're Still Running" and "Make Nothing Happen" which further the comparisons to Bright Eyes when Jenny Lewis is accompanying Conor Oberst. This is simply lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Rows Of Unbending Lines"
MPEG Stream: "Maybe We're Still Running"

ANTON MAIDEN s/t (Nihilism Records) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've listed this before, but it's finally available again after what seemed like an eternity. The fans clamored for more, and they will have more.
Anton Maiden was a 19 year old from Sweden who loved Iron Maiden, and to prove it, he stole computer midi files of his favorite Maiden tunes, and sang tunelessly, but energetically over them karaoke style. Like I need to tell you that this is absolutley fucking brilliant.
So if you missed out on this the first time, or you just want to upgrade your xeroxed cover for the new improved color copied cover, go for it.
Plus, it's no longer a cd-r, this is Anton Maiden in all his aluminum glory.

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

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

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS Hope There's Someone (Secretly Canadian) cd ep 9.98
Second single from I Am A Bird Now, from mysterious androgynous ingenue / torch singer Antony and his group the Johnsons. Smokey piano driven, gospel flecked ballads featuring Antony's amazing and impossible to describe voice, that we had described as "A rich throaty tenor, that slips effortlessly into a keening falsetto. A luxurious vibrato, trilling and wrapping itself around every note. Equal parts Nina Simone, Tiny Tim, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Scott and even a little Elvis Presley." It truly is unlike anything you'll ever hear. This single features the gut wrenching "Hope There's Someone" (you can hear a sounds sample with the review for I Am A Bird Now) as well as two unreleased tracks, both nearly as emotional and intense. The cd features a video for "Hope There's Someone" that is as creepy and darkly lovely as the song.
MPEG Stream: "Frankenstein"

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS Hope There's Someone (Secretly Canadian) 12" 9.98
Second single from I Am A Bird Now, from mysterious androgynous ingenue / torch singer Antony and his group the Johnsons. Smokey piano driven, gospel flecked ballads featuring Antony's amazing and impossible to describe voice, that we had described as "A rich throaty tenor, that slips effortlessly into a keening falsetto. A luxurious vibrato, trilling and wrapping itself around every note. Equal parts Nina Simone, Tiny Tim, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Scott and even a little Elvis Presley." It truly is unlike anything you'll ever hear. This single features the gut wrenching "Hope There's Someone" (you can hear a sounds sample with the review for I Am A Bird Now) as well as two unreleased tracks, both nearly as emotional and intense.
MPEG Stream: "Frankenstein"

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS You Are My Sister (Secretly Canadian) cd ep 5.98
Besides putting out one of the year's best albums I am a Bird Now, Antony also put on one of the most moving and brilliant live shows of the year in his SF appearance at the Palace of Fine Arts this fall. Like myself, so many people I know were brought to both tears and laughter that night. We left knowing we would never forget that night and of course wanting more Antony as soon as possible. Well here are three NEW songs as well as "You Are My Sister" a great single from the last LP with Boy George lending his vocals. If you're like us and you need an Antony fix to remember what's really important then this EP will hold you over for a bit.
MPEG Stream: "Forest Of Love"
MPEG Stream: "Paddy's Gone"

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS I Am A Bird Now (Secretly Canadian) cd 14.98
Holy shit, this record destroys me. Within 30 seconds, this record had already given me chills, unnerved me, and literally made me want to cry. On the first listen even! Just listen to the first sound sample and you'll know just what I mean. It's all about Antony's voice. A rich throaty tenor, that slips effortlessly into a keening falsetto. A luxurious vibrato, trilling and wrapping itself around every note. Equal parts Nina Simone, Tiny Tim, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Scott and even a little Elvis Presley. The instrumentation is minimal, piano, upright bass, shuffling jazz drums, occasional electric guitar. Some songs sound like jazz standards, some like lost gospel classics, others like timeless spirituals. Soaring and maudlin, without becoming overwrought or overly dramatic. He's sort of like an otherworldly, avant-garde Rufus Wainwright. Or the sort of singer you would find in a piano bar in your strangest dreams. Not sure what it was that kept us from getting into Antony And the Johnsons in the past, whether it was the overplayed Coil / Current 93 connection or the whole gender bending novelty aspect, but this record has definitely turned us around. Totally chilling, absolutely haunting and completely beautiful. Features guest performances by Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, Lou Reed and Devendra Banhart.
MPEG Stream: "Hope There's Someone"
MPEG Stream: "My Lady Story"

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS I Am A Bird Now (Secretly Canadian) lp 13.98
Now on vinyl!!!
Holy shit, this record destroys me. Within 30 seconds, this record had already given me chills, unnerved me, and literally made me want to cry. On the first listen even! Just listen to the first sound sample and you'll know just what I mean. It's all about Antony's voice. A rich throaty tenor, that slips effortlessly into a keening falsetto. A luxurious vibrato, trilling and wrapping itself around every note. Equal parts Nina Simone, Tiny Tim, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Scott and even a little Elvis Presley. The instrumentation is minimal, piano, upright bass, shuffling jazz drums, occasional electric guitar. Some songs sound like jazz standards, some like lost gospel classics, others like timeless spirituals. Soaring and maudlin, without becoming overwrought or overly dramatic. He's sort of like an otherworldly, avant-garde Rufus Wainwright. Or the sort of singer you would find in a piano bar in your strangest dreams. Not sure what it was that kept us from getting into Antony And the Johnsons in the past, whether it was the overplayed Coil / Current 93 connection or the whole gender bending novelty aspect, but this record has definitely turned us around. Totally chilling, absolutely haunting and completely beautiful. Features guest performances by Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, Lou Reed and Devendra Banhart.
MPEG Stream: "Hope There's Someone"
MPEG Stream: "My Lady Story"

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS s/t (Secretly Canadian) cd 14.98

ANZELLOTTI, TEODORO Domenico Scarlatti (Winter & Winter) cd 16.98
Adventurous accordionist Teodoro Anzellotti has already adapted the piano music of Erik Satie for another Winter & Winter disc. Now he turns to the harpsichord music of Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti, who flourished in Spain 1685-1757. Scarlatti's music blends the most modern, courtly music of his time with the ancient rustic gypsy folk tunes of the Iberian peninsula. Anzellotti's virtuosic accordion interpretations are delightful and colorful.

ANZELLOTTI, TEODORO Erik Satie (Winter & Winter) cd 16.98
Satie wonderfully adapted for accordion!!

ANZELLOTTI, TEODORO Push Pull (Hat Hut) cd 18.98
From the fellow who brought us the lovely accordion interpretations of Erik Satie on a prior cd! From the back: "Compositions such as these - unquestionably go a long way in re-defining the accordion, in liberating it from its relatively short, but heavily cliche-ridden history. In a way, the accordion's role may be compared with that of the saxophone: both children of the industrialisation of musical instrument manufacture in the 19th century, both aesthetically defined by certain popular idioms, both re-discovered and re-defined by the composers of New Music. But while I must confess that the re-invention of the saxophone has, as yet, rarely convinced me - too often the wealth of timbres and articulations created by the master jazz saxophonists has been traded for a relative sterility and blandness of tone -, I do feel that these (and other) new works for accordion have enriched the sound world of the accordion immensely, and I hope that you will share my sense of discovery."

AOA Emotion Vacation (Psy-Harmonics) cd 16.98
AOA is a Boredoms related group featuring newest member E-da and bassist Hilah (formerly Hira). "Emotion Vacation", their second full length, was recorded in Melbourne, Australia by "deep house / industrial techno / trance" producer Ollie Olsen. Eye supposedly makes a guest appearance on one track -- playing gong -- nothing exceptional, though. Very drum heavy and trancey, but unfortunately doesn't quite live up to our high expectations or overall high quality of most Boredoms-related projects (Z-Rock Hawaii, anyone??). Certainly worth seeking out for hardcore fans, but if you're looking for more psychedelic drum circle trance-out, best to seek out Psycho-Baba first.

AOKI, TAKAMASA + TUJIKO NORIKO 28 (Fat Cat) cd 15.98
28 pairs up the always lovely Ms Tujiko Noriko with Aoki Takamasa. Both are Japanese artists living in Paris, both are 28 years old (hence the title of the record). The pair initially met over 3 years ago at an event for the Cartier Foundation in Paris. Their collaboration, originally intended for just one song, worked out so well that they decided to work on a full length together, exchanging and sewing more sound bits with the loving attention of a precocious collage prodigy. A patchwork quilt of blissful, Morr-esque electronics, broken toy IDM, lilting, tender vocals, and gently textured raindrops-on-a-corrugated-roof beats. The album is silky and caressing, less jagged than Noriko's recent collaboration with Lawrence English. Reminiscent as well as Japanese chanteuse, Salyu's vocal pieces for the film, "All About Lily Chou-Chou."
MPEG Stream: ""
MPEG Stream: ""

APE HAS KILLED APE Mattricide (True Classical) cd 14.98

APENEST Volume 1 (Apenest) book 14.98
Art books can be pretty hit or miss. Especially indie underground art books, zines, etc... Which run the risk of being a little too insular, self indulgent, whatever the art version of friend rock is... Granted there are lots of exceptions, but we're sure we don't need to tell you that there is as much bad art as there is bad music. But by the same token, there's just as much good art, you just gotta know where to look. We don't often list books, especially art books, but once in a while, our ass is so kicked by one we feel compelled to share it with everybody. The latest ass kicker is the strangely titled Apenest. A 100+ page perfect bound tome, featuring 23 artists from the North East United States... Not a single artist we had heard of, but almost all of them amazing. The art is all over the map, from photos, to pencil drawings, collages, elaborate oil paintings, bizarre squiggles, abstract, lifelike, pretty, ugly, all fantastic.
The concept behind the book is pretty remarkable as well. It's incredibly difficult for artists to have a book of their work published, so for Apenest, each artist contributed an original piece of artwork, which were all assembled into a single portfolio and sold to a private collector. The money was then used to pay for the book. Simple. And now we all get to see some totally kick ass, and off the beaten path art.
Some of our favorites: James Quigley's grotesque cartoon monster drawings, Cody Hoyt's gorgeous and scary snake/rainbow/skull assemblages, Brandon Nastanski's mysterious numbered and patterned figures, Anabel Vasquez's super abstract color drenched photos, we could go on and on. Gorgeously laid out, and lovingly assembled, bits of text interspersed with the artwork, almost all of which is totally great. And so cheap! You spend so much time catering to the whims of your ears, it's high time your eyes got some serious love! Essential.
116 pages, perfect bound book, comes in a zip lock bag with stickers, an 11" x 17" offset poster and a hand silk-screened bandanna!
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.

APES, THE Fugue in the Fog (French Kiss) cd 14.98
The completely rad, hectic debut full length release from this Washington, D.C. quartet! The Apes have replaced the position of lead guitar with organ, giving their music a dark, creepy feel, while still staying totally rock. 14 raw'n'raunchy, bluesy, burlesque-y butt-kickers with four self-referential song titles. Grinding bass, thick moody moog and organ lines, and distorted angstful vocals. Fans of the Gold Standard Laboratories label might find The Apes quite to their liking. I do believe they'd fit quite nicely on a bill beside SF's Pleasure Forever (or their former incarnations The VSS and Slaves).
RealAudio clip: "Black Tears"
RealAudio clip: "Ape Town"

APHASIC Bass & Superstructure (Ambush) cd ep 10.98
Crushing noise breaks and musique concréte from Jason Skeet, co-owner of Ambush along with DJ Scud, whom
Skeet has collaborated with regularly. Harsh.

APHELION I-VI (Iris Light) cd 15.98
Former Cradle of Filth guitarist Stuart Anstis offers a solo album on the experimental Iris Light label (Szeki Kurva, Aube, Maeror Tri, Band of Pain, etc.). It's not black metal, but more of an electronic soundscape thing with beats...not bad, but not too exciting either. At least, it's much better than the solo techno record done by one of the guitarists from Dissection a while back. But when Iris Light's website goes off saying that Aphelion is "possibly one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2001, especially after the disappointment of CoFs' last album" that's a bunch of bullshit. Unlikely levels of anticipation aside, the Filthies' Stuart-less "Midian" is a good record and certainly this doesn't compare to that or any CoF disc!!

APHEX TWIN 26 Mixes For Cash (Warp) 2cd 22.00
During the early '90s, the remix became a new marketing tool to help salvage or lend credibility to A&R debacles -- signings that otherwise would have been relegated to bargain bins and been tax write-offs. With the unexpected explosion of Nirvana on one side of the world and grassroots fervor of rave culture spreading out of the UK, the confusion of A&R reps was somewhat understandable. This is exactly the context in which Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) was approached to remix The Lemonheads! Perhaps the mythology behind this remix is true -- that James had forgotten all about his commission and when the courier came around to pick up the remix, he randomly grabbed a DAT which obviously had nothing to do with the Lemonheads. When the label protested, James argued that he had sped the entire song up to build one of the snare fills! Or so the myth goes. Regardless, Aphex came away with the cash, and fans of Lemonheads' heart-throb punk image were confused if not irritated by a jackhammered blast of 909 discomfort!
Accused of rank cynicism, or of the post-ironic facade of cynicism, or of an inability to render any consistent conceptual agenda, James remains cryptic as to his intent: "I like doing it sometimes. Basically, I'll take a song and make it into something that I like. The original comes to me in a form that I hate, then I have to do a serious bit of alteration to it, and sometimes I don't even bother. I just give them a track that has nothing to do with the song."
Thus, "26 Mixes For Cash" is what it is, a collection of unrelated projects branded with the Aphex Twin trademarks: slippery ambience, klanging breakbeats, and mercurial electronic melodies. True to his own admission, the songs vary in degrees to his attachment; and those that he feels most passionately about (either love or hate -- e.g. Baby Ford, Curve, St. Etienne, and Seefeel) are rendered with the greatest panache, and others are delivered with an offhanded nonchalance (e.g. Buck Tick, Nav Katze, and Nobukazu Takemura). Certainly, this is not for Aphex neophytes. For those readers out there new to Aphex, please check out his albums "Richard D. James" or "I Care Because You Do." However, completists will be more than happy with this batch of tracks.
MPEG Stream: CURVE "Falling Free, Aphex Twin Remix"
MPEG Stream: BABY FORD "Normal, Helston Flora Remix by AFX"

APHEX TWIN 51/13 Aphex Singles Collection (Warp / WEA Australia) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Since Richard D. James has recently been hiding from the public with no indications as to when or if another Aphex Twin album will be happening, this rare Australian import collection of Aphex Twin's mid '90s singles is certainly a welcome arrival! "51/13" compiles the "On","Ventolin", and "Donkey Rhubarb" EPs which are still available individually through Warp in the UK. Even at this import price, it's cheaper than buying all of the singles individually.
During this period of Aphex Twin's sound, he was continuing his mutations of hardcore techno breakbeats, which had been popularized by the likes of The Prodigy, Meat Beat Manifesto, and XL Records. For those who care about such things, this breakbeat sound was instrumental in the birth of drum 'n' bass, yet is drastically different in that the hardcore breakbeats are internally constructed by a drum machine (usually a Roland 909), whereas drum 'n' bass actively sampled its breakbeats from the history of soul, funk, and jazz. As a result of the technological process of the creation of the breakbeat, these three Aphex Twin singles have a particularly cybernetic feel to them. However, Aphex Twin uses this sound as a counterpoint to the oddly whimsical melodies from his re-wired and re-programmed MIDI patches for piano, harp, calliope, and bells. These are the same sounds that the Aphex Twin droned out on his beautiful "Selected Ambient Works Volume 2." "51/13" also features the seemingly incongruous collaboration between Aphex Twin and Philip Glass! For this piece called "Icct Hedral," Glass scored a dramatic orchestral piece around the repetition of a distinctly Aphex Twin melodic phrase. It's surprising how well this particular piece works.
For a lot of electronica, history tends to date and make obsolete certain sounds and artists... But this has never been the case with Aphex Twin.
RealAudio clip: "Donkey Rhubarb"
RealAudio clip: "Icct Hendral"
RealAudio clip: "On"

APHEX TWIN Classics (Rough Trade) cd 21.00

APHEX TWIN Come to Daddy EP (Sire) cd 9.98
The title track of this ep scared the pickles out of me. And the video will do the same. Must hear. Must see. Richard D. James, you rule.

APHEX TWIN Drukqs (Warp / Sire) 2cd 21.00
It's been five years since the Aphex Twin unleashed his Surrealist-tainted slab of brilliance "The Richard D. James Album," which jauntily skipped around the accepted boundaries of contemporary electronica with surprising ease and an almost voiceless black humor. "Drukqs" (which is supposedly pronounced 'drugs', and despite his typically weirdo spelling may be the easiest Aphex title to decipher yet) finds Aphex Twin again accepting the challenge of circumnavigating all of electronica's current micro-styles within a single album. As electronica has expanded almost exponentially through technological advances and divergent aesthetic mutations during Aphex' five year sabbatical, you can almost hear him audibly gulping at the task that is in front of him. As a result, he is forced to offer a double album in this attempt to once again become the eccentric scientist who has a knack for the dancefloor.
From the get-go, Aphex Twin wisely sidesteps the currently hip clickery of the Ritornell / Raster labels, jumping straight into his tried and true forms of bastardized drum 'n' bass punctuated by delicate piano-ambient interludes. Unfortunately, Aphex has been following the rather tepid stylings of 2 step and speed garage, instead of the vibrant spasticity of Lesser or the mentally damaged dancehall of DJ Scud. Thus, the ambient artifacts -- which come across as Satie's "Furniture Music" for the H.R. Giger set, being both deliciously macabre yet tonally beautiful -- are the more interesting moments found on the first half of the album. Disc two offers a few classic Aphex sounding tracks of smoldering acid squelchiness, time-stretched vocal snippets, and complex grooves built out of constantly counterpointing rhythms. Again, these are spaced between delicate halcyon piano ambience, something which at times appears as dinner jazz for the IDM set.
While certain individual tracks flash a programming brilliance cast with his ever-present sideways smirk, easily putting his contemporaries to shame, "Drukqs" as a whole never really finds a direction; nor, does it makes much progression though all of the various electronica agendas. Nevertheless, those of you already cardcarrying members of the Aphex fanclub won't be disappointed.
RealAudio clip: "Meltphacc 6 "
RealAudio clip: "Vordhosbn"
RealAudio clip: "Ziggomatic 17"

APHEX TWIN Drukqs (Warp) 4lp 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The new Aphex Twin now available on vinyl, you know if you want it, I'm sure. It ain't cheap, and you're going to have trouble filing it with your other LPs, 'cause it's in a "deluxe" package that consists of an unnecessarily large 12" x 18" box containing the 4 lps and a stupid piece of cardboard that holds 'em in place and fills the space. I mean, it looks cool from a distance, sure, but where are you going to put it? At least they should have put something interesting in there to justify the larger dimensions, other than a folded piece of cardboard! In case you missed it last time, we'll now recap our review of the actual album (no, there hasn't been enough time since the cd came out for us to have come up with any new, revised opinions, although that may still happen):
It's been five years since the Aphex Twin unleashed his Surrealist-tainted slab of brilliance "The Richard D. James Album," which jauntily skipped around the accepted boundaries of contemporary electronica with surprising ease and an almost voiceless black humor. "Drukqs" (which is supposedly pronounced 'drugs', and despite his typically weirdo spelling may be the easiest Aphex title to decipher yet) finds Aphex Twin again accepting the challenge of circumnavigating all of electronica's current micro-styles within a single album. As electronica has expanded almost exponentially through technological advances and divergent aesthetic mutations during Aphex' five year sabbatical, you can almost hear him audibly gulping at the task that is in front of him. As a result, he is forced to offer a double album in this attempt to once again become the eccentric scientist who has a knack for the dancefloor.
From the get-go, Aphex Twin wisely sidesteps the currently hip clickery of the Ritornell / Raster labels, jumping straight into his tried and true forms of bastardized drum 'n' bass punctuated by delicate piano-ambient interludes. Unfortunately, Aphex has been following the rather tepid stylings of 2 step and speed garage, instead of the vibrant spasticity of Lesser or the mentally damaged dancehall of DJ Scud. Thus, the ambient artifacts -- which come across as Satie's "Furniture Music" for the H.R. Giger set, being both deliciously macabre yet tonally beautiful -- are the more interesting moments found on the first half of the album. Disc two offers a few classic Aphex sounding tracks of smoldering acid squelchiness, time-stretched vocal snippets, and complex grooves built out of constantly counterpointing rhythms. Again, these are spaced between delicate halcyon piano ambience, something which at times appears as dinner jazz for the IDM set.
While certain individual tracks flash a programming brilliance cast with his ever-present sideways smirk, easily putting his contemporaries to shame, "Drukqs" as a whole never really finds a direction; nor, does it makes much progression though all of the various electronica agendas. Nevertheless, those of you already cardcarrying members of the Aphex fanclub won't be disappointed.

APHEX TWIN I Care Because You Do (Warp) cd 12.98
Quite possibly Mr. James' best album. Electronic music of the maddest genius kind. Pure twisted brilliance.
MPEG Stream: "Acrid Avid Jam"
MPEG Stream: "Ventolin"

APHEX TWIN Richard D. James (Warp/Sire) cd 12.98
Finally released in the USA, this includes a whole album plus the Girl/Boy e.p. we love so much. Instrumental lovesong features soaring violins & chiming xylophone, comes complete with chorus, tension, progression and melody (yes melody) that -emotes- more than unneccessary lyrics ever could. Richard James' first foray into jungle rhythms is wildly successful in no small part because it FEELS exactly like the best rock song but doesn't sound at all like rock. You know?

APHEX TWIN Richard D. James Album (Warp) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

APHEX TWIN Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (R&S Records) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

APHEX TWIN Selected Ambient Works Volume 2 (Warp) 2cd 21.00
The album from which Richard D. James' electronica genius became obvious. Selected Ambient Works 2 is as if James sonically replicated the post-slumber / pre-waking state when sunlight first strikes the dream riddled eye within the memory banks of his rewired samplers. A beautiful, synaesthetic and haunting post-techno ambient that really must be heard!

APHOTIC s/t cd 7.98

APHOTIC Stillness Grows (Flood The Earth) cd 10.98

APHOTIC Under Veil Of Dark cd 7.98

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