ARAB STRAP Monday At the Hug & Pint (Matador) lp 11.98
Arab Strap return with another record of lurid relationship confessionals. Tales of love and fucking gone wrong are given a musical backing that mixes up warm strings and outdated drum machine dance beats, languorous guitar downer pop and funky bass. As always, tragic and ugly, a made-to-order soundtrack for bad sex, worse breakups and the corner pub where you drown your sorrows afterwards. It's all singing this time from Aidan (half of the Strap), but I kinda miss the spoken confessions of nastiness, betrayal and sorrow, all breathy gruffness barely covering the underlying heartbreak on previous records (but then I have a personal fondness for spoken vocals). Arab Strap's strength is getting away with hyper-personal, depressing sentiments without sounding totally self-indulgent or whiny (maybe it has something to do with their singer being a burly, drunken Scot and not some fey, barely post-pubescent midwestern college boy? or is it due to the honesty in singing about fucking other people over as often as gettting fucked over?) That strength is thoroughly apparent on "Monday At The Hug & Pint," a wrenching experience even if it's not as deliciously dirty as my personal fave Strap album "Philophobia."

ARAB STRAP Philophobia (Matador) cd 14.98
Scottish duo whose melancholy murmurings remind us of Tindersticks more than anything else.

ARAB STRAP Philophobia (Matador) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Scottish duo whose melancholy murmurings remind us of Tindersticks more than anything else.

ARAB STRAP Ten Years Of Tears (Chemikal Underground) cd 15.98
Nooooo, say it isn't so! Ten Years Of Tears -- a collection of Arab Strap odds'n'ends -- marks the close of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton's tavern of awesome melancholic vitriolic folk (the band played their final shows in late 2006). These Scots always shined brightest when they were sounding their most liquor-blurred, beleaguered and foul tempered singing about fucked up relationships, tawdry sexual liaisons, and assorted other daily downers atop programmed beat driven folksiness. Theirs was (and is) the perfect music to play when you wanna be dancing and be all bummed out at the same time. This fan-pleasing cd compiles alternate versions, remixes, live recordings and B-sides rounded out by a few album tracks. Keep an ear out for their rousing cover of Bonnie Tyler's "It's A Heartache".
MPEG Stream: "The Shy Retirer"
MPEG Stream: "Blood (Live '04)"
MPEG Stream: "It's A Heartache"

ARAB STRAP The Last Romance (Transdreamer) cd 14.98
What's been concocted in the Arab Strap brewery since their last album Monday At the Hug & Pint back in 2003? Something big. To mark their tenth year of existence, they've opted to pour their sixth album into a sleekly produced affair with surprisingly fleshed out full band arrangements (horns, strings, the whole kit'n'kaboodle). As a result, it's mighty big on rock, lush and slightly shoegazerly, and their trademark endless-night-at-the-pub melancholia really benefits from this new turn of events. Never fear, Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffett are as bleary-eyed, sneering and ill-tempered as ever, but their sourness has never sounded so sweet. Their battered romantic hearts have muscled over their whiskeyed vitriolic spirits this time. Some songs here are downright beautiful. Check out "Don't Ask Me To Dance" and the album's official closer "There Is No Ending". You just wanna give 'em a hug. Psst, a secret bonus: we just noticed that there's an additional two songs at the end ("El Paso Song" and "Go Back To The Sea") that aren't mentioned in the track listing on the back of the cd!
MPEG Stream: "Stink"
MPEG Stream: "(If There's) No Hope For Us "
MPEG Stream: "Don't Ask Me To Dance"

ARAB STRAP The Red Thread (Matador) cd 13.98
Arab Strap's fourth album finds the Scottish duo returning to Chemikal Underground / Matador after an ill-conceived stint with Go! Beat, who were pushing the purveyors of miserablism to produce the big hits like Portishead. It's not really clear what Go! Beat was thinking, as Arab Strap have always told gritty tales of discontent from shit jobs and materialist escapism through alcohol. With a curt "fuck you," Arab Strap returned to their first label and continues down their path of self-loathing and self-medication.
The title of this album refers to an ancient eastern theology which posits that an invisible red thread links soulmates. Yet within Arab Strap's semi-autobiographical tales, the quest for the soulmate has been marred by the regrets of casual sex and the physical misery of one too many hangovers. As on previous albums, Aidan Moffat's half spoken / half sung confessionals reveal little guilt (and more pleasure) from alcoholic misadventures. Musically, this is just as spartan as before, with crappy drum machines given fantastic production and simple minor-chord guitar melodies. Instead of putting those 'Parental Advisory' stickers on this album, there should be stickers advising not to drink when listening to Arab Strap's albums.
RealAudio clip: "Haunt Me"
RealAudio clip: "Love Detective"
RealAudio clip: "Turbulence"

ARAB STRAP The Red Thread (Matador) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Arab Strap's fourth album finds the Scottish duo returning to Chemikal Underground / Matador after an ill-conceived stint with Go! Beat, who were pushing the purveyors of miserablism to produce the big hits like Portishead. It's not really clear what Go! Beat was thinking, as Arab Strap have always told gritty tales of discontent from shit jobs and materialist escapism through alcohol. With a curt "fuck you," Arab Strap returned to their first label and continues down their path of self-loathing and self-medication.
The title of this album refers to an ancient eastern theology which posits that an invisible red thread links soulmates. Yet within Arab Strap's semi-autobiographical tales, the quest for the soulmate has been marred by the regrets of casual sex and the physical misery of one too many hangovers. As on previous albums, Aidan Moffat's half spoken / half sung confessionals reveal little guilt (and more pleasure) from alcoholic misadventures. Musically, this is just as spartan as before, with crappy drum machines given fantastic production and simple minor-chord guitar melodies. Instead of putting those 'Parental Advisory' stickers on this album, there should be stickers advising not to drink when listening to Arab Strap's albums.

ARAB STRAP The Shy Retirer E.P. (Matador) cd ep 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Arab Strap's application of their unmistakable hungover dourness to a couple of '80s hard rock megahits -- the ever-brooding Scots cover AC/DC's trademark "You Shook Me All Night Long" and Van Hagar's chart-topper "Why Can't This Be Love?" -- proves to be a somewhat trying experience for the listener. However set those two songs aside, and you're left with three others which fare considerably better. Plus, of course no EP these days can be without an obligatory remix, and The Shy Retirer is no exception... voila, Dirty Hospital contributed a remix of the title track.
MPEG Stream: "The Shy Retirer (radio edit)"
MPEG Stream: "Why Can't This Be Love?"

ARAB STRAP The Week Never Starts Around Here (Matador) cd 13.98
The domestic release of the first album from this amazing Scottish duo. Not nearly as morose or cohesive of an album as Philophobia, The Week Never Starts Around Here displays a remarkable sense of humor in between all of the references to alcohol and sex. Think either Lou Barlow, Tindersticks, or Nick Cave on a drinking binge of your favorite hard liquor.

ARAB STRAP Turbulence (Mixes) (Chemikal Underground) cd ep 8.98
Remixes of Scottish duo Arab Strap's first single off of their newest "The Red Thread" album by Bis, Jason Famous and... Arab Strap. Three pleasant, if not particularly challenging tracks for diehard AS completists (AS newcomers should definitely check out their earlier albums prior to this). The first two versions vary very little from the original. Bis bring their light dance-iness to the fore by ever so slightly pumping up and shifting the programmed beats. The result? Somewhat of an undermining of the traditional Arab Strap moody melancholia. Continuing on, even after repeated listens, I could not detect much if any difference in the Arab Strap reworking of themselves. And what about Jason Famous? Well, his remix is by far the most interesting and altered of the three. Taking the song away from its linear tale of woe into a deep mainly instrumental groove with Aidan Moffett's bleak, bummer vocals reduced to affected snippets.
RealAudio clip: "Bis Remix"

ARAB STRAP Turbulence (Mixes) (Chemikal Underground) 12" 8.98
Remixes of Scottish duo Arab Strap's first single off of their newest "The Red Thread" album by Bis, Jason Famous and... Arab Strap. Three pleasant, if not particularly challenging tracks for diehard AS completists (AS newcomers should definitely check out their earlier albums prior to this). The first two versions vary very little from the original. Bis bring their light dance-iness to the fore by ever so slightly pumping up and shifting the programmed beats. The result? Somewhat of an undermining of the traditional Arab Strap moody melancholia. Continuing on, even after repeated listens, I could not detect much if any difference in the Arab Strap reworking of themselves. And what about Jason Famous? Well, his remix is by far the most interesting and altered of the three. Taking the song away from its linear tale of woe into a deep mainly instrumental groove with Aidan Moffett's bleak, bummer vocals reduced to affected snippets.

ARASTOO Three (Isounderscore) lp 13.98
Arastoo is another one of those outfits (persons, actually) who has loads of releases out, but all of them are ultra limited and thus seemingly impossible to get. The last (and only) thing we had from Arastoo was a gorgeous cd-r released on Dielectric records, and now of course out of print. So we were super excited when AQ pal Brandon decided to release a brand new Arastoo on his label Isoundcore. it's still limited of course, but we managed to get a bunch, although we imagine these won't last long.
Arastoo is Arastoo Darakhshan, and is another in the brotherhood of the drone, deftly exploring a warm and wonderful drone drenched ambience. Three is a series of deep cavernous drones, warm and rich, not so much rumbling and sort of washing over you like the sun drenched surf. But this is NOT sunny, this is like a sky devoid of sun, a blanket of rich blackness, permanent nighttime. Occasionally punctuated by haunting reverbed tones, presumably the sound of struck metal. Creepy buzzing alien melodies drift by like a broken trumpet or some sort of shortwave guitar. The heart of the record is a massive, slow building ultra dense drone, layers of low-end get thicker and thicker, while additional layers are added slowly and subtly, each of those new layers, slightly higher in pitch, the result is a rich swirl of strange overtones and hunting ghostlike melodies. Gorgeous.
Housed in an amazing gloss black on matte black sleeve.

ARASTOO Warmth In Digital (Dielectric) cd-r 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
So let's get the business stuff out of the way first. THIS IS VERY LIMITED. In fact, we have the only 17 copies left. Of the 50 ever produced. We tend to be kind of opposed to ultra limited releases, obviously if a release is good enough to release at all, and then spend loads of time and money on, then it makes sense that you would want as many people as possible to hear it. But sometimes cicumstances make that unrealistic.
Running a label is hard. Especially when you specialize in really strange music, spend a lot of money on packaging, and then don't sell a whole lot of records. Even though the records you release are amazing. This happens way more than you think. Often the result is cool little labels just giving up. Which is always a drag. In the case of Dielectric, another label with a houseful of unsold records, all of which we've raved about here, the solution was to start doing super limited, lovingly assembled cd-r's, limiting the financial risk, and of course the amount of space needed to store the damn things. So here we have the newest release by Arastoo, aka Arastoo Darakhshan, who produces some of the most haunting, gorgeously ethereal ambient music we've ever heard. Drifting and shimmering, these thirteen tracks, embrace nature, but in a totally abstract way, dark soundscapes of distant vibrations and subtle sonic shifts, late night expanses of moonlight and forest flutter, smoothed into warm, rich drones. There seems to be guitars, but the actual notes are muted and spread into dreamy ethereal wisps of sound. Really amazing. Coleclough, Mirror, Ora, Chalk and Basinski have nothing on Arastoo. Packaged with six oversized cards, printed with full colour images of industrial landscapes, mostly blown up abstract details, wrapped in a vellum outer sleeve that folds shut like the petals of a flower and is held closed with a wax seal!
Be warned, the wax seal is VERY delicate and will most likely crack or crumble in the mail, or even on the shelf, you'll just have to deal with it since you'll have to break the wax seal anyway to listen to it. So don't expect an intact one.
And again we only have 17 copies. After these are gone, it is gone for good!
MPEG Stream: "October"
MPEG Stream: "Wooded Area"
MPEG Stream: "Moss"

ARBETE OCH FRITID s/t (Music Network) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
BACK IN STOCK! As if to keep Charlie & Esdor company (see elsewhere on the list)...here's our review of this from when we first listed it:
International Harvester, Algarnas Tradgard, Trad Gras Och Stenar, Kebnekajse. If those names mean anything to you then you're probably like us -- a big fan of Sweden's answer to krautrock, the Svenska psych-prog-folk bands of the seventies. There's been a veritable smorgasbord of cd reissues of awesome if obscure classic LPs by these and other '70s Swedish outfits over the past couple of years, and now comes this, a cd version of the third (we think, but maybe it's the fourth?) album by this legendary group, Arbete & Fritid, from 1973. Like Harvester and Kebnekajse especially, you'll hear plenty of traditional Scandinavian traditional folk music mixed up with a kinda Velvet Underground rock style in A&F. They've been described as sounding like the "Third Ear Band meets Terry Riley" and that's pretty accurate, especially on the last track here, a 20 minute drone-jam called "Ostpusten-Vastpusten" that's probably worth the eighteen bucks this costs alone. That's actually a bonus cut, taken from the Arbete & Fritid side of a 1972 split LP with some other band we've yet to hear. While that's the highlight, the rest of this disc is mighty fine too, the only problem perhaps being how their diverse interest in folk, politics, repetitive minimalism, and experimental jazz doesn't always lead to them maintaining a consistent vibe. During one song you'll be transported to the a cold farmhouse in the Swedish wilderness filled with rustic hippies sawing on violins, but then on the next you're in a basement radical jazz club pondering urban issues after a streetfight with the Man. In a way though that's kinda cool. Tea party waltzes and heavy fuzz jams, they're all here. Had we heard A&F before those other bands mentioned above, it's quite likely that they'd be the measure by which we'd judge the rest, as apparently they were a seminal influence on the scene -- in fact, members of the Parson Sound/Trad Gras Och Stenar axis later joined A&F after this particular album. Hopefully then this is only the first of a slew of A&F reissues! [Hasn't happened yet...we've only seen one other reissue and it wasn't as good.]
MPEG Stream: "Ganglat Efter Lejsme Per Larsson, Malung"
MPEG Stream: "Petrokemi Det Kan Man Inte Bada I"

ARBOGA TEENAGE RIOT Ugly Crew Demos (Daft Alliance) cd 7.98
This crazy slab of awesome noisy weirdness back in stock again!!!
Once again, we can just tell when a record is going to be a hit here. Something intangible that tells us that everyone is going to absolutely love (or absolutely hate but still need to own) this record. We felt it about the Conet Project. Hatebeak. Daddy's Curses. The Thai Elephant Orchestra. And now Arboga Teenage Riot.
The story goes like this. Our pal Nathan was on tour in Europe and while traveling through Sweden, two young ladies handed him a tape. The tape sat in the bottom of his bag, unlistened to for months. On his return to the states he remembered the tape, put it in the stereo, pushed play and had his mind promptly blown. And we'll have to admit we feel exactly the same way. Imagine ultra lo-fi, high energy techno / gabber, all four on the floor beats and cheesy synths, whistles and those kinds of melodies usually reserved for cheerleading competitions. "You All Ready For This?!?!" DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK DONK! You know of what we speak. So now imagine two teenage girls, sometimes making up Swedish lyrics and chanting them in cute sing-songy harmonies, but more often, just screaming and growling hysterically in their best approximation of black metal vocals, sounding like they were just dubbed over the music on a boombox (which they probably were). This is the real digital hard core! Or more accurately ANALOG HARD CORE!!! If Alec Empire had any balls Arboga Teenage Riot would be the next DHR superstars. ATR take techno and black metal and riot grrl and DIY recording and turn it into a totally bizarre, fascinating, fun and funny masterpiece! The cover is pretty sharp too, a huge swamp beast thing emerging from the water, beneath a hot pink totally illegible Arboga Teenage Riot black metal style logo! Fuck yeah!
MPEG Stream: "Two"
MPEG Stream: "Three"

ARBOREA Wayfaring Summer (Summer Street) cd 11.98
We hadn't heard too much about these fluttering folk faeries, but odds are, we'll all be hearing a whole lot about these guys (and gals) in the near future. The sound they make is a gorgeous sun dappled blend of soft focus Appalachia, folky forest drift, shimmering indie shuffle, all wrapped in a warm gauzy production like a lazy summer afternoon spent on a porch swing, just sitting, and staring out at everything and nothing. 
Minor key melodies unfurl via stately steel string guitar, a lilting mix: a little blues, a little Appalachia, a little moody ambience, flecks of twang here and there, all very spare and languorous. The female vocals are gently affected, the result a perfect mix of modern nu-folk, some Chan Marshall, some Joannna Newsom, and a healthy dose of classic old school British folk, Incredible String Band, Pentangle... the vocals very dramatic and swoonsome, perfectly complimenting the dark twangy swirl beneath. At some points the vocals become much more intense and pronounced, and we're definitely reminded of Jolie Holland, the vibe becoming decidedly country at times, but even then, the music continues to sway and shimmer, drifting and floating, the leaves in the trees above rustling, the leaves below crunching underfoot. So lovely. 
Obvious comparisons would be Devendra, Newsom, Feathers, Vetiver, Brightblack, Espers, and odds are anyone into that stuff will be quite smitten by Arborea, but even folks who aren't always sold on this new wave of folk revivalists, might find Arborea's old fashioned sounds just familiar enough to wrap up in like an favorite old blanket...
MPEG Stream: "Wayfaring Summer"
MPEG Stream: "River And Rapids"
MPEG Stream: "Wake Up, Little Sparrow"

ARBOURETUM Rites Of Uncovering (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
It's not surprising that Rites Of Uncovering sounds like Palace on overdrive, as Arbouretum's mastermind, David Huemann, is a veteran sessions musician for both of the Oldham brothers as well as Cass McCombs. In fact, Paul Oldham takes on production duties through this sort-of concept record based on the writings of Paul Bowles. But avoiding conventional song-structures for a more organic evolving approach of shambling tribal blues and rustic folk motifs plays to Heumann's strengths as a big picture songwriter steering clear of the first person confessional stance of Will Oldham's narratives. If you wish those Bonnie Prince Billy records had a more epic musical bite to them, then Arbourteum might just fill your prescription.
MPEG Stream: "Signposts and Instruments"
MPEG Stream: "Pale Rider Blues"

ARC The Circle Is Not Round (A Silent Place) cd 15.98
The Canadian avant-drone guitarist Aidan Baker has been popping up quite a bit at Aquarius in recent months. While he has been quite active in producing numerous drone-based releases, we first took serious notice of his work thanks to the atmospheric doom of his project Nadja. He also turned up on an exceptional 4-way split alongside John Duncan, Z'ev, and Fear Falls Burning. Arc is another project from Baker, finding him working alongside a couple of percussionists in this pastorally psychedelic, improv ensemble. The Circle Is Not Round began as a series of live recordings that Baker blurs into a concoction that lays somewhere in between the spiralling melancholy of a non-aggressive Troum and the '70s prog-ambience of Popul Vuh. Baker's impressionist guitar drones are at the center of these recordings; and while the original live sessions probably slanted more towards the hippie and less the psychedelic end of the spectrum, Baker abstracts all of his sounds with enough backwards masking, tapeloops, and shimmering delay patterns to transform the improv noodling into slow burning dissonant crescendos, earthen throbs, and kosmiche soundscapes with more than a few references to Fennesz, Growing, and even Kompakt's Pop Ambient sound, if you can imagine a guitarist doing his best impersonation of that very digitally constructed ambience.
MPEG Stream: "Desire Is Suffering"
MPEG Stream: "Prajna"

ARCADE AMBIANCE '81 (GDG) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You know we love field recordings and "environmental sounds". And you know we love '80s arcade games (witness the vintage Tron and Rastan machines that now make their home in our shop). So when we found out about these "Aracade Ambiance" discs -- which are exactly what the name implies -- we had to have them, and suspect that more than a few of our customers will want 'em too. There's three volumes in this professionally reproduced cd-r series, 1981, 1983, and 1986. We have all three but thought we'd get more of this first and earliest entry to highlight it on our list, this time.
It's one hour of "authentic" eighties video arcade sounds, what you'd hear if you paid a visit to a busy, bustling arcade back in '81. The blips and beeps and blasts of video violence, memorable musical themes from classic games, some crowd noises and of course the occasional clatter of the coin changer/token machine... it's just like we're ten years old again and skipping school. Those of us of a certain age that is -- some of the staff here at AQ weren't even born back then. Actually I might have been a little older before I spent a lot of time hanging out in the local arcades, as when younger I recall having bad day at the "Pennsylvania Spacetion" when some bullies took my tokens... Anyway if you were shooting aliens and asteroids, running mazes and dodging monsters way back when, this is gonna be a definite nostalgia trip!
We put "authentic" in quotes above 'cause this is actually a bit like the Jurassic Soundscapes cd we highlighted on our last list. The fellow who put these together didn't have the amazing foresight to drag a tape recorder out to a real video arcade back in '81. Nor was he able to convert a Time Pilot game into an actual time machine, though there's a good chance that he's dreamed of such a thing (which he probably wouldn't use to meet Jesus or kill Hitler or buy Google stock but instead to blow quarters at his local long-gone eighties arcade). "Composer" Andy Hoyle (whose face appears on the back cover of these discs, for some reason) wanted to create an background ambient soundscape to help give the impression that when playing retro games on his home console, he was actually in an arcade back in the day. Carefully collaging the musical cues and sound effects from period video games (this '81 set including the likes of Centipede, Asteroids, Gorf, PacMan, Defender, Frogger, Qix, Berzerk, Crazy Climber, Missile Command, Rally X, Space Invaders, Tempest, Galaga, Galaxian, Donkey Kong, and many more) with some more generic sounds recorded in a modern day arcade, Hoyle has artificially (and very convincingly!!) re-created what an arcade in 1981 actually would have sounded like. Not unlike the way field recordist Jean-Luc Herelle enabled us to hear the trompings and trumpetings of the dinosaurs of the Jurassic, 200 million years ago... It's a dense, non-looping, almost-hypnotic soundscape that Hoyle has sampled and sequenced. Heck it IS hypnotic for those of us in love with arcades!
And like we said, we also have copies of Arcade Ambiance '83 and '86 available, they're great too, each one guaranteed to bring back remarkably specific memories to those who wasted afternoons (and many quarters) during the golden age of arcade gaming... you can practically smell the cigarette smoke (that's right, they allowed smoking in arcades, and most machines had burns on 'em from players resting their cigarettes) and bask in the imagined video glow. Good times!
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 8"

ARCADE AMBIANCE '83 (GDG) cd-r 12.98
Here's the 2nd volume in this cd-r series -- we highlighted volume one, Arcade Ambience '81, last time around. Remember 1983? Remember the video arcade games that were popular that year? The '83 disc will refresh your memory. Burgertime, Dig Dug, Elevator Action, Galaga, Joust, Mario Bros., Millipede, Moon Patrol, Ms. Pacman, Pengo, Pole Position, Qbert, Robotron, Sinistar, Stargate, Time Pilot, Track & Field, Tron, Zaxxon, and more, all make appearances on this simulated arcade field recording soundscape. You'll be listening to it, and be like, oh yeah, I remember that game!, as a simple combination of sounds strikes a chord deep within your brain somewhere -- like, oh crap, here comes Sinistar! or the pesky dragon from Joust!
If you aren't an arcade aficionado (or even if you are), this disc is basically an insane, extremely dense collage of electronic bleeps and bloops, zaps and braps, a bit like being trapped in a fierce sci-fi space battle, but for the snippets of music and the clang of coins dropped into machines... in other words, the general ambience of a bustling video game palace at the height of the arcade era. Our review of the '81 volume explains that while these are not actual field recordings, but instead modern-day, computer-aided recreations, these discs certainly sound convincing. A well-crafted nostalgia trip for video gamers, and also an interesting item for fans of unique environmental sounds!
NB. We're not listing the '86 cd-r quite yet 'cause some of the copies we got were bad burns, unfortunately, and we've got to test out our entire stock for glitches... if you already bought one from us, check and see if towards the things get sort of choppy and distorted? Not saying that doesn't sound cool, but it doesn't sound like any video arcade we've ever been in, except maybe on drugs (just kidding). Let us know if you've got a defective disc and we'll see about getting replacements from the label.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 8"

ARCADE FIRE Cold Wind / Brazil (Merge) 7" 3.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
These Canadians (and their American record label) sure know how to keep their fans satiated over the summer months. They not only reissued the band's debut EP recently, but have also popped out this lil' 7" single. Two songs: one original and one cover of an oft-covered beloved oldie from 1939! Sure to please their ever-growing legions of fans... particularly the ones with record players, although there's been a few turntableless, A.F. completist folks who 'needed' it too. On clear vinyl and packaged in a super pretty vellum sleeve.

ARCADE FIRE Funeral (Merge) cd 14.98
Hey, check out this new Canadian band's elegant swagger and dandy bombast. If the number of recent in-store queries about them is any indication, many other folks seem to be doing likewise and diggin' what they hear! The lead-off track with its thumpin' dance beat and swooning male vocals (be forewarned, they occasionally cross the line into overwrought moan'n'wail) is totally reminiscent of Pulp's "Disco 3000". At once, it's both steeped in despair and drenched with fun. However, the next song jumps over to more aggressive, post-punk territory a la P.I.L. meets Interpol (particularly in the vocals, although A.F.'s singer has a peculiar warbly voice all his own which received a chilly reception from some folks around these parts). By the fourth song, a galloping very Modest Mouse-y tune, you sorta get the sense that this group has a multitude of personalities. That said, the one track that seems to encapsulate Arcade Fire's scope comes at the mid-point of the album. "Crown Of Love" is a soaring grande orchestral hand-wringer that suddenly bursts into discoland for its finish (again very Jarvis Cocker/Pulp-ish). But then again, the following song is totally in the swirling Flaming Lips vein (complete with very Coyne-esque singing), and the female-sung closing number comes across as very very Bjork-influenced. So what do all of these elder artists have in common which is also at the core of these young'uns' impressive sound? A complete unabashed flair for drama, untethered emotive vibrato-laced vocals and no fear of a thumpin' beat to get the blood pumpin'. This band can raise the roof and sink into a quagmyre of gloom as they see fit. Sure to tickle the fancy of many fans of those aforementioned bands.
MPEG Stream: "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)"
MPEG Stream: "Crown Of Love "

ARCADE FIRE Funeral (Merge) lp 14.98
NOW ON VINYL! Here's what we had to say about the cd a little while back:
Hey, check out this new Canadian band's elegant swagger and dandy bombast. If the number of recent in-store queries about them is any indication, many other folks seem to be doing likewise and diggin' what they hear! The lead-off track with its thumpin' dance beat and swooning male vocals (be forewarned, they occasionally cross the line into overwrought moan'n'wail) is totally reminiscent of Pulp's "Disco 3000". At once, it's both steeped in despair and drenched with fun. However, the next song jumps over to more aggressive, post-punk territory a la P.I.L. meets Interpol (particularly in the vocals, although A.F.'s singer has a peculiar warbly voice all his own which received a chilly reception from some folks around these parts). By the fourth song, a galloping very Modest Mouse-y tune, you sorta get the sense that this group has a multitude of personalities. That said, the one track that seems to encapsulate Arcade Fire's scope comes at the mid-point of the album. "Crown Of Love" is a soaring grande orchestral hand-wringer that suddenly bursts into discoland for its finish (again very Jarvis Cocker/Pulp-ish). But then again, the following song is totally in the swirling Flaming Lips vein (complete with very Coyne-esque singing), and the female-sung closing number comes across as very very Bjork-influenced. So what do all of these elder artists have in common which is also at the core of these young'uns' impressive sound? A complete unabashed flair for drama, untethered emotive vibrato-laced vocals and no fear of a thumpin' beat to get the blood pumpin'. This band can raise the roof and sink into a quagmyre of gloom as they see fit. Sure to tickle the fancy of many fans of those aforementioned bands.
MPEG Stream: "Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)"
MPEG Stream: "Crown Of Love "

ARCADE FIRE Intervention (Merge) 7" 4.98
Arcade Fire fans, we're sure you're more than familiar with the song "Intervention" from the band's most recent full length. It's a dandy, right? But do you also recall another tune from the same album, the one with the awesome horn section (otherwise known as the Calexico brass)? Yeah, you know the one... "Ocean Of Noise" (which we consider the aural equivalent of a peanut butter cup)! It's definitely one of Neon Bible's highlights. Well, Calexico went and recorded their very own rendition of the song, and no surprise, it's a splendid, somber, shimmering wonder! So, for the latest Arcade Fire single, Merge Records wisely included Tucson's finest on the flip side. It is THE reason you need this (whether you dig Arcade Fire or Calexico, both or neither). So good!

ARCADE FIRE Keep The Car Running / Broken Window (Merge) 7" 5.98
One of Arcade Fire's most goodest tunes from their latest album Neon Bible is now available to all of you 7" record spinners! Yup, and it's accompanied by a vinyl only tune called "Broken Window" which completists surely won't want to miss!

ARCADE FIRE Neon Bible (Merge) 2lp 21.00
NOW ON VINYL! 2004's Funeral made it clear that Arcade Fire aren't shy about dishin' the melodrama and bombast, and this time around they definitely make no bones about it. These decidedly unreserved Canucks are laying it on extra heavy. They've taken the goods from Funeral and juiced 'em up even more, delivering an unquestionable fan pleaser that maintains the infectious spark of their debut, but drapes it with more opulent finery. Musically this is most notable in the cathedral organ and choral departments. It may have you wondering if you're attending a wedding or a funeral! However, those musings are swiftly swept away by the soaring, big Chicago style horns in "Windowsill" and "No Cars Go" (another candidate for single material in our books!). We'd say the obvious choice for a first single on the album is the second tune "Keep The Car Running", but has anyone else noticed that it sounds as if it could break into John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side" from that '80s flick Eddie And The Cruisers at any moment? In fact, Arcade Fire conjure numerous other touchstones of that decade -- the female vocals remarkably resemble Kim Wilde as the male ones do Bono, the somber opening pulse of the album closer "My Body Is A Cage" echoes Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". But there sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with a little bit of musical nostalgia, especially when it's all wrapped up oh so pretty, in thick sonic swaths of lush dramatic dreamery and plush poppiness.
MPEG Stream: "Keep The Car Running"
MPEG Stream: "No Cars Go"
MPEG Stream: "My Body Is A Cage"

ARCADE FIRE Neon Bible - Deluxe Edition (Merge) cd 17.98
2004's Funeral made it clear that Arcade Fire aren't shy about dishin' the melodrama and bombast, and this time around they definitely make no bones about it. From the super deluxe boxed lenticular packaging to the eleven songs contained within, these decidedly unreserved Canucks are laying it on extra heavy. They've taken the goods from Funeral and juiced 'em up even more, delivering an unquestionable fan pleaser that maintains the infectious spark of their debut, but drapes it with more opulent finery. Musically this is most notable in the cathedral organ and choral departments. It may have you wondering if you're attending a wedding or a funeral! However, those musings are swiftly swept away by the soaring, big Chicago style horns in "Windowsill" and "No Cars Go" (another candidate for single material in our books!). We'd say the obvious choice for a first single on the album is the second tune "Keep The Car Running", but has anyone else noticed that it sounds as if it could break into John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side" from that '80s flick Eddie And The Cruisers at any moment? In fact, Arcade Fire conjure numerous other touchstones of that decade -- the female vocals remarkably resemble Kim Wilde as the male ones do Bono, the somber opening pulse of the album closer "My Body Is A Cage" echoes Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight". But there sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with a little bit of musical nostalgia, especially when it's all wrapped up oh so pretty, in thick sonic swaths of lush dramatic dreamery and plush poppiness.
MPEG Stream: "Keep The Car Running"
MPEG Stream: "No Cars Go"
MPEG Stream: "My Body Is A Cage"

ARCADE FIRE s/t (Merge) cd ep 10.98
Remastered and reissued for Arcade Fire fans who might've missed it the first time around, here's Arcade Fire's debut EP from 2003. From what we can tell, female vocalist Regine Chassagne seemed to have been suffering from some serious Bjork affectations (which she'd gotten over by the time they did Funeral). Likewise, Win Butler's then very-Coyne-ish vocals and the band's very-Flaming Lips-y overall productions. Nonetheless, if you've dug this band from the beginning, you'll surely find it nice to have the opportunity to hear these songs again in their freshly remastered state. If you're new to the band and are wondering what the big fuss is all about, definitely check out their Funeral album first.
MPEG Stream: "My Heart Is An Apple"
MPEG Stream: "Headlights Look Like Diamonds"

ARCADIUM Breathe Awhile (Akarma) cd 16.98

ARCANA (Granary Books) book 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Doubtless fascinating (er, haven't had a chance to read it in depth yet) book comprised of musicians and composers writing about their work, their creative processes, their ideas about music. Most of them get crazy detailed about it -- charts, diagrams, scores, photos. Compiled and edited by John Zorn, the book thus features all the usual suspects familiar to fans of the Tzadik and Avant labels, and the New York Knitting Factory scene, including Bill Frisell, John Oswald, Guy Klucsevek, Ikue Mori, David Shea, Mike Patton, Marc Ribot, Miya Masaoka, Fred Frith, Bob Ostertag, Elliot Sharp, Z'ev, Larry Ochs, Eyvind Kang, Anthony Coleman, Chris Brown, and many more.

ARCANA Arc of the Testimony (Axiom) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second installment of Arcana's all-star "futuristic energy music" as masterminded by Bill Laswell, featuring the drumming of the late Tony Williams. Also with Pharoah Sanders, Buckethead, Nicky Skopelitis, Graham Haynes, and Byard Lancaster.

ARCANE CANDY Issue #2 magazine 2.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's about time we got a second installment of Gary Davis' avant-garde music fanzine Arcane Candy. His Keiji Haino and Tokyo psych obsession continues to be evident, and likeminded souls (us!) will be happy to read the reviews of *EVERY* PSF label release ever (done with help from PSF English language liason Alan Cummings, who is also interviewed, along with PSF label head honcho Hideo Ikeezumi, in lengthy sidebar format beside the cd reviews)!! There's also an update of Gary's overview of Keiji Haino's recorded works, obligatory reviews of other non Keiji/PSF records, and more. The more includes two other major pieces: a Harry Partch feature and an very entertaining in-depth interview with former Germs drummer, record collector extraordinaire and general freakazoid Don Bolles. Good stuff. Japanophiles in particular will find the PSF info fascinating...and anyone who bought the Les Rallize Denudes 2cd that we had in stock here oh so briefly a few weeks back will be happy to learn that at PSF's Modern Music store in Tokyo, the original double cd-r version of that used to be priced at $800!!
Oh, here's some Factsheet Five style 'zine specs: 63 pages on newsprint, full magazine size dimensions.

ARCANE DEVICE Also Sprach Zarathustra (Staalplaat) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On all twelve Arcane Device recordings, David Myers (who is AD) utilised an assortment of home-made feedback generator machines, that in lesser hands would have resulted in head-rattling noise. While much noise *was* generated, on "Also Sprach Zarathurstra" these machines create soft extended pulses of analog electricity and rich textural warmth that emerge from a black claustrophobic aural space and are processed in breathtaking fashion. Myers is certainly one of the most under-rated dronologists, deserving the same critical praise as Mika Vainio and John Duncan. A glorious reissue.

ARCANO, ANTONIO Y SUS MARAVILLAS Danzon Mambo (Tumbao) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
In an era where cocktail culture has diluted and made a mockery of music from the Caribbean it is refreshing to finally have the original roots and branches - of what became the Latin craze in the US - to finally speak for themselves and Tumbao is the single most important label dedicated to reissuing the golden
era of Cuban music. Started in 1990, Tumbao has been steadily reissuing radio transcriptions - from New York, Havana & Mexico - of the most influential and exciting orchestras and conjuntos of all time. Because most of the tapes here were never played until they were transferred digitally to CD masters, the sound quality on some of the recordings is astoundingly good. At this point there are almost a hundred CD's issued by Tumbao, and we hope to gradually increase our stock here at the store.

While it remains undisputed that Perez Prado introduced what is now known as the "mambo" to the world with his fast, punchy arrangements, it is with flautist Antonio Arcano and his orchestra that the syncopated rhythm originates. To give credit where credit is due however, it was Arcano's pianist and arranger Orestes Lopez (brother of the famous bassist Cachao, who also played with Arcano) who was its creator. Lopez developed the rhythm as a backdrop for Arcano's soloing (there is only one vocal track included in this collection.) The sound of Arcano's mambo is unmistakeable to that of Prado and other later orchestras; there is a much milder temperment here, due to Arcano's predeliction towards strings (5 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello as well as bass), absolutely no brass to compete with his flute and the use of snatches of classical melodies. The tracks on this collection were recorded in Cuba up til 1951.
RealAudio clip: "Rapsodia En Azul"

ARCH ENEMY Anthems Of Rebellion (Century Media) cd 14.98

ARCH ENEMY Wages Of Sin (Century Media) 2cd 14.98
We were always huge fans of Arch Enemy, the death metal band of Mike Ammott (formerly of the mighty Carnage and the even mightier Carcass, and currently with stoner rockers Spiritual Beggars) until their last record 'Burning Bridges', where they dropped the ball and veered dangerously into cheesy Satriani-style senti-metal too-melodic goop. Up until that point (only two records, but what records they were), they were a furious melodic black/death metal machine spitting out perfectly performed and produced, ultra melodic, completely shredding Swedish death metal. So this is quite a return to form. Tight and catchy and furious and unbelievably heavy. The first thing you notice though is the picture of a young blonde woman on the sleeve, looking all Southern California beach babe. So we were worried that Arch Enemy had gona all gothy metally doom ala Nightwish or Lullacry. But it turns out she's Arch Enemy's brand new singer, and boy, looks can be deceiving! The voice that comes out of this woman's mouth is not only perfect for the music, it's scary and fierce and will have most corpse-painted black metal dudes quaking in their spikes. A demonic growl that occasionally stretches into Cradle Of Filth shriek territory. Seriously impressive. And the music takes the In Flames formula of sped up and roughed up Iron Maiden even further infusing the songs with amazingly catchy melodies, gorgeous moody and melancholy bits, unforgettable riffs, great harmony leads and some really surprising stop/start breakdowns that sound almost like Meshuggah. And, as we said, it's all topped off by vocalist Angela Gossow's raspy, inhuman, demonic howl.
We have the limited double disc version (and as it's limited, not sure how long we will) that features a bonus disc of unreleased/rare tracks including a Judas Priest cover, an Iron Maiden cover, and a EUROPE cover (?!?!?), a bunch of Japanese only bonus tracks and a video, all with Arch Enemy's original (male) vocalist. Disc one also features a video clip as well as a bonus track.
RealAudio clip: "Enemy Within"
RealAudio clip: "Burning Angel"

ARCHEOLOGICAL PACEMAKER, GEOLOGICAL COLANDER, ANTHROPOLOGICAL BUNDT CAKE, HORTICULTURAL COMPASS Scepter of Agricultural Indifference (Jewelled Antler) 4 x cd-r 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, MAINLY BECAUSE IT WAS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE! HEE HEE! SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's practically raining Jewlled Antler releases this time around. Who are we to complain? We can't get enough of this stuff! And now we've got this here quadruple cd-r set. Featuring four new JA bands, all weirdly featuring the exact same members, but with their names spelled slightly differently on each release. Archeological Pacemaker features Glen Donnellsen, Horticultural Compass features Glenn Donaldson. Geological Colander features Donovon Quinne, and Anthropological Bundt Cake features Donnovon Quin and so on. Strange stuff, but that's why we love those Jewlled Antler guys. All four of the bands featured on Scepter of Agricultural Indifference all tread that similar JA path, delicate, barely there ambience, nature sounds subtly intruding on the proceedings, and of course a pretty vast array of instrumentation including: mandolin, bongos, kazoo, penny whistle, player piano, bugle, jew's harp, spoons, washboard, rubberband guitar, musical saw, racoon trap, diaphragm, toilet seat (!) and much more. The sounds they get out of this disparate collection of instruments is amazing. Truly a testament to the creativity of the Jewelled Antler Collective. Packaged in a bundt cake pan filled with soil (complete with live worms), and containing (in keeping with the various bands' monickers) a pacemaker, a colander and a compass. Obviously super limited and a bitch to mail so be prepared to pay extra shipping.
MPEG Stream: "Radiological Frisbee"
MPEG Stream: "Biological Anvil"
MPEG Stream: "Botanical Parasol"

ARCHERS OF LOAF Icky Mettle (Alias) cd 15.98
Must be something about summertime and the feeling of nostalgia and memories of our younger days that has had us going crazy over some of our favorite '90s indie rock records as of late. Recent lists prove this, as reissues of Sebadoh and Spoon classics received our record of the week honors. Truth be told Icky Mettle is just as qualified for that honor as well. There was a period during the '90s when we used to joke that if you looked up "indie rock" in the dictionary you would find a picture of Archers of Loaf's Icky Mettle. But really, we sort of weren't joking. All you had to do was listen to it and you instantly understood the full glory of indie rock and how totally heavy and wild and kick ass and catchy indie rock could be. Guitars are crunchy and jagged, ringing loud and true, vocals soaring, melodies you can't EVER get out of your head, and a passionate urgency that makes your heart race and your soul shiver. It's pretty serendipitous that this record just got reissued as it's been playing around here quite a bit, Irwin rediscovered it earlier this summer, it's been rocking Andee's iPod quite a bit lately, and it gets played in the store NON-STOP!!
There is not a dud on this album... it's almost like Archers of Loaf made us the most perfect indie rock mix tape ever, except it's their entire album! The track "Web In Front" might just be THE GREATEST INDIE ROCK SONG EVER. If it's not, it's definitely top five. It jangles, it totally rocks, the vocals are super intense but completely melodic, the arrangement is bizarre and the parts unlikely, but that only serves to make it that much more unique and unforgettable.
We can't count the times in the past that we've put songs from this record on mixes we've made for friends, crushes, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. It's got it all: the angst, the heartbreak, the longing, the anger, the catchy hooks, even the quintessential anthem about indie rockers. What a debut full length from a band a drift in a veritable sea of indie rock revolution, the next Seattle, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Helping to raise the bar for all their peers and proteges (Superchunk, Polvo, Pavement, etc.). This is not just some indie rock nostalgia trip, a longing for some unattainable indie rock heyday, this record has totally stood the test of time and still pretty much blows away any pop, rock or indie rock record you care to stack up against it. So utterly and completely and impossibly essential!!
MPEG Stream: "Web In Front"
MPEG Stream: "Might"
MPEG Stream: "Fat"
MPEG Stream: "Plumb Line"

ARCHERS OF LOAF The Speed of Cattle (Alias) cd 12.98
Compilation of various Peel Sessions and singles, plus one new song.

ARCHERS OF LOAF The Speed of Cattle (Alias) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compilation of various Peel Sessions and singles, plus one new song.

ARCHERS OF LOAF White Trash Heroes (Alias) cd 12.98
After a period of silence from Archers of Loaf (during which time it seems they listened exclusively to Radiohead and the Fall), White Trash Heroes is pretty solid pastiche of artful post punk (like Pavement) and the aforementioned Brits.

ARCHERS OF LOAF White Trash Heroes (Alias) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After a period of silence from Archers of Loaf (during which time it seems they listened exclusively to Radiohead and the Fall), White Trash Heroes is pretty solid pastiche of artful post punk (like Pavement) and the aforementioned Brits.

ARCHETTI, LUIGI Cubic Yellow (Captain Trip) cd 17.98
There are so many offshoots of the prog/psych realm that cross into other genres, whose listeners would probably really enjoy, but don't ever get the chance due to the inherent flaws of niche marketing. Luigi Archetti's "Cubic Yellow" is one of those... Known for his collaborations with Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru) in Tiere Der Nacht, Swiss avant-guitarist Archetti now presents this exceptional downtempo electronica album with Hoovering swells that sound like Dom & Roland played at 33 1/3 rpm instead of 45 along with skittering breakbeats not unlike a stripped down Amon Tobin. Fans of Biosphere or The Orb should definitely take note of this one!!!

ARCHETTI, LUIGI / BO WIGET Low Tide Digitals II (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98

ARCHGOAT Angelcunt (Tales Of Desecration) (Battle Kommand) picture disc lp 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sometimes metal is about more than just the music. Especially black metal. The sound, the look, the attitude, the lyrics, the artwork, the spikes, the corpsepaint, the upside down cross / pentagram / triple six logo, the pen and ink renderings of demons fucking angels, the bullet belts, the blood splattered band members, the Satanic pseudonymns, all contribute to turning this heavy metal record into a dark Satanic ritual, a musical invocation -- it's dramatic and theatrical and over the top and fucking killer. This picture disc is a reissue of a 1993 ep by legendary Finnish black metallers, Archgoat. Blood Desecrator, Lord Angelslayer and Ritual Butcherer spew forth a vomitous smear of black thrash, galloping and blasting furiously through the dark fields of the underworld. Having never heard Archgoat before, we have to admit we listened to the whole record on 33, amazed by how sludgy the sound was and the impossibly guttural vocals, but a quick spin on 45 made it clear that it was maybe not actually meant to be played at 33... but the power is in your hands! A killer black thrash classic at 45, a bizarre slab of black sludge at 33! Either way this stuff is heavy and EVIL. Cool picture disc too, one side is the band logo, band photos, surrounded by a bullet belt, the other side is an amazingly amateur drawing of a goat headed demon fucking an angel on some sort of altar. Includes an insert detailing the history of the band and a full color poster.
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES!!!!

ARCHITECTRONICS Construction Sounds (Sabotage) cd 16.98
This very interesting collaboration between Kwodo Eshun and Franz Pommasl is a poetic if very clinical sonic elaboration of the metaphor that the history of electronica may be seen as having a corporeal body capable of thought, pulse, and breath. Pommasl manifests the nervous system & ventilation capacity of this cybernetic body with piercing shrieks of digital feedback and machines gasping for air, while Eshun's fragmented words are disembodied and made alien through the elaborate processing. Eshun is an African writer living in London who often writes for the Wire. Pommasl has made some of the most brutalist digital/noise/electronica records to date for Sabotage and Mego.

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI In Case We Die (Bar/None) cd 16.98
This is the kind of exuberant, indie pop, composed mishmash formerly only found spouting most gushingly from the likes of the Elephant 6 Collective. In the last couple of years younger upstarts have blossomed, predominantly from Canada, such as Hidden Cameras, P:Ano, Arcade Fire et al. It's music that's certainly got its roots in indie pop characterised by a vocal combination of yelped group sing-a-long, melodramatic male crooning and kiddie-style sing-song, playfully peculiar instrumentation, and drawing from a broad array of divergent inspirations (as far as band influences go, Flaming Lips and Olivia Tremor Control immediately come to mind). Disregard the country mentioned in their name, Architecture In Helsinki are from Australia and they jump gleefully from ramshackle hand clappers to sweet hopscotch sockhoppers to funky groovy finger snappers and back again. Listening to In Case We Die is sorta like playin' a game of hide and seek one sunshine-y afternoon in the park with a bunch of your buddies (which just happens to include the girl or boy you've had a secret crush on) -- running, tumbling and spinning around like there's no tomorrow. You think you've got 'em and right when you do they duck out of view only to pop up elsewhere else just outta reach. This album bubbles over with the goodest of giddy good feelings.
MPEG Stream: "Neverevereverdid"
MPEG Stream: "Do The Whirlwind"

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Places Like This (Polyvinyl) cd 14.98
Here we have the third full-length from Australia's Architecture In Helsinki, and it's a doozy. Places Like This sees the sextet branching off in all sorts of different directions to put together a record that is as scattered (in a good way?) as the cover art. The best tracks on the record seem to be the straight up pop songs. "Nothing's Wrong" begins with your standard acoustic strum with vocalist Cameron Bird belting out lyrics comparable in style and delivery to Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock (a vocal style Bird employs frequently throughout).
Soon enough bass, minimal drums, fuzzy guitars, and Kelli Sutherland's sharp and airy vocals create an overall sense that AIH has probably been most influenced by bands on the Elephant 6 or Kindercore labels (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo and the like) in golden heyday of perfect indie pop. "Underwater" is a no-frills pop song that reminds us of the softer side of Essex Green or Masters Of The Hemisphere. The track lands smack in the middle of the album and provides a nice respite from the other style the band seems to be toying with -- throwing pop conventions out the window in lieu of a more unstructured quirky pop madness. There is a whole lot happening in some songs, ranging from way too many instruments to sudden time changes, giving the impression that the band may have written some of these songs and thought "now what would these sound like if we were to put it 'em a blender?" The result is sometimes cool, but at other times a bit much. We're on the fence about this one. Have a listen and see what you think, particularly if you are curious to hear what AIH's "2 note apocalyptic swamp axe" sounds like!
MPEG Stream: "Hold Music"
MPEG Stream: "Red Turned White"

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Places Like This (Polyvinyl) lp 14.98
Here we have the third full-length from Australia's Architecture In Helsinki, and it's a doozy. Places Like This sees the sextet branching off in all sorts of different directions to put together a record that is as scattered (in a good way?) as the cover art. The best tracks on the record seem to be the straight up pop songs. "Nothing's Wrong" begins with your standard acoustic strum with vocalist Cameron Bird belting out lyrics comparable in style and delivery to Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock (a vocal style Bird employs frequently throughout).
Soon enough bass, minimal drums, fuzzy guitars, and Kelli Sutherland's sharp and airy vocals create an overall sense that AIH has probably been most influenced by bands on the Elephant 6 or Kindercore labels (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo and the like) in golden heyday of perfect indie pop. "Underwater" is a no-frills pop song that reminds us of the softer side of Essex Green or Masters Of The Hemisphere. The track lands smack in the middle of the album and provides a nice respite from the other style the band seems to be toying with -- throwing pop conventions out the window in lieu of a more unstructured quirky pop madness. There is a whole lot happening in some songs, ranging from way too many instruments to sudden time changes, giving the impression that the band may have written some of these songs and thought "now what would these sound like if we were to put it 'em a blender?" The result is sometimes cool, but at other times a bit much. We're on the fence about this one. Have a listen and see what you think, particularly if you are curious to hear what AIH's "2 note apocalyptic swamp axe" sounds like!
MPEG Stream: "Hold Music"
MPEG Stream: "Red Turned White"

ARCKANUM Antikosmos (Moribund Cult) cd 16.98
We've long been fans of Swedish one man black metal band Arckanum. Even those who haven't heard his music, probably remember the 'band' photos, which always featured a cloaked creature with a deformed troll-like face, huge hook nose, and carrying a massive staff. Some folks were put off by this bit of theatricality, probably giving them visions of the much cheesier Mortiis. But then they were missing out. This Swede kicked out the classic black metal jams, nothing avant, or experimental really, barring the occasional ambient interlude, but just pure raw grim blackness. With a lo-fi production and a great crusty black sound, Arckanum released 3 full lengths in the late nineties, and since then, it's been nothing but a handful of splits and eps. So we were pretty excited for the first Arckanum full length in ten years, and we were not disappointed.
The sound, at its core is similar to the classic Arckanum sound, but the production is massive, the guitars thick and monstrous, the drums pounding and brutal, the whole vibe is much more sleek and streamlined and 'produced', but thankfully manages to retain most of its grimness and blackness, although now the music is imbued with a power never present before, and if anything, dare we say it, a new found groove.
We've heard this record compared to discs by Craft and Inquisition, among others, but we can't help hearing a little Khold, which as far as we're concerned is actually a good thing. Take the album opener, after a creeped out drone-y intro, and a swirl of guitar buzz and cymbal sizzle, the song launches into a furious blast, which sounds punkier and crustier that we remember, and again, groovier. It has much to do with the chord progression, as on the surface this is still all blasting beats and buzzing guitars, but then the deal is sealed with the bridge, where the guitars and drums lock into a weird droney, almost poppy part that sounds like it could have come from a Torche song! And that vibe, those melodies, those subtle touches are present throughout, even at its most intense and furious, the band easily will slip in a subtle, yet impossibly catchy hook or phrase, almost like they don't even know they're doing it, some mysterious musical force manifesting itself, hidden among the black brambles and jagged harsh heaviness. Then there's a track like "Rokulfargnyr", which is primarily a strange clipped staccato guitar chug, the drums locked in, peppered with dynamics, but it almost sounds like some sort of fractured math rock. Even when the song kicks in for real, the stop start guitar, the super technical drumming, eventually gives way to more soaring melodic buzzing blackness. "Nakjeptir" is all eighties groove and chug, laced with cool stretches of black dissonance. "Eksortna" is just guitar, distorted and melodic, unfurling a stately court-of-the-king style melody,
while closer "Formala" is classic blackened doom, very spacious and sprawling, with some weird drumming, a killer main riff, and an outro of demonic murmurs and buzzing distorted rumbles.
This disc has been getting crazy play around here, and has had us revisiting the older records as well, which sound even better than we remember. Lots of folks we know have been talking about Antikosmos as BM record of the year, and while we still have other contenders to consider, we're definitely inclined to agree that this could very well crack the top ten. Maybe even the top five...
MPEG Stream: "Svarti"
MPEG Stream: "Daudmellin"
MPEG Stream: "Rokulfargnyr"