ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB Monster Mittens (Dirty Knobby) 7" 5.98
It seems the transformation is finally complete. Astral Social Club began life as a logical sonic extension of the mothership that birthed in, Vibracathedral Orchestra. But lately, Mr. ASC aka Neil Campbell, has been dabbling in sounds more suited to the dancefloor. Just a track here and there, but with this new single, hot on the heels of a recent sonically similar 7"/cd-r, it seems that the new Astral Social Club is indeed making music for THE CLUB.
Not that it's not still noisy and tripped out and bizarre and space-y, it most certainly is, but now you can dance to it. Or at least nod subtly, or just sort of sway back and forth. The point is there's a beat, and the beat makes it sort of funky in some alien psychedelic way, and we LOVE it.
The A side features the above mentioned beat, it's propulsive and sort of house-y, pulsing away beneath a cloud of swirling FX, strange percussion, stuttery loops, it's all very chaotic and free, druggy and far our, but that rhythm keeps in grounded. Music for some video game danceparty on an alien planet, or some seriously drug addled fucked up underground rave held in a cave a mile below the surface of the earth. Either way, it's excellent.
The flipside is like the chill out version of the A side, still looped and hypnotic, but that thud that defines the beat is replaced with a synthy squelch, all around it sounds streak and blur and shimmer, everything sort of bleary eyed and indistinct, like the wind down 3 am chill out after party at the end of the universe.
Now that Campbell has found his groove, we're dying for a full length, which will undoubtedly be the freaked out fucked up drug fueled underground alien danceparty record of the year!

ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB Neon Pibroch (Important) cd 14.98
You thought UK space drone freeks Vibracathedral Orchestra were prolific!? Well get a load of Neil Campbell, one of VCO's founding fathers, who split that scene a while back, only to whip up a new ensemble, well, ensemble is maybe not the right word, since Astral Social Club is just him, let's just call it an Astral Social Club then, even more spacey, abstract, and experimental than the 'Orchestra. Oh and outrageously prolific. An avalanche of cd-r's, every one of them a mind blower, difficult to keep up with, but well worth the effort...
This is one of two new releases, the other being vinyl only, both sort of two sides of the same sonic coin, although they definitely both have their own distinct vibe. Read about the lp elsewhere on this list, but the funny thing about the cd is, we could probably describe it in 4 words, and if you are anything like us, those 4 words would have you diving madly for the Add To Cart button.... So what does Neon Pibroch sound like? Well, at least the first track sounds just like *Spacemen 3 on Kompakt*!!! That's right. Imagine those endless loops of druggy effects, the subtle melodies stretched into gauzy soundscapes, super head nodding and hypnotic, but then imagine it with a strangely propulsive, almost techno beat, a relentless pulse, it's easy to imagine that endless spaced out groove pouring out of the sound system on some alien dancefloor. It's nearly twenty minutes long too, so that alone would be worth the price of admission. But hold up... there are two more tracks, and 40 more minutes of drifting beatless bliss to come...
The title track begins as a glistening ur-drone, all buzzing strings and keening high end, but part way through erupts into a white hot wall of coruscating grinding guitar buzz, super distorted and blown out, before drifting off again, leaving that burbling cosmic drift to fade gracefully out. The final track offers up more of the same, but if anything it's even more rich and thick and dense, it's the sort of sound that is almost visible, physical, it's like staring into the sun with your ears, makes you want to shade your eyes from the glorious sonic glare...
Can this man do no wrong? Guess not when it comes to transcendental sonic space drone... Absolutely essential listening for fans of such things, as is Super Grease, this record's vinyl analog... 
MPEG Stream: "Tripel Foment"
MPEG Stream: "The Big Spree"

ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB s/t (VHF) cd 13.98
As if Vibracathdral Orchestra wasn't prolific enough, VCO mainman Neil Campbell spends his spare time recording even -more- records under the monicker Astral Social Club. This actual cd (not a cd-r). VHF's 100th release, compiles Campbell's favorite tracks from all the various long out of print cd-r's and gives them the remix and remaster super megamix treatment. All tweaked and twisted into one continuous 67 minute spaced out psych collage (although it's tracked for easy listening). But anyone wouldn't want to just sit back and listen to this all the way through is beyond us. A gloriously tripped out psychedelic ambient space rock stretched into pulsing, throbbing buzzy droney bliss. Like the extended outro to every Monster Magnet song all tangled up and mixed together, a blurry, dizzying free rock trip. From hiccupping rhythmic flutter, to super minimal drift, to thick grinding fuzz, to hypnotic krautrock jam and every psychrock stop in between.
For fans of Monster Magnet, Bardo Pond, Spacemen 3, the Telescopes, VCO, Loop, Kinski, EAR and all those sonic spacemen ...
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"
MPEG Stream: "Three"

ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB Skelp / Ginnel (Trensmat) 7"+cd-r 10.98
He may be a master of droned out noise, but he's been flirting with club music on and off for the last few years, each full length hiding at least one dancefloor gem, and so Mr. Neil Campbell, ex of Vibracathedral Orchestra, now of Astral Social CLUB, at least on this here new 7", is all about the tripped out psychedelic electronic groove.
But seeing as this is Neil Campbell, his idea of what constitutes dance music, or even electronica is WAAAAY different than most folks. Just check out the A side here. Maddeningly repetitive, a flurry of bleeps and glitches, swoops and burbles, locked into a relentless loop, the main 'beat' staying steady, while all around it a cloud of FX swirls and shimmers, some seriously druggy electro psych drone for sure.
The second track is all minimal house music, sort of. The main beat a stripped down pulse and squelch, with synthy basslines, and some haunting disembodied piano drifting over the top, making for a truly creepy mash up. Maybe one of our favorite Astral tracks ever!
As with all Trensmat 7" releases, the vinyl comes bundled with a cd-r, featuring both the tracks from the 7", as well as three remixes from Richard Youngs, John Clyde-Evans and Magnetize, ranging from super spastic chopped up electronic madness, to spacey static drenched minimal house groove, to wild Bruce Haack like electronic experimentalism, playful and goofy and over the top.
Don't let all the talk of club music scare you away though, fans of recent Astral Social Club know all about Campbell's wild and off kilter take on dance music, which really ends up having more in common with tripped out psych drone and free noise weirdness than it does with -actual- club music.
Pressed on yellow vinyl, and SUPER limited.
MPEG Stream: "Skelp"
MPEG Stream: "Ginnel"

ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB Super Grease (Important) lp 16.98
Two new ones from Mr. Neil Campbell in the last few weeks, formerly a founding member of the mighty Vibracathedral Orchestra, now the main (and only?) man behind Astral Social Club, who continue on in a similar direction as VCO, taking sounds and weaving them into epic ur-drones and outerspace ragas, stretching and looping them into long form sonic chunks launched into the cosmos.
This lp only, two song killer, comes on gorgeous swirled milky blue vinyl, and fills up each side with a single blast of blissed out druggy drift. Side one begins with looped machine like rhythms, which frame a vast pool of liquid sound, cricket like chirps, chunks of fuzz distortion and swirling reverb, glistening bits of synthy sparkle, all building gradually into a manic chattering wall of cyclical fuzz and blur, culminating in a grinding jagged angular coda.
Side two begins with a brief swooshy, flanger flecked krautrocky jam, simple and propulsive, that slowly changes timbre and texture as the effects cycle through, the rhythms and song structure sinking beneath the ever increasing wash of FX, splintering into near tranquil ambience, another ASC slow building celestial wash, undulating swells of synths and electronics, gorgeous and massive and dreamy, sounds a bit like what we imagine it might sound like standing on some alien planet watching a new universe being born from the endless blackness of space. Intense and epic.

ASTRAL TRAVELLING UNITY Studio And Live (aRCHIVE) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another mysterious release from the mighty aRCHIVE label who in the past have brought us releases by Bardo Pond, Goslings, Keiji Haino, LSD-March, Growing, Khanate, James Plotkin, Earth, Boris as well as Jack Rose and Tetuzi Akiyama (elsewhere on this week's list), all super limited and amazingly packaged.
Astral Travelling Unity is a Japanese space drone outfit fronted by Hiroshi Hasagawa of legendary Japanoise combo CCCC. But turn back now if 'tis noise ye seek.. ahem... nothing noisy about this disc, this sounds exactly like the name would lead you to believe, deeeeeeep astral drone music for travelling through inner space. Guitars are pulled apart into wispy tendrils, sitars buzz, and that buzz shimmers out into slow lazy ripples, analog synths supply even more buzz and drone, not a thick tangle mind you, this is gloriously spare and spacious, abstract spiritual ur-ambience, the sound of universes forming, with your eyes closed you can see forever and ever and ever. Distant streaks of melody color an infinitive landscape of deep droning swells, glistening song fragments sparkle as they float lazily through a night sky dense with twinkling stars.
The second track is live, so it's a bit more raw, a little bit more lo-fi, with Acid Mothers Temple guitar guru Kawabata Makoto adding some extra guitar and showing an amazing amount of restraint. The raw live sound adds a whole other layer of fuzz and atmospheric ambience as does the addition of some simple percussion. Utterly spaced out and divine!
Amazing packaging. The disc is affixed to a full color two panel sleeve with paintings by Hasagawa, with a color acetate insert printed with another of Hasagawa's oil paintings that lays over the cd, which is printed with an image of a cd-r found washed up on the beach.
LIMITED TO 600 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

ASTRO CAN CARAVAN 21st Century Drifting Episode (New Music Community / Siamese Sounds / Zerga) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
ATTENTION FINNISH MUSIC FREEKS. Record number two from this far out Finnish big band gypsy jazz ensemble. Our apologies to folks who were after the last record, Questral Places, which went out of print before we had a chance to get more in stock, but we've been bugging AQ pal Pentti, founder of the legendary Deep Turtle and head honcho of the Zerga label, to get us some copies of this newer release, 21st Century Drifting Episode. So we waited and waited, heard nothing for ages, and then one day, a big ol' box of these landed on our doorstep, and we're happy to report it's just as amazing as the other disc.
As we mentioned before, fans of Aavikko would do well to check these guys out, as they have a similar exotic flair, but instead of spy movies and Casios, they take their influence from gypsy folk music, big band jazz, and African music. In fact, if we had to describe this in a sentence, we might say Astro Can Caravan sound like a Finnish version of Ethiopiques 4, which is high praise indeed!
Sultry grooves, funky rhythms, lots and lots of horns, but also drums and synths, drums and percussion and spacey effects. The sound is a mysterious exotica, definitely reminiscent of the Ethiopian Grooves we love so much, but there's enough weird noodly synth and buzzing angular new wave elements to make this appeal to fans of Aavikko and other weird jazz groove whatthefuck. The band pepper their African style grooves with bursts of chaotic free jazz, slabs of buzzing synth abuse, but those moments are few and far between, instead, the band deftly cobble together their own unique sound, funky, and soulful, groovy and spiritual, wild and far out. Some tracks are rollicking and fiery, irresistible and the sort of thing that would send a dancefloor into an absolute frenzy. While others are dark and moody, slithery and slow burning.
If you dig any of the following: Coltrane, Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, Taraf De Haidouks, Keukhot, Ethiopiques, Okros Ensemble, Aavikko, this band will completely kick your ass, or at least get it out of your seat and shaking.
Features a who's who of the Finnish Underground, including Pentti from Deep Turtle on guitar and mandolin. Produced, strangely enough, by Jussi Saivo of mysterious drone alchemists Tiermes. Packaged in a super striking digipak, and be forewarned, we did get a whole bunch of these, but once we run out it might take a little while to get more.
MPEG Stream: "Tungar Tudu"
MPEG Stream: "Mad Oracle"
MPEG Stream: "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"
MPEG Stream: "Beef Jeans"

ASTRO CAN CARAVAN Questral Places ( BV2 Productions) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Okay, heads up Finnish music obsessives, especially you Aavikko freaks! Let us introduce you to this massive freaked out weirdo jazz ensemble Astro Can Caravan, which just so happens to feature members of Cosmo Jones Beat Machine and aQ faves Aavikko. And it sounds like it to!
Featuring more than a dozen players (sometimes as many as 18) this ensemble whips up a dizzying and eclectic world of funky jazzy, psychedelic weirdness. Wild guitars, fuzzed out organs, plenty of horns. Spacey future funk wrapped in outer space FX, Ethiopiques style jazz funk, big band jazz gone haywire, long stretches of free jazz freak out, groovy African jazz. You can definitely hear bits of Coltrane, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti and Sun Ra and of course some Aavikko style space jazz funk freakiness.
Wild and fun, weird and far out. But plenty groovy and jazzy and funky. Perfect dance party music for sure. If you love the Ethiopiques but always wished it was just a little bit more psychedelic and freaked out, well then friends, Astro Can Caravan may be just what you've been hankering for...
MPEG Stream: "Helios Universal"
MPEG Stream: "Mohenjo-Daro"

ASTRO JAZKAMER HAIR STYLISTICS Motorcycle Fuck With The Ghost Rider (aRCHIVE) cd 13.98
That would be one of the most ridiculous names for a band ever, if we didn't know that it's a conglomeration of names reflecting the international collaborative lineup here: members of Astro (Hiroshi Hasegawa, Japan), Jazkamer (Lasse Marhaug and John Hegre, Norway), and Hair Stylistics (Masaya Nakahara, Japan), natch. Well it's still pretty ridiculous but at least it makes some sense. Not so sure about the album title, but at least it's an attention-getter. Another attention-getter: this is one of them limited releases on the aRCHIVE label. Just 600 copies. And with usual aRCHIVE special packaging, the cd on a plastic nipple attached to a glossy tri-fold diecut cardboard sleeve, with graphics by Marhaug: the Ghost Rider on the front, and incongruous images of Johnny Cash and, uh, Mr. T on the back and inside, non-sequitur style. It's all about *attitude* we guess. Mr. T? He pity the motorcycle fuck fool!!! That's the spirit. Yeah, you want attention? Just try cranking this up loud. One track, 46 minutes, recorded live in Japan 3/3/2007. The three-word-description: Distorted. Noisy. Insanity. This is Merzbow territory, folks. Grinding overloaded amp-blasting electronic skree, a dense howling storm of unfettered feedback n' noise, static-y but far from static, in fact totally in motion, an active, extreme, almost-psychedelic freakout. Seemingly every noisemaking device and/or effect these guys possess juiced up and sent into the fray. That there's enthusiastic applause at the end of this disc, rather than simply the stunned silence of what remained of a numbed audience (read: victims) is amazing. But of course, this was in Japan!
Need we repeat, LIMITED TO 600 COPIES...
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"

ASTROBRITE 8 Candy ep (Sonic Syrup) cd ep 6.98
Between his two projects Loveliescrushing and Astrobrite, Scott Cortez has been dissecting My Bloody Valentine's epic swansong album "Loveless," and presenting two equally valid extrapolations upon that album. With Loveliescrushing, Cortez and Melissa Arpin-Henry have explored the fragile dreaminess of the MBV sound, while Astrobrite takes on the more explosive noise pop of that album with huge, blissed-out layers of controlled guitar distortion bent into lilting melodies and burying those archetypal Brit-pop constructions found in My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Filmstars, and Ride. While Loveliescrushing offered greater distance between themselves and My Bloody Valentine, Astrobrite's "8 Candy" is a deadringer for "Loveless," right down to the andrgynous vocals (provided all by Cortez). This is one of best of the "Loveless" mimics: as a result, it's nothing new. But, considering what he's paying homage to, Cortez's Astrobrite is pretty great.
RealAudio clip: "Sucker"
RealAudio clip: "Sweettart"

ASTRONAUTS Issue 4 magazine 5.00
Awesome zine from AQ pal Jon Dale who also just happens to run the equally awesome Rhizome label. Dense and well written and most importantly, fun to read. Features on Bill Wells, Shirley Collins, David Behrman, Future Pilot AKA, Tim Barnes, Hall Of Fame, Tower Recordings and a big ol' chunk of opinionated reviews! Fans of the Wire and Signal To Noise would do well to check this out.

ASTROQUEEN Into Submission (Pavement) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sure, these heavy jam-kicker-outters from Sweden are yet another '70s lovin' stoner rock band hoping to become the Scandinavian Kyuss, joining the ranks of Mammoth Volume, Roachpowder, Spiritual Beggars, Terra Firma, etc. I mean, the Swedish government must have a multi-million kroner R&D budget devoted to subsidizing these outfits in hopes of stoner rock world domination. And that's money well spent, 'cause Astroqueen, among others, do the stoner rock thing really well we must say! Super fuzzed-out guitar (fuzz worthy of the mighty Sir Lord Baltimore!), hopelessly rockin' riffs, rough but melodic vocals (a bit like their countrymen Entombed), more fuzz, and even more fuzz -- it may seem like a simple formula but it works! They can be fast and energetic, or slow and massive, with some tasty Thin Lizzyish guitar licks.
Astroqueen (who in homage to the second half of their name use a detail from Queen's "News Of The World" album cover for the back of their cd) are not to be confused with the also awesome and similarly "astro" Dutch stoner rockers Astrosoniq, although we did, which was a good thing 'cause otherwise we might have overlooked this excellent release!
RealAudio clip: "Planet Dust"
RealAudio clip: "Superhuman God"
RealAudio clip: "The Sonic Ride"

ASTROQUEEN VS. BUFFALO s/t (Dias De Garage) cd 12.98
If you're reading this on our New Arrivals list (as opposed to searching out this entry on our website), you should have already seen our review of the Abdullah/Dragnauta split cd just released by the South American stoner rock label Dias De Garage. Well I guess the label likes the split release idea pretty well, 'cause here's another one. This time, between Argentina's Buffalo and Sweden's Astroqueen. Both bands are kinda in that Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age vein we love so much.
First up, Astroqueen, with six tracks and a video clip. Sweden has a reputation for producing excellent Kyuss clones and Astroqueen does nothing to tarnish said rep. Utterly catchy, with thick distorted guitars, what's not to like?? They throw in some nice 'metal' details now and then (a Maideny riff, an unexpected blast beat), but this should be on the radio and HUGE. Maybe they are in Sweden, who knows? Anyone who wants a big, heavy rock fix won't be disappointed. Wish we could still get their Into Submission full-length but it seems to be out of print...
Next up, five tracks and one video from Buffalo (not to be confused with the '70s Australian band of the same name), who are, well, a lot like Astroqueen!! Though they have a bit more of a psychedelic, swampy swagger to them, and their vocalist (who sings in Spanish, whereas Astroqueen's vocalist sings in English, not Swedish) has a rougher, tougher delivery. For fans of Roachpowder (remember them?), Los Natas, early Black Label Society, Heavy Rocks style Boris, and Kyuss/QOTSA, too, of course! And also Metallica, 'cause Buffalo do a kick-ass cover "Four Horsemen" (in Spanish) to wind up their half of this split. All right!
Between Astroqueen and Buffalo, there's no clear-cut winner here -- except for you, the stoner rock fan, who buys this!
MPEG Stream: ASTROQUEEN "The Untitled"
MPEG Stream: BUFFALO "Bendecidos"

ASTROSONIQ Son of A.P. Lady (Freebird Record) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fuzzed out seventies style stoner space rock from this Dutch band. Equal parts Sabbath and Zeppelin.
Heavy and groovy, huge fuzzy guitars, throbbing bass, and gruff (but still high) vocals. Reminds us a lot of AQ faves The Want. One of the better stoner rock bands around. And one of the most beautiful cd packages we have ever seen!

ASUNDER A Clarion Call (Life Is Abuse) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Deep, depressive, uber-heavy doom-death from this Bay Area outfit featuring in their ranks none other than John Gossard, fomerly of cult black metallers and AQ faves Weakling! He's no stranger to ten-minute-plus track lengths and that's what you get here, three atmospheric doom epicks (plus one ambient, almost inaudible bonus track), the shortest about twelve minutes, the longest around fifteen. And when you think that Asunder's slowed-down sickness couldn't get any more mournful, they kick in with the cellos! That's right, funereal doom with a string section. Gotta love it...to death.
MPEG Stream: "Twilight Amaranthine"
MPEG Stream: "Crown Of Eyes"

ASUNDER Works Will Come Undone (Profound Love) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oakland's doooooooooooooooooooomiest, Asunder, return with their second full-length album. Just back from a tour of Japan with none other than cultish doom-crust behemoth Corrupted, Asunder further cement their doom bonafides with Works Will Come Undone, which features just two tracks, one of 'em ("Rite Of Finality") almost a full-length itself at 50 minutes duration! The other track ("A Famine") isn't quite so long -- a mere 20 minutes. That's more than enough time for these guys and gal to squeeze in a few lugubrious riffs, even at the glacial pace with with they play their morose metallic funeral marches.
Asunder are all about atmosphere, allowing some really pretty and mellow parts into their crushingly heavy and depressed, slow-moving sound-world. The use of cello (played by Jackie Perez-Gratz, also of Amber Asylum) is one of Asunder's trademarks, and for giving an extra-mournful, classically elegant dimension to their doom it's hard to beat. The guitarists successfully venture to enter that sublime realm as well. Meanwhile the vocalist recalls the phlegmy throat of Forest Of Equilibrium era Cathedral frontman Lee Dorrian, mixing the rough with the smooth as it were...
For those unaware, we should also note the presence of former Weakling guitarist/vocalist John Gossard. What Weakling was to trance-inducingly epic Norwegian style black metal, Asunder is to trance-inducingly epic Finnish style doom metal!! Or maybe we should just say Oakland style, since this genre of doom has its roots all over, from Finland's Thergothon to Australia's Disembowelment and Long Island's Winter...
MPEG Stream: "A Famine"

ASUNDER Works Will Come Undone (Kreation) lp 16.98
NOW ON VINYL!! Here's what we wrote about the original cd release on Profound Lore, which is now out of print:
Oakland's doooooooooooooooooooomiest, Asunder, return with their second full-length album. Just back from a tour of Japan with none other than cultish doom-crust behemoth Corrupted, Asunder further cement their doom bonafides with Works Will Come Undone, which features just two tracks, one of 'em ("Rite Of Finality") almost a full-length itself at 50 minutes duration! The other track ("A Famine") isn't quite so long - a mere 20 minutes. That's more than enough time for these guys and gal to squeeze in a few lugubrious riffs, even at the glacial pace with with they play their morose metallic funeral marches.
Asunder are all about atmosphere, allowing some really pretty and mellow parts into their crushingly heavy and depressed, slow-moving sound-world. The use of cello (played by Jackie Perez-Gratz, also of Amber Asylum) is one of Asunder's trademarks, and for giving an extra-mournful, classically elegant dimension to their doom it's hard to beat. The guitarists successfully venture to enter that sublime realm as well. Meanwhile the vocalist recalls the phlegmy throat of Forest Of Equilibrium era Cathedral frontman Lee Dorrian, mixing the rough with the smooth as it were...
For those unaware, we should also note the presence of former Weakling guitarist/vocalist John Gossard. What Weakling was to trance-inducingly epic Norwegian style black metal, Asunder is to trance-inducingly epic Finnish style doom metal!! Or maybe we should just say Oakland style, since this genre of doom has its roots all over, from Finland's Thergothon to Australia's Disembowelment and Long Island's Winter...
MPEG Stream: "A Famine"

ASURE Zone Beyond Reality (DTrash) cd-r 10.98

RealAudio clip: "Fuck That Beat Up"
RealAudio clip: "Evil Sickness"
RealAudio clip: "Kill The Intruders"

ASVA Futurist's Against the Ocean (Mimicry) cd 14.98
It's funny how suddenly every one has a doom drone dirge project happening. The popularity of SUNNO))) and Earth and Corrupted and Boris not only has record collectors scrambling for their wallets, but seems to have other musicians scrambling as well, buying bigger amps, more distortion boxes, trying to tune lower and play slower, all of this evidenced by the sudden glut of bands whose influences don't extend much beyond Earth and SUNNO))). We're not complaining mind you 'cuz you know we can't get enough of that sludgy downtuned dirge! And, you can't give Asva too much grief as bass player Stuart Dahlquist (brother of Silkworm's Michael Dahlquist) was there in the early days, having played in doom dirge metal outfit Burning Witch, and Asva actually feels like a logical extension of his old band. Dahlquist is joined in Asva by guitarist John Schuller and ex-Mr. Bungle guitarist / current Web Of Mimicry head honcho Trey Spruance, as well as an organist (!) and a female vocalist (!). It's these last two elements, as well as a flair for incorporating melody into a sound usuallylight on the melodic end of things, that makes Asva a much more interesting prospect. Of the four extended tracks here, it's the first and the last that hue closest to the Sunn 0))) / Earth template. Huge slabs of ultra distorted guitars, working their way through slow motion riffs, a ponderous plodding metallic crush. On the final track, vocalist Jessika Kenney belts out a one woman chorale, adding a strangely angelic vibe to the proceedings, minor key, but soaring over the slow motion Sabbath beneath, beautiful and haunting in a way few bands like this have managed. The two tracks in between are much more abstract and spare, not in the least but heavy, but still creepy and droney. Track two is all minimal whir and shimmer, slowly shifting and subtly moving through a minimal almost melody. Track three again features Kenney's voalisations, this time though, it's ALL about the vocals, the musical bed is a hushed doomy organ driven drone, endlessly sustaining with occasional super reverbed bass and sizzling barely-there percussion, while Kenney wails and trills, swooping through strange alien melodies, her multi tracked vocals harmonizing with themselves, creating a very bizarre, but thrillingly creepy soundworld. Fans of the genre (sludgedoomdirgedeathdrone) probably already know about this record and know they need it, but folks who have yet to get into this stuff, might find Asva just melodic enough and weird enough to merit further investigation.
MPEG Stream: "Kill The Dog, Tie Them Up, Take The Money"
MPEG Stream: "By The Well Of Living And Seeing"

ASVA Futurists Against The Ocean (Southern) lp 23.00
As a follow-up to getting the NEW Asva we recently listed (on both formats), they've just now made their debut available on vinyl too... Here's what we said when this first came out on cd back in 2005:
It's funny how suddenly every one has a doom drone dirge project happening. The popularity of SUNNO)) and Earth and Corrupted and Boris not only has record collectors scrambling for their wallets, but seems to have other musicians scrambling as well, buying bigger amps, more distortion boxes, trying to tune lower and play slower, all of this evidenced by the sudden glut of bands whose influences don't extend much beyond Earth and SUNNO))). We're not complaining mind you 'cuz you know we can't get enough of that sludgy downtuned dirge! And, you can't give Asva too much grief as bass player Stuart Dahlquist (brother of Silkworm's Michael Dahlquist) was there in the early days, having played in doom dirge metal outfit Burning Witch, and Asva actually feels like a logical extension of his old band. Dahlquist is joined in Asva by guitarist John Schuller and ex-Mr. Bungle guitarist / current Web Of Mimicry head honcho Trey Spruance, as well as an organist (!) and a female vocalist (!). It's these last two elements, as well as a flair for incorporating melody into a sound usually light on the melodic end of things, that makes Asva a much more interesting prospect. Of the four extended tracks here, it's the first and the last that hue closest to the SUNNO))) / Earth template. Huge slabs of ultra distorted guitars, working their way through slow motion riffs, a ponderous plodding metallic crush. On the final track, vocalist Jessika Kenney belts out a one woman chorale, adding a strangely angelic vibe to the proceedings, minor key, but soaring over the slow motion Sabbath beneath, beautiful and haunting in a way few bands like this have managed. The two tracks in between are much more abstract and spare, not in the least but heavy, but still creepy and droney. Track two is all minimal whir and shimmer, slowly shifting and subtly moving through a minimal almost melody. Track three again features Kenney's vocalizations, this time though, it's ALL about the vocals, the musical bed is a hushed doomy organ driven drone, endlessly sustaining with occasional super reverbed bass and sizzling barely-there percussion, while Kenney wails and trills, swooping through strange alien melodies, her multi tracked vocals harmonizing with themselves, creating a very bizarre, but thrillingly creepy soundworld. Fans of the genre (sludgedoomdirgedeathdrone) probably already know about this record and know they need it, but folks who have yet to get into this stuff, might find Asva just melodic enough and weird enough to merit further investigation.
MPEG Stream: "Kill The Dog, Tie Them Up, Take The Money"
MPEG Stream: "By The Well Of Living And Seeing"

ASVA The Third Plague / A Trap For Judges (Enterruption) 12" 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This whole slow motion doom dirge explosion continues to bring us band after band who think they can make a record by just leaning their guitars up against their amps and recording the mighty flow of glorious Earth-like sludge that will undoubtedly flow forth, like some sort of divine doom from the gods. Thankfully there are a few outfits who realize that maybe we need a little bit more than just another doom-drone planet to join the already slow motion orbits of Earth and SUNNO))). And as we have mentioned before (in our review of their excellent Futurist's Against the Ocean debut earlier this year), Asva is making a successful attempt to extend beyond the Earth/SUNN template, having added huge swaths of warm and warbly organs to the mix as well as soaring operatic female vocals, giving their sound a strangely melodic and gorgeously alien feel. This two song 12" proves that even that's not enough for these guys, as they push and twist their sound once again into new and strange shapes. The first track is a super slow building drone, a hushed assemblage of subterranean rumble and machine like whirr, that doesn't build so much as just sort of shift and take up more and more of the sound field. Eventually the drone begins to fragment and the constituent parts become more and more distinct, the most noticable being what sounds like a strangely haunting psych guitar riff, looped and smeared into a subtle Sunroof! like skree. Soon more and more bits float to the surface, some reverbed chanting, abstract streaks of distant guitar, and a far away riff, played super slowly and drenched in effects, creepy and clean and barely discernible through the murk and haze, sounding a bit like a snippet of Chris Issak guitar, as if played at 8 rpm and broadcast through a the tiny speaker of an old transistor radio. Special guest Eyvind Kang supplies the viola, while band member John Schuller contributes the locusts! Side two is much more straight ahead dooooom, a crushing slow motion metallic dirge a la Khanate or Skepticism, but even here Asva manage to make that sound their own. A slow sludgy plod, with plenty of space in between for swirls of dark drone and reverby rumble, and that same haunting abstract clean guitar melody from side one resurfaces here and there, but the focus is most definitely on the vocals, an unholy screech, that swoops and soars from demonic howl to bile spewing guttural growl, courtesy of Asva's vocalist Jessika Kennney, falling somewhere between Lydia Lunch, Diamanda Galas and Edgy from Burning Witch. Super limited (only 500 copies) each copy is hand stamped and numbered!

ASVA What You Don't Know Is Frontier (Southern) cd 14.98
What You Don't Know Is Frontier is the second release from this heavy droning super group and it's insanely awesome. Densely layered glacial pools of buzzing heaviness, it's no surprise that Asva consists of members of Burning Witch, Goatsnake and SUNNO))) among others. An expansive pallet of guitars, percussion, organs, electronic wind instruments, and vocals, all plunge the listener into a battle between crumbling civilization and the redeeming light at the heart of the storm. Unlike many heavy drone bands who are easily weighed down by a lack of dimension within their music, Asva manages to swiftly guide the listener in and out of finely choreographed movements that unfold with precision musicianship. This is definitely not simply "another drone record" that should be overlooked or dismissed. The range of textures and attention to detail is key here. What You Don't Know is Frontier unfolds more like a soundtrack then a drone record, a refreshing attempt at broadening the genre into a more honest, accessible art form. Highly recommended for fans of anything HEAVY.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 2"

ASVA What You Don't Know is Frontier (Southern) 2lp 23.00
What You Don't Know Is Frontier is the second release from this heavy droning super group and it's insanely awesome. Densely layered glacial pools of buzzing heaviness, it's no surprise that Asva consists of members of Burning Witch, Goatsnake and SUNNO))) among others. An expansive pallet of guitars, percussion, organs, electronic wind instruments, and vocals, all plunge the listener into a battle between crumbling civilization and the redeeming light at the heart of the storm. Unlike many heavy drone bands who are easily weighed down by a lack of dimension within their music, Asva manages to swiftly guide the listener in and out of finely choreographed movements that unfold with precision musicianship. This is definitely not simply "another drone record" that should be overlooked or dismissed. The range of textures and attention to detail is key here. What You Don't Know is Frontier unfolds more like a soundtrack then a drone record, a refreshing attempt at broadening the genre into a more honest, accessible art form. Highly recommended for fans of anything HEAVY.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 2"

AT JENNIE RICHIE Rectums Merging (What We Do Is Secret) 12" 9.98
We had never heard of At Jennie Richie, which is a little surprising considering the folks who have done time in this constantly shifting collective: Matt Waldron (irr. (app.) ext. / Nurse With Wound), Alan Bishop, Mason Jones, folks from Noggin, The Cherry Point, Vertonen and even Hans Grusel and his Krankenkabinet. And with guests like that, you sort of get a rough idea of what to expect from this surrealist DADA 'rock' combo.
A sidelong soundscape of strange ambience, a pulsing throbbing framework of looped percussion, atop deep resonant swells, buzzing insect-like synths, whispery FX and all manner of microscopic sound fluctuations. The main element, a strange synthesized loop that lulls the listener into a trance, as various bits of sound begin to emerge from all sides, slowly wrapping the listener's ears in strange layers of warble and buzz, of skitter and hushed chaos. Very reminiscent of Coil at times, as well as Nurse With Wound. Fans of both should flip over this.
Limited to 300 copies, one sided vinyl, with a beautiful silkscreened image on the flipside, full color artwork affixed to thick plain black covers, printed inserts, really nice... and most likely gone in no time....

AT THE DRIVE-IN Relationship Of Command (Grand Royal) cd 9.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
These emo punk heroes go big time with the release of "Relationship of Command" on Grand Royal, the Beastie Boys' label. Produced by Ross Robinson of Korn fame! (But don't let that dissuade you.) Sounds amazing, of course -- that's what Andee thinks cos he's already a big fan. For those new to At The Drive-In, these El Paso, Texas, kids are underground wunderkinds, having toured with Rage Against the Machine and honed their Texas-punk-via-DC-influenced sound. Fans of Fugazi and Nation of Ulysses will love this record. Totally aggro, definitely pop, so energizing it's amazing that the disc doesn't explode when you open the package.
RealAudio clip: "Arcarsenal"

AT THE DRIVE-IN This Station Is Non-Operational - Anthology (Fearless) cd + dvd 15.98
Okay so now that a few years have passed and things have sorta flipped around -- i.e, kids are more likely checking out At The Drive In because they dig The Mars Volta (or Sparta for that matter) as opposed to vice versa (which was certainly the case shortly after ATDI disbanded in 2001) -- here's a comprehensive collection of the songs to get the kids up to speed on the ferocious firepower of Omar and Cedric's former emo-punk band.
There's loads of rare material to thrill their fans, both old and new! The cd features 18 tracks total compiled from a bunch of their early releases on the Offtime and Fearless labels, some split 7"s, their Grand Royal album Relationship Of Command such as "One Armed Scissor", as well as one previously unreleased song (a cover of The Smiths' "This Night Has Opened My Eyes"). This Station Is Non-Operational closes with another cover, this one is of Pink Floyd's "Take Up They Stethoscope and Walk".
The dvd includes videos for "Metronome Arthritis", "One Armed Scissor" and "Invalid Litter Dept.", an "Operations Manual" (aka an electronic presskit), their full discography, and some cd-rom extras.
The insert booklet lets the pictures do the talking, jam-packed with tour and live photos, and precious little in the way of liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "One Armed Scissor"
MPEG Stream: "This Night Has Opened My Eyes"

AT THE GATES Slaughter Of The Soul (Earache) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From '95, one of the last great Earache releases was Swedish death metallers At The Gates' debut for the label -- definitely ATG's best, but sadly also to be their last, album. "Slaughter The Soul" stands next to Dissection's "Storm Of The Light's Bane" as the apex of the New Wave of Swedish Melodic Death Metal sound. The Iron Maiden-inspired guitar work, the black metal styled throat shredding vocals, and the "Reign In Blood" era Slayer -worthy speed and brutality of this attack showed just how extreme AND melodic metal could get. Acts like In Flames, Shadows Fall, Soilwork, and countless others wouldn't be what they are without ATG. Truly a '90s metal classic, and like "RIB" without an ounce of fat, clocking in at 34 action packed minutes.
Not only part of the currently on-going Earache vinyl reissue program, but also now re-released on cd with bonus tracks as well.

AT THE GATES Slaughter Of The Soul (Earache) cd 15.98
From '95, one of the last great Earache releases was Swedish death metallers At The Gates' debut for the label -- definitely ATG's best, but sadly also to be their last, album. "Slaughter The Soul" stands next to Dissection's "Storm Of The Light's Bane" as the apex of the New Wave of Swedish Melodic Death Metal sound. The Iron Maiden-inspired guitar work, the black metal styled throat shredding vocals, and the "Reign In Blood" era Slayer -worthy speed and brutality of this attack showed just how extreme AND melodic metal could get. Acts like In Flames, Shadows Fall, Soilwork, and countless others wouldn't be what they are without ATG. Truly a '90s metal classic, and like "RIB" without an ounce of fat, clocking in at 34 action packed minutes.
Not only part of the currently on-going Earache vinyl reissue program, but also now re-released on cd with bonus tracks as well ('cause of course there's room for 'em): one unreleased song called "The Dying" from the "SOTS" sessions, 2 demo tracks, and covers of Slaughterlord, No Security, and of course, Slayer!
RealAudio clip: "Slaughter Of The Soul"
RealAudio clip: "The Dying"

AT THE HEAD OF THE WOODS Secrets Beyond Time & Space (Glass Throat) cd 14.98
Lately, we just can't get seem to get enough of all the great mystical ambient music happening. Portland's At the Head of the Woods, a solo project of James Woodhead (Blood of the Black Owl, Elemental Chrysalis) is the perfect example of this super beautiful, dim and desolate sound that we love so much. Considering the band name and all, we thought it'd be a good idea to take this album along for a Sunday evening drive through the redwoods. And man, it turned out to be the perfect experience. Nothing like lush, woodsy dronescapes to accompany an evening drive. Striking acoustic and electric guitar melodies played over round, turning tones that move and crawl across the forest ground like dense fog. Awesome stuff. We know how easy it is for a drone album to become a bit one dimensional, but this one really takes the listener along for an epic journey through still meadows and onto seaside crags. The album builds momentum from hovering vocal and guitar drones to slow rural dirges lead by full on pummeling, sloooooow-paced drums. Reminds us a lot of the newer Earth albums, but slightly darker and more mystical, with less of the country twang. There's a great balance between colorful textures and engaging composition, really makes for an immersive listen that's sure to make you feel like you're watching sunlight fade behind the silhouettes of towering trees.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled (one)"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled (two)"

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT 60 Second Wipe Out (DHR/Elektra) cd 15.98
For an outfit with such a strong ethos for sticking it to the man, Atari Teenage Riot's deal with Elektra is quite shocking. Upon listening to the first fruits of the deal, I have to wonder if the knowledge of the deal has heightened my criticality of Alec Empire or if his electronic blast beats have gotten tame with age none of the post-Rotterdam 240 bpm insanity...things tend to stay at a reasonable 140 or so, of fractured Amen breaks and straight up 808 techno grooves. The fury of the midrange has certainly been exaggerated by Nic Endo's matriculation into ATR, as her full on noise assaults do stand out. Also of note is the collaboration that Atari Teenage Riot has done with Kathleen Hanna ranting alongside ATR's three-prong vocal attack of Alec, Hanin Elias, and Carl Crack.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT 60 Second Wipe Out (DHR/Elektra) 2lp 12.98
For an outfit with such a strong ethos for sticking it to the man, Atari Teenage Riot's deal with Elektra is quite shocking. Upon listening to the first fruits of the deal, I have to wonder if the knowledge of the deal has heightened my criticality of Alec Empire or if his electronic blast beats have gotten tame with age none of the post-Rotterdam 240 bpm insanity...things tend to stay at a reasonable 140 or so, of fractured Amen breaks and straight up 808 techno grooves. The fury of the midrange has certainly been exaggerated by Nic Endo's matriculation into ATR, as her full on noise assaults do stand out. Also of note is the collaboration that Atari Teenage Riot has done with Kathleen Hanna ranting alongside ATR's three-prong vocal attack of Alec, Hanin Elias, and Carl Crack.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT Burn, Berlin, Burn! (Grand Royal) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Collects tracks from their import albums, and makes for a great introduction to the exciting, incendiary world of Digital Hardcore.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT Burn, Berlin, Burn! (Grand Royal) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Collects tracks from their import albums, and makes for a great introduction to the exciting, incendiary world of Digital Hardcore.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT Deutschland Has Gotta Die! (Digital Hardcore/Grand Royal) 7" 3.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of 4 singles from Digital Hardcore Recordings, Germany's nastiest, most extreme hardcore techno label, issued here in tasty uninitiated-friendly 7" format by the Beastie's Grand Royal label. A cheap way to learn all about what the hell is going on.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT Live at Brixton Academy 1999 (Digital Hardcore Recordings) cd 16.98
DHR qualifies this set as the ultimate noise concert ever performed in the history of music. While I wonder what Merzbow, Incapacitants, Boyd Rice, and My Bloody Valentine (the most devastating live performance I ever heard) have to say about this hyperbole, Atari Teenage Riot did manifest an extreme noise assault against themselves and their audience at the Brixton Academy in 1999, when they opened for Nine Inch Nails. Alec Empire's liner notes are laughably megalomaniacal about Atari Teenage Riot, implying that their "political" stance in part incited the WTO riots in Seattle. Umm, yeah.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT Revolution Action (Digital Hardcore) 12" 9.98
New 4-track ep from Alec Empire & co. Features Nic Endo's first recordings with the band, adding a brutalist barrage of white noise to the already pummelling assault of post-Rotterdam hardcore, hellish drum n' bass breaks, and the three-pronged political vocal rants of Empire, Hanin Elias and Carl Crack.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT Revolution Action (Digital Hardcore) cdep 9.98
New 4-track ep from Alec Empire & co. Features Nic Endo's first recordings with the band, adding a brutalist barrage of white noise to the already pummelling assault of post-Rotterdam hardcore, hellish drum n' bass breaks, and the three-pronged political vocal rants of Empire, Hanin Elias and Carl Crack.

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT / ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION (Damaged Goods) split 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New songs from ATR and AQ-favorites the Asian Dub Foundation, the hip-hop outfit's first appearance since 1995's brilliant full-length album.

ATAVIST II: Ruined (Profound Lore) cd 14.98
Oh, the misery! Vying with the likes of Moss and Marzuraan for the title of Sludge Lords of England, Atavist offer up their second full-length (hence the title), following a split with Nadja not long ago. But Atavist are a complex beast with a tortured soul that in some ways is really less about sludge than it is about sheer sadness, opting for beauty over brutality much of the time.
Drums echo. Acoustic guitars weep. And then the walls of doom-drone (droom?) riffage come closing in, crashing down. But although there's heaviness galore, with gruff vokills raging, the gentle side to Atavist is nakedly displayed here too. Tranquil, haunting, Atavist possess almost a campfire drone post rockishness that curdles Khanate-like when the heaviness is let loose. All seven tracks, together something of a continuous emotional breakdown, demonstrate definite extreme mood swings, all of 'em melancholy and majestic, some of 'em massively metal. Actually it's a six-part dirge, plus a bonus track at the end, appropriately enough a cover of "I Hate The Human Race" originally by Boston sludge merchants Grief.
For fans of both Mogwai and Asunder for sure. So good.
MPEG Stream: "II"
MPEG Stream: "VI"

ATAVIST s/t (Invada) cd 15.98
Sludge is like a drug. Those of us who are hooked, can never get enough. And the heavier or weirder it gets, the more we need every fix to be just a little bit slower, a little bit heavier, a little bit more fucked up and freaked out. This stuff is already pushing the limits of how slow and heavy it can go, you can only get so slow and heavy before notes and melody and any sort of tonal color disappear completely resulting in what is essentially a super dense drone (and lord knows we love those too!!) so most of the bands that have been supplying us with our sludge fix of late have pushed the limits of slow and heavy obviously, but have mostly managed to twist their particular take on the sludge and the doom and the drone into seriously creepy and contorted shapes.
Thus we have Atavist. On first listen, they seem to be trudging down the same black and glacial path as Khanate, plodding Neanderthal drums, crumbling downtuned grit caked guitar rumble, and of course super processed demonically gurgled growls and shrieks. A horrifying and harrowing slow motion journey through the blackest pits of hell for sure. That along would be enough to have us jonesing. But then Atavist mix in some super unlikely elements. First, they actually rock. Not the whole time, but sometimes, they slip into an actual stonery doomic riff, and the tempo picks up, not too much, more like moving from steamroller tempo to runaway dumptruck tempo, but it definitely rocks, heavily and furiously, but never strays from the sludge too long, always slowing back down like said dumptruck plunging into a stretch of road where the tar has melted into black quicksand. The other unlikely element is a certain strange melodic flair, which seems unlikely, but somehow fits perfectly nestled amongst the surrounding doom. From the dreamy, propulsive post rock buried within the first track, gorgeous minor key guitar arpeggios, and shuffling loping almost krautlike rhythms (sounding at moments like a more dirge-y Katatonia) to the delicate intro to the second track, a glistening framework of soft melancholy melody and subtle simple bass lines, all drifting in a swirl of ambient haze (complete with a super creepy sample from the movie Session 9). There are even some blasts of full on freenoise freakout.
But Atavist at their core, are sludge pure and not so simple. Mighty hellbeasts wielding impossibly heavy slabs of ultrasludge, hurling dense chunks of black sound, moving in slow motion, but laying waste to all who cower before them. Neverending Eyehategod-ish high end feedback, dirge-y superdistorted bass grooves slowed waaaaaay down, until they're almost just big muddy smears of low end, guitars so low they sound like they're being dragged behind a truck through a tarpit. Those of you who have been fiending for more Khanate, Eyehategod, Moss, Bunkur, Monarch or who just need your head dunked in hot tar and beaten with feeding back guitars once in a while, may have just found the perfect prescription for your deathdoomdronedirgesludge fix.
MPEG Stream: "31:38"
MPEG Stream: "20:11"

ATAVIST s/t (Invada) lp 22.00
NOW ON VINYL! It's an import, probably not gonna be around too long...
Sludge is like a drug. Those of us who are hooked, can never get enough. And the heavier or weirder it gets, the more we need every fix to be just a little bit slower, a little bit heavier, a little bit more fucked up and freaked out. This stuff is already pushing the limits of how slow and heavy it can go, you can only get so slow and heavy before notes and melody and any sort of tonal color disappear completely resulting in what is essentially a super dense drone (and lord knows we love those too!!) so most of the bands that have been supplying us with our sludge fix of late have pushed the limits of slow and heavy obviously, but have mostly managed to twist their particular take on the sludge and the doom and the drone into seriously creepy and contorted shapes.
Thus we have Atavist. On first listen, they seem to be trudging down the same black and glacial path as Khanate, plodding Neanderthal drums, crumbling downtuned grit caked guitar rumble, and of course super processed demonically gurgled growls and shrieks. A horrifying and harrowing slow motion journey through the blackest pits of hell for sure. That along would be enough to have us jonesing. But then Atavist mix in some super unlikely elements. First, they actually rock. Not the whole time, but sometimes, they slip into an actual stonery doomic riff, and the tempo picks up, not too much, more like moving from steamroller tempo to runaway dumptruck tempo, but it definitely rocks, heavily and furiously, but never strays from the sludge too long, always slowing back down like said dumptruck plunging into a stretch of road where the tar has melted into black quicksand. The other unlikely element is a certain strange melodic flair, which seems unlikely, but somehow fits perfectly nestled amongst the surrounding doom. From the dreamy, propulsive post rock buried within the first track, gorgeous minor key guitar arpeggios, and shuffling loping almost krautlike rhythms (sounding at moments like a more dirge-y Katatonia) to the delicate intro to the second track, a glistening framework of soft melancholy melody and subtle simple bass lines, all drifting in a swirl of ambient haze (complete with a super creepy sample from the movie Session 9). There are even some blasts of full on freenoise freakout.
But Atavist at their core, are sludge pure and not so simple. Mighty hellbeasts wielding impossibly heavy slabs of ultrasludge, hurling dense chunks of black sound, moving in slow motion, but laying waste to all who cower before them. Neverending Eyehategod-ish high end feedback, dirge-y superdistorted bass grooves slowed waaaaaay down, until they're almost just big muddy smears of low end, guitars so low they sound like they're being dragged behind a truck through a tarpit. Those of you who have been fiending for more Khanate, Eyehategod, Moss, Bunkur, Monarch or who just need your head dunked in hot tar and beaten with feeding back guitars once in a while, may have just found the perfect prescription for your deathdoomdronedirgesludge fix.
MPEG Stream: "31:38"
MPEG Stream: "20:11"

ATAVIST / NADJA 12012291920 / 1414101 (Invada) cd 14.98
Not one, not two, but THREE Nadja releases this week! Two of them are collaborations, but still, how's a Nadja fan supposed to keep up? But as we've learned, it's well worth the effort, as each disc has been a bonafide killer, and this one is no different.
Teamed up with UK sludge doom quartet Atavist, this seems like the ultimate doom drone matchup, and thus you might expect that these two bands would bring out the heaviest and sludgiest in each other, when in fact, the exact opposite is the case.
Two nearly half hour tracks, each one meandering and blissful, darkly tranquil and really really pretty. The first is a slowcore / postrock drift, delicate guitar figures, looped over a slow shimmery dronescape, the backdrop constantly shifting, the guitar line spidery and minor key, repeating hypnotically above a constantly intensifying backdrop of drones and rumblings. Eventually the background noise overtakes the lonely guitar, but not in a sludgy bombastic way, more like a muted churning swirl, lots of billowy low end guitar, and drifting smoky ambience. Near the end, the guitars do thicken, and suddenly the dreaminess is mired in some serious sludge, shot though with distant keening psychguitar, but it doesn't last, and the sludge softens quickly into more whispery whir.
The second track is a wide open expanse of billowy dark ambience, lots of strange muted FX and pulsing krautrocky swirl. More in line with Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh than SUNNO))) or Earth. Eventually building into a moaning majestic wall of sound, like Sunroof! or Vibracathedral, but less skree and more rumble, huge slabs of crumbling guitar, beneath glistening melodic fragments and soft whirls of sound.
Droney and dreamy, divine and doomy and obviously essential.
MPEG Stream: "Twentyfour:sixteen"
MPEG Stream: "Twentynine:thirtyseven"

ATAVIST / NADJA II - Points At Infinity (Profound Lore) cd 13.98
Phew. For a minute there we were worried we were gonna go to list without a Nadja or Aidan Baker disc. But fear not, we're safe! At least for two more weeks.
Team up number two from UK sludgecombo Atavist and doomdrone duo Nadja, and much like the last disc, which sort of threw us for a loop as we were expecting some serious sludgey bombast, the first of the two tracks here is all blissed out and dreamy, a churning 20+ minutes of downtuned minor key guitar shimmer, deep whirring bass rumble, locked into a looped cyclical meander, the various spidery melodies intertwined and loose, layered and abstract, stretched out over a deep blackened canvas of undulating sonic swells, darkly ominous but quite hypnotic and mesmerizing. But then comes the CRUSH. And it's massive, we only had to wait a record and a half for the metal payoff but it's a big one. Three guitars locked into a churning riff, the drums a massive pound, howled vocals buried in the mix, all the while a haunting high end drone seems to hover over the proceedings, woven into the chugging melee below. But this sudden explosion of poundage and riffery is short lived, after 6 or 7 minutes, the blissy downtuned metallic onslaught abates, leaving a swirling emptiness of distant percussion and soft fluttery feedback. The high end gradually transforms into lowend, and the track gets a bit SUNNO)))-y, deep slowed down riffs moving glacially under a blackened canopy shot through with glimmers and shimmers and muted sparkles, finally slipping back into a softly moaning drone, that drifts like smoke through a sky grey with ash.
Another droney, doomy, blissy and briefly metallic essential from these two masters of their mysterious dark art.
MPEG Stream: "Projective Plane"

ATCHLEY, KENNETH Fountains (Auscultare) cd 12.98
Kenneth Atchley is a little known composer with connections to the Mills College Center for Contemporary Music (a couple of performances and a composition that has appeared on Chris Brown's web 'hub'), yet his "Fountains" piece is miles above the digital splutter that Mills has been promoting in the name of indeterminant composition and computerized improvisation. Atchley based the 3 compositions of this album on the digital synthesized contact microphone recordings of simple fountains pouring water into 40 gallon steel trash cans. The first piece ("fountain_1999.20") is a fractured collage in which passages of those water fountains in various states of augmentation jump cut between each other after several minutes, sounding much more like a late '80s collage from the Hafler Trio than anything recently coming from Mills. "fountain_1998.3" takes an oversaturation approach by amplifying the sounds into dense distorting layers much in the same way as Francisco Lopez' intensely loud moments. His most recent composition "fountain_2001.5" is the weakest of the three, sounding most like the Mills penchant for recognizable granular synthesis filters and flanges, though this one is the most adventurous composition with cutting from the dramatic sustained noise passage immediately to quiet water drips.
Released on Randy Yau's immaculately designed Auscultare Records.
RealAudio clip: "Fountain_1999.20"
RealAudio clip: "Fountain_1998.3"

ATELEIA & BENJAMIN CURTIS Baghdad Batterie (Table Of The Elements) 12" 17.98
There's a new vinyl-only series from beloved experimental label Table Of The Elements. Each 12" is one sided with an etching on the other side. Artists involved and contributing exclusive material include Collections Of Colonies Of Bees, Belong and a handful of others. The first one we've got is from Ateleia and Benjamin Curtis, who, utilizing guitar, bass, electronics and computers, have whipped up a truly strange installment for the series, beginning of course with the guitar, which is the focus of the series, this duo have created a strange hybrid of modern minimal techno, and reverby eighties pop. Sounds like a bit of a mess, but the two sounds sound great together. Beginning with a skittery shuffly beat, some fuzzy synths, distorted guitars, chiming reverb heavy chords, all wound into something that sounds a bit like Big Country or The Smiths deconstructed by some Chain Reaction artist.
Weird looped rhythms, tribal drums, processed melodies, those hypnotic repetitive guitars soaring and ringing out, that's the best way we can describe it, like some sort of Pop Ambient eighties pop thing, equal parts Gas, U2 (just the guitar), Big Country, reminds us quite a bit of the recent very retro M83 record, but with a distinctly techno, muted 4 on the floor vibe. Pretty cool.
Pressed on clear vinyl, one side intricately etched, housed in a thick vinyl sleeve, and needless to say, WAY LIMITED!

ATIVIN Interiors (Secretly Canadian) cd 13.98
Finally after a lengthy hiatus Ativin present the follow-up to their 1999 "Summing The Approach" ep. The post-rock angularities have been smoothed down and honed to a more subtle sound. The guitars build gradually and lock into gentle, almost hypnotic repetitions. Flowing and swelling in a subdued manner with like-minded soft vocals adding to the shadowy mood - especially on tracks such as the 7-minute long "When The Sky Turns Clear". Very nice post rock (but whoever writes their press releases should cut it out with all of the This Heat, Zeni Geva, Stars of the Lid comparisons - not appropriate at all!!!).
RealAudio clip: "When The Sky Turns Clear"

ATIVIN Night Mute (Secretly Canadian) cd 12.98
First things first, we'll forewarn you that we totally thought (and you might too) that this was an electro-clash album when we saw the cd's cover photo (band name-less and album title-less, it features an anonymous gal in Brooklyn-perfect denim short-shorts and blue suede knee-boots). But no! This is Ativin! Just when we all though the batteries had run dead in the math-rockers' calculators, out pops a new album from this band. Loud... quiet... loud... it doesn't really matter that it's 2004, Ativin are gonna post-rock you like it's 1992 (fyi: the year after the release of Slint's genre-defining Spiderland album). Granted it's something they do exceedingly well, but there's little that really distinguishes them from the pack... perhaps tenacity? It is definitely more aggressive (i.e, 'loud') than their last album, 2002's gently pensive Interiors. This album spurred us to muse that this band (as well as many other post-rock bands) has the chops to rather easily slip themselves into the metal section (Allan drew comparisons to the recent reviewed Switchblade album) -- if they'd relinquish their boyish indie-slouchin'.
MPEG Stream: "Night Terror"
MPEG Stream: "Sleep Well"

ATLAS SOUND Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (Kranky) cd 14.98
From his work with Deerhunter to his excellent solo project Atlas Sound to other various artistic projects, Bradford Cox has some serious creative consistency. It seems like part of that reliability is based on the fact that all of his work seems to be approaching the same types of emotions from slightly different angles. That's not to say the sonic spectrum he occupies is not varied, but there is the feeling that everything operates based on the same type of tension. Well, Atlas Sound's Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel is no different. In Deerhunter, the more upbeat '60s influenced indie pop and the glistening analog landscapes seem more distant from each other. Here, Cox seems to have fused the two into a more singular package, in a good way. All of the songs are in a similar range, but the presentation of various melodies is interesting enough for everything to stand alone. Ah, let's see, maybe those hungry for specific band comparisons can take faith in an impressive list. For instance: Jesus and Mary Chain, Seefeel, Ulrich Schnauss, Caribou, and ... White Rainbow and Valet, which is interesting. Why? Well, because Adam Forkner of White Rainbow and Honey Owens of Valet are two members of the Atlas Sound live band. Alongside the crew are also Brian Foote of Nudge (along with Ms. Owens), and someone we just don't know named Stephanie Macksey. But in company like that, we're sure she's done great stuff too! If you, like us, occasionally need to embark upon an interstellar journey into emotions both inspirational and bleak, look no further, here's your guide. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Ativan"
MPEG Stream: "Winter Vacation"

ATLAS SOUND Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel (Kranky) 2lp 16.98
Now available on vinyl!
From his work with Deerhunter to his excellent solo project Atlas Sound to other various artistic projects, Bradford Cox has some serious creative consistency. It seems like part of that reliability is based on the fact that all of his work seems to be approaching the same types of emotions from slightly different angles. That's not to say the sonic spectrum he occupies is not varied, but there is the feeling that everything operates based on the same type of tension. Well, Atlas Sound's Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel is no different. In Deerhunter, the more upbeat '60s influenced indie pop and the glistening analog landscapes seem more distant from each other. Here, Cox seems to have fused the two into a more singular package, in a good way. All of the songs are in a similar range, but the presentation of various melodies is interesting enough for everything to stand alone. Ah, let's see, maybe those hungry for specific band comparisons can take faith in an impressive list. For instance: Jesus and Mary Chain, Seefeel, Ulrich Schnauss, Caribou, and ... White Rainbow and Valet, which is interesting. Why? Well, because Adam Forkner of White Rainbow and Honey Owens of Valet are two members of the Atlas Sound live band. Alongside the crew are also Brian Foote of Nudge (along with Ms. Owens), and someone we just don't know named Stephanie Macksey. But in company like that, we're sure she's done great stuff too! If you, like us, occasionally need to embark upon an interstellar journey into emotions both inspirational and bleak, look no further, here's your guide. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Ativan"
MPEG Stream: "Winter Vacation"

ATMAN Personal Forest (Drunken Fish) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This Polish psyche/folk band is kind of like Penguin Cafe Orchestra meets spacerock, and the music is created with woodwinds, jew's harp, Polish dulcimer, sitar, zither, and Tibetan liturgical instruments. Highly recommended, esp. for Terrascopishly-inclined folks.