APPLES IN STEREO New Magnetic Wonder (Yep Roc) cd 16.98
Hurrah! Those delightful lil' Apples In Stereo have come bursting back from a much too long absence. Yes, it's been five long years since we last heard from these Elephant Six collective pop dynamos, but from the bright eyed and bushy tailed sounds of New Magnetic Wonder it's as if they never skipped a beat. Some things never change... head Apple Robert Schneider is still carrying a mighty big torch for Brian Wilson, but he's visiting the E.L.O. camp occasionally on a few tunes here too. This is some seriously yummy pop! Recommended for everyone young and young at heart and particularly those with a big sweet tooth. Not recommended for diabetics or old fogeys.
MPEG Stream: "Sunndal Song"
MPEG Stream: "7 Stars"

APPLES IN STEREO Science Faire (Spin Art) cd 12.98
One of our favorite pop bands collects early releases, b-sides and sundry out-of-print gems, plus one new song. Perky, poppy music that'll bring out the kid in you! You may have seen this recently available as expensive Japanese import.

APPLES IN STEREO Science Faire (Spin Art) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of our favorite pop bands collects early releases, b-sides and sundry out-of-print gems, plus one new song. Perky, poppy music that'll bring out the kid in you!

APPLES IN STEREO The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone (One Little Indian) cd 14.98
Hip hip hooray, super great news! Apples In Stereo's long out of print albums -- The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone and Fun Trick Noisemaker -- have been reissued! With such a beloved band, you might be wondering why we never reviewed these awesome early Apples In Stereo delights. We were asking ourselves the same question, then we realized that the records predate our aQ website and review writing. Yeah, waaay back before we had the invention known as the computer! Now, we get to take another kick at the can (and replace our own worn copies!)!
While The Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone is not quite as immediately addictive as Fun Trick Noisemaker, it is sooo unabashedly sweet and effervescent nonetheless! Shhh, hear that? Is that maracas or is it the fizz in your ginger ale? Is that a cowbell or is it the snapping of your bubble gum? One can't be sure when the Apples are on the stereo! Wherever their very Beatles and Beach Boys influenced tunes go they leave a sticky candyfloss tree lined trail paved with jelly beans. It's all feel-good yum-pop, but there's brains behind the bounciness. If you're new to this band, for sure start your new crush with Fun Trick Noisemaker, then proceed along your merry way with this one!
MPEG Stream: "The Rainbow"
MPEG Stream: "Submarine Dream"

APPLES IN STEREO Tone Soul Evolution (Spin Art) cd 13.98
Wonderful new pop work from Elephant 6ers.

APPLES IN STEREO Velocity of Sound (Spin Art) cd 14.98
A new super perky 'n' a bit punkier album from those popster Apples. They've always drawn scads of comparisons to the Beach Boys, but this time around for some reason it sounds a lot more like Brian Wilson and co. extra amped up and on helium. Robert Schneider's trademark high nasality seems to reach even higher than on their last album (hard to believe!), but fortunately it's countered by Hilarie's honey-sweet voice. This just might be their most rambunctious album to date but it still has all of their trademark harmonies and hooks. Quite a funtime racket that will surely delight sugar pop fans whereas those with a considerably smaller sweettooth might wanna skip this pep rally.
RealAudio clip: "Please "
RealAudio clip: "Rainfall"

APPLES IN STEREO, THE #1 Hits Explosion (Elephant 6 / Simian / Yep Roc) cd 15.98
For the life of us, we can't figure out why The Apples In Stereo never reached the same great heights popularity wise as groups like The Shins or Arcade Fire, cuz when it comes to immaculately crafted indie pop gems it just doesn't get much more perfect then Apples In Stereo.
#1 Hits Explosion, as you might have been able to tell from the title, is a collection of Apples 'greatest hits', songs that in a more perfect world really would have been #1 hits on the radio, at least if we were in charge. These songs are so bright and full of sunshine and color, taking a love of The Beatles and amping it all up with so much energy and enthusiasm that it's nearly impossible not to become a a little bit smitten by their ultra smart and super fun power pop. Every song has more hooks and more melody than most bands can manage on an entire album.
If you've somehow managed to miss these guys so far, this is such a perfect way to get introduced to this awesome Colorado outfit who remain one of the lasting lights of the amazing Elephant Six collective, that also included the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control.
When you want the feeling of eternal spring, or that perfect summer that lasts forever, Apples In Stereo is pretty much the perfect soundtrack. Blast it loud, with the top down, and soak in the sounds of sunshine!
MPEG Stream: "Go"
MPEG Stream: "Seems So"
MPEG Stream: "Energy"

APPLES IN STEREO, THE Electronic Projects For Musicians (YepRoc Records) cd 14.98
Great timing! To go with the recently reissued pair of early Apples In Stereo albums that we've been jumpin' for joy over, you'll surely also wanna nab a copy of this incongruously titled awesome compilation of AIS rare and unreleased tunes!
Want some music that'll float your boat? Look no further! This band has enough buoyancy to keep a million seacraft riding the waves, and even if your ship sinks you'll go down with a smile on your face thanks to these gleeful sounds. From the downright silly (they have their own theme song and of course they've done music for cartoons -- Powerpuff Girls! Yay!) to the coyly romantic to the dreamily orchestral ("Dreams"), they're always sweet, sweet, sweet. Somehow they've always tread so close to the danger zone of saccharine twee without inducing cavities!
MPEG Stream: "Shine (In Your Mind) "
MPEG Stream: "The Apples Theme Song"
MPEG Stream: "Dreams"

APPLESAUCER s/t (Toadaphile) cd 13.98
SF's Applesaucer rev up their popmobile, and cruise along with a confident bounce and energy akin to early Weezer, but with also a bit of '70s balladry thrown into the mix. Slightly quirky, well-crafted retro power pop with bright vocal harmonies, punchy drumming, and full'n'feisty guitar and keyboard interplay.

APPLESEED CAST Lost Songs (Deep Elm) cd 14.98
While their bio utilizes words like "groundbreaking" and "innovative" to describe this new release from Appleseed Cast, to these ears those are hardly the most suitable words to describe it. Instead try wonderfully "solid" and "familiar". Their immensely well-received Low Level Owl two volume album was epic, clearly a hard act to follow. Try as they might have, Lost Songs pales in comparison. Not a bad album by any means, just not quite of the same caliber as its predecessor, and not quite as immediately engaging. Guitars soar, shimmer and swell as the vocalist sings his heart out, indeed this is emo music on a lush, grand scale. Actually, what sprung to mind was how this album sounds a lot like what the great pop of Superchunk might sound like today if they'd continued on their energetic power pop path instead of taking their somewhat mellower and more composed route.
RealAudio clip: "Novice"
RealAudio clip: "State N W/K"

APPLESEED CAST Low Level Owl I & II (Gilead) 3lp 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
These two long time aQ faves have now been re-issued on vinyl, as a deluxe gatefold triple lp. YOWZA! Here's the skinny on these two classics, originally released way back in 2002:
Though Lawrence, Kansas based Appleseed Cast has been around since 1998 they haven't been as widely heard as their contemporaries The Get Up Kids and The Anniversary, and we would have imagined that the release of Low Level Owl volumes one and two would change all that (although it seemingly hasn't helped too much as this record came out last year and Appleseed's public profile hasn't really improved all that dramatically). Though AC was basically your run of the mill emo band (Andee's old band even played with them a few years back at a hardcore festival!), we highly doubt their most recent efforts will be confused with their mid-west emo contemporaries. Within the emo/post-hardcore spectrum Low Level Owl has much the same hue as Sunny Day Real Estate's angst-ridden How It Feels To Be Something On. Anthemic, meandering, and contemplative are definitely some of the adjectives that might describe this new sonic one two punch. Taken together Low Level Owl I and II are a much more sophisticated work than How It Feels was (and we love that album very much thank you), combining a sense of pop hook writing akin to Death Cab For Cutie or even Built To Spill, but with the added epic glory of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Radiohead or Mogwai's arrangements and production, but none of that overbearing pretension (esp. G.S.Y.B.E.'s incessant use of homeless street poets) and more a wide-eyed excitement to just make music!. This is good clean all American pop music for the emo lover who's old enough to have been drinking for at least a good ten years. The songs are filled with gorgeous melodic guitar lines soaked in spacious reverb, huge drum sounds and earnest vocals. If part of emo emanates a sense of nostalgia (Get Up Kids with Rick Springfield, Sunny Day with Christopher Cross) then we almost want to put Appleseed Cast on the same page with U2 circa Under A Blood Red Sky with many of the guitar and drum parts, but we imagine that might bum out some AQ customers so we'll refrain. Oops, too late!
The thing that really kicks a hole in our pants with these albums is the obvious love and meticulous care that went into recording them. The band apparently spent three months recording all the tracks; laying down the initial tracks and then sculpting them with additional overdubs and extensive tweaking, even miking leaves blowing along the driveway outside the studio and including it as a segue between two songs. In fact, both albums are obviously meant to be listened to in their entirety, with nary a second of silence between songs, as tracks bleed and drift into one another. Volume two begins, quite ingeniously and literally, where volume one leaves off -- with a brief reprise of the ending track. It could be us, but volume two seems to contain more Mogwai style extended jams and instrumental musical forays and experiments. So hearing the two together is pretty much perfect, the more ebullient "pop" record set up right there alongside the more drifting and pensive one. Almost everytime we play this in the store, someone buys a copy or comes to the counter to see what the heck we're playing. Fans of Death Cab, Get Up Kids, Flaming Lips, and all things emo, pop, and power pop, who missed out on the Low Level Owl a few years back should definitely have another listen and see what they've been missing!

APPLESEED CAST Peregrine (The Militia Group) cd 14.98
The marketing blurb on the top-obi of The Appleseed Cast's Peregrine reads "America's closest answer to Radiohead." Well, that's an apt description if one emphasizes the fact that the Appleseed Cast are undeniably American. Unlike many of the anorexic boys with black eyeliner who populate the United States of Emo, The Appleseed Cast genuinely approach emo simply as a starting point, the template upon which they can heap spacious washes of post-Mogwai guitar crescendos and assorted other sonic embellishments. But Appleseed Cast's thick atmospheres have much more of a bittersweet nostalgia than Mogwai's dejected brooding, as The Appleseed Cast still retains emo's charming optimism in spite of being brokenhearted. Where The Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl twin set of releases sprawled over the American heartland, Peregrine is a bit more driven by pop-hooks a la Death Cab For Cutie and Modest Mouse, although there's plenty of dramatic release-then-silence guitar episodes, and of course impassioned melodic bellows that would make Jeremy Enigk proud. If The Appleseed Cast ever got heavy, they'd make for a good touring partner with Jesu as there's more than a passing similarity between Peregrine and Jesu's recent slab of indie industrial pummel Silver.
MPEG Stream: "Sunlit Ascending"
MPEG Stream: "February"

APPLESEED CAST Peregrine (Graveface) lp 10.98
The marketing blurb on the top-obi of The Appleseed Cast's Peregrine reads "America's closest answer to Radiohead." Well, that's an apt description if one emphasizes the fact that the Appleseed Cast are undeniably American. Unlike many of the anorexic boys with black eyeliner who populate the United States of Emo, The Appleseed Cast genuinely approach emo simply as a starting point, the template upon which they can heap spacious washes of post-Mogwai guitar crescendos and assorted other sonic embellishments. But Appleseed Cast's thick atmospheres have much more of a bittersweet nostalgia than Mogwai's dejected brooding, as The Appleseed Cast still retains emo's charming optimism in spite of being brokenhearted. Where The Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl twin set of releases sprawled over the American heartland, Peregrine is a bit more driven by pop-hooks a la Death Cab For Cutie and Modest Mouse, although there's plenty of dramatic release-then-silence guitar episodes, and of course impassioned melodic bellows that would make Jeremy Enigk proud. If The Appleseed Cast ever got heavy, they'd make for a good touring partner with Jesu as there's more than a passing similarity between Peregrine and Jesu's recent slab of indie industrial pummel Silver.
MPEG Stream: "Sunlit Ascending"
MPEG Stream: "February"

APPLESEED CAST Two Conversations (Tiger Style) cd 14.98
First things first, admittedly our socks weren't totally knocked off on our introductory listens to this new Appleseed Cast album, but with such a glowing emo epic such as Low Level Owl Volumes 1 and 2 in their catalog of past releases... geez! Hopes were pretty darn high and expectations were just as specific. Much like its most recent predecessor Lost Songs did, Two Conversations inevitably fell victim to comparisons to the almighty Low Level Owl. Those were some big boots to fill, maybe it's best to just find a different pair to slip into? 'Tis true, AC fans (us included) simply have to accept that the band has evolved. Those familiar with AQ-land might recall that this was also the case with fellow Lawrence, KS band The Anniversary who, following their emo pop delight Designing a Nervous Breakdown, shook things up quite a bit with the very different full length Your Majesty - an album we all grew to adore. Anyways, all of that aside, this *is* a fine, inspired and well-executed full length. Appleseed Cast pick up where they left off on Lost Songs - continuing to move away from the energetic and anthemic into more slow, spacy shoegazer territory. Although they do kick into a couple of punchier heartbreak songs filled with crunchy hooks here and there ("Fight Song"), the guitars provide more fuzzy atmospheric washes and more plaintively picked melodies. Vocals are boyish, slightly melted and yes, very emotive. A few songs even brought to mind the well-crafted luminous melancholia of Grandaddy and Sparklehorse (particularly on the final two "How Life Can Turn" and "A Dream For Us"). Give'r a listen!
MPEG Stream: "A Dream For Us"
MPEG Stream: "Hanging Marionette"
MPEG Stream: "Fight Song"

APPLESEED CAST, THE Low Level Owl: Volume I (Deep Elm Records Inc) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Though Lawrence, Kansas based Appleseed Cast has been around since 1998 they haven't been as widely heard as their contemporaries The Get Up Kids and The Anniversary, and I would have imagined that the release of "Low Level Owl" volumes one and two would change all that (although it seemingly hasn't helped too much as this record came out last year and Appleseed's public profile hasn't really improved all that dramatically). Though AC was basically your run of the mill emo band (Andee's old band even played with them at a hardcore festival! a few years back), we highly doubt their most recent efforts will be confused with their mid-west emo contemporaries. Within the emo/post-hardcore spectrum "Low Level Owl" has much the same hue as Sunny Day Real Estate's angst-ridden "How It Feels To Be Something On". Anthemic, meandering, and contemplative are definitely some of the adjectives that might describe this new twosome of recordings. Taken together "Low Level Owl" I and II are a much more sophisticated work than "How It Feels..." was (and I love that album very much thank you), combining a sense of pop hook writing akin to Death Cab For Cutie or even Built To Spill, but with the added epic glory of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Radiohead or Mogwai's arrangements and production, but none of that overbearing pretension (esp. G.S.Y.B.E.'s incessant use of homeless street poets) and more a wide-eyed excitement to just make music!. This is good clean all American pop music for the emo lover who's old enough to have been drinking for at least a good ten years. The songs are filled with gorgeous melodic guitar lines soaked in spacious reverb, huge drum sounds and earnest vocals. If part of emo emanates a sense of nostalgia (Get Up Kids with Rick Springfield, Sunny Day with Christopher Cross) then I almost want to put Appleseed Cast on the page with U2 circa "Under A Blood Red Sky" with many of the guitar and drum parts, but I imagine that might bum out some AQ customers so I'll refrain.
The thing that really kicks a hole in our pants with these albums is the obvious love and meticulous care that went into recording them. The band apparently spent three months recording all the tracks; laying down the initial tracks and then sculpting them with additional overdubs and extensive tweaking, even miking leaves blowing along the driveway outside the studio and including it as a segue between two songs. In fact, both albums are obviously meant to be listened to in their entirety, with nary a second of silence between songs, as tracks bleed and drift into one another. Volume two begins, quite ingeniously and literally, where volume one leaves off -- with a brief reprise of the ending track. It could be me, but volume two seems to contain more Mogwai style extended jams and instrumental musical forays and experiments. So if you wish to start with a more "pop" oriented record, choose volume one and if you want more of a drifting and pensive record, choose volume two. Chances are that you'll wanna pick up both eventually anyhow. Everytime we play this in the store, someone buys a copy or two.
RealAudio clip: "On Reflection"
RealAudio clip: "Steps And Numbers"
RealAudio clip: "Bird of Paradise"
RealAudio clip: "Mile Marker"

APPLESEED CAST, THE Low Level Owl: Volume II (Deep Elm Records Inc) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Though Lawrence, Kansas based Appleseed Cast has been around since 1998 they haven't been as widely heard as their contemporaries The Get Up Kids and The Anniversary, and I would have imagined that the release of "Low Level Owl" volumes one and two would change all that (although it seemingly hasn't helped too much as this record came out last year and Appleseed's public profile hasn't really improved all that dramatically). Though AC was basically your run of the mill emo band (Andee's old band even played with them at a hardcore festival! a few years back), we highly doubt their most recent efforts will be confused with their mid-west emo contemporaries. Within the emo/post-hardcore spectrum "Low Level Owl" has much the same hue as Sunny Day Real Estate's angst-ridden "How It Feels To Be Something On". Anthemic, meandering, and contemplative are definitely some of the adjectives that might describe this new twosome of recordings. Taken together "Low Level Owl" I and II are a much more sophisticated work than "How It Feels..." was (and I love that album very much thank you), combining a sense of pop hook writing akin to Death Cab For Cutie or even Built To Spill, but with the added epic glory of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Radiohead or Mogwai's arrangements and production, but none of that overbearing pretension (esp. G.S.Y.B.E.'s incessant use of homeless street poets) and more a wide-eyed excitement to just make music!. This is good clean all American pop music for the emo lover who's old enough to have been drinking for at least a good ten years. The songs are filled with gorgeous melodic guitar lines soaked in spacious reverb, huge drum sounds and earnest vocals. If part of emo emanates a sense of nostalgia (Get Up Kids with Rick Springfield, Sunny Day with Christopher Cross) then I almost want to put Appleseed Cast on the page with U2 circa "Under A Blood Red Sky" with many of the guitar and drum parts, but I imagine that might bum out some AQ customers so I'll refrain.
The thing that really kicks a hole in our pants with these albums is the obvious love and meticulous care that went into recording them. The band apparently spent three months recording all the tracks; laying down the initial tracks and then sculpting them with additional overdubs and extensive tweaking, even miking leaves blowing along the driveway outside the studio and including it as a segue between two songs. In fact, both albums are obviously meant to be listened to in their entirety, with nary a second of silence between songs, as tracks bleed and drift into one another. Volume two begins, quite ingeniously and literally, where volume one leaves off -- with a brief reprise of the ending track. It could be me, but volume two seems to contain more Mogwai style extended jams and instrumental musical forays and experiments. So if you wish to start with a more "pop" oriented record, choose volume one and if you want more of a drifting and pensive record, choose volume two. Chances are that you'll wanna pick up both eventually anyhow. Everytime we play this in the store, someone buys a copy or two.
RealAudio clip: "Strings"
RealAudio clip: "A Place In Line"
RealAudio clip: "Ring Out the Warning Bell"
RealAudio clip: "The Last In A Line"

APPLESEED CAST, THE Mare Vitalis (Deep Elm) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

APPLESEED CAST, THE Sagarmatha (The Militia Group) cd 15.98
It's been almost 3 years since we've heard from the Appleseed Cast, and closer to 7 since we were truly obsessed with these guys, back when their, multi disc Lo Level Owl opus was released. Those two records totally threw us for a loop, encompassing everything we loved about indie rock, taking all the tried and true elements, and pushing them further, creating a massive sprawling concept record of sorts, without ever losing sight of the song, of the melodies, the hooks, the stuff that made it indie rock in the first place.
So since then, the band have continued to plug away, releasing maybe 5 or 6 records, all of them pretty decent, but none doing it for us the way Low Level Owl did. The most recent one before this, Peregrine, came close, reigning in the band's tendency to drift and explore and get all experimental, in favor of something more immediate, and perhaps commercial, mining a sort of Modest Mouse / Death Cab For Cutie sound. But on Sagarmatha, the band seems to have decided to return to their roots while trying something a bit heavier on for size. The opening track, mostly instrumental, is all brooding pop jangle and epic post rock drift, seemingly content to just meander, and we're perfectly content to just listen, and then the band explodes into a super heavy crescendo / coda and suddenly, these guys could (and maybe should) be giving bands like Explosions In The Sky a run for their money. Then the vocals come in, and while it makes it poppier, a hint of Radiohead in the lilting almost falsetto, the vocals are very uncommercially buried in the mix, more just another layer of lush sound, but adding a sweeping epic emotional vibe to the proceedings.
And so it goes, the band mix, dreamy nineties style jangle, with muscley riffage, crushing metallic crunch, soaring chiming arena guitars, and washed out blissy shoegaze blur, into mini indie prog jams, that get catchier and catchier every time you hear them.
They might not be as 'cool', or metal, or heavy, or underground, but fuck it, anyone into Explosions In The Sky, This Will Destroy You, Godspeed, Irepress, Angel Eyes, all that sort of modern metallic post rock, as well as people just looking for some indie pop with more heft, something a bit more cerebral and musically adventurous, should absolutely check these guys out, and while it may be no Low Level Owl (out of print sorry to say), it's still pretty kick ass, and has been getting plenty of spins around these parts.
MPEG Stream: "As The Little Things Go"
MPEG Stream: "A Bright Light"
MPEG Stream: "The Road West"

APPLESEED CAST, THE Sagarmatha (Graveface) 2lp 24.00
It's been almost 3 years since we've heard from the Appleseed Cast, and closer to 7 since we were truly obsessed with these guys, back when their, multi disc Lo Level Owl opus was released. Those two records totally threw us for a loop, encompassing everything we loved about indie rock, taking all the tried and true elements, and pushing them further, creating a massive sprawling concept record of sorts, without ever losing sight of the song, of the melodies, the hooks, the stuff that made it indie rock in the first place.
So since then, the band have continued to plug away, releasing maybe 5 or 6 records, all of them pretty decent, but none doing it for us the way Low Level Owl did. The most recent one before this, Peregrine, came close, reigning in the band's tendency to drift and explore and get all experimental, in favor of something more immediate, and perhaps commercial, mining a sort of Modest Mouse / Death Cab For Cutie sound. But on Sagarmatha, the band seems to have decided to return to their roots while trying something a bit heavier on for size. The opening track, mostly instrumental, is all brooding pop jangle and epic post rock drift, seemingly content to just meander, and we're perfectly content to just listen, and then the band explodes into a super heavy crescendo / coda and suddenly, these guys could (and maybe should) be giving bands like Explosions In The Sky a run for their money. Then the vocals come in, and while it makes it poppier, a hint of Radiohead in the lilting almost falsetto, the vocals are very uncommercially buried in the mix, more just another layer of lush sound, but adding a sweeping epic emotional vibe to the proceedings.
And so it goes, the band mix, dreamy nineties style jangle, with muscley riffage, crushing metallic crunch, soaring chiming arena guitars, and washed out blissy shoegaze blur, into mini indie prog jams, that get catchier and catchier every time you hear them.
They might not be as 'cool', or metal, or heavy, or underground, but fuck it, anyone into Explosions In The Sky, This Will Destroy You, Godspeed, Irepress, Angel Eyes, all that sort of modern metallic post rock, as well as people just looking for some indie pop with more heft, something a bit more cerebral and musically adventurous, should absolutely check these guys out, and while it may be no Low Level Owl (out of print sorry to say), it's still pretty kick ass, and has been getting plenty of spins around these parts.
MPEG Stream: "As The Little Things Go"
MPEG Stream: "A Bright Light"
MPEG Stream: "The Road West"

APPLESEED CAST, THE The End Of The Ring Wars (Deep Elm) cd 14.98

APPLETON, JON & DON CHERRY Human Music (Water) cd 16.98
We love the out-there improvs of legendary jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, and the idea of him teamed up with an equally out-there electronics maverick (Jon Appleton, natch) was enough to get us excited about this cd reissue of the duo's 1970 recording Human Music. Cherry, then a fixture on the NYC free jazz scene, was invited to be an artist-in-residence by young Dartmouth music professor Appleton -- who just happened to have a Moog-laden electronic music studio at his disposal. The resulting collaboration is an early exercise in "live" electronic-meets-acoustic music -- as the studio techniques of musique concrete, like splicing and editing tapes with razor blades, couldn't be applied to a real-time improv duet, so Appleton had to find ways for Cherry's playing (on both horns and sundry percussion) to immediately "trigger" responses from the studio's arsenal of synths. The results are VERY bleepy-blurpy-whooshy, like something from a freaky sci-fi soundtrack, and Cherry's trumpet is often obscured by the electronic effects. We can't say that Human Music is an absolutely essential Don Cherry album but it's definitely an interesting novelty in his discography and it's cool to get to hear it now!
MPEG Stream: "BOA"
MPEG Stream: "OBA"

APPLETON, JON & DON CHERRY Human Music (Flying Ditchman) lp 12.98
Now available on vinyl!
We love the out-there improvs of legendary jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, and the idea of him teamed up with an equally out-there electronics maverick (Jon Appleton, natch) was enough to get us excited about this cd reissue of the duo's 1970 recording Human Music. Cherry, then a fixture on the NYC free jazz scene, was invited to be an artist-in-residence by young Dartmouth music professor Appleton - who just happened to have a Moog-laden electronic music studio at his disposal. The resulting collaboration is an early exercise in "live" electronic-meets-acoustic music - as the studio techniques of musique concrete, like splicing and editing tapes with razor blades, couldn't be applied to a real-time improv duet, so Appleton had to find ways for Cherry's playing (on both horns and sundry percussion) to immediately "trigger" responses from the studio's arsenal of synths. The results are VERY bleepy-blurpy-whooshy, like something from a freaky sci-fi soundtrack, and Cherry's trumpet is often obscured by the electronic effects. We can't say that Human Music is an absolutely essential Don Cherry album but it's definitely an interesting novelty in his discography and it's cool to get to hear it now!
MPEG Stream: "BOA"
MPEG Stream: "OBA"

APPLIANCE Food Music (Mute) cd ep 8.98

APPLIANCE Time and Space (Enraptured) 10" 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Appealing instrumental post-rock from the label that never puts out bad records. More doleful than Tortoise or Ui and without the jazz influences, but mining similar territory. Each format limited to 1000 copies. Recommended.

APPLIANCE Time and Space (Enraptured) cdep 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Appealing instrumental post-rock from the label that never puts out bad records. More doleful than Tortoise or Ui and without the jazz influences, but mining similar territory. Each format limited to 1000 copies. Recommended.

APPRECIATION Healing The Father Wound (OnOnSwitch) cd-r 9.98
Whoahh man. San Francisco's own Appreciation is a writhing force in belted sheets, surrounded by mountainous abstractions and shrouded in fog! Now, usually with a band like this, their involved and award-winning art-school-typisch live show would totally rule over any recording. BUT NO. Healing The Father Wound is awesome!!! Partially self-recorded at a band member's house, partially at Louder Studio by engineer Tim Green (The Fucking Champs), this four song ep cd-r is their totally freaked-out psychedelic, metallic, noisy space-jam... and if you've never seen/heard 'em before, it's not what you think. It's more kid in under-roos with a sheet tied around his head, light saber in hand than anything more organized or fully constructed n' polished. But anyway, yeah -- it's all self-made and awesome sounding! That said, we must gush a tiny bit about this cd for one more reason: the packaging is all hand-made featuring artwork by the band's drummer, Bert Bergen, who silkscreened and sewed each cd sleeve by hand!! And if you have the chance to see them live, the experience is equally as rewarding as this recording. I mean, who wants to just go see a stilted band stand up on stage playing their "songs", anyway? A weird band that crosses the trying-to-be-weird barrier into genuine weirdness, where so many others have failed. Seriously, go see 'em live sometime, and tell us that hand painted volcano stage sets and the fact that no one in the band will ever rise above a crouch the whole time they're playing isn't amazing. Very limited... grab it while you can.
MPEG Stream: "Track One"

APRIL & MAY Best Of (Riverman) cd 17.98
There are countless reviews on our site where we have to remind ourselves of that age old lesson about not judging a book (a record) by its cover. As all too often we have fallen in love with some amazing records that we were initially resistant toward because of their awful cover art. But every so often, our attraction to the cover pays off, as we discover a record that lives up to the joy of its cover. Such is the case with this wonderful 1973 Korean folk/psych gem. The cover shows the two men behind April & May hands locked as they run through a field, both of them clad in dapper duds and with big smiles on their faces. It's such a sweet and endearing image, and the sounds on this best-of collection seem to match those visual sentiments so perfectly.
While they often get billed as the Korean, Simon & Garfunkel, there is much more of a range to their sound. From catchy ye-ye like pop, to orchestral show stoppers, to stripped down folk, to candy color happy psych-pop. Equal parts Kuni Kawachi, The Free Design, Billy Nicholls, Francoise Hardy, Happy End, Hermans Hermits, and The Left Banke. We also would love to put some of these songs on a mix for folks like Belle & Sebastian, Cornelius, Jens Lekman, and Saint Etienne.
We so want to mimic the cover when listening to this record, putting on our favorite outfit and scarf and skipping down sidewalks and fields hand in hand with our best friend in the world. One of our favorite discoveries of the year.
MPEG Stream: "My Love"
MPEG Stream: "The Sea To The Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "The Song"
MPEG Stream: "Department Store (and)"

APSE Eras (Equation) lp 11.98
BACK IN STOCK, and nice priced (nearly half of what it was selling for before)!!!
For some unknown reason, we hadn't paid too much attention to this band, but listening now to this super swank lp version of their second full length, Eras, we're beginning to think we have definitely been missing out!
The record begins with some murky, muddy, washed out psychedelic drone rock, motorik beats, thick clouds of churning chordal distortion, glistening melodies, super shoe gazey, but super dark and blurred as well, but the record soon slips into something more dreamy and twangy, Eastern melodies over a mass of soft swirling drones and minimal percussion, vocals buried in the mix, ghostlike and mysterious, some big booming drums, very druggy and psychedelic, reminds us of Wooden Shjips, or Moon Duo actually, and the whole record sort of weaves back and forth, between weirdly bombastic post industrial shoegaze dirgery, and a more sort of Velvet Underground / Spacemen 3 style psych drone sprawl, but with a little Scenic style atmosphere mixed in. Sound strange, and it is a bit, but the band make it work, a constantly shifting psychedelic rock bliss out / trip out, that should definitely appeal to fans of the current crop of space gazers.
As with all Equation releases, the design and packaging are fantastic, super thick 180 gram vinyl, deluxe full color gatefold jacket, printed inner sleeves, various inserts, LIMITED TO 425 COPIES, each one hand numbered...

APSE Spirit (Acuarela) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This album arrived quietly enough. The band's name, the album title and stark black slipcover offered little fanfare of what sounds might lurk within. For that matter, Madrid based label Acuarela has such an eclectic array of artists on its roster that we weren't allowed any tell-tale hints from peeking at their catalog. So, we tentatively slipped the jewelcase out of its slipcover. It revealed a dreary, fog blurred outdoor photo with leafless tree branches vanishing into the mist and damp mossy banks sinking into the chilly river's edge. That image totally captures the overriding mood of Spirit, leaning towards the dark, the mysterious, the slightly sinister. Apse's stormy post rock soundscapes churn up the gloom with a goth industrial edge. Hushed high male vocals lend a ghostly quality to the already haunted atmosphere. In fact, this may draw comparisons to Sigur Ros, but its heart is far more heavy and unsettling.
MPEG Stream: "Shade Of The Moor"
MPEG Stream: "The Crowned"

APSE Spirit (ATP) cd 15.98
Now reissued on UK label All Tomorrow's Parties with a bonus track!
The original release of this album last year arrived quietly enough. The band's name, the album title and stark black slipcover offered little fanfare of what sounds might lurk within, nor where the band originated (psst, it's Connecticut!). For that matter, its original record label the Madrid based Acuarela has such an eclectic array of artists on its roster that we weren't allowed any tell-tale hints from peeking at their catalog. So, we tentatively slipped the jewelcase out of its slipcover. It revealed a dreary, fog blurred outdoor photo with leafless tree branches vanishing into the mist and damp mossy banks sinking into the chilly river's edge. Although that image could easily reside on any number of Norwegian Black Metal album covers, it totally captures the overriding mood of the non-BM Spirit, leaning towards the dark, the mysterious, the slightly sinister. Apse's stormy post rock soundscapes churn up the gloom with a goth industrial edge. Hushed high male vocals lend a ghostly quality to the already haunted atmosphere. In fact, this may draw comparisons to Sigur Ros, but its heart is far more heavy and unsettling.
MPEG Stream: "Shade Of The Moor"
MPEG Stream: "The Crowned"

APTORIAN DEMON Angst, Jammer og Fortbilelse / Til Helbete (Aftermath Music) 7" 10.98

AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE Volume Four (Warner) dvd 34.00

AQUARELLE Sung In Broken Symmetry (Students Of Decay) lp 16.98
Alex Cobb's Students Of Decay imprint must issue an edict to those who pass through its doors to deconstruct the song to particular base elements - primarily noise and drone with a ghost of melody - and rearrange them, for some truly compelling albums. Evan Caminiti, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Brendan Murray, Celer, Peter Wright, and Natural Snow Buildings (the latter being perhaps the most 'traditional' of these SoD acts) have all obeyed Cobb's edict, alongside plenty of lesser knowns.
Aquarelle (aka Ryan Potts) is not a project we've heard all that much about, but the work certainly holds up to the high Students Of Decay standards of scattered drone pocked with sculpted noise. Beginning with cyclical patterns of cello and guitars all encrusted with rough-cut shards of glass that reflect and refract sound into a consonant shimmer of white noise. The fundamental tones from the cello in particular surface through "With Verticals" brightening the space with all of the cinematic flourishes one hears in Stars Of The Lid, but produced with the granularity of a particularly discordant Christian Fennesz (e.g. Endless Summer). "The Blue Light Was My Body" sets undulating washes of static-noise upon a finger-picked acoustic guitar riff and a stately drone that forms a enveloping corona to the track. Again, the references to Fennesz, Loveliescrushing, and Tim Hecker ring true, with Aquarelle flashing Americana-hues from weathered wood and rusty nails to his grit-laden ambience. Limited to 300 copies!

AQUARIAN, ISIS WITH ELECTRICITY AQUARIAN The Source: The Untold Story Of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 And The Source Family (Process) book + cd 24.95
An amazing compendium of facts (and some fantasy?) pertaining to the surprisingly under-documented '70s self proclaimed Aquarian tribe The Source Family and their freeflowing psychedelic jam branch Ya Ho Wha 13!
For years our awareness of this group was limited to the obscure recordings of the band (including the extraordinary giant box set God And Hair), and a smattering of vague and sensationalist 'cult' rumors. The members' secret oath and a marked absence of controversy, calamity and crime no doubt kept this group underwraps and off the pages of tabloids. Our fascination grew tenfold a couple of years ago thanks to the compelling dvd documentary "Yahowha 13: Re-visiting Father And The Source Family". It recounts the history of the movement founded by Father Yod (aka Ya Ho Wha, born Jim Baker) through interviews with original members and archive footage. Definitely recommended viewing. Fortunately for those whose interest has been piqued, we now also have this book. Isis Aquarian was one of Father Yod's fourteen 'women' or 'spiritual wives' and the group's appointed record keeper. Hence she was integral to the inner workings of the Source Family and has compiled an enormous archive of photographs, writings, and memorabilia. Her wealth of and deep connection to this knowledge makes for an immensely intimate and informative document. Lively and entertaining too, among other things, the book details living a utopic life in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills and a subsequent move to Hawaii, observing Father's integrated teachings of ancient philosophies and religions (strongly influenced by Yogi Bhajan and the writings of Manly P. Hall), practicing daily pre-dawn meditations and rituals, and eating a strictly vegetarian diet. In fact, the Source Family ran one of the very first and most wildly successful vegetarian / raw health food restaurants which was located on the Sunset Strip (recipes and photos from the restaurant are included!). Nowadays yoga has been mainstreamed into another physical fitness trend -- a glorified stretching if you will, the ancient spiritual teachings lost to the masses -- and terms like 'guru' and 'visionary' are bandied about with abandon, but back in the late '60s and early '70s there was a West Coast consciousness explosion goin' on, and these people lived it!
The bonus cd is a daunting experience unto itself featuring not only a mindblowing Ya Ho Wha 13 live performance at Beverly Hills High in 1974 (obviously not the most pristine recording quality nor anything resembling trained musicianship (we suspect that if any members had any formal schooling, it was tossed to the wind) -- this is a sensory overloaded moment captured in time of opened channels and the cathartic power of music), but also fascinating radio interview segments, enlightening Father Yod lecture snippets, and Source Family chants! Anyone curious about Ya Ho Wha is gonna want the book, we'd think, and this bonus disc pretty much makes it essential, with its several tracks of unreleased Ya Ho Wha jams, freaky stuff to be found nowhere on the infamous God & Hair 13 cd box set...
MPEG Stream: "Beer Recordings (Ya Ho Wha 13)"
MPEG Stream: "KPPC Interview"

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Gray T shirt - Youth Large T shirt 13.98
Gray T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Youth Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Heather Gray T shirt - 2XL T shirt 15.98
Gray T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Double Extra Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Heather Gray T shirt - L T shirt 13.98
Gray T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Heather Gray T shirt - M T shirt 13.98
Gray T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Medium.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Heather Gray T shirt - S T shirt 13.98
Gray T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Small.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Heather Gray T shirt - XL T shirt 13.98
Gray T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Extra Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Yellow T shirt - 2XL T shirt 15.98
Yellow T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Double Extra Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Yellow T shirt - L T shirt 13.98
Yellow T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Yellow T shirt - M T shirt 13.98
Yellow T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Medium.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Yellow T shirt - S T shirt 13.98
Yellow T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Small.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Yellow T shirt - XL T shirt 13.98
Yellow T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Extra Large.

AQUARIUS 'NEW WAVE' T SHIRT Yellow T shirt - Youth Large T shirt 13.98
Yellow T shirt with 'New Wave Music Is Our Specialty' motto and flaming flying A guitar logo.
Size: Youth Large.

AQUARIUS BUTTONS 2 x 1" buttons 1.00
Hey, we just got another batch of AQ buttons made up...
Spread the word! Show the world your true aQ colors! COOL COOL COOL aQ buttons, now in 6 different vibrant color combinations. 5 new color combos (blue on pink, red on dark grey, dark blue on blue, orange on black, and yellowish green on dark green) and a popular one we had previously (brown on yellow).
TWO FOR $1!!! Colors are random, but buy enough and you'll be guaranteed to get 'em all! And of course all feature our spiffy James Gang style logo!! So stylish!

AQUARIUS DUB (Uranus Music) lp 15.98

AQUARIUS DUB s/t (Aquarius Recording Co.) lp 16.98
"Jamaica's first dub album. Originally released 1971."

AQUARIUS MAILORDER GIFT CERTIFICATE gift certificate 0.00
Gift certificates can be purchased for any dollar amount you choose!
The mailorder gift certificate is good for MAILORDER ONLY (not walk-in use) and will be snail-mailed either to you or your recipient.
To buy a mailorder gift certificate, just add this "item" to your shopping cart. During the checkout procedure, you will be asked to provide the details about who the recipient is, address, etc. Any special circumstances can also be mentioned there. You'll also get to specify the dollar amount of the gift cert at that time.
(Local, in-store use gift certificates are also available, of course! You can just walk right in and buy 'em. See you then.)