AESOP ROCK Bazooka Tooth (Definitive Jux) 3lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's been a constant and strangely evolving battle, in one corner, Cannibal Ox, El-P, Mr. Lif and the whole Def Jux crew, while in the other, Dose One, Why, Jel and the ever expanding Anticon stable, all doing their best to bastardise, distort, destroy, and/or reinvent hip hop. And it's been a tough race to call, both camps have lots to offer, bizarre samples, damaged drum loops, and weird and warped flows, from the nasal high pitched whine of Dose One to the langorous drawl of Aesop Rock. And while maybe Anticon would win for straight up weirdness, Def Jux are definitely more likely to sway the hip hop masses over to the darkside, with their mutated take on classic hip hop.
The latest salvo comes in the form of Aesop Rock's Bazooka Tooth, a dense barrage of creepy crawly, lugubrious lo-fi hip hop weirdness, with stuttery, shuffling beats, dreamy eastern melodies and rhythmically machine-like scratching, the whole thing is swathed in a shimmery pot smoke haze like looking at the world through bongwater, everything distorted and dreamy, head nodding and hip swaying, with occasional spatters of crunchy drum and bass and skeletal junkyard funk, all anchored by Aesop's wordy worldly flow. Destroys most of the currently over-hyped avant/underground hip hop whatever (Atmosphere, Buck 65).
Plus how often do you hear a rapper use the word "alacrity"?! Not often enough!!

AESOP ROCK Daylight (Definitive Jux) cd 10.98
So now I (Windy) am feeling really stupid for not paying enough attention to Aesop Rock's last full length Labor Days, because this new followup cdep is so great! The title track "Daylight" is seriously geting multiple repeat plays here in the AQ-back office (it's also on Labor Days, fyi). "Daylight" is melodic (something I miss a lot in hip hop) and sort of smartly epic without being overly dramatic like the JayZ record I was listening to this morning. Hit us over the head with your sappiness, why don't you, JayZ. Aesop Rock's flow is just incredibly tongue-twisting and learned and thoughtful... I can't even describe it. Here, just read some of "Daylight" while you're listening to the soundclips:
"Yo...put one up shackle me, not clean logic procreation
I did not invent the wheel I was the crooked spoke adjacent
While the triple sixers lassos keep angels roped in the basement
I walk the block with a halo and a stick poking your patience"
The remaining 6 tracks are similarly good. Blockhead provides most of the instrumental backup and man, I can't wait for a solo LP from this producer, he seems to have impeccable taste. One of the tracks is ever so timely -- "Nickel Plated Pockets" references "anthrax in the mailboxes and xanax in my tummy." Yeah, Aesop's got his finger on the zeitgeist. And there's a hidden track wherein he gives his full, real name, and proceeds to sincerely, poignantly thank four people who literally saved his life once. Another worthwhile title from the practically flawless Def Jux label.
RealAudio clip: "Daylight"
RealAudio clip: "Forest Crunk"
RealAudio clip: "Maintenance"

AESOP ROCK Daylight (Definitive Jux) 12" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
So now I (Windy) am feeling really stupid for not paying enough attention to Aesop Rock's last full length Labor Days, because this new followup cdep is so great! The title track "Daylight" is seriously geting multiple repeat plays here in the AQ-back office (it's also on Labor Days, fyi). "Daylight" is melodic (something I miss a lot in hip hop) and sort of smartly epic without being overly dramatic like the JayZ record I was listening to this morning. Hit us over the head with your sappiness, why don't you, JayZ. Aesop Rock's flow is just incredibly tongue-twisting and learned and thoughtful... I can't even describe it. Here, just read some of "Daylight" while you're listening to the soundclips:
"Yo...put one up shackle me, not clean logic procreation
I did not invent the wheel I was the crooked spoke adjacent
While the triple sixers lassos keep angels roped in the basement
I walk the block with a halo and a stick poking your patience"
The remaining 6 tracks are similarly good. Blockhead provides most of the instrumental backup and man, I can't wait for a solo LP from this producer, he seems to have impeccable taste. One of the tracks is ever so timely -- "Nickel Plated Pockets" references "anthrax in the mailboxes and xanax in my tummy." Yeah, Aesop's got his finger on the zeitgeist. And there's a hidden track wherein he gives his full, real name, and proceeds to sincerely, poignantly thank four people who literally saved his life once. Another worthwhile title from the practically flawless Def Jux label.

AESOP ROCK Fast Cars, Danger, Fire And Knives (Definitive Jux) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Fast Cars"
MPEG Stream: "Number Nine"

AESOP ROCK Float (Mush) cd 14.98

AESOP ROCK Labor Days (Definitive Jux) cd 16.98
We asked beloved AQ-friend Alexis G to write this review, since he loves the record (and we think he's such a good writer too):
Since the demise, or rather, mutual split of pseudo-legendary hip-hoppers Company Flow, journalists and fans alike have been spittin' all manner of hyperbole in the direction of all associated with El P's Def Jux imprint. Maybe it's a way of giving the Flow, a group whose releases were largely ignored and hard to find until recently, belated props. But though the Hype Machine is admittedly in full effect - designating Def Jux as Hip-Hop's new saviors, and making those of us skeptical of hipster press idolatry, well... skeptical - both Cannibal Ox's recent The Cold Vein and Aesop Rock's Labor Days have convinced me that, in fact, such boasting may be dead on. First, the Music: you won't find the murky underwater-via-nitrous-and-coke vibe that has made The Cold Vein a staple on my phonograph lately; As the moral goes, Aesop's gots his own bag. And it's a decidedly cinematic one. Rock's man Blockhead delivers most of Labor Days' musical nourishment (along with a few contributions and scratches from Omega One) in the form of obscure soundtrack, rare groove and, bewildering as it may sound, classical music breaks. Chock full of string and brass sections, harp, glockenspiel, flutes and slinky bottom heavy bass lines, the filmscore mood that pervades most of the album should make fans of Automator, DJ Shadow, and Wu-Tang happy folk. As it should fans of Italian soundtracks, Lalo Schifrin and David Shire's The Taking of Pelham 123 (re: I'd love to see this guy's soundtrack collection). And The Words? Ace's flow is furious and frenetic. Actually, I can't really figure out when this guy finds time to breathe. Maybe he does that circular breathing shit. Seriously though, his rapping style is ceaseless, restless and full of slurred rhymin' and bangin'. After all, anyone whose mic rockin' skills have garnered comparisons to Kierkegaard deserves a listen, no? All said, this is a damn fine hip-hop album. Maybe a contender for hip-hop album of the year in my book. And an instrumentals version wouldn't be wrong either.
RealAudio clip: "Daylight"
RealAudio clip: "Flashfloor"
RealAudio clip: "Bent Life (with C-Rayz-Walz)"

AESOP ROCK None Shall Pass (Definitive Jux) cd 14.98

AESTHETIC MEAT FRONT Embalmer Tapes (Dissected) (Old Europa Cafe) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As you probably well know by now, we here at AQ have long been fans of manipulated found sounds and field recordings -- dogs barking, ice melting, whatever -- either on their own, captured just as they were heard, or better yet, twisted and smeared into drones and soundscapes, reimagined as completely alien worlds of sound. And while the source material may not be obvious, just knowing where the sounds come from, can make the listening just that much more thrilling. And the creepier and more unlikely the source sound the better. And it sure doesn't get any creepier than this. Sure Matmos used the sounds of rhinoplasty and various other procedures to concoct their abstract electronica, but Aesthetic Meat Front used only the sounds of a corpse being embalmed for Embalmer Tapes. Every single sound, whether it's the casual whistling of the embalmer, the slow rumble of processed suction sounds or the clang of metal instruments dropped in bloody metal trays, each and every sound was captured deep in the sublevels of a funeral home, while an embalmer removed all the fluids from a corpse. Euuuw. But sonically, WOW!
Sometimes the sounds are instantly recognizable, the above mentioned whistling and clatter of surgical instruments, snippets of conversation heavy with the reverb of a small tiled room, small motorized pumps, footsteps, but more often, the sounds of suction, and the sounds of the machines pumping, are stretched out into warm whirring rumbles, or chopped up and reassembled into hissing blasts of fuzz and grrr. But mostly this is a weird warped world of drones, from dreamy and shimmery, to harsh and jagged, all imbued with the specter of mortality, life most fleeting, the great abyss, the sounds already sonically ominous and foreboding enough, but even more so on a psychological level, knowing the source of every sound, engendering a creepy dark ambient atmosphere thick with the heavy hanging shroud of death. So awesome.
SUPER LIMITED!!! WE GOT THE LAST 20 COPIES. ONCE THESE ARE GONE THEY ARE GONE FOR GOOD!
MPEG Stream: "Post Mortem Sludge"
MPEG Stream: "Sectional Injection (Is Necessary)"

AESTHETIC MEAT FRONT Temple Of Flesh (Old Europa Cafe) cd/cd-r/dvd-r 26.00
A while back we reviewed a record called Embalmer Tapes, from mysterious sonic terrorists Aesthetic Meat Front. That cd was a collection of processed sounds culled from the sounds of an actual embalming session, those sounds, scraping and suction and whatever other sorts of things go on during the process were collected and tweaked into a strange and haunting dronescape, and of course we sold out of them immediately (we actually got a handful back in if you missed out, see elsewhere on the site).
But the man behind AMF read our review and got in touch to see if we were interested in getting copies of a super limited releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of Aesthetic Meat Front. So here we have it, Temple Of Flesh a massive gathering of sights and sounds, a cd, a cd-r and a dvd-r, containing sounds and songs and sights and visuals, performances and rituals, all set to the glorious haunting soundscapes of Aesthetic Meat Front. This was limited to 180 copies world wide, we got 25 and we will NOT be able to get more.
So let's go one disc at a time. The first disc features the text from AMF's Temple Of Flesh ritual, translated into 12 languages, and then processed into a world of mysterious invocations and chants, industrial drones and dark ambience. A truly creepy, harrowing sonic journey, deep dark resonant smears of low end drift beneath martial drumming, and haunting chants, swirling snippets of sound, warbling and whirring, growled animalistic voices, bizarre ambient FX, jagged shards of industrial detritus, bursts of fuzzed out hiss and grinding slabs of rhythmic chaos, creepy chorales stretched into seasick soundscapes, disembodied voices drift and hover, snippets of found sound and conversation, all of these disparate elements woven into an epic, monstrous sonic tale of death destruction and mayhem, of blood and death and rebirth. So intense and strangely beautiful.
This limited edition version also includes a cd-r, that features tons of remixes as well as rare unreleased material. Also included is a dvd-r chronicling one of AMF's live rituals, an extensive modern primitive ritual featuring beautiful women in corsets, piercing, bloodletting, animal carcasses, suspensions, shaving, lots of blood and bodily fluids, very intense and graphic, all set to the creepy otherworldly dronescapes of Aesthetic Meat Front. Not for the squeamish or easily offended. As if that weren't enough, all three discs are packaged in a DVD style case, with full color covers, the bonus cd-r is housed in a hand numbered paper sleeve (numbered and decorated in blood!) as well as a handful of full color inserts, with photos from the rituals, text and assorted AMF related information.
SUPER LIMITED!!! Once these are gone they are gone for good....
MPEG Stream: "1"
MPEG Stream: "3"
MPEG Stream: "4"

AETHENOR Betimes Black (VHF) cd 13.98

AETHENOR Betimes Black (VHF) lp 14.98

AETHENOR Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light (VHF) cd 13.98
What do you get when you cross SUNNO))), Swiss metallic post rockers Shora and UK proglords Guapo? At the very least we got your attention now don't we? Well, Aethenor is a collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), Khanate, etc.) Daniel O'Sullivan from Guapo and Vincent De Roguin from Shora and sounds nothing like you might expect.
SUNNO))) might be the closest, but don't be expecting any crushing down tuned drones or slow moving sludge, instead Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light is a series of ambient explorations, slow moving sonic floes, very tidal sounding, thick washes of warm whir in a wide open soundscape of murky industrial percussion, and soft sonic wells, All three guys are credited, along with their usual instruments, with 'room', so as you might expect, these tracks are enormous sounding, spacious and grand, epic drifts through a dark landscape of creaking timbers and whirring wind. It's almost like a doomier version of Nurse With Wound's Salt Marie Celeste. An old rickety ship, creaking and groaning as it traverses some haunted pass, replete with moaning demons and all manner of creepy sonic incursions. And that's just the first song! The second song, another lengthy moody crawl, is super minimal, very reminiscent of seventies kraut prog like Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh, thick keyboards that churn and slowly shift, over a backdrop of percussive clatter and keening high end melody.
The last two tracks are both around 5 minutes but somehow embody the same sort of epic spaciousness. As a pair they are a bit like the musical version of one of those paintings that from one angle shows the portrait of a person, but from a slightly different angle shows the same person as they appear in death!
The first angle is all crumbling distorted organ and tinkling music box melody over an intricate web of tape hiss, record crackle and analog synth splutter, dreamy and dark, like some sort of late night lullaby. The other deathly angle sounds like the track before it but with all the life sucked out, the warm glow dimmed, leaving a gaunt shell, the fuzzy slowly decaying, desiccated skeletal remains of a pretty song. The final few minutes offer up a super creepy haunted house melodic coda, a weird minor key music box melody over a strangely mechanical hissing rumbling rhythm. So spooky! And so nice!!!
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 2"

AETHENOR Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light (VHF) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What do you get when you cross SUNNO))), Swiss metallic post rockers Shora and UK proglords Guapo? At the very least we got your attention now don't we? Well, Aethenor is a collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), Khanate, etc.) Daniel O'Sullivan from Guapo and Vincent De Roguin from Shora and sounds nothing like you might expect.
SUNNO))) might be the closest, but don't be expecting any crushing down tuned drones or slow moving sludge, instead Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light is a series of ambient explorations, slow moving sonic floes, very tidal sounding, thick washes of warm whir in a wide open soundscape of murky industrial percussion, and soft sonic wells, All three guys are credited, along with their usual instruments, with 'room', so as you might expect, these tracks are enormous sounding, spacious and grand, epic drifts through a dark landscape of creaking timbers and whirring wind. It's almost like a doomier version of Nurse With Wound's Salt Marie Celeste. An old rickety ship, creaking and groaning as it traverses some haunted pass, replete with moaning demons and all manner of creepy sonic incursions. And that's just the first song! The second song, another lengthy moody crawl, is super minimal, very reminiscent of seventies kraut prog like Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh, thick keyboards that churn and slowly shift, over a backdrop of percussive clatter and keening high end melody.
The last two tracks are both around 5 minutes but somehow embody the same sort of epic spaciousness. As a pair they are a bit like the musical version of one of those paintings that from one angle shows the portrait of a person, but from a slightly different angle shows the same person as they appear in death!
The first angle is all crumbling distorted organ and tinkling music box melody over an intricate web of tape hiss, record crackle and analog synth splutter, dreamy and dark, like some sort of late night lullaby. The other deathly angle sounds like the track before it but with all the life sucked out, the warm glow dimmed, leaving a gaunt shell, the fuzzy slowly decaying, desiccated skeletal remains of a pretty song. The final few minutes offer up a super creepy haunted house melodic coda, a weird minor key music box melody over a strangely mechanical hissing rumbling rhythm. So spooky! And so nice!!!
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untiltled 2"

AETHENOR En Form For Bla (VHF) cd 13.98
Latest record from this ever shifting sonic collective, still comprised of the core duo of Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), KTL, etc.) and Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo, Mothlite), although this time the group is rounded out by Kristoffer Rygg, aka Garm from Ulver, plus percussionist Steve Noble.
En Form For Bla is the result of several performances in Norway earlier this year, and finds the group shedding much of their previous heaviness in favor of a sound much more haunting and abstract, spaced out and introspective, the guitars less murky and muddy and massive, and more spidery and ethereal and minimal, laying out deep low end thrum and keening upper register shimmer. Rygg operates like a dub producer, electronically treating the sounds, while adding some of his own, the result is a constantly shifting landscape of drift and doom and pulsing heaviness and whirling almost free jazz sounding sonic exploration.
The big surprise here is Noble, who is all over the record, without overplaying, letting the record remain unstructured and abstract, while still moving it beyond mere static ambient improv, whether it's scattered bits of subtle skitter, thick clouds of shimmery cymbal or pulsing rhythmic pound, the band tend to creep and crawl, but when they do let loose it borders on Bitches Brew style jazz psychedelia, albeit a bit more blackened.
The overall sound is quite atmospheric and soundtracky, the melodies subtle, but the feelings they evoke not so much, stirring up dark clouds of sinister brood, and epic soaring cinematic mesmer, occasionally slipping into some minimal krautrock throb, like on the mesmerizing "Vivarium", and sounding a bit like a more low end heavy Necks (or maybe Supersilent), and then lurching into some giallo style mood music, on "Vyomagami Plume" and sounding like a deconstructed Goblin, a gently chaotic assemblage of heaving bass and twisted keyboards, of clattery percussion, and spaced out electronics, but all deftly woven into something moving and emotional and darkly compelling. Fantastic stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Jocasta"
MPEG Stream: "One Number Of Destiny In Ninety Nine"
MPEG Stream: "Something To Sleep Is Still"

AETHENOR En Form For Bla (VHF) 2lp 21.00
Latest record from this ever shifting sonic collective, still comprised of the core duo of Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), KTL, etc.) and Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo, Mothlite), although this time the group is rounded out by Kristoffer Rygg, aka Garm from Ulver, plus percussionist Steve Noble.
En Form For Bla is the result of several performances in Norway earlier this year, and finds the group shedding much of their previous heaviness in favor of a sound much more haunting and abstract, spaced out and introspective, the guitars less murky and muddy and massive, and more spidery and ethereal and minimal, laying out deep low end thrum and keening upper register shimmer. Rygg operates like a dub producer, electronically treating the sounds, while adding some of his own, the result is a constantly shifting landscape of drift and doom and pulsing heaviness and whirling almost free jazz sounding sonic exploration.
The big surprise here is Noble, who is all over the record, without overplaying, letting the record remain unstructured and abstract, while still moving it beyond mere static ambient improv, whether it's scattered bits of subtle skitter, thick clouds of shimmery cymbal or pulsing rhythmic pound, the band tend to creep and crawl, but when they do let loose it borders on Bitches Brew style jazz psychedelia, albeit a bit more blackened.
The overall sound is quite atmospheric and soundtracky, the melodies subtle, but the feelings they evoke not so much, stirring up dark clouds of sinister brood, and epic soaring cinematic mesmer, occasionally slipping into some minimal krautrock throb, like on the mesmerizing "Vivarium", and sounding a bit like a more low end heavy Necks (or maybe Supersilent), and then lurching into some giallo style mood music, on "Vyomagami Plume" and sounding like a deconstructed Goblin, a gently chaotic assemblage of heaving bass and twisted keyboards, of clattery percussion, and spaced out electronics, but all deftly woven into something moving and emotional and darkly compelling. Fantastic stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Jocasta"
MPEG Stream: "One Number Of Destiny In Ninety Nine"
MPEG Stream: "Something To Sleep Is Still"

AETHENOR Faking Gold & Murder (VHF Records) cd 13.98
Not sure how it happened, but the last Aethenor full length completely passed us by. We had it in the shop, but just never got around to reviewing, not cuz we didn't want to, or because it wasn't awesome, it was, it's just that we get so much stuff, as hard as we try, we can never seem to get to it all.
Well we won't let it happen with this one, Faking Gold & Murder, the latest from the 'supergroup' known as Aethenor, featuring one Mr. Stephen O'Malley, who plays in a few other bands you've probably heard of, as well as guys from Guapo and Shora. Oh, and that David Tibet guy. Current 93, you know. Anyway, the sound is maybe not what you'd expect, eschewing the roiling crush of O'Malley's other groups, and the wild psych prog of Guapo. Instead, Aethenor traffic in some sort of otherworldly avant abstract prog, or something, black ambient free folk drift maybe, it's actually pretty difficult to describe.
Four long songs, numbered instead of titled. The group offering up a lush backdrop of rumbling guitars and keening high end, bursts of dense drumming, billowing clouds of cymbal shimmer, moaning minor key melodies, very abstract but not minimal, a very active, roiling sea of sound, over which Tibet does his thing, singing, speaking, testifying, hard not to compare it to C93, maybe if Current 93 were way heavier and splattered with wild drumming, but the same sort of primal alchemical vibe. The tracks do occasionally coalesce into something more propulsive, offering up grinding slow motion riffage, weird looped soundscapes, clattery almost free jazz, thick crumbling distorted walls of guitars, woozy minor key piano, wheezing organ, plenty of bombast and bluster, but also plenty of hushed whisper and delicate drift, all presided over by Tibet, whose high priest vocals perfectly suit the strange blackened backgrounds. Cool stuff. Fans hankering for that old Current 93 sound, well some of this might be the closest you'll get these days, and anyone into the dark and droney, the mystical and mysterious, the heavy and abstract, enter the temple and bow your head in reverence, the ritual has begun.
Gorgeous packaging, super thick three panel, metallic gold on black, letterpressed cardstock sleeves.
MPEG Stream: "I"
MPEG Stream: "II"

AETHENOR Faking Gold & Murder (VHF Records) lp 22.00
Not sure how it happened, but the last Aethenor full length completely passed us by. We had it in the shop, but just never got around to reviewing, not cuz we didn't want to, or because it wasn't awesome, it was, it's just that we get so much stuff, as hard as we try, we can never seem to get to it all.
Well we won't let it happen with this one, Faking Gold & Murder, the latest from the 'supergroup' known as Aethenor, featuring one Mr. Stephen O'Malley, who plays in a few other bands you've probably heard of, as well as guys from Guapo and Shora. Oh, and that David Tibet guy. Current 93, you know. Anyway, the sound is maybe not what you'd expect, eschewing the roiling crush of O'Malley's other groups, and the wild psych prog of Guapo. Instead, Aethenor traffic in some sort of otherworldly avant abstract prog, or something, black ambient free folk drift maybe, it's actually pretty difficult to describe.
Four long songs, numbered instead of titled. The group offering up a lush backdrop of rumbling guitars and keening high end, bursts of dense drumming, billowing clouds of cymbal shimmer, moaning minor key melodies, very abstract but not minimal, a very active, roiling sea of sound, over which Tibet does his thing, singing, speaking, testifying, hard not to compare it to C93, maybe if Current 93 were way heavier and splattered with wild drumming, but the same sort of primal alchemical vibe. The tracks do occasionally coalesce into something more propulsive, offering up grinding slow motion riffage, weird looped soundscapes, clattery almost free jazz, thick crumbling distorted walls of guitars, woozy minor key piano, wheezing organ, plenty of bombast and bluster, but also plenty of hushed whisper and delicate drift, all presided over by Tibet, whose high priest vocals perfectly suit the strange blackened backgrounds. Cool stuff. Fans hankering for that old Current 93 sound, well some of this might be the closest you'll get these days, and anyone into the dark and droney, the mystical and mysterious, the heavy and abstract, enter the temple and bow your head in reverence, the ritual has begun.
Gorgeous packaging, super thick three panel, metallic gold on black, letterpressed cardstock sleeves.
MPEG Stream: "I"
MPEG Stream: "II"

AF URSIN Murrille (La Icie Doree) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

AFCGT Live Recording (Fire Breathing Turtle) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yup. A Frames and Climax Golden Twins are AFCGT, get it? And they do play out quite a bit, but rarely outside the confines of the Pacific Northwest. The five dudes of AFCGT did make an excursion down to San Francisco for a one-night only show at the lovely El Rio a few weeks back; and as great as they are on record, they kick ass live. The performance confirms a lot of things we figured about the band, that the members of A Frames set up the taut grooves on bass, guitar, and drums for the Twins to splinter away from in their dueling mutations of psychedelia, post-hardcore sludge, spy thriller licks, and punk intensity. For those not fortunate enough to have caught them at the El Rio, this live cd-r should do quite nicely; and even as an AFCGT record - live or otherwise - it's pretty damn great. Well, considering that the band probably just sets up a single mic in a room anyway to record, the presence of a live audience doesn't detract from the sound. AFCGT offers two cuts from their Dirty Knobby 10" and a track from their self-titled debut, plus two previously unreleased tracks. Hopefully, there will be more of this cd-r than the 20 copies of which we are currently aware.
MPEG Stream: "Atabat (Live)"
MPEG Stream: "Old Spy (Live)"
MPEG Stream: "Two Legged Dog (Live)"

AFCGT s/t (Dirty Knobby) 10" 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Whew! The first time we got something in from AFCGT, it was a painfully limited cd-r that exploded like a supernova and then disappeared just as quickly from the site. So, it's a damn good thing that this awesome collaboration between A Frames and the Climax Golden Twins has resulted in another batch of unbelievably good recordings. This time, it's a bit less limited, as Dirty Knobby has pressed these 8 tracks onto a 10", which should mean this thing will be around a little bit longer than the debut. The sound of AFCGT here is pretty much the same. Instrumental tunes with Mack truck rhythms, spring-loaded basslines, and giddy explosion of jagged guitar riffs that come together in what AFCGT blurts out as "New Punk." These swamp mutations of detuned Cambodian garage pop songs with an excess of stereoscopic distortion certainly have a Sun City Girls meets the Birthday vibe going on, with occasional excursions into a free noise mess of devolved noise and out of control drum fills, sort of like some of the Laddio Bolocko breakdowns. Who can complain about a Laddio Bolocko reference? Not us!

AFCGT s/t (Sub Pop) lp + 7" 19.98
Fuck! It's always a good sign when you feel the need to start the review of a record with a vulgarity; and the Sub Pop debut for AFCGT is a fucking great album, worthy of your favorite swear word that punctuates any exasperated declaration of praise. If there's any justice, this won't be the only AFCGT record that Sub Pop releases; as this band deserves great things.
AFCGT sports three guitarists, one bassist, and a drummer all hailing from two other projects - the A Frames and the Climax Golden Twins (get the acronym?). The Climax Golden Twins have long been a favorite here at Aquarius, somewhat paralleling the psycho-geographical narratives of the Sun City Girls in marrying all sorts of musical esoterica from punk, psychedelia, exotica, funeral blues, Southeast Asian pop idioms, field recordings, and audio collage tactics. A Frames are far more conventional in their agitated recapitulation of rhythmically centered post-punk, particularly looking toward Wire's Chairs Missing as a template. It seemed an unlikely match; but when it all came together, it was damn impressive, as again made evident on their second eponymous record.
The opening track "Black Mark" sports vintage Mack truck riffage of nasty sludgecore which would have been right at home on Sub Pop circa 1992 alongside Tad, Mudhoney, and that first Nirvana record; but before the riff can propel headlong into grunge-punk territory, AFCGT implodes in a frenzied jitterbug guitar solo of dosed-fuzz and amplifier damage. The low-slung swamp blues of "Two Legged Dog" sends spiralling guitar freakouts on top of a throbbing two-note bassline drone and strutting mid-tempo backbeat. "Nacht" weirds things out quite a bit; and this track certainly showcases much more of the Climax Golden Twins' doing with spindly slide guitars, a purring cat-like drone, and spectrally slashed ambience hob-knobbing with Martin Denny's post-Polynesian bachelor pad rhythms. AFCGT reprises "New Punk" which opened their first eponymous record from a few years back, and it's still as spiky and agitated as before, just with a 'new' studio polish of extra grit and distortion. Nice.
This is an lp only release that comes with the download card for mp3s of the tracks on the lp and a bonus 7" (which is not included in the download).
MPEG Stream: "Black Mark"
MPEG Stream: "Two Legged Dog"
MPEG Stream: "Nacht"

AFCGT Square Microphones Tapes (Fire Breathing Turtle) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oh, shit. Here's one of those discs that we just know we don't have enough copies of. AFCGT is an acronym for A Frames + Climax Golden Twins, a project that fortunately didn't just disappear as a one-off collaboration. The five-piece, instrumental ensemble for three guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer had knocked our socks off with a couple of awesome recordings in 2008, most notably their eponymous debut of noir-tinged noise rock girded by uncanny, propulsive grooves; and they're still doing it in 2009. The Square Microphone Tapes are cracked sessions of mutant psychedelia transposed through damaged punk-post-punk slabs of sludge, woozy noise, and art-damaged riffage. The opening cut "Strike 9" is a barnstormed of a scuzzed garage rock track with allusions to the days when Sub Pop and grunge meant something that was crafted on a shitty 4-track in some Northwest warehouse. Well, that's exactly where this was recorded! AFCGT unravels the recordings through a divergent set of x-ray guitar licks breaking off low-slung backbeats, some slo-mo tape exercises that come across as Stooges outtake played back at the wrong speed a la Neu! 2, and lots of heavy-tracks that could be the improbable sound of the Sun City Girls recording an album for AmRep. In other words, it's pretty fucking awesome. Hopefully, there will be more than the 20 copies we know exist...
MPEG Stream: "Strike 9"
MPEG Stream: "Downward Spiral"
MPEG Stream: "To The Floor"

AFCGT (A FRAMES + CLIMAX GOLDEN TWINS) s/t (Uzu) lp 19.98
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! This originally came out in early 2008 as a tiny self-released cd-r in an edition of only 50 copies. Of course, it disappeared instantly. But even so, it made the Aquarius Records best of 2008, and it even topped the charts of The Wire's Rewind for 2008. Well, now you have another chance to grab one of these. How good is it? Read on!
Holy shit, this is fucking great! And who would have ever thought that the A Frames and the Climax Golden Twins would make a record together? And who would have imagined that it would be this fucking awesome? It's all superlatives and all expletives in describing the first collaborative production from AFCGT. The A Frames had managed to raise some eyebrows here through their post-punk appropriations of early Wire and early Fall, but the vocals had always been something of a miss for them especially on the last Sub Pop album. But in working with the AQ-endorsed Climax Golden Twins who are a band accustomed to delivering exemplary instrumentals from literally every corner of the avant-rock landscape, the A Frames have the permission to shut the hell up and let the Climax Golden Twins dump the fucking kitchen sink all over A Frames rhythmic swagger. The album opens with a tumultuous blast of glue-huffing noise-rock, sort of like a fist fight between the Butthole Surfers and the Sun City Girls. Soon after, a series of bad-ass Birthday Party / Oxbow swamp rock riffs explode with spindly space-age gamelan leads; elsewhere, the No Wave ghosts of R.L. Crutchfield-era DNA emerge with of jagged chops across the guitar pick-ups, bloodied fingers and all. Fuck, it all sounds fucking great!
MPEG Stream: "New Punk"
MPEG Stream: "Old Spy"
MPEG Stream: "Thug"

AFCGT (A FRAMES + CLIMAX GOLDEN TWINS) s/t (Fire Breathing Turtle) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Holy shit, this is fucking great! And who would have ever thought that the A Frames and the Climax Golden Twins would make a record together? And who would have imagined that it would be this fucking awesome? It's all superlatives and all expletives in describing the first collaborative production from AFCGT. The A Frames had managed to raise some eyebrows here through their post-punk appropriations of early Wire and early Fall, but the vocals had always been something of a miss for them especially on the last Sub Pop album. But in working with the AQ-endorsed Climax Golden Twins who are a band accustomed to delivering exemplary instrumentals from literally every corner of the avant-rock landscape, the A Frames have the permission to shut the hell up and let the Climax Golden Twins dump the fucking kitchen sink all over A Frames rhythmic swagger. The album opens with a tumultuous blast of glue-huffing noise-rock, sort of like a fistfight between the Butthole Surfers and the Sun City Girls. Soon after, a series of bad-ass Birthday Party / Oxbow swamp rock riffs explode with spindly space-age gamelan leads; elsewhere, the No Wave ghosts of R.L. Crutchfield-era DNA emerge with of jagged chops across the guitar pick-ups, bloodied fingers and all. Fuck, it all sounds fucking great! It's a damn shame that this thing is only limited to 50 copies! That perhaps is our only complaint.
MPEG Stream: "New Punk"
MPEG Stream: "Old Spy"
MPEG Stream: "Thug"

AFFAIR, THE Yes Yes To You (Absolutely Kosher) cd 13.98
New York quintet The Affair make some good ol' feisty power pop in which the robust female vocals of Ms Kali Holloway take center stage. Very much in the kickass traditions of Blondie, Ronnie Spector and Katrina And The Waves. Sounding like she's got one heckuva chip on her shoulder, we'd bet Holloway's not one to take things sittin' down... and neither will you when you give this a spin. You'll be up on your feet bounding around your living room. Loads of fun!
MPEG Stream: "Dead Letters"
MPEG Stream: "Left At The Party"

AFFLICTED MAN The Complete Recordings (Senseless Whale) 2cd 22.00
A while back we remember running across a bootleg-looking vinyl reissue of an LP called Get Stoned Ezy by some British band from the early '80s called High Speed and The Afflicted Man. This obscurity was supposed to be an unknown precursor to the blown-out psychedelic speed freaks sound of Japan's High Rise -- in other words, a holy grail of wah and fuzz. Tom Lax wrote a review of it on his Siltblog that said it sounded like Saint Vitus covering Les Rallizes Denudes! Can anything live up to that? Heck, if Get Stoned Ezy even just remotely came close to living up to its excellent title we'd be curious. Are you curious too?
Well that LP is long gone, but all the tracks from that and more are to be found on this new double cd collection of everything ever recorded by guitarist Steve Hall's DIY punk-psych outfit Afflicted Man (aka Afflicted, aka High Speed and The Afflicted Man). Ramshackle, lo-fi, outsider guitar blurt that reminds us of everything from The Heads to the Stooges to Human Instinct to Michael Yonkers to Zippo Zetterlink to Baby Grandmothers to Acid Mothers Temple and the Pink Ladies Blues. It's psychedelic hard rock done "Messthetics" style.
There's over two hours of music here. Disc one features Afflicted Man's three Bonk label 7" singles, and their The Afflicted Man's Musical Bag LP (which dates from "probably 1979"). The songs from the 7"s are all fairly rockin' punkers, while the Musical Bag LP is weirder and more damaged, with tracks like "Hippy Punk" and "Hippy Skin" (that's what these guys were?), the downer blues of "Glue Sniffing", and the krautrockish "Musically Insane", a track that's really a reinterpretation of their first single "I'm Afflicted", extended to eight minutes and buried amidst shimmering piano and freeform FX. It's what that song would sound like if it was covered by Moolah!
Disc two is where the really fuzz really hits the fan, comprising both the I'm Off Me 'ead LP (1981) and the aforementioned Get Stoned Ezy (1982). On both records, Hendrix and Hawkwind are obvious references, playfully roughed up by these punks n' skins. The three long tracks of Get Stoned Ezy, especially, take that hippy psych sound into a back alley and fuck it up, but all in good weird fun.
While this reish features interesting liner notes from an Aussie fan, we're not really told what happened to the Afflicted Mr. Hall after Get Stoned Ezy. At least he went out at the end of his highest and heaviest half-hour ever!
MPEG Stream: "Get Stoned Ezy"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Afflicted"
MPEG Stream: "Dustbins"
MPEG Stream: "Zip 'Ead"

AFFLUX Azier St. Martin-Sur-Mer Dieppe (Edition...) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Afflux is the musique concrete collaboration between Eric La Casa, Eric Cordier, and Jean Luc Guionnet, but these folks add a unique twist to the normal electro-acoustic tricks learned from INA-GRM (i.e. Pierre Henry, Luc Ferrari, Michel Chion, etc.). This trio employs "an on-site electroacoustic device" (my guess, a laptop) to allow them to improvise with the landscape, while simultaneously recording and filtering their source material (inclement weather, faulty drainage pipes, rising tides, the resonance from long stringed instruments, the communication from a maritime navigation post, etc.). Amidst the rustling textures and swooshing environmental din, Afflux uses nearly every trick in the musique concrete book (flanging, parabolic eq-filtering, granular synthesis, razor sharp editing, stereo field spatiality, etc.) For all of its austere recordings and pristine production techniques, "Azier St. Martin-Sur-Mer Dieppe" is more of a theatrical document, capturing just one of the residues from Afflux's perfomative activity and sounding more like one of Michel Chion's laborious constructions than a live documentation.
RealAudio clip: "Aizier 23 October 1998"
RealAudio clip: "Saint Martin-sur-mer 26 October 1998"

AFFLUX Bouquetot, Autoroute A13/ Paris, Gare de Lyon/ Port-Jerome, Raffinerie (Ground Fault) cd 11.98
Afflux is the seriously minded collective of French field recordists and concrete composers including Eric Cordier, Jean-Luc Guionnet, and Eric La Casa. Their goal is to construct gestural compositions by mixing and processing field recordings as they are occuring with a number of improvisational / spontaneous events, electronic filters, amplified steel strings, and broad stereo spatialization. The first Afflux album "Azier St. Martin-Sur-Mer Dieppe" was imbued with a nautical theme, and this one keeps true to the navigation / transportation themes, focusing on the A13 motorway in Bouquetot, a train platform in Paris, and a petroleum factory in Port-Jerome. In all instances, Afflux observes and re-interprets the border space between natural (rain and wind in particular) and man-made (cars rushing by on the highway or the grinding of a train's breaking mechanism) phenomenona. Within these spaces, Afflux describes some rather dramatic conflicts, or perhaps better stated, has contextualized the experiences to heighten the drama between these two forces. Within each of the three recording contexts, Afflux articulates such crescendos of activity; typified in the incremental screeching of metal from the train accompanying a nervous factory din and the spring-loaded rattle of those amplified steel strings. This is an impressive recording and well worth checking out, far beyond the gimmick value of the live / on-site production, however, valid that technique may be.
RealAudio clip: "Bouquetot, Autoroute A13"
RealAudio clip: "Paris, Gare de Lyon"

AFGHAN WHIGS Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990-2006 (Rhino) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Retarded"
MPEG Stream: "Gentlemen"
MPEG Stream: "Be Sweet"
MPEG Stream: "Debonair"

AFRAMES 2 (S-S) cd 13.98
Heads up for another wallop of very angular barebones post punk. Yes, Aframes wear their love of early 80s Wire, The Fall and/or Gang Of Four prominently on their sleeves, and they capture the sound and energy very well. Although you might guess their hometown to be San Diego or Providence where many likeminded bands are based, this trio is in fact from Seattle, WA. Deep, deadpan vocals much like those of Nick Forte (Rorschach, Computer Cougar, Beautiful Skin) brood and proclaim while the very front'n'center chunky, choppy guitars jab and saw atop the simmering rhythm section. At times in their music as well as their lyrics and song titles ("Ionic", "Archaeology", "Modula", etc), they bring science, sci-fi and rock together -- also calling to mind the less surfy, more art-damaged side of Man Or Astro-Man?. Note: this was originally released on vinyl earlier this year in a short-lived limited pressing of 1000.
MPEG Stream: "Nuclear"
MPEG Stream: "Electricity"

AFRAMES Black Forest (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
AFrames jump up to Sub Pop for their third full length. As on their previous releases, this is very raw post-punk clawed out with dirty fingernails, but perhaps leaning a bit less on their past Gang Of Four / Wire / The Fall worship. The lead vocals are of the sing-right-along-with-the-main-melody ilk, and the lyrics are fashioned into elementary school level rhyming couplets. They're delivered by a flat spoken-sung male voice that's very reminiscent once again of Nick Forte (of Rorschach, Beautiful Skin, Christmas Decorations, Computer Cougar), and actually this could very easily be mistaken for a Forte project. In addition to the vocals, it's got all the Forte tell-tale elements -- thick chug'n'churn electric guitars that sound like their strings have been slackened, plodding primal drumbeats, abrasive synthesizer blasts and an ample dose of distortion and dissonance. One difference is the occasional appearance of female vocals that serve to soften the masculine angular blows. At times this band also seems to have been influenced by the more song-y side of Neubauten, however they don't come anywhere close to achieving the total visceral immediacy of that seminal band. One thing tho' whereas the recordings are definitely no-frills, apparently they sure spared no cost in the packaging department, this cd comes in a really rad die-cut printed cardboard slipcover.
MPEG Stream: "Galena"
MPEG Stream: "Death Train"

AFRAMES Black Forest (Sub Pop) lp 13.98
AFrames jump up to Sub Pop for their third full length. As on their previous releases, this is very raw post-punk clawed out with dirty fingernails, but perhaps leaning a bit less on their past Gang Of Four / Wire / The Fall worship. The lead vocals are of the sing-right-along-with-the-main-melody ilk, and the lyrics are fashioned into elementary school level rhyming couplets. They're delivered by a flat spoken-sung male voice that's very reminiscent once again of Nick Forte (of Rorschach, Beautiful Skin, Christmas Decorations, Computer Cougar), and actually this could very easily be mistaken for a Forte project. In addition to the vocals, it's got all the Forte tell-tale elements -- thick chug'n'churn electric guitars that sound like their strings have been slackened, plodding primal drumbeats, abrasive synthesizer blasts and an ample dose of distortion and dissonance. One difference is the occasional appearance of female vocals that serve to soften the masculine angular blows. At times this band also seems to have been influenced by the more song-y side of Neubauten, however they don't come anywhere close to achieving the total visceral immediacy of that seminal band. One thing tho' whereas the recordings are definitely no-frills, apparently they sure spared no cost in the packaging department, this cd comes in a really rad die-cut printed cardboard slipcover.
MPEG Stream: "Galena"
MPEG Stream: "Death Train"

AFRICA GERMANY GERMANY MEXICO TURKEY AUSTRALIA s/t (Olde English Spelling Bee) lp 25.00

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE Drastic Season (On-U Sound) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE Environmental Studies (On-U Sound) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of the best albums by Adrian Sherwood's African Head Charge, now re-issued on cd with a bonus CD-Rom track.

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE My Life In A Hole In The Ground (On-U Sound) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE Off The Beaten Path (On-U Sound) cd 17.98
Long overdue reissue of this psychedelic dub classic (originally released in 1986, their 4th record), from this long running UK collective, whose sound is an incredible mix of classic reggae and dub, live drumming, tape loops and samples. In a weird way, we're definitely reminded of the ethnic electronica of Muslimgauze, there's the same sort of rhythmic repetition, and for the time, an unprecedented melding of loops and samples and live instrumentation.
Led by percussionist Bonjo I, the group filled out with various players from Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound stable, AHC crafted sprawling dubscapes that fused a post punk aesthetic and a penchant for experimentation with classic dub basslines, and the ubiquitous melodica. But it's how these guys put these songs together, and the way they used samples and tape loops. Their usual MO is to lock into a dense bass heavy groove, and then working around that, adding live percussion, and lots of it, plus all manner of sampled percussion (sounding surprisingly industrial at times), not to mention buzzing guitars, breaking glass, dogs barking at different pitches to create strange melodies, lots of sampled chants, all of this giving these tracks a mysterious tribal/ritualistic vibe. One song is a dubby slow groove, wrapped around a sample of Albert Einstein, while others are caustic and surprisingly noisy, and still others are melodic and downright poppy, but always heavy on the bass, heavy on the percussion, and heavy on the woozy, dreamy, druggy atmosphere. Easily one of our favorite groups ever (some of us have been listening to these guys for close to 30 years), and this is certainly one of their best. The perfect late night chill out / drift off psych dub soundtrack!
MPEG Stream: "Off The Beaten Track"
MPEG Stream: "Some Bizarre"
MPEG Stream: "Belinda"

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE Off The Beaten Track (On-U Sound) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Probably one of the more experimental albums in Adrian Sherwood's African Head Charge dub releases. Lots of off kilter sampling from Albert Einstein to Frank Zappa blended in with straight up dub. Somehow it works. Comes with CD-Rom bonus track.

AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE Songs Of Praise (On-U Sound / Cargo) cd 17.98
Classic left-of center dub that might appeal to fans of Sun Araw!
MPEG Stream: "Free Chant (Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi)"
MPEG Stream: "Healing Ceremony"
MPEG Stream: "Chant For The Spirits"

AFRICAN MUSIC MACHINE Black Water Gold (Fuel) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is some seriously smoking vintage funk out of New Orleans from the early '70s. An 8-piece outfit, they were best known as the studio band for the Jewel / Paula Soul Power label, they backed up the likes of Fontella Bass, Little Johnny Taylor and Bobby Paterson. But even without a singer their music sounded exactly the way you want your funk to sound: raw, hot and gritty. While they never received the same acclaim as folks like The Meters or The J.B.'s this is still some top notch real-deal funk. The original vinyl of this release is pretty much impossible to find so this cd reissue is a welcome arrival for all soul and funk lovers.
MPEG Stream: "Black Water Gold"
MPEG Stream: "Tropical"

AFRICAN MUSIC MACHINE Black Water Gold (Soul Power) lp 12.98
This awesome slice of funk is now available on wax.
This is some seriously smoking vintage funk out of New Orleans from the early '70s. An 8-piece outfit, they were best known as the studio band for the Jewel / Paula Soul Power label, they backed up the likes of Fontella Bass, Little Johnny Taylor and Bobby Paterson. But even without a singer their music sounded exactly the way you want your funk to sound: raw, hot and gritty. While they never received the same acclaim as folks like The Meters or The JB's, this is still some top notch real-deal funk.
MPEG Stream: "Black Water Gold"
MPEG Stream: "Tropical"

AFRICAN SOUNDS AT DUSK (ANTHONY WALKER) African Sounds At Dusk (Nuits Africaines) (Sittelle) cd 17.98

AFRIKA BAMBAATA, DJ Death Mix "2" (Paul Winley) cd 13.98
As influential and prolific as Afrika Bambaata is, it's always baffled us how damn hard it actually can be to get your hands on his music. Luckily we finally managed to get copies of this, a previously ultra rare mix that Bambaata whipped up back in the day. A 20+ minute continuous-mix made in the early '80s showing off his legendary chops and demonstrating loud and clear how he was able to dig into crates of records and create an instant party.
MPEG Stream: "Death Mix 2"

AFRIRAMPO A' (Acid Mothers Temple) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Osaka-based "ultra lunatic girl duo" who stepped in for Cotton Casino on the recent Acid Mothers Temple disc Minstrel In The Galaxy now have their own release on the AMT imprint. Afrirampo consist of Oni (vocals, guitar) and Pikacyu (vocals, drums) but it seems like there's waaay more people that just the two of them in the band. Maybe that's 'cause of all the crazy different kinds of vocals that spill out over everything here -- screaming, cookie monster grunts, shouted group chants, and chipmunk baby babble. All of which goes great with the band's music: totally energetic, catchy, bouncy, noisy, freaky stuff. If you're a musical Japanophile, you'll definitely hear a lot of early Boredoms / UFO Or Die / Melt Banana in this here album! Afrirampo's got the stomping spastic grooves, psychedelic sci-fi effects, chaotic catchiness, ethno-percussion, surfy rock n' roll licks...all that good stuff we love about old Boredoms. And the bizarro-nonsense level likewise seems pretty high. The disc ends with "Kunoichi", a throbbing 16 minute epic that builds from spaced-out insane asylum improv to crushing cosmic churn. Freakin' great. Just about what we'd expect from a band who not only hang with AMT, but also have jammed with Sonic Youth, Munehiro Narita of High Rise, Keiji Haino of Fushitsusha, and also pygmies in an African village where the duo spent several months last summer, or so we're told! Apparently this is an enhanced (with unreleased tracks and cd-rom materials) remastered reissue of what was once a cd-r release, recorded at some point early in the duo's career, which would be circa 2002. So we'll now definitely have to try and get a hold of more by this band!
MPEG Stream: "Dodododo"
MPEG Stream: "I Love You"

AFRIRAMPO Kore Ga Mayaku Da (Tzadik) cd 15.98
At last, an Afrirampo release that's not so hard to obtain, as the duo makes their domestic US debut on John Zorn's Tzadik label. John Zorn being the guy that first clued a lot of us in to the Boredoms, coincidentally enough. Well, whether deliberately or not, it would seem that the two girls from Osaka, Japan known as Afrirampo are channelling the chaos and confusion of early early Boredoms (who also hail from Osaka). If you miss the noisiness of the Boredoms circa Soul Discharge, you might have a nice flashback from this. There's lots of screaming and singing (the wild, wide variety of their vocals is one of Afrirampo's trademarks, along with the arty costumes that feature in their live presentations) and distorted guitar and crazed percussion and boundless energy here. Lots and lots of all that. It's all very dramatic and weird and doubtless annoying to some in the same way the Boredoms once were (some of US here at AQ actually can't stand to hear this when it's being played in the store). The very first track will let you know if you're up to their test or not: almost 12 minutes that range from raging Bore-punk to vocal baby babble to mean metal guitar riffage. If you dig that, the rest of the record will be right up your alley. And anyone who is already a fan won't be disappointed with this Tzadik disc either.
MPEG Stream: "I Did Are"
MPEG Stream: "Nakimushikemushi Good Bye!"

AFRO CUBAN ALL STARS A Toda Cuba le Gusta (Nonesuch) cd 17.98
A Buena Vista Social Club spinoff project. A group of Cuba's finest musicians, young and old (including a 6 piece horn section) got together to play and record for fun. Features some BVSC favorites, including Ibrahim Ferrer.

AFRO CUBAN ALL-STARS Distinto Diferente (World Circuit) cd 17.98
"The second All-Stars album features Havana's multi-generational big band embracing a more modern dance-oriented sound. Deploying a variety of styles, the extraordinary cast of over fifty musicians delivers a unique take on Cuban classics and Juan de Marcos' original compositions." Featuring Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, Omar Portuondo, Barbarito Torres, 'Cachaito' Lopez and 'Guajiro' Mirabal. Includes a 44 page booklet in Spanish and English with gobs of full color photos. Excellent.

AFROCUBISM s/t (World Circuit / Nonesuch) cd 17.98

AFROCUBISM s/t (World Circuit / Nonesuch) cd 17.98

AFTER DEATH Retronomicon (Iron Pegasus Records) cd 17.98
What a great title for an old-school Florida Death Metal album! Ex-Nocturnus.