BIRTHDAY PARTY Live 81-82 (4AD) cd 15.98
The Birthday Party - Nick Cave's second band (but the first to really matter) - was a delirious ensemble, self-destructing from booze, heroin, sex, and hate. Along with Tracy Pew, Mick Harvey, Phill Calvert, and Roland S. Howard (a criminally underrated guitarist), Cave redirected the pelvic thrusts of Elvis to their most abject and most lewd. Live, the swamp blues guitars of Howard matches the sexual grind of Pew's bass, all the while Cave epitomized all the fears that England had of Australia - a genetically-mutated criminal raping Victorian England of all of her morals. Yeah, it's a really good recording and they do a Stooges cover with Jim Thirwell (Foetus) on sax.

BIRTHDAY PARTY Prayers On Fire (Buddha) cd 10.98

BIRUSHANAH Akai Yama (Level Plane) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've got pretty much an AQ-fave shoo-in here, this strange Japanese band combining crusty, doooooomy heaviness with wyrd folk ritual, like Corrupted (with whom they have some membership connection) combined with Ghost. This 40 minute album, featuring three tracks (a two minute into and then two much longer pieces), starts by building up the ancient, Asian folky ambience, adorned with mysterious Scooby Doo meets Ol' Dirty Bastard kung fu mumble, all of it very much darkly psychedelic, before it gets HEAVY at about 5 minutes into the 20+ minute track two, Birushanah suddenly kicking out the lurching, kinetic riffs/rhythms along with much more wretched, raspy vokills in the Khanate vein. Tricky tribalistic percussion conspires with sinuous, strangled guitars, stopping and starting and coming down hard, on the bizarre bulk of this creepy and crushing album. One whose eerie eccentricities, rooted in traditional Japanese music, we figure should appeal to a lot of you who dug that Quest For Blood release we made Record Of The Week recently!
MPEG Stream: "Akai Yama [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Akai Yama [excerpt 2]"

BIS Plastique Nouveau (Spin Art) cd 12.98
You just might hear this on Wild 94.9, the Bay Area's dance station! Gentlemen, the transformation is complete. Bis are totally pumpin' out the dance tracks. Not a single glimmer of their past Scottish elfin indie pop selves. This album is even eons away from their Powerpuff Girls theme song. Sounding like they're shooting for a more mature audience, they've stripped away any of the sweet charm and energy of their past releases (particularly "Social Dancing" which successfully fused all of these key Bis elements). Alas, what we're left with is decent, if almost faceless, music. If you just wanna dance the night away in fluffy '80s discoland, this might be for you. Also features mixes by Adult., Tommie Sunshine and Ectomorph (Perhaps hoping to move a few more units, SpinArt Records threw the "electroclash" tag on the shrinkwrap. Argh!).
RealAudio clip: "Don't Let The Rain Come Down"
RealAudio clip: "Robotic (Adult. Almost Instrumental Mix)"

BIS Social Dancing (Grand Royal) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oh boy, what have Bis become? High energy dance pop...big emphasis on the dance. Fun, bouncy, '80s-gloss dancefloor hits in the making.

BISCHOFF, JOHN Aperture (23five Incorporated) cd 14.98
BACK IN STOCK!
Currently a faculty member in the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College, John Bischoff has been composing music with computers and electronics since the mid 70s, and has always focused his compositions towards malleable forms that best suit live performances. Within this context, Bischoff seeks to position the construction of sound far beyond the common perception of synthetic music as a mere simulation of the intrinsic sounds of traditional instruments. Instead, Bischoff qualifies his work as the realization of a "reflective intention," where he determines sonic structure not only through the predetermined elements which go into a piece, but also through the active process of listening to the music as it happens and responding accordingly. During the '70s when programming involved crude systems of binary code, Bischoff's vision of the possibilities for computer-based composition fused to performative agency seemed implausible; yet in hindsight, his artistic imperatives were incredibly prescient of contemporary tools such as the nearly omnipotent audio synthesis language Max/MSP, which has been at the core of Bischoff's recent work. An aptly named set of compositions, Aperture opens the possibility for multiple readings through a series of diverse techniques ranging from additive synthesis to FM synthesis to sampled-based processes. Each of the pieces on the album was recorded in real-time with no overdubs. Aperture introduces itself with clusters of samples that sprawl with the deliberate pacing of Morton Feldman's later period, yet Bischoff renders what might be recognizable citations of a piano or percussion as pointillist condensations of digitized pixels and precise plastic details. Over the course of the following pieces, Bischoff unleashes coarse streams of electrons which flange and pulse within the caustic firestorm of divergent timestretching, giving the impression that Bischoff is quite literally tearing the fabric of sound. Bischoff also offers a collaboration with Kenneth Atchley and complements the oversaturated physical noise of Atchley's water fountain sculptures with short digital articulations that ride on the top of Atchley's dense textures.
This is Bischoff's first recording in quite sometime, and has been well worth the wait!
MPEG Stream: "Piano 7hz"
MPEG Stream: "Immaterial States"
MPEG Stream: "Sealed Cantus"

BISHOP, RICHARD SIR God Damn Religion (Locust) cd+dvd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Those surviving Sun City Girls are always up to something. Travelling the world, probably. But also releasing stuff. Alan Bishop regularly wows us with amazing field recordings on his Sublime Frequencies label. In the case of "Sir" Richard Bishop we tend to expect his usual guitar improv ragadelica. But what about... a motion picture!?! That's what we have here, a dvd disc containing director SRB's half hour EPIC cinematic bad trip entitled God Damn Religion. It's a colorful, kaleidoscopic, sometimes stroboscopic collage of imagery drawn from the darker side of the human religious experience from around the world, ancient and modern, western and "primitive"... Pretty intense stuff. Frightening, frenzied. An overwhelming procession of sex and violence, hellish tortures and ribald pleasures. Demons and devils. Multilimbed Hindu gods and fallen Christian angels. Suffering sinners. Savage rites. All these gratuitous graphics crammed together like a flip book succession of details from Sun City Girls album covers. A segment (one of many) devoted to depictions of leering, long-tongued devils in the European tradition is followed by footage from a shrine of overgrown sculptural phalluses in Bangkok... Elsewhere SRB drops in scenes of witches and devils cavorting taken from the '20s silent film Haxan, as well as examples of "Buddhist torture paintings" he photographed in Southeast Asia.
We'd guess, rated R. Definitely not for kids, epileptics, or the impressionably Christian. The rest of us should find it quite fascinating, maybe even hypnotic. Maybe you'd even GET religion after being exposed to this, though presumably the idea is to make you sick of it. It's certainly a psychedelic visual experience, like a rapid fire glimpse into the Sun City Girls' graphic archives, and is excellently edited. The soundtrack music by SRB is of course an effective component too...
And in fact as a bonus, the first edition of this dvd comes with an extra disc, a cd version of the previously vinyl-only 2006 SRB album Elektronika Demonika, which is as scary as it sounds, four long tracks of claustrophobic ethno-industrial rhythmic, droney weirdness!! Pretty trippy, a funhouse flying saucer of a noisefest that itself would likely twist your mind even without the disturbing, sexually and demonically-charged visuals that it accompanies as a portion of the soundtrack to the God Damn Religion dvd...
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 3"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Fingering The Devil (Latitudes 0:07) (Latitudes / Southern) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The newest in the frustratingly limited Latitudes series. Former contributors have included the Grails, Shit & Shine, Will Whitmore, Ginnungagap and Ariel Pink (don't bother asking, they are all long gone). Here we have the Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop, in his solo guitar Improvika mode. Very much in the spirit of the current American Primitive / neo Appalchia sound, exploring similar territory as Jack Rose, Stephen Basho-Jungans, Charlie Schmidt and of course John Fahey, but on these improvised tracks, Bishop injects a healthy dose of flamenco which is sort of surprising. Not that Bishop isn't well versed in various musics of the world, he most definitely is as any number of SCG records will attest to, but it still sounds a little surprising in this context, but the result is truly gorgeous. Moody and emotional, dark and dense, dreamy and lyrical. Just Bishop and a steel string guitar unfurling dense tangles of intricate fingerpicking, as well as slow contemplative melodies, all rich with Spanish flavor. Occasionally Bishop goes for an Eastern raga like vibe instead, and ends up sounding closer to UK guitarist James Blackshaw or Rose at his most drone-y. So so lovely indeed!
Comes packaged in a super intricate hand screened die cut fold over sleeve with a full color insert. The cover has a breathtaking silver foil stamped embossed frontpiece and each copy is hand stamped and numbered. Limited to 1000 copies worldwide, 500 of which made it to the United States, about 50 of which made it here. So you know what that means!
MPEG Stream: "Abydos"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Of The Lotus Eaters"
MPEG Stream: "Romany Trail"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Fingering The Devil (Latitudes 0:07V) (Latitudes / Southern) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've all been going nuts for Southern's Latitudes series, super limited releases from Ginnungagap, Shit And Shine, Ariel Pink, Grails, Paradise Island, and elsewhere on this list, new ones from Magik Markers and Circle! Well the fine folks at Southern have decided to press a few of those Latitudes discs on vinyl! The first of which is Fingering The Devil from the Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop, in his solo guitar Improvika mode. Very much in the spirit of the current American Primitive / neo Appalachia sound, exploring similar territory as Jack Rose, Stephen Basho-Jungans, Charlie Schmidt and of course John Fahey, but on these improvised tracks, Bishop injects a healthy dose of flamenco which is sort of surprising. Not that Bishop isn't well versed in various musics of the world, he most definitely is as any number of SCG records will attest to, but it still sounds a little surprising in this context, but the result is truly gorgeous. Moody and emotional, dark and dense, dreamy and lyrical. Just Bishop and a steel string guitar unfurling dense tangles of intricate fingerpicking, as well as slow contemplative melodies, all rich with Spanish flavor. Occasionally Bishop goes for an Eastern raga like vibe instead, and ends up sounding closer to UK guitarist James Blackshaw or Rose at his most drone-y. So so lovely indeed!
Comes packaged in a cool diecut sleeve, a variation on the immediately recognizable Latitudes cd packaging, although this time, white on black instead of white on brown. Includes the same insert as the cd. Pressed on cool grey splatter vinyl. And of course, SUPER SUPER LIMITED!!!
MPEG Stream: "Abydos"
MPEG Stream: "Dream Of The Lotus Eaters"
MPEG Stream: "Romany Trail"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Graviton Polarity Generator (Social Music) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Improvika (Locust) cd 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop, also known as Rick Bishop of the Sun City Girls, offers up Improvika, the second entry in Locust's Wooden Guitars series, after the compilation of that same name on which he also featured, alongside Tetuzi Akiyama, Jack Rose, and Steffen Basho-Junghans. It's also his second solo record -- his now out-of-print first one, Salvador Kali, was released a few years back on the Revenant, a label begun by the spiritual forefather of the Wooden Guitar concept, John Fahey (R.I.P.). So, as you might already guess, unaccompanied steel string acoustic guitar sketches in the Fahey-established "American Primitive" style are the haps here, with more than a few references to the wide variety of 'world musics' that the Sun City Girls like to celebrate and subvert. Bishop's playing is both impressive and evocative, and anyone caught up in the current craze for Faheyesque guitar solos (and why wouldn't you be?) ought to enjoy Sir Rick's sublime efforts here. Locust, keep 'em coming! (Next up in the series, we believe, will be Pelt's Jack Rose...)
MPEG Stream: "Jaisalmer"
MPEG Stream: "Mystic Minor 23"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Improvika (Bo Weavil) lp 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now, but not for long, on (limited, expensive) vinyl!
Sir Richard Bishop, also known as Rick Bishop of the Sun City Girls, offers up Improvika, the second entry in Locust's Wooden Guitars series, after the compilation of that same name on which he also featured, alongside Tetuzi Akiyama, Jack Rose, and Steffen Basho-Junghans. It's also his second solo record -- his now out-of-print first one, Salvador Kali, was released a few years back on the Revenant, a label begun by the spiritual forefather of the Wooden Guitar concept, John Fahey (R.I.P.). So, as you might already guess, unaccompanied steel string acoustic guitar sketches in the Fahey-established "American Primitive" style are the haps here, with more than a few references to the wide variety of 'world musics' that the Sun City Girls like to celebrate and subvert. Bishop's playing is both impressive and evocative, and anyone caught up in the current craze for Faheyesque guitar solos (and why wouldn't you be?) ought to enjoy Sir Rick's sublime efforts here.
MPEG Stream: "Jaisalmer"
MPEG Stream: "Mystic Minor 23"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Intermezzo (Ideologic Organ) lp 22.00
Originally self-released as a tour-only cd-r by the constantly wandering minstrel Sir Richard Bishop, former member of the always challenging Sun City Girls which disbanded after the death of drummer Charles Goucher. Both Richard and his brother Alan (also in the Sun City Girls) have an innate musicality that makes the songwriting process entirely second nature. As it seems so easy for both of them to spill forth song and (at least for Alan) verse, they've both fully immersed themselves in their own strategies to make music challenging and exciting at least for them. Where Bishop's brother Alan embodies the trickster persona from the Sun City Girls through his sneering Alvarius B persona and the scabrous Uncle Jim monologues, Richard takes up skill, craft, and technique culled from a lifetime of appropriating riffs from esoteric guitarists from the dusty corners of the world. In listening to the discoveries that Sublime Frequencies has made over the past decade or so (a label run in part by Alan Bishop), one can hear the influence from Saharan blues from Group Doueh, the Bakersfield country jigs from Buck Owen, the arabesque trills from Omar Khorshid, and the post-occidental folk-rock from Trinh Cong Son (surely, he'll be anthologized by Sublime Frequencies one of these days!). The further Richard Bishop has gotten from the SCG's gravitational pull, the prettier and more intricate his work has become. In listening to Intermezzo, we find ourselves hearing quite a lot of James Blackshaw or Alexander Turnquist in these exquisite acoustic and semi-acoustic guitar instrumentals. It's damn beautiful and at times heartbreakingly sad.

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Plays The Sun City Girls (No Fidelity) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Sun City Girls' Sir Richard Bishop, recorded live in 2005, tackling two prime Sun City Girls tracks, solo on steel string acoustic guitar, and the results are quite lovely. Gorgeous, stripped down acoustic versions of "Space Prophet Dogon" (maybe our favorite Sun City Girls song ever) and "Esoterica Of Abyssynia", both retain some of their Eastern flair, but sound more like some lost Basho or Fahey track. So cool.
Packaged in a plain brown cardstock jukebox style sleeve. Not sure how limited this is, probably very, we have about a dozen.

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City) cd 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop has been on a roll of late, making killer alchemical guitar compositions on a variety of labels such as Locust and Southern's Latitude series. Now perched for awhile on Drag City, Bishop has anointed us with probably his best and most diverse work yet. Featuring 11 concise compositions, Bishop's frame of reference varies wildly from flamenco to the early jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt. Most of the tracks have a much lighter tone compared to his last release "While My Guitar Violently Bleeds". But most notably on Polytheistic Fragments is the inclusion of a couple of amazingly beautiful piano compositions, such as the 8 minute centerpiece "Saraswati" that features languid piano cycles accompanied by droning tamboura that in a perfect world would be the only music we would ever need.
MPEG Stream: "Elysium Number Five"
MPEG Stream: "Cemetary Games"
MPEG Stream: "Saraswati"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City) lp 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop has been on a roll of late, making killer alchemical guitar compositions on a variety of labels such as Locust and Southern's Latitude series. Now perched for awhile on Drag City, Bishop has anointed us with probably his best and most diverse work yet. Featuring 11 concise compositions, Bishop's frame of reference varies wildly from flamenco to the early jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt. Most of the tracks have a much lighter tone compared to his last release "While My Guitar Violently Bleeds". But most notably on Polytheistic Fragments is the inclusion of a couple of amazingly beautiful piano compositions, such as the 8 minute centerpiece "Saraswati" that features languid piano cycles accompanied by droning tamboura that in a perfect world would be the only music we would ever need.
MPEG Stream: "Elysium Number Five"
MPEG Stream: "Cemetary Games"
MPEG Stream: "Saraswati"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD The Freak Of Araby (Drag City) cd 14.98
First off, nice pun Sir Richard, nice pun! With a title like The Freak Of Araby, do we really even need to review this? Well, probably not for SRB's legion of fans, who will already have an idea of what to expect here from this master of exotic, intricate guitar playing. For them, the prospect of a new solo album by SRB is automatically a pleasant one, and purchase should occur as automatically as one picks up the new releases on ethnic field recordings label Sublime Frequencies, run by Bishop's brother and fellow former Sun City Girl, Alan. Plus we've heard it, and recommended it too!
Inspired by the music of late Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid among others, here SRB presents ten tracks of instrumental improvisations (?) in a Middle Eastern mood. Delicate and detailed, sultry and sandy. Opener "Taqasim For Omar" is quite traditional-sounding, but elsewhere Bishop's electric guitar takes on almost a surfy twang, and thoughts of dusty Spaghetti Western soundtracks might enter ones mind whilst enjoying this record. Most of the tracks feature percussion and other supporting instrumentation, but the focus is certainly on Bishop's adept and evocative six string manipulation. By Sun City Girls standards, this is easy listening, and certainly lovely, reminiscent of some of the SCGs' most accessible stuff. However, echoey FX get laid on thick during track nine, "Sidi Mansour", in case you forgot the "Freak" part of this album's title, while the tenth and final number "Blood-Stained Sands" really shakes things up by abandoning guitar in favor much multilayered buzzing saz (we think it is), for a seven and a half minutes of dervishly whirling, droning delirium that ends the album leaving no doubt about SRB being The Freak Of Araby indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Barbary"
MPEG Stream: "The Pillars Of Baalbek"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD The Freak Of Araby (Drag City) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
First off, nice pun Sir Richard, nice pun! With a title like The Freak Of Araby, do we really even need to review this? Well, probably not for SRB's legion of fans, who will already have an idea of what to expect here from this master of exotic, intricate guitar playing. For them, the prospect of a new solo album by SRB is automatically a pleasant one, and purchase should occur as automatically as one picks up the new releases on ethnic field recordings label Sublime Frequencies, run by Bishop's brother and fellow former Sun City Girl, Alan. Plus we've heard it, and recommended it too!
Inspired by the music of late Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid among others, here SRB presents ten tracks of instrumental improvisations (?) in a Middle Eastern mood. Delicate and detailed, sultry and sandy. Opener "Taqasim For Omar" is quite traditional-sounding, but elsewhere Bishop's electric guitar takes on almost a surfy twang, and thoughts of dusty Spaghetti Western soundtracks might enter ones mind whilst enjoying this record. Most of the tracks feature percussion and other supporting instrumentation, but the focus is certainly on Bishop's adept and evocative six string manipulation. By Sun City Girls standards, this is easy listening, and certainly lovely, reminiscent of some of the SCGs' most accessible stuff. However, echoey FX get laid on thick during track nine, "Sidi Mansour", in case you forgot the "Freak" part of this album's title, while the tenth and final number "Blood-Stained Sands" really shakes things up by abandoning guitar in favor much multilayered buzzing saz (we think it is), for a seven and a half minutes of dervishly whirling, droning delirium that ends the album leaving no doubt about SRB being The Freak Of Araby indeed.
MPEG Stream: "Barbary"
MPEG Stream: "The Pillars Of Baalbek"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD The Unrock Tapes (Unrock) lp 30.00
Not too long ago, Ideologic Organ pressed up one of Sir Richard Bishop's tour only cd-rs onto vinyl; and now we have an entirely different set of recordings also culled from a tour only cd-r, this time released by the German record shop Unrock, which hosted the former Sun City Girl during one of his many forays across Europe. Replete with acoustic and semi-acoustic instrumentals, The Unrock Tapes follows much of Bishop's solo career in swatting away stylistic distinctions between the sacred and the profane. Tracks like "Matadora" and "Almeria" leap around the sound of flamenco with a wild-eyed, yet cocksure aplomb through the rasping strum and manic fingerpicking. Bishop employs the same showmanship on the Americana numbers like "Boxcar Serenade", a Faheyesque ditty and "William Goat's Gruff" which gives a jitterbug backbone to his Delta blues reprisal. And of course, Bishop delves into the Omar Korshid fakebook on "Empty Quarter", as a dynamic, Arabic dervish blistering with frenzied solos, countered by the highly opiated raga of "Navaratri," pocked with acoustic scrabblings and blurred melodies. Of course, it's brilliant... it's Sir Richard Bishop! Limited to 500 copies though, we must warn.

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (Locust Music) cd 14.98
Sir Richard Bishop's latest offering of altruistic guitar ragas is thankfully not limited this time around and is mesmerizingly pastoral despite the violence eluded to in the pun-y title. Three long tracks begin with flamenco-tinged Neo-Appalachia before turning down darker, drony and dirgy paths and finally emerging into the third and longest track that combines Indian mysticism with old-world European romantic beauty. What else do we need to say? this is simply outstanding!
MPEG Stream: "Smashana"
MPEG Stream: "Mahavidya"

BISHOP, SIR RICHARD While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (Locust Music) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now repressed, and once again available on vinyl! We never were able to get enough to list originally, so we're especially glad it's back. Here's what we said about the cd version:
Sir Richard Bishop's latest offering of altruistic guitar ragas is mesmerizingly pastoral despite the violence eluded to in the pun-y title. Three long tracks begin with flamenco-tinged Neo-Appalachia before turning down darker, drony and dirgy paths and finally emerging into the third and longest track that combines Indian mysticism with old-world European romantic beauty. What else do we need to say? This is simply outstanding!
MPEG Stream: "Smashana"
MPEG Stream: "Mahavidya"

BISK Moonstruck Parade (Quatermass) cd 16.98
Poppy and bright electronica from this Japanese artist. Low-attention span stuff (but not frenzied) cutting from one thing/loop and back again...like having a tv playing old reruns on in one room, a ballroom dancing class in the other, and a dj in the middle mixing the two, whilst adding beats from her crate of contemporary trip hop and whatnot. Nice (if inexplicable) Levi's Red Tab reference in the artwork, by the way.

BISON Earth Bound (Forest) cd 14.98

BITCH MAGNET s/t (Temporary Residence Ltd.) 3cd 14.98
We've been waiting for this one for ages. And thus, are having a lot of trouble figuring out what exactly to write about it. We've literally been obsessed with this band and these records for more than two decades, and one aQ-er in particular was even in a band who was heavily influenced by the late great Bitch Magnet. In the realms of late eighties / early nineties postrock / postpunk / mathrock, there's a very elite pantheon, made up of names you no doubt recognize or at least should: Slint, of course, Rodan, Codeine, Bastro and of course Bitch Magnet, who amongst those band might be the least well known, and perhaps the most unfairly under appreciated. The various members of BM would go on to other bands we love, bass player and vocalist Soo Young Park would form Seam, guitarist (and aQ pal) Jon Fine would go on to form Coptic Light and Vineland (and play briefly in Don Caballero), and drummer Orestes Morfin would end up playing in Walt Mink. But it's Bitch Magnet that was the perfect combination of the three, creating a sonic template for much to come, and creating one of the most incredible bodies of work in underground rock. An impossible hybrid of progged out mathiness, moody introspective indie rock, brooding slowcore, and an almost metallic heft, woven into actual songs that would and will stick in your head forever. They wrote the sort of parts that were effortlessly catchy, some crazy weird time signatured progmath breakdown could be as hooky in their hands as a jangly bit of melody or a soaring majestic chorus, and it's precisely that magic ingredient that makes this stuff sound as good now as it did 20 years ago.
This new collection features tons of bonus tracks, but really, those are mostly of interest to folks who already love Bitch Magnet, and everyone who already does is definitely gonna want this, for those tracks sure, but also just for a new remastered fancy versions of the records you already treasure, cuz Bitch Magnet were one of those rare bands that engendered crazy obsession and slavish worship from their fans, who were eager to offer up both. For the rest of the folks out there, who somehow missed out on BM the first time around, or were perhaps too young at the time, the records proper are more than enough.
The Star Booty ep, originally released in 1988, finds the band at their most indie rock, they're still heavy, and a bit mathy, but way more indie rock / post punk than anything, in fact much of this record is downright poppy, maybe more along the lines of other contemporaries like Superchunk and Squirrelbait, jangly and crunchy and hooky as hell, for many of us, this was our first exposure to Bitch Magnet, and it didn't take us long to realize we had a new favorite band. But it was really the following year's full length Umber that sealed the deal, and like Slint, must have launched a million copycats, cuz holy shit, Umber is a monster, the band way more mathy and heavy, opener "Motor" starting things off with a wild squall of chaotic drumming and dive bombing guitars before launching into a song that sounds like a more aggressive version of something off Star Booty, but then there's "Navajo Ace" which to this day remains one o our favorite songs from that era, with its crazy opening the weird times bass drum groove, the off time guitar chug, the swirling high end guitar crunch, and then when it launches into the meat of the song, blasting and pounding and furious, only to suddenly switch times again, only to switch it up again and lurch right back into it, the vocals sung/spoken, very Slint-y for sure, we won't postulate which came first, doesn't even matter, similar styles, two dramatically different results, and from there on out Umber doesn't let up for a second, the band trying their hand at all sorts of sonic variations, the Codeine-esque slowcore of "Clay", the almost Spacemen 3 sounding hypnorock of "Joan Of Arc", albeit a bit supercharged, the woozy bass driven dirge of "Douglas Leader", the almost "Just Got Paid" Southern sounding riffage on "Goat Legged Country God", the crazy catchy indie rock of "Big Pining", the almost Lemonheads sounding indie jangle of "Joyless Street", the metallic mathy bombast of "Punch & Judy", the very brooding Slintiness of "Americruiser" (is that where Urge Overkill got the name for their 1990 album of the same name? Hmm).
At the time, we were fairly sure nothing could beat Umber, it was practically perfect, a brilliant balance of catchiness and heaviness and mathiness, we continued to think that at least for another year, when Bitch Magnet released their final album Ben Hur, and all it took was one listen to the nine and a half minute opener "Dragoon" to convince us once again, that NOW nothing could get better than this, which was sadly proved true when the band called it quits. But what a way to go. "Dragoon" has such an epic opening, all big ringing chords, and spaced out pounding drums, it's the sort of stretched out tension that could go on forever, but when the song proper kicks in, it's easy to forget all about that, some killer angular riffing, insanely powerful drumming, crazy catchy melodies, and this time a HUGE production to match, everything sounding massive and heavy and appropriately epic. It took ages before we could stop listening to "Dragoon" and make it to the rest of the record, but once we did, like Umber before it, it pretty much killed from front to back, the band again, much more varied than folks probably give them credit for, mixing a dark brooding slowcore, with their particular brand of post punk mathiness, and hooks galore, definitely hints of what was to come in Seam in some of the melodies and vocal parts, but here, they are woven perfectly into Fine's dense guitars and Morfin's impossible drum damage. We could go through Ben Hur also, song by song, but trust us, once you're a song in, you won't want to stop until it's over, and then odds are you'll just want to start again.
It should be noted that Bitch Magnet are one of Andee's favorite bands OF ALL TIME, and the other folks of similar age around aQ hold similarly strong sentiments about these records, and the fact that listening to them now, we can still hear the influences these guys are having on new bands twenty years later speaks volumes.
Absolutely essential and utterly and wholeheartedly recommended.
Super fancy packaging too, the 3cd version comes in a 6 panel digipak style sleeve, with the album covers reproduced on the jackets, with an attached booklet featuring tons of live photos and flyers. The 3lp version come in massive triple gatefold jacket, with the inside 3 panels covered in rare photos and flyers, while the actual lp sleeves feature reproductions of the original album covers and the track listings. The lp version also includes a download coupon as well. And for the eagle eyed out there, look for the tUMULt logo on both, while this is not an actual tUMULt release really, it is at least in spirit!
MPEG Stream: "Dragoon"
MPEG Stream: "Valmead"
MPEG Stream: "Navajo Ace"
MPEG Stream: "Motor"
MPEG Stream: "Carnation"
MPEG Stream: "C Word"

BITCH MAGNET s/t (Temporary Residence Ltd.) 3lp 32.00
We've been waiting for this one for ages. And thus, are having a lot of trouble figuring out what exactly to write about it. We've literally been obsessed with this band and these records for more than two decades, and one aQ-er in particular was even in a band who was heavily influenced by the late great Bitch Magnet. In the realms of late eighties / early nineties postrock / postpunk / mathrock, there's a very elite pantheon, made up of names you no doubt recognize or at least should: Slint, of course, Rodan, Codeine, Bastro and of course Bitch Magnet, who amongst those band might be the least well known, and perhaps the most unfairly under appreciated. The various members of BM would go on to other bands we love, bass player and vocalist Soo Young Park would form Seam, guitarist (and aQ pal) Jon Fine would go on to form Coptic Light and Vineland (and play briefly in Don Caballero), and drummer Orestes Morfin would end up playing in Walt Mink. But it's Bitch Magnet that was the perfect combination of the three, creating a sonic template for much to come, and creating one of the most incredible bodies of work in underground rock. An impossible hybrid of progged out mathiness, moody introspective indie rock, brooding slowcore, and an almost metallic heft, woven into actual songs that would and will stick in your head forever. They wrote the sort of parts that were effortlessly catchy, some crazy weird time signatured progmath breakdown could be as hooky in their hands as a jangly bit of melody or a soaring majestic chorus, and it's precisely that magic ingredient that makes this stuff sound as good now as it did 20 years ago.
This new collection features tons of bonus tracks, but really, those are mostly of interest to folks who already love Bitch Magnet, and everyone who already does is definitely gonna want this, for those tracks sure, but also just for a new remastered fancy versions of the records you already treasure, cuz Bitch Magnet were one of those rare bands that engendered crazy obsession and slavish worship from their fans, who were eager to offer up both. For the rest of the folks out there, who somehow missed out on BM the first time around, or were perhaps too young at the time, the records proper are more than enough.
The Star Booty ep, originally released in 1988, finds the band at their most indie rock, they're still heavy, and a bit mathy, but way more indie rock / post punk than anything, in fact much of this record is downright poppy, maybe more along the lines of other contemporaries like Superchunk and Squirrelbait, jangly and crunchy and hooky as hell, for many of us, this was our first exposure to Bitch Magnet, and it didn't take us long to realize we had a new favorite band. But it was really the following year's full length Umber that sealed the deal, and like Slint, must have launched a million copycats, cuz holy shit, Umber is a monster, the band way more mathy and heavy, opener "Motor" starting things off with a wild squall of chaotic drumming and dive bombing guitars before launching into a song that sounds like a more aggressive version of something off Star Booty, but then there's "Navajo Ace" which to this day remains one o our favorite songs from that era, with its crazy opening the weird times bass drum groove, the off time guitar chug, the swirling high end guitar crunch, and then when it launches into the meat of the song, blasting and pounding and furious, only to suddenly switch times again, only to switch it up again and lurch right back into it, the vocals sung/spoken, very Slint-y for sure, we won't postulate which came first, doesn't even matter, similar styles, two dramatically different results, and from there on out Umber doesn't let up for a second, the band trying their hand at all sorts of sonic variations, the Codeine-esque slowcore of "Clay", the almost Spacemen 3 sounding hypnorock of "Joan Of Arc", albeit a bit supercharged, the woozy bass driven dirge of "Douglas Leader", the almost "Just Got Paid" Southern sounding riffage on "Goat Legged Country God", the crazy catchy indie rock of "Big Pining", the almost Lemonheads sounding indie jangle of "Joyless Street", the metallic mathy bombast of "Punch & Judy", the very brooding Slintiness of "Americruiser" (is that where Urge Overkill got the name for their 1990 album of the same name? Hmm).
At the time, we were fairly sure nothing could beat Umber, it was practically perfect, a brilliant balance of catchiness and heaviness and mathiness, we continued to think that at least for another year, when Bitch Magnet released their final album Ben Hur, and all it took was one listen to the nine and a half minute opener "Dragoon" to convince us once again, that NOW nothing could get better than this, which was sadly proved true when the band called it quits. But what a way to go. "Dragoon" has such an epic opening, all big ringing chords, and spaced out pounding drums, it's the sort of stretched out tension that could go on forever, but when the song proper kicks in, it's easy to forget all about that, some killer angular riffing, insanely powerful drumming, crazy catchy melodies, and this time a HUGE production to match, everything sounding massive and heavy and appropriately epic. It took ages before we could stop listening to "Dragoon" and make it to the rest of the record, but once we did, like Umber before it, it pretty much killed from front to back, the band again, much more varied than folks probably give them credit for, mixing a dark brooding slowcore, with their particular brand of post punk mathiness, and hooks galore, definitely hints of what was to come in Seam in some of the melodies and vocal parts, but here, they are woven perfectly into Fine's dense guitars and Morfin's impossible drum damage. We could go through Ben Hur also, song by song, but trust us, once you're a song in, you won't want to stop until it's over, and then odds are you'll just want to start again.
It should be noted that Bitch Magnet are one of Andee's favorite bands OF ALL TIME, and the other folks of similar age around aQ hold similarly strong sentiments about these records, and the fact that listening to them now, we can still hear the influences these guys are having on new bands twenty years later speaks volumes.
Absolutely essential and utterly and wholeheartedly recommended.
Super fancy packaging too, the 3cd version comes in a 6 panel digipak style sleeve, with the album covers reproduced on the jackets, with an attached booklet featuring tons of live photos and flyers. The 3lp version come in massive triple gatefold jacket, with the inside 3 panels covered in rare photos and flyers, while the actual lp sleeves feature reproductions of the original album covers and the track listings. The lp version also includes a download coupon as well. And for the eagle eyed out there, look for the tUMULt logo on both, while this is not an actual tUMULt release really, it is at least in spirit!
MPEG Stream: "Dragoon"
MPEG Stream: "Valmead"
MPEG Stream: "Navajo Ace"
MPEG Stream: "Motor"
MPEG Stream: "Carnation"
MPEG Stream: "C Word"

BITCHIN' BAJAS Krausened EP (Permanent) lp 16.98
Just got this in TODAY, list day, so we really didn't have a chance to write up our own review yet but wanted to list it anyway 'cuz we figure folks will want it asap. And we did give it a spin, it's awesome. For those who want a little more info, we'll quote the blurb from the record label: "Fans of Terry Riley, Kraftwerk, Conrad Schntizler, and Kosmische Musik in general take note! Bitchin Bajas has returned to Permanent Records (following their split single with Moon Duo) with a brand new record of side-long transcendental synth workouts. This is Bitchin Bajas most accessible and autobahn ready delivery to date! Bitchin Bajas began as a side project, but Cooper Crain of Cave and Dan Quinlivan formerly of Mahjongg have been spending as much time, if not more, with Bitchin Bajas as they have with the aforementioned groups and they've been progressing very quickly. In just two or so years, Bitchin Bajas have released three critically acclaimed LPs (one on Important Records and two on Kallestei Editions), two incredible splits (one with Moon Duo and the other with the Peaking Lights-related Faceplant), and one very limited edition cassette tape. The two side-long pieces on this nearly 40 minute EP were written on their 2012 European tour and recorded and mixed over three days by Bitchin Bajas at Minbal Studio in Chicago, Illinois. Edition of 500 copies.

BITCHIN' BAJAS Tones / Zones (Important) lp 19.98
With a name like Bitchin Bajas you would expect some bratty lo-fi garage pop or ironic washed out rock, but sometimes the name and the sound can exist in two entirely different worlds, and with Bitchin Bajas that's probably for the best. The solo project of Cooper Crane from Cave, we first got a glimpse of Bitchin Bajas on their split 7" with Moon Duo, but it's on this full length that he really pushes his sound to such spaced out cosmic outer limits. While Cave have become masterful at their ability to create rhythmic and propulsive kraut like jams, with Bitchin Bajas, Cooper is taking his aim at the more spaced out side of kosmische bliss. Evoking the kraut-drone / kraut-age of Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Deutsche Wertarbeit, Cluster as well as Terry Riley's A Rainbow In Curved Air, this is such a perfect early morning sunrise salute of a record. Tones / Zones also reaches the level to which modern day cosmic travelers like Arp, White Rainbow, Emeralds and Oneohtrix Point Never have ascended. The sounds here get locked in the most celestial grooves and you find yourself floating into the sky losing any sense of gravity or the mundane reality of everyday life. This is perfect music for dreaming, drifting and softly coming down. Majestic and so satisfying.

BITCHIN' BAJAS Vibraquatic (Kalliztei) lp+dvd 17.98
A special Record Store day release from the oddly named Bitchin Bajas, a side project of aQ fave psychkraut hypnorock combo Cave, and another one of those records that people seemed to be particularly keen to get their hands on, so we did our best to get a bunch extra for mailorder folks who couldn't be at aQ on RSD. Only three songs, but clocking in at a whopping 38 minutes, and another gorgeous chunk of tripped out psychedelic kosmische synthscapery, the first track, all 17+ minutes of it, finds the BB duo unfurling a dizzying tripped out soundscape of pulsing pulsating synth blurts that careen from speaker to speaker, hypnotic and almost maddening, but before it gets to be too much, the sound shifts gears, and blossoms into a gorgeous bit of Carpenter/Goblin like cinematic synthscaping, cascading melodies, all draped over a deep low end pulse, ominous, but at the same time prismatic and energetic, before once again switching back to a more swirling spaced out bit of heavily panned sonic mesmer, which is soon joined by some abstract percussion, the sound expanding in slow motion, like some sort of time lapse footage of a supernova, before returning to that soundtracky synthscape, and before finally splintering into something much more abstract, the whole second half of the track a sort of spaced out softly psychedelic
landscape of looped repetitive Reich/Riley like pulsations, that ebb and flow, fade out to a hushed whisper, then expand to a corrosive crunch, and back again, so heady and hypnotic. The comparatively shorter "Bajas Ragas" weds Muslimgauze like rhythms to a buzzing synth drone, before adding a groovy low slung bassline, woozy and warm, a mesmerizing bit of murky minimalism, before the synths come in, and unfurl snakecharmer like melodies over the top, the sound growing gradually more propulsive, the synths getting more distorted, the rhythms more driving, the bass buzzier, before one by one the various elements begin to fade out, leaving just a hazy stretch of synth buzz and chordal shimmer. The final track, "Jelly", is the most somber of the bunch, beginning as a warm, hushed drone, which is soon joined by more drones, more layers, what sounds like a horn of some kind, the vibe subtly jazzy, and darkly cosmic, soon the low end rises up from below and adds some bass heavy heft to the the proceedings, eventually, the horns grow wilder and wilder, culminating in a dark droned out psychedelic jazz raga that ends way too soon.
Included with the lp is a dvd featuring films that accompany all three songs, by none other than Olivia Wyatt, who was responsible for that awesome Staring Into The Sun release on Sublime Frequencies. Here, Wyatt matches BB's psychedelic sounds with her own quite psychedelic visuals, bursts of sun dappled prismatic glimmers, sparkling water born shimmer, strange abstract shapes and slow morphing colors, and finally some super grainy black and white footage of night time rituals and mysterious dances, perfectly capturing the spirit and the energy of the sounds they accompany.
The record comes housed in a super glossy, brightly colored, slightly oversized jacket, and includes a small printed insert. And again, this was a Record Store Day release, so supplies are limited, and we may not be able to restock once these sell out.
MPEG Stream: "Prismatic Reflections"
MPEG Stream: "Bajas Ragas"

BITCHIN' BAJAS Water Wrackets (Kalliztei) lp 14.98
On the last list we reviewed a split record featuring Bitchin Bajas, aka Cooper Crain from hypno rockers Cave, and Faceplant, aka Aaron Coynes from Peaking Lights. Only after did we realize there there was a whole Bitchin Bajas full length that somehow just slipped right by us. So here it is, Water Wrackets, what is essentially full length number two from Crain's kosmische synth side project, this one a soundtrack apparently, to a modern remake of a 1975 film by Peter Greenaway.
Crain's soundtrack is divine, some super minimal krautdrone kosmische synthscapery of the highest order, from the opening track, "Water 1", all long layered tones, rich with shifting tonal colors and overtones, channeling the spirit of Riley and Reich perhaps, to the more distinctly krautrocky "Water 2", with a simple super minimal stripped down rhythm, beneath deep low end pulses and some shimmery sunshiney melodies. "Water 4" is hazy and lush, sun dappled and new agey, the sound warped and warbly as if it was transferred from some old filmstrip, while "Water 3" is the krautrockiest of the bunch, a darkly driving bit of rhythmic minimalism, the drums looped and locked to a slithery synth bassline, pulsing and pulsating, while all around notes and chords drift and shimmer, a hazy dreamlike swirl all anchored by that motorik rhythm. After a brief bit of synth swirl, the record finishes off with "Water 1 (Reprise)" which in fact does just that, unfurling another stretch of minimal layered drones, lush and warm, allowing the interaction between the tones to provide the motion, creating a dreamy otherworldly sonic swirl. So nice.
Packaged in super heavy tip-on style sleeves, along with a bonus dvd and a poster.
MPEG Stream: "Water 1"
MPEG Stream: "Water 2"

BITCHIN' BAJAS / FACEPLANT split (Bathetic) lp 15.98
Latest from the oddly monikered Bitchin Bajas, the solo synth project of Cooper Crain from psychedelic hypnorockers and big time aQ faves Cave, who when not contributing to Cave's rhythmic bombast, spends his time crafting drifting synth/organ soundscapes a la Tangerine Dream, Harmonia, etc., and his two tracks here, a single epic split into two movements, finds Crain doing just that, long lush tones, pulsing and percolating, drifty and near static at first, but soon the sounds begin to blossom, melodies spinning into the ether, intertwining, some serious cosmic bliss out for sure. The second movement ditches the dreamy drift for something more rhythmic and propulsive, crafting synths into a glimmery, glistening pulsing futuristic sci-fi soundscape, all frantic melodies, over lush layers, very soundtracky and cinematic.
Bitchin Bajas are teamed up with another oddly named outfit, Faceplant, which is in fact Aaron Coynes, the man behind Rahdunes, and aQ faves Peaking Lights, but Faceplant has little in common with either of those groups, instead Coynes crafts pulsing soundtracky synthscapes, bloopy groovy synthy psychedelia, that like the BB stuff, definitely sounds very soundtracky, sorta dubby, with driving beats suspended amides the pulsating synths. Coynes describes the sound as "solo modular hessian noise trance", but to us it sounds more like a mutant strain of that whole John Carpenter / Goblin worship thing, although one of the tracks almost sounds more like some alien futuristic lounge music, all spacey FX, groovy minimal rhythms, and playful melodies. Either way, we're digging it a lot.
Housed in a weird multi colored sort-of-pickle jacket, with a photocopied poster/insert. LIMITED TO 600 COPIES!
MPEG Stream: BITCHIN BAJAS "Consciousness 1"
MPEG Stream: FACEPLANT "Dickie Domecon"

BITTER BITTER WEEKS Peace Is Burning (High Two) cd 16.98
It's weird. We can describe some stuff like nobody's business, dark drones and buzzing black metal, freaky folks and found sounds, harsh noise and weirdo electronic music, but for some reason, pop music seems the hardest to review. Which might be what makes the best pop music so timeless. It's some ineffable something that in some ways is actually impossible to describe, the music contains some mysterious magic, it's what makes songs stick in your head. And your heart. Some impossible chemistry, there's a moment when the drums and the guitars, the bass and the vocals, the voice and the melody, just click, and suddenly, what is just a regular old rock band, and just a plain old song, is transformed into a piece of music, that stirs your soul and that can stick with you forever, whatever is going on in your life, right at that moment, is somehow fused to the music that accompanies it. That record you loved when you broke up with the love of your life, 10 years later it still makes you weep, that first song on the mixtape given to you by someone special, still gives you a little thrill, the first music that made you want to start your own band, the songs that got you through the tough timesÉ there's a reason people NEED music.
And the more music you listen to, the more you realize that the best pop music is the simplest. No amount of overdubs, or crazy psychedelia, or far out production or instrumental prowess can disguise a mediocre record. Granted that stuff can definitely be mixed in such a way, that a record can be total ear candy, but without the songs and the hooks, candy is all it is, sweet and fizzy and then it's gone.
We first discovered Bitter Bitter Weeks a few years ago, aka Brian McTear, an engineer and producer from Philadelphia, and we're sort of kicking ourselves for only getting BBW on the list now, not sure what exactly kept us from reviewing any of those records, especially considering that the first two discs were on constant rotation. Still are actually. That's the problem with so many records to review and only so many hours in the day. But we're finally trying to make it right. The first two BBW records were mostly acoustic affairs, just McTear and an acoustic guitar, it was all about the songs and the voice, the vocals so emotive and intense, warm and familiar, a high, almost falsetto (slipping into a full on falsetto here and there), but rich and rough, and the songsÉ so so gorgeous, perfect indie pop, hell perfect pop period, just so goddamned good, that we were convinced that McTear HAD to be a guy from some other band that we knew, but nope, he was an engineer, and BBW was his first real project. This latest record finds McTear expanding his previously solo outing to a full band and as hard as it is to believe, considering how much we loved those stripped down discs, it sounds even better.
The songs are still simple and spare, but manage to be lush and layered, clouds of jangle guitar, wrapped around McTear's gorgeous voice, the melodies lilting and perfect, subtle harmonies everywhere. The first song alone is worth the price of admission. A killer main riff, that manages to be heavy and crunchy, but without losing any of its jangle, a cool dark smoky twang in the guitar, intricate but understated drumming, the whole song propulsive and intense, the vocals soaring and lovely, the main hook absolutely unforgettable. This is where writing about music all falls apart, where words begin to fail to describe something that is essentially magical, not sure what else to say. Catchy, lovely, a bit rocking, emotive, lilting, jangly, by now you probably know if this is your cup of tea or not. Listen to the first sound sample, if you're not sold after that, then you have a black black heart devoid of pop and we pity you! The closest comparison we can come up with is maybe My Dad Is Dead, that same sort of dour beauty, minor key melancholia, a definite nineties indie rock / college rock jangle vibe, but at its core, just timeless and practically perfect pop.
MPEG Stream: "Once And For All"
MPEG Stream: "Writing Letters"
MPEG Stream: "Danger In The Halls"

BITTERS, THE East General (Mexican Summer) 12" 17.98
Another new release from Mexican Summer, this one from The Bitters, which just so happens to feature one of the dudes from post hardcore punk rockers Fucked Up, but don't be expecting Fucked Up style pummel here, although it is a lot noisier and more rocking than lots of Mexican Summer stuff, but more on that in a second.
First thing eagle eyed aQ customers might notice is the cover art, the same cover as the debut full length from Norwegian black metal horde Orcustus, that strange medical drawing of a woman's pelvis, legs and torso removed, and gestating baby inside, with the front of the pelvis removed so the baby as well as all the various muscles and organs are visible. Seemed a little more suited for a grim black metal group, which is probably why the garish cover is now hidden by a giant sticker featuring what we can only assume are the two band members looking shocked and horrified by what lies underneath. But enough about the cover, the music is not nearly so intense or gory or shocking, the template is definitely similar to what is essentially THE NOW SOUND, fuzzy, garage rock, with female vocals, lots of reverb, a sort of Phil Spector via In The Red, definitely a sound we dig, but it's kinda crazy how many bands are doing it now. But give the Bitters some credit, that may be the root of their sound, but they infuse their jangly reverby garage pop with a Way more jagged ramshackle post punk vibe, evoking the aesthetic of groups like the Swell Maps, and the vocals are super distinctive, a yowlly yelpy new wave caterwaul, that perfectly suits the bands surprisingly heavy sound (heavy at least for this kind of thing). If we had to pick a 'hit', it would most likely be "Travelin' Girl", super frenetic and propulsive, with a killer hook, some dueling boy/girl vocals, crunchy and fuzzy, with some twisty dizzying p[arts slipped in between the more poppy moments, and then there's the sort of psychedelic middle portion, not to mention the heavy shoegazey blow out at the end.
But the rest of the record is no slouch either, from dirgey in-the-red garage jangle, sounding like a slowed down, female fronted Oh Sees, too fuzzy and wild seat-of-the-pants angular post punk, to fuzzy sunshiney Best Coast-y garage jangle. And all these elements are made all the more interesting because of the production, super hot and live and distorted, so everything sounds really loud and crunchy and fuzzy, and gives even the lightest moments some serious oomph.
Needless to say, by now you know if this sort of thing is your bag, maybe you have enough, maybe you can never get enough, but The Bitters definitely have their own thing going, so even if you think you've heard all of THE NOW SOUND you'll ever need to, these two might just change your mind.
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES, each one hand numbered, comes with a download card as well.

BITTERS, THE Have A Nap Hotel (Sacred Bones) 12" 14.98
Maybe best know as a side project of post hardcore punks Fucked Up, the Bitters are a totally different proposition. Like their last record, their 12" on Mexican Summer, this record too is a primo slice of jagged ramshackle post punk, but this one's even MORE ramshackle than the last, which is in no way a bad thing.
The Bitters specialize in a sort of angular reverby crunchy jangle pop, that owes way more to early eighties groups like Swell Maps, guitars are sharp and jagged and distorted, the drums loud and in-the-red, but for all its clang and crunch, the sound is still lush and warm, dense with texture and melody, some twisted tangled riffage, all that wrapped around echoey vocals, strident and almost yelped, the resulting sound retro, but still vibrant and original, the jams rife with sonic references, the coolest being the ones that fall somewhere between Polvo and Blonde Redhead!
Sassy and sharp, punky and poppy, perfectly balancing between the new school of off kilter garage pop, and that classic C86 punk pop sound, the vocals are especially distinctive, the perfect match for the music, driving, propulsive, frenetic and hooky as hell. The two songs on the B-side get a bit moodier and tripped out, the songs extended and sprawling, one an almost ballad, the other just a perfectly noisy dirgey chunk of killer, classic retro post punk buzz and crunch.

BITTERS, THE Wooden Glove (Captured Tracks) lp 14.98

BITTOVA, IVA Cikori (Indies) cd 14.98

BITTOVA, IVA & DOROTHEA KELLEROVA 44 Duets For Two Violins (Rachot Behemot) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Gorgeous Bartok violin duets played and sung by the wonderful Iva Bittova and Dorothea Kellerova, two sprightly Czech women who roll their own cigarettes. (And there are enclosed photo cards to prove it, along with a red feather to complement the fancy red velvet packaging.) Minor key, impressionistic, and stark, like the soundtrack to Truffaut film. Looks great, sounds great. Really lovely.
RealAudio clip: "Slovenska"
RealAudio clip: "Preludium"
RealAudio clip: "Rikaldo"

BITTOVA, IVA / ANDREAS KROPER Echoes (Supraphon) cd 18.98

BIXBY, DAVE Ode To Quetzalcoatl (Guerssen) cd 17.98
What a long strange trip it was for Dave Bixby, from a young man playing covers in a folk pop band in the sixties, to spending a year high on LSD, to discovering God, to then becoming disillusioned with God, to contemplating suicide, to finally speaking to God (or having God speak to him) and thus recording both Ode To Quetzalcoatl and most of its follow up, Second Coming, eventually released under the name Harbinger, both records chronicling Bixby's life and struggles with spirituality and drugs.
Ode To Quetzalcoatl, originally a super rare private press release, that regularly fetched thousands of dollars, was and maybe still is one of the most legendary/infamous downer/loner folk records ever, the recording sparse and mournful, mostly just acoustic guitar, reverb laden vocals, occasional harmonica or flute, but mostly just guitar and vocals, but it was enough, so haunting and heartwrenching, the lyrics twisted and depressive, so miserable and dark and anguished, the reverb only adding to the otherwordliness, the guitar lazy and languorous, the melodies minor key and melancholy, a little like Jandek if he could actually sing and play guitar. And was a recovered drug addict, born again Christian.
A simply gorgeous slab of super personal doomfolk from before there even was doomfolk, for fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay, Roy Harper, Charles Manson and all dark mysterious folkmusic...
MPEG Stream: "Drug Song"
MPEG Stream: "Free Indeed"
MPEG Stream: "I Have Seen Him"
MPEG Stream: "666"

BIXBY, DAVE Ode To Quetzalcoatl (Guerssen) lp 26.00
What a long strange trip it was for Dave Bixby, from a young man playing covers in a folk pop band in the sixties, to spending a year high on LSD, to discovering God, to then becoming disillusioned with God, to contemplating suicide, to finally speaking to God (or having God speak to him) and thus recording both Ode To Quetzalcoatl and most of its follow up, Second Coming, eventually released under the name Harbinger, both records chronicling Bixby's life and struggles with spirituality and drugs.
Ode To Quetzalcoatl, originally a super rare private press release, that regularly fetched thousands of dollars, was and maybe still is one of the most legendary/infamous downer/loner folk records ever, the recording sparse and mournful, mostly just acoustic guitar, reverb laden vocals, occasional harmonica or flute, but mostly just guitar and vocals, but it was enough, so haunting and heartwrenching, the lyrics twisted and depressive, so miserable and dark and anguished, the reverb only adding to the otherwordliness, the guitar lazy and languorous, the melodies minor key and melancholy, a little like Jandek if he could actually sing and play guitar. And was a recovered drug addict, born again Christian.
A simply gorgeous slab of super personal doomfolk from before there even was doomfolk, for fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay, Roy Harper, Charles Manson and all dark mysterious folkmusic...
MPEG Stream: "Drug Song"
MPEG Stream: "Free Indeed"
MPEG Stream: "I Have Seen Him"
MPEG Stream: "666"

BIXOBAL Number 1 October 2007 (Ri Be Xibalba) magazine 2.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Basically, if you're into the more experimental, droney, improv-y, internationally adventurous, whatever side of the stuff we feature here at AQ, and you like to read which of course you do, and you've got a lousy two bucks, you should pick this up!! Edited by Eric Lanzillotta (of Anomalous records fame), this new 'zine is devoted to all sorts of interestin' music n' stuff, this debut issue featuring Robert Millis waxing nostalgic about his favorite Korean 78 rpm record, an interview with ESP-Disk experimentalist Alan Sondheim, an article about the books of number one Fug Tuli Kupferberg, an Indian travelogue from Sun City Girl Sir Richard Bishop, and a no-holds-barred interview with Dave Nuss of the No Neck Blues Band (which gets into some interesting, open-minded discussion about what might be bullshit or not about NNCK's music!!). A great read. Plus there's a plethora of reviews and other 'zine-ish goodness. 56 pages, digest-sized. Looking forward to issue 2!

BIXOBAL Number 2 January 2008 (Ri Be Xibalba) magazine 2.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Seems that our pal Eric Lanzillotta (former proprietor of Anomalous Records) is serious about this 'zine publishing venture. Issue one of Bixobal appeared just three or four short months ago, now here's the equally interestin' issue number two, again a bargain at two bucks. It's a digest-sized black and white 55 page xeroxed affair, crammed with cool things to read if you're into stuff along the lines of experimental drone, free improv, and international exotica. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Bixobal's got various folks from Sun City Girls/Climax Golden Twins axis on board as contributors. Contents this ish include among other things Part II of Sir Richard Bishop's Indian travelogue, interviews with avant vocalist Phil Minton and electronic musician Robert Haigh, an article about the whys and wherefores of collecting "bad records" with advice about doing so, a Rob Millis essay about the wondrous "talking machine", and a hilarious rant from cranky old Uncle Jim taking music journalism to task for the overuse of certain words, like "jangly" and "soundscape" (good thing we're careful never ever to use such terms, ha!). Plus then there's 24 densely packed pages of music reviews, from Angelblood to Zashiki Warashi. Plenty of readin' here to entertain and inform the average AQ customer for sure!

BIXOBAL Number 3 April 2008 (Ri Be Xibalba) magazine 2.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Already up to issue number 3! Issues #1 and #2 are already sold out, but it looks like we can look forward to the regular appearance of many future issues. Editor Eric "Anomalous" Lanzillotta (with the able assistance of Patrick Marley, Rob Millis, Allan MacInnis and others) has really got a 'zine on his hands.
He explains that the main purpose of Bixobal is to be "delving deeper into the worlds of the musicians behind the music" in the form of articles and interviews. The music, in Bixobal's case, being that of the more experimental, psychedelic, folky, obscure international, or otherwise usual variety. Thus, this ish we find an extensive interview with Peter Stampfel of legendary NYC hippie folk outfit the Holy Modal Rounders (his ex-wife, Antonia Stampfel, is also interviewed separately). Whether discussing his theory of the importance of 1957 in the history of rock n' roll, or the effect of recorded sound on musicians' use of vibrato, or the unfortunate inter-band personality conflicts that apparently plagued the Rounders, it's pretty interesting even for those not already Rounders fans. There's another, briefer interview this issue as well, with Gerd Kraus of '70s cosmic krautrockers Limbus 3 (and 4). It's interesting as well.
And then there's the usual 'zine things like reviews and ads. Oh, and Rob Millis has another "Talking Machine" column wherein he tells of searching for rare shellac (78rpm records) over in India... yet he doesn't find exactly what you'd think he'd find, his "Victrola favorite" this issue is by the Beatles... or is it?

BIXOBAL Number 4 July 2008 (Ri Be Xibalba) magazine 2.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Issue #4, already! Good grief, this 'zine comes out so frequently, with such regularity, that's almost not 'zine-like. We mean, in our experience it's pretty standard, obligatory even, for every 'zine to begin with an apologetic note from the editor giving excuses for the current issue being late... instead, the best Bixobal's editor and publisher, Eric Lanzillotta (of Anomalous Records fame) can manage is to explain that he had TOO much material for this issue, so we can expect #5 to show up even sooner than ever!
Otherwise, however, Bixobal perfectly fits the old school 'zine mold... it's digest sized, black & white zeroxed, devoted to obscure, out of the mainstream subject matter, and full of true fannish (though expert) enthusiasm for said subjects, which should appeal to quite a few AQ customers, into the musical margins from the experimental to the ethnological. This issue is indeed packed, 55 pages dense with articles, overviews and reviews... specifically, an in-depth guide to the works of Japanese avantgarde percussionist and prog/jazz composer Stomu Yamash'ta, a look at the films of '60s/'70s Spanish auteur Fernando Arrabal, a rundown of the many limited edition releases from noisnik Raymond Dijkstra, and a tour diary from Japanese sound artist Akio Suzuki! Even if some of these folks aren't familiar to you, you'll probably become interested in 'em from reading these pieces.
We're looking forward expectantly to Bixobal #5... and #6, and #7, etc.... as there's always much that's intriguing and unexpected to be gleaned from this excellent 'zine (and at a bargain price).

BIXOBAL Number 5 October 2008 (Ri Be Xibalba) magazine 2.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Lotsa 'zines, in the old days, tended to peter out after just a couple issues or three. But Bixobal, which debuted about a year ago, is going strong, and on schedule, up to issue #5 now. If you missed the first few issues, you just need to know that Bixobal, published/edited by Eric Lanzillotta of Anomalous Records fame, is a 'zine dedicated to all sorts of interesting, obscure culture (experimental music, psychedelic stuff, weird film, ethnographic research, etc.). And it's well worth your $2, this issue consisting of 56 digest-sized pages packed with good readin'. On the cover, a happy Djinn Aquarian of Ya Ho Wa 13, heralding an article by David Nuss of the No Neck Blues Band about his trip to Hawaii to visit with the Source Family. Also in this issue: Rob Millis further adventures in the world of shellac 78 rpm record collecting, an interview with Belgian noisemakers Onde, a remembrance of late Noggin violinist Michael Griffen, an interview with Canadian '80s art-punks Tunnel Canary, a feature about the output of new "jazz" label Assophon Records, and several pages of record reviews... Again, $2 well spent!

BIZARRE Blue Cheese & Coney Island (Koch) cd 16.98

BIZARRE Hannicap Circus (Sanctuary Urban) cd 16.98

BIZZ CIRCUITS Very Best Of (Deluxe) cd 13.98
Sebastien Meissner, aka Bizz Circuits, has also released albums as Random_Inc and Open_Source, among other names. Here, he plunders his record collection for samples that are recontextualized in a pretty much unrecognizable way, allowing the resultant electronic fuzz to take on meanings completely separate from their sources, which (according to Meissner) include everything from Ornette Coleman to Metallica to other contemporary electronic and micro-sound artitsts. Apparently, the package relates to Meissner's childhood pop obsessions, referenced by titles such as "Blinded With Science" and "Can't Get No Satisfaction (Thank God)." An interesing, pleasant puzzle to be enjoyed by appreciators of the Mille Plateaux aesthetic.
RealAudio clip: "Breaking Hands"
RealAudio clip: "She's Hit"

BIZZY B Science EP Volumes III + IV (Planet Mu) cd 16.98
We've said it once, we'll say it again. Actually, we've probably said it a million times, but we'll STILL say it again. There are some sounds we just never get sick of. NEVER. The bombinating buzz of grim black metal is one, a drone-y relentless hypnotic swirl that never fails to lull us into a beautifully blackened state. And of course, super distorted, blown out ragga drum and bass is another (a la aQ faves The Bug). This here is a prime slab of that classic sound. Bizzy B was one of the most influential junglists of the early nineties having released his first blast of brutality in 1991. The stuff on this here ep is BRAND NEW, but you'd never know it from the sound, and is the follow up to Volumes I and II, released in '93 / '94. HUGE amen breaks, super complex and chaotic, crunchy synth stabs and lots of creepy ambience and found sounds. But it's all about the rhythm. We've joked that someone could just make a 24 hour loop of the amen break and we could lay there blissfully listening forever. The Amen break, for those of you who don't know, is a drum loop, THE drum loop, that was sped up and chopped up and basically become the primary building block for jungle and drum and bass. The loop is from the Winstons' track "Amen Brother", hence the name. And the original is the perfect shuffling stutter step funky beat, but once it's been tweaked and messed with and sped up and chopped up, it becomes a relentlessly convoluted, pounding and pummeling beat that we just never get tired of. There are a few snippets of cringeworthy diva style vocals, but skip those brief moments and you're left with a divine slab of darkcore jungle madness!
MPEG Stream: "Afraid Of The Dark"

BJECT Object 4 (Locust) cd 14.98

BJERGA / IVERSEN Most Things Are Made Of Water (Utech) cd-r 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've long been fans of this Norwegian duo, but have only ever listed one of their other records, due in no small part to the fact that the majority of their releases have been of the incredibly limited variety. This one is no different. We listed the Rural Faune cd-r a few months back, limited to 71 copies, this new one on Utech is thankfully limited to 200, so there's still a chance at least that a few more folks can get turned on to these guys' quiet cacophonies. Using mostly guitars and electronics, with a handful of mysterious "amplified objects", Bjerga and Iverson create super dense little soundworlds, heavy on the drone, with finger picked guitars stretched into insectoid like buzz, streaks of feedback and thick layers of glitchy buzz, all smeared into super dreamy longform blissouts, each one dotted with all sorts of sharp and jagged, fuzzy and fragmented sonic bits and baubles. Surprisingly heavy and dirge-like, it's almost like a less low end, more FX drenched SUNNO)))!
Packaged in gorgeous hand assembled card stock covers with a pasted on black and white sort of obi. Limited to 200 copies, each one hand stamped. We only got about 15 or so, and we're pretty sure once these are gone we won't be able to get more.
MPEG Stream: "Two"
MPEG Stream: "Four"