BLUE ORCHIDS The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) (LTM) cd 17.98

BLUE OYSTER CULT Agents Of Fortune (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
The umlauted Oyster boys' fourth album, from '76, remastered n' reissued with bonus tracks etc. By this point, the Cult was getting pretty big. "Agents Of Fortune" features what must be their biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". Worth it for that, and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" and a few others. Though, we have to say their first three albums are stronger and less commerical sounding, and are recommended ahead of this one, which is just cheesier and wimpier, what with having more keyboards and the Brecker Brothers playing horns. But then again, it's got the poetic lyrics *and* vocals of Patti Smith on "The Revenge Of Vera Gemini" as well as the aforementioned afterlife romance classic "Reaper".
RealAudio clip: "The Revenge Of Vera Gemini"

BLUE OYSTER CULT s/t (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
BOC (that's Blue Oyster Cult, not Boards of Canada!) has always been mistakenly regarded as some sort of heavy metal band -- and while they originated and/or embraced much of the imagery associated with HM (umlauts, leather pants, long hair, occult symbols) and certainly rocked hard and heavy, they were much more of a psychedelic pop rock n' roll band than a "metal" one. Certainly their lyrics (famously, some penned by intellectual rock crits Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer of Crawdaddy magazine, and Meltzer's then-girlfriend, poetess Patti Smith) are much more brainy and bizarre than what the average headbanger normally is forced to wrap their brain around. This album, now remastered, was BOC's 1972 debut -- but the band had been together under different names since their late '60s college days. Their roots as a weirdo psychedelic jamming band put them in a category closer to West Coast psych or Detroit's Stooges and MC5 than, say, Led Zeppelin, despite BOC's later arena-rock status.
Contains the hard rockin' hits "Transmaniacon MC", "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" along with several other somewhat more obscure but equally brilliant tunes full of the surreal, psychedelic lyrics and guitar work of which these guys were geniuses.
And this reissue also includes four bonus tracks, taken from the band's rejected 1969 demos under the name Soft White Underbelly. These are released here for the first time (well, outside of the recent mail-order only Rhino Handmade release of the Stalk-Forrest Group's entire unreleased album demos, which contains 3 of these cuts). A few of the SWU/SFG tracks were later reworked into BOC tunes, like the bizarre "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" found on this album. Recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Transmaniacon MC"
RealAudio clip: "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep"

BLUE OYSTER CULT Secret Treaties (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
Remastered and reissued: the third of BOC's debut trio of masterpieces, from '74. Features 5 bonus tracks -- 3 previously unreleased songs from the "Secret Treaties" sessions ("Boorman The Chauffer", "Mommy", and "Mes Dames Serat") as well as their version of "Born To Be Wild" and a single version of "Career of Evil", which also appears as an album track here, along with classics like "Dominance And Submission", "Flaming Telepaths", and more. Another essential BOC album, hard rock with lyrics worth listening to ("Career of Evil" started life as a Patti Smith poem).
Along with full lyrics and photos (each band member posing with guitar in front of a triple stack of Marshall amps), this has liner notes by Lenny Kaye (as do the reissues of s/t and "Tyranny and Mutation" as well).
RealAudio clip: "Career Of Evil"
RealAudio clip: "Boorman The Chauffer"

BLUE OYSTER CULT Tyranny And Mutation (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
The Red & The Black! BOC's 2nd album, from 1973, now remastered and all that. Includes 4 bonus tracks: three live tracks from bootlegs, and a studio outtake version of live fave "Buck's Boogie". "The Black Side" (LP side one) rocks hard with aggro classics like "Hot Rails To Hell" and "7 Screaming Diz-Busters", while LP side 2 ("The Red") gets a little artier with songs like the Patti Smith-penned "Baby Ice Dog" and psychedelic epic "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)". A misunderstood band that went over a lot of people's heads ironically due to their dumbed down image.
RealAudio clip: "7 Screaming Diz-Busters"
RealAudio clip: "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)"

BLUE PINE s/t (Global Symphonic) cd 12.98
Pre-Frog Eyes band! Their only album before they became Frog Eyes.

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER Borre Fen (What We Do Is Secret) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
With a name like Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, we were sort of expecting some kind of ironic retro heavy RAWK action. Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth. The band describes their music as "black acid bog death, blackened noise volume assault". Woah. They had us at 'bog'. They list their influences as Crash Worship, G.I.S.M., the New Blockaders and strangest of all, Black Legions' black ambient terrorists Moevet and Mougotre. We were definitely intrigued...
And if anything, the record ended up being as good as any of the above would have led us to believe. A side long trawl though some bleak black underworld of sound, a roiling pit of blackness and despair, thick layers of black drone, processed tapes, field recordings, disembodied voices processed into still more drones, distant streaks of feedback, gurgled grunted 'vocals', rumbling, grinding stretches of abstract sound, fragments of melody drifting in a churning black sonic sea, creepy and dark and desolate and downtuned and very very evil. Besides the above mentioned bands, we also hear bits of Lustmord, Stalaggh, Wolf Eyes, Za Frumi (mostly for the Orc like vocals), Abruptum, Anenzephalia, MZ412.... which obviously means this is seriously recommended.
Limited to 300 copies, one sided vinyl, with a killer silkscreened image on the flip, hand screened covers, printed inserts, really nice... and most likely gone in no time....

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER Crows Eat The Eyes From The Leviathans Carcass (Release The Bats) cd 14.98
Finally, the very first cd release from Northwestern blacknoize terrorists Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, not a proper full length exactly, more a collection of odds and ends, a selection of out of print tracks, culled from various 7"s and 12"s and tapes, as well as a couple previously unreleased jams.
Those new to Blue Sabbath Black Cheer should definitely beware, the sound this dastardly duo conjure up is more noise than music, more drone than metal, yet it manages to be all of those things at once. They described their sound as "black acid bog death, blackened noise volume assault", and it most definitely is that, it's the sound of SUNNO))) and Wolf Eyes and Organum, mixed with black metal and dark ambience, power electronics and minimal dronemusic, and somehow molded into harsh and harrowing blackened buzzscapes, veering from full on caustic assault, to hushed mysterious creep, often in the same song.
One of the tracks here is from the Borre Fen lp, and of the various micro-releases represented here, that was the only one that we ever managed to get in the shop, which means for many folks, ourselves included, this is practically a new record.
From the opener "Untitled" (most of the tracks are titled "Untitled"!), a swirling buzzing cacophony of crumbling industrial whir, peppered with buried percussion, howled voices lost in the mix, keening sheets of feedback, and a fierce white noise blow out, to the follow up "Untitled", a much more minimal, bit of cinematic drift, still pretty ominous and spooky, but here it's about the drone, and the strange processed gurgling sounds underneath, the heartbeat like pulse, the fragmented melodies and the overall hellish vibe, to another "Untitled", another wash of minimal scrape and creak and groan and grind, shot through with minor key moodiness, and wreathed in warm layers of deeeeeeep whirring rumble.
The record's centerpiece is the 17+ minute track from Borre Fen, which oozes to the surface, a long death march trawl some bleak black underworld of sound, a roiling pit of blackness and despair, thick layers of black drone, processed tapes, field recordings, disembodied voices processed into still more drones, distant streaks of feedback, gurgled grunted 'vocals', rumbling, grinding stretches of abstract sound, fragments of melody drifting in a churning black sonic sea, creepy and dark and desolate and downtuned and very very evil. Besides the above mentioned bands, we also hear bits of Lustmord, Stalaggh, Wolf Eyes, Za Frumi (mostly for the Orc like vocals), Abruptum, Anenzephalia, MZ412...
The record finally finishes off with another "Untitled" track, which eschews all that low end for a 5 minute stretch of horror movie high end, stretched to its breaking point, some definite difficult listening, like some sort of boiling teapot / dog whistle dronejam, all over a grinding bit of crunchy rumble, finishing off the record, if not with a bang, then an ear piercing shriek.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES! Housed in super cool black on black cardboard sleeves, and for those that care, mastered by Herr Hans Grusel, of das infamous Krankenkabinet!
MPEG Stream: "Untitled"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled"

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER D.D.T.T.N.B. (Anarchymoon Recordings) lp 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When two of your band members are credited with playing "cement mixer", listeners can safely assume that you are loud and noisy as hell. Combined with the accepted knowledge that Blue Sabbath Black Cheer is one of the most dense and monolithically HEAVY noise crews currently in existence, it won't take long before you're either running in terror or hitting the "add to cart" button. Of course, at $29 a pop, these aren't cheap, but here's a quick rundown as to why D.D.T.T.N.B. may well worth your time and money, provided this is your cup of noise: 200 copies, awesome cardboard sleeves featuring an ominous silver silkscreened skull on each side with four insectoid/Motorhead looking shapes alongside the credits on an extended flap, and, the crowning glory - a gorgeous slab of one sided pitch black vinyl with another hand screened skull displayed prominently on side 2, a work of art unto itself.
Now lets talk about the menacing tones sunk within these grooves. At first, you will probably be thinking, "It's a cement mixer. I get it." And indeed, the horrifically grating buzzing sounds are just that. But what might sound ridiculous on paper soon takes on a life of its own, and before long the mixers blend with other overblown electronics to create a pulsing, vaguely rhythmic wall of sound. Oddly enough, it becomes comforting and trancelike, and if you allow yourself to be fully hypnotized, the results are almost soothing. If you are wondering what's up with the title, it stands for "Destructively Dedicated to the New Blockaders", as BSBC allegedly worked some of the aforementioned group's material into this piece. We say "allegedly" because more than anything we were overwhelmed by the dense sheets of sound and not really too into the idea of keeping an ear out for anything resembling melody. Not that we're complaining, as this strangely beautiful record expertly harnesses harsh, filthy sounds and works them into a endlessly writhing piece of cinematic white noise. These are already sold out at the label, so you'll probably want to act fast before being forced to hit up eBay with tears streaming down your face. Don't say we didn't warn you.

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER For The Sickly Weaklings (Gnarled Forest) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest slab of aural sickness from these Northwestern miscreants, whose love-it-or-hate-it monicker is actually not a bad barometer of what is to be found within the grooves. Sure, if you took Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, and melted it down into some thick ooze, you'd be close to the murky dirgey buzz of BSBC, but you'd probably have to add a heap of Wolf Eyes, Whitehouse, a pinch of SUNNO))), and a dumptruck or two full of downtuned guitars and melted down Marshalls.
This is easily the harshest and heaviest thing we've heard from these guys, bordering on some sort of full on doom sludge, with huge roiling waves of crumbling blown out distortion, shrieking feedback, all over a massive industrial pummel, wrapped in dense swirling clouds of white noise and being pelted by jagged bolts of buzzing crunch. There's even some super abstract, but almost-metal riffing drifting around in the murk, the whole thing eventually collapsing into total needle destroying chaos. And that's just the first side.
The B side is less dense, and less overtly heavy, but just as intense and brutal. A black sonic something shot through with super distorted howled vocals, grinding metallic buzz, sheets of blown out guitar blurred into burnt out blackened drones. Wolf Eyes better up their game, Blue Sabbath Black Cheer are definitely angling for the underground black drone doom throne.

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER No Escape (Static Caravan) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super limited new slab of sickness from these purveyors of gloriously abject noise drone filth. So limited in fact that it's already out of print, and we have the last 20 or so.
Brutal ambient filth from the Pacific Northwest, as only BSBC can do it. Moving further and further away from any semblance of doomdronedirge and more into a totally abstract free noise direction, albeit their sound still infused with an element of doom.
These two tracks are sprawling soundscapes of hissy buzz, industrial clatter, rumbling drones, post industrial ambience, an almost static wall of murky sound, but distinctly depressive and doomy for sure. A continuous grinding low end assault, that makes Khanate and Bunkur seem downright musical, which they actually are compared to BSBC, who seem to be more interested in evoking terrifying feelings with sound, of creating a bleak and soul shattering soundworld from walls of black buzz and rumbling doom drenched drones. Mission accomplished.
LIMITED TO 250 COPIES. ALREADY OUT OF PRINT. THESE ARE THE LAST COPIES EVER. Creepy black and white sleeves, pressed on thick white vinyl.

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER Prossneck, Germany 1629 (Gnarled Forest) cassette 5.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Right now, everything released by these Northwestern dealers of doomdeathdirgedrone, is out of print, EXCEPT for these two cassettes, Prossneck, Germany 1629, and the split with fellow noisemakers Drowner. But these won't last long. These two tapes are both tour only, limited to 100 copies, we got 20 of each, and judging from past Blue Sabbath Black Cheer releases, those won't last long at all, needless to say, one per customer, and even more needless to say, if you want one of these, don't dawdle! Blink and you'll miss 'em.
This one features two looooong blasts of caustic blur and buzz, murky slowed down vocals, thick waves of hiss, everything churning and roiling, heavy and noisy and brutal, heavy on the drone, built a bit like a low end Whitehouse, some strange demon with a tracheotomy proselytizing over a hellish din, soon joined in by what sounds like terrified screams, and the sound of flames on flesh. Really really creepy. The flipside is a bit more abstract, a drifting sea of crumbling distortion and blurred hiss, some grinding rumbles and buried almost-melodies, sort noise tangled up with deep black industrial dronemusic. As always, heavy and frightening and black as pitch.
Once again, LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!! We have 20, that is it!!

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER The Endless Blockade (Gnarled Forest / What We Do Is Secret) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another missive from some grim otherworld, the latest in a hellish black flow from the brackish depths, a never ending glacial eruption of blackened sonic filth and blown out white noise brutality from this despicable duo, this latest, a three song 12", is currently, due to the insanely limited nature of their releases, the only thing these guys have available, but not for long we predict, as this too was limited to a mere 525 copies, we got about a tenth of those, but as with past releases, we can't promise they'll be around for long.
More of the BSBC caustic black ambience, a cacophony of junkyard clatter, the clang of pipes, all sorts of crunch and grind, under a thick wash of high end buzz, and shifting clouds of blurred hiss, monstrous vocals buried in the murk, some riffage too (we think), but those riffs mostly exist as simply another layer of blacknoise, a never ending wash of grinding static heaviness. The second track ups the heaviness, the vocals more bellowing, more surges of black tar low end, still cloaked in sheets of white noise, but churning violently beneath the surface, a rumbling, rib cage rattling drone, that seems to be splintering and crumbling to pieces before our ears.
The flip side is much more tranquil (it's all relative though), a minimal driftscape of distant whir, twisted fragmented melodies buried way down in the mix, the grinding of alien machinery, peppered with squalls of speaker shredding buzz, the track quickly escalates, the noise getting noisier, the buzz getting buzzier, the vocals more howled and anguished, the whole thing pushing toward a Merzbowian white noise blowout. Imagine sitting in a concrete bunker with a thousand transistor radios tuned between stations, with the volume all the way up, an ear shredding symphony of static, while in another concrete bunker Wolf Eyes and Khanate play at full volume, barely audible through the suffocating cloud of hiss all around you.
Brutal, punishing, abject, harrowing, hateful, heavy, and pretty fucking awesome. As if we even needed to tell you.
LIMITED TO 525 COPIES. Amazing woodcut paste on front cover, with a printed insert and postcard inside.

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER Untitled (Gnarled Forest) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Blue Sabbath Black Cheer have become the band du jour of the deathdirgedronedoom scene, their records disappear in a heartbeat, we were lucky to get 25 of this new one, it's already out of print and sold out at the label.
This sick love for BSBC makes perfect sense the second the first filthy note comes oozing out of your speakers, this is harsh, hellish, abstract black black ambience. Take the slowest sickest Khanate song, strip away the drums, slow down the vocals to a raspy gurgle, add later after layer of filth and crust and grime and you'd be getting closer to whatever subterranean pit these anti-musical miscreants crawled from.
There's two side long tracks, each previously released as insanely limited cassettes, remixed and remastered for this release, with additional sounds from Chris Dodge of Spazz and aQ pal Matt Waldron from Irr. App. (Ext.). The A side begins with slowed down vocals, a monstrous demonic murmur, slithering over a grim landscape of high end hiss and deep tectonic rumbles, distant tones pulse and throb, all manner of crash and scrape and crunch, the track building slowly to a frenzy of hellish howls, thick sheets of white noise, crumbling walls of distortion, grinding washes of thick, dense buzz and whir, a seriously fucked up, freaked out expanse of post industrial noisemusic, thick with drones and haunting textures and undulating layers buried beneath the skree. The B side begins with a low resonating drone, a thick, serpentine rumble, that is eventually subsumed by a symphony of buzz saws and crackling fires and collapsing buildings and grinding scrapes and processed vocals and malfunctioning tape machines, all wound into some sort of hellish high end ur-drone, before slipping back into another shimmering expanse of upper register skree, eventually drifting back into something much more mellow but no less ominous and intense, a creepy low end drone, field recordings, crackle, whispers, evokes hiding in the woods, terrified, as something stalks you, muted growls, the crack of dried branches underfoot, the whisper of leaves falling to the ground, all set to the boom of distant explosions. Intense, and in its own way, sort of sickly beautiful.
Akin to Gnaw Their Tongues, Khanate, Wolf Eyes, Alkerdeel, the more abstract and dismal end of the doomdirgedrone spectrum.... this definitely takes all that and pushes it even further, darker, noisier, more dismal and way more grim.
Packaged in plain white sleeves, with a screened image affixed to the front, a black and white printed inserts, pressed on white vinyl, plain white labels. SUPER LIMITED. ALREADY OUT OF PRINT. We only got 25 COPIES, once these are gone that's it!

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER / DRIED UP CORPSE split (Gnarled Forest) 10" 14.98
Originally released as a super limited cassette (only 50 copies), this 10" (also way too limited at 300 copies) teams up our favorite demonic duo, with the awesomely monickered Dried Up Corpse for some deep dire noise drenched heaviness.
The BSBC side is about the prettiest thing they've ever done, which means it's still vile and sick and murky and ominous and fucked up, it's just that it's not so harsh, more muted and blurred and black ambient, than some of their other outings. A sprawling deeeeeeeeep doomscape, creeping black rumbles, demonic gurgles, distant foghorn like melodies, bits of muted percussion, plenty of buzzing grit and distorted feedback, but all smeared and woozy and subterranean sounding, a darkly demonic drift, that infuses what might otherwise be warm shimmering blackened ambience, with some seriously abject miserablism and gloom.
Dried Up Corpse counter BSBC's sensitive side with a caustic chunk of chaotic crunch. Beginning with some deep whirring rumbles, the track soon splinters into full on blunted white noise, skittery and fractured and totally blown out, all the while underpinned by that initial rumbling whir, eventually the noise peels back leaving a long stretch of deep softened buzz to play us out.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!!! Gorgeous super thick hand screened sleeves, with nice two sided printed inserts.

BLUE SABBATH BLACK CHEER / DROWNER split (Gnarled Forest) cassette 5.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Right now, everything released by these Northwestern dealers of doomdeathdirgedrone, is out of print, EXCEPT for these two cassettes, Prossneck, Germany 1629, and the split with fellow noisemakers Drowner. But these won't last long. These two tapes are both tour only, limited to 100 copies, we got 20 of each, and judging from past Blue Sabbath Black Cheer releases, those won't last long at all, needless to say, one per customer, and even more needless to say, if you want one of these, don't dawdle! Blink and you'll miss 'em.
The BSBC side is another sea of harsh his and caustic buzz, thick waves of distortion and blurred vocal damage, squealing feedback, a million amps with AM radios blasting white noise through busted speakers, strangely beautiful, but that severed limb, horrible car wreck, utter disaster sort of beautiful. A near static expanse of washed out heavy black noise, once again managing to be surprisingly listenable, at least for those who are into that sort of thing!
Drowner offers his own chunk of thick corrosive heaviness, the sound much fuller and seemingly guitar based than BSBC, churning downtuned crumbling black buzz, shot through with shards of feedback, a monstrous low end sludge, peppered with strange buried melodies, bits of electronic shimmer, and various other sonic bits, but at its very black heart, this is a wall of blown out blackened heaviness, oozing glacially, and destroying everything in its path. The two groups make a pretty good match. And while we know we're gonna hear more from BSBC before too long, we definitely want to check out some more Drowner...
Once again, LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!! We have 20, that is it!!

BLUE SABBATH, BLACK CHEER / ANAKRID s/t (Black Horizons / Steronucleosis / PsychForm) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The return of Blue Sabbath Black Cheer. This time teaming up with fellow low end noisemakers Anakrid. For this tag team effort, each band gets a side, and uses mostly the other band's sound as source material. We weren't able to tell which side was which, but they were both awesome, and because of the cross pollination, either side could have come from either band.
The A side is a dark stuttery dronescape, bits of hiss and static, fluttering lowend synth, some sort of moody minimal new wave, a cinematic drone with a subtle underlying beat, murky and propulsive, creepy and throbbing, sounding not unlike Wolf Eyes recording for Kompakt. A buzzing lo-fi doomdrone black ambient sort-of techno maybe? Whatever it is, it's killer.
The flip side is more post industrial drone, a bleak barren soundscape, peppered with crumbling rhythmic crunch, all manner of grinding metallic whirs, deep ribcage rattling rumbles, almost like some slowed down caveman krautrock, blinding streaks of feedback melted into soft smears and strewn over boiler room hiss and no-radio-reception static, the track morphs into something much more lovely, a beautifully subdued percussive outro, but peppered with sharp bursts of demonic growls or thunder cracks or slowed down bullwhip cracks, or all three woven into super creepy blasts of harsh weirdness, made even more so by the beautiful drift lurking beneath.
Gorgeously packaged. Thick plastic sleeves, printed vellum inserts, the record pressed on thick coke bottle clear vinyl, the ink black and metallic silver. So nice.
LIMITED TO 324 COPIES!!

BLUE SANDLEWOOD SOAP Loring Park Love Ins (Dionysus/Bacchus Archives) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Blue Sandlewood Soap was unique in 1967/1968 around Minneapolis / St. Paul in that they had no lead guitarist and their use of crazy tempos and strange time signatures rendered their songs completely undanceable. They were also the first band in their scene to play mostly originals! Drugged out psychedelic space garage with cool sounding Farfisa and spacey dippy 12-string guitar playing sweet melodies. Some really cool and crazy, stoney, psych-rock.
RealAudio clip: "Nickel Bag Of Blue"
RealAudio clip: "The Girl Stares Coldly"

BLUEPRINT 1988 (Rhymesayers) cd 14.98
Blueprint's first solo album pays homage to 1988, a year that brought us so many amazing hip hop records (from the likes of Eric B and Rakim, Biz Markie, Stetsasonic, Public Enemy... and so many more). Now, his use of samples of past hip hop classics is a little gratuitous, though the songs on a whole are well written, well recorded and well produced. And all by Blueprint himself! Two guests on 1988 are Aesop Rock (on "Lo-Fi Funk") and CJ the Cynic (on "Kill Me First"). Personally, the last song, "Liberated", is my fave. Solid beats, solid rhymes, awesome lyricism, no obvious or extraneous samples... it's totally rockin. Check it!
MPEG Stream: "Lo-Fi Funk"
MPEG Stream: "Liberated"

BLUEPRINT Chamber Music (Weightless Recordings) cd 14.98

BLUEPRINT HUMAN BEING Heaven Is All (Paradigms) cd 12.98
Fourth in this new series of super limited aural oddities, all of them amazing and sonically all over the map, from black metal (Throne Of Kataris, elsewhere on this list) to doom drone (past Record of the Week Hjarnidaudi) to gorgeously gloomy chamber music (Amber Asylum) to this, the first release, as far as we can tell, from epic Finnish post rock prog metal mavens Blueprint Human Being. That's right you heard us, FINNISH. As in from Finland! So all you Finnish music freaks best not dawdle, as you will definitely want to get your hands on this. Especially if you're partial to the sort of Krauty drone rock of Circle and the like, although that element is only one tiny aspect of BHB's sound. There's lots of post rocky drift, a sort of proggier Tarentel maybe, but then the horns kick in and we're in serious King Crimson territory. But there's also lots of fuzzy metal guitar wrapped around jagged loping Slintish rhythms, with strange sung / spoke vocals, all blending in some weird way that reminds us as much of Ved Buens Ende as Crimson. Some parts have the horns moving to the foreground, the music taking on a very jaunty garden party sort of feel, which makes us think of some damaged, sort-of-metal Penguin Cafe Orchestra or some bizarre Japanese what-the-fuck jazzdrone outfit or the stranger Circle side projects like Ratto Ja Lehtisalo. A bit schizophrenic for sure, but in a good way, a super dynamic sort of seasick meander through blasting metallic post rock, far out quirky prog, lilting almost RennFaire acoustic breaks, and blissed out repetitive krautrock. Be sure and stick around for the end of the final 11+ minute track, after a stretch of silence, comes a dizzying blast of freaked out psychedelic noise, all grinding loops, snippets of earlier songs, and all sorts of head spinning post production fuckery. Groovy laid back post-kraut-rock slathered in thick swirls of distortion and fuzzy effects, obscured by tape dropouts and strange damaged feedback, the whole thing warped and warbly as if broadcast through a thick cough syrup haze. So cool.
Limited to 750 copies, packaged in a mini lp style sleeve wrapped in a hand stamped brown paper outer sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "Vojaganto"
MPEG Stream: "Tucumbalam"

BLUES ADDICTS s/t (Shadoks) cd 17.98
All right! Unlike Blues Control, who might mislead just a bit with their name, this band Blues Addicts ARE indeed just what you think they might be from the moniker. Yep, reissue label Shadoks brings us the real deal heavy hippy blues rock here. And that is the sort of blues we like! Acid-rock blues circa 1970 from a Danish outfit definitely influenced by Cream and Hendrix. It's badass stuff, full of crunching chords and wailin' solos, approaching Blue Cheer levels of distortion n' heaviness, though with a jazzy side too, and some mellow moments. Blues Addicts' big thing was improvisation, as on the ten minutes plus of "Hailow". There's a singer, but really these songs are about instrumental musical expression, as you can tell from track titles referencing modes and methods like "Jazzer", "Bottleneck", "Electric", and perhaps even "(4/4+6/4)/ˆ4"...
We mentioned these guys in our review of Shadoks' earlier reissue of another acid-blues item from Denmark, the Terje, Jesper & Joachim album. They were originally on the same label, Spectator, along with another, even fuzzier, band called Moses, which we hope will show up on Shadoks' reissue schedule someday soon too! Anyway, this is in that vein, and also fits in with other obscure bluesy proto-metal acts of the era like The Human Beast, Human Instinct, Speed Glue & Shinki, Skid Row, N.S.U., and many other fave raves of the same ilk.
Speaking of proto-metal, there's a high-contrast black and white picture in the cd booklet of hot shot guitarist Ivan Horn, whose evil facial grimace, long hair and shadowy brow makes him appear very black metal indeed. A man ahead of his time. Though, for looking so tough, he's also credited with playing the kazoo. The cd booklet also includes other photos and two pages of liner notes talking about the history of the band. Unlike the previous cd reissue we've seen of this (a few years back on the Karma label) there's no bonus tracks of alternate takes and the like, oh well.
MPEG Stream: "[4/4+6/4]/ˆ4"
MPEG Stream: "Hailow"

BLUES CONTROL Puff (Fusetron) cd 14.98
The lp version of this came out earlier but we waited for the cd to come in before reviewing it. Maybe just 'cause Blues Control takes some time to digest, since they're so... different. And, we think, pretty darn cool.
You kind of have to listen to instrumental duo Blues Control as much for what's not going on, than what is. What's missing from the equation that suddenly makes 2+2 not equal 4 in Blues Controls' unusual math. Not by that to suggest that they're a "math rock" band. Nope, the name don't lie (nor does it tell the truth), they are a blues band. Of sorts, sort of. But playing the blues in an alternate, warped universe, where fragmentary fuzz guitars are friendly with tick-tocking clocks.
Sometimes they're subtracting stuff, leaving out the vocals and other usual blues signifiers and song structures and so forth. Or sometimes they work their magic by addition and multiplication (the layered looping of "Behind The Skies" ferinstance). It's all about abstraction, repetition, distortion. Suddenly 2+2 is an interesting problem to work out. And often, a pretty one.
The title track that opens the album features echoey percussive loops over which electronic notes gently cascade, reminding us of both Moolah and Cluster. Next, "Always On Time" proceeds similarly, with a recurring piano riff as centerpiece for soloing amidst a warm and gauzy bed of sound. That's followed by "Behind The Skies", which takes the disc to its darkest, grindingest depths. And then, "End Zone" is the sort of thing that Jimi Hendrix (if appropriately dosed with dowers) wouldn't mind jamming along to. Sleepy whale call electric blooze guitar from the other side. So much spaced out ambience, which gets even mellower, or mellowest, on the lovely album-ender "Call Collect".
RealAudio clip: "Always On Time"
RealAudio clip: "End Zone"

BLUES CONTROL s/t (Holy Mountain) cd 13.98
Don't let the punny name fool ya, this surely isn't "blues rock". Nor blues. Nor rock. Not really. Nor is it of Yugoslav origin, despite the biographical misinformation posted on the Holy Mountain website that claims Blues Control to be an obscure '70s psych band from Yugoslavia. Nope, Blues Control are an instrumental Brooklyn duo on guitar and synths and drums, making a wonderfully fucked up yet pleasantly listenable psych-squabble of a sound that's not super easy to describe, actually... let's just say that if it were blues rock, it'd be druggily confused, utterly EXPERIMENTAL blues rock. The eight tracks found on this eponymous debut wander through mellow, spacey passages, interludes of seasick synth symphonics, and blown-out epic episodes full of fuzzed-up motorpsycho guitar leads, drunken and damaged sounding. Blues Control's two-man trash team are up to something strange here, counter-intuitive creativity that can make a cool track out of some pretty piano dropped into a droney wash, followed up by a broken-amp bass solo and some off-kilter beats, ferinstance. This totally fits in on the out-there Holy Mountain label alongside the likes of Residual Echoes and Aufgehoben, especially considering how fractured and distorted they can get, almost like a fuzzed-out Starfuckers on the very first track. We're digging this a lot.
MPEG Stream: "Blues Control"
MPEG Stream: "Boiled Peanuts"
MPEG Stream: "No Sweat"

BLUES CONTROL s/t (Holy Mountain) lp 14.98
NOW ON VINYL! Here's our review from before when we highlighted the cd version:
Don't let the punny name fool ya, this surely isn't "blues rock". Nor blues. Nor rock. Not really. Nor is it of Yugoslav origin, despite the biographical misinformation posted on the Holy Mountain website that claims Blues Control to be an obscure '70s psych band from Yugoslavia. Nope, Blues Control are an instrumental Brooklyn duo on guitar and synths and drums, making a wonderfully fucked up yet pleasantly listenable psych-squabble of a sound that's not super easy to describe, actually... let's just say that if it were blues rock, it'd be druggily confused, utterly EXPERIMENTAL blues rock. The eight tracks found on this eponymous debut wander through mellow, spacey passages, interludes of seasick synth symphonics, and blown-out epic episodes full of fuzzed-up motorpsycho guitar leads, drunken and damaged sounding. Blues Control's two-man trash team are up to something strange here, counter-intuitive creativity that can make a cool track out of some pretty piano dropped into a droney wash, followed up by a broken-amp bass solo and some off-kilter beats, ferinstance. This totally fits in on the out-there Holy Mountain label alongside the likes of Residual Echoes and Aufgehoben, especially considering how fractured and distorted they can get, almost like a fuzzed-out Starfuckers on the very first track. We're digging this a lot.
MPEG Stream: "Blues Control"
MPEG Stream: "Boiled Peanuts"
MPEG Stream: "No Sweat"

BLUES CREATION Demon & Eleven Children (Calamares Productions) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Unfortunately not the much nicer (but out of print) Japanese cd edition, this is a European cd pressing of this ESSENTIAL early '70s heavy rock proto-metal record. The lead off track, "Atomic Bombs Away" proves Blues Creation to be Japan's version of Black Sabbath.
MPEG Stream: "Nightmare"
MPEG Stream: "Tobacco Road"

BLUES CREATION Live! (Black Rose) cd 22.00
Japan's Blues Creation started off as standard late '60s traditional blues-rock band but quickly got all heavy and freaky and proto-metallic and sort of became their country's riffy acid-blues answer to Black Sabbath (well, along with a few others like Flied Egg and of course AQ faves the Flower Travellin' Band, who covered Sabbath on their first album). We really wish we could still get a hold of the Japanese import cd version of Blues Creation's classic 1971 album Demon & Eleven Children. But at least, at last, we have a few recently obtained copies of this, a reissue of a live album that originally came out (or was recorded at any rate) 'round the same time. It's got the title track from Demon & Eleven Children, along with a couple of Blue Creation originals not found on Demon, one called "Nightmare" being as good and metal as anything on that album. Plus there's a few covers -- "Understand" with guest vocalist Carmen Maki, who was kind of a Japanese Janis Joplin/Robert Plant hybrid, and extended-length versions of ol' nuggets like "Rolling Stone" and "Tobacco Road" (a mean version of that song for sure!). This is definitely not for those who hate the blues -- a lot of this is real bluesy -- but it's also pretty much always heavy and/or frantic. And the guitar work is KILLER, Iommi-worthy leads ripping out of yr speakers all the time. A live recording is just perfect for these guys. They have a super electric sound and that early '70s jamming aesthetic like the Sabs themselves.
MPEG Stream: "Nightmare"
MPEG Stream: "Tobacco Road"

BLUES EXPLOSION Damage (Sanctuary) cd 16.98
Ok, a lot of bands are celebrating a 10 year anniversary this year. Some are more warranted than others. Let's just say that for now. Damage offers up the one-trick pony style of attitude encased blues licks in the EXPLODING way fans of Jon Spencer and his BLUES EXPLOSION (*bold and italized with !!!*) have loved and expected for a decade. Oh, so loyal to their sound and their fans! If you're still rockin' on the JSBX (now simply, Blues Explosion) you've got some brand new BLUES-type EXPLOSIONS!!! If not, well, then nothing to see here.
MPEG Stream: "Damage"
MPEG Stream: "Burn It Off"

BLUES EXPLOSION Experimental Remixes (Matador) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The 12" has 3 songs, the cd has 6. I don't like Jon Spencer very much in general, but this record is really really good. Remixes by Beck, the Dub Narcotic boys, Mike D. of the Beastie Boys, etc. Lots of theremin and anaolgue synth sounds.

BLUES EXPLOSION Experimental Remixes (Matador) cdep 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The 12" has 3 songs, the cd has 6. I don't like Jon Spencer very much in general, but this record is really really good. Remixes by beck, the Dub Narcotic boys, Mike D. of the Beastie Boys, etc. Lots of theremin and anaolgue synth sounds.

BLUES GOBLINS s/t (Off Records) cd 14.98
Sam Coomes of the fabulous Quasi takes a detour from his usual fuzzy pop stylings into totally raw, psychedelic blues-iness!! Somewhat startling and strange as it begins, but stick with it 'cause it proves to be an altogether engaging listen. Yelp'n'howl vocals. Trashy but totally tight drumming. Churning, bristly guitars. A little swamp / hillbilly, a little T-Rex-ish, a little bit of Quasi-ness (you can catch glimpses of their trademark organ sounds in fab songs like "Born To Die") and closing the album is a lengthy, reeling, jazzy free-for-all. Very very cool and super right-on recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Born To Die"
RealAudio clip: "I've Been Treated Wrong"

BLUES MAGOOS Psychedelic Lollipop/Electric Comic Book (Collectables) cd 15.98
This disc (compiling two rare & expensive late '60s lps) reveals NYC's the Blues Magoos to be the missing link between the Count Five, the MC5, and -gasp- the new Monster Magnet! Sounds impossible but it's true! Squirrelly garage rock wrapped in farfisa organ and swirly psychedelia, tempered with a healthy dose of bubblegum pop and a silly sense of humor. The album titles are right-on, and 'the band was known for wearing bellbottoms trimmed with neon plastic tubes'! Includes an amazing cover of Maceo Marriweather's 'Worried Life Blues'. This welcome reissue has been a constant on the AQ-stereo ever since it showed up! This record reflects our growing interest in the drug culture of the late '60s...oops, I mean, their interest.

BLUM, EBERHARD Berlin To Buffalo (Electronic Music Foundation) cd 14.98
You know a record of nothing but flutes has got to be good!!! Well, actually, I suppose that's not entirely true. I like to think that an all flute recording would be perfect, but the harsh reality is it seldom is. But Eberhard Blum's Berlin To Buffalo is not only an amazing 'flute' record, it is an amazing record, period. Minimal and abstract, dreamy and hypnotic, drone-y, bizarre and quite beautiful. It definitely sounds '20th century classical' but it manages to be more than that. The first track is an extended piece for flute and electronics, but the focus is on the flute, and the piece is beautiful in a very traditional way. Lots of space and ambience and melodies are stretched to their limits. The second track of just electronic sounds (okay so the whole record is not just flutes) is really bizarre. Snippets of mumbling voices, far away tones and sine waves, with the occasional burst of polyphonic dissonance and gentle waves of electronic grit and buzz. Sounds quite contemporary actually. Would be right at home on Ritornell or Alien8 or as the soundtrack to an arthouse horror flick. The epic 41 minute final track for multiple flutes is a gorgeous wash of notes and overtones flodding your senses with sounds, warm and rich and thick and shimmering. Quite reminiscent of Phil Niblock, albeit a tad more melodic. One of Andee's favorite records of the year!
RealAudio clip: "Proportion 1"
RealAudio clip: "Saturday Afternoon 5 O'Clock"

BLUMEN DES EXOTISCHEN EISES Karawane der Mystiks (Psycho-path) cd 11.98
Germany, circa 1984. A gaggle of krautrock diehards were (we imagine) locked in a room with a plethora of instruments, toys and objects and not allowed to come out until they'd done some sort of justice to the communal freak-out legacy of such early '70s kosmische bands like Amon Duul I and Siloah. They might still be happily locked in that room, for all we know, but the disjointed, damaged, distorted recording they made was pressed up and privately released on vinyl in a limited edition of 100 copies in 1986. That LP, Karawane der Mystiks, has apparently become an extremely sought-after (or at least very hard to find) latter-day krautrock rarity, and has now been officially reissued on compact disc for the limited edition acid-folk cd-r lovin' / Arthur magazine readin' / "new weird America" who dig old weird Germany crowd to freak on.
This disc consists of sixteen tracks (including three "bonus-titel") of lo-fi, chaotic krautrock jamming that at its best achieves a sort of fucked-up raga-like trance state, like a retarded Franciscan Hobbies or a more raw and hippy Axolotl, perhaps. A few parts are a bit too peppy for us, or cacophonously annoying if you're not in the mood, but mostly this is a weird, wailing pow-wow that we're glad has been dug up from obscurity. Of course, it's still pretty darn obscure! And by the way, about the only thing in English on the packaging is the term "Camelshithippies" found in one of the song titles.
MPEG Stream: "Die Katakomben Von Goa"
MPEG Stream: "Dehliagara"

BLUMM, F.S. Zweite Meer (Morr Music) cd 16.98
Morr Music continue their singular vision of keepin' you as relaxed and unriled as possible. Indeed, this German label have amassed quite a stable of like-minded dreamy indie pop-tronica artists, and here's the latest addition to their family. It's F.S. Blumm's Zweite Meer album. Psst, for those keeping score, it's actually his second release on Morr. His first was 2001's Mondekuchen, notably the first acoustic album released on that label. Anyways, his muted music immediately settles right in by the hearth with some ultra soft prettiness composed from a blend of acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, melodica, accordion, harmonium, french horn and more. Zweite Meer also snuggles in cozily next to the music by The Album Leaf. Just give this a back-to-back listen with A.L.'s recently reissued Seal Beach EP. So lovely!
MPEG Stream: "Wass"
MPEG Stream: "Langen"

BLUNSTONE, COLIN One Year (SMM) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

BLUNSTONE, COLIN One Year (Water) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "She Loves The Way They Love Her"
MPEG Stream: "Misty Roses"
MPEG Stream: "Smokey Days"

BLUR Think Tank (Virgin) cd 17.98
There's an air of uneasy change on this seventh Blur full length. Undoubtedly this is greatly due to the departure of prominent member Graham Coxon from the band, leaving frontman Damon Albarn - perhaps a little overconfident following the success of his other fun-filled project Gorillaz? - at the helm of this formerly fantastic pop ship. However, Albarn's gift is at hooking up with strong artists with which to collaborate - case in point, Coxon, Dan The Automator or longtime Blur producer Stephen Street. Although he may believe he can run the show on his own, he quite simply cannot. Think Tank is distressingly awkward, seemingly unfinished and lost. Even stalwart Blur fans might find this rather difficult to endure. Produced by William Orbit and Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim).
Enter at your own risk.

BLURT The Factory Recordings (LTM) cd 24.00

BLUSH, STEVEN American Hardcore: A Tribal History (Feral House) book 19.95
A book chronicling the American hardcore scene, mainly 1980-86. Written in an engaging oral history collage style (a la Please Kill Me -- the book about the NYC '70s punk scene), this covers everything from the straight edge scene to Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, the LA punk scene, DC harDCore, etc. Not as gossipy and sexy as Please Kill Me, though, it's more about what was and was not ok to do in the pit and stuff. There's essential info here, and the narrative is clear.

BLUT AUS NORD Memoria Vetusta I (Candlelight) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Slaughterday (The Heathen Blood Of Ours)"
MPEG Stream: "On The Path Of Wolf... Towards Dwarfhill"

BLUT AUS NORD Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars (Candlelight) cd 13.98
Anyone paying attention will know that in the past few years, the unlikely nation of France has been churning out some of the most progressive, intelligent, and best black metal around. There's Deathspell Omega, Peste Noire, Spektr, and of course, the mighty Blut Aus Nord, a shadowy group who seamlessly blends synthy ambience with a relentless, yet interestingly controlled black metal assault. Seasick guitar riffs, plodding, often midtempo drums, and vocalist Vindsval's vile black metal rasp (and occasional operatic chant, no shit) meet up in an unholy union of strangely structured songs that are at once hallucinatory, majestic, and beautiful.
Blut Aus Nord possess a unique, cyclical style of songwriting, and even though we have no idea what they are saying, it is evident through titles that each song fits within a well defined philosophical theme. With names like "This Formless Sphere (Beyond the Reason)", "...the Meditant (Dialogue With the Stars)", and "Elevation", it's clear that the band's interest goes beyond any sort of juvenile take on Satanism, instead seeking to make sense of an endlessly unfathomable universe. Their albums seem to exist as esoteric and surreal dream worlds, and the band's intense, psychedelic approach isn't as much furious as it is contemplative. Within this potent mixture, they are also surprisingly "rocking".
Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars (part I, Fathers of the Icy Age, was released waaaaay back in 1996) starts with "Acceptance (Aske)", a GORGEOUS synthscape that sets the moody atmosphere for the next hour. It was interesting to watch customers enter the store during such a beautiful and melancholy piece, only to be hit with the loping, super blackened approach that kicks off the next track, "Disciple's Libration (Lost in the Nine Worlds)", which over the course of 9 minutes, manages to perfectly encapsulate everything that is so great about this band.
The impeccable production on this album certainly adds to its greatness. Clear and spacious, the music within sounds as if it has existed forever, created by a group of immortal mystics, not, you know, a couple of guys from France. In the end, we are presented with what will undoubtedly be one of the best metal records of 2009.
MPEG Stream: "Antithesis Of The Flesh (And Then Arises A New Essence)"
MPEG Stream: "The Alcove Of Angels (Vipassana)"
MPEG Stream: "Acceptance (Aske)"

BLUT AUS NORD Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars (Back On Black) 2lp 25.00
Now available on vinyl!
Anyone paying attention will know that in the past few years, the unlikely nation of France has been churning out some of the most progressive, intelligent, and best black metal around. There's Deathspell Omega, Peste Noire, Spektr, and of course, the mighty Blut Aus Nord, a shadowy group who seamlessly blends synthy ambience with a relentless, yet interestingly controlled black metal assault. Seasick guitar riffs, plodding, often midtempo drums, and vocalist Vindsval's vile black metal rasp (and occasional operatic chant, no shit) meet up in an unholy union of strangely structured songs that are at once hallucinatory, majestic, and beautiful.
Blut Aus Nord possess a unique, cyclical style of songwriting, and even though we have no idea what they are saying, it is evident through titles that each song fits within a well defined philosophical theme. With names like "This Formless Sphere (Beyond the Reason)", "...the Meditant (Dialogue With the Stars)", and "Elevation", it's clear that the band's interest goes beyond any sort of juvenile take on Satanism, instead seeking to make sense of an endlessly unfathomable universe. Their albums seem to exist as esoteric and surreal dream worlds, and the band's intense, psychedelic approach isn't as much furious as it is contemplative. Within this potent mixture, they are also surprisingly "rocking".
Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars (part I, Fathers of the Icy Age, was released waaaaay back in 1996) starts with "Acceptance (Aske)", a GORGEOUS synthscape that sets the moody atmosphere for the next hour. It was interesting to watch customers enter the store during such a beautiful and melancholy piece, only to be hit with the loping, super blackened approach that kicks off the next track, "Disciple's Libration (Lost in the Nine Worlds)", which over the course of 9 minutes, manages to perfectly encapsulate everything that is so great about this band.
The impeccable production on this album certainly adds to its greatness. Clear and spacious, the music within sounds as if it has existed forever, created by a group of immortal mystics, not, you know, a couple of guys from France. In the end, we are presented with what will undoubtedly be one of the best metal records of 2009.
MPEG Stream: "Antithesis Of The Flesh (And Then Arises A New Essence)"
MPEG Stream: "The Alcove Of Angels (Vipassana)"
MPEG Stream: "Acceptance (Aske)"

BLUT AUS NORD Mort (Candlelight) cd 14.98
If you thought the last few Blut Aus Nord records were weird, and freaked out, and fucked up, then this new disc is gonna have you either cowering in the corner with all the lights off and clutching some sort of talisman to ward off whatever the fuck kind of evil this record is emanating, or you'll be scratching your head wondering "What the fuck?" Or if you're anything like us, you'll be doing both, and loving it.
Any vestige of buzzing black metal has been shed and in its place a completely abstract, confusional world of muddy blackness. This music is so weird it's almost impossible to describe it in words. It's most definitely not black metal. It is certainly black, or at least some very very dark shade of gray, but it would be hard to definitively describe this as metal. Imagine all the super Slinty post rock parts from the most recent Deathspell Omega record, take all of those parts, play them all at once, some forward, some in reverse, run them all through banks of effects, and you'll have something like Mort. There are no blast beats, not mosquito-like riffing, in fact Mort hovers a lot closer to doom than to black metal.
But even doom wouldn't really begin to describe the loping lurching weirdness. Every track is a strange assemblage of damaged drum machines, dizzying circusy keyboards a dense oppressive swirl of guitars that sound like they are constantly being tuned and detuned. Super woozy and sea sick sounding. Completely and almost overwhelmingly chaotic. Like the songs are constantly threatening to fall apart at any moment. Which lends the proceedings a certain amount of tension and dramatic gravitas. Leads drift in and out, and sort of warble and wail, before breaking a part and sinking into the murk. The vocals are like another layer of low end rumble, a thick reverberating whir. Everything constantly shifting and blurring, pitches shifting up and down, swarms of creepy little FX appear and then fade away, long stretches of black ambience, punctuated by bursts of near industrial pummel. So weird. But it's mainly the riffs that make this record as fucked up as it is. They're not black metal riffs really, barely even metal riffs, some sort of gothy no-wave sounding deconstructed guitar torture. Sort of like if they had Greg Ginn come in and play a bunch of angular fucked up Black Flag riffs and then slowed them WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY down and doused them in effects and randomly adjusted the tape speed, so the band and the various instruments seem to slowly shift in and out of phase, occasionally falling together in one huge blast of black fury, only to slowly drift to pieces again.
So weird and dark, and strangely mournful and melancholy. Some bastardized mix of Abruptum, M83 and Nortt. A baffling and brilliant, blissed out no-wave black doom ambient post rock masterpiece.
MPEG Stream: "1"
MPEG Stream: "2"
MPEG Stream: "3"

BLUT AUS NORD Odinist: The Destruction Of Reason By Illumination (Candlelight) cd 13.98
What is it about French black metal? Deathspell Omega, Mutiilation, Spektr, Alcest, Peste Noire, Amesoeurs, Nuit Noire, Antaeus, Malcuidant, S.V.E.S.T., Eikenskaden, Vlad TepesŠ Sure there are other places that have spawned lots of great bands, but holy shit.
And of course, you can't leave Blut Aus Nord off that list. Beginning life as a furious blackened beast, Blut Aus Nord gradually began to incorporate long stretches of dark ambience, and haunting Wolf Eyes-ian industrial soundscapers into their sound, eventually even recording a whole disc of ambient drone music which was tacked on as a bonus disc alongside their album The Work Which Transforms God.
Their most recent record, Mort, found the band shifting again, shrugging off the buzzing blackness of their past incarnation, and weaving any buzz they had left into long slow loping post rock epics. Sort of gothy, definitely still metal, but a sort of plodding woozy dronemetal. Their strange riffing still intact, having once turned blazing blasts into something dizzying and bizarre, on Mort were turning doomy blackness creepy, demented midtempo dirges. It was unexpected, but it definitely grew on us, the key being that the songs were rife with all manner of fucked up chords, and convoluted arrangements, lost of layers, all woven and twisted and tangled and seriously fucked up.
So here we are a year later, and Odinist finds the band continuing down the same path. No blasts to be found here. The tempo stays pretty slow, sometimes jacked up to a furious midtempo, but just as often slowing down to a funereal plod, and much of the record is spent sort of swaying seasickenly, a lurching gallop, that perfectly compliments the murky melodies and the washed out riffs, the vocals barely audible, the drums pretty far down in the mix as well, only surfacing occasionally with a flurry of double kicks. The key as always is the riffs, and the riffs here are atonal and off kilter, minor key and angular, giving the songs a definite twisted no-wave vibe. But much of what made Mort so damaged sounding has been smoothed out a bit here, the weirdness more subtle, the sound of the record more static, many of the songs in the same key, so they sound like various movements in the same piece, definitely the sort of record meant to be listened to as a whole, but here and there some killer riff will surface, or some unlikely hook and will suck you back in. And keep you there, holding you under, as the black waves of woozy buzz wash over you.
Dark and droney, dizzying and dense, more grey metal than black metal, and if you couldn't tell by now, really fucking awesome.
MPEG Stream: "An Element Of Flesh"
MPEG Stream: "The Sounds Of The Universe"
MPEG Stream: "Odinist"

BLUT AUS NORD The Mystical Beast Of Rebellion (Oaken Shield) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally managed to get a bunch of these, the 2001 full length from one of our favorite experimental black metal bands ever, France's Blut Aus Nord. Even back in 2001, these guys were taking classic sounding frosty grim blackness and twisting it all up into their own strange idea of what black metal should sound like, adding strange chords, and weird string bends, turning buzzing riffs into dizzying smears of abstract sound, what could have been just fast and furious, ends up sounds trippy and sort of psychedelic. And here too, the roots of their more drone based ambient side surfaced, which would culminate in 2005's all ambient disc Thematic Emanation Of Archetypal Multiplicity, as well as their less buzzy and more atmospheric direction on their their most recent disc Mort. But on Mystical, like on The Work Which Transforms God, this dark ambient side consisted mostly of long glacial interludes between songs, doomy fuzzed out riffs, disembodied and abstract giving way to dark shimmering low end rumble, chiming bells, a muted dark.
But really, it's the demented riffing that makes Mystical so special. The vocals howl demonically, the drums blast so fast, they almost sound like a drum machine, with a sort of industrial rigidity, but the riffs are just mind blowing, it sounds like the guitars must be fretless, or every note in ever chord is being bent back and forth, slippery and woozy, gorgeously disorienting, tripped out and druggy, like listening to Immortal through some sonic funhouse mirror.
Usually when we get a hold of older, earlier records from a band, they tend to be more raw, less progressive and less fully realized (Deathspell?) but if anything, Mystical is just as weirdly fucked up and amazing as the two record that would follow.
NB Andee liked this so much he spaced out and reviewed it TWICE, here's his other review, for comparison/posterity's sake:
The Mystical Beast Of Rebellion was Blut Aus Nord's third release from way back in 2001, immediately preceding The Work Which Transforms God and displayed more of a classic black metal vibe, very droney and mesmeric, a seasick buzz drenched blast, with warped epic melodies, all very minor key and melancholy, lending the proceedings a very moody doomlike vibe. Very reminiscent of classic Immortal or Satyricon. There is definitely some sonic foreshadowing of weirdness to come, slow slithery stretches of murk and mumble, abstract ambient breakdowns, long stretches of buzz slowed way down into truly harrowing lurching lopes, riffs that bend and seem to warble as if some invisible hand was altering the pitch control, dark and dreary miserablism twisted into very Nortt like mid tempo droney doom.
But The Mystical Beast Of Rebellion is more about the blast and buzz, the forst and fuzz, and if you're anything like us, that should suit you just fine!
MPEG Stream: "The Fall Chapter I"
MPEG Stream: "The Fall Chapter II"

BLUT AUS NORD The Work Which Transforms God / Thematic Emanation Of Archetypal Multiplicity (Candlelight) 2cd 15.98
We've been wanting to list this for a long time now but have been waiting for it to get reissued as a double disc with the new ep tacked on. Well, now the wait is finally over. This grim French outfit somehow manage to play some seriously convincing classic black metal, but in the process, do something indescribable to it, adding all sorts of off kilter guitar parts, industrial pummel, totally alien melodies, huge stretches of suffocating ambience, and totally convoluted midtempo dirges, turning it into some of the most demented, deliriously damaged black metal we've ever heard. Even when they sound like they're just blazing through a passage of straight up black metal, all these little bits and pieces just sound not quite right, which is what makes Blut Aus Nord so fucking amazing. When they slow down, which they do quite a bit, the guitars seem to splinter into jagged shards, malfunctioning and becoming what sound distinctly like SST / Black Flag riffs and licks, you know, all stumbling and angular weirdness. And when they kick out the jams and explode into a buzzing blasting fury, there are strange guitar sounds swooping and soaring everywhere, sonic shards careening past, drones and multiple layers of buzz and hiss envelop every blast like a graveyard fog. The record opens with a two minute track confusingly titled "End", two minutes of swirling ambience, chilly winds and distant chimes, all buried beneath a murky barely there drone, and then the record ends with the also strangely titled "Procession Of The Dead Clowns", a ten minute melancholy doom dirge, simple drums and a simple keening mournful guitar melody, relentless and plodding and totally dismally intense. Between the two are ten tracks of the above mentioned grim and evil, relentlessly repetitive confusional black metal, draped with all manner of bizarre moaning, fucked up guitar damage, weirdly sliding riffage, and all drowning in drones and dirge, howling blackened ambience and seriously bizarre blasting black metal brutality.
Also included is Blut Aus Nord's more recent ep release, Thematic Emanation of Archetypal Multiplicity, five tracks, 28 minutes of haunting, moaning midtempo dirges, bizarre industrial, drum machined drones, massive slow motion doom, and creepy experimental ambience. Essential.
MPEG Stream: "The Choir Of The Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Axis "
MPEG Stream: "The Fall"

BLUT AUS NORD Ultima Thulee (Candlelight) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "The Son Of Hoarfrost"
MPEG Stream: "The Plain Of Ida"

BLUT AUS NORD / BLOODOLINE / REVERENCE / KARRAS Dissociated Human Junction (Panik Terror Musik) cd 16.98
It's only been a year, but it feels like forever since we've heard from beloved French black metal weirdos Blut Aus Nord, so we were super psyched to discover this 4 way split with 3 unreleased BaN tracks, and even though the tracks aren't brand new (they're from a super limited 2004 10"), they definitely hit the spot. In a big way.
But besides the BaN tracks, this comp also features a new Blut Aus Nord side project called Karras that totally destroys as well. And as if that all weren't enough the other two bands are just as amazing and fucked up if not more so.
Let's start with the Blut Aus Nord tracks, what else do you need to know, three tracks, you've never heard em, they are gorgeously twisted and blackened, the guitars slithery and spidery, everything wrapped in a warm cocoon of prickly buzz, long stretches of bleak black ambience, haunted rumblings, mysterious warbles, epic blasts of buzzing blackness, swaths of seasick synths, creepy minor key melodies, very dark and depressive, mournful and almost cinematic, definitely ranks up there with some of our favorite Blut Aus Nord stuff ever.
The Karras track, an massive 11 minute blast of confusional chaos, takes the already damaged and demented sound of Blut Aus Nord eve further, everything more twisted and convoluted, the drums a blasting splatter, guitars swirling everywhere, thick sheets of buzz, creepy processed vocals gurgling and growling, twisted squiggly melodies all over the place, the guitars buzzy, but also murky and muddy and thick like tar, this roiling black madhouse, peppered with long stretches of totally tranquil near static ambient shimmer. But that's not all, huge chunks of industrial pummel, more vocals croaking and mewling, the drums a never ending torrent of spastic beats, blasting and pounding, finally breaking into a funeral doom dirge right near the end before spinning off into a cloud of black hiss. Holy shit. We NEED to hear more Karras. A totally mindblowing and physically exhausting schizophrenic doomed and damaged black metal assault.
Like we said before, that would most definitely be enough, but there are two other bands to dig into. First, blackened Spaniards Bloodoline, whose blasting blackness is peppered with awesome moaning string bends and slippery riffage, that makes their tracks sound all funhouse mirrored and weirdly warped, especially the first track "Voyage Till Death". The beginning of their second song even sounds a bit like Chavez, with dual tangled highend guitar melodies, eventually exploding into a relentless keening crush. The third just seals the deal with another black hole slab of black mayhem, but with a strangely melancholy and poppy undercurrent.
Finally, there's another French outfit, who appropriately shared that abovementioned 2004 10" with Blut Aus Nord. Their sound is more in line with BaN's modern metallic melancholic murk. Slightly industrial tinged, mournful with lots of blurred buzz. Plenty of black metal riffing, but the sound is washed out and near ambient, huge expanses of doomic misery, bookended by gnarled black riffs, much of the two tracks spent drifting through a black haze, or plodding machinelike through some abject blackened sonic wasteland. Creepy growled and chanted vocals, thick swaths of chordal fuzzŠ
Way recommended obviously, as we think would be anything else that can be tracked down by all four of these bands (and fear not, you know we're already working on itŠ)
MPEG Stream: BLOODOLINE "Voyage Till Death"
MPEG Stream: BLUT AUS NORD "Part 1"
MPEG Stream: KARRAS "Xenoglossy"

BLYTHE, ARTHUR Illusions (Koch Jazz) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.