BOTANIST III: Doom In Bloom (Total Rust) 2cd 15.98
The return of Botanist, the SF one man eco-terrorist black metal one man band, whose curious weapons of war are pretty much just drums, voice, and hammered dulcimer! Sound strange, and it most certainly is, and black metal fans have definitely been divided, too weird, and no nearly metal enough for some, perfectly twisted and mesmerizingly oddball for others. We, like many of you, definitely fall into the latter camp, our own Andee having released Botanist's double disc debut, a sprawling collection of short sharp bursts of brittle steel string buzz and furious blasts, but as you may have gleaned from the title of Botanist's third record, some things have changed this time around. Most notably, the tempos are slowed way down, the tonal palette too is much more varied, the sound surprisingly lush, and describing some of the sounds here as simply doom, would definitely be selling short the twisted innovation and warped songcraft on display here.
Just check out the record opener "Quoth Azalea, The Demon (Rhododendoom II)", a swampy, dirgey, slithery creep, that reminds us more of groups like Woven Hand or Der Blutharsch, where the dulcimer manages to sound almost like a piano at times, and the melody is so wistful and melancholy, if it weren't for the raspy vokills, this could be some dark apocalyptic folk ballad. And so goes the rest of the record, unfurling darkly and dramatically, from loping doomy dirge, to creepy slo-mo deathmarch, to strangely propulsive almost post rock, much of this record sounding like something, that sans vox, could be on Temporary Residence, brooding, slow building, majestic and epic, all shot through with a healthy helping of drone, the steel string buzz creating mesmerizing layers of subtly shifting overtones, and woozily tangled melodies. Some of the tracks have a distinctly cabaret vibe as well, but even then, the sound tends to return to something more stately, trudging through thick fields of chiming notes and shimmering buzz, the vocals often buried, but sometimes a demonic croak, and strangely enough, the vocals tend to be at their most demonic, when the music is at its most lovely, which makes for a potent, and fantastically confusional combination.
Fans of the first record will definitely not be disappointed, but folks into brooding slow build post rock, and dark drone driven doom folk, should give a listen as well.
As a bonus, also included is a second disc, called Allies, which finds friends of the Botanist creating their own tracks using drum tracks from the Doom In Bloom sessions. The sounds and songs vary sonically quite a bit, there's strange staticky hushed ambient drift, crushing sludgey slo-mo doom, blown out, soaring hazy mid tempo black metal buzz (courtesy of the Botanist's other band, Ophidian Forest), some corrosive noise too, but there's a clutch of tracks that might surprise folks, the witchy, doomy female vocal driven Bestiary and the pop flecked almost Opeth-y melodic metal of Lotus Thief, but probably our favorite reworking comes from Arborist, whose version starts off as a sort of lumbering, lo-fi bit of screamo-y slo-mo creep, which explodes into a super psychedelic blast of woozy heaviness, the riffs and melodies slipping and sliding and seeming to melt before your very ears. Definitely hope the Arborist and the Botanist do more together in the future (which seems likely, as the Arborist actually records all the Botanist records)...
And if three records is still not enough Botanist for you (it's not for us!), fear not! There are already at least three, if not more, full lengths on deck. We can't wait!
MPEG Stream: "Quoth Azalea, The Demon (Rhododendoom II)"
MPEG Stream: "Vriesea"
MPEG Stream: "Panax"
MPEG Stream: "Arborist - Total Entarchy"

BOTANIST IV - Mandragora (The Flenser) cd 11.98
Full length number FOUR from this local eco-terroristic, drum and dulcimer driven black metal one band band, whose first two records were released as a pair on our very own Andee's tUMULt label. At the time, as much as we loved Botanist's unique and warped take on black metal, we must admit we were a bit surprised when Botanist sort of blew up, making all sorts of year end top ten lists, even popping up on Pitchfork and NPR. We sort of assumed it was too weird to have much appeal, but it seems if anything, that weirdness only made Botanist more appealing to non-metalheads, and in another surprise twist, brought out the open minded experimental streak we had just assumed most metalheads might be missing. But it's easy to see why people dig Botanist. Heck Andee dug his stuff enough to put it out. Botanist's music is dark and twisted, droned out and buzzy, weirdly melodic, super trance-y and hypnotic, it's really barely black metal, the blasting drums and the croaked squashed spider vocals really being the only truly black metal elements, even the metallic buzz of the dulcimer, aping the sort of fast picked BM riffing, ended up sounding like something wholly other. Botanist's third record, on the Total Rust label, found him slowing things down, and creating his own version of doom, which like his take on black metal was appropriately and fantastically skewed. Which brings us to IV, the fourth Botanist full length in two years, and once again, a whole sonic shift has taken place, this one more difficult to quantify, it's not black metal, and not doom, and this time around, we're tempted to say it's not even really metal. Actually not at all.
When we first heard it, we were struck by how melodic it was, almost shoegazey, the dulcimer strangely recorded, to turn the brittle buzz of the early records into something washed out and gloriously distorted, single strings ring out like prismatic chordal swirls, and the more rapid passages blur into blissed out streaks of hazy blurred dreaminess. In fact, minus the vocals, Botanist IV sounds more like some experimental shoegaze pop band, even the blast beats seem to have been ditched in favor of more midtempo rhythms, and then those are mostly buried in the mix, beneath clouds of reverberant overtones, of whorls of FX drenched metallic chords, that all seem to sprawl like cloud of metallic shimmer, laced with keening melodies, the whole thing surprisingly sun dappled and prismatic, if we didn't know the grim story behind the lyrics of IV, we'd assume the theme was one of redemption and rebirth, or in keeping with the Botanist's themes, IV plays out like the soundtrack to post-human earth, once the human race has been eradicated, and the world is a lush nirvana, where nothing but plants grow, allowed to spread out endlessly, and reach forever heavenward. And heck, even with the vocals, it's hard to disguise the lush melodic elements that pretty much entirely define the sound of IV.
Considering the sort of surprising widespread appeal the first few records had, we can only imagine this one might just be the real big breakthrough record for Botanist, it's so catchy and melodic, so pretty and lushly layered, that it's hard to imagine that even some of the more metal averse folks wouldn't or couldn't be won over. We even suggested to the Botanist himself that he should release an instrumental version, imagining the pure psychedelic shoegaze sonic bliss that would result, but for now, IV's glorious mix of lush sonic bliss and grim verdant vokills is more than enough.
MPEG Stream: "Arboreal Gallows (Mandragora I)"
MPEG Stream: "Nightshade (Mandragora II)"
MPEG Stream: "To Amass An Army (Mandragora III)"

BOTCH American Nervoso (Hydra Head) cd 12.98

BOTCH An Anthology Of Dead Ends (Hydra Head) cd 11.98
Final missive from AQ faves, the mighty Botch. A wicked math-metal machine spitting out super heavy but surprisingly melodic and complex metalcore. As good if not better than Coalesce and Converge but criminally underappreciated. Maybe that's why they're calling it quits. Must be tough making music this amazing and not being HUGE. Every song is an epic, with earth shaking bass rumble, keening high-end guitar melodies, lots of chugging riffs, stop/start rhythms, pounding drums and one of the fiercest roars around. WAY RECOMMENDED!

BOTCH An Anthology of Dead Ends (Hydra Head) lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day, this was the final record from these aQ beloved math metal crushers. This new version comes pressed at 45rpm on nice thick vinyl and housed in a heavy full color jacket, an almost exact reproduction of the original, here's our brief review from way back in 2002:
Final missive from these aQ faves, the mighty Botch. A wicked math-metal machine spitting out super heavy but surprisingly melodic and complex metalcore. As good if not better than Coalesce and Converge but criminally underappreciated. Maybe that's why they're calling it quits. Must be tough making music this amazing and not being HUGE. Every song is an epic, with earth shaking bass rumble, keening high-end guitar melodies, lots of chugging riffs, stop/start rhythms, pounding drums and one of the fiercest roars around. WAY RECOMMENDED!
MPEG Stream: "Japam"
MPEG Stream: "Framce"

BOTCH Unifying Themes Redux (Hydra Head) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "God Vs. Science"
MPEG Stream: "Third Part In A Tragedy"
MPEG Stream: "Inch By Inch"

BOTCH We Are The Romans (Hydra Head) cd 13.98
Weird and heavy metalcore in the tradition of Coalesce, Isis, Cave-In and other Hydrahead bands. Completely amazing. Maybe even better than the new Coalesce, just for the, uh, weirdness of some of this.

BOTHER, THE The Night Bleeds Gold (Three Ring Records) cd 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Local indie combo The Bother make straightforward gentle indie pop with laidback emotive male vocals. Breezy and wistfully bittersweet tunes with a few nice moody embellishments -- an effected vocal, a textural sound sample, a slinky tremolo'd guitar, a flute -- for added atmosphere and loveliness. A bit reminiscent of early Beck and Pavement.
MPEG Stream: "Upon Low Tide"
MPEG Stream: "Our Nameless Glamour"

BOTTICELLIS Old Home Movies (Rocinante / Antenna Farm) lp 12.98
Such warm, woozy and punchy West Coast pop delivered spot on by this San Francisco band, whose songs are made for that Eternal Summer we all wish we could live in. Their sound reminding us of everyone from the breeziest side of The Kinks, the more at ease moments of The Strokes, a looser Vetiver, a more sun soaked Grizzly Bear, some of that early solo McCartney magic... In other words the Botticellis write some pretty damn great irresistible pop that we can imagine being blasted in the bedroom with the window open so everyone playing in the backyard could soak up these infectious sounds. Pressed on clear vinyl and sounding better and better each time we lay the needle in its grooves.

BOTTLESKUP FLENKENKENMIKE Looks Like Velvet, Smells Like Pee (Brooklyn Beats) cd 13.98
Bottleskup is another twig off of the Godspeed You Black Emperor tree. Actually its the alias of One Speed Bike which is the alias of Aidan Girt. He's also the figure behind Exhaust not to mention being the drummer for GYBE. Whew! As with 1SB, he reveals the rougher, unpolished improv side of the Montreal music scene. Often hit or miss, and often a bit crude in its execution, Girt's work is more about capturing the gritty moments. Loops and samples are thrust through a cloud of belching distortion and processing. Murky, repetitive, and verging on industrial. The first song features a simple dorky keyboard melody awkwardly tapped out with one finger. The final track burbles with the decaying theme song from Entertainment Tonight. Vocals are few and far between but when they do surface, they're muffled spoken or hollered proclamations. All the while foggy four on the floor dance beats churn away like lo-fi house tracks. Ten tracks in all, each with very long song titles like "If anyone in this high school fucks with you for being a freak, just tell me and I'll kick their ass" and "The day I defeated the Dutch shelf toilet".
RealAudio clip: "Canada Post-Rock Machine Gullible Sucker (Godspeed Remix)"
RealAudio clip: "Bronze Medal For Fence Hopping At The Punk Olympics"

BOTTOM Feels So Good When You're Gone... (Man's Ruin / Clearspot) 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 hard-rocking midwestern all-female, uh, hard rock outfit Bottom steps up with debut cd release on Man's Ruin. Heavy, with elements of '90s noise/grunge rock and '70s style swagger. Kinda aggro.

BOTTOM OF THE HUDSON Holiday Machine (Absolutely Kosher) cd ep 8.98
Geez, it's getting increasingly difficult to keep up with the flurry of release activity bursting forth from the Absolutely Kosher label these days -- Sparrow, Jim Yoshii Pile-Up, Moggs, Get Him Eat Him, and the list goes on! We welcome this new EP from veteran indie popsters Bottom Of The Hudson as a kind sign that they A.) don't want to crowd out their labelmates, B.) don't want to monopolize the stereo, C.) do want to keep the listener wantin' more or D.) all of the above? For these half dozen songs they've injected a dose of the sullen mope-rock dourness of Interpol into their rough-hewn popcraft a la Guided By Voices to good effect. Lots of those ol' familiar strummy-jangle indie rock guitars, boyish vocals and an occasional lo-tech drum machine percolating up every so often.
MPEG Stream: "Holiday Machine"
MPEG Stream: "One Of Us"

BOTTOM OF THE HUDSON Songs From The Barrel Commando (Happy House) cd 14.98
Here's the latest full length from Bottom Of The Hudson (their follow-up to 2003's The Omaha Record), and it reveals a transformation of sorts. While they're still deeply immersed in their studies at Robert Pollard's School of Fine Indie Pop, they've tempered and toned things down considerably. Gone are the pounded piano lines and crunchy guitars in favor of slower, more contemplative folksy acoustic numbers. Perhaps they've been (re)visiting Pink Floyd's Meddle album? Be sure to stick around 'til the final two songs 'cuz they're definitely the stand-outs (although when the second to last song started we thought it was a cover of k.d. lang's "Constant Craving"... which in itself is a fine song, innit?). And if this isn't enough B.O.T.H. for ya, expect a new ep sometime this summer!
MPEG Stream: "Take Me In"
MPEG Stream: "Hallways Of Rachel"

BOTTOM OF THE HUDSON The Omaha Record (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98

BOTTOMLESS PIT Blood Under The Bridge (Comedy Minus One) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We were hugely obsessed with Silkworm back in the day. Their sound was dark and mysterious, a twisted and bitter take on indie rock, that somehow managed to evoke an impossible hopefulness at the same time. Super melodic, 3 of the 4 members sang, each with a distinctive style and sound, which only helped make their music more interesting. Joel Phelps, perhaps our favorite voice of the bunch, left, and the band sadly seemed to flounder. Then tragically, their drummer was killed in an automobile accident, and Silkworm was over.
Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen, the core of the original Silkworm lineup, reunited and returned with Bottomless Pit, which to our ears sounded like a return to the classic Silkworm sound, still dark, and depressive, brooding and melancholy, but the songs were so good, tense and dramatic and crazy catchy, with the spirit and feel of classic nineties indie rock, but dragged into the now. That first record was on seriously heavy rotation around here, spacey and spare, warm and lush, totally fantastic and a surprising return to form.
And now we have Blood Under The Bridge, which offers more of the same, dark and haunting stripped down indie rock. Someone here thought it sounded like Belle And Sebastian, but to our ears it sounds like a heavier My Dad Is Dead, the same sort of world weary, minor key, broken hearted indie rock. The first few tracks slither and creep, hushed and minimal and way moody, but then comes "Summerwind" that is surprisingly rocking, and sounds like it could have been yanked off one of the classic old Silkworm records, and the vibe and the energy stays relatively charged after that. "Late is another slow burning rocker, with some gorgeous vocal melodies, and some awesome psych guitar, "Dixon" alternately pounds and broods, with an almost surfy sounding main riff, but then "Kiss Them All" brings it back down again, a gorgeous low slung pretty indie pop drifter, that sounds as good as anything these guys have done.
The last three tracks bounce back and forth between energetic crunch, spacey contemplative drift, and driving grooves, finishing off with the epic emotional catharsis of "38 Souls" that feels just like the old days.
Along with the Versus record reviewed elsewhere on this week's list, a sweet dose of classic indie rock, the kind they don't really make anymore (except when it's made by the guys and gals who were making it the first time around anyway!)...
MPEG Stream: "Winterwind"
MPEG Stream: "Rhinelander"
MPEG Stream: "38 Souls"

BOTTOMLESS PIT Blood Under The Bridge (Comedy Minus One) lp 27.00
Now on vinyl!
We were hugely obsessed with Silkworm back in the day. Their sound was dark and mysterious, a twisted and bitter take on indie rock, that somehow managed to evoke an impossible hopefulness at the same time. Super melodic, 3 of the 4 members sang, each with a distinctive style and sound, which only helped make their music more interesting. Joel Phelps, perhaps our favorite voice of the bunch, left, and the band sadly seemed to flounder. Then tragically, their drummer was killed in an automobile accident, and Silkworm was over.
Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen, the core of the original Silkworm lineup, reunited and returned with Bottomless Pit, which to our ears sounded like a return to the classic Silkworm sound, still dark, and depressive, brooding and melancholy, but the songs were so good, tense and dramatic and crazy catchy, with the spirit and feel of classic nineties indie rock, but dragged into the now. That first record was on seriously heavy rotation around here, spacey and spare, warm and lush, totally fantastic and a surprising return to form.
And now we have Blood Under The Bridge, which offers more of the same, dark and haunting stripped down indie rock. Someone here thought it sounded like Belle And Sebastian, but to our ears it sounds like a heavier My Dad Is Dead, the same sort of world weary, minor key, broken hearted indie rock. The first few tracks slither and creep, hushed and minimal and way moody, but then comes "Summerwind" that is surprisingly rocking, and sounds like it could have been yanked off one of the classic old Silkworm records, and the vibe and the energy stays relatively charged after that. "Late is another slow burning rocker, with some gorgeous vocal melodies, and some awesome psych guitar, "Dixon" alternately pounds and broods, with an almost surfy sounding main riff, but then "Kiss Them All" brings it back down again, a gorgeous low slung pretty indie pop drifter, that sounds as good as anything these guys have done.
The last three tracks bounce back and forth between energetic crunch, spacey contemplative drift, and driving grooves, finishing off with the epic emotional catharsis of "38 Souls" that feels just like the old days.
Along with the Versus record reviewed recently, a sweet dose of classic indie rock, the kind they don't really make anymore (except when it's made by the guys and gals who were making it the first time around anyway!)...
MPEG Stream: "Winterwind"
MPEG Stream: "Rhinelander"
MPEG Stream: "38 Souls"

BOTTOMLESS PIT Hammer Of The Gods (Comedy Minus One) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There's something magical about the original lineup of a band. The struggle to make it, the passion of music making. That's why debut records are often so powerful, and while many times it's the best record a band will ever make. Subsequent records are made over the course of a year or two, but that first record was the culmination of a lifetime.
In some cases, bands soldier on, when a key member departs. Sometimes the band reinvent themselves, instead of desperately trying to recapture a sound that was partially created by the absent member. But sometimes, when a member leaves, it's like a death knell for the band.
With Silkworm, when Joel Phelps left, the band seemed to falter big time. They made some decent records, wrote some killer songs, but Phelps was the spark, the magic went missing for the most part when he left. But they soldiered on, until the tragic death of drummer Michael Dalquist in 2005. The band wisely chose to hang it up, as Dahlquist was a founding member and his powerful idiosyncratic drumming style was a critical part of Silkworm's sound.
The surviving members resurfaced as Bottomless Pit a year or two later, and something happened. Not sure if it was going through the death of Dahlquist, or the new members, but this is the best Silkworm have sounded since the Phelps days. And while it may be called Bottomless Pit, sonically it sounds as much like Silkworm as ever. Which in this case is a very good thing.
A dark dark record. Moody and melancholy, introspective, but plenty rocking. The two Silkworms, Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen, still share vocals and songwriting duties, so in that way too, the sound is reminiscent of Silkworm. The drums are simple and solid, the guitars tightly wound, the vocals weary and warm, the second track "Dogtag" might be the best Silkworm song Silkworm never wrote. A muted chug holds the song down, never quite exploding into full on rocking, the tension building and building, the vocals managing to sound so worn and haggard, and yet so emotional The menacing groove of "Dead Man's Blues" sounds angry and bitter, with a jagged tangled chorus and a killer wall of gnarled guitar second half. "Human Out Of Me" is another brooding slow burner, all warbly falsetto vocals and simple cyclical melody. The record finishes up with "Sevens Sing", a real strange one, with haunting processed drums, shimmery talk box sounding guitars, space-y effects, all very spare and whispery, distant whirs and wheezing strings, the song never really getting loud or aggressive, just slithering along intensely, sounding like it might never end, a gorgeous, yet tripped out funereal indie rock sprawl.
Way recommended. Old Silkworm fans, this might be the one you've been waiting for...
MPEG Stream: "The Cardinal Movements"
MPEG Stream: "Dogtag"

BOTTOMLESS PIT Lottery 2005-2012 (Home Recording Is Killing Music) 2cd 32.00
Killer double disc compendium collection pretty much everything recorded (two albums, a 12", and some bonus tracks) by this incredible indie rock band, an offshoot of the late great Silkworm, a group we were hugely obsessed with back in the day, and still love. Silkworm's sound was dark and mysterious, a twisted and bitter take on indie rock, that somehow managed to evoke an impossible hopefulness at the same time. Super melodic, 3 of the 4 members sang, each with a distinctive style and sound, which only helped make their music more interesting. Joel Phelps, perhaps our favorite voice of the bunch, left, and the band sadly seemed to flounder. Then tragically, their drummer was killed in an automobile accident, and Silkworm was over. The surviving members resurfaced as Bottomless Pit a year or two later, and something happened. Not sure if it was going through the death of Dahlquist, or the new members, but it was the best these guys had sounded since the Phelps days. And while it may be called Bottomless Pit, sonically it sounds as much like Silkworm as ever. Which in this case is a very good thing.
Hammer Of The Gods (from 2007) is a dark dark record. Moody and melancholy, introspective, but plenty rocking. The two Silkworms, Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen, still share vocals and songwriting duties, so in that way too, the sound is reminiscent of Silkworm. The drums are simple and solid, the guitars tightly wound, the vocals weary and warm, the second track "Dogtag" might be the best Silkworm song Silkworm never wrote. A muted chug holds the song down, never quite exploding into full on rocking, the tension building and building, the vocals managing to sound so worn and haggard, and yet so emotional The menacing groove of "Dead Man's Blues" sounds angry and bitter, with a jagged tangled chorus and a killer wall of gnarled guitar second half. "Human Out Of Me" is another brooding slow burner, all warbly falsetto vocals and simple cyclical melody. Hammer Of The Gods finishes up with "Sevens Sing", a real strange one, with haunting processed drums, shimmery talk box sounding guitars, space-y effects, all very spare and whispery, distant whirs and wheezing strings, the song never really getting loud or aggressive, just slithering along intensely, sounding like it might never end, a gorgeous, yet tripped out funereal indie rock sprawl.
The second Bottomless Pit album, 2010's Blood Under The Bridge, offers more of the same, dark and haunting stripped down indie rock. Someone here thought it sounded like Belle And Sebastian, but to our ears it sounds like a heavier My Dad Is Dead, the same sort of world weary, minor key, broken hearted indie rock. The first few tracks slither and creep, hushed and minimal and way moody, but then comes "Summerwind" which is surprisingly rocking, and sounds like it could have been yanked off one of the classic old Silkworm records, and the vibe and the energy stays relatively charged after that. "Late is another slow burning rocker, with some gorgeous vocal melodies, and some awesome psych guitar, "Dixon" alternately pounds and broods, with an almost surfy sounding main riff, but then "Kiss Them All" brings it back down again, a gorgeous low slung pretty indie pop drifter, that sounds as good as anything these guys have done.
The last three tracks on Blood Under The Bridge bounce back and forth between energetic crunch, spacey contemplative drift, and driving grooves, finishing off with the epic emotional catharsis of "38 Souls" that feels just like the old days. A (bitter)sweet dose of classic indie rock, the kind they don't really make anymore (except when it's made by the guys and gals who were making it the first time around anyway!)
This new collection also includes the 2008 Congress EP which we were never able to get, as well as three previously unreleased and unheard (by us at least, and probably you) tracks, all of which, sound as good as anything on the records proper.
MPEG Stream: "The Cardinal Movements"
MPEG Stream: "Dogtag"
MPEG Stream: "Winterwind"
MPEG Stream: "Rhinelander"
MPEG Stream: "38 Souls"

BOTULISTUM Pestilential Terror (Target:Earth) cd 14.98
There's all sorts of metal. Death metal, speed metal, doom metal, power metal, thrash metal, grind metal, tech metal, umm... emo metal, grunge metal, peat metal. Woah! Hold on there. What the fuck is 'peat metal'? Well to be honest, we're not entirely sure. But very much like the 'brown metal' of Lugubrum, there is only one true practitioner of the mysterious black art of 'peat metal' and that would be the strangely named Dutch black metal outfit Botulistum. And while 'peat metal' seems to be some strange subset of black metal, it definitely falls squarely into that batch of black metal we often describe as damaged, demented, bizarre, freaked out, fucked up, definite 'outsider'. You know, Dead Reptile Shrine, Benighted Leams, Furze, Rehtaf Ruo, Spektr, Urfaust and all their black brethren. Strangely enough, one of the fellas in Botulistum also does time in aQ faves Urfaust and he and his partner are also in bizarre black metal outfit Fluisterwoud. And it sounds like it. This re-release features one live 30 minute track recorded at their last show in Belgium in 2004 and originally released as a super limited (to 200) edition and also includes a bonus track called "Mergzuigende Veenpulker", from Acts Of Excrement TerrorismÉOn The Holy Trinity a split with more of their black metal countrymen, Domini Inferni. The sound is definitely black, but it's so murky and psychedelic and confusional, it almost sounds like a black metal Butthole Surfers. Processed vocals, howls and grunts and squeals and shrieks, echo and careen wildly from speaker to speaker, weird riffs, angular and jagged, everything drenched in reverb and room sound, the drums a tribal splatter, the sound of the crowd almost as loud as the band. It's like if Abruptum were from Texas and smoked tons of weed. Or maybe it's actually peat these guys are smoking. The bonus track is like the live track only a little more structured, a huge slab of druggy delirium minus the crowd sounds and with the addition of a ridiculous drum machine, the snares programmed so fast it almost sounds like a mosquito buzzing, but still a glorious blackened sludgy swirl of fucked up guitars and bizarre vocals. This is truly some seriously noisy and fucked up drugged out weirdness. As much for black metalheads as it is for folks into the the Butthole Surfers, Scratch Acid, Violent Students, and other sludgy drug drenched mayhem. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

BOUCHAIN, CATHERIN & JEAN-PIERRE GAUTIER Forest Monkeys (Fremeaux & Associes) cd 17.98

BOUCHAIN, CATHERINE & JEAN-PIERRE GAUTTIER Le Monde Des Singes 2 (Primate World 2) (Sittelle) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Mone De Gray Male Cris Fort Gabon"
MPEG Stream: "Singe De Brazza Cris Forts Zaire"
MPEG Stream: "Pain A Cacheter Cris Forts"
MPEG Stream: "Colobe Satan Cris"
MPEG Stream: "Babouin Mandrill"
MPEG Stream: "Hylobatides Siamang Malaisie"

BOUGOUNI YAALALI s/t (Yaala Yaala) cd 14.98
You might remember a couple months ago we freaked out over a gritty and gorgeous release out of Mali from Pekos and Yoro Diallo. It was the first release on the new Drag City imprint Yaala Yaala, a label specializing in raw music and field recordings from West Africa. After reveling in their first release for a while we thought it was time to move on to their second outing which we're happy to report is just as mystifying, compelling and pleasing as the first. Bougouni is a small city in Mali and it's there and in nearby Bamako where these sounds were recorded, during hot days and balmy nights. The music was recorded everywhere from house parties, at checker games, under the shade of mango trees, etc. Like the best of the Nonesuch Explorer series and the eccentric tendencies of the beloved Sublime Frequencies label, Yaalaa Yaala has managed to capture the sounds of other cultures in a way much more agreeable to our sensibilities and respectful to the music and musicians themselves then the often manipulated, polished and Western-washed versions that ends up at cafes, on slick compilations and in "world music" sections of most record stores. Often when we've traveled to faraway places we wish that instead of a camera we had a really good tape recorder with us as it's often the raw and unadorned sounds of a place and people that truly captures the spirit of that location more then any photograph ever could.
Thankfully, the sounds on Bougouni Yaalali resulted from just that sort of foresight, someone who did think ahead and managed to record all of these amazing sounds during various travels through Mali, allowing us to really get close to understanding the spirit of a place that most of us have never been to (though would kill to visit!!). With simple yet compelling percussion (some of it wonderfully distorted!) and a slew of various instruments, the extremely minimal liner notes allow us to play the guessing game of trying to identify the sources of particular sounds (is that a thumb piano we hear on lots of these tracks?). And even though we can't understand the lyrics the hypnotic and powerful delivery ring true with a passion and emotional conviction that transcends language. Yaala Yaala is two for two so far, we can't wait to hear more!
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 8"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 4"

BOULDER Ravage & Savage (Tee Pee) cd 15.98
Ohio metal/punk combo, busy making the devil-sign with their hands held high, however with their tongues firmly in their cheeks... But while the vocals betray their punk lineage, the riffs and licks are truly the devil's music. Hot rockin' Flying V worship, that should go down well with fans of Motorhead, Drunkhorse, Lost Goat...in fact, this kicks the ass of The Hellacopters and their ilk, 'cause of the metal element here, however silly it might be. Includes their earlier vinyl-only "The Rage Of It All" lp as bonus tracks. Smart people making dumb metal sometimes doesn't work out so well, but we like this despite the irony.

BOULDER Reaped In Half (Tee Pee) cd 14.98
Ohio punk rockers turned metalheads shed more of their punk rock skin and emerge a bright and bloody hard rockin' butterfly! Hard to tell if this is 'irony rock' or not, but it hardly matters. This is high kicking, devil sign, Budweiser tallboys, T-top camaros, 7-11 parking lot, ass kicking, drug gulping, friday night party metallic rock and roll. Think Hellacopters, Drunk Horse, Grand Funk Railroad, Motorhead and this time around: AC/DC, with the simple stomping 4/4 rhythms and the snake-y noodly riffs. Meathead metal 'n' roll that's mindless and fun as hell!!
RealAudio clip: "Krank It Up"
RealAudio clip: "Live Or Dead"
RealAudio clip: "Ripped In Half"

BOULDER DDASH Alien Folk Trash (Angelika Kohlermann) cd 16.98
This French band is seemingly named after an '80s video game, and aptly so, 'cause that's what a lot of this sounds like. Bleepage from dusty, vintage videogame consoles, but put to use in pretty lil' micro-songs with wistful singing. Simultaneously cute and sad. The title is also apt: alien (that's the video game sounds), folk (that's the melodic element) and trash (that's the distortion), sure. Imagine, say, the melancholic folky music of AQ-fave Greg Weeks colliding with some post-DHR distorted DIY electronics. Very pretty and fucked up. One track will feature acoustic guitar strum, the next quirky Aphex Twin-ish breakbeats. Some, both. It's very personal, homemade sounding stuff, which makes sense 'cause while we called this a band up top, actually Boulder dDash is really pretty much just one guy, a French fellow named Jean-Baptiste Hanak, with additional vocals on four of the twenty tracks by someone named The Very Ape (possibly Hanak's girlfriend?) who is even more sad sounding than he is. But as sad as the singing can be, this is a fun album. There's a song about comic book hero Fillerbunny, and another is dedicated to labelmates Electronicat. Oh, and this disc includes an entire bonus album of mp3s called "The Dark Side Of Boulder dDash" that's rather more crazed and stupid, like Hanak got really drunk and tried to make some hip-hop tracks. Weird.
MPEG Stream: "On The Road Again"
MPEG Stream: "Ur.So (feat. the Very Ape)"
MPEG Stream: "Antinordheim #1"

BOUNTY KILLA Bulls of Chicago (Special Remix) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "One Minute Man" (Missy Elliott).

BOUNTY KILLER Bun A Fire (Special Remix) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "One Minute Man" (Missy Elliott).

BOUNTY KILLER Entourage (Killa) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "One Minute Man" (Missy Elliott) b/w "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (Eve) rhythm and mystery vocals.

BOUNTY KILLER Ghetto Crown King (Killa) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (Eve).

BOUNTY KILLER Ghetto Dictionary: The Art Of War (VP) cd 16.98
Oy vey! What ever happened to releasing albums one at a time? I guess maybe there's more fiduciary sense in splitting up a double disc as two separate albums (it seems to have done indie rockers Appleseed Cast well.) Or maybe it's that Mr. Killer is hoping to continue riding his recent world fame acquired thrugh his association with duder rock band No Doubt. With 20 tracks on each one though, you've got to wonder if maybe a little culling may have been in order. Still, rough and tough gangster dancehall man Bounty Killer makes the attempt. The thing that makes Bounty Killer more successful than most of his dancehall contemporaries might be in attempting this feat (in our humble opinion) is that, with Ghetto Dictionary, he avoids the slow jam ballads *almost* entirely. But then again you've probably come to realise that the style of dancehall vocals most appreciated by us AQ folk are ones that are spoken, not sung and preferably by someone who's voice is not entirely suited to sing vocals even when attempted. Of the myriad dancehall vocalists out there today Bounty Killer is on the short list of people who fit this job description. With an almost asthmatic, wheezing voice, Bounty Killer has a way of forcing all his words through his chest that's like a voice instructor's textbook scenario for how not to sing. And that's the way we like it. One of the things that keeps these two discs from becoming stale throughout their extremely long run time is the varied production in the rhythm department. On both albums there's a decent mix of reggae, dancehall and hip hop rhythm tracks here which breaks up what often makes many dancehall albums monotonous.
With its hip hop album intro beginning, one would think that 'Art of War' was going to be either more of a hip hop influenced album, or at least harder than 'Mystery', but actually this is not the case. Weighing the two albums 'Art of War' is perhaps more firmly ensconced in the dancehall tradition. And although it possibly lacks quite as many 'hits' as its companion, it also has nary a single crappy ballad, of which 'Mystery' has three or four.
RealAudio clip: "Man Ah Bad Man The Sequel"
RealAudio clip: "Just Dead"
RealAudio clip: "W.A.R.R."

BOUNTY KILLER Ghetto Dictionary: The Mystery (VP) cd 16.98
Oy vey! What ever happened to releasing albums one at a time? I guess maybe there's more fiduciary sense in splitting up a double disc as two separate albums (it seems to have done indie rockers Appleseed Cast well.) Or maybe it's that Mr. Killer is hoping to continue riding his recent world fame acquired thrugh his association with duder rock band No Doubt. With 20 tracks on each one though, you've got to wonder if maybe a little culling may have been in order. Still, rough and tough gangster dancehall man Bounty Killer makes the attempt. The thing that makes Bounty Killer more successful than most of his dancehall contemporaries might be in attempting this feat (in our humble opinion) is that, with Ghetto Dictionary, he avoids the slow jam ballads *almost* entirely. But then again you've probably come to realise that the style of dancehall vocals most appreciated by us AQ folk are ones that are spoken, not sung and preferably by someone who's voice is not entirely suited to sing vocals even when attempted. Of the myriad dancehall vocalists out there today Bounty Killer is on the short list of people who fit this job description. With an almost asthmatic, wheezing voice, Bounty Killer has a way of forcing all his words through his chest that's like a voice instructor's textbook scenario for how not to sing. And that's the way we like it. One of the things that keeps these two discs from becoming stale throughout their extremely long run time is the varied production in the rhythm department. On both albums there's a decent mix of reggae, dancehall and hip hop rhythm tracks here which breaks up what often makes many dancehall albums monotonous.
On 'Mystery' one particular highlight is a toast over Morgan Heritage's excellent classic "Gunz In the Ghetto" smack dab in the middle of the album and whose production style makes it stick out as though someone has suddenly changed the disc in the player. By the time things slow down on 'Mystery', you've pretty much got your album's worth already. One of the more amusing bad numbers "Evil's of the Mind" is worth going through once at least for kicks. The track features Curly Loxx 2 Loxx who sounds like a cross between fitness guru Richard Simmons and white rapper Eminem. You gotta wonder where Bounty Killer found this guy.
RealAudio clip: "Bakardi Slang Refix"
RealAudio clip: "100 Rounds"
RealAudio clip: "Gunz In The Ghetto"

BOUNTY KILLER Mark Death (Killa) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "Wait A Minute" (Ray J).

BOUNTY KILLER Next Millennium (TVT) cd 17.98
Released in 1998 by TVT records, Next Millennium is yet another record that is part of that new breed of dancehall which has almost more in common with hip hop than reggae. The production is filled with breakbeats and scratching and if that isn't enough it features cameos from Noreaga, Mob Deep and Killa Priest.
RealAudio clip: "Next Millennium"

BOUNTY KILLER Roy (Special Remix) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "Fiesta" (R. Kelly).

BOUNTY KILLER Stush War (Special Remix) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "What It Is" (Busta Rhymes).

BOUNTY KILLER / MERCILESS No One Cares (RMC) 7" 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hip hop remix. Rhythm = "Fiesta" (R. Kelly).

BOVELL, DENNIS Decibel (Pressure Sounds) cd 17.98
Seems we haven't had a super dub collection come our way for a while, so it's nice to have this wee disc pass through our doors. Before Dennis Bovell came to wider recognition through his efforts producing the Slits and the Pop Group, he could have retired and earned himself a veritable lifetime acheivement award for his efforts not only in shaping the sound of UK reggae, but also in putting on the map in a very Jamaican-centric scene. He had a hefty C.V. including: founding member of England's premiere reggae group Matumbi, running his Sufferer HiFi sound system, running a successful record label and his work with Linton Kwesi Johnson for starters. Though always confident that whatever he and his fellow musicians and producers in the UK were doing was just as good as the newest thing out of Kingston, getting his fellow countrymen and expats to reach the same conclusion was not as simple as saying the proof is in the pudding. There's a really great story in Lloyd Bradley's "Bass Culture" (printed in the U.S. with the less exciting "This Is Reggae Music" title) in which Bovell relates how he got people to stop and listen: the good old fashion dub plate. Every good DJ wants to have a kick ass track that their competitors don't, especially if they think it's coming from Jamaica. Knowing this, Bovell began having his group Matumbi cut dub tracks and release them on 7". They even went so far as to buy a "dink" machine to give them that extra bit of authenticity. See, the 7"s that they'd get pressed in the UK all had the small hole in the middle, where as the Jamaican singles all had the big hole in the middle. The "dink" machine lopped out the hole in the middle so that their singles looked just like those from Kingston. Add a rubber stamped evocative label name, "Rama", to the single and there's no telling the difference. Then they just ran them around town to all the shops and sound systems, selling them direct (which only adds to a sense of authenticity in the world of exclusive dub plates). You have to read Bradley's book yourself to find out how they finally got "caught". Of the 16 dub tracks on this collection several are apparently those self same rare dub plates that fooled the DJ's and public of yore. But rare tracks or no, all of the tracks here (recorded between 1976 and 1983) are excellent, proving Bovell was indeed on par with the best in Kingston. Part of what inspired Bovell to challenge the Jamaican supremacy was his refusal to be content with merely immitating the rhythms already reworked ad nauseum on both sides of the Atlantic. Making the best of both worlds Bovell was un-fettered by the popular trends of Jamaican music while, in a genre almost predicated on creative borrowing, free to take what he liked from a wide pool of sources; be it Sly Dunbar rhythm tweaked with a calypso flavor, or a Congos era Lee Perry intro and bass line. But by throwing in some rock fuzz guitar, suavely lifting a lick from the Beatles here and there Bovell creates some great dubs that were uniquely his own. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Dominion Dub"
MPEG Stream: "Scientific"
MPEG Stream: "Entebbe"

BOVELL, DENNIS Decibel (Pressure Sounds) 2lp 22.00
Seems we haven't had a super dub collection come our way for a while, so it's nice to have this wee disc pass through our doors. Before Dennis Bovell came to wider recognition through his efforts producing the Slits and the Pop Group, he could have retired and earned himself a veritable lifetime acheivement award for his efforts not only in shaping the sound of UK reggae, but also in putting on the map in a very Jamaican-centric scene. He had a hefty C.V. including: founding member of England's premiere reggae group Matumbi, running his Sufferer HiFi sound system, running a successful record label and his work with Linton Kwesi Johnson for starters. Though always confident that whatever he and his fellow musicians and producers in the UK were doing was just as good as the newest thing out of Kingston, getting his fellow countrymen and expats to reach the same conclusion was not as simple as saying the proof is in the pudding. There's a really great story in Lloyd Bradley's "Bass Culture" (printed in the U.S. with the less exciting "This Is Reggae Music" title) in which Bovell relates how he got people to stop and listen: the good old fashion dub plate. Every good DJ wants to have a kick ass track that their competitors don't, especially if they think it's coming from Jamaica. Knowing this, Bovell began having his group Matumbi cut dub tracks and release them on 7". They even went so far as to buy a "dink" machine to give them that extra bit of authenticity. See, the 7"s that they'd get pressed in the UK all had the small hole in the middle, where as the Jamaican singles all had the big hole in the middle. The "dink" machine lopped out the hole in the middle so that their singles looked just like those from Kingston. Add a rubber stamped evocative label name, "Rama", to the single and there's no telling the difference. Then they just ran them around town to all the shops and sound systems, selling them direct (which only adds to a sense of authenticity in the world of exclusive dub plates). You have to read Bradley's book yourself to find out how they finally got "caught". Of the 16 dub tracks on this collection several are apparently those self same rare dub plates that fooled the DJ's and public of yore. But rare tracks or no, all of the tracks here (recorded between 1976 and 1983) are excellent, proving Bovell was indeed on par with the best in Kingston. Part of what inspired Bovell to challenge the Jamaican supremacy was his refusal to be content with merely immitating the rhythms already reworked ad nauseum on both sides of the Atlantic. Making the best of both worlds Bovell was un-fettered by the popular trends of Jamaican music while, in a genre almost predicated on creative borrowing, free to take what he liked from a wide pool of sources; be it Sly Dunbar rhythm tweaked with a calypso flavor, or a Congos era Lee Perry intro and bass line. But by throwing in some rock fuzz guitar, suavely lifting a lick from the Beatles here and there Bovell creates some great dubs that were uniquely his own. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Dominion Dub"
MPEG Stream: "Scientific"
MPEG Stream: "Entebbe"

BOVINE LIFE Social Electrics (Bip Hop) cd 15.98
Bovine Life presents a weird album of abstract electronica, sounding like the mid-90s clunky techno of As One or David Moufang with plenty of mechanical sequencing sort of like Tackhead, but with the purposefully angularity of Laurie Anderson to guarantee qualifications of this as "conceptual." Bovine Life offers some collaborations with Smyglyssna (Plug Research), renowned turntable experimentalist Janek Schaefer, and a bunch of unknown factors (Nathaniel "Chief" Forrest, Duodecimo, Octorock, M.C. McCough Dog, Kohn, and Yituey).

BOW WOW Charge (Rock Candy) cd 16.98
It may seem like we've been dragging this out, as ALL the first four '70s albums by pioneering Japanese heavy metal popsters Bow Wow were reissued at the same time over a year ago, but we've just been reviewing 'em one at a time every few months it seems. Well that avoids Bow Wow overkill, right? As it happens, a lot of folks already bought all four together from us after we listed the first, but we still figure we should get around to reviewing 'em all individually. 'Cause we totally dig Bow Wow. Ripping, energetic hard rock action, from a young Japanese band that brought together psychedelic proto-metal (with a big Hendrix influence), glammy bubblegum pop elements (The Sweet must have been another inspiration), and a burgeoning heaviness that matched what was starting to happen in England and America, to forge some fun, frenzied boogie-metal with its own quirky charm, that on Charge also definitely expanded into bombastic, balladic power pomp rock territory, as on album-ender "Behind The Mask".
Once again, this disc is supercharged with the guitar heroics of shredder Kyoji Yamamoto, who solos most impressively, wailing away on such tracks as "Must Say 'Adieu'" like he's the Japanese counterpart to Uli Jon Roth of the Scorpions (another big Hendrix fan, and probably himself an influence on Yamamoto too). Melody is another strong aspect here, they even offer up a gentle acoustic ballad in "Fallen Leaves". But don't worry about 'em wimping out, that track is in fact followed by a song simply titled "Heavy"! And it is, in a lumbering yet soaring kind of way.
Charge originally came out in 1977, it was Bow Wow's third album, following the self-titled debut from '76 and Signal Fire from earlier in '77 (both previously reviewed by us). Like the others reissued by Rock Candy, it's been remastered and comes packaged with new liner notes in the cd booklet. Next up: 1978's Super Live...
MPEG Stream: "Jet Jive"
MPEG Stream: "Must Say "Adieu""
MPEG Stream: "Heavy"

BOW WOW s/t (Rock Candy) cd 16.98
If you recall, we highlighted this Japanese Seventies (proto-)metal band's second album, Signal Fire, sometime last fall, and promised more to come. Well it took a while, but here's a review of another remastered, reissue by Bow Wow! This time we're highlighting the band's self-titled debut, from 1976. We'd mentioned that shredding lead guitarist Kyoji Yamamoto was a big Jimi Hendrix fan, and you can hear that here, they even pay Jimi explicit tribute on the nearly ten minute "James In My Casket", part heavy riffing psych-out, part power ballad, and certainly one of this album's standout tracks, sounding almost like something that Far East Family Band or Far Out might have done, earlier in the '70s. Or Deep Purple, definitely. Early Scorpions are likely another inspiration.
There's also a song here called "Foxy Lady", which is NOT the Jimi Hendrix composition, oddly enough! That's one that displays the poppier, almost bubblegum side to the teenaged Bow Wow's initial sound (they weren't really metal yet, more of a rock n' roll rave up meets proto-metal, pop rockin' proposition). But even a lightweight boogie number like that is redeemed by Yamamoto's guitar prowess, and elsewhere they take the boogie to ultra energetic, metallized extremes, with speedy scorchers like "Hearts On Fire" and "Volume On".
Fun stuff, influenced by, besides Hendrix, we'd assume The Sweet! You want wailing vocals and even more wailing guitar? You got it! Yamamoto was on his way to becoming a Japanese Eddie Van Halen, or maybe Eddie was the American Yamamoto...
This has been given the typically enthusiastic Rock Candy reissue treatment (they've even added a rising sun motif to their logo on the spine), with extensive liner notes in the illustrated cd booklet - though we'd take issue with the writer's contention that Bow Wow was innovative, he doesn't give enough credit (any) to the likes of Flower Travellin' Band and Blues Creation as previous Japanese hard rock groups also on par with their Western contemporaries. But then again, maybe those bands never opened for Aerosmith like Bow Wow did.
And for the moment, we also have copies Signal Fire back in stock, as well as the yet to be reviewed Charge and Super Live, those being the other entertaining '70s Bow Wow albums reissued by Rock Candy... who we're hoping will get their hands on some of Bow Wow's '80s output as well.
MPEG Stream: "Hearts On Fire"
MPEG Stream: "James In My Casket "
MPEG Stream: "Theme Of Bow Wow"

BOW WOW Signal Fire (Rock Candy) cd 16.98
Last list we had the Sabbathy Japanese proto-metal reissue from Blues Creation, circa '71. Now, moving a few years further into the Seventies, we present: Bow Wow! Ok, the name might not sound that heavy. But they are.
Much to Andee and Allan's excitement, the UK label Rock Candy has recently reissued the first four albums by '70s Japanese metal band Bow Wow (not to be confused with '80s new wavers Bow Wow Wow, or Bow Wow the rapper). We'd like to review 'em all eventually, but thought we'd start with this one, their 2nd, originally released in 1977. After all, it's got a song on it called "Rainbow Of Sabbath", so you know its gonna be good! Better be! And indeed, they are definitely influenced by Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Scorpions, and other classic contemporaries from the West.
The ten tracks here are packed with uptempo, flashy hard rockers. There's lumbering riffs ("Silver Lightning"), one affecting power ballad ("Still"), and plenty of ripping guitar pyrotechnics from axe hero Kyoji Yamamoto, particularly on the instrumental title track. Some of his solo six string freakouts are positively psychedelic (he was a big Hendrix fan), as are the effects that they use on the drums here! Bow Wow aren't from early enough in the '70s to be proto-metal, of course, but we could call 'em proto-NWOBHM, maybe. Though it's some young American bands of the day that they most remind us of, like Riot, Starz, and Van Halen (both Yamamoto and Eddie Van H. are known for their hammer-on technique).
This album is just bursting with electric energy, and it's not hard to believe what the liner notes here say about it being a big fave of Metallica in their formative days. Those liner notes, by the way, based on a recent interview with Yamamoto himself, are interesting and in depth, typical of Rock Candy's deluxe reissue treatment. Highly recommended rock from the land of the Rising Sun!
Get this, and if there's enough interest then we'd be stoked to also import and review their self-titled debut ('76), Charge ('77), and Super Live ('78), all also awesome.
[Addendum: even months and months after listing this, various different AQ staffers are still slapping it on the store stereo whenever they need to feel a little more "up"!]
MPEG Stream: "Get On Our Train"
MPEG Stream: "Silver Lightning"
MPEG Stream: "Rainbow Of Sabbath"

BOW WOW Super Live (Rock Candy) cd 16.98
If you're a regular reader of the AQ list, by now you know all about Bow Wow, those exuberant Japanese heavy metal rock 'n' rollers. Part poppy bubblegum boogie glam, part classic '70s hard rockin' (a la Rainbow, Sabbath, Scorpions, Aerosmith), part heavy Hendrix-inspired psych... and most of all, young, energetic, and talented; their newfangled metallisms corresponding to Western contemporaries Van Halen in foreshadowing the '80s metal explosion.
Previously, over the past year or so, we've reviewed three of the four '70s Bow Wow reissues done by the UK's Rock Candy label: 1976's self-titled debut, 1977's Signal Fire, and Charge, also from '77. Now at last we wrap up this Bow Wow series with number four, Super Live from 1978. As the title implies, it's a live album. And let's just say, Bow Wow were indeed a super live band, pulling out all the stops here in front of a rabid, screaming Japanese audience ("the cheering of the young girls you hear brings back very fond memories," Bow Wow's guitar whiz Kyoji Yamamoto is quoted as saying in the cd booklet). There's 10 tracks here, featuring mostly but not entirely songs from their studio efforts up to that point, good rockin' picks like "Jet Jive" and "Get On Our Train", often embellished upon and expanded a bit in the live context. Yes, there's a drum solo (about halfway through the lengthy wailin' instrumental "Explosion"). And for their big finale, they do a raucous cover of "Summertime Blues"!
We reviewed this last because it's chronologically the last of the reissues, also 'cause we figured folks would want the studio albums first... but, on the other hand, if you haven't yet picked up any of the Bow Wow reissues and wanted just ONE to get into the Bow Wow experience, this would be a good choice for sure, kind of a greatest hits that also highlights this band's forte, that being the sheer energy and excitement of 'em performance-wise, which is quite commanding.
Once again, a nicely done reissue, remastered, with detailed, illustrated liner notes in the cd booklet.
Here's hoping that Rock Candy will next get the rights to reissue some of Bow Wow's best stuff from the '80s, like Asian Volcano and Warning From Stardust...
MPEG Stream: "Heart's On Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Explosion"
MPEG Stream: "Get On Our Train"

BOWERBIRDS Hymns For A Dark Horse (Burly Time) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Hooves"
MPEG Stream: "In Our Talons"
MPEG Stream: "Human Hands"

BOWERBIRDS Upper Air (Dead Oceans) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "House Of Diamonds"
MPEG Stream: "Teeth"
MPEG Stream: "Silver Clouds"

BOWERBIRDS Upper Air (Dead Oceans) lp 17.98

MPEG Stream: "House Of Diamonds"
MPEG Stream: "Teeth"
MPEG Stream: "Silver Clouds"

BOWERY ELECTRIC (Happy Go Lucky) 12" 7.98
2 new songs, one is drum'n'bass and one features scratchy electro sounds. Pretty cool, and definitely a step forward for this New York formerly-strictly-space-rock-ambient group.

BOWERY ELECTRIC Beat (Kranky) cd 13.98
Fuzzy layers of Kranky-style moodiness with the addition of beats, hence the title. According to the band, the lp (as well as cd) will be issued by Beggar's Banquet early next year.

BOWERY ELECTRIC Bowery Electric (Kranky) cd 14.98
For fans of Jessamine, Bardo Pond, Flying Saucer Attack.

BOWERY ELECTRIC Lushlife (Beggar's Banquet) cd 14.98
The two previous albums by Bowery Electric were amazing extensions of My Bloody Valentine's blurry glide guitar sound fused with an interest in bleak electronica hypnosis. Yet "Lushlife" marks a huge and somewhat baffling leap in direction for Bowery Electric into the more commercially viable trip hop realm, with minor chord strings, smoky Portishead atmospheres, and downtempo breaks. I don't suppose the desire for dollars had something to do with this transformation?