CHALK, ANDREW Violin By Night (Faraway Press) lp 45.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yeah. It's $45.00. But when you see the stunning packaging, you'll understand why. There's the outersleeve hand-wrapped in bookbinders cloth with a hand-printed reproduction of a Bosch-like etching of wolverines or badgers engaged in cocktail party conversation, and printed text all in Japanese. At the opening of the outer sleeve, you will notice a thick wooden dowel mounted to a thick piece of paper. This assembly houses the innersleeve which in turn houses the very thick vinyl. It's quite a feat of engineering that Mr. Chalk manufactured all of this in his cottage in the north of England. It should also not be a surprise that this album is ridiculously limited, and the production of which has been hampered by the amount of time each object takes to fabricate. So know now that we will probably not be able to get any more copies of this stunning objet d'art, which was released in an edition of just 350 copies.
Then, there's the music, which is equally sublime. The work of Andrew Chalk has become synonymous with the drone supreme, but one that shifts from the tonal aggression that Tony Conrad and LaMonte Young would conjure, and toward something impressionistic and melancholy. As Chalk developed his craft on long-form masterpieces like East Of The Sun and Sumac (in collaboration with Jonathan Coleclough), he began to explore the nuances of melody through a rainy-day kaleidoscope of repetition. At the same time, Chalk has been mastering techniques of source abstraction which are entirely his own, creating haunted smears that are curiously inviting, reminiscent of the tape-loop effects that Basinski would generate, but with less reverb and delay. On such recent work as Ghost Of Nakhodka and The Cable House, Chalk's immaculate drones have been compacted into Eno-like miniatures of mirage, shadow, and filigree, all leading to the quiet, impressionist beauty of Violin By Night. The album might be sourced from piano, guitar, field recordings, and / or synths, but with Chalk's ability to twist any sound into his particular shades of grey, a discussion of origin is irrelevant. Each of the tracks on Violin By Night fade in and out of darkness like communications from a lonely satellite, whose existence is spent transmitting mundane blips down to earth with nothing being sent back in return. As the passing orbits cross the night sky, the transmissions come into focus revealing their muffled melodies only to dissolve as the satellite ventures into more desolate territories, such as the vast tundra of Siberia or some nameless island near Antarctica. There is a wonderful poetry hidden within these flickering tones and dissolving melodies that yearns for human contact and cast with maudlin hues when that contact is lost. Worth every penny and then some.

CHALK, ANDREW & CHRISTOPH HEEMANN The Mirror Of The Sea (Robot) lp 33.00
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Andrew Chalk and Christoph Heemann have been collaborating extensively as Mirror over the past year, so it seems odd that the two of them have suddenly decided to release an album under their given names. It would make sense if they deviated from their work as Mirror. The source material for this album, bowed bells, gongs, and distant guitar drones, differs, and while the overall beauty and concept reveal a definite Mirror-like desire to capture an elusive spirutual voice through the resonance of drones. Extended organ chords, gentle creaking of an old wooden floors, and long reverberations of breathy flutes make for a more baroque tonal quality than the typicalChalk / Heemann sound. "The Mirror Of The Sea" is a beautiful picture disc with drawings by Andrew Chalk on each side. Of course, it's recommended.

CHALK, ANDREW & DAISUKE SUZUKI In Faxfleet Clouds Uplifted Autumn Gave Passage To Kind Nature (Faraway Press) cd 17.98
Andrew Chalk released In Faxfleet Clouds in 2009 as a tiny edition of vinyl, something like 300 copies. We were not fortunate enough to get a hold of any of those lps; but we do have the cd to offer. It's another collaboration with Daisuke Suzuki, who has long contributed field recordings and sympathetic tones to many of Chalk's productions, dating way back to those legendary Ora recordings some twenty years ago. The album opens with a 13 minute piece that interlocks a series of brightened tones which emit the pastoral, summery glow of Cluster's cosmic synthesis, lifting above a sodden floor of recordings that sound like a bubbling stream or maybe a delicate clattering of wooden objects. Chalk has always had an exceptional way of abstracting his sources while retaining a 'natural' aura to those sounds, and those skills may certainly be in use on the undercurrent of softened noises. But those rounded, elegant, church-organ like tones that Chalk manages from whatever synth he's got a hold of are just simply gorgeous. All of these tones hang with the signature melancholy that resonates through so many of his recordings. The second piece is a bit more nocturnal in hue, due in part to the field recordings of crickets and the minor key ambience from synth and very distantly situated piano. A brief three minute track stands as the finale, with distinctly cosmic tones, gently strummed guitar, and impressionist piano. At a hair under 25 minutes, this is a rather short excursion for Chalk, but very very lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Queen Of Heaven"
MPEG Stream: "Of Beauty Reminiscing"

CHALK, ANDREW & DAISUKE SUZUKI The Days After (Faraway Press) cd 24.00
Chalk and Daisuke Suzuki have known each other for many years now, as Suzuki runs the Siren label out of Japan and had released Sumac, Chalk's masterful collaboration with Jonathan Coleclough. Suzuki is also responsible for one of the very few published interviews with the somewhat reclusive Chalk. Their friendship certainly runs deep, and out of this friendship came the impetus to collaborate once again (both Suzuki and Chalk had contributed to the now defunct Ora project well over a decade ago).
Slippery drones open the album, declaring that Andrew Chalk is definitely the principal author of this album, and mimicking many of the fog-enveloped sounds that Chalk brought to Mirror's Eye Of The Storm. While these sounds quiver like a distant mirage out on the open desert for a passage of time that could be 5 minutes or could be 25, the long-string drones begin to separate into a series of alien plucks which bear more than a passing resemblance to the expressionist poetics of Keiji Haino at his most introspective. Echoes and vibrations of these plucks ripple underneath in the shadowy reflection pool of echo and shimmer. As the album progresses, the enveloping opiated drone wrapping around cold, cold, cold field recordings of arctic winds racing across a seashore becomes the centerpiece, reflecting just how good Andrew Chalk's sounds are. Lo and behold, it's another excellent Andrew Chalk record.
MPEG Stream: "Kasuri"
MPEG Stream: "Flaxen"

CHAMBERS BROTHERS The Time Has Come (Columbia) cd 6.98
Classic 1967 album from the Chamber Brothers. Here their classic soul shows slight influences from the rock and psychedelic scenes that were blooming all around them. Great stuff!
MPEG Stream: "All Strung Out Over You"
MPEG Stream: "Time Has Come Today"
MPEG Stream: "So Tired"

CHAMELLOWS Rat Hearts (Fonal) cd 17.98
Our favorite Finnish label and perhaps one of our favorite labels anywhere on the globe go into the vaults for this one and we're so happy they did. Chamellows (aka Sleeping Bags) is the scrappy, playful, naive pop side of Lau Nau (Laura Naukkarinen, whose Locust release from a few years back was a big AQ favorite!) and visual artist Mikko Kuorinki. Pulled from various limited edition 7"s and cassette only releases these are recordings that date back as far as a decade ago. This is sweet and demented lo-fi pop with lively experimentation and an answering machine quality recording that suits these songs so perfectly. Had us thinking of what Ariel Pink might sound like if he were from Finland. Or The Shaggs and Daniel Johnston brought into a vacant house in the middle of Finland with some ragtag equipment and some yummy psychedelics on the tip of their tongues. So warped and wonderful!
MPEG Stream: "Universal Goodwill"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Walking"

CHAMPALE Simple Days (Pitch-a-tent) cd 14.98
From NYC, mellow indie-pop that references the likes of Big Star and the Pernice Brothers. Sweet (but not sugary) stuff with twinkling vibes and wistful male vocals. Lilting and gentle. It made me think "a modern-day Bread" which is a-ok. Oh yes, and if you liked the "Yellow" song by Coldplay... this might be right up your alley, 'cause Champale show moments of grandiose pop tunesmith possibilities. Check out the opening track "Hard To Be Easy". Nice.
RealAudio clip: "Hard to Be Easy"
RealAudio clip: "See You Around"
RealAudio clip: "Special Guest Star"

CHAMPS, THE III (Frenetic) cd 11.98
San Francisco's Champs (or C4AM95 as they prefer to be called for silly legal reasons) are an amazing two guitars and drums no bass, sometimes three guitars no drums, very rarely any vocals, trio that on this their debut album crank out over seventy minutes of catchy, complex, mostly instrumental metal in indie/math-rock clothing. Kind of like the indie-prog of Don Caballero or Breadwinner, with touches of Trans Am (the bombast and occasional "techno electronica" interlude) ...and healthy helpings of Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Metallica, Carcass, Motley Crue, Priest, etc. I could go on. Mesmerizing live, they're on tour now but will be back soon so I hope y'all went to their shows. For what it's worth, there's a former member of Nation of Ulysses in their ranks. Rec-o-f'n-mended.

CHAMPS, THE / THE TIGHT BROS. FROM WAY BACK WHEN (Ace-Fu) split 7" 4.50
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CHAN, JEFF Winds Shifting (Asian Improv Records) cd 14.98
Trio led by tenor saxophonist Chan, with Trevor Dunn (of Mr. Bungle we must note) and Elliot Humberto Kavee. Great jazz.

CHANCE, JAMES Irresistible Impulse (Tiger Style) 4cd 42.00
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A very timely release in light of the last few years' acute rash of no-wave revivalism. Actually it would've been good to see it even sooner! This box set arrives to shine a spotlight on one of the major players in the NYC no-wave scene back in the late '70s and early '80s. The man in question? James Chance (aka James White). The four cds compile his rare, out of print and unreleased skronky sax-laden white boy funk/jazz/rock tracks along with his four albums including the awesome, rare Buy. Actually, four discs is really quite a bit of Mr. Chance - sure to thrill his most ardent of fans! But for the rest of us, perhaps a more welcome and more wallet-friendly release would've simply been that of the aforementioned album. Ask yourself, can you afford to contort yourself this time?

CHANCE, JAMES & THE CONTORTIONS Buy The Contortions (Ze) cd 16.98
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A genre-defining album finally receives its deserved reissue (along with a bunch of other James Chance / James White releases yet to be reviewed here). The genre? New York No Wave! Fingers crossed that it stays in print! Buy is well worth... uh, buying for the one song "Contort Yourself". Totally unbridled angular art jazz skronk sax no wave madness! Soooo good! If you have purchased anything current (i.e, last five years - on Troubleman Unlimited, etc) that falls under the banner 'no wave', buy this immediately and find out that 'no wave' was invented, defined and has yet to be bettered by anyone using the James Chance formula found on Buy The Contortions.
MPEG Stream: "Design To Kill"
MPEG Stream: "Contort Yourself"

CHANCE, JAMES & THE CONTORTIONS Live Aux Bains Douches - Paris 1980 (Ze) cd 16.98
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A couple of lists ago we raged about the recent reissuing of the Contortions' awesome BUY album. Well NYC No Wave fanatics, if that got you itchin' for more of Chance & co., you might wanna nab this live album that was reissued at the same time.
The recording effectively captured the insistent energy of the band as they whipped the audience into a frenzy at Bains Douches, Paris, France back on May 13, 1980. Opening with a speedy cover of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", this live show breaks down into super loose acid sax jams, then more covers, a pause, more jams. The musicianship is constantly on the brink of falling apart but wildly energized and in the moment. The performance comes together for a finale of "Contort Yourself" leaving the crowd in a wild fervor. Highly recommended for all Chance and Contortions fans.
MPEG Stream: "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough"
MPEG Stream: "Contort Yourself"

CHANCE, JAMES AND THE CONTORTIONS Soul Exorcism Redux (Roir) cd 14.98
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CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO Rio Arriba (ZZK) cd 16.98
When we first heard Chancha Via Circuito's debut a few years back, it was one of the those magical moments when a record by an unknown artist seemed to stop time and everything around us as we became completely emerged in their dubbed out, Latin American cumbia-inspired sounds.
With the follow up, Chancha Via Circuito prove that record number one was no fluke, as this album melts and sizzles with its own seductive flair. Sonically it's like some awesome mix of Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, Fauna, Kit Clayton, Massive Attack, Prince Far I, and Rainbow Arabia.
Mixing elements of cumbia, minimal techno, dub, and adding strains of traditional folk from the sprawling roads they've traveled near their home outside Buenos Aires, which has taken them across the border to Bolivia and beyond. Like one of our other favorite modern South American psychedelic music makers Las Malas Amistades, Chancha Via Circuito have this amazing ability to incorporate their surroundings and heritage and bring it into the future without compromising its integrity.
MPEG Stream: "Rio Arriba"
MPEG Stream: "JosŽ Larralde - Quimey NeuquŽn (Chancha Via Circuito remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Amelia"

CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO Rio Arriba (ZZK) 2lp 16.98
When we first heard Chancha Via Circuito's debut a few years back, it was one of the those magical moments when a record by an unknown artist seemed to stop time and everything around us as we became completely emerged in their dubbed out, Latin American cumbia-inspired sounds.
With the follow up, Chancha Via Circuito prove that record number one was no fluke, as this album melts and sizzles with its own seductive flair. Sonically it's like some awesome mix of Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, Fauna, Kit Clayton, Massive Attack, Prince Far I, and Rainbow Arabia.
Mixing elements of cumbia, minimal techno, dub, and adding strains of traditional folk from the sprawling roads they've traveled near their home outside Buenos Aires, which has taken them across the border to Bolivia and beyond. Like one of our other favorite modern South American psychedelic music makers Las Malas Amistades, Chancha Via Circuito have this amazing ability to incorporate their surroundings and heritage and bring it into the future without compromising its integrity.
MPEG Stream: "Rio Arriba"
MPEG Stream: "JosŽ Larralde - Quimey NeuquŽn (Chancha Via Circuito remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Amelia"

CHANCHA VIA CIRCUITO Rodante (ZZK) cd 16.98
Chancha Via Circuito is not only the train that Pedro Canale rides back and forth from his hometown to nearby Buenos Aires, it's also the name he's chosen for his dubbed out, free flowing, and more nuanced and minimal approach to "Cumbia digital." We've been entranced with this record since the very first time we heard it, as it's equal parts soothing and moving, slow burning and dance inducing. We're reminded a lot of the great Mad Professor vs. Massive Attack outing No Protection, as it has that same blend of cut and paste dub, along with more recent blasts from that Cumbia scene. In fact it wouldn't surprise us if Gang Gang Dance had gotten a copy of this before they recorded their latest record as it has that same kind of tripped out and late night dance vibe they latched on to. This is exactly what you would want blasting from the speakers in a club as you waited for M.I.A. to take the stage, or in your ears as you roam late night streets, moving at ease as these seductive beats intertwine perfectly with the flashing lights of the cars zooming by.
MPEG Stream: "Damas Gratis Dub"
MPEG Stream: "Aldo Benitez- Dia Libre (Chancha Via Circuito Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Zorzal (Ft. Sol De Oliveira)"

CHANGELING Primeval Breath (Twonicorn) cassette 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Changeling are another band we've been wanting to hear more from, having so far only gotten our ears on half a tape from these guys, a tape they shared with AQ faves Quetzolcoatl, which should give you some idea of where they're coming from sonically. Where as Quetzolcoatl (and Q-offshoot Bonecloud) tend to explore vast dronescapes a la Taj Mahal Travellers, Changeling seem to exist in some alternate universe where time functions differently, where everything is slowed down, lazy lugubrious low end sonic sprawls, where melodies take minutes to unfurl not seconds, and vocals are more indistinct blurs, or haunting moaning drones, it's almost like Changeling are the avant garde underground cd-r DJ Screw, taking gorgeous tranquil freefolk and shimmery soft soundscapes, and slowing them waaaaaaay dooooooooown, sometimes adding effects, reversing some sounds, a warped sonic funhouse mirror, everything warbly and subtly twisted, a dark, sprawling musical crawl, everything oozing and drifting glacially, tones turned inside out, overtones allowed to ring out forever, a dreamy and divine world of soft slow motion ambience.
As with all Twonicorn, gorgeously packaged, pro printed tapes, textured paper sleeves, and of course super limited, ONLY 100 COPIES!! Each tape hand numbered.

CHANNEL ONE Maxfield Avenue Breakdown: Dubs & Instrumentals (Pressure Sounds) cd 16.98
Compilation of version sides recorded by Ernest & Jo Jo Hookim at their Channel One studio during its heyday (between 1974-79). Though not always known necessarily for the innovation in their own productions (an incredible exception here being the Natty A General version which features an insane solo of car horns), they were sought out by producers all over Jamaica due to their excellent (though modest) recording gear and their golden ears, and their sound was unmistakable. Though technically a compilation, Pressure Sounds has intentionally presented the album as though Channel One were the artist (which makes sense when you consider that once the vocals have been lifted and the song reworked completely, save for the rhythm track), that being the Hookim Brothers and whatever their studio band might have consisted of at the time. Some quite familiar names can be found laying the tracks here, including Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Ossie Hibbert, Tommy McCook and more.

CHANTELLS & FRIENDS Children of Jah: 1977-79 (Blood & Fire) cd 16.98

CHANTIGS Four Hats (Rodent) cd 11.98

CHANTS R&B Live 66: The Stage Door Tapes (Action) cd 16.98
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We became huge fans of this heavy garage group from Christchurch, New Zealand after we got the reissue of their only proper album a little while back. Think a heavy, fuzzy, more primitive Monks, with more groove and less edge. This is a live recording from 1966, recorded on a shitty old tape recorder! The sound is rough and raw and a little spotty, but the energy is right on.
RealAudio clip: "Train Time"
RealAudio clip: "When I Found Out"

CHANTS R&B Stage Door Witchdoctors (Dionysus) cd 12.98
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Re-issue of the output of this heavy garage group from Christchurch, New Zealand. The tracks on this cd were taken from recordings made between 1964 and 1966. Quite a nice, primitive sound -- like the Monks with more groove and less edge, and a bit more heavy fuzz.

CHAO, MANU Clandestino (Virgin) cd 16.98
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The debut album from the former lead vocalist of the awesome, electrifying French group Mano Negra! A wonderfully refreshing and uplifting cornucopia of styles.

CHAO, MANU Esperanza (Virgin) cd 16.98
Manu Chao, former leader of the French band Mano Negra, was born in France of Spanish parents, and in recent years has spent much of his musical career in South and Central America. And as you would expect, his music is a similar stew of sounds, all of which have been simmered together so long that he's emerged with a sound all his own. This, his second solo album, is super sunny-afternoon music which will pick you up instantly and fling you around the room dancing wildly. The music's foundation is in rock, overlayed with the surrealistic silliness of another AQ fave band Os Mutantes. Yep, it's that good. You hear a psychedelic pastiche of horns and rocksteady swing, samples of people chattering, bells and buzzes, Latin rhythms and vocals in Spanish, girl backup singers, addictively catchy singsong melodies. And *no* obligatory "see how modern and stylish I am" electronic beats to mess with the integrity of the music. This is one of the sunniest, funniest, happiest, most musically adroit, most musically schizo albums released so far in 2001. It was really difficult to choose which tracks to make into soundclips, as they are all good. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Merry Blues"
RealAudio clip: "Me Gustas Tu"
RealAudio clip: "Denia"
RealAudio clip: "Mr Bobby"
RealAudio clip: "Papito"

CHAO, MANU La Radiolina (Nacional) cd 16.98
Good things come to those who wait... and wait... and wait! Manu Chao fans, your patience has been rewarded with the release of Chao's first studio album in six years! Not surprisingly, La Radiolina is wonderful, a hyper kinetic album brimming with his trademark fiery spirited fusion of styles. So irresistible, even the biggest stick in the mud will find his or her body moving involuntarily to Chao's music. La Radiolina is a busy, crowded affair whose heart pounds to a variety of impassioned Latin American rhythms. Caught in this fevered embrace are layer upon layer of electric guitars, horns, flamenco guitars, keyboards and exuberant vocals sung mostly in Spanish with a little Portuguese, French, Italian and English too. 21 tracks ranging in length from a 68 second shot of adrenaline to just over four minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Tristeza Maleza"
MPEG Stream: "Otro Mundo"

CHAO, MANU Radio Bemba Sound System (Virgin) cd 16.98
Manu Chao (formerly of French band Mano Negra) releases a lengthy live album which is even more upbeat than his albums proper, if you can believe that. And if his albums are the perfect party soundtrack, then this live record *is* a party in an of itself. I can see the lighters waving julbilantly in the stadium right now. The music's foundation is in rock, overlayed with the surrealistic silliness of another AQ fave band Os Mutantes. Yep, it's that good. You hear a psychedelic pastiche of horns and rocksteady swing, samples of people chattering, bells and buzzes, Latin rhythms, dub, hip hop, vocals in Spanish, girl backup singers, addictively catchy singsong melodies. *Super* celebratory. If you don't already have his previous albums Clandestino and Esperanza, get those first.
RealAudio clip: "Blood and Fire"
RealAudio clip: "Minha Galera"
RealAudio clip: "Radio Bemba"

CHAOS A.D. Buzz Caner (Rephlex) 3lp 22.00
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Tom Jenkinson/The Squarepusher's new project Chaos A.D. goes back to the roots of techno, bringing along some digital hardcore as a tour guide.

CHAOS DEI Arising From Chaos (Total Rust) cd 12.98
While Israeli label Total Rust may specialize in all things slow and sludgey, doomy and dirgey (see reviews of Tort and Lurk elsewhere on this week's list), they have been known to dabble in sounds buzzier and blacker as well. Which was most definitely the case with French black metal horde Hyadningar, whose The Weak Creation was a big favorite around here, which at the time we described as "a serious storm of grim, technical, melodic black metal, a strange mix of Deathspell-ish complexity, epic soaring melodicism, dour depressive miserablism, and even a hint of Viking metal here and there." And the reason we mention that, is the fact that Chaos Dei, is a new project featuring both the drummer and the guitar player of Hyadningar, and while it might not be as all over the place, Chaos Dei's Arising From Chaos, is a super varied, and super ruling chunk of grim noisy blackness. And not noisy in the sense of noise music, but more noise ROCK, the band seeming to have infused their black buzz with some classic noise rock tropes, whether it's the more mathy arrangements, or the vocals, which sound less black metal shriek and more noise rock yowl, the music too, slip easily from blazing buzzing fury, to mathy chugging churn, as well as some almost post rock sounding melodic stretches. The production too is strange, brittle and bright, which gives the music a distinctly different vibe than a lot of black metal, but when these guys do get all grim and spit out a blast of blurred blackness, it's fierce as fuck, and seriously black and brutal. C'mon, they're French, you know how we feel about French BM, and odds are you do too. So imagine that French blackness with some noise rock influence, and a distinctly twisted sense of melody and arrangement, and you'll get an idea of what's going on here. The sound is raw and furious, but at the same time atmospheric and experimental, it's grim and troo enough for the least discerning black metalhead, but fucked up and original and just twisted enough for the rest of us who are after something weirder, hell they even dedicate a RIFF from one of their songs to Simon Boswell for his soundtrack to Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre!
MPEG Stream: "Deepless"
MPEG Stream: "Saint Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Metallic Heat"

CHAOS MOON Languor Into Echoes, Beyond (Ars Magna Recordings) cd 11.98
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From the grim frosty twilight of Tennessee, comes this amazing disc from Chaos Moon, a mysterious duo whose black metal, on first listen at least, is a thick smear of classic Norwegian buzz, but on closer listening reveals all sorts of stuff going on, a whole 'nother dark soundworld, where traditional black metal is spread out into expansive soundscapes and infused with all manner of distinctly non-black elements, resulting in a sound that is super unique while remaining troo and grim.
After reviewing so many black metal records, and sure this is probably true of any genre, but especially with black metal which has such a predescribed core sound, it gets tougher and tougher to describe the sound no matter how original it is. We often find ourselves wishing for a black metal thesaurus. A customer once emailed us to let us know that in one review we used the word 'buzz' 20 or 30 times. But what can you do, when a music's main element is the buzz, and it's how a band creates and shapes that buzz that makes it special.
So Chaos Moon, who are also obviously masters of the buzz, and this, their second disc is rife with buzz, furious washed out dense slabs of grinding guitarfuzz, shaped into alien insectoid riffs, and spread over thrashing blast beats, and some of the most awesomely anguished vocals we've heard in ages. So yeah, that would be enough for us to dig this disc, proclaim it worth owning, and give it repeated listens. But thankfully it's a lot more than that.
The core sound of black metal, that buzzing blast, is just such a perfect sound, we sometime wish a band would surface that just played one riff, with the drums locked into a looped blast beat, and remained that way, static for the length of a disc, of two discs, ten discs!! So when we talk about black metal and buzz, we're biased cuz we just love that sound, but some records truly do take that buzz and reimagine it, reinvent it. And those are the records that stand out. And while parts of this record are pure old school black metal buzz, the rest of the record, blossoms into something totally new and amazing, using that buzz as it's anchor.
The opening track is furious and fast, like older Satyricon, super dense and complex, spread out to fill up a whole disc we'd be sold big time, but even here, the songs is laced through with dense gnarled tangles of melody, and weird almost post rock sounding breakdowns, long tripped out dronescapes, seasick melodies, and some subtle but serious hooks.
But it's about halfway through where Chaos Moon transform into something entirely new, thick glistening smears of synth spread out into gauzy dreamscapes, drifting and shimmering, a constant fuzzy backdrop to the buzz and blackness above, often threatening to subsume the metal component entirely, and the two distinct melodies, engaged in some complex harmony, the rapidfire jagged guitar lines and the smooth flowing synths, somehow blending into some impossible dreamy buzzy swirl, separated by long stretches of hushed muted murmur, and barely there soft focus drones, even some cool, Godspeed like post rock interludes, the guitars a clean jangle, strings soaring, the drums loping amidst this epic sonic swoon. Even the pure black tracks are swathed in thick layers of high end synthesizer whir, and washed out whirls of minor key melody, turning what might have been just some moody melancholy black metal into glorious, super dramatic, emotional black metal epics, like Godspeed and Sigur Ros backing up Leviathan, or Immortal scoring a Coen Brothers film, or an alternate black metal score to some super intense harrowing tragedy, just gorgeous chunks of complex, cinematic black metal post rock majesty.
MPEG Stream: "De Mortalitate"
MPEG Stream: "Abstract Tongues"
MPEG Stream: "Countless Reverie In Mare"

CHAOS MOON Origin Of Apparition (Wraith Productions) cd 11.98
You can probably tell we've been doing some spring (summer?) cleaning, as we've been digging up some killer blackened artifacts that somehow managed to slip through the cracks and remain hidden for far too long. One of those artifacts is this, Origin Of Apparition, one of two albums from 2007 by Southern black metal horde Chaos Moon (which sort of sounds like the name of Sailor Moon's arch enemy), and it's a glorious slab of blown out buzz drenched USBM, a one man band who whips up thick walls of crumbling distortion assembled from anguished tortured wails, angular riffing, minor key melodies, and some blown out frenzied drum programming, the sound often slipping into some woozy depressive doominess, rife with swirling synths, all very haunting and dramatic, eerie and esoteric, the slow parts will definitely have you thinking of Xasthur, while other moments offer nods to the maniacal blackness of Silencer and the blissed out buzz of Velvet Cacoon. Really good stuff, fans of grim bedroom blackness and darkly depressive black buzz will dig big time. LAST COPIES!!!
MPEG Stream: "Illusions Of Dusk And Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Aether Aurora"
MPEG Stream: "Tenebrific"

CHAPPAQUIDDICK SKYLINE s/t (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
The new project from Joe Pernice is just as pretty as you'd expect from the former frontman of both Scud Mountain Boys and the Pernice Brothers. With ample doses of Leonard Cohen, Joe Jackson, and Elvis Costello, this is more 'orchestrated' than any of Pernice's previous work, with warm strings adding fullness to the sound. Also features a delicate New Order cover: "Leave Me Alone".

CHAPPELLE, DAVE Chapelle's Show - Season 2 (Comedy Central) dvd 35.00
What can you say about Dave Chapelle? Other than he is one funny motherfucker. Funny AND offensive, taking on sex and race and everything else that gets people all riled up! But in a way few can actually pull off. Season one of the Chapelle Show was maybe one of the funniest things we'd seen since Mr. Show, and those of us without cable have been dying for season two. We've only watched the first episode so far, but if the rest of season two is even half as funny we'll be spitting milk through our noses for weeks. Highlights of the first episode include the racial draft (we won't give away all the results but the Jews pick Lenny Kravitz!), Samuel M. Jackson beer, and how things look cooler in slow motion. The rest of the season includes the now infamous Rick James bits and LOTS more. Looked like season three was a wash with Chapelle going nuts and heading off to South Africa for some mental health care and relaxation, but it has recently come to light that maybe that was all a big 'ol joke on us and we can actually look forward to more Chapelle!
Wu Tang Financial! Diversify bitch!

CHAPPELLE. DAVE Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes [Uncensored] (Paramount) dvd 25.00
What can we say? We don't know a single person who wasn't devastated when Chappelle ditched his show and took off. And we also don't know a single person who has not been chomping at the bit for these lost episodes, the bits and pieces Chappelle filmed before freaking out. Meant to be parts of a third season, Chappelle's partner decided that it would be a damn shame if no one got to see these skits and he's right. So here you go. A handful of episodes, quite probably the last we'll ever see of Chappelle's Show. The only really good thing to come out of this, is that the new episodes are hosted by Charlie Murphy, who, if you've seen the first two seasons, pretty much gives Chappelle a run for his money EVERY time he's on screen. SO RECOMMENDED.

CHAPTER 24 EP (self-released) cd-r 4.98
We were floored when we first heard this four song ep that was dropped off by the band a little while ago. We just assumed they were from San Francisco and we were so stoked to have a new favorite band in town, but we kept looking for flyers with their name on it to go see them live, and kept asking local folks if they knew who they were. Well, we were off by a few thousand miles, as Chapter 24 actually reside in the UK and just happened to drop us a copy on a visit to the states. Luckily we tracked them down and got enough copies of this to list and damn if it's not some of the most urgent, intense, and melodic post-punk that we've heard in a long time. Think of Erase Errata, Wild Flag, Wire, and The Slits, all full of youthful energy and wide eyed possibility and you get close to the kind of terrain Chapter 24 so wonderfully explore. This immediately has us jumping up and down with fists in the air with sweat dripping down our bodies (not at work though of course!).Ê
Grab one of these fast as once this first batch sells out we won't be able to get more until mid-November when Chapter 24 make their way back to the States and San Francisco.
MPEG Stream: "You Said"
MPEG Stream: "Love"

CHAPTERHOUSE Blood Music (Cherry Red) cd 17.98
It wasn't long ago that Cherry Red Records rescued Reading's shoegazing Chapterhouse from near obscurity by reissuing their first album. Now, they've gone and done it again with the band's markedly different sophomore effort Blood Music. Where as Whirlpool was a hybrid decidedly indebted to Spacemen 3 and bands like the Seeds, this album sees them learning and progressing, updating their sound, and moving into their own distinct sound. If the Cardigans had a male singer and made a record in the wake of the Stone Roses, this might be it. Basically, the first record was proto-shoegaze, and this, the second record, adopted some more distinctly pop leanings. If you missed out on them in the past, or you lost your original copy, you need this beautiful slab of '90s British catchiness in your life! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Mesmerise"
MPEG Stream: "Forst"

CHAPTERHOUSE Whirlpool (Cherry Red) cd 16.98
Long overdue reissue of this shoegaze classic. Out of all the bands dubbed shoegazers in the UK in the late eighties, Stone Roses, Primal Scream, Ride, Slowdive, Swervedriver and especially My Bloody Valentine, for some reason, Chapterhouse never really received their due. Sure they sold some records, had a few hit singles, but no one spoke about Chapterhouse with the same hushed reverence as they did when name dropping Slowdive or My Bloody Valentine. Every single band since the nineties, with even the slightest hint of noisiness or spaciness never hesitates to reference MBV as a huge influence, but now that we're finally getting a chance to listen to Whirlpool again, it definitely reminds us how fucking great Chapterhouse were, and what a unique take they had on the whole spaced out bliss out shoegaze thing. Swervedriver may have been the heaviest, My Bloody Valentine the wildest, but Chapterhouse managed to be the most interesting, dipping their toes into both Stone Roses-y dance tracks, and blown out druggy psychedelia a la Swervedriver or MBV. In each instance the band made the sound their own.
The heavier tracks here, "Breather", "Treasure", "Guilt" are packed with dense squalls of heavily affected guitars, big swirls of droney ambience, all of the elements that defined the shoegazers, but Chapterhouse were much more subtle, the result sounding much more druggy and droney like Spacemen 3 (their sonic inspirations) than freaked out and wild like MBV. And when they chose to, like on "Pearl" or "Falling Down" they could whip up an ultra danceable groove, albeit still swathed in a good amount of guitar fuzz and blissy psychedelia. Either way, Chapterhouse at their core, were a pop band, and at the heart of each song was a pop song, a catchy hook, that would either get buried in a thick wash of blissy fuzz, or draped over some sort of funky groove. Either way, we love it!
This reissue includes the Whirlpool album, the Freefall ep, the Sunburst ep and the Pearl ep. Huge booklet with liner notes, band interviews, photos, original album and ep artwork and all of the lyrics printed for the first time!
MPEG Stream: "Breather"
MPEG Stream: "Pearl"
MPEG Stream: "Autosleeper"

CHARALAMBIDES A Vintage Burden (Kranky) cd 14.98

CHARALAMBIDES Ana / Kata - Lactamase Vol. 9 (Beta-Lactam Ring) 10" 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's a very limited (to 500 copies) 10" from Texas trio Charalambides, whose delicate, ghostly guitar and voice meanderings get more and more so with each release. On Ana/Kata we hear long spaces of woozy guitars weaving in and over and between themselves, then ethereal female voices quietly add themselves to the proceedings... and the queasiness factor triples. Quietly squealing guitar adds to the haunted house effect. A fractured blissout record for the very experimental-lovin' readers of our list, the type who usually confine themselves to static, glitch, and noise.
RealAudio clip: "Kata"
RealAudio clip: "Ana"

CHARALAMBIDES Being As Is (Crucial Blast) cd-r 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Our friend Adam who runs the super cool Crucial Blast label, has, for over 6 years now, been quietly (and not so quietly) putting out some of the coolest shit around. From crusty Finnish metal to droning electronica to sparse folk to brutal power electronics. This new series of cd-r's, limited to 100 copies and nicely packaged in oversized DVD cases will only be available via Aquarius records (unless you get them directly from Crucial Blast). So don't blow it...
AQ faves Charalambides contribute what has to be their quietest and most minimal collection of tunes yet. The sound takes their minimalist psych-folk a step further, exploring spaces as much as the notes that seperate them, with Christina Carter's fragile croon even more ghostlike and ethereal. She seems to be making sounds, more than singing, gentle and haunting, rich but delicate. Tom Carter's guitar is equally spare, with the notes spread out, and pucked tentatively, sounding like a Fahey record played at 5 r.p.m. Distant melodies drift lazily as stray notes wander off and get lost in the foggy ambience. Quiet, and quite gorgeous.
RealAudio clip: "One"
RealAudio clip: "Three"

CHARALAMBIDES Electricity Ghost (Wholly Other) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oooooh. Witchy.
MPEG Stream: "Holy Electric"
MPEG Stream: "Electricity Ghost II"

CHARALAMBIDES Exile (Kranky) cd 14.98

CHARALAMBIDES Exile (Kranky) lp 17.98

CHARALAMBIDES Historic 6th Ward (Time-Lag) 2lp 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Gorgeous double lp reissue of Charalambides' amazing 'Historic 6th Ward' record, until now only available on cd. And this reissue isn't just for vinyl lovers, as the cd is long out of print -and- this lp version adds 7 extra tracks not found on the cd. Charalambides play hazy, dreamy, spaced out acid-drone folk, with ethereal female vocals, using minimal instrumentation and lots of rumbling droning ambience. Fans of Joshua, Six Organs Of Admittance, Thuja, Greg Weeks and similar psych-space-folk should not miss out. Thick vinyl, in breathtaking handmade sleeves. Super limited!!

CHARALAMBIDES Likeness (Kranky) cd 14.98

CHARALAMBIDES Market Square (Siltbreeze) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Lovely Texas acid-folk-space trio (how's that for buzzwords?) who release records, tapes, and cds in small quantities that only serve to add to their allure, predictably enough. But they deserve it. Ethereal female vocals over pleasantly disturbing drone.

CHARALAMBIDES Our Bed Is Green (Kranky) 2cd 16.98
A remarkable precursor to the current fascination with all things acid-folk, Our Bed Is Green came out as a self-released 90 minute cassette back in 1992. Then a couple of years later after Charalambides earned considerable praise and adoration for the Market Street 2LP (which still ranks as their best work), the Charalambides duo of Tom and Christina Carter reissued Our Bed Is Green in a condensed version as a single cd on their Wholly Other label. Now as Kranky has undertaken a campaign to reissue the bulk of their early work, Our Bed Is Green sees the light of day once again, with all but the two covers songs featured from that cassette release. Within this sprawling set of minimally composed sketches and song fragments, the Charalambides conjure a drug-addled haze that settles gently upon their fuzz guitar psychedelic stupor, replications of early Americana folk, and post-Fahey improvisations. In their doped-up introversion, the Charalambides have always had a knack for rapturously free-falling moments rendered in slow-motion, and it's clear from Our Bed Is Green that they strongly developed this aesthetic from early on. Certainly fans of Six Organs of Admittance, Animal Collective, and the Skygreen Leopards would do well to check this out.
MPEG Stream: "Take The Pointing Finger To The Moon"
MPEG Stream: "Stuttgart"

CHARALAMBIDES Three-Lane Blacktop (Two Lane Blacktop) lp 17.98

CHARALAMBIDES Unknown Spin (Kranky) cd 14.98
Latest release from the duo of Christina and Tom Carter known to the underground psych-folk world as Charalambides. This is actually a reissue of a long out of print cd-r orignally limited to 300 copies and released on the band's own Wholly Other label. Like all of their records this is a dark and folky, primitive and ethereal, spare and gauzy chunk of psychedelic folk bliss out. So so beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Voice Within"

CHARIZMA & PEANUT BUTTER WOLF Big Shots (Stones Throw) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.