CHERRY VALENCE s/t (Estrus) cd 14.98
From the garage rock headquarters known as Estrus Records comes this sweaty rock'n'roll combo. Playing it loose, trashy and fully amped up, The Cherry Valence bow down at the alter of Nuge... that's right, they rock a la Ted "Bowhunters World" Nugent. High-spirited boogie rock from Raleigh, NC. Just off tour with big fans The (Fucking) Champs and Drunkhorse.

CHERRY, DON "Mu" Second Part (BYG / Actuel) lp 11.98

CHERRY, DON Blue Lake (Fruit Tree) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hot on the heels of the totally mind blowing Orient reissue comes another Don Cherry gem that was originally released in 1971 only in Japan and that has been totally unavailable for years. Reissued on cd and gorgeous double lp, the line up for this record is the trio of Cherry, Johhny Dyani and Okay Tamiz. The first track, Blue Lake is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I have ever heard. Mournful, solo flute, dark and Eastern tinged. With shakers and bells and hand drums that get more and more vigorous as the track progresses. Brief but really really powerful. Track two is a massive 30 minute epic, that's all over the map. Co-written by Tamiz and Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) "Dollar And Okay's Tunes" sounds like a huge medley, and could well be judging from the title, from skittery free jazz to spastic fusion to tribal soundscapes to sinister filmic instrumentals to almost gospel like sections complete with chant-like vocalisations. The final track, East, also clocks in at about half an hour and is a wicked rhythmic workout. Drums and hand drums and other percussion, along with a throbbing thrumming bassline, lay the foundation for Cherry's chanting vocals. The song swings through different moods and methods, squealing free jazz skronk, dark and hyper minimal drones, Santana-ish fusion/rock, crazed drum freak outs, but always returns to the dark and tribal mood that started things off. Blue Lake is a classic as is the also reissued Orient. Buy them both.
RealAudio clip: "Blue Lake"
RealAudio clip: "Dollar And Okay's Tunes"

CHERRY, DON Blue Lake (Get Back) lp 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Hot on the heels of the totally mind blowing Orient reissue comes another Don Cherry gem that was originally released in 1971 only in Japan and that has been totally unavailable for years. Reissued on cd and gorgeous double lp, the line up for this record is the trio of Cherry, Johhny Dyani and Okay Tamiz. The first track, Blue Lake is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I have ever heard. Mournful, solo flute, dark and Eastern tinged. With shakers and bells and hand drums that get more and more vigorous as the track progresses. Brief but really really poerful. Track two is a massive 30 minute epic, that's all over the map. Co-written by Tamiz and Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) "Dollar And Okay's Tunes" sounds like a huge medley, and could well be judging from the title, from skittery free jazz to spastic fusion to tribal soundscapes to sinister filmic instrumentals to almost gospel like sections complete with chant-like vocalisations. The final track, East, also clocks in at about half an hour and is a wicked rhythmic workout. Drums and hand drums and other percussion, along with a throbbing thrumming bassline, lay the foundation for Cherry's chanting vocals. The song swings through different moods and methods, squealing free jazz skronk, dark and hyper minimal drones, Santana-ish fusion/rock, crazed drum freak outs, but always returns to the dark and tribal mood that started things off. Blue Lake is a classic as is the also reissued Orient. Buy them both.

CHERRY, DON Eternal Now & Live Ankara (Verve) 2cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the Sonet recordings series.

CHERRY, DON Live In Ankara (Universal (Japan)) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

CHERRY, DON Mu (BYG) lp 14.98

CHERRY, DON Mu (First Part) (BYG / Get Back) lp 15.98
The duo of Don Cherry (pocket trumpet, piano, indian flute, bamboo flute, voice, bells, percussion) and Ed Blackwell (drums, percussion, bells) doing some pretty incredible "pan-ethnic jazz outness" thing, two LPs all recorded in one day (August 22nd 1969) in Paris France. Thanks again to Charly for making these rare albums available again. Now available in a super fancy sleeve, on nice 180 gram vinyl!

CHERRY, DON Mu First Part / Mu Second Part (Fuel 2000) cd 12.98
BACK IN STOCK! We thought these Charly BYG/Actuel reissue cds were gone forever, but lo! here they are again. Dunno what's up, but get 'em while you can. This disc features the duo of Don Cherry (pocket trumpet, piano, indian flute, bamboo flute, voice, bells, percussion) and Ed Blackwell (drums, percussion, bells) doing some pretty incredible "pan-ethnic jazz outness" thing, two LPs all recorded in one day (August 22nd 1969) in Paris France. We like this one a lot. Thanks again to Charly for making these rare albums available again (again).

CHERRY, DON Orient (Fruit Tree) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
I (Andee) had to push really hard for this to be record of the week back in June as we seldom make LPs records of the week, but now it's been RELEASED ON CD! So all of you turntable-less folks can now also enjoy what is easily one of the most amazing records I have ever heard. We knew about this record but had never actually -heard- it until the aforementioned vinyl reissue. And we were just blown away. We were convinced that this could be the jazz record to cure Jim of his I-Hate-Jazz attitude (we'll let you know what happened with that) (umm, nope. - Jim).
Gorgeous cover art depicting a little ant on the yolk of a big fried egg! Quite striking. Recorded in 1971, 'Orient' features 2 separate live performances with Cherry in two different trios, one with Han Bennink (drums, percussion, accordion, vocals) and Mocqui (tamboura) and the other with Johnny Diani (bass) and Okay Tamiz (drums, percussion). The track 'Orient' which was a side and a half of the 2lp set is the real gem here (although all four tracks are spectacular). 'Orient' starts off with minor key piano and subtle percussion, with mumbled, chant-like vocals, slowly building, rumbling clattery percussion, not all that different from what No Neck Blues Band seems to be working towards. Ten minutes in, the track explodes into a hyper-rhythmic free-jazz frenzy with wailing trumpet and completely mad silverware-drawer-down-the-steps drumming from Bennink. The chanting vocals return, this time, much higher in the mix turning it into a musical tug of war between a somber spiritual and a crazed drum circle free-for-all. The drums prevail, beating out a tribal rhythm, with drum kit and tamboura weaving a rich rhythmic framework, that slowly winds down to dark and dreamy melancholy piano and huge gong swells, with occasional percussive clatter in the background. Suddenly the trio slips into a classic jazz groove that is perfect, but also perfectly out of place. No need to worry, as the groove quickly dissipates into a free jazz supernova of squealing horns and chaotic drumming. Track two, named for Cherry's son, starts with loping and meandering, deep dark beats, with owl-ish flutes and ghost-like horns. Some percussive clatter and an almost Roland Kirk-like breathing/singing whips up a frenzied fervor over throbbing bass, skittery percussion and wild piano (at this point it's necessary to point out the fact that Cherry is handling piano/trumpet/flute single handedly!). The trio soon click into an almost Santana-ish groove with Cherry's soaring vocals following the piano. The track winds down with Cherry going crazy on BOTH the trumpet AND the piano! Track three 'Togetherness' displays some truly breathtaking free-jazz interplay from Cherry and drummer Okay Tamiz. Cherry alternates between pocket trumpet and flute, playing complicated and unlikey melodies over the thick pulsing bass and frenzied percussion (drum kit, but also bells and shakers and gongs!) eventually finishing off with more of that Santana-ish groove and wild, free vocals! The final track, 'Si Ta Ra Ma' is the weirdest of the bunch, again reminding us sonically of No Neck and other of the more modern drone/clatter ensembles. Guttural vocalisations that vacillate from droning almost-throat singing to what sounds like speaking in tongues, with muted horn sputter, droning low-end trumpet buzz, clapping and sorrowful chanting vocals. Over the course of the last ten minutes, the vocals gradually fade into the mix as the percussion (steel drums?) build and build while Cherry solos dreamily and mournfully until the end of the track. Amazing and essential and totally timeless.
RealAudio clip: "Orient"
RealAudio clip: "Orient (Part 2)"
RealAudio clip: "Si Ta Ra Ma"
RealAudio clip: "Togetherness"

CHERRY, DON Orient (BYG / Get Back) 2lp 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
I (Andee) had to push really hard for this to be record of the week as we seldom make LPs records of the week, since so many folks out there don't have record players (shame on you!!), but this is easily one of the most amazing records I have ever heard. We knew about this record but had never actually -heard- it (and rumour is that there is a cd version under a different title, but it supposedly sounds terrible) until now, with this new vinyl reissue. And we were just blown away. We were convinced that this could be the jazz record to cure Jim of his I-Hate-Jazz attitude (we'll let you know what happened with that -- umm, nope - Jim).
A gorgeous double lp in an amazing sleeve, depicting a little ant on the yolk of a big fried egg! Quite striking. Recorded in 1971, 'Orient' features 2 separate live performances with Cherry in two different trios, one with Han Bennink (drums, percussion, accordion, vocals) and Mocqui (tamboura) and the other with Johnny Diani (bass) and Okay Tamiz (drums, percussion). The track 'Orient' which takes up all of side one and half of side two, is the real gem here (although all four tracks are spectacular). 'Orient' starts off with minor key piano and subtle percussion, with mumbled, chant-like vocals, slowly building, rumbling clattery percussion, not all that different from what No Neck Blues Band seems to be working towards. Ten minutes in, the track explodes into a hyper-rhythmic free-jazz frenzy with wailing trumpet and completely mad silverware-drawer-down-the-steps drumming from Bennink. The chanting vocals return, this time, much higher in the mix turning it into a musical tug of war between a somber spiritual and a crazed drum circle free-for-all. The drums prevail, beating out a tribal rhythm, with drum kit and tamboura weaving a rich rhythmic framework, that slowly winds down to dark and dreamy melancholy piano and huge gong swells, with occasional percussive clatter in the background. Suddenly the trio slips into a classic jazz groove that is perfect, but also perfectly out of place. No need to worry, as the groove quickly dissipates into a free jazz supernova of squealing horns and chaotic drumming. Track two, named for Cherry's son, starts with loping and meandering, deep dark beats, with owl-ish flutes and ghost-like horns. Some percussive clatter and an almost Roland Kirk-like breathing/singing whips up a frenzied fervor over throbbing bass, skittery percussion and wild piano (at this point it's necessary to point out the fact that Cherry is handling piano/trumpet/flute single handedly!). The trio soon click into an almost Santana-ish groove with Cherry's soaring vocals following the piano. The track winds down with Cherry going crazy on BOTH the trumpet AND the piano! Track three 'Togetherness' displays some truly breathtaking free-jazz interplay from Cherry and drummer Okay Tamiz. Cherry alternates between pocket trumpet and flute, playing complicated and unlikey melodies over the thick pulsing bass and frenzied percussion (drum kit, but also bells and shakers and gongs!) eventually finishing off with more of that Santana-ish groove and wild, free vocals! The final track, 'Si Ta Ra Ma' is the weirdest of the bunch, again reminding us sonically of No Neck and other of the more modern drone/clatter ensembles. Guttural vocalisations that vacillate from droning almost-throat singing to what sounds like speaking in tongues, with muted horn sputter, droning low-end trumpet buzz, clapping and sorrowful chanting vocals. Over the course of the last ten minutes, the vocals gradually fade into the mix as the percussion (steel drums?) build and build while Cherry solos dreamily and mournfully until the end of the track. Amazing and essential and totally timeless. Reason enough to get your sorry ass a turntable!!!!
RealAudio clip: "Orient"
RealAudio clip: "Orient (Part 2)"
RealAudio clip: "Si Ta Ra Ma"
RealAudio clip: "Togetherness"

CHERRY, DON Tibet (Piccadilly) lp 12.98
No one can debate that Don Cherry is a jazz legend. A total pioneer, playing with pretty much every important figure from the fifties until the mid nineties when he passed away. But beyond being an unbelievable player, an unbeatable sideman, and an amazing composer, he also became obsessed with folk music, and various musics from all over the world, incorporating those sounds into his compositions, turning his jazz into some wild avant world jazz, tribal and psychedelic, hypnotic and complex, ethereal and far out, Cherry's sound changed and mutated on a regular basis, as he discovered Indian ragas, Japanese temple music, Southeast Asian gamelan music, Buddhist chants, it all became a part of his music, and made him one of the most unique voices in jazz.
We raved about Cherry's 1971 Orient record a while back, a totally fantastical and far out free jazz exploration that incorporated No Neck style tribal free rock, Santana-ish rock grooves, and bits of psychedelia, to make for a clattery, droney noisy free jazz classic.
Tibet came about 2 years later, originally released as Eternal Now, and manages to be just as far out. Not as urgent or chaotic or 'free', Tibet was much more of a world jazz record, with Cherry utilizing lots of Gamelan, African instrumentation and Eastern melody.
The opener is all gamelan, flurries of percussion whipped into a dense dizzying swirl, a strange mix of gamelan, Eastern melodies, and some distinctly African sounds, as well as a bunch of clatter that would be right at home on a No Neck record. The following track is mostly tinkling piano, but over the top, a reed instrument wails and buzzes out a mesmerizing snake charmer melody, it sounds a bit like a zorna, the melody locked in step with the piano, the two instruments engaged in a gorgeously hypnotic dance.
The next track is a killer, super dense and aggressive, a fiery and fierce piano workout, the low keys pounded and ringing out, a thick backdrop for the tinkling spray of high notes, all looped into an incredibly hypnotic groove, sounding a lot like a darker, more intense Lubomyr Melnyk.
The flipside begins with more Eastern melodies, a framework of tribal percussion, over the top vocals and horns (that sounds like synthesizers) drone and buzz, the sound very raga like, wild and loose, spirited and free, sounds like something you'd hear on a Sublime Frequencies comp, which makes sense as these sounds are so indebted to musics both Asian and African. The following track is all tinkling percussion, chimes and bells, long drawn out tones on some sort of horn, all very meditative and spiritual, with monk like chants woven into the fluttering field of shimmer and tinkle. Finally the record finishes with what sounds like straight ahead gamelan, subtle and serene, a muted percussive coda to a seriously expansive sonic travelogue.
There's a dearth of notes, no players, no instrumentation, but it hardly matters as the music more than speaks for itself.

CHERRY, DON & LATIF KHAN Music / Sangam (Heavenly Sweetness) cd 22.00
We rave about jazz legend Don Cherry as often as we can. Every reissue has us all in a tizzy. In the past we made his mind blowing Orient an aQ record Of The Week. And in retrospect, we probably should have made the Blue Lake reissue a ROTW as well. Cherry was continually pushing the boundaries of jazz, exploring and helping shape free jazz, and incorporating all manner of world music into his ever changing and expanding sound.
This disc, recorded in 1978, found Cherry once again reimagining the sound of jazz, and challenging unadventurous jazz fans, by teaming up with legendary Indian percussionist Ustad Ahmed Latif Khan. Cherry had experimented with Indian music before on past recordings, but this was the first full on collaboration. Two sides, one featuring Cherry compositions, accompanied by Khan on tablas, the other side, Khan compositions, the tablas more of the driving force, the sound distinctly more Indian classical, with Cherry accompanying Khan.
The untitled opener finds Cherry and Khan covering Ornette Coleman, Cherry's former band leader. It's a dark brooding shuffle, all warm keyboard grooves, and the tablas, how they change everything, the skittery rhythms, but also the strange rubbery low end, the song eventually morphs into a Cherry original, and gets a bit proggy with wild trumpets and thick organs, the tablas still driving the whole thing. It's the next track where it gets really interesting though. A sprawling rhythmscape, the tablas doing double time, the rhythm, and a pulsing sort-of-bass line, Cherry delivering abstract almost scat like falsetto vocals, dark and drone-y and spaced out and minimal, peppered with occasional bursts of wild horn skronk, but for the most part, a swirling tripped out stretch of throbbing subtly psychedelic jazz minimalism. The final Cherry composed track is another gem, all glistening chimes and high end tones, flurries of piano, distant horns, whooshing effects, and of course the skitter of the tablas, more melodic almost that rhythmic on this track. Cherry also introduces some flute, which gives the track a sort of freak folk vibe, really!
Khan's side is distinctly less jazz. The tablas way up in the mix, his dexterous rhythms totally spellbinding, intricate, and again melodic, Cherry offering up strange bits of percussion, muted keyboards, very abstract and so cool. The final track, a sprawling 13 minute epic begins with just organ, drifting in space, until the tablas come in, and holy shit, even more intense and intricate, wreathed in a bit of reverb, and slipping from loping grooves to wild bursts of impossibly complex rhythmatism, the organ, a constant warm whir in the background, and the timbre of the keyboards, continues to infuse the track with a distinctly prog feel. Making this some sort of abstract classical Indian jazz prog? Whatever you want to call it, these are some gorgeously hypnotic and meditative sounds. So very recommended. Fans of the Necks might get into this too, similarly dark minimal vibe, especially the Khan tracks, and well worth checking out for the rest of you, even if jazz isn't normally your thing.
MPEG Stream: "One Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Air Mail"
MPEG Stream: "Sangam"

CHERRY, DON & LATIF KHAN Music / Sangam (Heavenly Sweetness) lp 25.00
We rave about jazz legend Don Cherry as often as we can. Every reissue has us all in a tizzy. In the past we made his mind blowing Orient an aQ record Of The Week. And in retrospect, we probably should have made the Blue Lake reissue a ROTW as well. Cherry was continually pushing the boundaries of jazz, exploring and helping shape free jazz, and incorporating all manner of world music into his ever changing and expanding sound.
This disc, recorded in 1978, found Cherry once again reimagining the sound of jazz, and challenging unadventurous jazz fans, by teaming up with legendary Indian percussionist Ustad Ahmed Latif Khan. Cherry had experimented with Indian music before on past recordings, but this was the first full on collaboration. Two sides, one featuring Cherry compositions, accompanied by Khan on tablas, the other side, Khan compositions, the tablas more of the driving force, the sound distinctly more Indian classical, with Cherry accompanying Khan.
The untitled opener finds Cherry and Khan covering Ornette Coleman, Cherry's former band leader. It's a dark brooding shuffle, all warm keyboard grooves, and the tablas, how they change everything, the skittery rhythms, but also the strange rubbery low end, the song eventually morphs into a Cherry original, and gets a bit proggy with wild trumpets and thick organs, the tablas still driving the whole thing. It's the next track where it gets really interesting though. A sprawling rhythmscape, the tablas doing double time, the rhythm, and a pulsing sort-of-bass line, Cherry delivering abstract almost scat like falsetto vocals, dark and drone-y and spaced out and minimal, peppered with occasional bursts of wild horn skronk, but for the most part, a swirling tripped out stretch of throbbing subtly psychedelic jazz minimalism. The final Cherry composed track is another gem, all glistening chimes and high end tones, flurries of piano, distant horns, whooshing effects, and of course the skitter of the tablas, more melodic almost that rhythmic on this track. Cherry also introduces some flute, which gives the track a sort of freak folk vibe, really!
Khan's side is distinctly less jazz. The tablas way up in the mix, his dexterous rhythms totally spellbinding, intricate, and again melodic, Cherry offering up strange bits of percussion, muted keyboards, very abstract and so cool. The final track, a sprawling 13 minute epic begins with just organ, drifting in space, until the tablas come in, and holy shit, even more intense and intricate, wreathed in a bit of reverb, and slipping from loping grooves to wild bursts of impossibly complex rhythmatism, the organ, a constant warm whir in the background, and the timbre of the keyboards, continues to infuse the track with a distinctly prog feel. Making this some sort of abstract classical Indian jazz prog? Whatever you want to call it, these are some gorgeously hypnotic and meditative sounds. So very recommended. Fans of the Necks might get into this too, similarly dark minimal vibe, especially the Khan tracks, and well worth checking out for the rest of you, even if jazz isn't normally your thing.
MPEG Stream: "One Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Air Mail"
MPEG Stream: "Sangam"

CHERRY, DON / KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI Actions (Intuition) cd 16.98
Long awaited reissue of this legendary 1973 lp, featuring jazz trumpeter/composer Don Cherry and legendary composer Krzyztof Penderecki, remastered with complete liner notes including an interview with Penderecki. Awesome mix of wild free jazz and 20th century classical, with wildly shrieking saxes and trumpets, bizarre chanted/sung vocals, both male and female, cool catchy almost bop-ish breakdowns, bizarre vocalisations, breathing and wheezing and whistles. The second track is a cool live track where the audience is instructed to clap the rhythms to a droning sitar/vocal piece (with the audience failing miserably in the beginning and laughing, embarassed). The final track is the legendary "Actions for Free Jazz Orchestra" conducted by Penderecki and including such AQ faves as Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennik and a bunch of others. The sound is dark and sparse with bursts of straight up jazz rhythms punctuating the sinister soundscapes, as well as plenty of improvised noodling, especially some truly inspired freakout drumming and some beautifully haunting trumpet parts, which all coalesce into a completely riveting 16 minute masterpiece of 20th century-avant-free-classical-jazz. Or something like that.
RealAudio clip: "Actions For Free Jazz Orchestra"
RealAudio clip: "Humus - The Life Exploring Force"

CHERRY, DON QUINTET Live At Cafe Monmartre 1966 (ESP) cd+dvd 16.98

MPEG Stream: "Cocktail Piece"
MPEG Stream: "Neopolitan Suite: Dios E Diablo"

CHESNUTT, VIC At The Cut (Constellation) cd 16.98
The music of Vic Chesnutt has always been dark, and dour, and depressive, but there was a time where it was also sort of country, a bit twangy, when he used to have a fiddle player, and be backed up by members of Lambchop. Post twang, he explored a more pop sound, taking that folky bluesy foundation and expanding, and we definitely dug it. Lush and experimental and really pretty. But nothing prepared us for his shift to Constellation, which seemed to tap into his darker side, or darkEST side, his music immediately shifted and became even more harrowing, and emotionally exposed, and the music followed, enlisting members of various Constellation bands to help him flesh out this new sound, and it was most definitely good. Powerful and epic and moving.
At The Cut is Chesnutt's second record for Constellation, and continues to move in the same direction for the most part, beginning with the abject anthem "Coward" with its big distorted guitars, pounding percussion, and soaring strings, not to mention the lyrics. Heavy stuff for sure.
But At The Cut is not all fire and brimstone and damnation, there are some really pretty stripped down acoustic numbers, that remind us of the old days, a poppy jangly jam here and there, but for the most part, this is a distinctly dark and introspective record, with moments of bombast for sure, but just as many of inward reflection, and hushed sonic contemplation. Yet another beautiful missive from a truly tortured musical soul....
MPEG Stream: "Coward"
MPEG Stream: "When The Bottom Fell Out"
MPEG Stream: "We Hovered With Short Wings"

CHESNUTT, VIC At The Cut (Constellation) lp+cd 25.00
The music of Vic Chesnutt has always been dark, and dour, and depressive, but there was a time where it was also sort of country, a bit twangy, when he used to have a fiddle player, and be backed up by members of Lambchop. Post twang, he explored a more pop sound, taking that folky bluesy foundation and expanding, and we definitely dug it. Lush and experimental and really pretty. But nothing prepared us for his shift to Constellation, which seemed to tap into his darker side, or darkEST side, his music immediately shifted and became even more harrowing, and emotionally exposed, and the music followed, enlisting members of various Constellation bands to help him flesh out this new sound, and it was most definitely good. Powerful and epic and moving.
At The Cut is Chesnutt's second record for Constellation, and continues to move in the same direction for the most part, beginning with the abject anthem "Coward" with its big distorted guitars, pounding percussion, and soaring strings, not to mention the lyrics. Heavy stuff for sure.
But At The Cut is not all fire and brimstone and damnation, there are some really pretty stripped down acoustic numbers, that remind us of the old days, a poppy jangly jam here and there, but for the most part, this is a distinctly dark and introspective record, with moments of bombast for sure, but just as many of inward reflection, and hushed sonic contemplation. Yet another beautiful missive from a truly tortured musical soul....
MPEG Stream: "Coward"
MPEG Stream: "When The Bottom Fell Out"
MPEG Stream: "We Hovered With Short Wings"

CHESNUTT, VIC Drunk (New West) cd 16.98
The thing with ol' Vic is that each album has proven to be not only a crafty progression from that which came before, but also a solid work unto itself. Each one is sooo darn good in its own way! His third album is a perfect example. Drunk gets its hooks into ya right from the beginning. It kicks things off with the churning toss'n'turn guitar of "Sleeping Man" and shifts gears into a batch of songs that slowly weigh heavier and heavier on the heart. If anyone can articulate weary despair and emotional collapse, it's this man... but he does so with an occasional sharp-witted elbow in the ribs to counter the dull ache in your chest. Includes a heap of bonus songs, many of them live recordings with Chesnutt's spoken introductions (indexed separately from the songs so that you can skip them if you wish). An additional note: The cover art is different from the original release (a drawing of a strange jester figure as opposed to the photo of a shadowy brown sillhouette).
MPEG Stream: "Sleeping Man"
MPEG Stream: "Naw (bonus track)"

CHESNUTT, VIC Ghetto Bells (New West) cd 15.98
After last year's Silverlake album and slew of old Chesnutt reissues, we've sure had our fave Vic on the mind around here, and been wishing for more. Well folks, whadyaknow?! Here's a brand new album, and it does not disappoint!
Some folks we know were a little disappointed by Silverlake, not sure why, maybe they were missing the more playful ramshackle Chesnutt of old, and while those folks might not necessarily find what they want here, they should be prepared (and excited) for yet another new direction from the musically restless Chesnutt. Even darker (if that's possible) and a lot more lush, Ghetto Bells is a swoonsome, melancholy dream world of droning soundscapes, twangy melancholia, and wistful countrified folk. Lyrically, less wryly clever secretly silly, and more serious and somber. The seemingly incongruous pairing of his gravelly voice atop the surprisingly elegant string arrangements brought to mind a few recordings of Leonard Cohen.
We might venture to say though that the final song on the album is by far the strangest, most out-there song Chesnutt has ever recorded. A delicate, sparse, moody soundscape of upright bass, vibes, chiming harmonics, with Chesnutt singing in a wavery falsetto. Weird but really quite beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Little Ceasar"
MPEG Stream: "Gnats"
MPEG Stream: "Virginia"

CHESNUTT, VIC Is the Actor Happy? (Texas Hotel) cd 14.98
This is Vic's fourth album, and the one we think oughta be a big hit. Some of the most bittersweet heartfelt songs you'll ever hear.

CHESNUTT, VIC Is The Actor Happy? (New West) cd 16.98
As much as we love everything Vic Chesnutt has ever done, if pressed to pick one record that is THE ONE, it would without a doubt be Is The Actor Happy?. A perfect realisation of Chesnutt's quirky songwriting and impeccable arranging. Combined for the first time with a crystal clear sparkling production. While ITAH? had many crying "Sellout!" it had the rest of us laying in bed, at four in the morning with the headphones cranked, alternately teary eyed, and laughing our heads off. Such is Chesnutt's gift. Weaving wonderous tales of love and lonliness, that cut to the quick and leave you heart broken in 4 minutes or less, along with equally compelling tunes, that perhaps also deal with love and loneliness, but more obliquely, using metaphors that struggle desparately to escape becoming non-sequiters, lines about dandruff, bold eyebrows, delicious onion soup, Bob Guccione, Trivial Pursuit, nausea, participles, sniffles, Rupert Murdock, drunken archers, wanting to be Aaron Neville, and crooked nipples, delivered in Chesnutt's cracked warble with seemingly effortless alliteration. All over a lush bed of dark and melancholy twang, one part No Depression, one part classic pop songsmithery, all filtered through a truly unique and twisted musical palette. Musically, the polished production and expert playing don't detract at all from the sound, Chesnutt's oft-championed quirky grit is still in full affect, but what could have otherwise remained a musical diamond in the indie/underground rough, gets plucked and polished and put on display for everyone to adore.
MPEG Stream: "Gravity Of The Situation"
MPEG Stream: "Guilty By Association"
MPEG Stream: "Betty Lonely"
MPEG Stream: "Thumbtack"

CHESNUTT, VIC Is the Actor Happy? (Texas Hotel) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is Vic's fourth album, and the one we think oughta be a big hit.

CHESNUTT, VIC Left To His Own Devices (spin Art) cd 15.98
One of our favorite performers, Athens GA's Vic Chesnutt, unleashes a record of demos and rarities. It's his ninth album (god, I remember when his first one came out). More experimental than any of his previous releases, this record's got ghostly blues dirges with eerie piano, stripped down instrumentation (say, just a chugging guitar alongside clanging metallic objects) and almost all the tracks feature Vic's voice double tracked into a satisfying (yet strangely Cat Stevens-esque) resonance. Chesnutt played all the instruments himself, with a hand now and then from his wife Tina. There's still the vintage twanged out delicacy Chesnutt fans love, the stretched out vowels and the wry observations, so this record will not disappoint you if you're ready for a more spare, slightly more weirdo Chesnutt. Lambchop, Calexico, Victoria Williams, Wilco -- they're all fans.
RealAudio clip: "Fish"

CHESNUTT, VIC Little (New West) cd 16.98
Vic Chesnutt's early albums have always been a bit hard to come by... especially this one from 1990. Fingers are crossed that New West keeps these reissues in print!
This is the album that started it all, and it's the one that's nearest and dearest to Cup (Andee on the other hand hugs Chesnutt's Is The Actor Happy? album). Unlike his later albums which infused pop elements into the foundation of his rootsy blues-folk, Little features some of his most barebones, raw acoustic guitar work. This starkness provides an all the more effective backdrop for one of the most expressive sourpuss voices around singing some of the most gnawingly bleak songs around. Bleary and skewed, his words tumble unapologetically from his lips -- emotional scars and verbal barbs all completely out in the open. Produced by Michael Stipe who took a shine to Chesnutt early on and helped bring him to college radio eyes and ears. Includes five previously unreleased tracks.
MPEG Stream: "Isadora Duncan"
MPEG Stream: "Independence Day"

CHESNUTT, VIC North Star Deserter (Constellation) cd 17.98
Vic Chesnutt's collaboration with a number of folks on the Constellation Records roster (aka A Silver Mt. Zion and a list of friends which includes Fugazi's Guy Picciotto and members of Hangedup, Frankie Sparo, Esmerine, The Quavers, and yes, Godspeed You Black Emperor) sounds *exactly* as you would expect... bleak and immensely moving. They keep such perfectly dour company that we wonder what took them so long to make it happen! Flooded with anguish and raw nerves, North Star Deserter is an intense frayed journey, but not without a moment or two of glimmering hope and twisted folly. Chesnutt's lyrics have always been an affecting bruised blend of the absolutely direct and the utterly cryptic. We know they're a perfect match for his own creeping, barren plain plucked guitar accompaniment, but wow, when joined by these additional like-minded vocalists and musicians the results are often times crushingly beautiful. Placed before a landscape of ominous cello drones, electrified string shards, and near-military marching drums, his weathered rasp of a voice resonates anew. The amazing breadth of this album is captured in two songs late in the album -- the thunderous roar of "Debriefing" and the hushed haunted loner "Marathon". Damn. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Debriefing"
MPEG Stream: "Marathon"

CHESNUTT, VIC North Star Deserter (Constellation) lp 21.00
Vic Chesnutt's collaboration with a number of folks on the Constellation Records roster (aka A Silver Mt. Zion and a list of friends which includes Fugazi's Guy Picciotto and members of Hangedup, Frankie Sparo, Esmerine, The Quavers, and yes, Godspeed You Black Emperor) sounds *exactly* as you would expect... bleak and immensely moving. They keep such perfectly dour company that we wonder what took them so long to make it happen! Flooded with anguish and raw nerves, North Star Deserter is an intense frayed journey, but not without a moment or two of glimmering hope and twisted folly. Chesnutt's lyrics have always been an affecting bruised blend of the absolutely direct and the utterly cryptic. We know they're a perfect match for his own creeping, barren plain plucked guitar accompaniment, but wow, when joined by these additional like-minded vocalists and musicians the results are often times crushingly beautiful. Placed before a landscape of ominous cello drones, electrified string shards, and near-military marching drums, his weathered rasp of a voice resonates anew. The amazing breadth of this album is captured in two songs late in the album -- the thunderous roar of "Debriefing" and the hushed haunted loner "Marathon". Damn. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Debriefing"
MPEG Stream: "Marathon"

CHESNUTT, VIC Silver Lake (New West) cd 16.98
We (along with a who's who of indie and not so indie luminaries) have been Vic Chesnutt fans for years now, ever since his first album Little dropped way back in 1990. Wheelchair bound and ornery as a beehive, Chesnutt's dusty downtrodden tales are suffused with a warm sweetness that contrasts well with the gruff attitude. And since Little, Chesnutt's albums have each gotten more mellow -- in a good way, like aged whiskey. At some points on this record he reaches Neil Young-strata levels of confidence and maturity. Wow.
Compared to earlier works, Silver Lake is less willfully eccentric, and worlds more focused and POWERFUL. Recorded in some mansion above Silver Lake in LA with a full band and a nice complement of additions to your regular rock guitar bass drums formula. It's, for example, delicate with lonely tambourine, autoharp, poignant piano, pedal steel, lush backup vocals... but it's also heavy with majestic climaxes and downright wild guitar noisiness. A wonderful combination and then, of course, on top of that is Vic's unique vocal style, his gravelly, southern-accented growl/howl. Fantastic!
Perhaps indicative that he's not completely abandoned his peculiarities, the third song "Band Camp" made us think Mr. Chesnutt was doing his best Paul Simon impression (circa Graceland) while making wry references to the movie American Pie. Plus he also gets bonus Scrabble points for fitting the word "transmogrified" into his lyrics. For fans of Neil Young, Howe Gelb, Uncle Tupelo, Jayhawks.
MPEG Stream: "Stay Inside"
MPEG Stream: "2nd Floor"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Through"

CHESNUTT, VIC Silver Lake (New West) lp 19.98
Now here on vinyl!
Here's what we had to say about the cd:
We (along with a who's who of indie and not so indie luminaries) have been Vic Chesnutt fans for years now, ever since his first album Little dropped way back in 1990. Wheelchair bound and ornery as a beehive, Chesnutt's dusty downtrodden tales are suffused with a warm sweetness that contrasts well with the gruff attitude. And since Little, Chesnutt's albums have each gotten more mellow -- in a good way, like aged whiskey. At some points on this record he reaches Neil Young-strata levels of confidence and maturity. Wow.
Compared to earlier works, Silver Lake is less willfully eccentric, and worlds more focused and POWERFUL. Recorded in some mansion above Silver Lake in LA with a full band and a nice complement of additions to your regular rock guitar bass drums formula. It's, for example, delicate with lonely tambourine, autoharp, poignant piano, pedal steel, lush backup vocals... but it's also heavy with majestic climaxes and downright wild guitar noisiness. A wonderful combination and then, of course, on top of that is Vic's unique vocal style, his gravelly, southern-accented growl/howl. Fantastic!
Perhaps indicative that he's not completely abandoned his peculiarities, the third song "Band Camp" made us think Mr. Chesnutt was doing his best Paul Simon impression (circa Graceland) while making wry references to the movie American Pie. Plus he also gets bonus Scrabble points for fitting the word "transmogrified" into his lyrics. For fans of Neil Young, Howe Gelb, Uncle Tupelo, Jayhawks.

CHESNUTT, VIC The Salesman and Bernadette (Capricorn) cd 15.98
A much more sedate affair than his last few outings, this dark, meloncholy 'tale' features a dreary cinematic backdrop provided by Nashville's Lambchop, who end up being the perfect foil for Vic's wry, and often plain silly sense of humor. Lambchop are exquisite, and offer the perfect musical pillow for Vic's weary head. Easily his finest record since Is the Actor Happy?. Recommended.

CHESNUTT, VIC West Of Rome (New West) cd 16.98
Here we go again... gushing over the reissues of ol' Vic! Spent so much time last week re-visiting Chesnutts #1 and #3 that we didn't get to his sophomore release West Of Rome... yet another great album! Who can resist that withered rasp of a voice? Well... okay, it's not really for everyone, but his songwritin' and guitar playin' are much more so. Perhaps a hint at the lusher pop-infused tunes to come on his later albums, some very subtle strings are added to his barebones arrangements of guitar, piano and vocals. As with Drunk, Michael Stipe once again ably handled the producer's duties. And as with the other Chesnutt reissues, West Of Rome comes with a heaping serving of great bonus tracks! Yay!
MPEG Stream: "Bug"
MPEG Stream: "Where's The Clock?"

CHESNUTT, VIC, ELF POWER & AMORPHOUS STRUMS Dark Developments (Orange Twin) cd 15.98
Whoa, this is quite a strange gathering of peculiar musical entities, don't you think? Mr. Chesnutt's collaboration with the A Silver Mt. Zion folks last year made total sense in its beautiful bleakness. Psst, it was called North Star Deserter and we heartily recommend it! However, when we heard the names Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power and the mysterious Amorphous Strum in the same breath we were left scratching our heads. Nevertheless, we gave it a spin and found that this twisted roots rock album is for the most part really the Vic Chesnutt show. It's perfectly understandable though, no slight on Elf Power, but he's such a potent and distinct musical force all by his lonesome. Signs of that trademark Chesnutt vitriol-soaked distemper comes quickly. you need look no further than Dark Developments' second song "Little Fucker". Really, the only glimpse of even a bit of Elf Power's indie psych poppiness comes late in the proceedings in the seventh song, the slightly more quirkily layered pop tune "Bilocating Dog"! Definitely for devoted Chesnutt fans, but perhaps not the place to start if you're just getting your feet wet, nor if you're looking for a new Elf Power album!
MPEG Stream: "Little Fucker"
MPEG Stream: "Bilocating Dog"

CHESNUTT, VIC, AND MR. AND MRS. KENEIPP Merriment (Backburner) cd 14.98
I'm not sure who Mr. and Mrs. Keneipp are, but they're an intriguing choice of collaborators, because this charming album they've made with Vic Chesnutt is the perfect combination of two seemingly disparate styles of music. There's Vic's gravelly voiced twang-inflected loner rock, but it's mixed with a heavy dose of doped out, decadent Bowie/Eno-in-Berlin-era experimental pop. Yes, it's different from what you'd expect if you're already a Chesnutt fan, but it's very nice.

CHESSIE Manifest (Plug Research) cd 11.98
It has been far too long since we've heard from Chessie. Seven years, in fact. And that sabbatical, hibernation, hiatus, or whatever you want to call it is somewhat quizzical, considering that Overnight (the 2001 album in question) had received heaps of acclaim from all across the board. For loyal Aquarius customers who happened to venture in the store around that time, Overnight was on the short list of albums that seemed to be in constant rotation here in the store, alongside the likes of Spoon's Girls Can Tell, the first New Pornographers album, Amon Duul II's Yeti, and the Andrew Chalk / Jonathan Coleclough collaboration Sumac. We have our beloved former co-worker Byram Abbott to thank for getting Overnight under our collective skin. Seven years later, Chessie works their magic once again.
A duo comprised of Stephen Gardner and Ben Bailes, Chessie operates along the borders between digitally crunched electronics and impressionist shoegazing. Gardner began his off-and-on musical career in US shoegazing indie-pop band Lorelei back in the early '90s, with a smattering of impressive singles that clearly formed the foundation for Chessie's chiming guitars grafted into an electronica context. Many of the songs on Manifest enjoy wistfully slow-burning, post-pop crescendos (e.g. Pinback, early Stereolab) as remixed through the fizzing Max/MSP patches of Fennesz. Shuffling motorik breakbeats, pierced bleeps 'n' bloops, blissed-out washes of multi-tracked guitars, and maudlin samples from muted French horns and strings pock the album's varied tracks, with occasionally lulls into hypnotic atmospherics only to snap into some truly memorable pop hooks. Had Chessie decided to incorporate a vocalist, perhaps they might be the next Postal Service; but the more adventurous route of the instrumental better serves Chessie's sensibility. A very highly recommended album, and one which will no doubt be on lots of 2008 top ten lists!
MPEG Stream: "Inner City"
MPEG Stream: "Long Bridge"
MPEG Stream: "High Time"
MPEG Stream: "Poughkeepsie Aflame"

CHESSIE Meet (Drop Beat) cd 14.98

CHESSIE Overnight (Plug Research) cd 16.98
Beautifully hypnotic, guitar-driven electronica from the Virginian duo of Stephen Gardner and Ben Bailes. Their third full length and first for Los Angeles-based Plug Research, "Overnight" is quite a departure from Chessie's underachieving, experimental-electronic beginnings. Infusing a stronger approach to texture and songwriting (sans vocals), as well as emphasis on live instrumentation (at least guitars and bass, the drums are probably all electronic), it may be incorrect to classify this music as purely "electronic" as it ranks up there with the shoegazer dreaminess of My Bloody Valentine and Hood, or more recently, Fennesz and Stephan Mathieu. Another wonderful release from the groundbreaking Plug Research, continuing to blur the borders between rock and electronica as previously witnessed on the recent Dntel album, "Life Is Full Of Possibilities."
RealAudio clip: "Daylight"
RealAudio clip: "Eyes And Smiles"
RealAudio clip: "Pantograph"

CHESSMACHINE Live In Los Angeles (Line) cd 14.98

CHEVAL DE FRISE Fresques Sur Les Parois Secrètes Du Crâne (Ruminance) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT -- GET THE US VERSION INSTEAD!
At long last, we've received the new, second album from the French instrumental post-rock duo Cheval De Frise. (With the help of an free internet translator and my meager high school French, I can confidently proclaim that their name means, uh, "Horse of Curls" in English. Hmm. Furthermore, the title of this record, I am sure, means "Frescos On The Secret Partitions Of The Skull".) Their previous album on Sonore was a fave 'round here, falling somewhere between Don Cab and Gastr del Sol... This new disc is, we're happy to report, more of the same: acoustic guitars (and electric) vs. drums, both very active and complex yet quite pretty too, the tangle they make. Dynamic and detailed, Cheval de Frise rock out with the elegance of a math equation scribbled on a doily. Imagine an introspective, high-end-eq'd Ruins, or a Hella with hitherto unrevealed, somewhat mellow and romantic qualities. Look for a US release of this, on Frenetic in October...something we learned only after we got these imports, which at least aren't especially pricey.
MPEG Stream: "Lucarne Des Combles"
MPEG Stream: "Chiendent"

CHEVAL DE FRISE Fresques Sur Les Parois Secrètes Du Crâne (Frenetic) cd 13.98
Yay! This import fave from last year is now back in stock, in a new domestic edition released on our pal Duncan's Frenetic label. Here's more-or-less what we said about the import:
Second album from the French instrumental post-rock duo Cheval De Frise. (With the help of an free internet translator and my meager high school French, I can confidently proclaim that their name means, uh, "Horse of Curls" in English. Hmm. Furthermore, the title of this record, I am sure, means "Frescos On The Secret Partitions Of The Skull".) Their previous album on Sonore was a fave 'round here, falling somewhere between Don Cab and Gastr del Sol... This new disc is, we're happy to report, more of the same: acoustic guitars (and electric) vs. drums, both very active and complex yet quite pretty too, the tangle they make. Dynamic and detailed, Cheval de Frise rock out with the elegance of a math equation scribbled on a doily. Imagine an introspective, high-end-eq'd Ruins, or a Hella with hitherto unrevealed, somewhat mellow and romantic qualities.
So if you missed this before, now's your chance to pick one up, just in time for their upcoming US tour which includes some shows hereabouts with Hella, appropriately enough. There's no bonus tracks (as was incorrectly rumored), it's just the same as the Ruminance version we used to stock. But we've learned what their name means -- a customer clued us in to the fact that even in English a cheval de frise is the term for spiked obstacles employed in battle (to deter cavalry charges and the like) and also can refer to barriers of barbed wire or broken glass on the tops of walls.
MPEG Stream: "Lucarne Des Combles"
MPEG Stream: "Chiendent"

CHEVAL DE FRISE Le Lame Du Mat (Minority Records) 10" 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Haven't heard from these guys in a while. Oft described as Don Caballero meets Gastr Del Sol, due to their mathy post rock sound, and the fact that the guitar player wields an acoustic guitar. But he still kicks up quite a din, and he has to since the drummer is a wild beast, like the dude from Hella but with a bit more restraint. And in fact, that might even be another shorthand description of this here 10", it does sort of sound a bit like a less spastic and more reserved Hella. Their sound has changed very little, tangled complex acoustic guitar doing serious battle with some crazy octopoidal drumming that swings from reserved shuffle to free jazz freakout to metallic pound, often within the same song. If anything, they've managed to get even more mathy, sounding at times almost like some sort of indie post rock free jazz, fluttery melodies, shuffling skitter, that bursts into full on furious strumming and blown out wall of drumnoise, before slipping back into dreamy minimal groove. These guys still blow our minds, managing to be crazy instrumentalists without losing sight of the part about songs being catchy and fun to listen to. Definitely recommended, for math rockers, post rockers and anyone into complex instrumental rock...

CHEVAL DE FRISE s/t (Sonore) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
French duo of acoustic (but not quiet!) guitar and drums that play in an instrumental 'post-rock' vein -- a shorthand description would be to call them a cross between Don Caballero and Gastr del Sol (but better!). Complex, dynamic, and full of that delicate post-rock beauty...although we can't figure out why bands like this, with musicians this good, don't play metal instead. On the same label that brought us the last two Ruins releases.
RealAudio clip: "Connexion Monsturesue Entre Un Object Et Son Image"

CHEVAL DE FRISE s/t (Sickroom Records, Ltd.) cd 13.98
Domestic reissue of the debut from this French duo...we liked it before, and we like it now! Cheval de Frise is a two-piece band of acoustic (but not quiet!) guitar and drums that play in an instrumental 'post-rock' vein -- a shorthand description would be to call them a cross between Don Caballero and Gastr del Sol (but better!). Or a less goofy Hella with an acoustic guitar and pretensions to French fanciness, maybe? Certainly complex, dynamic, and full of that delicate post-rock beauty...although, as we said before, we can't quite figure out why bands like this, with musicians this good, don't play metal instead? But metal or not this is pretty great. If you missed the import now's your chance. (There's no bonus tracks, so if you do have the import, no frustrations.) Their second album was released over here on Frenetic, some of you might have that one, and this is just as good if not better in fact.
MPEG Stream: "Connexion Monsturesue Entre Un Object Et Son Image"
MPEG Stream: "Incline Et Chenu"

CHEVAL SOMBRE I Sleep (Trensmat) 7" + cd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The second of two new releases from the UK's Trensmat Records, the first being the long awaited Cave ep elsewhere on this list, and this one, the first we've heard from a one man band from NY called Cheval Sombre, whose sound is a delicate, druggy slowcore, not all that far removed from folks like Galaxie 500 or Spacemen 3, the music soft billowy swirls, slow burning soft focus buzz, all drifting gently beneath hushed soft vocals, that are sometimes a dead ringer for the Spacemen.
As with all Trensmat 7"s, the record also includes a bonus cd-r, featuring the tracks from the 7" as well as an extra bonus track. The opener is a gorgeous lazy, late night slow crawl, soporific and cough syrupy, no drums, just long slowly unfurling ribbons of guitar and keyboard, and those sweet lullaby like vocals. The second track, produced by Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom, is an even murkier blurrier version of the opener, all the sounds muted and smeared into indistinct streaks of buzz, the vocals flipped backwards (you know how we love backwards!), the whole track woozy and off kilter, melty and psychedelic, but still dark and dizzy and dreamy.
The bonus track on the cd-r, also features a slowcore, bliss rock guest, Britta Phillips from the duo Dean & Britta (with Dean from Galaxie 500) produces, the result, another hazy, washed out soft around the edges slow folky drift, all glimmering guitar, tinkling chimes, reverbed vocals, all floating in an expanse of sweetly swirling lowercase musical murmur. So lovely.
Fans of druggy slow motion blessed out psych pop (who isn't?!?) will definitely love this. Full color sleeve, printed cd-r, and of course, as always, SUPER LIMITED!
MPEG Stream: "I Sleep (Alpha Waves)"
MPEG Stream: "I Sleep (Delta Waves)"

CHEVREUIL Capoeira (Sickroom) cd 13.98
Not a new release anymore, but still well worth mentioning, at last... Chevreuil are not your average mathy post rock band, and we don't just mean musically. Starting with the cover image, of a skinny shirtless man sprawled on the asphalt, his head under a little patch of Astroturf, to the poster inside, of another man dressed all in white, head covered in blood, standing atop a little ladder, to the instrumentation: voice, samples, harmonica, magnetic drums and touch guitar, to the legend printed inside the cd case: "This record is connected to SCIENCE." And the music is just as off kilter and confusingly brilliant.
Falling somewhere between Feuhler, Turing Machine, Hella and the Champs, but managing to not sound anything like any of them, Chevreuil are more like Faust or Can reincarnated as some damaged experimental post rock band. Drums are everywhere, pounding and shuffling, complex dense and agitated, loud and super powerful, laying a solid framework for the hypnotically looped guitars. and buzzy bits of sampled synth. Sort of like a krautrock Hella, but way more fragmented, stuttering and convoluted, and somehow more aggressively tweaked.
Definitely one of the coolest weirdest bands doing the mathrock / postrock thing, turning a somewhat played out sound into a super fucked and freaked out blast of hyper rhythmic psychedelic weirdness.
Absolutely recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "Cannibal Lover"
MPEG Stream: "Gendarme"

CHEVREUIL Chateauvallon (Sick Room) cd 13.98
Maybe it's the Slint reunion (just ask Andee or Elliott about how awesome that show was!!) or those for-now-aborted Bastro releases we were waiting for, but we've been kinda been feeling the post-rock 'round here lately. So this disc by French instrumental post-rock outfit Chevreuil showed up at just the right time. They remind us of a comforting Don Caballero, a slightly scatterbrained Circle, or a more warm n' relaxed version of AQ faves Feuhler. And the use of synth brings in comparisons to local boys Crime In Choir too. First released in 2003 by the French label Ruminance (the same folks who brought us the last Cheval de Frise when it was an import), now slightly updated and released domestically by Sick Room, Chateauvallon consists of eleven instrumental post-rock jams that just do us right. We especially like how their hypnotic grooves and repetitive riffery are allowed some wobbly breathing room...they're far from sloppy but seem to get intentionally off-kilter and fucked-up sounding, like a dizzy Discipline (King Crimson), while paradoxically remaining tight as an Albini-recorded drum (which some of the drums on here are, in fact). Even math rock, sometimes 2 + 2 = 5 can work, it seems. These derailments and double-exposures that they work into their songs serve to increase the pleasurable tensions that are always a post-rock calling-card...as is the mixture of mellow and pretty with the sudden on-rush of the hard and metallic which Chevreuil also expertly employ herein.
So, if you've got a soft spot for the post-rock, or want to try some on for size, this is our latest fave in the field for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Turbofonte"
MPEG Stream: "Rocknrollgarnison"
MPEG Stream: "Forteressecourage"

CHEVREUIL Sport (Sickroom) cd 13.98
There's two kinds of post rock, the sort of jazzy, drifty, Tortoise-y modern Krautrock bliss of bands like, well, Tortoise, and To Rococo Rot, Tarentel, all shuffling and dreamy and shimmery, and then there's this. A churning, chops heavy, rhythmic and textural workout. Big BIG drums, even when the surrounding music is muted and subtle, the drums are still pounding and deftly navigate dense tangled time signatures and stretches of full on pounding rock, The guitar parts are slippery and noodly, often supplying texture more than melody. A lovely abstract counterpoint to the booming big drum framework. French duo Chevreuil travel a similar sonic post rock path on Sport (a reissue of a 2000 release) as outfits like Dazzling Killmen, Shellac, Fuehler, Lynx and the like but an ultra stripped down version of any of those. All instrumental, thick and propulsive, each track is a dizzying swirl of proggy guitar filligee drifitng like clouds of multi colored dust around the whirling dirvish drums, an impossibly octopoidal, solid as a rock, pounding pummeling percussive crush. All that said, this will still most assuredly appeal to fans of Tortoise and other likeminded post rockers, but it's a lot weirder and heavier and more fucked up sounding. A bit like Tortoise's bad ass little post rock brother who carries a switchblade and runs with the wrong crowd and hangs out on the corner in the bad part of town and can't be bothered to write songs or listen to jazz, opting instead to put some spikes and studs on his Members Only jacket, and turning the drums WAY up and just sort of wandering aimlessly, seeing where the music might take him. Or better yet, imagine, Hella or Lightning Bolt played at 16rpm, the spastic splattery drumming becoming a solid chugging rhythm, the suquirrelly squiggly guitar freakouts, transformed into shimmering melodyscapes and near ambient guitar swirl.
Awesome surreal moldy ground beef cover art too!
MPEG Stream: "Modenature"
MPEG Stream: "Montacute"
MPEG Stream: "Acier"

CHEVRON Everything's Exactly The Same (Planet Mu) cd 16.98

CHEVY BOYS, THE (Anthem) dvd-r 12.98
With the current deluge of 'reality this' and 'reality that' on the TV and the internet, it's hard to watch this dvd-r without wearing irony goggles, but this footage and the kids on it are real and truly from back in the day. Much like the pre-YouTube old VHS classics Heavy Metal Parking Lot and Metallica Drummer, The Chevy Boys is a document of regular ol' American teens doin' what regular ol' American teens do. But when viewed from a third person perspective their antics, activities and conversations are nothing short of irregular, unintentionally hilarious, and at times downright homoerotic. Perversely fascinating. Shot in Anytown, USA (actually Eugene, OR) circa the late '80s, these sixteen minutes are packed with flailing body moves that vaguely resemble kung fu and breakdancing, butchered renditions of Bon Jovi and Skid Row tunes, and assorted other fucking around. Heck, the boys' haircuts alone are unflinchingly donned by today's fashion mavens and Vice Mag readers far and wide. And no doubt some of you, like us, will recognize some cringeworthy moments not all that far removed from some of your teenage antics. You'll definitely find yourself laughing your ass off, and thanking your lucky stars it isn't you captured in your awkward teenage metal mullet break dancing prime...

CHICAGO THRASH ENSEMBLE Demon Cassette (PlusTapes) cassette 5.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We pretty much have a standing order for anything that PlusTapes releases. Much like Mississippi, PlusTapes has become the sort of label folks collect, which as we've mentioned before is pretty remarkable for a label so young. But so far, almost every release we've gotten from PlusTapes has flown out of here. And like Mississippi, they've also decided to dabble in more contemporary sounds, along with their ambitious reissue campaigns. Supporting their local scene, while paying homage to the past. Such is the case with these two latest releases, both limited to 100 copies, and we got less than 20 of each.
PlusTapes really couldn't get more eclectic. Indonesian pop, surf music from Singapore, dramatic cabaret folk from former industrial icons, Peruvian garage rock, and now thrash metal from Chicago. Hell yeah!
The appropriately named Chicago Thrash Ensemble are a furious thrashing four piece hell bent on wreaking utter musical havoc, blazing riffage, furious drumming, lightning speed tempos, raspy glass gargling vocals, some little bits of shred here and there. All recorded super raw and lo-fi and in-the-red like some lost eighties demo, what more do you need to know. How about it, the tape is blood splattered (okay, maybe it's red paint, but still!), the covers feature a weird hand drawn heavy metal kid binder beast, with the band's name in the mouth, and the evil eyes glowing red, thanks to an extra set of red eyes pasted on to the plastic case. Oh and they totally shred, it's hard to tell if these guys are true metalheads, or indie kids getting their thrash ya ya's out, but it hardly matters, it's heavy, thrashy, with plenty of nods to Slayer of course, with some wannabe "Raining Blood" and "Angel Of Death" moments, what's not to love? These guys probably destroy live, Chicago folks should definitely check them out. The rest of us will just have to make do with this little plasticky bit of old school thrash, and enjoy the vio-lence vicariously!
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES. We have less than 20. Cool hand drawn covers, lots of beasts and creatures, glowing red eyes pasted onto the tape case, the tapes themselves 'blood' splattered, each one hand numbered.

CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY s/t (Rhino) cd 16.98
Finally one of the greatest bands ever (Doubt it?!?! Email me and we will debate to the death) gets the deluxe reissue treatment. Nicely packaged in a digipak with a slip cover and remastered (but no bonus tracks...lame). Kick ass seventies soul flecked rock and roll with plenty of weird 'free' jazz piano, kick ass horns and unforgettable tunes. Their arrangements were complex, unpredictable and brilliant; 14 minute songs with different sections that keep you wondering what's coming next. Some of the best guitar playing you will ever hear (Chicago had guitar?!?!?). Guitarist/vocalist Terry Kath was even one of Hendrix's guitar heroes! And Kath supplied all of the rock and roll charisma and energy with his raspy growl (later replaced by the whiny and annoying Peter Cetera, who in the old days just played bass), wicked guitar playing and his totally rock and roll death, PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE! FUCK YEAH. There's also a freaked out instrumental Fushitsusha-worthy wild and psychedelic guitar freak out track that Allan and many other visitors to Aquarius mistook for Haino, Cline, Brotzman and any other of a number of noise-y guitarists! Did you realise Chicago were so cool?? I thought not. AND they were formed on February 15th, my birthday!!! Which also, for the record, makes us (me AND Chicago) AQUARIUSES!! What more do you need to know. Buy it. Or listen to the sound samples and be converted!!
RealAudio clip: "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"
RealAudio clip: "Free Form Guitar"
RealAudio clip: "Beginnings"