COUGH Ritual Abuse (Relapse) 2lp 27.00
NOW HERE AS A DOUBLE, COLORED VINYL LP!
Record number two from these Virginia doomlords, a crushing collection of druggy, dirgey ultradoom, a lumbering sludge juggernaut, filthy distorted guitars, crushing drum pound, hellish shrieks, but something's changed this time around, cuz in addition to those harsh vokills, there's some serious vocalizing going on, that manages to nudge Cough's sound a little bit away from filthy crusty doomsludge toward something more classically doom, we're feeling a little Electric Wizard perhaps? The band dabbled a bit on their last record, but here those vocals are way up in the mix, still wreathed in reverb and delay, but the subtle groove of Cough's stonery sludge becomes much more pronounced with those vocals, which is not a bad thing at all, the band stumbling from pure grim downtuned plodding filth to swinging Sabbathy groove, even adding some surprisingly melodic guitar leads and lush swirls of spaced out effects which produces a sort of weirdly melodic sludgey space rock, which RULES.
But fear not, the band inevitably slip back into something sludgier, but not TOO sludgey, as those clean vocals seem to outnumber the harsh vocals pretty significantly. So if you're in the market for some total Eyehategod worship, you might be better served with the first Cough record, but if you're up for some slightly more melodic heaviness, this record should definitely do the trick.
Especially if you stick around for "Crooked Spine", which is ridiculously poppy, sounding a bit like a stoner sludge version of a Codeine track, a sort of druggier, sludgier slowcore, the vocals super poppy, maybe hinting at a more melodic Cough to come.
But again, all you have to do is hold on for a few more minutes, and the title track swoops in, and flattens you with its sheer malevolent crush, a lurching lumbering sludge EPIC, complete with a killer spaced out effects laden doomdirgedrone breakdown, and a final burst of skull crushing riffage.
MPEG Stream: "Mind Collapse"
MPEG Stream: "Ritual Abuse"

COUGH Sigillum Luciferi (Forcefield Records) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On first glance, you might assume this was a black metal record. The cover is all black, with intricate metallic silver inked designs, a strange pentagram like shape in the center, pentagrams on all four corners, there's even an upside down cross in the band logo. But then you realize the band is in fact called Cough. And that all around that strange pentagram like sigil in the center are the distinct shape of pot leaves.
Then the music starts with a solid 15 seconds of high end solid state feedback, before the band kicks in, and we are suddenly in druggy slow motion ultra stoner doom country, and we like it. In fact it's almost three minutes of nearly continuous Eyehategod style feedback, separated by the occasional crash of the band, before the song really kicks in, and then the band lock into a lurching druggy stoner groove, more Electric Wizard than Eyehategod, but still plenty of both. Clean vocals carry the melody, but harsh blackened shrieks pepper the landscape, the riffs huge churning downtuned black swells, about as slow as a band can get while remaining even slightly 'groovy'. And don't worry, throughout, the band pause now and again to unleash lightning bolts of high end feedback, before lurching back into action.
And so it goes. Six long songs, each blessed with a handful of kick ass riffery, oozing hate and distortion and filth and crust, the rhythms staggering from doomic plod, to druggy slither, to an almost rocking pound, the riffs slipping into Sabbath territory, but usually straying much further south. The band dabble here and there in tripped out space rock, getting a little psychedelic, the vocals wreathed in effects, the melodies crazy catchy, but no matter what, they thankfully never wander too far from their gloriously filthy fucked up drug drenched doom-ed sludge.
MPEG Stream: "Killing Fields"
MPEG Stream: "Lyssavirus"

COUGH Sigillum Luciferi (Forcefield / Electric Earth / Feast Of Tentacles) 2lp 30.00
Now At Last On Vinyl!!!
On first glance, you might assume this was a black metal record. The cover is all black, with intricate metallic silver inked designs, a strange pentagram like shape in the center, pentagrams on all four corners, there's even an upside down cross in the band logo. But then you realize the band is in fact called Cough. And that all around that strange pentagram like sigil in the center are the distinct shape of pot leaves.
Then the music starts with a solid 15 seconds of high end solid state feedback, before the band kicks in, and we are suddenly in druggy slow motion ultra stoner doom country, and we like it. In fact it's almost three minutes of nearly continuous Eyehategod style feedback, separated by the occasional crash of the band, before the song really kicks in, and then the band lock into a lurching druggy stoner groove, more Electric Wizard than Eyehategod, but still plenty of both. Clean vocals carry the melody, but harsh blackened shrieks pepper the landscape, the riffs huge churning downtuned black swells, about as slow as a band can get while remaining even slightly 'groovy'. And don't worry, throughout, the band pause now and again to unleash lightning bolts of high end feedback, before lurching back into action.
And so it goes. Six long songs, each blessed with a handful of kick ass riffery, oozing hate and distortion and filth and crust, the rhythms staggering from doomic plod, to druggy slither, to an almost rocking pound, the riffs slipping into Sabbath territory, but usually straying much further south. The band dabble here and there in tripped out space rock, getting a little psychedelic, the vocals wreathed in effects, the melodies crazy catchy, but no matter what, they thankfully never wander too far from their gloriously filthy fucked up drug drenched doom-ed sludge.
MPEG Stream: "Killing Fields"
MPEG Stream: "Lyssavirus"

COUGH / WOUNDED KINGS An Introduction To The Black Arts (Forcefield) 12" 12.98
At first this heavy duty doom matchup seems like maybe it wouldn't work, sure both bands are technically doom, but both seem to exist on different ends of the doom-ic spectrum, with Cough spitting out a sludgier, more raw and crusty sort of Eyehategod meets Electric Wizard feedback drenched slow-mo crush, while The Wounded Kings traffic in something closer to true doom, more melodic, less sludgey, but surprisingly enough it works, both bands offering up some of their best material, a side long epic from each, Cough infusing some serious melody and some of that classic Sabbath sound into their lurching and lumbering pummel, while the Wounded Kings get a little bit sludgey themselves.
Hot on the heels of their amazing Ritual Abuse full length, reviewed here recently, Cough come up with a nearly 20 minute dirge that almost sounds like it could have been recorded during the same sessions (and maybe was?). Beginning with a slow spaced out bit of funereal doom, lots of space, even a tolling bell, the band soon launch into some caustic filthy blacksludge brutality, downtuned and malevolent, with some seriously sick vokills, all wrapped around a killer, main chugging riff, it's not until nearly half way through that the band decide to get all melodic, with some effects drenched vox, WAY up in the mix, all spacey and trippy, laced over that main riff, that seems to start swinging just a bit more, then there's some awesome psychedelic wah wah guitar leads, and we're in seriously classic true doom territory for sure, before eventually slipping back into the lugubrious sludge of the song's first half, and then finally an awesome layered feedback outro.
The Wounded Kings counter with a smoldering slow building intro, all whirring organs, downtuned chordal crush, eventually launching into a keyboard laced melodic lumber, a sound that could go either way, into shrieking blackness, or soaring epicness, some tangled swaths of wah wah guitar give us our first clue, before slipping right back into some more downtuned chug, but then finally, the vocals swoop in, and the sound is transformed into some epic Sabbathy true doom, the vocals growing more and more melodic as the track progresses, the guitars too, but before the song can explode, the track slips into a super minimal organ driven bit of psych prog, which rules, but only lasts for a minute or two before the song proper bursts back into action a fusion of the downtuned doom and that psychedelic prog, finishing off with an epic and dramatic climax before fading out, leaving a shadowy bit of tinkling piano.
MPEG Stream: COUGH "The Gates Of Madness"
MPEG Stream: THE WOUNDED KINGS "Curse Of Chains"

COUGH COOL Lately (Bathetic) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We were pretty crazy for the Cough Cool cd-r on Debacle we reviewed a while back, heavy on all 3 of the aQ D's: Droney, Druggy and Dreamy, a sort of warped slo-mo bedroom pop that blurred shoegaze shimmer into lo-fi jangle dirge drift, within which lurked all sorts of warm liquid poppy goodness. If anything this latest lp just finds the band doing what they do even better. All of the above mentioned elements are still present, and heck it's one of those records where we could probably have just used the same review over again, but it's definitely worth mentioning that while this might on the surface sound just like that cd-r part two, it's way more, the sounds are more lush and dense, without really getting that much more high fidelity, and the songs too, manage to be even catchier, but again, without losing any of their sonic nonchalance. The rhythms are rudimentary, dirgey and almost stumbly, to the point that they almost sound like real drums (heck, maybe they are), and the definitely goes a long way to giving CC a lush organic feel, and on songs like "Got A Show", it's like they're channeling nineties indie pop, big fuzzy guitars, swirls of reverb and effects, the vocals are the main thing that keep it mired in a glorious tarpit murk, all slowed down and mumbly, deep and woozy, and when the vocals do slip into something more properly croonsome, they're invariably swept up and thick dustdevils of echoey blur and prismatic shimmer. We're definitely reminded of faves from our past like the Swirlies, and of course the Jesus And Mary Chain, and plenty of other purveyors of shoegaze jangle, but there's just something about these guys that push all our buttons, and not just the droney, druggy, dreamy ones, CC obviously have a knock for the perfect pop hook, and have classic jangle pop sensibilities, it's just that somehow the sounds get all twisted and tangled, warped and mangled on the way, which is exactly how we like 'em!
MPEG Stream: "Pete Perez"
MPEG Stream: "Got A Show"
MPEG Stream: "Sup Girls In The 60's"
MPEG Stream: "Watery Mirror"

COUGH COOL s/t (Debacle) 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.
Another week, another killer batch of weirdo releases from one of our new favorite labels, Debacle. So far, of the practically millions (okay maybe 30 or 40) of Debacle releases, we've reviewed records by Expo 70, Demian Johnston & Mink Stole, Megabats and The Slaves. This time around, elsewhere on the list we have another Demian Johnston jam, this time teamed up with 1/2 of local black metal / black noize merchants Sutekh Hexen, and this, the first we've heard from the awesomely named Cough Cool, who specialize in a sort of druggy dreamy droney bedroom pop, but the sort of pop heavy on the mantra like repetition, the woozy atmosphere, and the downercore dreamdrone bliss.
Originally released as a super limited cassette on Sweat Lodge Guru, Cough Cool unfurl a blurred appropriately cough syrupy skeletal electro pop, clipped electronic beats, draped over warbly expanses of shimmer and whir, the guitars dripping with reverb, the vocals a heavily effected whispery croon, everything muddy and murky and washed out, some gloriously lysergic slowcore. But the sound shifts constantly, where the opening track is murky and muffled, the follow up is a bit more crisp, a little more jangly, everything still wreathed in effect, and the programmed rhythm still skeletal, but here the guitars crunch a bit, the vocals a little more moody, the sound like classic indie pop slowed way dooown and run through a bank of effects with dying batteries.
And so it goes, CC spinning lush landscapes of looped jangle guitar, hazy expanses of blissy dream pop, twisted lo-fi eighties style electro-pop, each track not so much a song, as a single riff, or single part, repeated, transformed into an oddly trancelike version of whatever influences CC are choosing to subvert, cyclical and hypnotic, we're reminded here and there of a way more minimal Ariel Pink, while in other places the sounds drifts into seriously Pop Ambient territory, and still elsewhere, it sounds like the muddiest murkiest lost Sentridoh tape, but all of these sounds manage to be woven seamlessly into a single dreamy druggy whole. Our favorite track might be the heavy doomy dream pop dirgery of "Sucker", thick syrupy guitars creep and ooze over a simple loping beat, the vocals spinning a whispery Higgs style mantra, it almost sounds like a darker dirgier Zomes, which is most definitely a good thing.
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "And Nothing Happened"
MPEG Stream: "Congrats"
MPEG Stream: "Cum"

COUGHEE BROTHAZ / DEVIN THE DUDE Waitin' Our Turn cd 13.98

COUGHS Secret Passage (Load) lp 15.98
This is hardly a new record, but one we had for some reason or another never listed, and now we got it for a nice low price. Coughs (not to be confused with the doom band Cough) were part of Chicago's fertile underground noise rock scene from a few years back, and even though they have long since broken up, it's clear that today's crop of atonal noise mongers could still learn a thing or two. The band whips up a mighty hell of a racket, and people in Chicago still speak of them in somewhat mythical tones. Somehow they were able to merge numerous stylistic influences into something else altogether. Among other things, you will probably react immediately to the crazed female vocals stuck within a downtuned sea of no wave sludge... or something. Craziest of all is how musical it all is, in a scary as fuck, I'm losing my mind kind of way. The opening number, appropriately named "Quagmire", sets the stage for Secret Passage with intense, tom heavy drumming, a buzzing guitar riff, some skronky saxophone and awesome female screaming. "Happy Harvest" lurches forward with some strange riffing that seamlessly shifts from both extremes of the fretboard while super distorted bass rumbles nonstop. There's so much tension in the sound, like the band is just ready to take off into some crazy void, but the rhythm section keeps everything, maybe "grounded" isn't the right word, but at least right in your face where you can't ignore it. The insectoid guitars and the cloud of doominess on songs like "Bunny Slope" conjure up all kinds of disturbing imagery, while the forceful rhythms just can't be denied. It's cool how the songs go to all kinds of unexpected places, clearly the result of a band who had spent plenty of time bashing out improv noise into something that no one else could touch, like on "Intentional Community", which makes use of negative space for a truly disconcerting vibe. This is definitely not metal, but when listening, one can't ignore that Coughs were responsible for a truly unique and brutal attack that many metal bands would kill for. Tough luck for them, though. You either got it or you don't, and anyone who missed this the first time around should do themselves a favor and check it out. Highly recommended.

COULTER, DAVID Intervention (Young God Records) cd 13.98
On Michael Gira's Young God imprint comes the debut solo album from David Coulter (ex-Pogues & Test Dept, strangely enough). He creates a folk-influenced, dark but not too creepy, mostly-instrumental "sonic meditations" using instruments like the theremin, jew's harp, and didjeridu. Guests include guitarist Marc Ribot and avant-vocalist Phil Minton. For fans of Gira's Angels of Light.

COUNT OSSIE & MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI Tales of Mozambique (Creole Records) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"'Tales of Mozambique' by the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari deserves the kind of attention and reverence which some people have before a monument in a holy room. Above all, this album depends on specific approaches which take account of and analyse all the historic parameters of the displacement of African blacks to the West Indies coasts. It is a journey which takes in the Maroons, Pan-Africanism and all the international struggles for independance, to the spiritual meeting of Nanny (Burru Queen), Howell and Lumumbaba (African Revolutionary) in a musical structure encompassing Burru, Mento, Reggae and Jazz rhythms... 'Tales of Mozambique' came out in 1975 and was an hommage to the independence of this African state, a fusion of Jazz, Nyabhinghi and Calypso, punctuated with interventions by the speaker, Sam Clayton. This masterpiece was not inspired by commercial considerations, but was intended to be the expression of the specific cultural features of Rastafarianism." (From the liner notes.)

COUNT OSSIE & MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI Tales of Mozambique (Crocodisc) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"'Tales of Mozambique' by the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari deserves the kind of attention and reverence which some people have before a monument in a holy room. Above all, this album depends on specific approaches which take account of and analyse all the historic parameters of the displacement of African blacks to the West Indies coasts. It is a journey which takes in the Maroons, Pan-Africanism and all the international struggles for independance, to the spiritual meeting of Nanny (Burru Queen), Howell and Lumumbaba (African Revolutionary) in a musical structure encompassing Burru, Mento, Reggae and Jazz rhythms... 'Tales of Mozambique' came out in 1975 and was an hommage to the independence of this African state, a fusion of Jazz, Nyabhinghi and Calypso, punctuated with interventions by the speaker, Sam Clayton. This masterpiece was not inspired by commercial considerations, but was intended to be the expression of the specific cultural features of Rastafarianism." (From the liner notes.)

COUNT OSSIE & THE MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI Grounation: the Roots of Reggae (Proper / Retro) 2cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

COUNT OSSIE & THE MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI Grounation: the Roots of Reggae (Grounation) 3lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Great stuff, but we'll warn you: all the copies we've ever seen of these have slightly bent corners and crazy shinkwrapping, pretty common for Jamaican releases. Just so you know WE didn't bend 'em.

COUNT RAVEN Mammon's War (I Hate Records) cd 15.98

COUNT VERTIGO I'm A Mutant (Mississippi) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT**
Super rad ultra crazed blast of old school Portland punk from this short lived outfit. So short lived in fact that this two song single from 1979 is all they ever managed. The sound is feral and punk as fuck, but also weirdly new wave and a little electronic, equal parts Devo and the Units, the title track a pounding blast of sinister electro punk, driven by a maniacal organ pulse, thick fuzzy low end, and some maniacal vox, peppered with some awesome angular guitar, and a super tripped out staccato second half that is about as close to a deranged sing-along as we can imagine, totally killer, and irresistible, we've listened to it like ten times in a row, a dirgey swaggery jitter-punk classic. The B side is less bizarre, a more standard (but only slightly) chugging punk rock blast of political indignation, furious fist in the face, fuck the man radness. So recommended.
MPEG Stream: "I'm A Mutant"

COUNTRY GENTLEMEN On The Road And More (Smithsonian Folkways) cd 15.98
The Country Gentlemen were one of the great bluegrass bands to come out of the Washington DC area folk revival in the late fifties. The diverse backgrounds of core members Charlie Waller (guitar), John Duffey (mandolin), Eddie Adcock (banjo) and Tom Gray (bass) gave the band a sound that fit the traditional bluegrass mold and an urbane quality that was fresh without being so slick and smarmy as the later "newgrass" bands that would follow in the years to come. "On the Road" was originally released in 1963 and features recordings of two live performances by the Country Gentlemen, one recorded at Antioch College in 1962 and the other at The Sacred Mushroom, a coffee house in Columbus, Ohio in 1963. As a bonus to this reissue are six tracks recently uncovered in the Folkways' archives from the Country Gentlemen's appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1961 as part of Pete Seeger's "Hootenanny" folk concert to introduce urbanites to the world of folk. An added benefit to hearing live recordings of the Country Gentlemen is that they were quite the jokesters on stage -- just shy of the Smothers Brothers at times -- and many of their antics are included here. Also included is a 29 page booklet with a detailed bio of the band and notes on all the songs.
RealAudio clip: "Long Black Veil"
RealAudio clip: "John Henry"

COUNTRY MUSIC: THE ROUGH GUIDE book 24.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Except for a few well-chosen biographies, this mindblowing volume may be the last book on country music that you'll ever have to pick up. AQ-pal and SF resident Kurt Wolff took on the monumental task of writing about country music in all its multifaceted glory, and he's clearly done a great job. Almost 600 pages of information is divided into sections by genre and chronology (hillbilly, western swing, bluegrass, honky tonk, rockabilly, outlaw country, alt.country, countrypolitan, etc) and each section is preceded by a several-page essay that puts everything into easily-digestible context. Wolff covers all the historic giants, from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash, Bob Wills, and Bill Monroe, plus literally HUNDREDS of lesser knowns. Gram Parsons, Ernest Tubb, Dolly Parton, Hazel Dickens, Freakwater, Uncle Tupelo, Doc Watson, Kitty Wells, Tammy Wynette, Lambchop, Dock Boggs, Spade Cooley, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, the Seldom Scene, Chet Atkins, Elvis, Doug Sahm, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Alison Kraus, Charley Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, the Stanley Brothers, Scud Mountain Boys -- it's ALL here. Contains individual album reviews, artist bios, lots of photos (some previously unpublished), and anthology roundups, as well as cute sidebars about common themes in country music lyrics, etc. An absolutely essential, very complete reference guide that is super well written and super easy to read straight through as a book, to boot. Each copy signed by the author!

COUNTRY TEASERS Live Album (In the Red) cd 13.98
Just what the title sez! This is The Country Teasers in all their live, super what-the-fuck, devil-may-care rawk splendour compiled from their 1999-2004 shows. Like a bunch of hillbillies (Scottish ones, no less!) who've gotten absolutely trashed out in their garage. In the past, we've compared 'em to a bastard child of garage rock and postpunk granddaddies Billy Childish and Mark E. Smith, and that still holds very true. A noisy, angular, stumbling, slurring mess, but an entertaining (and occasionally hilarious) one! Just after someone hollers "YOU SUCK!", they launch into a relatively subdued cover of Randy Newman's "Short People". Uh oh. They also throttle songs by Butthole Surfers, New Order, and Brainbombs. Be forewarned, if you're brave enough to listen to this album, you may find the drawer of your cd player littered with cigarette butts and empty lager cans.
MPEG Stream: "Blue Monday"
MPEG Stream: "Short People"

COUNTRY TEASERS Science Hat Artistic Cube Moral Nosebleed Empire (In The Red) cd 13.98
Compilation of unreleased tracks, demos, singles and demos from this Scottish quartet. Ultra-fucked country and western garage with nasty offensive lyrics. Super lo fi and totally kick ass. Sounds a bit like some weird mix of Billy Childish and the Fall but with a fake country drawl. Soooo good. Twangy and mean. Sadie's favorite release of the month.
RealAudio clip: "I'm a New Person, Ma'am"
RealAudio clip: "$4.99"
RealAudio clip: "Happy Feet"

COUNTRY TEASERS Secret Weapon Revealed At Last (In The Red) cd 13.98
This new Country Teasers album -- also mysteriously known as Full Moon Empty Sportsbag -- might not be everybody's cup of tea/moonshine/battery acid. There's barked, snarled, moaned and mumbled vocals not unlike what you might expect from your old cantankerous uncle after he's had a bit of a tipple. The music is made to match - ill-tempered, dissonant and trashy, and very high on treble. Garage-y organ drones hang ominously like rain-soaked bedsheets on a clothesline. Slack guitars skreee and hang loosely like the gristly remnants clinging to the bones of a bbq rib fest. Some folks thought this was Ween doing another hillbilly romp (check out "Please Stop Fucking Each Other" - no, they're not too concerned with pleasantries, are they?!). Bristlingly raw and ramshackle in both sound and visuals. You can see the magic marker inking fix-it job on the front cover as well as the pixillated and bled-through text on the back. This has drawn some very emphatically positive in-store responses (one customer said "I love this! it's a fucking mess!") as well as some incredibly icy ones. So consider yourself forewarned, this may put either a grumpy scowl or a gleeful grin on your face.
MPEG Stream: "TODTTLL"
MPEG Stream: "Please Stop Fucking Each Other"

COUNTRY TEASERS The Empire Strikes Back (In The Red) cd 13.98
Country Teasers always sound as though someone roused them from a snoresome liquored slumber, thrust some instruments and a microphone in their hands and hollered "Play!" Seriously we'd bet they could drink The Pogues under the table. Their music never fails to be incoherent (yet somehow clearly foul mouthed) and rambling, with parts that don't quite fit together. The drum beats stumble along. The electric guitars strain against the urge to fall horribly out of tune. The ridiculously distorted speak-sing-yer-heart-right-outta-pitch style vocals will have you jumping from bummer to bellylaugh and back again (much like those of Shane MacGowan of the abovementioned Pogues). They even provide an occasional play-by-play commentary. At one point in the seventh tune you can hear "bring the drums in again". As this album progresses though it's like the booze wears off a bit and a sober gloom emerges around the fourth tune. Then it's like they consumed some other chemical along with a revitalizing shot of whisky that sends them shambling into some other strange carnival tent. For folks who like their garage music to be extra loosey goosey.
MPEG Stream: "Mos E17ley"
MPEG Stream: "Good Looking Boys Or Women"

COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER, THE Forensic Fugues and Medicolegal Medleys (Razorback) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS, THE Olidous Operettas (Relapse) cd 12.98

MPEG Stream: "Casper's Dictum"
MPEG Stream: "Expeditious Evisceratory Mishap"
MPEG Stream: "Maturating Decompositional Gas"

COUP, THE Kill My Landlord (Wild Pitch Records) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This hot Bay Area political/alt-rap group recently came out with the popular Steal This Album--here's one of their earlier, classic efforts now back in circulation after a few years of frustrating out of print-ness.

COUP, THE Kill My Landlord (Wild Pitch Records) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This hot Bay Area political/alt-rap group recently came out with the popular Steal This Album--here's one of their earlier, classic efforts now back in circulation after a few years of frustrating out of print-ness.

COUP, THE Party Music (75 Ark) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Windy's favorite hip hop record of the year, along with Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein, is The Coup's Party Music. A lot of you heard *about* it before it ever got released, due to the cover art which depicted The Coup's Boots and Pam the Funkstress blowing up the World Trade Center with a mixing board / detonator. Pretty incendiary stuff. And it was supposed to come out the same week! The cover was conceived long before the WTC attacks, and obviously was supposed to symbolize The Coup's stance against capitalism in general. Anyway, the album has a new cover (a molotov cocktail) but the lyrics are just as revolutionary as ever. The hardhitting lyrics complement the music nicely, in fact, cos the music is relatively light, not "gangsta", not creepy or weirdo like much of the other hip hop AQ likes lately (Cannibal Ox, Sensational, etc) -- it's funk-filled and danceable and righteous and even approaches De La Soul territory on songs like "Wear Clean Draws", Boots' sweet song filled with advice for his daughter, which features Pam the Funkstress either playing with a squeaky doll or just doing some mighty deft scratching. Highly recommended!
THE WTC COVER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, SORRY!

RealAudio clip: "Everythang"
RealAudio clip: "Wear Clean Draws"
RealAudio clip: "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O."

COUP, THE Party Music (Anti) cd 12.98
Oakland rap crew with no luck (labels going under, FBI investigations, etc.) The Coup is still keeping us waiting for some new music. Not sure if they're disbanded or on hiatus or what...they've had their ups and downs careerwise over the years that's for sure. But in these dark days we need their political partytime hiphop more than ever. Thankfully, their three-year-old masterpiece Party Music is again available from a new label, as it has now been reissued via Epitaph/Anti. It's got the same substitute album cover (more on that below), but there's a computer video clip for "Ride The Fence" included that we don't think was on the 75Ark version. Here's what we wrote about this record-of-the-week cd when it was first released back in 2001:
My favorite hip hop record of the year, along with Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein, is The Coup's Party Music. A lot of you heard *about* it before it ever got released, due to the cover art which depicted The Coup's Boots and Pam the Funkstress blowing up the World Trade Center with a mixing board / detonator. Pretty incendiary stuff. And it was supposed to come out the same week! The cover was conceived long before the WTC attacks, and obviously was supposed to symbolize The Coup's stance against capitalism in general. Anyway, the album has a new cover (a "Molotov cocktail") but the lyrics are just as revolutionary as ever. The hardhitting lyrics complement the music nicely, in fact, cos the music is relatively light, not "gangsta", not creepy or weirdo like much of the other hip hop AQ likes lately (Cannibal Ox, Sensational, etc) -- it's funk-filled and danceable and righteous and even approaches De La Soul territory on songs like "Wear Clean Draws", Boots' sweet song filled with advice for his daughter, which features Pam the Funkstress either playing with a squeaky doll or just doing some mighty deft scratching. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Everythang"
MPEG Stream: "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O."

COUP, THE Party Music (75 Ark) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl!! Here's what Windy wrote about this record-of-the-week cd last time:
My favorite hip hop record of the year, along with Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein, is The Coup's Party Music. A lot of you heard *about* it before it ever got released, due to the cover art which depicted The Coup's Boots and Pam the Funkstress blowing up the World Trade Center with a mixing board / detonator. Pretty incendiary stuff. And it was supposed to come out the same week! The cover was conceived long before the WTC attacks, and obviously was supposed to symbolize The Coup's stance against capitalism in general. Anyway, the album has a new cover (a molotov cocktail) but the lyrics are just as revolutionary as ever. The hardhitting lyrics complement the music nicely, in fact, cos the music is relatively light, not "gangsta", not creepy or weirdo like much of the other hip hop AQ likes lately (Cannibal Ox, Sensational, etc) -- it's funk-filled and danceable and righteous and even approaches De La Soul territory on songs like "Wear Clean Draws", Boots' sweet song filled with advice for his daughter, which features Pam the Funkstress either playing with a squeaky doll or just doing some mighty deft scratching. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Everythang"
RealAudio clip: "Wear Clean Draws"
RealAudio clip: "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O."

COUP, THE Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While this great Bay Area hip-hop outfit already titled their last full length Party Music, we can't think of a term that better suits what they've come up with on Pick A Bigger Weapon, their fifth full length. The Coup have perfected the mix of smart outspoken leftist politics with full servings of carefree melodies and feel good beats to help make their message go down smoother. They just want to "laugh, love, fuck and drink liquor to help the revolution come quicker." And the way they phrase their sentiments they've found a way to neither compromise their message or their sound. With tasteful elements of funk incorporated into their feel good hip-hop it's pretty impossible not to start moving and singing along. Like if Funkadelic met up with a young Prince in the heyday of hip-hop with lyrics contributed by Jello Biafra (who makes another cameo on this record). Most definitely innovative and so immediately familiar sounding at the same time.
MPEG Stream: "We Are The Ones"
MPEG Stream: "Head (of state)"

COUP, THE Pick A Bigger Weapon (Anti) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl!
While this great Bay Area hip-hop outfit already titled their last full length Party Music, we can't think of a term that better suits what they've come up with on Pick A Bigger Weapon, their fifth full length. The Coup have perfected the mix of smart outspoken leftist politics with full servings of carefree melodies and feel good beats to help make their message go down smoother. They just want to "laugh, love, fuck and drink liquor to help the revolution come quicker." And the way they phrase their sentiments they've found a way to neither compromise their message or their sound. With tasteful elements of funk incorporated into their feel good hip-hop it's pretty impossible not to start moving and singing along. Like if Funkadelic met up with a young Prince in the heyday of hip-hop with lyrics contributed by Jello Biafra (who makes another cameo on this record). Most definitely innovative and so immediately familiar sounding at the same time.
MPEG Stream: "We Are The Ones"
MPEG Stream: "Head (Of State)"

COUP, THE Steal This Album (Dogday) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Highly anticipated work from Bay Area rappers.

COUP, THE Steal This Double Album (FOAD) 2cd 14.98
Finally reissued at the price of a single disc but with 2 previously unreleased songs and an extra disc containing a full live performance, this is Oakland hip hop duo The Coup's *brilliant*, totally essential Steal This Album. God, this 1998 record is so great. Not only is the music wonderful, like a stripped down, hip hop Parliament Funkadelic -- sometimes emotional and downtrodden, sometimes party jumpin', sometimes manic when Pam the Funkstress is scratchin', but always incredibly funky due to each track's repeating hook -- but Boots Riley's rapping just puts this album over the top. Boots is totally righteous, politically-aware/-active, advocates revolution as the way to fix our fucked up capitalist sociopolitical system (and when all else fails, a little pissing on G. Washington's grave), and conveys all this with stories (not sermons) whose lyrics are brimming with apt metaphors, sly puns, and pop culture references. For example, these lines from "The Shipment":
See you can't trust a big grip and a smile
And I slang rocks - but Palestinian style
Now there's a rumble in the jungle never mumble though I humble
Couple rappers took a tumble but my folks still want to rumble
Who's pimpin' your bundle? I'm _Fly_ like Seth Brundle
Even if the whole album wasn't great (which it is), it'd be worth picking up just for one song alone: arguably their masterpiece, "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Granada Last Night", which tells the tragedy of a boy whose mother prostitutes herself to support her pimp Jesus' drug habit; Jesus beats her to death and therefore when the boy grows up he shoots Jesus to death, but it's too late because Jesus' values have shaped the son into another misogynist monster. Boots' sketch of Jesus:
Philosophy that he spit stuck in my memory chips
And now he puttin' in a disk of Gladys Knight and the Pips
Then that shit starts to skip, he said, "Somebody musta scratch it"
Put the 40 to his lips and poured the contents down the hatchet
Well since my adolescense, cause of his pimp lessons
smack my woman in the dental just for askin' silly questions
Relationship reduction to either rock the box or suction
Ain't got no close potnahs, socially I cain't function
From the pen he would scribe, on how to survive:
"Don't be Microsoft, be Macintosh with a Hard Drive"
Get this album now, sez Windy! And see more Coup lyrics at http://www.OHHLA.com/YFA_coup.html
RealAudio clip: "The Shipment"
RealAudio clip: "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Granada Last Night"
RealAudio clip: "Piss on your Grave"

COUP, THE The Best Coup DVD Ever! dvd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oakland hiphop crew The Coup -- longtime AQ faves whose 2001 Party Music album was one of the most fun and funky "political" rap records ever -- offer up a DVD of stuff from their archives. It contains seven of The Coup's music videos from over the years, along with an interview with crucial Coup members Boots Riley and Pam The Funkstress, and a fascinating documentary film co-directed by Boots, shot on tour in South Africa! Plus "hidden stuff".
This IS The Best Coup DVD Ever! It's the only Coup DVD too, of course...but though they're joking with the title it is a swell item for Coup fans or anyone who wants to learn more about their radical rap politics. (Note: the back cover seems to indicate that this material is spread over two dvds, but it's all on one.)

COURSE OF ACTION Carving Our Way By Tearing Our Faith (Goodlife) cd 13.98
Another blast of primo European metalcore from the label that brought us Avenged Sevenfold, Broken Promises, Poison The Well and a ton more. Huge, crushing riffs, Slayer via Fugazi, death metal filtered through a punk rock upbringing, squealing guitars, throbbing bass and howled and shrieked vocals. Super complex and uber aggressive, with bizarre post-rock, indie rock breakdowns, complete with motorik drumming, clean vocals, and loping guitar melodies. Really cool. Fans of the above should check this out.
RealAudio clip: "Tear"
RealAudio clip: "My Heaven Could Be Your Hell"

COURSIL, JACQUES UNIT Way Ahead (Actuel / Sunspots) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

COURT AND SPARK Bless You (Absolutely Kosher Records) cd 13.98
Record number two from local country rockers the Court And Spark takes the whispery desert twang of their debut on Andee's tUMULt label, and expands on it, creating a lush, dark and surprisingly varied masterpiece. That may seem a bit effusive, but these guys are so so good. It's unbelievable that they aren't huge and playing bills with Wilco or Ryan Adams or Jay Farrar -- people who I'd imagine they'd blow off the stage at this point. But with the release of 'Bless You' and on the heels of their debut 'Ventura Whites', it probably won't be long. 'Bless You' starts out with the sound of far away pianos and Tom Waits-ish junkyard percussion, all buried under a haze of reverb. Slowly, gently strummed guitars and ringing piano emerge from the gloom, as they launch into 'To See The Fires', probably their best song yet. The whole record is a mix of gloomy slow core country dirges like a countrified Codeine or Low, and rollicking country rock reminiscent of Uncle Tupelo or even the Eagles. The production is bizarre and experimental with all sorts of stereo panning, disembodied brushed snares, strange hums and whirs, extra percussion, and shimmering cymbals. And the musicianship is ace, especially with the permanent addition of Wendy Allen on angelic harmony vocals and Tom Heyman on lap steel. And it doesn't hurt that Gene Parsons of the Byrds plays on a bunch of the tracks as well. The vocals, which seemed to be what the Court and Spark were all about circa their first record, seem to have become more just a part of the whole sound, with MC Taylor's gruff gravelly growl smoothed out, and eased back in the mix a bit, giving their gorgeous twangscapes center stage. Practically perfect.
RealAudio clip: "Fade Out to Lttle Arrow"
RealAudio clip: "To See the Fires"

COURT AND SPARK Bless You (Absolutely Kosher Records) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Record number two from local country rockers the Court And Spark takes the whispery desert twang of their debut on Andee's tUMULt label, and expands on it, creating a lush, dark and surprisingly varied masterpiece. That may seem a bit effusive, but these guys are so so good. It's unbelievable that they aren't huge and playing bills with Wilco or Ryan Adams or Jay Farrar -- people who I'd imagine they'd blow off the stage at this point. But with the release of 'Bless You' and on the heels of their debut 'Ventura Whites', it probably won't be long. 'Bless You' starts out with the sound of far away pianos and Tom Waits-ish junkyard percussion, all buried under a haze of reverb. Slowly, gently strummed guitars and ringing piano emerge from the gloom, as they launch into 'To See The Fires', probably their best song yet. The whole record is a mix of gloomy slow core country dirges like a countrified Codeine or Low, and rollicking country rock reminiscent of Uncle Tupelo or even the Eagles. The production is bizarre and experimental with all sorts of stereo panning, disembodied brushed snares, strange hums and whirs, extra percussion, and shimmering cymbals. And the musicianship is ace, especially with the permanent addition of Wendy Allen on angelic harmony vocals and Tom Heyman on lap steel. And it doesn't hurt that Gene Parsons of the Byrds plays on a bunch of the tracks as well. The vocals, which seemed to be what the Court and Spark were all about circa their first record, seem to have become more just a part of the whole sound, with MC Taylor's gruff gravelly growl smoothed out, and eased back in the mix a bit, giving their gorgeous twangscapes center stage. Practically perfect.
RealAudio clip: "Fade Out to Lttle Arrow"
RealAudio clip: "To See the Fires"

COURT AND SPARK Dead Diamond River (Absolutely Kosher) cd ep 11.98
5 new tracks to keep us sated in lieu of a full length from AQ faves Court And Spark. Like their previous releases, especially Bless You, Court & Spark continue with their lush -- so gorgeous it fairly drips from the speakers -- brand of Gram Parsons-esque country rock. Songs like "Bar The Door, Davy" are just as perfect to listen to alone at the bar with a bourbon on the rocks as it is sidling up to your significant other on the dance floor for a slooooow dance. They've got all the elements you could want: beautiful male/female harmonies, pedal steel guitar, harmonium, vibraphone, violin, organ, fingerpicked guitar and the usual supects (bass & drums). We feel pretty damn lucky to have these stars here locally to shine on us day and night, but there's no reason you can't enjoy them as well.
MPEG Stream: "Lucia"
MPEG Stream: "Bar The Door, Davy"

COURT AND SPARK, THE Double Roses (Prophecy Connection) cd ep 9.98
You know how we hate to pull the "buy now or cry later" guns on you all, but this one's definitely in that realm. So all you fellow Court And Spark fans out there, no dilly dallying on this one. Unless you had a chance to see them on their recent tour, you wouldn't have had a chance to pick this one up. Double Roses is a tour EP the band put together of home recordings (really *nice* recordings we might add, not your typical crappy home studio fare), originals and covers and some tracks recorded live around town and on the radio in Portland. A little more of that Court And Spark smoke and smolder, torch and twang to hold us over until their next full length to be entitled Witch Season. This band just keeps getting better. Lush country folk, amazing arrangements, perfect players, and MC Taylor's gorgeous rough hewn drawl. We'll never understand why this band isn't HUGE. But it's only a matter of time.
Gorgeous, numbered (limited to 400 copies), silkscreened/letterpressed sleeves.

COURT AND SPARK, THE Hearts (Absolutely Kosher) cd 13.98
This week marks the welcome release of a few new albums by a few old AQ faves including this fine Bay Area combo Court & Spark (others include Matmos, Black Heart Procession, Jolie Holland, Enslaved and Longmont Potion Castle!). Hearts finds the band taking even more of a '70s classic country rock direction than on their 2004 album Witch Season (which was already knee deep in that vibe and sound). That said, somehow they've struck what in our opinion is a better balance between their earlier roughhewn selves and their more recent luminously polish recordings.
There are two types of songs on Hearts, although the differences are subtle shades of grey. There are the dark brooding soulful introspective numbers, with glistening guitars, lush instrumentation, and MC Taylor's velvety croon, much more polished now than whiskey soaked, but it definitely suits their constantly maturing sound. Then there are the slightly more rocking tracks, channeling the Eagles and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with foot stomping rhythms and wah guitar. But even when the band is kicking up a rocking fuss, this is still more of a late night early afternoon stroll, definitely on the dark introspective side, all warm breezes and rustling leaves, looking inward with eyes cast earthward, hearts on sleeves, lumps in throats. So nice.
And if you're looking for a listening companion, this fits quite nicely alongside Calexico's most recent album Garden Ruin.
MPEG Stream: "Let's Get High"
MPEG Stream: "Your Mother Was Lightning"
MPEG Stream: "We Were All Uptown Rulers"

COURT AND SPARK, THE Ventura Whites (tUMULt) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The long awaited debut from San Francisco's purveyors of epic and sweeping country rock heartbreak is finally here. If the Beachwood Sparks (last week's record of the week) can be likened to the bouncy and sunny side of The Byrds, all harmonies and jangle, then The Court and Spark represent The Byrds' dark side: melancholy murmur, stark and wintery, like the restless ghost of Gram Parsons, with echoes of Nick Drake and Townes Van Zandt.
TC&S produce perfectly bittersweet songs and spectral soundscapes constructed from plaintive piano, delicately plucked guitars and found sounds. A wash of sweet strings, organ hum and muted buzz, pedal steel and breathtaking harmonies. Epic and sweeping. Gossamer traces of sounds heard in dreams. Dobro, mandolin, banjo, and even glockenspiel. And then there's the voice, a deep and ragged drawl, rough and world weary. For fans of the abovementioned artists, as well as folks who like the Scud Mountain Boys, the Jayhawks, and Souled American.
Which reminds us, we should mention that this is being put out by our own Andee's fabulous tUMULt label, and it may well be the only other tUMULt release that will appeal to those who have been waiting for a follow-up to tUMULt's Souled American reissues, except of course, for the very broadminded!
RealAudio clip: "Doctor The Veranda"
RealAudio clip: "Sugar Pie In Bed"

COURT AND SPARK, THE Witch Season (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
With each release San Francisco's beloved Court & Spark seem to draw closer and closer to a smoooooth country rock (occasionally dangerously close to 'adult contemporary' territory) -- systematically smoothing out any and all perceptible rough edges. Some see this as a good thing, while others might view their progression as much less favorable, preferring there to be a little dust and grit on their lonesome country path. Don't want things to be too pristine now do we? That said, we've had many customers coming in saying they far prefer this new record to C&S's last full length Bless You which we described as being "practically perfect". But then a band full of perfectionists who spend several years recording their record, with an engineer who is also a perfectionist, well the results should be darn near perfect, right? And they pretty much are. Really, except for that urgency, the raw element, the roughness a lot of us loved and felt was an important part of the Court And Spark's sound. Which is fine, bands don't always stay angry, and their sound changes as they get more successful or have to struggle less or have access to more money and have more time teven wrong, this is by no means a bad review, this is a positive review and Witch Season is an AMAZING record. Certainly the Court And Spark's songwriting has grown by leaps and bounds. As has the band's sound. Soaring and melancholic, sweet and smooth, lush and epic, gorgeously melodic and sonically dense. They truly are one of the best San Francisco bands of the moment, and certainly one of the most important bands currently exploring the whole modern country, post-no-depression sound. And as they grow, and shed their raggedy, rough around the edges, old skins, they will be exposed to more and more folks who will love this band. And we are truly psyched. We have always though they should be HUGE. But once in a while, we just want to hear Mike's voice crack, or a barely out-of-tune guitar, or a bit of their charmingly ramshackle past. But maybe that's just us.
MPEG Stream: "Suffolk Down Upon The Night"
MPEG Stream: "Out On The Water"

COURTIS Albumina Blues (Freedom From) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Alan Courtis -- sometimes referred to as Anla Courtis -- has been instrumental in channeling the quasi-mystical visions of Miguel Tomasin into the brilliantly left of center drone-rock produced by the prolific Argentinian ensemble Reynols. From the infamous self-descriptive recordings of "Blank Tapes" to the mutant garage ploddings of "------", Reynols has created a multi-faceted vocabulary reflecting their anthropomorphic philosophy in which every object (such as rocks, chickens, pumpkins, dogs, humans, and tape hiss to name a few) has the potential to contribute to the surreal festivity of creating a Reynols album.
For "Albumina Blues," Courtis has struck out on his own with his debut CD -- actually, a CDr production from the terminally manic label Freedom From. Much like Reynols' tectonic re-interpretations of Pauline Oliveros, Courtis offers a series of slow moving drones from tape loops of controlled, closed circuit feedback systems and downpitched guitar distortion. Much like a grittier version of Robin Storey's hypnotic loops in Zoviet France and Rapoon, Courtis allows for these loops to speak on their own with subtle amounts of lo-fi effects and EQ modulation. There is an almost Industrial quality to this album with its tonal grimness and its methodical plod, but 'Albumina Blues' has the same oblique giddiness found on all of the Reynols albums. An album clearly worthy of inclusion in the grand Reynols pantheon.
RealAudio clip: "Poliestireno Expandido"
RealAudio clip: "Albumina Blues"

COURTIS The Name Of This Drone Is Hidden In Your DNA (Ikuisuus) cd 15.98
Originally released in 2004, this is one long blissed out drone from this ex-member of Reynols.

COURTIS / KIRITCHENKO / MOGLASS split (Nexsound / Carbon / Gold Soundz / Tibprod / 1000+1 Tilt) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
An awesome three way collaboration, five way label split, with each artist using mainly sounds contributed by one of the other artists. The three include Andrey Kiritchenko who runs the Nexsound label, Ukrainian abstract drone folk combo the Moglass and Anla Courtis formerly of the mighty Reynols! A strange combination but it definitely works, with each artist twisting and turning the sounds of the others into something completely their own.
Kiritchenko uses sounds sourced from Anla Courtis, but also incorporates bandura, guitar, objects and field recordings. His first two tracks are thick glistening snarls of keening high end, ringing chimes, warm processed warble, grinding industrial whir, all coaxed gently from his super limited palette. His final track is our favorite, a super spare cavernous soundscape, constructed from swirling wind like whirls and muted white noise hiss. Over the top is a stumbling damaged, deconstructed guitar melody that scrapes and buzzes and rumbles. So good.
The Moglass also use mostly Anla Courtis sounds, introducing guitars, synth and vocals. And as you might imagine, they manage to turn those disparate sounds into dark dronelike dreamscapes of slow oceanic swells, thick buzzing rumble, and an occasional blast of super strange circusy psychedelic freak out, a dizzying collision of scraping strings, creepy falsetto vocals, moans and chants and all sorts of falling apart melodies.
Finally, Courtis gets the chance to return the favor, borrowing a little from both the Moglass and Kiritchenko. His first three tracks are assembled using ONLY sounds taken from the Moglass, the results vary, from murky shimmer, to glistening ambience, soft blissed out whir, to sparse skeletal industrial landscapes. The last two tracks again feature Courtis using only sounds borrowed from Kiritchenko, one ends up being a super pare abstract mechanical percussive shuffle, lots of creaks and clatter, sounding a bit like a rainforest, or some sort of giant shower, the final track is wash of fuzzy clang that sort of settles into a dense field of tightly woven chimes and tinkles, amidst a swirling sea of hiss and fuzz.
An amazing concept that actually produces some incredibly beautiful results!
MPEG Stream: ANDREY KIRITCHENKO "One"
MPEG Stream: MOGLASS "Four"
MPEG Stream: ANLA COURTIS "Nine"

COURTIS / MARHAUG North and South Neutrino (Antifrost) cd 16.98

COURTIS, ALAN Antiguos Dolmenes Del Paleolitico (Sedimental) cd 14.98
Well then! After countless recordings as Anla Courtis, the former sonic technician of the Argentinean avant/savant-art ensemble Reynols has now returned to his birth name, as opposed to the malapropist spelling given to him by Reynols frontman Miguel Tomasin. Perhaps, Courtis is trying to move beyond the scope of Reynols' magical absurdity and develop something of a career as a 'serious' composer; if that is indeed the case, Antiguos Dolmenes Del Paleolitico doesn't help the cause as it's a metanymic exercise in giving a voice to dolmen -- megalithic stone structures thought to be the earliest tombs crafted by primitive man. Courtis constructed this homage to those weighty stones through the no-input mixing board tricks which had previously been employed by the likes of Arcane Device, Sachiko M, and Toshimaru Nakamura. The first of the four lengthy tracks tumbles into pure standing wave form low frequency feedback. Each of the following tracks gradually increases the frequencies of the feedback, moving through gossamer networks of intertwining sinewaves and glassine feedback tones into piercingly sharp tones that are almost too intense to listen to. Altogether, its easy to imagine that Courtis was attempting to commune with the dolmen by reducing music down to its more pure form: the harmonic ur-drone. If so, he's done a remarkable job.
MPEG Stream: "Part I"
MPEG Stream: "Part III"

COURTIS, ALAN Unstringed Guitar & Cymbals (Blossoming Noise) cd 14.98

COURTIS, ALAN / BRUCE RUSSELL / EDDIE PREVOST / MATTIN The Sakada Sessions (Azul Discographica) lp 27.00

COURTIS, ANLA Harmonica F'ever (Pink Skulls) 3" cd-r 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, when you think of harmonica, maybe you think of someone like Bob Dylan wearing one of those orthadontic-like apparatus thingies that lets you play guitar and harmonica at the same time. It's bluesy, it's rootsy, it's kinda square. But Anla Courtis' Harmonica F'ever will make you forget that sort of harmonica. This lil' 3" cd-r solo disc released by Jewelled Antler off-shoot Pink Skulls features Courtis taking harmonica playing into a multi-tracked realm of insanity and abstraction. Courtis is of course 1/3 of the bizarro Argentine out-rock troupe Reynols, so its no surprise that his approach to harmonica playing is about as far from Big John Popper as you can get. The disc starts off with a track that crams what sounds like random blowing/breathing by maybe a dozen harmonica players into 6-7 minutes. But then, when you think you've got Courtis' concept figured out, track two comes along. It's much less readily identifiable as being sourced from harmonia (though of course it is), and it's a much sleepier, spookier affair than track one. Droney and abstract and really quite lovely. The third and final track on this lil' disc switches focus to the higher register harmonica sounds, sounding like the harmonica version of a happy flock of birds. Overall, probably the ONLY nothing-but-harmonica recording you need to own.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"