CARCHESIO, EUGENE & LEIGHTON CRAIG Leaves (Naturestrip) cd 16.98
For well over twenty years now, Eugene Carchesio and Leighton Craig have been creating wayward recordings in barely-released editions on cassette and cd-r for their exploratory free-folk / semi-improvisational communions with the Australian landscape. Only recently have any of their recordings made their way across the Pacific, mostly by way of their contributions in the group Lost Domain, whose drifting, monochromatic ragas have been released by such shambolic stalwarts as Digitalis Recordings and PseudoArcana. Leaves is another such entry in their humbly spectacular wanderings; this time, it's through the exceptional Australian label Naturestrip. The easiest comparison that anyone could make to Leaves would be to The Blithe Sons and Thuja (or most any of the Jewelled Antler ensembles of sodden nature jams), where two dedicated listeners creating droning harmonics alongside the unpredictability of natural events. Carchesio and Craig often are found slumped over their battery powered keyboards, creating shimmering drone vibrations that accompany the cacophony of lorikeets, crows, cicadas, and wind in Leighton's Brisbane backyard, where these recordings were made. When the birds and insects allow it, Carchesio and Craig pick up an acoustic guitar, violin, and recorder (amongst other instruments) for some purposefully primitive arrangements pocked with dreamily psychedelic references and quietly clattered improv. Really, really nice!
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 7"

CARDEW, CORNELIUS Chamber Music 1955-64: Apartment House (Matchless) cd 17.98
Released on AMM's Matchless label, "Chamber Music 1955-64" is a retrospective of the early compositions from the late British composer Cornelius Cardew. After studying with Stockhausen in the late '50s, Cardew quickly shifted his personal aesthetic sympathies away from Stockhausen's exactitude and towards John Cage's principles of indeterminancy. After returning to England a few years later, Cardew began experimenting with an open ended form of composition that gave an equal weight to the purity found in his beautifully annoted graphic scores, the improvisational skill of the performers, and his own aesthetic polemics. Apartment House - a British avant-garde chamber ensemble - has recently taken the task of recording a number of these early compositions, including "Solo With Accompaniment," "Three Rhythmic Pieces For Trumpet And Piano," "Autumn '60," "Material," "Secong String Trio," "Piece For Guitar," "Memories of You," and "Octet '61." Apartment House's performances of these scores splutter through indeterminant notes and perfunctory silences, but Apartment House ringleader Anton Lukoszevieze admits the quandry for such compositions: "Through performing and organising these scores, I am convinced that some of them only really 'live' when the interpreted material is welded together by the use of spontaneous improvisation."
RealAudio clip: "Solo With Accompaniment"
RealAudio clip: "Autumn 60 (version 2)"

CARDEW, CORNELIUS Four Principles On Ireland and Other Pieces (Ampersand) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The liner notes for Cardew's "Four Principles on Ireland" state that Cardew enjoyed three stylistic phases of musical development. The first phase found Cardew breaking from the canons of the Royal Academy of Music in the 1950s and collaborating with Stockhausen, until he met John Cage and began work on "The Great Learning" and started the Scratch Orchestra. His third stylistic phase found Cardew embracing the political tenets of Maoism and completely separating himself from his previous work with his manifesto "Stockhausen Serves Imperialism." Within that provocative text, Cardew adopted the belief that music should serve the masses as an uplifting muse and an educational tool, thus denying the more conceptual agendas of the avant garde. The pieces found on this disc come from this latter period, focusing upon the melodies of historical revolutionary songs. Composed solely for piano, Cardew incorporates Irish war ballads and populist Chinese songs into the music, while drawing on his earliest training at the Royal Academy where he was "a star player of Bach." These songs are incredibly playful and are certainly uplifting in their mood, but they seem somewhat of a let down in comparison to the amazing conceptual works mentioned above.

CARDEW, CORNELIUS Treatise (Hat Hut) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Even though Cornelius Cardew composed this piece from 1963 - 1967, the world premier complete recording of "Treatise" did not see the light of day long after his death in 1998. That's not surprising, considering that the manuscript of the score is 193 pages long, and serves as an open ended graphical display rather than a collection of specific notations. There are no suggestions as to how many instruments should be played, or for that matter how the score should even be read. Cardew himself expressed that this score utilizes the metaphor of a vertebrae, with the musicians moving their sounds around this backbone however they see fit. For this performance, the conductor was Art Lange and the musicians included Jim O'Rourke (electronics), Jim Baker (piano), Carrie Biolo (vibes), Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet), and Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello). These musicians took all the liberties that Cardew hoped they would take with this huge free-form improvisation. Although I have to say that the idea behind this piece is much cooler than these two and a half hours of fanciful wankiness.

CARDEW, CORNELIUS We Sing For The Future! (New Albion) cd 13.98
Another collection of work from Cardew's final period of utilitarian compositions informed heavily by Maoist doctrines of Communism, "We Sing For The Future!" has been performed by pianist Frederic Rzewski, founding member of Musica Elettronica Viva. AMM's John Tilbury has some very nice things to say about the work and the perfomance, but I don't really agree. Stick with "The Great Learning" if you're looking for some amazing work from Cardew.
RealAudio clip: "We Sing For The Future! (Theme)"

CARDEW, CORNELIUS & THE SCRATCH ORCHESTRA The Great Learning (Cortical Foundation) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Cortical Foundation has been reissuing some amazing documents of avant-garde sound art from the past century, including this composition from Scratch Orchestra ringleader and AMM memeber Cornelius Cardew. This work presents three paragraphs from the much larger musical text of "The Great Learning" and is composed of sustained pipe organ tones in particularly malevolent chords, short stabs of police whistles, sheets of hammering tribal drums with human voices howling against the drums, and complex vocal choirs. All of the text that runs through the compositions are incantations from the Confucian text "The Great Learning" which lays down a basic ethical and political code. However, the recitation of these texts sounds very much like the perversions of Catholic liturgies from the black masses of the Satanic Church with an authoritative delivery, an almost Gnostic indecipherability, and a bleakly somber overtone. Cardew's intentions for using this text are to express the inherent human failings of attempting to live up to the most basic of moral codes. Despite his pairing the metaphor of failure with the distinctly sprirtual overtones in the work, Cardew may not be actually talking about spiritual collapse or the failure of religions. Rather, "The Great Learning" postulates that if there is a higher state than mankind, then it will be our goal to attempt to find a means to that state, even if that is an impossible goal. Altogether, this is an wonderful if at times terrifying work.
RealAudio clip: "Paragraph 1"

CARDEW, CORNELIUS / DAVID BEDFORD Great Learning / Two Poems... (Deutsche Grammophon) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Both Cornelius Cardew and David Bedford were leading proponents of avant-garde composition in England during the '60s. Cardew's experimentation with graphical notation and a democratization of performance through improvisation were radical departures from the controlled strategies of his former mentor Karlheinz Stockhausen. His most successful realization of these ideas was the epic 7 hour composition "The Great Learning," a composition based on the set of Confucian texts of the same name which lays down a basic ethical and political code. This piece was actualized by his unprecendented Scratch Orchestra, an ensemble filled with professional and untrained musicians given simple instructions as well as the mandate to respond according to how the performance itself wanted to be performed, not by how the composer intended it to sound. "The Great Learning" comprised of 7 paragraphs, each with its own unique set of parameters. A few years back, we had offered a collection of recordings from "The Great Learning" published by the Cortical Foundation; yet, due to the continued medical situation that persists with Cortical Foundation's owner Gary Todd, that album has gone missing. However, this collection through Deutsche Grammophon includes 2 of the paragraphs (number 2 and number 7) from the same (and possibly only) session documented on the Cortical album. The recitation of these Confucian texts -- with Paragraph 2 as a tumultous drum and voice procession and Paragraph 7 as an angelic choir -- sounds very much like the perversions of Catholic liturgies from the black masses of the Satanic Church with an authoritative delivery, an almost Gnostic indecipherability, and a bleakly somber overtone. Cardew's intentions for using this text are to express the inherent human failings of attempting to live up to the most basic of moral codes. Despite his pairing the metaphor of failure with the distinctly sprirtual overtones in the work, Cardew may not be actually talking about spiritual collapse or the failure of religions. Rather, "The Great Learning" postulates that if there is a higher state to mankind, then it will be our goal to attempt to find a means to that state, even if that is an impossible goal. Later aligning himself with Maoism, Cardew's unwavering optimism for man's ability to escape the confines of oppression is most articulate within this outstanding composition.
That isn't to take anything away from David Bedford, who had been a member of Cardew's Scratch Orchestra. In his two beautiful vocal pieces, Bedford conveys a majestic impressionism of sound, drawing upon the poems of Kenneth Patchen. Where there is an undeniable tension and dischord within the Cardew pieces, there is a lightness and ephemeralism found within Bedford's. Altogether, the four pieces make for a very complementary pair of recordings.
RealAudio clip: CORNELIUS CARDEW "Paragraph 2"
RealAudio clip: DAVID BEDFORD "O Now The Drenched Land Wakes"

CARDIACS Guns (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally managed to get more of these back in! Here's what we had to say before:
We first heard about the Cardiacs from our friend Jussi From Circle. He didn't really give us much to go on, just told us to find Cardiacs records. So when I (Andee) was in England last year I looked everywhere for Cardiacs records. No stores stocked them, no one had even heard of them. Rough Trade? Nope. Record And Video Exchange? Nope. So on a whim I went into Tower Records, and whhattayaknow, the Cardiacs had their own big ol' section. So I bought 4 of the 8 records they had in stock, without even knowing what they sounded like. The guy I was staying with was not at all impressed, telling me "Nobody likes the Cardiacs". But when I finally got down to listening to them, boy was I pleasantly surprised. Somehow not at all what I expected, but that only made me like it more. It's definitely pop, but it's not pop like you or I know it, it's freaked out, complex, super dynamic, totally catchy, weird vocals, drum machines, high pitched lead vocals, carnivalesque, bombastic kick ass sort-of-power-pop. It's really hard to describe. When I brought my copy to play for people in the store, every couple of minutes someone walked up wanting to buy whatever it was we were playing. So finally, we were able to get enough copies to list and let you all get your grubby litttle paws on this demented pop goodness. Think the Pixies meets the Sweet meets the Toy Dolls meets Uz Jsme Doma meets Queen meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack meets XTC but more punk rock, and more prog, or something like that. With totally unlikely but irresistible melodies, squiggly guitars, circus organs, the occasional children's choir (?), drumming that is so stuttery and precise it sounds like it must be a drum machine, burbly spaced out ambient keyboards, completely fucked lyrics and amazing vocals and harmonies. It's like power-pop-prog-ska (sort of like the way Uz Jsme Doma sounded ska) punk craziness. Goes from manic and intense to throbbing and dreamy at the drop of a dime. I think this band was 'big' for a while in the UK which is why my hipster friends scoffed, but to be honest I can't understand why they're not still big, or big here too. Just a little too weird, methinks.
'Guns' is my favorite record of the bunch. Just listen to the sound sample for the song 'There's Good Cud'. One of the most perfect pop songs I've ever heard. Weird and damaged but totally catchy and fun. Sort of like the whole record. And the sample after that 'Wind And Rains Is Cold' shows the softer (but no less weird) side of the Cardiacs. Lilting pop loveliness wrapped in a warped rock framework. This record totally rules.
MPEG Stream: "There's Good Cud"
MPEG Stream: "Wind And Rains Is Cold"
MPEG Stream: "Spell With A Shell"

CARDIACS Heaven Born And Ever Bright (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's been a while since we've heard from the Cardiacs, UK's mightiest, spazz-prog pop outfit ever. No fault of theirs, it just took some organizing to get another big batch of Cardiacs discs sent over. This one's not a new one but along with Guns (now sadly out of print) and Songs For Ships And Irons it's another of our favorites.
Our pal Jussi from Circle might just be the biggest Cardiacs fan in the world (just narrowly edging us out) having subjected Andee to hours and hours of listening and viewing when he was in Finland, prompting him to undertake a secret mission when he was in the UK next, to track down and purchase ALL of the Cardiacs records. That 'all' amounted to close to 20 different titles, so he settled for 5 or 6, and loved them all. As did everyone we played them for. So, since the band has NO distribution in the states, we contacted the band directly and convinced them to send us discs, and here we are. Andee now does own every single Cardiacs record and loves every one of 'em. We listed Guns and Songs For Ships And Irons, a year or two back, both going over like gangbusters, so we figured next time we sorted out a big Cardiacs order we'd get a bunch of Heaven Born And Ever Bright.
So here we are. This one starts off with an epic, lush Queen-like (the band, not the, er, Queen) fanfare. Martial drums, thick swaths of organ and a chorus of vocals all singing praise to the band's own label The Alphabet Business Concern and then it's down to business, the business of impossible convoluted lush mini-epics. But how to describe the sound? Well when we first heard the Cardiacs we thought Toy Dolls meets Uz Jsme Doma meets Queen meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack meets XTC but more punk rock, and more prog. And that still pretty much hits it right on the head. Madly strummed guitars, manic drumming, a chorus of vocals, some high, some low, mainman Tim Smith handling the majority, but often sparring with one or more other vocalists, angular riffing and dense swirls of sound over bouncy rhythms, streaks of circusy keyboards, and maddeningly catchy hooks everywhere.
Totally over the top, super dramatic and wild, like every song is some demonic musical brought to life. Imagine some circle of hell, where demented musical theater freaks and prog obsessed metalheads and nerdy twee popsters are all forced to collaborate on 3 minute long musical plays for eternity. And it's been thousands of years, so everyone has gone good and mad, and this is their most recent batch. Fucking brilliant.
MPEG Stream: "The Alphabet Business Concern (Home Of Fadeless Splendour)"
MPEG Stream: "She Is Hiding Behind The Shed"
MPEG Stream: "March"

CARDIACS On Land And In The Sea (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

CARDIACS Sing To God (Alphabet) 2cd 35.00
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

CARDIACS Songs For Ships And Irons (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally managed to get more of these back in! Here's what we had to say before:
We first heard about the Cardiacs from our friend Jussi From Circle. He didn't really give us much to go on, just told us to find Cardiacs records. So when I (Andee) was in England last year I looked everywhere for Cardiacs records. No stores stocked them, no one had even heard of them. Rough Trade? Nope. Record And Video Exchange? Nope. So on a whim I went into Tower Records, and whhattayaknow, the Cardiacs had their own big ol' section. So I bought 4 of the 8 records they had in stock, without even knowing what they sounded like. The guy I was staying with was not at all impressed, telling me "Nobody likes the Cardiacs". But when I finally got down to listening to them, boy was I pleasantly surprised. Somehow not at all what I expected, but that only made me like it more. It's definitely pop, but it's not pop like you or I know it, it's freaked out, complex, super dynamic, totally catchy, weird vocals, drum machines, high pitched lead vocals, carnivalesque, bombastic kick ass sort-of-power-pop. It's really hard to describe. When I brought my copy to play for people in the store, every couple of minutes someone walked up wanting to buy whatever it was we were playing. So finally, we were able to get enough copies to list and let you all get your grubby litttle paws on this demented pop goodness. Think the Pixies meets the Sweet meets the Toy Dolls meets Uz Jsme Doma meets Queen meets the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack meets XTC but more punk rock, and more prog, or something like that. With totally unlikely but irresistible melodies, squiggly guitars, circus organs, the occasional children's choir (?), drumming that is so stuttery and precise it sounds like it must be a drum machine, burbly spaced out ambient keyboards, completely fucked lyrics and amazing vocals and harmonies. It's like power-pop-prog-ska (like Uz Jsme Doma sounded ska) punk craziness. Goes from manic and intense to throbbing and dreamy at the drop of a dime. I think this band was 'big' for a while in the UK which is why my hipster friends scoffed, but to be honest I can't understand why they're not still big, or big here too. Just a little too weird, methinks.
This is my second favorite Cardiacs record ONLY because two of my favorite Cardiacs' songs are on 'Guns' (see other review). But it's easily as good as 'Guns' with its frenetic pop, completely mad vocals and brain-melting arrangements. I mean just listen to the sound samples!! You might as well buy both of them because this band is the fucked up, off-kilter, totally difficult and damaged pop band you've been looking for your whole life. I kid you not.
MPEG Stream: "Big Ship "
MPEG Stream: "Tarred And Feathered"
MPEG Stream: "Burn Your House Brown"

CARDIACS The Seaside (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

CARDIACS The Special Garage Concerts London Autumn 2003 Vol I (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
MPEG Stream: "Gibber And Twitch"
MPEG Stream: "As Cold As Can Be In An English Sea"

CARDIACS The Special Garage Concerts London Autumn 2003 Vol II (Alphabet) cd 17.98
AS OF MAY 2010, THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE TO US. SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
MPEG Stream: "Hello Mr. Sparrow"
MPEG Stream: "A Bus For The Bus On A Bus"

CARDIGANS Gran Turismo (Mercury) cd 15.98
When Yo La Tengo went to rock school in their video for "Sugarcube", they were instructed that their third album must follow the ELP Rule -- it must be double live! Well the Cardigans, in their recent matriculation into rock school, have followed a different rule for their third album -- the Radiohead Rule -- that if a band is in danger of being written off as a one-hit-wonder, they must make a third album of dark yet sugar-coated pop gems. Hence, OK Computer and now, for the Cardigans, Gran Turismo.
OK, it is unfair to compare this album to OK Computer, but the Cardigans have realized their best album of bittersweet pop songs. (Sadly, however, there are no Black Sabbath covers on this album.) An Aquarius pop fave.

CARDIGANS, THE Long Gone Before Daylight (Koch) cd + dvd 16.98
These Swedish lads n' lass are back with a new album, but they're no longer the buzz band they were a few years ago. Symptomatic of their current lower profile in the hip-parade, this record was actually released overseas long ago, last year, but is only now getting US release. Some of us here had sought out the import -- and were disappointed, initially anyway. Long Gone Before Daylight is a more "adult", sad-sounding, and basically not-as-catchy Cardigans. More generic sounding too. And very different from the electronically-bolstered sound of their previous album Gran Turismo. Definitely less sleek dream pop than before. Grown up and without the candy coating. So, ok... if you're a big fan you probably should pick this up (even those of us who got the import did, as this comes with a bonus US only track AND a bonus DVD disc of videos and live tracks!). From experience, we know that it will probably grow on you even if you don't like it that much at first. Nina Persson's voice is, ultimately, hard to resist. So lovely. (Still it would be great if she'd sing an album all in Swedish, as the English-language lyrics here are sometimes hard to take, full of hokey rhymes and cliches!) And anyone not already into the Cardigans is advised to get Gran Turismo or First Band On The Moon instead, you can check this out later once/if you're hooked. But nobody here who bought this is selling theirs back...
MPEG Stream: "And Then You Kissed Me"
MPEG Stream: "Live And Learn"

CARDIGANS, THE Super Extra Gravity (Nettwerk) cd 15.98

CARDINAL s/t (Wishing 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.
This is one of those perfect pop records that happens very rarely, one in a million, like a total eclipse, or an alignment of the planets, or some rare comet, flaring brightly but briefly and then fading away. A band that put everything it had into a single set of songs and then exhausted, sat back and let those songs float free. In the case of Cardinal, those songs immediately resonated deeply with pop obsessives all over the world, but then far too quickly disappeared, with the folding of their label and the seemingly immediate disbanding of the group after the original release of this record in 1994. But here we are, more than a decade later, and if anything, these songs sound better than ever, timeless and classic, and not at all dated. This is classic pop in the tradition of the Beatles, the Bee Gees, the Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks, the Zombies, Phil Spector, but with a distinctly modern twist. Richard Davies, half of the Cardinal core, fronted the Australian pop band the Moles, and for Cardinal contributed the raw material, the songs and the melodies, while Eric Matthews was the arranger, taking these simple and perfect pop songs, and opening them up to reveal their hidden beauty, adding strings and pianos and vocal harmonies, shine and sheen, turning simple lovely pop into lush expansive pop masterpieces! Multiple vocals swirl and intertwine in unlikely harmonies, over horns and soaring strings, gently weeping guitars, moody piano chords, and simple shuffling drumbeats. An impossible, and impossibly perfect mix of classic sixties pop, lush easy listening, indie jangle and moody balladeering. Any one who likes any sort of pop music, will be immediately and unalterably smitten by this record. Fitting somewhere between the above mentioned bands and modern pop practitioners like Neutral Milk Hotel, Zumpano, Belle And Sebastian, the Pernice Brothers, Sparklehorse, Iron And Wine, Unrest, the Decemberists and the like, Cardinal fill our souls with pop music and we float dreamily heavenward, humming right along.
Includes extensive liner notes and ELEVEN bonus tracks including demos, b-sides, out-takes and the tracks form the first, long out of print ep!
MPEG Stream: "If You Believe In Christmas Trees"
MPEG Stream: "Last Poems"
MPEG Stream: "Big Mink"
MPEG Stream: "You've Lost Me There"

CARDINALS FOLLY Such Power Is Dangerous (Shadow Kingdom) cd 14.98
Yep, this is one of those that barely needs a review, besides our thumbs up (we like it!) and a few other crucial facts of the matter: it's from Finland, it's doom metal, it's on the cult Shadow Kingdom label. And perhaps unsurprisingly, sounds a heck of a lot like the late great Finnish doomsters Reverend Bizarre. Which is not to say it's unoriginal, any more so than Rev Biz, 'cause both bands worship at the altar of old school traditional Black Sabbath derived doom. This is what they're SUPPOSED to sound like: epic and emotive, dire and depressive. The debut full-length from Cardinals Folly (cool name, we think, but shouldn't there be an apostrophe in there somewhere?) is appropriately sloooow and heavy, adorned with dramatic deep voiced vox, that for sure recall those of Albert Witchfinder. If you miss the ol' Reverend, Cardinals Folly will be right up your dark, cobblestoned alley. But not only do they have that "sound" (which they do very well), they also work in enough interesting, creative moves of their own to make this a worthy doom endeavor in its own right, too.
The album begins with an atmospheric intro track, "The Hammer Speaks", featuring a militaristic drum beat amidst distorted ambience, eventually joined by deeeep vocal intonations. A bit Current 93ish, really. That's a fine way for this to slide into the full-on amped-up doom metal of track two, the title track, oven ten minutes of slow majestic riffery, dissonant downer psych leads, loosely-strung low end bass, and more of those droning deep but melodic vocal stylings... Things speed up a bit for the chugging "Valkyries I Avenge", energy matched by maniacal laughter from the vocalist (who has his insane side, heard later in the album as well), but it's the very end of track four "The Spear Of Destiny" that got everyone in the store staring at the stereo, when they start in with some studio trickery, messing with the tape speed, for a moment making this druggily "drag", like a 45 played at 33, but even more warped and warbly. Nice!
And so it goes, seven tracks, well over an hour of rumbling heavier-than-thou true doom wretchedness from up near the Arctic, like we said, definitely for anyone into fellow Finns, Reverend Bizarre (RIP). Also Lord Vicar, Procession, Gates Of Slumber, Condenados, Garden Of Worm, The Wounded Kings, that sort of thing. You know if this is meant for you, or you for it...
MPEG Stream: "Such Power Is Dangerous!"
MPEG Stream: "Valkyries I Avenge"
MPEG Stream: "Uncharted Seas"

CARDINI, JENNIFER Feeling Strange (Kompakt) cd 15.98
Feeling Strange is a fluid mixed set from Parisian minimalist proponent Jennifer Cardini. Yes, the minimalist techno gestures abound, with plenty of bleeps, bloops, and acid squiggles grafted onto that insistent technotic pulse; but Ms. Cardini doesn't just adhere to the Detroit / Berlin axis of electronica with some very nice transitions into some Moroder-esque arpeggiating disco and leftfield electro-pop. Static, Maurizio, The Hacker, Reinhard Voigt, Apparat, and Luisine are but a few of the selections. Adorned with the Kompakt seal of approval.
MPEG Stream: STATIC "Sometimes I'm Sad For A Few Seconds"
MPEG Stream: REWORK "Love Love Love Yeah"

CARETAKER, THE A Stairway To The Stars (V/VM Test) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While V/VM has been unrelentingly releasing the dumbest, least funny jokes in electronica, the arrival of an album from The Caretaker is a welcome respite. This project -- which may or may not have anything to do with the members of V/VM -- has been the ONLY listenable thing released on the V/VM label since day 1! Like the aptly named debut "Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom," The Caretaker's "A Stairway To The Stars" digitally manipulates 1930's ballroom waltzes into occasionally dreamy, occasionally creepy atmospheres that blur the edges of the original vinyl tracks into somnambulant dronings. Aesthetically speaking, the only connection between V/VM and The Caretaker is found in the limited palette of effects cranked all the way up. While V/VM would use just a ring modulator on a Lionel Richie song for a really boring piece of post-irony, The Caretaker's overblown use of cathedral reverb turns those waltzes into something much closer to Troum. That said, there are a couple of tracks in which the ring modulator warbles far too often. Nevertheless, this is another album that will surely invoke references to those eerie ballroom scenes from "The Shining."
RealAudio clip: "Emptiness"
RealAudio clip: "Malign Forces Of The Occult"
RealAudio clip: "A Stairway To The Stars"

CARETAKER, THE A Stairway To The Stars (V/VM Test) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While V/VM has been unrelentingly releasing the dumbest, least funny jokes in electronica, the arrival of an album from The Caretaker is a welcome respite. This project -- which may or may not have anything to do with the members of V/VM -- has been the ONLY listenable thing released on the V/VM label since day 1! Like the aptly named debut "Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom," The Caretaker's "A Stairway To The Stars" digitally manipulates 1930's ballroom waltzes into occasionally dreamy, occasionally creepy atmospheres that blur the edges of the original vinyl tracks into somnambulant dronings. Aesthetically speaking, the only connection between V/VM and The Caretaker is found in the limited palette of effects cranked all the way up. While V/VM would use just a ring modulator on a Lionel Richie song for a really boring piece of post-irony, The Caretaker's overblown use of cathedral reverb, turns those waltzes into something much closer to Troum. That said, there are a couple of tracks in which the ring modulator warbles far too often. Nevertheless, this is another album that will surely invoke references to those eerie ballroom scenes from "The Shining."

CARETAKER, THE An Empty Bliss Beyond The World (History Always Favors The Winners) cd 15.98
Now available on cd, record number two from Leyland Kirby's Caretaker project, whose last record, Persistent Repetition Of Phrases, was a unanimous aQ fave, and was of course one of Wire magazine's top 10 albums of 2008, and was, and still is, one of our best sellers, and it looks like this one is likely to follow suit.
A sonic meditation on memory and loss, The Caretaker, takes old jazz records, various effects, and what sounds like a battery of old beat up Victrolas, and weaves Philip Jeck like soundscapes, but unlike Jeck, the source sounds here are not obfuscated, in fact, in some respects, The Caretaker records are almost like spectral spiritual otherworldly mix tapes, especially on this new one, which sounds like old 78s left to play in a big old auditorium, the room's reverb lovingly wreathing the music in a gauzy old timey haze, the surface noise, hiss and crackle and pop, somehow accentuated by the cavernous space. Better yet, replace the auditorium with an old abandoned mansion. Imagine the great room, animal heads on the walls, old oil paintings, a massive fireplace, charred black, old decaying rugs, all the furniture covered in white cloths, looking like ghosts, cobwebs in all the corners, the floor beneath a layer of dust, and in the corner, an old record player, lit up, its turntable spinning slowly, some old dusty record, to a room full of spirits, a sonic requiem for a time that once was, the music seeming to reflect the ever fading memories, and that's what these songs sound like, some sort of haunted house jazz, old timey seance blues, mournful melodies played on an old piano, muted trumpet, swoonsome strings, shuffling drums, a slow motion big band performing live in the ether, a spectral band playing lament after lament, dedicating it to their lost loves, and loves lost.
An Empty Bliss Beyond This World plays like some archival collection of lost 78's, but where the records' provenance is unknown, timeless music that could have come from anytime, and anywhere, the imperfections and inconsistencies as much a part of the sound as the music itself, all of that hiss and crackle a warm wreath of time-transformed-into-sound detritus, the passing of time mad physical, a sonic memorial to the past. So utterly gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "All You're Going To Want To Do Is Get Back There"
MPEG Stream: "Moments Of Sufficient Lucidity"
MPEG Stream: "The Great Hidden Sea Of The Unconscious"
MPEG Stream: "Libet's Delay"

CARETAKER, THE An Empty Bliss Beyond The World (History Always Favours The Winners) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Repressed and back in print.
Record number two from Leyland Kirby's Caretaker project, whose last record, Persistent Repetition Of Phrases, was a unanimous aQ fave, and was of course one of Wire magazine's top 10 albums of 2008, and was, and still is, one of our best sellers, and it looks like this one is likely to follow suit.
A sonic meditation on memory and loss, The Caretaker, takes old jazz records, various effects, and what sounds like a battery of old beat up Victrolas, and weaves Philip Jeck like soundscapes, but unlike Jeck, the source sounds here are not obfuscated, in fact, in some respects, The Caretaker records are almost like spectral spiritual otherworldly mix tapes, especially on this new one, which sounds like old 78s left to play in a big old auditorium, the room's reverb lovingly wreathing the music in a gauzy old timey haze, the surface noise, hiss and crackle and pop, somehow accentuated by the cavernous space. Better yet, replace the auditorium with an old abandoned mansion. Imagine the great room, animal heads on the walls, old oil paintings, a massive fireplace, charred black, old decaying rugs, all the furniture covered in white cloths, looking like ghosts, cobwebs in all the corners, the floor beneath a layer of dust, and in the corner, an old record player, lit up, its turntable spinning slowly, some old dusty record, to a room full of spirits, a sonic requiem for a time that once was, the music seeming to reflect the ever fading memories, and that's what these songs sound like, some sort of haunted house jazz, old timey seance blues, mournful melodies played on an old piano, muted trumpet, swoonsome strings, shuffling drums, a slow motion big band performing live in the ether, a spectral band playing lament after lament, dedicating it to their lost loves, and loves lost.
An Empty Bliss Beyond This World plays like some archival collection of lost 78's, but where the records' provenance is unknown, timeless music that could have come from anytime, and anywhere, the imperfections and inconsistencies as much a part of the sound as the music itself, all of that hiss and crackle a warm wreath of time-transformed-into-sound detritus, the passing of time mad physical, a sonic memorial to the past. So utterly gorgeous.
MPEG Stream: "All You're Going To Want To Do Is Get Back There"
MPEG Stream: "Moments Of Sufficient Lucidity"
MPEG Stream: "The Great Hidden Sea Of The Unconscious"
MPEG Stream: "Libet's Delay"

CARETAKER, THE Persistent Repetition Of Phrases (History Always Favors The Winners) cd 17.98
One of Wire magazine's best records of 2008, and an instant all time aQ fave, the Caretaker's Persistent Repetition Of Phrases is a gorgeous, hazy, sonic mystery, that when first released, was so limited, the cd went out of print before we even had a chance to review it at all. We did end up listing the vinyl, and selling TONS, but now finally, the cd version has been repressed, so prepare to again experience the magic of the Caretaker's haunting and evocative miniature blurred ghostjazz soundworlds, a gloriously sprawling, murky, looped and mesmeric dreamscape songsuite.
The Caretaker has two modes, slow shimmery gauzy ambience, and slowed down warped and blurred big band and jazz. Often combing the two into some sort of otherworldly slow motion spectral dream jazz. We've been joking that the Caretaker is sort of like the DJ Screw of the avant underground, seeing as he takes scratchy old jazz records and reworks them Philip Jeck style into, woozy buried drifts of jazz shadows and haunting otherworldly vocals. Most of the jazzier tracks, sound like the soundtrack to some super creepy dream sequence, a la the Shining, like when Nicholson finds himself in that bar filled with ghosts, you can almost imagine, a dusty old saloon, broken mirrors, cigarette burned tables, sawdust floors, a lone figure sitting alone, hunched over in a dark corner, while all around him, nearly transparent figures move about as if still alive, a ballet of phantom familiarity, spirits unaware that they've moved on, going on with the machinations of daily life, their essence flickery and indistinct, like an old filmstrip. And a filmstrip soundtrack is exactly what the music of the Caretaker evokes, warm, effusive, burnished, old timey, antiquated, the sounds are dark and woozy and and bleed together, blurring into fuzzy stretches of lost memory, of suspended time. The music here is the sound of faded old photographs, of old super 8 movies projected on a wall in a dark and dusty old room, of abandoned skating rinks, of boarded up windows, of black clouds filling a slate grey sky, of life slowing to a crawl, before even more slowly fading away. Absolutely and utterly breathtaking.
MPEG Stream: "Lacunar Amnesia"
MPEG Stream: "Persistent Repition Of Phrases"
MPEG Stream: "Rosy Retrospection"
MPEG Stream: "Long Term (Remote)"

CARETAKER, THE Persistent Repetition Of Phrases (History Always Favours The Winners) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of Wire magazine's records of 2008, the Caretaker's Persistent Repetition Of Phrases was in fact, when we finally got to hear it, incredible. Gorgeous, hazy, mysterious, destined to be one of OUR favorites as well. Unfortunately, when we tried to order it, intending to feature it prominently on the list, we discovered that it was in fact so limited that it was already out of print, not to be repressed. Argghhh.
Thankfully, the vinyl version showed up recently, so we grabbed as many as we could, so we could shower it with the praise it most definitely deserves. CD only folks are shit out of luck, but for now (and we mean NOW, these are crazy limited too) we have the vinyl, so grab one before they disappear.
The Caretaker has two modes, slow shimmery gauzy ambience, and slowed down warped and blurred big band and jazz. Often combing the two into some sort of otherworldly slow motion spectral dream jazz. We've been joking that the Caretaker is sort of like the DJ Screw of the avant underground, seeing as he takes scratchy old jazz records and reworks them Philip Jeck style into, woozy buried drifts of jazz shadows and haunting otherworldly vocals. Most of the jazzier tracks, sound like the soundtrack to some super creepy dream sequence, a la the Shining, like when Nicholson finds himself in that bar filled with ghosts, you can almost imagine, a dusty old saloon, broken mirrors, cigarette burned tables, sawdust floors, a lone figure sitting alone, hunched over in a dark corner, while all around him, nearly transparent figures move about as if still alive, a ballet of phantom familiarity, spirits unaware that they've moved on, going on with the machinations of daily life, their essence flickery and indistinct, like an old filmstrip. And a filmstrip soundtrack is exactly what the music of the Caretaker evokes, warm, effusive, burnished, old timey, antiquated, the sounds are dark and woozy and and bleed together, blurring into fuzzy stretches of lost memory, of suspended time. The music here is the sound of faded old photographs, of old super 8 movies projected on a wall in a dark and dusty old room, of abandoned skating rinks, of boarded up windows, of black clouds filling a slate grey sky, of life slowing to a crawl, before ven more slowly fading away. Absolutely and utterly breathtaking.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES.

CARETAKER, THE Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom (V/VM Test 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.
The Caretaker spins really old vinyl for the most part much slower than intended and affects the lugubrious pace with assorted warbly effects. This collage of slo-mo waltzes and antique crackles is punctuated by a spartan use of distorto-breakbeat-crunch. Released on V/VM's label and certainly follows the V/VM - Speedranch - Janski Noise aethetic of neo-dada electronica, yet presented with a very sad overtone. In the end this could easily be some gossamer soundtrack to a deep sea nature show or an alternate score to the ballroom scenes in "The Shining".

CARGILL, HENSON A Very Well Travelled Man (The Omni Recording Corporation) cd 17.98

CARGILL, HENSON On The Road (The Omni Recording Corporation) cd 17.98
Another primo slice of forgotten Nashville from the always kick ass Omni Recording Corporation. Over the last few months, Omni has brought us discs from Johnny Paycheck, Tommy Cash, Dee Mulling, Lorne Greene, Gil Trythall, as well as the amazing Plantation Gold compilation we made Record Of The Week back on list 314.
Apparently Cargill was quite a hitmaker back in the day, his "Skip A Rope", a rumination on racism, was somewhat controversial, but also netted him some serious chart action on both the country and pop charts. But before that, he had apparently struggled to get heard, as a page in the cd booklet proclaims: "Rejected by nearly every label in Nashville"! That all changed after the hit, but this collection focuses on the recordings pre breakthrough, and it's difficult to understand why some of these weren't hits as well.
Lots of Omni stuff is far out and kitschy, but this is just some serious genuine sixties country pop, we've seen it referred to elsewhere as 'countrypolitan', but whatever you call it, this is some gorgeous stuff, simple and heartfelt, lush instrumentation, Cargill's voice is deep and dramatic, his songs touch on some sensitive topics even in these early days, the whole On The Road record a study of the great Depression, tales of poverty, war, loss, death and loneliness. The early tracks are definitely the best, tacked on to the end are some later tracks, recorded in the seventies, and they tend toward the overly dramatic, lush, string laden, shades of Neil Diamond and Tom Jones, some killer moments, but stick to the first 22 tracks, all appearing on cd for the first time, and a handful, stone cold classics.
As always, a massive booklet, tone of rare photos, and lengthy and super informative liner notes.
MPEG Stream: "Pencil Marks On The Wall"
MPEG Stream: "Afraid To Rock The Boat"
MPEG Stream: "Running From The Rain"
MPEG Stream: "1932"

CARIBOU Andorra (Merge) cd 13.98
After numerous releases as Caribou (as well as his previous moniker Manitoba), mainman Dan Snaith has shifted gears from densely packed dreamy pop-tronica to densely packed upliftingly melodious songcraft. Quite a startling change, but a most pleasant one! We always welcome music that helps us stretch out the summertime good feelings a little longer into the autumn months. Caribou's latest album fits that bill perfectly. It sounds to us as if Snaith has been intently studying the works of The Beatles and Brian Wilson in his pursuit of pop bliss. Can't blame him! Who better to be a role model than those folks? Anyways, Andorra is a delirious trip that soars from swirling blown-out pop that also recalls Flaming Lips and Olivia Tremor Control to late '60s harp stroked, tambourine tapped party pop a la Free Design. Like an ice cream cone on a sunny day, as the album progresses it melts slowly, changing form into a pastel puddle of shoegazerness. Songs such as "She's The One" also spurred imaginings of Snaith as the male counterpart to Julee Cruise. Ooooh, so sweetly splendid.
MPEG Stream: "Sandy"
MPEG Stream: "She's The One"

CARIBOU Andorra (Merge) lp 16.98
After numerous releases as Caribou (as well as his previous moniker Manitoba), mainman Dan Snaith has shifted gears from densely packed dreamy pop-tronica to densely packed upliftingly melodious songcraft. Quite a startling change, but a most pleasant one! We always welcome music that helps us stretch out the summertime good feelings a little longer into the autumn months. Caribou's latest album fits that bill perfectly. It sounds to us as if Snaith has been intently studying the works of The Beatles and Brian Wilson in his pursuit for pop bliss. Can't blame him! Who better to be a role model than them? Anyways, Andorra is a delirious trip that soars from swirling blown-out pop that also recalls Flaming Lips and Olivia Tremor Control to late '60s harp stroked, tambourine tapped party pop a la Free Design. Like an ice cream cone on a sunny day, as the album progresses it melts slowly, changing form into a pastel puddle of shoegazerness. Songs such as "She's The One" also spurred imaginings of Snaith as the male counterpart to Julee Cruise. Ooooh, so sweetly splendid.


MPEG Stream: "Sandy"
MPEG Stream: "She's The One"

CARIBOU Melody Day (Merge) cd ep 3.98
Here's a glimpse of what's to come on Caribou's new full length set to be released on Merge Records next month! The Canadian one man band Caribou has always equally embraced indie pop and electronica in his music making. His latest ep marks a bit of a shift in the balance. Melody Day is the least electronica and most indie pop of any if his recordings to date. Still very soft and pretty, but this time Dan Snaith has opted for Flaming Lips meets Polyphonic Spree swirling luscious pop stylings. Particularly the latter with the title track's sweet, angelic group vocals that sound like a children's chorus. Oddly enough the next track, a remix of "Melody Day" by Four Tet, sounds more like Caribou! Easily fits in with the dreamy pop on Slumberland and Sarah Records as well as the abovementioned artists. Also includes the non-album track "Zoe".
MPEG Stream: "Melody Day (Four Tet Remix)"

CARIBOU Start Breaking My Heart (reissue) (Domino / Leaf) 2cd 13.98
The Torontonian artist Dan Snaith who now goes by the professional moniker Caribou used to prefer to be addressed by the name of a Canadian prairie province. Minor legal battles ensued with the elder musical artist Handsome Dick Manitoba claiming the name, and the rest is history. While Snaith was Manitoba, he released two terrific albums 2003's Up In Flames and 2001's Start Breaking My Heart which have now been reissued under his 'new' name, each with a bonus disc packed with extra material. Snaith has amassed quite an impressive body of work to date culminating in last year's very warmly received The Milk Of Human Kindness. Draws comparisons to fellow electronic popsters such as Jimmy Tamborello's select projects (Dntel, James Figurine, Postal Service) and the whole Morr Music roster (LaliPuna, Isan, Styrofoam), but incorporates a broader palette of more defined styles and influences. Swirling dreaminess occasionally drifting into jazzy and shoegazer territory. Always a pleasure!
MPEG Stream: "People Eating Fruit"
MPEG Stream: "Air Doom"

CARIBOU Swim (Merge) cd 14.98
Even dating back to the days when he was known as Manitoba, Dan Snaith's music has always been constantly evolving, changing and growing. He's never made the same record twice, and with the latest outing under his Caribou moniker he's probably made the most drastic stylistic change yet, and with the absolute greatest results!
Swim is a much more dance minded record then his last fine outing, Andorra, which was all about psych pop bliss. He's switched things up, using the same rich coloration that always marks his sound but bringing in new and different influences. This time out it sounds like he's been spending a great deal of time with many of the wonderful Arthur Russell releases, and with as we suspect Russell as his guide, has truly understood how to merge the worlds of avant pop and dance floor freedom. With an almost house-like sound done so totally right, he's made one of the most urgent, immediate and enjoyable records of the year. Think Arthur Russell reconstructed by Four Tet, Hot Chip, Junior Boys, and The Whitest Boy Alive and you start to get an idea of the overall sound of Swim. But what has always put Snaith ahead of the pack is that even though he tends to explore different sounds and styles, he always has a knack for writing great songs. It's never style over substance. What makes Caribou so awesome is that he's equally invested in his continual reinvention and explorations of different sounds as much as he is in crafting fucking great songs. Record of the year contender for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Odessa"
MPEG Stream: "Sun"
MPEG Stream: "Bowls"

CARIBOU Swim (Merge) 2lp 22.00
Even dating back to the days when he was known as Manitoba, Dan Snaith's music has always been constantly evolving, changing and growing. He's never made the same record twice, and with the latest outing under his Caribou moniker he's probably made the most drastic stylistic change yet, and with the absolute greatest results!
Swim is a much more dance minded record then his last fine outing, Andorra, which was all about psych pop bliss. He's switched things up, using the same rich coloration that always marks his sound but bringing in new and different influences. This time out it sounds like he's been spending a great deal of time with many of the wonderful Arthur Russell releases, and with as we suspect Russell as his guide, has truly understood how to merge the worlds of avant pop and dance floor freedom. With an almost house-like sound done so totally right, he's made one of the most urgent, immediate and enjoyable records of the year. Think Arthur Russell reconstructed by Four Tet, Hot Chip, Junior Boys, and The Whitest Boy Alive and you start to get an idea of the overall sound of Swim. But what has always put Snaith ahead of the pack is that even though he tends to explore different sounds and styles, he always has a knack for writing great songs. It's never style over substance. What makes Caribou so awesome is that he's equally invested in his continual reinvention and explorations of different sounds as much as he is in crafting fucking great tunes. Record of the year contender for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Odessa"
MPEG Stream: "Sun"
MPEG Stream: "Bowls"

CARIBOU The Milk Of Human Kindness (Leaf / Domino) cd 16.98
If you dug the recent Yeti ep from this Canadian fella (Dan Snaith formerly aka Manitoba), you might be cravin' more Caribou right about now. Well, whad'ya know? His new full length just came a-flutterin' in. Dreamy electronic indie pop with plenty of nature themes -- lots of buzzy, chirpy, insect-y sounds and song titles include "Bees", "Barnowl", "Lord Leopard", "Hello Hammerheads" "Pelican Narrows" and of course the "Yeti". Amid the wildlife, he also fits in a respectful nod to the great electronic music innovator Morton Subotnick on the album's second track "Subotnick". Overall, he creates a soft, smudgey pastel hued scene in which he dabbles with dreamy shoegazer and cyclical krautrock influences to good effect.
MPEG Stream: "Subotnick"
MPEG Stream: "Hello Hammerheads"

CARIBOU Up In Flames (reissue) (Domino / Leaf) 2cd 13.98
The Torontonian artist Dan Snaith who now goes by the professional moniker Caribou used to prefer to be addressed by the name of a Canadian prairie province. Minor legal battles ensued with the elder musical artist Handsome Dick Manitoba claiming the name, and the rest is history. While Snaith was Manitoba, he released two terrific albums 2003's Up In Flames and 2001's Start Breaking My Heart which have now been reissued under his 'new' name, each with a bonus disc packed with extra material. Snaith has amassed quite an impressive body of work to date culminating in last year's very warmly received The Milk Of Human Kindness. Draws comparisons to fellow electronic popsters such as Jimmy Tamborello's select projects (Dntel, James Figurine, Postal Service) and the whole Morr Music roster (LaliPuna, Isan, Styrofoam), but incorporates a broader palette of more defined styles and influences. Swirling dreaminess occasionally drifting into jazzy shoegazer territory. Always a pleasure!
MPEG Stream: "Jacknuggeted"
MPEG Stream: "Cherrybomb Part II"

CARIBOU Yeti (Leaf / Domino) cd ep 6.98
For a few releases this fellow (given name Dan Snaith) formerly went by the moniker Manitoba -- geography lesson: that's the Canadian province located between Saskatchewan and Ontario -- but he's recently switched over to the name of both a heavily antlered wilderness creature and a mountainous region in another province, British Columbia. Okay, now that classtime is over, let's move on to the music... this electronic-pop-trician has crafted a trio of tracks from playful but not excessively twee sounds that make you think he's been rummaging around in the toybox. But don't worry, none of the toys... oops, we mean sounds are gonna spring out and sock you in the nose. I mean, yeah, the live drums get a little rambunctious near the end of the title track as well as the third, but then it sinks back into his more typical mellowness with acoustic guitar plucking, and rounds from a lil' flute or recorder that's sorta like a mini ode to Wickerman. Furthermore, let it also be known that this has nothing to do with Amon Duul II's classic kraut-psych album of the same name. No, this is a much gentler beast. Dreamy, softly pulsing, gauzy and almost Christmas-y in its shimmery frosted chimey-ness! A promising prelude to his forthcoming album, The Milk Of Human Kindness (due out very very soon).
MPEG Stream: "Yeti"
MPEG Stream: "Boreal Forest Opper"

CARISSA'S WIERD Songs About Leaving (Hardly Art) lp 13.98

CARISSA'S WIERD They'll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996 - 2003 (Hardly Art) cd 14.98
Long overdue collection from this sort of unsung Northwest indie rock combo, whose music was often described as "chamber rock" since most of their songs are hushed and contemplative, and laced with pianos and strings, all very dramatic and heartfelt, melancholic and dreamy. They did achieve a certain amount of notoriety, sold a bunch of records, but just never seemed to be able to make the jump to the next level, even though their sound was so obviously in line with lots of bands who did. Modest Mouse is an obvious comparison, the lilting vox, the strange harmonies, the bands even toured together, but CW's sound is much more folky and stripped down, the drums often played with brushes, acoustic guitars, the vocals urgent, and plaintive, the melodies sweetly sorrowful, the male female harmonies utterly sublime. A few of the tracks do in fact get weird, but that mostly means some strange effects, or adding a bit of noisiness, but for the most part, the songs here are soft and sweet and delicate, darkly dreamy, mysterious enough to appeal to folks into the darker slower side of underground pop, groups like Low, Galaxie 500, The For Carnation, Ida, Bedhead, and even more accessible indie rock like Modest Mouse or Pinback, but catchy and pretty enough that you'll definitely find yourself wondering why these guys (and gals) weren't more popular. Although two of 'em did wind up in another group that HAS had some success, Band of Horses!
A fantastic collection, gathering up tracks from the group's three out of print full lengths, as well as a couple compilations, lovingly packaged with a HUGE foldout poster/booklet, packed with photos, liner notes and other ephemera, all housed in a swank slipcover. Essential indie pop for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Low Budget Slow Motion Soundtrack Song for the Leaving Scene"
MPEG Stream: "Die"
MPEG Stream: "The Color that your Eyes Changed with the Color of Your Hair"
MPEG Stream: "One Night Stand"

CARISSA'S WIERD Ugly But Honest: 1996-1999 (Hardly Art) 2lp 14.98

CARISSA'S WIERD You Should Be At Home Here (Hardly Art) 2lp 14.98

CARLOFASHION I Am The Crazy Hooverman (Hausmusik) cd 16.98

CARLOS Devil's Slide (Amazing Grease) cd 13.98
San Francisco mainstays Carlos finally return with a new record. Their quirky, heavy, punky, poppy sound hasn't changed too much, but they sure sound better than ever. A sparkling production and a batch of killer songs make this record a great pop surprise. The sound is a little Pixies, a little Weezer and a little Redd Kross. A really great record from one of the few San Francisco bands still around from what we here like to call 'the good old days'. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Always On My Side"
RealAudio clip: "Heavy Metal Monday"

CARLOS, WENDY A Clockwork Orange (OST) (East Side Digital) cd 16.98
Not only is Wendy Carlos a pioneer of electornic music as we now know & love it. Her transformation from Walter to Wendy led to a new beginning in music making for Carlos. No longer was there just an academic and novelty approached to a new form of music(see "Switched On Bach"), but her music started to take a much more intense and focused eye. Haunting sounds, creepy melodies, something bubbling under the surface. Her work is most heard in film scores she has done over the last few decades..with this, her score for A Clockwork Orange being a seminal moment and a great place to start the voyage into the magical mystery of Wendy Carlos.

CARLOS, WENDY Rediscovering Lost Scores - Volume 1 (East Side Digital) cd 16.98
One of the most engaging pioneers of electronic music Wendy (formely Walter) Carlos has made some of the most haunting and chilling sounds over the last several decades. The collaboration with filmakers was a very natural progression for Carlos as her sounds so perfectly match the images of equally creative and twisted filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick for whom she scored both The Shining and A Clockwork Orange. This new compilation of her lost scores contains the stunning sounds she crafted for The Shining which never made it to album form before as well as tracks from A Clockwork Orange that were not included on that soundtrack. Dark electronic soundscapes years before labels like Scape or Schematic even existed. The last few tracks are devoted to her score work for several UNICEF films..those don't quite do it for us but wow how much the first 25 tracks from Kubrick's films sure do. Totally creepy and trailblazing.
MPEG Stream: "Greetings Ghosties"
MPEG Stream: "A Haunted Waltz"
MPEG Stream: "Bumps In The Night"

CARLTON MELTON Country Ways (Agitated ) cd 14.98
Originally released on vinyl, this most recent batch of blissed out psychedelic space rock heaviness from aQ faves Carlton Melton now gets the cd treatment, with a whopping BONUS HALF HOUR of extra material not on the original lp. More on the bonus tracks in a bit, first, here's what we had to say about the record proper:
There's no shortage of psychedelic space rock in SF these days: recent Record Of The Weekers Lumerians, the Spyrals, Wooden Shjips, Sleepy Sun, and these guys, Carlton Melton, not a person, but a quartet, who conjure up epic stretches of spaced out psychedelia, and who, unlike many of their contemporaries, seem to be less concerned with the pulse, and the rhythm, and the groove, as they are with the SOUND, and the VIBE, weaving lush, expansive sprawls of effects drenched psychedelic ambience, drifting more often than driving, huge clouds of swirling wah guitars, and minimal spare drumming, which seems to exist more as a pulse, than a beat proper, everything murky and muddy and washed out, at once lo-fi, but impossibly dense and heavy, the band seeming to drift weightless though swirling starlit sonic skies, their sound loose and free and abstract and ephemeral, the first track here, is a fantastically entrancing space drone epic, a sound the drifts and buzzes and flutters and swirls, the sound emerging in swells, building into squalls of warm whirling chaos only to slip back into something more druggy and dreamy and meditative, it's not until the final couple minutes that the song finally explodes, and even then it doesn't really get heavier, the rhythm doesn't get any more intense, instead, it just sounds like the whole band crank it up a notch, the swirling clouds of effects and guitars suddenly become more volatile, and more chaotic, the melodies gradually swallowed up by slashes of distorted guitar crunch and crumbling walls of distortion, the sound gets more dense, and more thick, and the whole time the main groove, now buried beneath the roiling surface, continues on unwavering, the only thing keeping the track from drifting into the heavens and toward the heart of the sun.Ê
The remaining tracks, while shorter, are simply more of the glorious same, barring a brief bit of solo guitar, an interlude that is bookended by two more heaving walls of krautpsych swirl, the band unfurling droned out minimal hypnorock mini epics, that howl and thrum, buzz and shimmer, songs that obviously could have been stretched way out and turned this into a record two or three times as long.Ê
The extra tracks here are like a whole extra album, beginning with the nearly 6 minute shimmer of "Night Flight", all smoldering, softly burnished swells of washed out guitars and buried melodies, dreamy and drifty, a slow set up for the more typically explosive space psych of the 14+ minute "The One That Got Away (Extended Version)", which unfurls a heady hypnotic bit of motorik krautrock, sounding like German Oak or Can, and then wrapping it all in layer after layer of buzz and swirl, the effects growing more and more warped and wild, the sound getting more and more spacey and druggy, while all the while the rhythm section stays locked in tight, and keeps the song from lifting off entirely and disappearing into the night sky. The Hawkwind / Spacemen 3 vibe is big here, so drugged out and hypnotic, building to a serious crescendo of tangled leads and dense drum pound, before fading out into a stretch of slowly receding whir and thrum.
The final bonus track, recorded live on KZSU is another epic, nearly 13 minutes, and again, a psychedelic mix of kraut and space rock. A simple skeletal rhythm, wreathed in swirls of buzz, the group adding layers of melody and texture, clouds of ephemeral effects, buzzing synths, the sound growing more dense, yet at the same time, more free, and almost weightless, hypnotic and mesmerizing and totally tranced out, it's almost 4 minutes before things get properly riffy, and from there on out it's total heart of the sun Hawkwindy heaviness, the sound heady and hazy and so totally ruling.
Like we said about the lp version, this is fantastic stuff. Fans of the SF psych/space/drone/kraut rock contingent that aren't already into CM, get with it! And obviously, anyone into White Hills, Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, Cave, The Heads, Heavy Winged, Bardo Pond, White Noise Sound, Mugstar, Spacemen 3, and the like, these guys will definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Country Ways"
MPEG Stream: "Full Moon Revisited"
MPEG Stream: "Harrington Fair"

CARLTON MELTON Country Ways (Mid-To-Late) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There's no shortage of psychedelic space rock in SF these days: recent Record Of The Weekers Lumerians, the Spyrals (who have a new tape reviewed elsewhere on this week's list), Wooden Shjips, Sleepy Sun, and these guys, Carlton Melton, not a person, but a quartet, who conjure up epic stretches of spaced out psychedelia, and who, unlike many of their contemporaries, seem to be less concerned with the pulse, and the rhythm, and the groove, as they are with the SOUND, and the VIBE, weaving lush, expansive sprawls of effects drenched psychedelic ambience, drifting more often than driving, huge clouds of swirling wah guitars, and minimal spare drumming, which seems to exist more as a pulse, than a beat proper, everything murky and muddy and washed out, at once lo-fi, but impossibly dense and heavy, the band seeming to drift weightless though swirling starlit sonic skies, their sound loose and free and abstract and ephemeral, the whole first side here is a single track, the title track, and it's a fantastically entrancing space drone epic, a sound the drifts and buzzes and flutters and swirls, the sound emerging in swells, building into squalls of warm whirling chaos only to slip back into something more druggy and dreamy and meditative, it's not until the final couple minutes that the song finally explodes, and even then it doesn't really get heavier, the rhythm doesn't get any more intense, instead, it just sounds like the whole band crank it up a notch, the swirling clouds of effects and guitars suddenly become more volatile, and more chaotic, the melodies gradually swallowed up by slashes of distorted guitar crunch and crumbling walls of distortion, the sound gets more dense, and more thick, and the whole time the main groove, now buried beneath the roiling surface, continues on unwavering, the only thing keeping the track from drifting into the heavens and toward the heart of the sun.
The flipside is more of the glorious same, barring a brief bit of solo guitar, an interlude that is bookended by two more heaving walls of krautpsych swirl, the band unfurling droned out minimal hypnorock mini epics, that howl and thrum, buzz and shimmer, songs that obviously could have been stretched way out and turned this into a double lp.
As always, fantastic stuff. Fans of the SF psych/space/drone/kraut rock contingent that aren't already into CM, get with it! And obviously, anyone into White Hills, Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, Cave, The Heads, Heavy Winged, Bardo Pond, White Noise Sound, Spacemen 3 and the like, these guys will definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "Country Ways"
MPEG Stream: "Full Moon Revisited"
MPEG Stream: "Harrington Fair"

CARLTON MELTON Handling Snakes (Valley King) 7" 8.98
One of two brand new Carlton Melton releases this list, the other being their strange and culty split with Qumran Orphics. This one an amazing 7" on a cool brand new deluxe 7" label, Valley King (we also have a new Sweet Apple 7" on the same label to be reviewed later). Housed in a mini-gatefold sleeve with insert and sticker, with gorgeous artwork by Alan Fobres who also did Carlton Melton's Pass It On LP as well as their split with Empty Shapes.
"Handling Snakes" is a jolt of heavy hypno-blues a la Wooden Shjips but even heavier with wailing riffs and pummeling drums. The B side, "The One That Got Away", is more majestic and broodingly heavy with searing and weaving guitar lines and molten textures.
It's over before you know it, but it's just long enough to hit the spot. Limited to 500 copies. Grab this taste of radness while you can!