V/A Elsie+Jack+Chair (Elsie and Jack Recordings) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New Michigan based label with a strange name, and stranger music on this compilation--noise, electronic, & experimental sounds from some obscure and more-than-obsure artists (Crawl Unit, Rampoon, Tabata of Zeni Geva with Tatsuya Yoshida of Ruins, Totemplow and Brume being among the better-known). An excellent collection that causes us to look forward to more from this label (such as an upcoming Tabata solo disc).

V/A Emanated (Emanate) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's Forced Exposure's apt description:
Debut release on a new CA-based IDM label, focusing on that sparkling electronic machine crinkle that can sound just right. OST's track, "August" is a legitimate classic, that could easily fit somewhere within the Warp "Artificial Intelligence" series. Many other tracks are of similar vintage & emotional quality. The CD features obscure US artists such as: Solenoide (aka Office Products, aka Mr. Pharmacist; currently been doing work with Mark Hosler of Negativland, while having escaped an earlier life of hacking, sits behind the door and thinks about asthetic pranks'), Lillianthal (Arrow Kleeman, NYC, has performed with the Silver Apples, before becoming Lillienthal, "hoping that his search for sound found and personal mood will set him aside from the even flow of contemporary electronic dance music, this is his debut'), If.Then.Else. ('playing bass, playing jazz, discovers the synthesizer all hell break loose; not to be seen until now, he hides with the machine in attempts to beat it at it's own games'), Sybarite (aka Xian Hawkins, who has also performed and recorded with Simeon of the reformed Silver Apples), O.S.T. (aka Rook Vallade, has recorded on Switch Records, Plug Research, Worm Interface, remixed Spacetime Continuum, etc.).

V/A Emanated (Emanate) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's Forced Exposure's apt description:
Debut release on a new CA-based IDM label, focusing on that sparkling electronic machine crinkle that can sound just right. OST's track, "August" is a legitimate classic, that could easily fit somewhere within the Warp "Artificial Intelligence" series. Many other tracks are of similar vintage & emotional quality. The CD features obscure US artists such as: Solenoide (aka Office Products, aka Mr. Pharmacist; currently been doing work with Mark Hosler of Negativland, while having escaped an earlier life of hacking, sits behind the door and thinks about asthetic pranks'), Lillianthal (Arrow Kleeman, NYC, has performed with the Silver Apples, before becoming Lillienthal, "hoping that his search for sound found and personal mood will set him aside from the even flow of contemporary electronic dance music, this is his debut'), If.Then.Else. ('playing bass, playing jazz, discovers the synthesizer all hell break loose; not to be seen until now, he hides with the machine in attempts to beat it at it's own games'), Sybarite (aka Xian Hawkins, who has also performed and recorded with Simeon of the reformed Silver Apples), O.S.T. (aka Rook Vallade, has recorded on Switch Records, Plug Research, Worm Interface, remixed Spacetime Continuum, etc.).

V/A Embryo 4: Homemade Music By Bay Area Musicians (Cubby Control) cd 8.98
Bay Area indie band The Cubby Creatures make home-spun crafty pop music, and their homebase label Cubby Control run by bassist/vocalist Brian Weaver also puts out compilations of other likeminded Bay Area and beyond artists. This is the fourth and final volume of the series which began back in 1997 as a celebration of 4-track home recordings. This volume differs from its lower-fi predecessors in that it is comprised of twenty completely exclusive tracks by exclusively Bay Area artists. There's quite a variety of styles from acoustic folk to funk-a-booty, from loopy psych-pop to minimal dub-tronic, from an off-kilter carnivalesque theme to a more urban soundscape. A charming lil' something for everyone! The participants include Thee More Shallows, The Slow Poisoner, Dax Pierson, Jai Young Kim, The Andy Peters Show, Mos Eisley, Thee Druggles, Brian Weaver and The Cubby Creatures or course.
MPEG Stream: THEE MORE SHALLOWS "Phineas Bogg"
MPEG Stream: THE ANDY PETERS SHOW "La Chanson De Jacky"

V/A Embryo Compilation: 03 Adventures In Homemade Music (Cubby Control) cd-r 8.98
An assortment of tracks by 19 very disparate SF indie artists. The most odd is probably the inclusion of Lower Forty-Eight, who contribute a rumbling stoner rock track that bursts forth amid the much more abundant, low-key melodicism. The other 18 songs range from percolating electronic whirs to folky acoustic to perky pop. Highlights: the soothing "De Quel Planete Es tu?" by Brian Weaver (the man behind this compilation and member of mish-mash popsters The Cubby Creatures), Minmae's "Bluebird" a shadowy Howe Gelb/Giant Sand-ish track, the shifting soundscape of "The Aerialist's Tiara" by That Hideous Strength (aka Benjamin Tinker), and the young moody post-rock combo known as Shackleton (now sadly defunct).
RealAudio clip: SHACKLETON "Yo, Terminator... Meet The Album That Killt Me"
RealAudio clip: BRIAN WEAVER "De Quel Planete Es Tu?"

V/A Eminem Presents The Re-Up (Shady / Interscope) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "You Don't Know"
MPEG Stream: "Smack That (Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Get Low"

V/A Encyclopedia Asthmatica Vol. 1 (Asthmatic Kitty) dvd 15.98
Whoops, how'd this one slip under our radar? Encyclopedia Asthmatica Vol. 1 presents 32 playful, whimsical visuals from the ultra blissed out indie label's roster of gentle folk and electronic pop - Sufjan Stevens, The Curtains, Castanets, Shapes And Sizes, Half-Handed Cloud, Rafter, Bunky, Liz Janes, My Brightest Diamond! A hi-fi and lo-fi mix of animation, live clips, found footage and more, the dvd's probably worth nabbing for the Stevens clips alone, but the rest are super dreamy delights too!

V/A End of Days (20 Sided Records) 2cd 9.98
Holy crap! An epic, double cd, FORTY THREE band, label sampler from local label 20 Sided Records (who recently released the awesome new Trainwreck Riders album!), featuring a bunch of bands from right here in SF, but also LA, Fresno, Santa Cruz, Long Beach, Oakland, and as far away as Seattle, Bellingham, Spokane, Phoenix, Portland and Denver. The really crazy thing, is that of those 43 bands, we actually had only even heard of 5 or 6, and more than half of those are from right here!
So this is a pretty awesome introduction to a whole bunch of new bands, a list of which we would imagine wouldn't mean much, since odds are you probably wouldn't know most of these groups either, but there's definitely some good stuff, the sounds super varied, heavy on the indie rock and variations thereof, but still all over the map: crunchy, fuzzed out twee pop, jangly Pavement style indie rock, Ramones-y garage punk, chugging math metal, blown out shoegazey Built To spill sounding indie pop, bluesy garage stomp, rollicking chaotic garage stomp a la Thee Oh Sees, dreamy echo drenched folkiness, brooding slow build epic post rock drift, and that's just a tiny taste, and heck, screw it, here's a list of the bands, the ones we know: Blank Tapes, Slow Trucks, Ugly Winner, Hazel's Wart, Ash Reiter (who has a new full length on 20 Sided!), Trainwreck Riders, and the ones we don't: Sci-Fi Caper, The Suicides, Quiet Americans, High Horse, Wild Pack Of Canaries, Saything, The Hoot Hoots, Mosshead, Big Mittens, Future Space And Time, The Palisades, Smalls, One Hundred Percent, Eureka California, Myth Ship, Rosa Grande, The Fay Wrays, San Joaquin Steamers, Vows, Fpod Bpod, Li Xi, Rubedo, Cannons & Clouds, Sugar Candy Mountain, Pony Village, The Cat From Hue, Pro Wings, Street Pyramids, Upstairs Downstairs, The Wild Kindness, Excited States, One F, Candysound, Animal Eyes, Former Friends Of Young Americans, Owl Paws and Speak Friend. Phew! It almost reads like one of those Robert Pollard / Guided By Voices box sets, where every song is credited to a different made up band! And usually we're pretty wary of comps where most of the bands are names we don't know, but lots of this stuff is pretty great, and odds are if you dig all the strains of indie/garage/fuzz pop/rock/punk, there's lots to love here!!
MPEG Stream: SCI-FI CAPER "Broken Sleep"
MPEG Stream: SLOW TRUCKS "I, You, We"
MPEG Stream: SAYTHING "The Same Device"
MPEG Stream: SMALLS "Label The Huns"
MPEG Stream: THE FAY WRAYS "Cars"
MPEG Stream: SAN JOAQUIN STEAMERS "Melvins Toast"

V/A Entering The Levitation: A Tribute To Skepticism (Foreshadow) 2cd 10.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
In honor of the first new Skepticism record in 5 years, we figured we oughta relist this tribute to Skepticism, easily one of the best tribute albums we've heard in ages, some of the covers are just as good if not better (okay, maybe not better, but damn close) than the originals! Some of our favorite doom bands take on their masters, as well as a whole mess of new bands we hadn't heard until this here collection...
The world may be full of doom and gloom, and your shelves may be bursting at the seams will all manner of slow motion sludge and funereal dirges, but there was a time, when true doom wasn't so easy to come by, the world wasn't prepared for slow motion misery and abject musical miserablism, but we were, and we hunted and searched, and thus we discovered Finland's Skepticism. The heaviest, most beautiful, most perplexingly atmospheric music we had yet encountered. It was so washed out and dreamy it was barely metal. So slow and pretty it almost sounded choral. We described the music of Skepticism as sounding like sitting in a church, while a doom metal band practiced in the basement, the huge thudding crush, barely audible through the floor, the sounds intertwining with the warm whir of the church organ, some strangely spiritual sonic confluence, that was as magical as it was mysterious.
And it wasn't just us. The sound of Skepticism spoke to all sorts of people, metalheads, doomlords, drone freeks, weirdo music obsessives, and it made perfect sense, as it was all those things, metal, doom, drone, weird. Add to that, lovely, haunting, creepy, ominous and absolutely fucking brilliant.
So here we have a double disc tribute to the masters of slow motion doomed beauty, from a handful of bands, as with most comps, many we'd never heard of, a few we were already big fans of. And also with tributes, how do you pay tribute to a music that is already so perfect? Do you try to sound as much like it as possible, or change it into something else entirely? Somehow, all of the bands here have managed a little bit of both, enough that this is a gorgeous and epic funereal doom record all the way through. Pretty enough to appeal to folks who just like their music dark and dreamy, but heavy enough to mesmerize the blackest hearted of metalheads.
Right out of the gate, Nest (who we'd never heard of) offer up a 14 minute version of a track off the first Skepticism, and do their own sort of blissed out reverential dronedoom version which might be our favorite track on the comp. Stretches of lilting acoustic guitars over rumbling drones, separated by shimmering keyboards and slow plodding muted riffs, so soft it's barely metal at all, more a sort of droning slowcore. Much like the original, but even more soft and shimmery.
The rest of disc one, offer up more traditional doom versions of Skepticism classics, but each twisted and tweaked enough to be a good fresh listen. The final track on disc one, "The Organium" by Oktor, might be the weirdest, a sort of industrialized, mechanical stumbling doom lurch, with sung / spoken deep crooned vocals. Weird but super cool.
The highlight of disc two is of course Rigor Sardonicous, who we of course LOVE, and who do a killer version of "Chorale", beginning with backwards guitars, which eventually morph into a massive downtuned dirge, with that mournful melody buried in the mix, and the strangely loud cymbals we love so much (see some of our other RS reviews about that). The other groups on the second disc definitely take their liberties, Calmsite, turn their track into almost death metal, Aarni give Skepticism a folky makeover, and It Will Come, start out slow and sludgy, but then slip into some sort of drifting post rock slowcore. It's all pretty awesome. How bad could it be starting with Skepticism songs after all?! But either way, this is an awesome collection of intense and beautiful, slow sad heavy dooooooooom, that most definitely does Skepticism proud.
MPEG Stream: RIGOR SARDONICOUS "Chorale"
MPEG Stream: MONOLITHE "Edges"
MPEG Stream: SHROUD OF BEREAVEMENT "Forge"

V/A Espanola (Khmer Rocks) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Along with putting out the three Cambodian Rocks compilations that have rendered the original Parallel World label comp of the same name virtually obsolete, Khmer Rocks also has a plethora of other khmer music compilations that we're only just beginning to scratch the surface of. While every bit as great as the three Rocks comps we reviewed previously, they're also not marketed as much for the greater population... ie: these are more for the Khmer community. To this end, there's no translation of the song titles or artists. Additionally this collection is on CD-R, but we can't complain because it's also only 9.98. You're probably wondering what a Spanish title is doing on a collection of Cambodian rock music and, well, so were we. The first track, with the word "espanola" featured prominently in the lyrics, clears all that up: yes, it's Cambodian Cha-Cha and Latin tinged Cambodian rock. There are even trumpet flourishes and string sections lifted straight out of a bolero. Not to give you the wrong idea however, only a handful of the tracks on Espanola are actually Latin influenced. Like the Cambodian Rocks series, there's plenty of good old fashioned go-go and garage rock make up the bulk of the collection. Plus the closer, a fuzzed out "hard rock" encore of a track is about as unlike anything in the previous comps. For those of you who already own the other anthologies, as far as we've been able to tell from listening -- another downside to not having English liner notes -- there's no overlap with any of the previous Cambodian collections we've been selling. Muy bien Khmer Rocks!
MPEG Stream: UNKNOWN "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: UNKNOWN "Track 9"
MPEG Stream: UNKNOWN "Track 20"

V/A Estrus 100% Apeshit Sampler (Estrus) cd 6.98
Year after year Dave Crider (formerly of the Monomen) slings out heaps of primo-garage releases from around the world on his Bellingham, WA label Estrus. This is the second volume of rough rawk nuggets culled from his extensive catalog. Starring The Monkeywrench, The Insomniacs, Estrella 20/20, The Von Zippers and twenty more trashy garage wonders! Plus a super-duper price!

V/A Ethiopia: Air Polyphonies (Ocora) cd 21.00

V/A Ethiopiques 24: Golden Years Of Modern Ethiopian Music 1969-1975 (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Finally! Another installment in the incredible Ethiopiques series, and while many of the collections focused on a particular artist, this latest gathers up a whole bunch of classic tracks from, as the title suggests, the golden years of Ethiopian Music.
And the second you push play you'll be transported, and in fact, the sounds you hear may sound strangely familiar, as legendary Ethiopian vocalist Seyfou Yohannes croons over a track we've definitely heard before, on Ethiopiques 2 we think, but it hardly matters, Yohannes' vocals transform the song completely, still smokey and sexy, but reimagined and reinterpreted. And fantastic!
According to the liner notes, which are as always, copious and incredibly well researched, the bulk of Ethiopian records were produced in a single 10 year period, 500 singles, 30 lps, all produced between 1969 and 1978, of those, the tiny Amha label released 103 two song 45's and a dozen lps, between '69 and '75, most of which have been delved into heavily for the Ethiopiques series, and now with volume 24, nearly all of those recordings have been reissued.
But here's one more chance to luxuriate in these magical sounds from the Amha label, before the Ethiopiques series delves into other labels, and digs up more lost gems.
These tracks are all incredible, of course, most of the names are new to us, no Mahmoud Ahmed, no Getatchew Mekurya, a couple tracks from Mulatu Astatke, but more folks like Syfou Yohannes, Ayalew Mesfin, Getatchew Kassa, Tamrat Molla, the sound though is so distinctly Ethiopian, warm languid horns, moody minor key piano, simple shuffling rhythms. and of course the vocals, lush crooning, the perfect compliment to the music's dark sultry mystery. There seem to be two distinct styles represented, the soulful funky slow burning grooves, haunting, late night, sexy, and the more festive and funky, a sort of Ethiopian reinterpretation of American rhythm and blues, with soaring sunshiney melodies, acoustic guitars, and more more horns, both are irresistible, and anyone who has even been dabbling in this series, will dig this big time. Just perfect for the impending warm summer days, and lazy summer nights...
MPEG Stream: SEYFOU YOHANNES "Metche Dershe"
MPEG Stream: AYALEW MESFIN "Lene Antchi Bitcha Nesh"
MPEG Stream: GETATCHEW KASSA & SOUL EKOS BAND "Bey Lesenabetsch"
MPEG Stream: WUBSHET FISSEHA & EXCEPTION FIVE BAND "Sew Endayhon Yellem"
MPEG Stream: TAMRAT MOLLA & VENUS BAND "Ber Anbar Seberelewo"

V/A Ethiopiques 25: 1971-1975 Modern Roots (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Another fantastic entry in this incredible series, chronicling Ethiopian music past and present. Whereas previous installments have been thematically linked by era, or style, or performer, this one is a little bit more interesting, in that it focuses on the traditional Ethiopian music that became the roots for the music we're so familiar with today. Collecting various tracks that were attempts to modernize traditional Ethiopian music, without radically altering it. Folk music, wedding songs, nursery rhymes, traditional melodies, songs that have been passed down and passed on over generations, some musics and melodies so revered that they have been officially elevated to the status of "musical modes of reference" by official doctrine(!), all borrowed and reinterpreted by various singers and ensembles over the years.
The sound is not too different here than on other Ethiopiques collections, although the liner notes do point out that the tracks here are almost all acoustic, utilizing traditional instruments, as well as piano, mandolin and accordion, but to these ears it sounds fantastic, as good as ever, that sound that is so immediately recognizable as Ethiopian, horns and drums and percussion and handclaps, and of course the voices, it's so much about the vocalists, especially here, soulful croons, female back up vox, lots of call and response, deep and rough, smooth and silky, but always so expressive and emotional and powerful, and no Ethiopian comp would be complete without Tlahoun Gessesse, probably the most revered vocalist among Ethiopians, even though he is relatively unknown elsewhere, his vocals so expressive and intense, tackling complex melodies and making them sound like the simplest lullabies, so dulcet and lush, definitely a case of someone who could read the Ethiopian phonebook, and he's in good company here, with a fantastic gathering of Ethiopian vocalists, most of which we're familiar with from past Ethiopiques.
It occurred to us recently that the Sublime Frequencies compilations have a certain hipster cache, that compels folks to buy them or at least check them out, even if they're not that into world music, which made us think that all of those people should be checking these out too, these collections are just as mysterious and powerful and wonderful, each one a gorgeous glimpse into another musical tradition, one that is powerful and spiritual, as well as being funky and soulful!
As always, extensive liner notes, lots of photos, as well as information about the artists, the compilation, the tracks, the history of Ethiopian music, and the politics surrounding the music.
MPEG Stream: ABBEBE TESSEMMA "Gebre Guratch Gute"
MPEG Stream: TLAHOUN GESSESSE "Agul New"
MPEG Stream: FREW HAYLOU "Almaz Men Eda New"
MPEG Stream: ABBEBE HAYLE-MICHAEL "QonDJitye"
MPEG Stream: DAMTEW AYELE "Wefe Yelala"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 1 (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Following the beautiful funk / rocksteady / Ethiopian folk fusions on the first compilation, AQ has stocked the full catalogue of the "Ethiopiques" series. Here's a shortened version of what Windy wrote in her Bay Guardian review of the albums. I recommend you pick up #3 and the stunning instrumental volume #4, then #1. Volume #2 is from the 1990s, not the 1970s as are the other three, and is good but very different.
"From 1969 to 1975, spanning an astonishly short six years, a fascinating set of factors contributed to the golden age of modern Ethiopian music. Unless you're already a Mahmoud Ahmed fan or own the sadly out-of-print 'Ethiopian Groove' compilation, then this is some of the most amazingly beautiful music you've never ever heard. Ethiopia, unlike the rest of Africa, was never deeply colonized. Thus the institutional bands, like the Imperial Body Guard Orchestra and the Police Band, used conventional western instruments without regard for western song forms; the music sounds at once familiar and strange, a tantalizing combination. Alternately wistful and eerie arpeggios in pentatonic scales are warbled by the vocalists and horns. Rhythm guitar and jazz-like drums wreak havoc on a westerner's sense of time (once you think you're tapping toes along with the beat, you realize you've lost it.) And American sixties soul-type guitar follows its own melody above it all."
MPEG Stream: MELLESSE, MULUQEN "Hedetch Alu"
MPEG Stream: METEKU, TESHOME "Hasabe"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 10 : Tezeta - Ethiopian Blues & Ballads (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
The literal translation of the word "Tezeta" is memory, or nostalgia and as it applies to music in Ethiopia it is akin to the American genre known as the blues, hence the subtitle of this collection. But don't worry, you won't hear any imitations of western blues progressions here. When I first put this on though, I instantly got a feeling of nostalgia before I realised that I'd heard these songs before. In fact, over half of the material on this disc has already been released by Buda in previous collections of Ethiopiques. Four tracks appeared on Ethiopiques #1 (three if you count Getatchew Kassa's split "Tezeta" slow/fast as one track) and two tracks were present on the instrumental collection of Ethiopiques #4. If you've got those two comps already, then you'll be paying a hefty price for the six new tracks you get on this collection. So is it worth it? Well, I may be a sucker, but the extra tracks are pretty damn impressive. Mahmoud Ahmed's 12 and a half minute version of "Tezeta" is absolutely dreamy and all three of the previously unissued cuts by Alemayehu Eshete are excellent. The general feel of this collection shares a lot with volume 4 in the series. Along with the two tracks that were already on Ethiopiques #4, the one instrumental track from Ethiopiques #1 is included here, and the remaining vocal tracks on the disc are all down tempo, sorrowful ballads that'll jerk the tears from your eye sockets. In a way, you could see this collection as a sort of "best of" Ethiopiques and more than recommending it to owners of the rest of the series I would suggest it as a great place to start for those who've still not taken the plunge into Ethiopia's wonderful and unique musical treasure chest. [Note to all the Santa's out there: great stocking stuffer for the un-initiated.]
RealAudio clip: ESHETE, ALEMAYEHU "Teredtchewalehu"
RealAudio clip: AHMED, MAHMOUD "Tezeta"
RealAudio clip: ESHETE, ALEMAYEHU "Man Yehon Telleq Sew"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 12 : Konso Music And Songs (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Like volumes 2, 5, and 11, Ethiopiques 12 is a collection apart from the fuzzed out groove music of Amha and Kaifa records which make up much of the material in the series. This volume features the various traditional musics found in the Konso province in the Southeastern part of Ethiopia. Choruses, flute solos, and songs accompanied by various lutes and bells. Comes with 31 pages of liner notes in French and English.
RealAudio clip: TEDESSE DEYASA "Wattatra"
RealAudio clip: KAHANO "Hoppa"
RealAudio clip: CHOIR "Kirba Yoqaa"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 13 : Ethiopian Groove (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
While not as famous as Amha Eshete (Amha Records), Ali Abdella Kaifa and his Kaifa records was still a heavyweight in Ethiopia's golden age of record production. Kaifa essentially took up the slack from Eshete when the latter went into exile in 1975 due to the country's increasingly hostile military government. Entering the music business in 1973 with the release of the first 45s on his label, Kaifa didn't just materialize in Eshete's absence. But it was the release of Mahmoud Ahmed's legendary "Ere Mela Mela" -- the album that would become the first Ethiopian recording to be released in Europe -- that really put Kaifa on the map. He was also the one who discovered Aster Aweke (who later fled Ethiopia to build a successful career as a world beat artist in the late eighties.) All but two tracks in this collection were recorded between 1976 and 1977 at the tail end of of Ethiopia's record industry, which was squashed in 1978 (at which point Kaifa continued to produce music on cassettes.) Along with the usual collection of male vocalists (Alemayehu Eshete, Hirut Bekele, Ayalew Mesfin and Tamrat Ferendji) there are four tracks featuring female vocalists (unfortunately underrepresented in this series) Bzunesh Beqele and the duo of Asselefetch Ashine & Getenesh Kebret. Ashine & Kebret must be heard to be believed, their unearthly parallel harmonies sharing the limelight wonderfully with the Army Band's flautist and arranger Teshome Sissay.
Longtime readers of AQ's list might have caught notice of this volume's title "Ethiopian Groove", as we had once stocked an album of the same name many years ago (see AQL #42). Indeed this album is the very same as the now out of print one on Blue Silver (in fact Ethiopiques series editor Francis Falceto was the one who compiled the earlier release), but with a few differences. While Ethiopiques #13 is unfortunately missing three of the Aster Aweke tracks that graced the original Ethiopian Groove CD, it is supplemented by the addition of two tracks by saxophonist Seyoum Gebreyes, two by vocalist Muleqen Mellesse and greatly expanded liner notes & photos. We can only hope that Buda Musique is intending to issue an entire CD dedicated to Aster Aweke and her earliest recordings for Kaifa. Until then, those of you with the original Ethiopian Groove should hold onto it.
RealAudio clip: MULUQEN MELLESSE & DAHLAK BAND "Djemeregne"
RealAudio clip: ASSELEFETCH ASHINE & GETENESH KEBRET & ARMY BAND "Metche New"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 18 : Asguebba! (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Asguebba is another Ethiopiques collection to contain not the excavated gems from the golden era, but contemporary tracks from Addis. With the end of the repressive Derg government in 1991, so ended the strict curfew which made life so difficult for musicians for almost two decades. Oddly, it wasn't the original sounds of groove music that rose from the ashes, but small groups of itinerant singers accompanied by traditional Ethiopian instruments: masenqo (fiddle), kebero (percussion), and the globally ubiquitous accordian. The artists featured on this disc, recorded in 2001 & 2003, are the cream of the crop, having survived through the halcyon days of the post curfew early nineties on up to the present where most of the cabarets are closed up and the competition has given up. While this collection may not appeal to those looking for a repeat of Volume 4 or any of the other groove music from the late sixties and early seventies, those who enjoyed The Lady With the Krar (Volume 16) should definitely check this out, if for no other reason than to pick up the stunning a capella track from Asnaqe Guebreyes whose falsetto kills all comers. Stunning!
MPEG Stream: TADDESSE ANDARGUE "Ende Iyerusalem"
MPEG Stream: ASNAQE GUEBREYES "Medinana Zelessegna"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 2 (Buda Musique) cd 15.98

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 20 (Buda Musique) 2cd 16.98
Here it is. The most recent installment in Buda Musique's totally amazing Ethiopiques series, each volume so far focusing on a particular artist, or time or sound, but each volume as completley mindblowing as the next. Sure we had our favorites.
The all instrumental Volume 4 obviously, maybe one of the best selling records at AQ ever, a sexy, funky soulful late night groove. Volumes 6 and 7 featuring Mahmoud Ahmed, and we could probably go one and on listing every single volume. But we have to admit we were a little confused when we got this newest volume, especially when we thought it was to be the last (a quick glance in the booklet reveals that there is a 21st volume on the way!). A double cd, perfect way to finish off the series, but what is this, Either / Orchestra, wait a minute, they're American aren't they? From Boston if we're not mistaken. WTF?! Was their really such a dearth of lost classic Ethiopian music that the final volume needed to be a jazz band from Boston covering Ethiopian songs. We had already written it off before we even played it. But you never know, so we threw it on, and you know what? It was pretty darn good. And sounded pretty darn genuine. A look through the liner notes revealed that these tracks were recorded in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, for the Ethiopian Music Festival in 2004, and features guest musicians from Ethiopia including several recognizable names including Bahta Gebre-Heywet, Getatchew Mekurya, Mulatu Astatqe, Tsedenia Gebre-Marqos, and Michael Belayneh. Performing lots of Ethiopian orignals and traditionals, many that you'll no doubt recognize from otheer volumes in the series. The songs are as always fantastic , festive and jubilant, with a moody minor key undercurrent, warm rich horns, intricate hand percussion, jazzy guitar and piano, gorgeous melodies. The sound is just so lush and exotic and dark and mysterious and totally exciting, even when played by a bunch of dudes from New England. We still think it's a little weird to include a double disc live set of Ethiopian jazz / funk via Americans in Ethiopia when there is no doubt oodles and oodles of rare and unreleased Ethiopian music from the sixties and seventies and even the eighties that we all would kill to hear, we're just happy to have another batch of awesome Ethiopian grooves, and we're so relieved that this is not the end of the Ethiopiques series!
MPEG Stream: "Muziqawi Silt"
MPEG Stream: "Feqer Aydelem Wey"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 3 (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Ethiopia was the site of some of the most beautiful yet sadly forgotten music in the 60's and 70's. This compilation takes some of the best tracks from the enterprising Amha Records. This label specialized in recording unusually catchy and groovy pop songs that are not dissimilar to late 60's Jamaican rocksteady fused with jazz signatures and Ethiopian folk, plus plenty of James Brown funk. What makes these recordings (and most from the "golden era" of Ethiopian music) especially strange is that they were all performed by the institutional military bands who played all of the Imperial marches. Includes tracks by the great Mahmoud Ahmed (different from those on his wonderful "Ere Mela Mela" disc), ...Those of you who loved the "Ethiopian Groove" compilation, or who couldn't get a copy (as it's now out of print), be thankful.
MPEG Stream: AHMED, MAHMOUD "Kulun Mankwalesh"
MPEG Stream: BEQELE, HIRUT "Almokerkum Neber"

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 5 (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Volume 5 of this stunning series of compilatons featuring the music made in Ethiopia between 1969 and 1975 -- the 'golden age' of Ethiopian music where governmental control lightened just enough for one independent label to flourish. Capturing everything from institutional outfits performing Ethio-funk to sad instrumental pieces to music played on both modern and traditional instruments, the series just sounds so lovely. This latest volume focuses on the 'Tigrigna' music of Tigray and Eritrea. We suggest you start with the classic volumes 3 and 4 of this series, then move on to all the others.

V/A Ethiopiques Vol. 8 : Swinging Addis (Buda Musique) cd 15.98
Finally, another installment in the fabulous Ethiopiques series! This time from the time span of 1969-1974, and focusing closely on the R&B and soul influenced musical output from Ethiopia's bustling capitol, Addis Ababa. More than just R&B and soul though, the tracks here are striking in their resemblance to early rock & roll and the twist -- there's even a track that sounds like a twisted spin on Chubby Checker. Despite the close relationship to popular music genres in the U.S. there is no mistaking the music's Ethiopian origin for anyone familiar with this series. And yet, despite even having tracks by such now familiar names as Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete, this compilation distances itself from the previous seven in this series with a sound all its own. It just goes to show you how amazingly diverse and fertile Ethiopia's music scene was/is. Hooray!
RealAudio clip: AYALEW MESFIN "Hasabe"
RealAudio clip: ALEMAYEHU ESHETE "Tchero Adari Negn"
RealAudio clip: LEMMA DEMISSEW "Astawesalehu"

V/A Ethnic Minority Music Of North Vietnam (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If the usual, corporate "world music" recording is intended for the pleasure and edification of "armchair travellers" who appreciate the comforts of said armchair and, if actually travelling, would prefer the expensive luxuries of Westernized hotels and guided tours in air conditioned buses, then "world music" as documented by the Sun City Girls affiliated Sublime Frequencies field recordings label is for armchair travellers who want to know what it would sound like if they and their armchair were to be picked up, packed into a crate, shipped on the slow boat TO China or wherever, and dumped into the back alleys of a far off land to fend for themselves. No guided tour, more like bumming around amid the teeming human cultures of the third world, ears open to new experiences, to both musical and environmental sounds.
For release number thirty-something in their series, Sublime Frequencies visits North Vietnam, bringing back 15 tracks of wailing horns, keening vocals, twanging Jews harps, wheezing bamboo mouth-organs, and and more, including the sounds of a reed instrument, the piem zat, a sort of oboe played with a circular breathing technique. Singing styles are unique too, as with the layered female chorus on track 10 for instance, where the singers achieve a kind a delay effect, in a style called bao zoo.
The liner notes by recordist/compiler Lauren Jenneau help to explain the musical traditions of the various ethnic minority groups he's encountered here, and how they figure into both their everyday and spiritual lives. As usual with Sublime Frequencies stuff, pretty much a must-have if you want to make your armchair a much more "exotic" place in which to recline... or to inspire you to get off your ass, quit your job and take off on that backpacking trip to South East Asia you've always wanted to take...
MPEG Stream: "track 4: Chungja, jews harp..."
MPEG Stream: "track 7: kheng, mouth organ..."
MPEG Stream: "track 10: Bao zoo..."

V/A Ethnic Minority Music Of Northeast Cambodia (Sublime Frequencies) 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 Cambodians have a long and troubled history, rife with oppression and persecution. Whether it's the Khmer Rouge, the French, the Siamese, the Vietnamese, and even the Americans, as a people, their survival was always in doubt. This strife resulted in a rich musical landscape, music being an escape, but also a means of storytelling and passing on history. A rich oral tradition imbues almost all Cambodian music. While past forays into Cambodian music have focused on Cambodian ROCK, the sort of reimagining of Western pop, resulting in off kilter, buzzing psychedelic Eastern pop versions of popular Western songs, this comp focuses more on the music of the ethnic minorities, simple instrumentation, mostly vocal, with gongs, simple stringed instruments and primitive bamboo flutes, but if anything the music is so much more passionate and unique. Tales of love and loss, war and death, bombings and of course the terrible aftermath of the Khmer Rouge.
The opening track is an old man, laying in a hammock, singing tales of local legends and his voices is totally amazing, a growling creaking, rumbling, super resonant hum, equal parts chanting and throat singing, while in the back ground, you can hear conversations, creaking porches, children laughing, birds chirping, in fact almost every track here is performed right on the spot, whether it's outside the house, in the front room, in a hammock, on the side of the road, always surrounded by the sound of life and other lives. The second track is performed by 5 old men, playing 5 large gongs, set up outside their house, a low keening vibration, soft muted melodies, dreamy and shimmering, a swirling soft soundpool while in the background children again laugh and play, adding a strange joyous effortlessness to the glistening drone, later a female vocalist sings over the top, a lilting, mournful lament. Elsewhere, a female midwife sings an acapella song, a delicate wavering croon, warbling and wavering, but so rich and beautiful, while voices swirl around her. Like she just decided to start singing, right there amidst a crowd of random passersby, which she probably did. Later, a love song, simple fingerpicked guitar and sweetly sad improvised female vocals, while on another track, a 10 stringed instrument made from bamboo and a hollowed out gourd is strummed and picked, creating a sparkling web of buzzing high end melodies and delicate high end tangles, while later five gong players unfurl a warm wash of simple steel drum like melody, accompanied by a male vocalist, a flute player and 8 female virgins who clap along and offer up a chant responding to the male vocals.
This is literally a stroll through another culture, observing and learning via music, and it feels like music is everywhere, in houses, on the street, in shops and on the shores of the river, people talk and laugh, play and work, always surrounded by music, clapping and singing, melody and harmony, completely mesmerizing. And obviously very very recommended.
Includes a big booklet with lots of photos and extensive liner notes.
MPEG Stream: OLD MAN IEN "Brao Legends"
MPEG Stream: KAVET MEN & BRAO WOMAN "3-Day Ceremony"
MPEG Stream: BRAO FEMALE SINGER "Midwife Song"
MPEG Stream: 5 GONGS & 8 VIRGINS "Call & Response"

V/A Ethnic Minority Music Of Northwest Xinjiang, China (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
Yet another fantastic new entry in the ever expanding (at an alarming pace) catalogue of mysterious world music treasures from Sublime Frequencies. This one born of an aborted wedding plan, the couple Laurent Jeanneau and Shi Tanding had hoped to get married in China, while at the same time collecting field recordings from the various stops in their travels. But alas, the wedding was not to be, as the local authorities grew quite suspicious, following the two and interrogating them relentlessly. And while the wedding was nixed, the Laurent and Shi can definitely take consolation in the fact that they returned with this incredible collection of various folk musics from all over the Northwest Xinjiang region of China.
A fantastic array of Chines traditional folk music, various indigenous stringed instruments, different vocal styles, as always the booklet is bursting with information, about the trip, the couple's hardships, but more pertinent to the compilation, extensive notes on the various performers and the instruments, and the different styles of music.
But even without that sort of technical guide, the music here quickly reveals itself as mysterious and magical, intimate and emotional, haunting and otherworldly. A quick overview of some of our favorite tracks: wild frenzied string buzz, incredibly dense and tangled melodies, some seriously masterful playing that would give most Western shredders a run for their money, some gorgeous languid steel string buzz, over moody low end melodies, bird calls in the distance, super dramatic and so beautiful, in fact birds feature prominently in these recordings, which of course only makes them that much cooler. Like on the track with a swoonsome soaring violin like melody, sounding like it was performed in the middle of a lush forest, which it most likely was. There's lots of bluesy folkiness, with incredibly emotive vocals, so moving and intense. And then there's the 15 minute closer, very Indian sounding, a sprawling raga, layered buzz, tangled melodies, haunting vocals, totally mesmerizing and utterly transcendent.
It's difficult for us to not just make EVERY Sublime Frequencies release a Record Of The Week, and compilation is another reason why, which simply means that this is about as recommended as we can imagine, on constant play here in the store, where it will most likely remain, at least until the next mysterious Sublime Frequencies gem, which we're guessing is probably not that far off...
MPEG Stream: KURMANJIANG ZACCHARIA "Babulao"
MPEG Stream: ASHIMUNUR KURMANJIANG "The Mountain's Pine Trees"
MPEG Stream: PA HAT "Margul"
MPEG Stream: KURBAN "Mast A Iran"
MPEG Stream: XIA AR GHEN AOKHAN "Atamake"
MPEG Stream: KURBAN, PA HAT AND ADENGR "Ror Salei Muqam"

V/A Ethnic Minority Music Of Southern Laos (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yet another fantastic document from Sublime Frequencies, the avant world music label run by the Sun City Girls, and home to now dozens of releases, all of them fascinating and fantastic. Proving once again that we ain't got nothing on the rest of the world in terms of unique sounds and amazing musics. Ethnic Minority Music Of Southern Laos, is one of two new discs in Sublime Frequencies' series of documents exploring the rich musical histories of displaced minorities in various regions of Southeast Asia. This volume follows the Northeast Cambodia installment in exploring the music of Cambodia, this disc focusing on two distinct musical styles, one incorporating various gongs, the other involving different sorts of mouth harps. As always, the liner notes are dense and informative, but here they are a little bit more difficult to summarize than on past discs, so we'll focus more on the sounds than the story.
All of these tracks were culled from a super limited 4cd set released a few years back, and offer a varied and completely mindblowing sampling of the sounds of musicians in and around Laos, groups of people forced to move from their mountainous villages into temporary and makeshift villages, where all of the things that nature supplied in the mountains (food, water, protection) have now become scarce. And obviously, as with all cultures, the music and art represents the huge shifts and dramatic changes of a people, political, personal, love, worry, sadness, sorrow, death, passion, birth... The music here is just so intense and emotional and definitely reflects the transition and the day to day struggle to just live life.
As mentioned above, there are two distinct musics, the first is based mostly on gongs, with various bits of percussion, and the sound is amazing. Rich and resonant, totally hypnotic and rhythmic, often times just a single gong, but the magic of the music is in the patterns and the subtle overtones, so simple yet so subtly complex, the various subtleties unfold as the tracks progress, not hard to imagine (or hope) that these tracks could go on for hours...
Other tracks are more complex, with deep gongs creating a shimmering backdrop, for clattery cymbals and simple propulsive drumming, a sound that isn't all that different in places than some of the freaky forest folk from Finland we dig so much, or the stoned rhythmic jams of groups like the No Neck Blues Band or Sunburned Hand Of The Man. The sounds of the various gongs are so different, some are low and rumbling, others are high pitched and sharp, and lots of shades in between, muted and muffled or allowed to ring out, struck with something soft or with wood or other metal, the various shades are deftly woven into gorgeous stretches of rhythm and melody.
The other music is based on various mouth harps, and the sound of those harps is remarkable, strange complex chords, complicated alien timbres, wheezing and whirring, lots of overlapping melodies, and various tones all tangled up, a rich bed beneath deep rich crooning, while in the background can be heard chirping birds, crowing roosters, babies crying, many of the tracks pick up random conversations, from the players, or passersby. One of the most amazing organ track is "Jeu Phawn Peng Gawng Ploung Ken" featuring an organ made from 10 bamboo tubes and a single gong. The melody is haunting and minor key, looped and so hypnotic, while two vocalists take turns singing, their voices alternatingly raw and raspy, soaring and clear, one ragged and forlorn, the other wailing and sorrowful, and like the other tracks, you can hear coughing, breathing, feet shuffling in the background, but the music is so dark, and so intense, it's easy to get completely lost.
And while the record is mostly evenly split between the mouth harp tracks and the gong tracks, there are a handful of tracks that don't fit in either camp, some strummy and folky, others abstract and percussive. One of those tracks we love, one that should have been 10 minutes long instead of 24 seconds is "Reum Bang" a killer riff, played on a single string bowed instrument, the sound so primal and raw, the string all muted and stiff, like a distorted rubber band guitar or something, hard not to imagine the drums kicking in and it turning into some strange psychedelic jam.
The whole disc is fantastic, every time a new Sublime Frequencies disc arrives, we find ourselves wanting to proclaim it the best one yet, but all it takes is for us to go back and listen to any of the old ones, for us to realize that, no, THAT one is the best one yet. Can't think of a better recommendation for this disc, and for every disc in the series...
MPEG Stream: "Khen Le Molam"
MPEG Stream: "Gaw Gawng Jing Pe Play"
MPEG Stream: "Thalong Tha Ka-Nying"
MPEG Stream: "Reum Beng"
MPEG Stream: "Jeu PhawnPeng Gawng Ploung Ken"

V/A European 60's & 70's Singers & Pop Groups Made In France (Magic Records) cd 15.98
Last year we highlighted a fab comp of groovy vintage musique "Made In France", now here's another volume of similar sounds put out by the same label, Magic, who've also brought us many other excellent, if budget-lookin', French ye ye/pop/psych reissues from Pussy Cat to Rene Joly. This 70+ minute disc's got 22 tracks, with an assortment of gems to be found among 'em if your tastes run to this sort of commercial yet cool stuff from French hipsters of the psychedelic era. Much of this is in the mode of orchestrated soft pop and dramatic balladry, with even the occasional music hall novelty, but it can rock out, too - for instance, the heavy groovin' stoner psych of "Come Along" by Les Variations (which previously appeared as one of the most badass bonus tracks on Magic's now out of print Nador/Take It Or Leave It double cd we listed a while back).
Less rockin' but equally rad are the backwards beats and hollowly piping flute of Time Machine's "Bird In The Wind", a weirdly haunting instrumental, mellow and melancholic... Elsewhere, Titanic funk it up on "Macumba", and Zoo mix fuzz and horns on their catchy "Hard Times Good Times". Another hit with us (and probably any Zombies fans in the house) is Classical M's "Such A Lovely Voice", which we already knew from their Bad Guys anthology. Another one that's sort of familiar is by paradoxically named Anarchic System, because they do an odd version of Gershon Kingsley's sixties Moog hit "Pop Corn"!
This collection's sundry other tracks range from the wonderfully moody n' gloomy, to upbeat bubblegum, providing plenty of both polished progginess and pop chart cheesiness, often at the same time. And all of it, charmingly, very much of its times. The full lineup of groups and singers, omitting those already mentioned: Total Issue, Wallace Collection, Jupiter Sunset, Alan Jack Civilization, Century, Trianglophone, Georges & Michel Costa, Holly Guns, Jo Sony Avern System, Pop Tops, Joel Dayde, Peter Haller, Laurent, Charles Brutus McClay, The American Breed, and Marvin, Welch & Farrar.
MPEG Stream: TIME MACHINE "Bird In The Wind"
MPEG Stream: CENTURY "Why (Did You Take So Long)"
MPEG Stream: TITANIC "Macumba"

V/A Every Noise Has A Note (Trensmat) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
No way around it, this is an amazing comp, culled from limited the singles Trensmat released over the last three years, just check out the lineup: Circle, White Hills, Telescopes, Bardo Pond, Cave, Heavy Winged, Astral Social Club, The Shining Path, Area C, Cheval Sombre, Mugstar, and Magnetize, probably couldn't assemble a more bad ass, or more aQ sounding comp if we tried! But, the bummer is, that this collects only ONE song from each single, which while keeping the 7"s special, and relevant, it is sort of a bummer, might have opted for a double disc with ALL the songs, plus a few of these tracks are taken from the series Trensmat did of bands covering Hawkwind, complete with killer Hawkwind style cover art, seems weird to pluck one or two at random, when that series was begging for a proper cd release with ALL the covers, but really, small complaints, once you dig into this comp, and niggling doubts will be quickly washed way by all the amazing tripped out sonics contained within. Some highlights include:
The Telescopes deliver a droning, buzzing raga-like dreamscape, flitting bird-like flutes that swirl and float over a blackened drift of guitar rumble and pulled apart riffs, until the drums kick in, and then it's like you've been launched into space, a full on drug drenched, FX heavy psychedelic space rock jam, with a thick bassy organ groove, wild flutes and effects EVERYWHERE. Dirge-y and groovy and dreamlike.
White Hills ditch much of their usual spaceiness for something a bit harder, and tackle Hawkwind's "Be Yourself" with crunchy chugging guitars, pounding drums, wild tangles of distortion drenched leads over the top, the band not so much covering the original, as transforming it into an endless psychedelic hard rock loop, the band churning and grinding out a steady stream of psychedelia over that endless main riff, before drifting off into a cloud of glittering soft psych shimmer.
Mugstar's track is a super synth heavy, weird sort of post punk noise rock, almost kind of mathy, a bit like a supercharged, way more metallic Stereolab, which intensifies until it explodes into wild psychedelic squalls of acid fried synths and freaked out guitarnoise.
Circle's track finds them at their most stripped down, the drums and guitars locked into a constant loop, the bass following right along, so mesmerizing and seemingly endless, the vocals a barely there whisper, while off in the distance lurk all manner of random clatter and mysterious percussive events. Right in the middle there's an awesome stumbling atonal guitar 'solo' before the band slips right back into that same groove.
Bardo Pond add female vocals to their take on Hawkwind's "Lord Of Light", the vocals drifting ethereally, over a roiling black cloud of FX drenched guitars and some seriously pounding drums, even a bit of flute (we think), and maybe more than any of the others managing to meld the sound of the original with their own, plenty of wah wah guitar, loads of effects, most of the track spent drifting through space, cloaked in blown out super distorted psych guitar and shimmering outer space ambience. Surprisingly heavy and totally blissed out.
Cave contribute "Machines & Muscles" with its Circle-like guitar groove, some hand drums, very tribal and looped sounding, suspended in a field of space streakings and smears of soft effects in the background, the drums get a little more obtuse, a bit busier, but that main riff stays LOCKED in, until it begins to get ALL tripped out, distorted, effects drenched, swinging from speaker to speaker, dizzyingly tripped out, and then finally, the drums kick in proper, and we're in total hynorock bliss, little bits of keyboard pepper, the stuttery rhythm, the main riff staying solid and unwavering, while all around it various other sounds swoop and shimmer.
Astral Social Club surprised us with their jam, total minimal house music, sort of. The main beat a stripped down pulse and squelch, with synthy basslines, and some haunting disembodied piano drifting over the top, making for a truly creepy mash up. Maybe one of our favorite Astral tracks ever!
The Shining Path's contribution is seriously rocking, the drums and bass locked into a motorik groove, while the guitar, super distorted and blown out, spits out riffs in sudden bursts, eventually coalescing into one constant stream of psychfuzz, pelted by fragments of super effected vocals, strange little squalls of FX, and then the bass gets all dubbed out, bouncing back and forth beneath the buzz and fuzz.
We could go on, but why bother, this collection is pretty fucking kick ass, here's hoping they decide to do a second volume that gathers up the rest of those 7"s tracks, but hell, for now, this is definitely hitting the spot.
MPEG Stream: ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB "Ginnel"
MPEG Stream: THE SHINING PATH "Lonely Hearts"
MPEG Stream: CAVE "Machines And Muscles"

V/A Everything Comes & Goes - Black Sabbath Tribute (Temporary Residence Ltd.) cd 14.98
We remember when Temporary Residence's Jeremy Devine was first putting this tribute to Ozzy-years Sabbath together, some years ago. Before The Osbournes, the Sabbath Ozzfest reunions, the Kelly and Jack backlash, etc. etc. At long last, though, he's finally got it finished. And for Sabbath fans (aren't you one??) it's good fun, and might be a neat way to introduce some young indie-rock-only friend of yours to the music of the best band ever (sez Allan). There's an odd, random assortment of participants to be found here, none of 'em metal bands, and they take a variety of approaches to the material at hand... Wisely, several opt for doing instrumental versions, cutting back on the amount of faux-Ozzy crooning, the likely failure of which would have detracted from what turns out to be a quite enjoyable collection. Thankfully, also, the rule that the weirder and less-like-the-original a cover is, the better, is generally observed here as well.
Briefly, track-by-track:
Track 1, Matmos. Taking the piss? They do the non-song "Fx" off of Vol. 4. A good joke, and very Matmos appropriate.
Track 2, here Japan's Ruins almost render the rest of the compilation obsolete, cramming almost every famous Sabbath riff into one of their insane medlies! Wow. This also appeared as a bonus track on their last album Tzomborgha, though.
Track 3, a blissful post-rock instrumental version of "Black Sabbath" from Grails, lacking the menace of the original but enhancing the melodicism.
Track 4, Fourtet. Lovely. But is it really "Iron Man"? Definitely the least recognizable cover on here. Which gets a lot of points 'cause of the rule mentioned above.
Track 5, Curtis Harvey (of Rex and Pullman) and friends turn in a kinda No Depression country-folk version of "Changes" with female vocals. Real nice and a darn sight better than Ozzy n' Kelly!
Track 6, Paul Newman do "Fairies Wear Boots". More instrumental post rock (hey this IS on Temporary Residence) and very very good. A fine interpretation, recognizable yet renewed, wound up with that post rock tension...
Track 7, The Anomoanon play and sing "Planet Caravan". One of Sabbath's most haunting numbers, not "heavy", well-suited to these folks. A respectful cover that you should try on any Sabbath-haters. It can't be denied. A spacey, psychedelic, folky beauty.
Track 8, shifts moods again, as the maniacs known as Racebannon fuck shit up with a noisy rampage through "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Their art-punk-mayhem is the most racous thing on here so far, and certainly captures the "going insane" vibe of mid-to-late Ozzy era Sabbath.
Track 9, maybe the odd one out here, and not only 'cause we have no idea who Greeness w/ Philly G is (thankfully Philly G is not a rapper, indeed, he's got the Ozziest vox on the comp). Whoever they are, they do a grunge by way of the Butthole Surfers run-through of stoner nugget "Sweet Leaf" that ends this comp with a clear reminder of Sabbath's riff mastery.
Overall, something like this is hard to review -- curiousity as much as anything ought to compel fans of the Sabs and/or any of these artists to pick this up. We certainly can say that this is a varied and enjoyable listen!!
MPEG Stream: PAUL NEWMAN "Fairies Wear Boots"
MPEG Stream: THE ANOMOANON "Planet Caravan"

V/A Everything Comes & Goes - Black Sabbath Tribute (Temporary Residence Ltd.) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We remember when Temporary Residence's Jeremy Devine was first putting this tribute to Ozzy-years Sabbath together, some years ago. Before The Osbournes, the Sabbath Ozzfest reunions, the Kelly and Jack backlash, etc. etc. At long last, though, he's finally got it finished. And for Sabbath fans (aren't you one??) it's good fun, and might be a neat way to introduce some young indie-rock-only friend of yours to the music of the best band ever (sez Allan). There's an odd, random assortment of participants to be found here, none of 'em metal bands, and they take a variety of approaches to the material at hand... Wisely, several opt for doing instrumental versions, cutting back on the amount of faux-Ozzy crooning, the likely failure of which would have detracted from what turns out to be a quite enjoyable collection. Thankfully, also, the rule that the weirder and less-like-the-original a cover is, the better, is generally observed here as well.
Briefly, track-by-track:
Track 1, Matmos. Taking the piss? They do the non-song "Fx" off of Vol. 4. A good joke, and very Matmos appropriate.
Track 2, here Japan's Ruins almost render the rest of the compilation obsolete, cramming almost every famous Sabbath riff into one of their insane medlies! Wow. This also appeared as a bonus track on their last album Tzomborgha, though.
Track 3, a blissful post-rock instrumental version of "Black Sabbath" from Grails, lacking the menace of the original but enhancing the melodicism.
Track 4, Fourtet. Lovely. But is it really "Iron Man"? Definitely the least recognizable cover on here. Which gets a lot of points 'cause of the rule mentioned above.
Track 5, Curtis Harvey (of Rex and Pullman) and friends turn in a kinda No Depression country-folk version of "Changes" with female vocals. Real nice and a darn sight better than Ozzy n' Kelly!
Track 6, Paul Newman do "Fairies Wear Boots". More instrumental post rock (hey this IS on Temporary Residence) and very very good. A fine interpretation, recognizable yet renewed, wound up with that post rock tension...
Track 7, The Anomoanon play and sing "Planet Caravan". One of Sabbath's most haunting numbers, not "heavy", well-suited to these folks. A respectful cover that you should try on any Sabbath-haters. It can't be denied. A spacey, psychedelic, folky beauty.
Track 8, shifts moods again, as the maniacs known as Racebannon fuck shit up with a noisy rampage through "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Their art-punk-mayhem is the most racous thing on here so far, and certainly captures the "going insane" vibe of mid-to-late Ozzy era Sabbath.
Track 9, maybe the odd one out here, and not only 'cause we have no idea who Greeness w/ Philly G is (thankfully Philly G is not a rapper, indeed, he's got the Ozziest vox on the comp). Whoever they are, they do a grunge by way of the Butthole Surfers run-through of stoner nugget "Sweet Leaf" that ends this comp with a clear reminder of Sabbath's riff mastery.
Overall, something like this is hard to review -- curiousity as much as anything ought to compel fans of the Sabs and/or any of these artists to pick this up. We certainly can say that this is a varied and enjoyable listen!!
MPEG Stream: PAUL NEWMAN "Fairies Wear Boots"
MPEG Stream: THE ANOMOANON "Planet Caravan"

V/A Everything Is Nice (Matador) 3cd 9.98
Wow. Gerard, everything sure is nice. This price is nice: 3 cds for 9.98!? OK, the vinyl is a pretty standard price but vinyl in general costs more to manufacture than cds, so that's OK; actually it's really nice, too, that you put all of the previously-unreleased tracks on vinyl. That's so nice. Unreleased (and very nice) tracks by Mogwai, Guided By Voices, Yo La Tengo, Bardo Pond, Wisdom of Harry, Pavement, and a lot of other really nice bands. Oh, and the other cds (those nice unreleased tracks are all on one of the three cds), oh, I almost forgot how nice they are with greatest hits from almost all of your favouritest and nicest bands from the nicest label in the world, Matador.

V/A Everything Is Nice (Matador) 2lp 15.98
Wow. Gerard, everything sure is nice. This price is nice: 3 cds for 9.98!? OK, the vinyl is a pretty standard price but vinyl in general costs more to manufacture than cds, so that's OK; actually it's really nice, too, that you put all of the previously-unreleased tracks on vinyl. That's so nice. Unreleased (and very nice) tracks by Mogwai, Guided By Voices, Yo La Tengo, Bardo Pond, Wisdom of Harry, Pavement, and a lot of other really nice bands. Oh, and the other cds (those nice unreleased tracks are all on one of the three cds), oh, I almost forgot how nice they are with greatest hits from almost all of your favouritest and nicest bands from the nicest label in the world, Matador.

V/A Evolved As One (Evolved As One) cd 14.98
Beautiful compilation of minimal / ambient / drone music. Exclusive tracks from AQ faves Troum, Dual, Ultrasound as well as tracks by a bunch of unknown-to-us-until-now artists including Moljebka Pvlse, Srmeixner, Cats Of Tel Aviv and Ure Thrall. Beautiful and serene, shimmery and dreamy. Fans of Hudak, Basinski, Coleclough, Troum and the like should definitely pick this up.
MPEG Stream: TROUM "Anake"
MPEG Stream: ULTRASOUND "There Is Also Red In The Air"

V/A Excavated Shellac: Strings (Parlortone) lp 17.98
First proper lp release from aQ pal, 78 collector, and curator of the awesome Excavated Shellac blog, Jonathan Ward, appropriately enough on Parlortone, "The Phonographic Arm And Limited Edition Leg" of longtime favorite reissue label Dust-To-Digital. And it's a doozy, before we get into it, anyone who buys everything on Mississippi is gonna want one of these, if you loved the Black Mirror collection, or the Victrola Favorites, for anyone into world music, into lost gems, old sonic obscurities, this is about as good as it gets, the song selection, the curation, the sound, the detailed liner notes, utterly fantastic, and sonically breathtaking. But of course we would have expected nothing less.
For those not familiar with it, Excavated Shellac is a blog dedicated to "78rpm recordings of folkloric and vernacular music from around the world", and besides having an incredible collection, Ward also is a fantastic write, who writes extensively about each record he posts (almost all unavailable anywhere else in any format), detailing the recording, the style of music, the history, a musical lesson in every post, and the music, well needless to say, it's easy to get lost and subsequently obsessed.
So Excavated Shellac: Strings, is an analog extension of the ES blog, with all the things we love about the blog intact. Of course there's the music, impeccably chosen, deftly cleaned up, and perfectly sequenced, the writing, informative and funny, educated and informed, about the record, the project, and each track and artist, and of course the object itself, beautifully laid out, pressed on thick vinyl, lots of amazing archival photos, so great.
This first volume focuses on string instruments from around the world, Armenia, India, Bolivia, Congo, Vietnam, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Uganda, Lebanon, Japan, Norway, Croatia and Paraguay. Every song a gem, haunting solos on Middle Eastern lutes, tangled frantic, droney sitar like buzz from India, playful festive dance music from Bolivia played on small guitars fashioned from gourds, gorgeous acoustic guitar music, lush and melodic, with soulful call and response vocals, from Congo, home recorded duets on 2 string fiddle and 'moon guitar' from Vietnam, solo violin from Iran, traditional folk music from Georgia, we could go on and on and on and on. But you know already if you need this, and it seems likely you probably do. We had been hearing rumblings about a Jon Ward / Dust-To-Digital project in the works, and had been anxiously awaiting it ever since. Now that we're playing this to death, we find ourselves already looking forward to future volumes. So incredible, and so totally recommended.
Beautifully printed matte finish sleeve, heavy vinyl, with a printed cardstock 4 page insert, with liner notes and photos and more!

V/A Explosivos: Deep Soul From The Latin Heat (Vampi Soul) cd 17.98
As we approach fall, we find ourselves desperately hanging on to summer sun and celebrating summer fun. Nothing better than the sounds of cha-cha-cha's done just right to keep that feeling alive. Party songs you can trust, bugaloo that makes you move. And this cd version of a now out of print 7" box set of Latin soul and groove from a special heyday of this movement spanning the years 1966-1969 totally hits the spot. Mostly centered around neighborhoods in Harlem and other areas of NYC, a new generation of Latino youth were soaking up the sounds of raw R'n'B, incorporating elements of black culture and adding a definitely distinctive Latin element to the mix. If you've been digging the great Eccentric Soul comps that we've fallen for, this is another great '60s soul comp to add to your collection, and this one's got something most of those collections don't...intoxicating Latin spice!
MPEG Stream: BOBBY VALENTINE "Use It Before You Lose It"
MPEG Stream: FLASH & THE DYNAMICS "Electric Latin Soul"
MPEG Stream: AL ESCOBAR "Apewalk"

V/A Extracted Celluloid (Seeland/Illegal Art) cd 8.98
From those same sonic jokers who brought us "Deconstructing Beck" comes this latest copyright infringement: manipulated snippets of movies (including "Titanic", "Wizard of Oz", "Gone with the Wind", and lots more). The concept is hilarious, but what makes the record really successful is the carefully constructed experimental music, some of it melodic, some intense, some way out there. It's simply LOVELY to listen to, especially the first track: an almost unrecognizable version of the Celine Dion "Titanic" tune that REALLY sounds like someone drowning. Worth the price of the disc for this piece alone!

V/A Extreme Music From Africa (Susan Lawly) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the second volume of extreme music on the Susan Lawly label, brought to us by William Bennett of Whitehouse infamy. Volume one focused on Japan, and featured all the obvious noise artists, which made sense since Whitehouse and Trevor Brown (Whitehouse's favorite cover artist, who on this release contributes some possibly problematic paintings of African women) seem to relate more to the Japanese, both culturally and musically (in fact Trevor Brown lives in Japan). Volume two isn't so obvious. No artist names are instantly recognizable. Which is maybe why initially we thought this had to be a fraud (but then, some of us think everything could be a fraud, the Conet Project, the Steps....). It's too perfect. All the bands combine what sounds like genuine African tribal music with Whitehouse style noise. What are the odds? But it could just be, that since Bennett was doing the collecting, it just so happened that he was moved by the music he loves the most, his own. Regardless, this collection is amazing. And much more listenable than volume one. Chanting and hand drums are buried in washes of hiss and white noise. Merzbow style blasts of crunchy feedback dissolve into tribal rhythms and explode again into shards of jagged buzz. Intense and aggressive and totally great.
RealAudio clip: JONATHAN AZANDE "Long Pig"
RealAudio clip: ELECTRICITY FEATURING FIRE EATER "Dunia Wanja Wa Fujo"
RealAudio clip: ROROGWETA "Death Lullaby"

V/A Extreme Music From Japan (Susan Lawly) cd 18.98
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The first "extreme music" compilation from Susan Lawly, released in 1994. Along with collections like Come Again II (Vanilla / Furnace) and World Record (Alchemy), Extreme Music From Japan is an indispensible document of noise and power electronics from the country that mastered the genre. Fifteen exclusive tracks from heavyweights Merzbow, Hijokaidan, Masonna, Incapacitants, Gerogerigegege, as well as lesser-knowns Government Alpha, Niku-Zidousha, Hentaitenno, and What A Smell. Compiled by William Bennett of Whitehouse.

V/A Extreme Music From Russia (Susan Lawly) cd 25.00
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V/A Extreme Music From Women (Susan Lawly) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volume Three in Susan Lawly's (William Bennett of Whitehouse's label) extreme music series is sort of a surprise in a couple different ways. First, is the fact that it's all women, which is interesting because of the supposed misogyny of Whitehouse and William Bennett. Second, is that all the contributions are very political (unlike the other two volumes), and the artists are given space inside the cd to describe the inspiration for their music. Still doesn't explain having cherries on the cover, or photos of a bruised naked woman on the inside (although it appears that the whole thing was assembled and collected by women, with only a little help from Bennett). There are very few recognizable artists, one being Warp's Mira Calix, but that makes it a lot more interesting, less of 'just another compilation' and more of a discovery (a lot like the Extreme Music From Africa). The music here, for the most part, is very angry. Noisy and crunchy and chaotic, with yelped and howled, hyper distorted female vocals. A lot of it reminds us of DHR stuff like Cobra Killer and Lolita Storm. Definitely interesting and quite good at times, and totally worth checking out.
RealAudio clip: DOLORES DEWBERRY "Paragraph 64"
RealAudio clip: MIRA CALIX "Too Slim For Suicide"
RealAudio clip: FRL. TOST "I Hate You, Laura"

V/A Extreme Possibilities (Lo) cd 18.98
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Volume one of the amazing (read: no filler material) Lo recordings series, finally on cd. With Wagonchrist, Omni Trio, David Toop, MLO, Jonah Sharp, Scanner...

V/A Eyesore: A Stab at the Residents (Vaccination) cd 11.98
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Tribute to the Residents featuring Thinking Fellers, Primus, Eskimo, Stan Ridgway, Shaking Ray Levis, UBZUB, Heavy Vegetable, Amy Denio, Fibulator, Snakefinger, etc.

V/A F*>k Dance, Let's Art: Sounds From A New American Underground (K7) cd 14.98
This is a super strange compilation, seemingly curated to document a scene, it's just hard to say which scene that might be. Witch house, nu-gaze, chill wave, there are lots of micro genres happening these days, and lots of these bands fit in more than one, while some, seem to us, to not fit in any of them. But unless you're overly concerned with how to label a certain band or sound, then the important thing is the music, and while this comp is most definitely crazy varied, it's also crazy good, with lots of faves, and even more new discoveries.
Balam Acab, ostensibly witch housers, offer up their awesomely haunted minimal electro workout "See Birds", a fuzz bass drone ambient groovescape, that has to be one of the best tracks we've heard from the witch house scene; Washed Out offer up some of their hazy retro chill out pop, all hazy and dreamlike, and well, washed out, laid back and summery; Animal Collective should need no introduction, and their "My Girls" is already sort of an indie anthem, but definitely represents the more popular / commercial side of this scene's (or these scene's) sound; Crystal Castles team up with Health for some awesome electro new wave, fuzzy and a little bit 8-bit-y; oOoOO deliver more witchy mystery, looped and murky and glacial and chopped and screwed, a buzzing electro chill wave ghostly ballad; Bear In Heaven inject some electro pop shoegaze into the proceedings, and that's pretty much for the bands we've heard before.
But like all good comps, it's the unknowns that definitely impress and surprise, Baghdaddy's track sounds like an outtake from recent Record Of The Weekers Salem, which is in no way a bad thing, thick and warped and synthy and tripped out; Small Black reimagine eighties new wave as some buzzy lo fi electronic pop; Truman Peyote take house music and wrap it in hypnogogic loops, and a swirly shoegazey gauze; Raw Moans offer up some twisted hazy pop flecked electronics, dreamy and blurred and blissy; Pictureplane get all M83 with their fuzz drenched dream pop; Hideous Men craft a head spinning bit of smeared pop psychedelia, with lots of fuzzy synth and angelic ethereal vocodered vox, and so it goes, on and on. It's pretty much all good, and even though the sounds do vary quite a bit, they somehow manage to flow nicely as a whole, which does in a way speak to the pointlessness of all these super specific microgenres, but f*>k it, like we said, it's all about the music, and this is a killer comp, and there's definitely some amazing stuff here that merits further investigation.
MPEG Stream: BALAM ACAB "See Birds"
MPEG Stream: BEAR IN HEAVEN "Lovesick Teenagers"
MPEG Stream: OOOOO "Sedsomething"
MPEG Stream: SMALL BLACK "Despicable Dogs"
MPEG Stream: WASHED OUT "Feel It All Around"

V/A Fairlights Mallets And Bamboo (Tsukiji) cd-r 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We can't remember the last time a compilation so captivated everybody here, but this collection is really something else. A gorgeously compiled cd-r of tracks sourced from Japanese lps circa the years 1980-1986, featuring at least a few names we'd heard, like Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Inoyamo Land, but so so many we hadn't: Mkwaju Ensemble, Yasuaki Shimizu, Seigen Ono, Masahide Sakuma, Geinoh Yamashirogumi, Danceries, Dip In the Pool, we could go on, but we're guessing these are all new to you too. It's a single 74 minute continuous mix, that slips dreamily from synth and percussion minimalism, to mysterious electronic laced rhythms, from new agey krautrock to dreamy clouds of percussive melodies, from playful childlike toy piano melodies to synthy sci-fi drones, haunting electronic flecked Asian ballads to fluttery flute folk, from mesmerizing vibraphone melodies underpinned by haunting drones to loping jazzy almost prog, from hazy washed out kosmische electronics to lush layered chorales and on and on and on.
The tracks are so perfectly combined, and so seamlessly mixed, it almost sounds like it could be the coolest, weirdest record ever by some impossibly brilliant single artist, who somehow crafted one epic sprawling sonic exploration, a series of sounds that manage to be at once warm and familiar, yet also strange and mysterious, strange looped birdsong lays atop distant choir like vocals, and a strangely mechanical rhythm peppered with strange symphonic bursts melts into soaring strings, chamber music devolves into some fantastically dada-ish assemblage of voices and sound effects, thick sitar like buzz underpins deep foghorn like melodies, the vibe strangely melancholic, deep, dense new age swirls hover above a super minimal dripping faucet rhythm, warm, muted melodies unfurl over distant bells and deep reverberating tones, vibraphone melodies are layered atop a groovy, almost jazzy rhythm, and a mournful brass melody before gradually disappearing in a washed out woozy sonic hazeÉ
So fantastic, and so cheap too! Besides being just about the best mix/comp/collection we've heard in forever, odds are it'll have you trying to track down records by all the artists, which is always the sign of a good mix. The entire list of artists (some with more than one track): Yellow Magic Orchestra, Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mkwaju Ensemble, Mariah, Yasuaki Shimizu, Mkwaju Ensemble, Seigen Ono, Masahide Sakuma, Geinoh Yamashirogumi, Yasuaki Shimizu, Danceries, Yukihio Takahoshi, Dip in the Pool, YMO.
So great! And so utterly and unequivocally and whole heartedly RECOMMENDED!!
LIMITED TO JUST 100 COPIES. Each one hand numbered. Packaged with full color covers in plastic mini dvd-style sleeves. And nicely priced! We're one of only two places in the whole world where you can get these, and we're guessing they're gonna go fast, so grab one quick before they're gone.
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 2"
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 3"
MPEG Stream: ""

V/A Fairytales Can Come True (Psychic Circle) cd 16.98
When the summer occasionally heats things up around here, it's sometimes hard to get into the really heavy music we get so much of. Andee's been rocking the early eighties power pop in the back and in that same vein we've been really getting into the early predecessor of eighties power-pop, mid-sixties British psych-pop or "psyke-pop" as Nick Saloman calls it on his latest Psychic Circle compilation. We haven't had a good soft-psych compilation in awhile so this sounds particularly good with a lot of uncommon picks from the likes of The San Francisco Earthquake, Barry Benson (formerly PJ. Proby's hairdresser), Iain Matthews (pre-Fairport Convention), and Gallagher & Lyle. Highly "Bird"-obsessive, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of female perspective in these songs as some of the lyrics, like "I've got to train her to want me" have left some of the female employees here amusingly bemused. Gender pitfalls aside, this is another satisfying comp from Psychic Circle, whom we hope will release something more femme-centric really soon.
MPEG Stream: BARRY BENSON "Cousin Jane"
MPEG Stream: SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE "Fairy Tales Can Come True"
MPEG Stream: THE SNAPPERS "Upside Down Inside Out"

V/A Fals.ch (Mego) 3"cd-rom 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fals.ch is Viennese label Mego's MP3 only online sublabel run by Florian Hecker and Oswald Berthold. This cute little 3"cd-rom contains hours of abraisive noise, subtle drones and clinical cuts from the best of the first twentyfour releases thus far. As this is a cd-rom, it will not be compatible with most consumer electronics, and is best experienced through a personal computer with an MP3 player (software is not included here) so as to view the accompanying notes and art provided in each artists' folders. Featuring the usual Mego and OR Records suspects: Pita, Karkowski, Haswell (with Masami Akita as Satans Tornade), Shirt Trax, Voice Crack, Pimmon, Oval, CD Slopper, Kim Cascone, Massimo, Christoph De Babalon, et al.

V/A Fals.ch FB50 (Mego) 3"cd-rom 15.98
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The second compilation of the Mego affiliated online audio/visual community Fals.ch. Compiled by Fals.ch heads Florian Hecker and Oswald Berthold, FB50 collects audio works by artists featured in the last 24 online "releases": Koji Asano, COH, cd_slopper, poire_z, Atau Tanaka, Ulf Bilting & Zbigniew Karkowski, *0, Pain Jerk, Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, Martin Ng & Jim Denley, Frank Metzger and more! Also exclusive tracks by Mego artists General Magic, gcttcatt, Evol, J.O.K.E. and i.d. There are also a few multimedia goodies included in addition to MP3s: a Merzbow A/V loop, an excerpt of a Francisco Lopez performance and a cryptic file courtesy those Gescom pranksters. In fact, the Gescom file is an incredibly hilarious standalone application that makes your computer seem like it's being hijacked by glitch terrorists! Trick your friends and coworkers into believing your hard disk is being trashed right before your eyes! Fun as shit!

V/A Fame Whore (Apathy Productions) cd 10.98
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Soundtrack to Jon Moritsugu film features 2 previously unreleased Barbara Manning pieces (she made me cry during "The Arsonist's Song" at Terrastock), 2 previously unreleased Emily's Sassy Lime songs, and others by No No Boy, Dub Narcotic Sound System, and Dixieland.