DEPTH CHARGE The Goblin (DC Recordings) 10" 10.98

DER BLUTHARSCH Live At The Monastery (Tesco) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ultra limited cd document of this 2005 live performance by Der Blutharsch, in Vienna in 2005 before a small audience of invited guests. Unlike the lush composed industrial soundscapes of DB records proper, these songs and versions are performed in a much more straight ahead apocalyptic folk style. Strummed acoustic guitar, wheezing accordion, simple percussion and dueling male / female vocals. Urgent and strident, powerful and emotional. Wild gypsy rhythms collide with simple moody ballads, dark and dreary epics are woven into expansive militaristic epics.
Packaged in a gorgeous, matte black, embossed digipak. And again, VERY LIMITED!!!
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"
MPEG Stream: "Three"

DER BLUTHARSCH The Philosopher's Stone (WKN) cd 25.00
The Philosopher's Stone marks the end the of ten long and productive years during which Der Blutharsch have unleashed their signature dark neo-folk upon the masses. Apocalyptic prophecies, mantras, and manifestos spewed forth from the hate-forged lips of Albin Julius, but even this must come to an end. Over the course of 8 tracks and nearly 56 minutes, long-time fans can't help but sit back and marvel at the gargantuan change between 1998's Der Sieg Des Lichtes Ist Des Lebens Heil! and the present release.
The band was considered highly innovative at its inception, but in retrospect it's easily classifiable as straight-forward neo-folk, albeit at its very finest. These days? Geez, I mean, we're hearing something like a blackened, post-industrial Loop or Jesus and Mary Chain. Or maybe even what the Birthday Party would've sounded like if they were a suicidal '70s psych group. Staccato dirges grab distorted basslines and ride them into droney psychedelia, underneath a sky of swirling guitar leads and brutal, haunting vocals. In a way, the album is heavily indebted to Death In June's old, old album The Guilty Have No Past, but on tons of heroin -- and probably a fistful of other downers and/or mood stabilizers. But through it all Julius's mantra could not be clearer. In fact, the back page of the booklet even reads in bold letters: "Uniforms are always changing, rock n' roll will stay forever." And if rock n' roll's main objective is to scare parents, or the majority of society in general, Der Blutharsch are definitely, definitely a rock band. Even though they sure as hell don't look like one. If you were to see them in the street, you'd probably try as hard as possible not to make eye contact, and maybe assume they were an extremely well-funded fascist militia of sorts. A dark and brooding, mysterious crew for sure...
The Philosopher's Stone is a fantastic cross-section of what Julius and crew are capable of producing, truly mood-altering, honestly fucked up music that completely transcends any traditional understanding of the way songs -- and albums -- work. Somewhere between a heathen liturgy and a well-produced personal catharsis, Der Blutharsch never fails to provide the listener with new experiences and forge new territory in a genre that tends to be cripplingly simplistic, predictable, and indulgent. Recommended.
As always, the packaging is incredible, the cd is in a miniature hardcover book style digipak, all glossy inks and subtle embossing, a big booklet, and super striking imagery. The lp too is extravagant, a similarly rendered glossy layout, but with a BONUS 7" with two tracks not on the cd, in a full color sleeve affixed to the inside of the gatefold.
MPEG Stream: "Philosopher's Stone IV"
MPEG Stream: "Philosopher's Stone VIII"

DER BLUTHARSCH The Philosopher's Stone (WKN) lp 39.00
The Philosopher's Stone marks the end the of ten long and productive years during which Der Blutharsch have unleashed their signature dark neo-folk upon the masses. Apocalyptic prophecies, mantras, and manifestos spewed forth from the hate-forged lips of Albin Julius, but even this must come to an end. Over the course of 8 tracks and nearly 56 minutes, long-time fans can't help but sit back and marvel at the gargantuan change between 1998's Der Sieg Des Lichtes Ist Des Lebens Heil! and the present release.
The band was considered highly innovative at its inception, but in retrospect it's easily classifiable as straight-forward neo-folk, albeit at its very finest. These days? Geez, I mean, we're hearing something like a blackened, post-industrial Loop or Jesus and Mary Chain. Or maybe even what the Birthday Party would've sounded like if they were a suicidal '70s psych group. Staccato dirges grab distorted basslines and ride them into droney psychedelia, underneath a sky of swirling guitar leads and brutal, haunting vocals. In a way, the album is heavily indebted to Death In June's old, old album The Guilty Have No Past, but on tons of heroin -- and probably a fistful of other downers and/or mood stabilizers. But through it all Julius's mantra could not be clearer. In fact, the back page of the booklet even reads in bold letters: "Uniforms are always changing, rock n' roll will stay forever." And if rock n' roll's main objective is to scare parents, or the majority of society in general, Der Blutharsch are definitely, definitely a rock band. Even though they sure as hell don't look like one. If you were to see them in the street, you'd probably try as hard as possible not to make eye contact, and maybe assume they were an extremely well-funded fascist militia of sorts. A Dark and brooding, mysterious crew for sure...
The Philosopher's Stone is a fantastic cross-section of what Julius and crew are capable of producing, truly mood-altering, honestly fucked up music that completely transcends any traditional understanding of the way songs -- and albums -- work. Somewhere between a heathen liturgy and a well-produced personal catharsis, Der Blutharsch never fails to provide the listener with new experiences and forge new territory in a genre that tends to be cripplingly simplistic, predictable, and indulgent. Recommended.
As always, the packaging is incredible, the cd is in a miniature hardcover book style digipak, all glossy inks and subtle embossing, a big booklet, and super striking imagery. The lp too is extravagant, a similarly rendered glossy layout, but with a BONUS 7" with two tracks not on the cd, in a full color sleeve affixed to the inside of the gatefold.
MPEG Stream: "Philosopher's Stone IV"
MPEG Stream: "Philosopher's Stone VIII"

DER BLUTHARSCH Time Is Thee Enemy! (Tesco) cd 17.98
Not sure why we've never listed any Der Blutharsch before. Especially considering they've been a favorite of ours for a long time. And in that whole militaristic folk / industrial scene, we much prefer Der Blutharsch (and MZ 412) over Death In June or Current 93 (at least if you ask Andee). As far as we can tell, this is DB's sixth full length and is as dark and hypnotic and intense as ever. Weaving together childrens choirs, maniacal growls, martial drumming, dark ambient drones, epic cinematic soundscapes, soaring strings, mumbled spoken word, pagan folk, found sounds, wartime propaganda soundbites, industrial rhythms, and apocalyptic / nihilistic lyrics. For those of you new to this stuff, imagine a renaissance faire, strolling minstrels the whole bit, but suddenly the sky starts to darken, shadows lengthen wrapping everything in inky blackness, the strolling minstrels slowly take on the appearance of demons, and the music loses its sunshine and cheer, becoming more and more ominous, major keys change to minor, bells toll, the men start chanting, invoking some unspeakable mystery, while the children's eyes turn black and they begin to sing as well, as if in some sort of trancelike state, the whole thing becoming less of a celebration and more some sort of ancient pagan ritual. Imagine Dead Can Dance with the vocalist from Rammstein, performing in the forest, covering the Comus record in its entirety, backed up by a military drum corps. Or imagine some impossible mixture of Current 93, Magnetic Fields, World War 2, In The Nursery, Ennio Morricone, a gypsy caravan, all the great black metal intros and all of those times you were lost and alone and afraid. It's that intense. And amazing. Allan actually thinks parts of this sound like a Hari Krishna version of Swedish drone folk outfit Parson Sound which they most definitely do at times. Time Is Thee Enemy is an epic and dark, cinematic journey through war and hell and the dark side of human nature. So recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Time Is Thee Ememy! Pt. IX"
MPEG Stream: "Time Is Thee Ememy! Pt. III"
MPEG Stream: "Time Is Thee Ememy! Pt. IV"
MPEG Stream: "Time Is Thee Ememy! Pt. V"

DER BLUTHARSCH Werkschau: 1997-2010 (Handmade Birds) 2lp 26.00
A sprawling and expansive career retrospective from seminal militaristic folk / post industrial / dark ambient outfit Der Blutharsch, whose sound, while ever shifting, has remained constant in its dark mesmer, each record, and every track, a miniature epic, harrowing and hypnotic journeys through war and hell and the dark side of human nature. Weaving together children's choirs, maniacal growls, martial drumming, dark ambient drones, epic cinematic soundscapes, soaring strings, mumbled spoken word, pagan folk, found sounds, wartime propaganda soundbites, industrial rhythms, and apocalyptic / nihilistic lyrics.
Imagine a renaissance faire, strolling minstrels the whole bit, but suddenly the sky starts to darken, shadows lengthen wrapping everything in inky blackness, the strolling minstrels slowly take on the appearance of demons, and the music loses its sunshine and cheer, becoming more and more ominous, major keys change to minor, bells toll, the men start chanting, invoking some unspeakable mystery, while the children's eyes turn black and they begin to sing as well, as if in some sort of trancelike state, the whole thing becoming less of a celebration and more some sort of ancient pagan ritual. DB take the apocalyptic folk of Death In June and fuse it to the Teutonic metallic stomp of Rammstein, wind it all up in the clattery industrial cabaret of Einsturzende Neubaten, before dousing it in the swampy fire and brimstone dirge of Sixteen Horsepower and the dramatic gothiness of Sisters Of Mercy or Bauhaus,.
Elsewhere the sound is even more dazzlingly disparate, a roiling sonic cauldron equal parts Dead Can Dance, Laibach, Comus, Current 93, Magnetic Fields, World War 2, In The Nursery, Ennio Morricone, a gypsy caravan, all the great black metal intros ever, all of those disparate elements deftly woven into something dark and delightfully dreary, creepy and sometimes truly haunting...
Der Blutharsch's music most definitely mutated and transformed over the years, the core sound still dark and droning, but the rock element much more noticeable, with a seemingly omnipresent churning low slung bass weaving a dense framework of rumbling low end, supporting doom laden soundscapes constructed from moaning cellos and martial snares, wartime sound samples and military speeches, pounding rhythms and dramatic Teutonic vocals, gypsy violin and distorted guitar. But even within this industrial doom rock framework, DB managed to inject all sorts of truly unexpected twists and turns, like some hellish take on a Morricone spaghetti western with little bits of blackened twang one moment, and like a lost track from some sixties girl group, albeit in this case, swathed in dark sonic swirls and all sorts of rhythmic interference, the next.
This later sound something like a blackened, post-industrial Loop or Jesus and Mary Chain. Or maybe even what the Birthday Party would've sounded like if they were a suicidal '70s psych group. Staccato dirges grab distorted basslines and ride them into droney psychedelia, underneath a sky of swirling guitar leads and brutal, and of course the apocalyptic prophecies, mantras, and manifestos spewed forth from the DB mastermind Albin Julius...
"Uniforms are always changing, rock n' roll will stay forever" is boldly emblazoned on a later DB release. And if rock n' roll's main objective is to scare parents, or the majority of society in general, Der Blutharsch are definitely a rock band. And really always were....
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES, on 180 gram vinyl, with hand numbered inserts, housed in black and red foil stamped jackets, odds are these could very well be the only copies we ever see...

DER BLUTHARSCH When Did Wonderland End? (Tesco) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Final glorious missive from Austrian militaristic folk / post industrial / dark ambient outift Der Blutharsch. Ex members of The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud and former collaborators with Death In June, DB carved out a truly unique and musically diverse niche in a genre rife with problematic politics and unoriginal ideas. The music of Der Blutharsch was and is a seemingly impossible mix, taking the apocalyptic folk of Death In June, the Teutonic metallic stomp of Rammstein, the clattery industrial caberet of Einsturzende Neubaten, the swampy fire and brimstone dirge of Sixteen Horsepower and the dramatic gothiness of Sisters Of Mercy or Bauhaus and crafting all of those disparate elements into something dark and delightfully dreary, creepy and sometimes truly harrowing. Their sound has gone from dark ambience to industrial clatter to dramatic doom, and have now arrived at a sound that is even more difficult to describe. We once wrote that the music of DB sounded like "Dead Can Dance with the vocalist from Rammstein, performing in the forest, covering the Comus record in its entirety, backed up by a military drum corps. Or some impossible mixt of Current 93, Magnetic Fields, World War 2, In The Nursery, Ennio Morricone, a gypsy caravan and every great black metal intro ever" and that still pretty much sums it up. BUT, somehow, for their last hurrah, they've managed to sound even more bizarre and unique and all over the map. The core sound is still dark and droning, but the rock element is much more noticeable this time around, with a seemingly omnipresent churning low slung bass weaving a dense framework of rumbling low end, supporting doom laden soundscapes constructed from moaning cellos and martial snares, wartime sound samples and military speeches, pounding rhythms and dramatic teutonic vocals, gypsy violin and distorted guitar. But even within this industrial doom rock framework, DB manage to inject all sorts of really unexpected twists and turns, one track sounds like some hellish take on a Morricone spaghetti western with little bits of blackened twang, and another even sounds like a lost track from some sixties girl group, albeit in this case, swathed in dark sonic swirls and all sorts of rhythmic interference. So amazing and strange and totally mesmerizing. It's sad to think this is the last we'll hear from Der Blutharsch.
Packaged in a gorgeous all black, letter pressed sleeve, with a little sprig of edelweiss in full color, black text on a black background. Quite striking.
MPEG Stream: "When Did Wonderland End? II"
MPEG Stream: "When Did Wonderland End? III"
MPEG Stream: "When Did Wonderland End? IV"

DER BLUTHARSCH When Did Wonderland End? (Tesco) cd + dvd 25.00
Another glorious missive from Austrian militaristic folk / post industrial / dark ambient outift Der Blutharsch. Ex members of The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud and former collaborators with Death In June, DB carved out a truly unique and musically diverse niche in a genre rife with problematic politics and unoriginal ideas. The music of Der Blutharsch was and is a seemingly impossible mix, taking the apocalyptic folk of Death In June, the teutonic metallic stomp of Rammstein, the clattery industrial caberet of Einsturzende Neubaten, the swampy fire and brimstone dirge of Sixteen Horsepower and the dramatic gothiness of Sisters Of Mercy or Bauhaus and crafting all of those disparate elements into something dark and delightfully dreary, creepy and sometimes truly harrowing. Their sound has gone from dark ambience to industrial clatter to dramatic doom, and have now arrived at a sound that is even more difficult to describe. We once wrote that the music of DB sounded like "Dead Can Dance with the vocalist from Rammstein, performing in the forest, covering the Comus record in its entirety, backed up by a military drum corps. Or some impossible mixt of Current 93, Magnetic Fields, World War 2, In The Nursery, Ennio Morricone, a gypsy caravan and every great black metal intro ever" and that still pretty much sums it up. BUT, somehow, for their last hurrah, they've managed to sound even more bizarre and unique and all over the map. The core sound is still dark and droning, but the rock element is much more noticeable this time around, with a seemingly omnipresent churning low slung bass weaving a dense framework of rumbling low end, supporting doom laden soundscapes constructed from moaning cellos and martial snares, wartime sound samples and military speeches, pounding rhythms and dramatic teutonic vocals, gypsy violin and distorted guitar. But even within this industrial doom rock framework, DB manage to inject all sorts of really unexpected twists and turns, one track sounds like some hellish take on a Morricone spaghetti western with little bits of blackened twang, and another even sounds like a lost track from some sixties girl group, albeit in this case, swathed in dark sonic swirls and all sorts of rhythmic interference. So amazing and strange and totally mesmerizing. It's sad to think this is the last we'll hear from Der Blutharsch.
Packaged in a gorgeous all black, letter pressed digipak, in a black slipcover, with a little sprig of edelweiss in full color, black text on a black background. Quite striking. And for a limited time, there's also a second disc, a DVD with a really cool and creepy video for the track "So Bring Your Iron Rain Down Upon Me."
MPEG Stream: "When Did Wonderland End? II"
MPEG Stream: "When Did Wonderland End? III"
MPEG Stream: "When Did Wonderland End? IV"

DER PLAN Geri Reig (Atatak) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Seminal weirdness from Germany circa 1980. A head on collision between the Residents and Conny Plank. Like new wave no wave.

DER PLAN Geri Reig (Medical Records) lp 21.00
Search back into the Aquarius archives, and you'll come across reviews of records that we loved with just a phrase or a sentence, giving a few choice references and adjectives. Oh, how the times have changed. Way back when, we summed up Der Plan's classic weirdo kraut new wave record with the following pithy statement: "A head on collision between the Residents and Conny Plank." Still very true to this day, although an expansion of that description is most definitely in order. Der Plan hailed from Dusseldorf, and Geri Reig was their first record, emerging in 1980 as a particularly bizarre version of the Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave) sound. It seemed that every single German punk and NDW band would twist and mutate some sickly sweet ballad into something monstrous and perverse. Even Neubauten did a cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'Aime" on their first record; but polkas, waltzes, and cabaret numbers seemed to the prime target for the venom, bile, and ill-thoughts of the youth from back in the day, and Der Plan had authored a good number of these cheeky tunes, with atonal blooping electronics, plinkety-plonk melodies, and disjointed scratchy vocalizations. As a result, the Residents are still an apt reference for most of Geri Reig, although perhaps the equally bizarre, although less known Die Todliche Doris should also be referenced as well. For all of Der Plan's weird disposition, they would also craft a percolatingly brilliant minimal wave track here and there, as heard in the man-machine sequencing on "Commerce Exterieur Mondial Sentimentale" and the future-shock arpeggiations of "Adrenalin Lasst Das Blut Kochen." A classic record from the NDW period, now available once again thanks to the fine folks at Medical Records!
MPEG Stream: "Adrenalin Lasst Das Blut Kochen"
MPEG Stream: "Geri Regi"
MPEG Stream: "Hans und Gabi"
MPEG Stream: "Commerce Exterieur Mondial Sentimental"

DER PLAN Normalette Surprise (Medical Records) lp 21.00
Album number two by Der Plan came out originally in 1981, and it follows the art-pop quirkiness of the band's Geri Reig album with a slightly more conventional approach to their Neue Deutsche Welle songs. Just slightly, though. For the most part, the overt references to the vernacular of Germanic pop music (waltzes, polka, cabaret, etc.) are dropped for more of a primitive electro sound, with plenty of clipped rhythms, flanging electronic sequences, mutant funk anti-grooviness, and occasional vocoder-treated vocals. Der Plan takes delight in rendering each and every sound in a deliberate staccato choppiness, with electronic and vocal melodies often in naked opposition to each other, while the rhythms are loose skeletons that hardly anybody could dance to. The album features 17 tracks, and many more ideas running through all of those cuts, mucking up the streamlined new wave surfaces within disjointed, Residents inspired asynchronicity, and there's even a couple of early plunderphonic experiments popping up, such as "Kleine Schlager Revue" which mashes up saccharine German pop ditties with a smutty sex-recording lifted from some porno flexi-disc, and the grimmer "Wat's Dat?" snipping bits of commercials and breathy exhortations and melding them onto teletype synth modulations. Like Geri Reig, Normalette Surprise is back in print on vinyl... but probably not for long, as Medical Records only released 550 of these!
MPEG Stream: "Leb Doch"
MPEG Stream: "Wat's Dat"
MPEG Stream: "Rot Grun Tot"

DER TPK (TEENAGE PANZERKORPS) Harmful Emotions (Siltbreeze) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What's the connection between the seemingly defunct Jewelled Antler collective and the legendary Siltbreeze label? What do Teenage Panzer Corps and Der TPK have in common? More than you might think. Some might remember a couple killer cd-r's released on the Pink Skulls label, the sort of weirdo subsidiary of Jewelled Antler, by a band called Teenage Panzer Corps, featuring Bunker Wolf, Catholic Pat, Edmund Xavier and Boy True -- AKA various members of The Birdtree, The Knit Separates, Blithe Sons, Skygreen Leopards, Thuja and more...
The sound was distinctly unlike any of the Jewelled Antler stuff, raucous, droney, arty garagey punk rawk. Loud (or at least distorted), not too fast, and Teutonically snotty, referencing '80s downer artpunk (The Fall, Factory Records stuff I guess or maybe some of Savage Republic's tracks), and '60s garage with fuzz organ, as well as noise rock and krautrock. Noisy breaks, abrupt edits, and poppy grooves all tangled up into short sharp stabs aggro art punk, with clangy angular guitars, stumbling drums, lo-fi production and German vocals.
Well Der TPK is what the Panzer Corps are now calling themselves, and somehow they've wound up on Siltbreeze, which ends up being a pretty good fit. Some of the tracks are a little more drone-y and krauty, a bit more dubbed out, but still wild and noisy and punk as fuck. Not sure how much of this is actually new stuff, but at least a handful of tracks are taken from the now out of print cd-r's. Either way, this is essential stuff, fans of any of the aforementioned bands will definitely want to pick this up.
Packaged in plain white sleeves, with purposefully crappy paste on art, and probably pretty damn limited...

DER VENTILATOR s/t (Silbing Sex) 7"+cd 8.98
Didn't know too much about this Spanish combo, but the fact that they seemed to often be described as equal parts Kraftwerk and Arab On Radar definitely piqued our interest. And once we finally heard this latest 4 song blast of electro punk crunch, we'd probably add Black Bug to the equation, the same sort of urgent punked out riot grrly rrroooaaar. But instead of BB's synthpunk howl, the sound of DV is more garagey, a sort of punky Stoogesy groove, laced with bits of electronics and peppered with dueling boy girl vocals. The opening track here, "Kill D.I.Y Idols" is itself a killer, with fuzzy bass, programmed beats, caterwauled vocals, and a bad ass main riff, the tripped out FX and minimal electronics only adding some extra weirdness. In an odd way, it reminded us a little of Burzum, the same sort of lilting electronic melodies, but here wedded to some garage punk blast. Super dynamic, with some rad stop starts. "Potential H-Bomb" is more of the same, with a postpunk groove, some cool weirdly harmonized vox, some noisy chaotic guitars, and lots of fuzzed out synth blurt. "Scrawl" applies the same sonic approach to punk folk, acoustic guitar, simple drums, off key crooning, sassy female back up vox, and occasional feedback drenched squalls of noise. Finally "Lightning Field" gets back to the warped electro punk, with thick synth buzz under some frenetic programmed beats, some bloopy spaced out melodies, crunchy guitars swirls, the whole thing pretty spaced out and psychedelic, again laced with occasional blasts of in-the-red buzz and howl, everything wreathed in alien synths and fractured FX. So killer. A bit surprised these guys (and gal) aren't way more popular. Imagine it won't stay that way for long...
Super nice packaging, thick super striking black and white sleeve, with a full color printed insert, pressed on orange vinyl, and includes a cd version of the same music on the 7"!
MPEG Stream: "Kill D.I.Y. Idols"
MPEG Stream: "Lightning Field"

DERAKUSHI s/t (PSF) cd 17.98
First heard these guys (and girl, it appears) on Tokyo Flashback Vol. 7, now here's their PSF full-length, packaged in a nice miniature-lp style gatefold sleeve. Very little information is available about 'em. So we'll just make do with describing the music. Avant garde free jazz improv, kinda, but also psychedelic free rock too, from a quartet consisting of alto sax, guitar, drums, and bass. Sometimes super heavy distorted bass! Definitely a lot of electricity to this unit. Along with plenty of human-powered pounding and screaming... PSF compares 'em to Borbetomagus, but that's not quite right. They're wild, but not -quite- that dense and noisy. PSF's own Ahousen would be a better comparison, if you liked that, you should check out Derakushi too. Sax honking and squealing, bass shuddering, guitar stabbing, the pipe fighting percussion sometimes skittery, sometimes straight up rocking, right through the freakout, and it's not at all wall-to-wall freakout, there's dynamics and stop and go and sudden silence... Emotional, mayhemic, yet controlled. Derakushi know how to do it, or they wouldn't be on PSF. The dark psych guitar rock elements that bleed into their freeform "jazz" are what grabs us about this, and that's also a definite PSF specialty.
MPEG Stream: "Gateway"
MPEG Stream: "Pegana"

DERBYSHIRE, DELIA, BRIAN HODGSON, DON HARPER Electrosonic (Glo-Spot) cd 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We had the super limited (and crazy pricey!) vinyl version of this a while back, and they flew out of here. We only have a couple left of the vinyl, but we finally got it on cd, at a slightly cheaper price, and now all you sans turntable can dig on these far out sounds!!
We all went a little gaga for those BBC Radiophonic Workshop cds, amazing collections of freaky and far out music for movies and radio and television, crafted in mad scientist like labs packed to the gills with strange sound making devices, primitive analog synths, tape machines and all manner of random electronic bric a brac. Delia Derbyshire was one of the Workshop elite, having been responsible for the Dr. Who theme as well as the Tomorrow People theme and loads of other legendary BBC songs and sounds.
This cd, is a reissue of a super limited lp, which was itself a repress of a rare and long out of print disc of library mood music released on KPM in 1972. Derbyshire and her sonic cohorts recorded the record as Electrosonic, using pseudonyms as well, to avoid any sort of complications due to their positions at the BBC. The results were of course fantastic. Moody and mysterious, wild and playful, spacey and haunting. From Goblin-esque creepy haunted house synthscapes, to freaky fuzzy funky seventies sci-fi grooves, to far out bloops and bleeps. Analog synths, jazzy upright bass, tons of primitive and not so primitive effects, all whipped into impossibly catchy and fantastical sounds and songs.
MPEG Stream: "Quest"
MPEG Stream: "The Pattern Emerges"
MPEG Stream: "Celestial Cantabile"
MPEG Stream: "The Wizard's Laboratory"

DERBYSHIRE, DELIA, BRIAN HODGSON, DON HARPER Electrosonic (Glo-Spot) lp 35.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We all went a little gaga for those BBC Radiophonic Workshop cds, amazing collections of freaky and far out music for movies and radio and television, crafted in mad scientist like labs packed to the gills with strange sound making devices, primitive analog synths, tape machines and all manner of random electronic bric a brac. Delia Derbyshire was one of the Workshop elite, having been responsible for the Dr. Who theme as well as the Tomorrow People theme and loads of other legendary BBC songs and sounds.
This super limited lp, is a repress of a rare and long out of print disc of library mood music released on KPM in 1972. Derbyshire and her sonic cohorts recorded the record as Electrosonic, using pseudonyms as well, to avoid any sort of complications due to their positions at the BBC. The results were of course fantastic. Moody and mysterious, wild and playful, spacey and haunting. From Goblin-esque creepy haunted house synthscapes, to freaky fuzzy funky seventies sci-fi grooves, to far out bloops and bleeps. Analog synths, jazzy upright bass, tons of primitive and not so primitive effects, all whipped into impossibly catchy and fantastical sounds and songs.
This was SUPER SUPER LIMITED. It's already out of print. We have about 10 copies and once those are gone this is gone FOR GOOD. Gorgeous super stylish sleeve with amazing artwork, extensive liner notes, and pressed on super thick milky green vinyl!

DERDIYOKLAR IKILISI Disko Folk (Guerssen) cd 17.98
Too bad we hadn't reviewed this reissue before we did our "beard" themed in-between list a few weeks back, 'cause just check out the two dudes sitting crosslegged on the cover! Awesome beards (and long hair). Would have fit in on that beard list perfectly. However, if we ever do a rad '70s Middle Eastern psych-folk-rock themed list, we'll at least be able to include Derdiyoklar Ikilisi on that, for sure.
Derdiyoklar Ikilisi were a "Andalou Pop" duo based in Germany, who played their hip-swaying music for the festivities at weddings and circumcision feasts (yikes) held by the large Turkish immigrant community there. This record of theirs dates from 1979, but the title of Disko Folk doesn't mean that it's a actually a "disco" album (though that would be cool too, Turkish disco, Mogollar meets Moroder?). No, Disko Folk is meant more generally to indicate the presence of electric, Western instruments, and/or of the ornate Turkish folk motifs used in a pop music context. They really sound a lot like old AQ faves Mogollar, one of our favorites from the Istanbul psych scene back in the early '70s, but with more swirling, sweeping synthesizer! 3 Hur-el is another close comparison. Which means, this is pretty darn cool. Get this, and it's electro-saz fueled dance party time, the wedding or circumcision is optional! There's also mellower but equally impassioned numbers here (including a gorgeously dark and drifty one called "Eminem") that would be better suited for slow dancing. Lyrically, apparently these are protest songs, about issues of concern to the immigrant Turkish population in Germany.
And actually it's not the hairstyles on the cover that amaze us the most, it's the crazy 3-necked string instrument emblazoned with their band name that they're both holding between them like some totem. What is that thing? We guess with just two guys in the band, that's a pretty useful instrument to have.
The vinyl and compact disc editions are both limited to 500 copies each. The cd booklet contains liner notes, lp version comes with insert too.
MPEG Stream: "Fethiyem"
MPEG Stream: "Yadoy"
MPEG Stream: "Sofor Gardas"

DERDIYOKLAR IKILISI Disko Folk (Guerssen) lp 26.00
Too bad we hadn't reviewed this reissue before we did our "beard" themed in-between list a few weeks back, 'cause just check out the two dudes sitting crosslegged on the cover! Awesome beards (and long hair). Would have fit in on that beard list perfectly. However, if we ever do a rad '70s Middle Eastern psych-folk-rock themed list, we'll at least be able to include Derdiyoklar Ikilisi on that, for sure.
Derdiyoklar Ikilisi were a "Andalou Pop" duo based in Germany, who played their hip-swaying music for the festivities at weddings and circumcision feasts (yikes) held by the large Turkish immigrant community there. This record of theirs dates from 1979, but the title of Disko Folk doesn't mean that it's a actually a "disco" album (though that would be cool too, Turkish disco, Mogollar meets Moroder?). No, Disko Folk is meant more generally to indicate the presence of electric, Western instruments, and/or of the ornate Turkish folk motifs used in a pop music context. They really sound a lot like old AQ faves Mogollar, one of our favorites from the Istanbul psych scene back in the early '70s, but with more swirling, sweeping synthesizer! 3 Hur-el is another close comparison. Which means, this is pretty darn cool. Get this, and it's electro-saz fueled dance party time, the wedding or circumcision is optional! There's also mellower but equally impassioned numbers here (including a gorgeously dark and drifty one called "Eminem") that would be better suited for slow dancing. Lyrically, apparently these are protest songs, about issues of concern to the immigrant Turkish population in Germany.
And actually it's not the hairstyles on the cover that amaze us the most, it's the crazy 3-necked string instrument emblazoned with their band name that they're both holding between them like some totem. What is that thing? We guess with just two guys in the band, that's a pretty useful instrument to have.
The vinyl and compact disc editions are both limited to 500 copies each. The cd booklet contains liner notes, lp version comes with insert too.
MPEG Stream: "Fethiyem"
MPEG Stream: "Yadoy"
MPEG Stream: "Sofor Gardas"

DEROGATIS, JIM Let It Blurt: The Life And Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic (Broadway Books) book 15.95
If you've never read the work of Lester Bangs, the greatest rock writer ever, then you ought to take a gander at Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, a book-sized collection of his essays, full of passion and wit, fanatical devotion to the things about rock that he loved, and utter disgust with the things about it that he hated. (We usually carry Psychotic Reactions here at AQ - you'll love it.) Lester lived the rock and roll lifestyle that his peers (from rockstars to underground geniuses, they were all his peers) did, and his writing spoke so much truer because of it. "Let It Blurt" is his biography written by Jim DeRogatis, resident critic for the Chicago Sun Times (and author of another book on sixties psychedelia). DeRogatis lovingly compiled tons of info about Bangs' life into a 300+ page softcover book, along with a hilarious never-before-published 14 page essay by Lester, titled "How to Be a Rock Critic". Here's an excerpt:
"The first thing to understand and bear in mind at all times is that the whole thing is just a big ruse from the word go, it don't mean shit except exploitatively and in the zealotic terms of wanting to inflict your taste on other people... You should also know that most of your colleagues are some of the biggest neurotics in the country, so you might as well get used right now to the way they're gonna be writing you five and ten-page single spaced inflammatory letters reviling you for knocking some group they have proved is the next Stones. It's all very incestuous, like this great big sickoid club full of people who were probably usually the funny-looking kid in class, with the acne and the big hornrims, all introverted, and just sat home every night through high school and played his records while the other kids yukked and balled it up. Tough luck, genius is pain."

DESANTO, SUGAR PIE Go Go Power: The Complete Chess Singles 1961-1966 (Kent Soul) cd 24.00
While labels like The Numero Group and Soul Jazz have done a great job of unearthing so much amazing soul that slipped under the radar back in the day, there is still so much true golden soul to be mined. Of course there are the amazing songs here and there that some groups and folks created back in the day that have been included on compilations of lost soul, but then there are also artists who have entire legacies of amazing recordings and while they were not totally obscure, they just never got the full on fame & recognition they so rightfully deserved. Folks like Irma Thomas, Carla Thomas, Betty Everett, Betty Harris, etc. Sugar Pie DeSanto deserves a special place on that list as well. These are all people that with luck treating them a little different would be held in the same limelight as Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, etc. Sugar Pie, who has lived most of her life right here in the Bay Area is truly a living legend. This collection of her Chess singles from 1961-'66 is filled with pure hip-shaking soul drenched rompers that burn with flare and sass. There is a strength and conviction in her delivery that makes her songs as deep hitting as they are fun and toe-tapping. This is full on sock-hop style dance floor burners, that you could imagine The Rolling Stones listening to at the time and getting inspiration and ideas from. So damn sassy, as she sings it like she means it. There are even a few duets with Etta James, and thinking of those two strong powerful women in the same recording booth gives us chills!
Sugar Pie Desanto has had such an amazing life with many ups and downs. She was a singer and touring member in the Johnny Otis Review as well as the James Brown revue. Her own live shows are something of magical legend, as folks who were lucky enough to see her back in the '60s still brag about what a mind blowing performance she put on. Just a few years ago her Oakland home was destroyed in a terrible fire, claiming the life of her husband. There were some benefit concerts in the Bay Area to help her during this difficult time and we're also hoping that this collection of her music helps with those burdens as well and more importantly shares her amazing music with a whole new set of ears. Awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Go Go Power"
MPEG Stream: "Do I Make Myself Clear"
MPEG Stream: "Mama Didn't Raise No Fools"

DESAPARECIDOS Read Music Speak Spanish (Saddle Creek) cd 14.98
Here is the full length from Mr. Bright Eyes Conor Oberst's emo pop band. We were given an EP's worth of Desaparecidos in late 2001 (which was quite promising), and now it's high time for a full dose. Far from the fragile, low-key, warbled sensitivities of B.E., this is much more fired up and feisty, but you can still hear hints that it's from the same songwriter's pen. Have to admit though I found this album kinda disappointing. The extreme side of emo-boy-ness with its almost-painful teen angst screamed vocals. Ending the second song is a recording of some dialogue that just sounded like some skate kids shooting the shit. Not great, but worth checking out.
RealAudio clip: "Manana"

DESAPARECIDOS The Happiest Place On Earth (Saddle Creek) cd ep 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
...is where you'll find these quavery-voiced emo boys -- namely one Conor Oberst (aka the leader of Bright Eyes). Hear them practically hollering the words to get their message to you. Driving drumbeat, crunchy guitars, springy melodic hooks sorta like a cross between Superchunk and Treepeople. This EP is just a hint of what's to come -- a full length debut in early 2002. On the label that's home to The Faint and yes, Bright Eyes.
RealAudio clip: "Happiest Place On Earth"

DESCENDENTS 'Merican (Fat Wreck Chords) cd ep 5.98
Milo is back where he belongs, fronting the mighty Descendents. 'Merican is a 4 track blast of that classic Descendents pop punk sound. A sound that has been borrowed by a million other bands and turned into boring MTV pap. There was just some sort of magic with the Descendents and while it may not be as magical 20 years down the line it's still pretty fun and catchy and great. Two tracks of hyper speed, in your face punk rock, and two tracks of that heart-on-your-sleeve, pop in punk's clothing that the Descendents do so well. Can't wait for the upcoming full length. If you've never heard the Descendents, get Milo Goes To College or Enjoy and you'll know what we're talking about.
MPEG Stream: "Here With Me"

DESCENDENTS All (SST) cd 14.98

DESCENDENTS Cool To Be You (Fat Wreck Chords) cd 13.98
Descendents are back! And they kick as much ass as ever! Being the huge-est Descendents fan, I (Andee) was pretty worried about a new Descendents record after 7 years of frontman Milo, teaching biochemistry and living a normal life, and the rest of the band releasing lots of mediocre pop punk as All. The recent ep teaser wasn't all that encouraging either. The sound was there, and Milo's voice was as great as ever. But it just didn't hit. But now that the full length is here, everything is perfect! Easily one of the tightest fiercest rhythm sections ever (obviously, with Bill Stevenson, ex-Black Flag on drums) backs up Stephen Egerton's weird weird guitar playing and Milo's awesome raspy vocals! Drummer Bill Stevenson usually did most of the songwriting, but here bassist Karl Alvarez and Milo do most of the writing and the results are surprisingly good, and surprisingly like classic (All / Enjoy era) Descendents! Great songs, catchy and kick ass, with lyrics about politics, being a nerd, and mostly love and girls. The song Mass Nerder is the best Descendents song in forever. NERD POWER! The best lyrics:

Don't got no biceps
Don't got no pecs
But I'll read you under the table
With my thick specs!
See I got these glasses
So they kick my ass
But I'll kick their asses
When I get to class

I got these glasses
So I can't wear shades
But I'll kick their asses
I'll get good grades

And the music is so cathcy and heavy. Had us wanting to jump around like crazy! And the song 'Merican is one of the best anti-American regime songs in quite a while. But of course, the bulk of the record is made up of those classic Descendents sad boy, minor key, lost love perfect pop punk nuggets! So good!
MPEG Stream: "Mass Nerder"
MPEG Stream: "'Merican"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing With You"

DESCENDENTS Cool To Be You (Fat Wreck Chords) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Descendents are back! And they kick as much ass as ever! Being the huge-est Descendents fan, I (Andee) was pretty worried about a new Descendents record after 7 years of frontman Milo, teaching biochemistry and living a normal life, and the rest of the band releasing lots of mediocre pop punk as All. The recent ep teaser wasn't all that encouraging either. The sound was there, and Milo's voice was as great as ever. But it just didn't hit. But now that the full length is here, everything is perfect! Easily one of the tightest fiercest rhythm sections ever (obviously, with Bill Stevenson, ex-Black Flag on drums) backs up Stephen Egerton's weird weird guitar playing and Milo's awesome raspy vocals! Drummer Bill Stevenson usually did most of the songwriting, but here bassist Karl Alvarez and Milo do most of the writing and the results are surprisingly good, and surprisingly like classic (All / Enjoy era) Descendents! Great songs, catchy and kick ass, with lyrics about politics, being a nerd, and mostly love and girls. The song Mass Nerder is the best Descendents song in forever. NERD POWER! The best lyrics:

Don't got no biceps
Don't got no pecs
But I'll read you under the table
With my thick specs!
See I got these glasses
So they kick my ass
But I'll kick their asses
When I get to class

I got these glasses
So I can't wear shades
But I'll kick their asses
I'll get good grades

And the music is so cathcy and heavy. Had me wanting to jump around like crazy! And the song 'Merican is one of the best anti-American regime songs in quite a while. But of course, the bulk of the record is made up of those classic Descendents sad boy, minor key, lost love perfect pop punk nuggets! So good!
MPEG Stream: "Mass Nerder"
MPEG Stream: "'Merican"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing With You"

DESCENDENTS Milo Goes To College (SST) cd 14.98

DESCENSION Live March 1995 (Shock) cd 18.98
Ascension, the guitar/drums improv duo of Englishmen Stefan Jaworzyn (Skullflower) and Tony Irving, are joined by leading British jazz players Charles Wharf (saxophone) and Simon Hessian (double bass) for some extreme blowouts. Killer, says Allan.

DESCENT INTO THE VOID s/t (NOTHingness) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Three new sonic missives from the ether, from whatever mysterious alternate sonic universe the NOTHingness label exists in. A world of bleak emptiness, massive expanses of barren rumbling tundra, of glassy black surface sonic pools... Every disc dark and lovely, creepy and ominous, haunting and super intense. And of course outrageously limited...
This one is an epic, 73 minute, single track plunge into the sonic abyss, or maybe more accurately 'descent into the void'. Long, drawn out, slow rolling soundscapes of deep swells, soft metallic buzz, and all manner of complex low end filigree buried way down in the mix, giving the track some strange inner momentum, a sublimated chaos, lurking just below the tranquil surface. Harrowing and gorgeously minor key, but the melodies here are just distant streaks, and strange smears of tonal color, everything super subtle, drifting billows of grey grainy shift and pulsing diffused light. Over the course of this expansive sprawl, random sounds surface, float ghostlike and sink back into the ether, disembodied voices, haunting clouds of high end harmonics, bits of hiss and stretched out slowed down percussion, all floating weightless above a soft blackened backdrop. So gorgeous.Ê
LIMITED TO ONLY 66 COPIES!! Packaged in a slimline dvd style case with full color cover.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled (excerpt)"

DESCLOUX, LIZZY MERCIER Press Color (Ze 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.

DESERT CITY SOUNDTRACK Contents Of Distraction (Deep Elm) cd 10.98

DESERT CITY SOUNDTRACK Perfect Addiction (Deep Elm) cd 14.98

DESERT OF TRAUN Part III: The Lilac Moon (Bruhtal Shocks Music) cd 10.98

DESERT SESSIONS Seven & Eight (Rekords Rekords / Southern Lord) cd 13.98
Guitarist/vocalist and "desert rock" big-shot Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, ex-Kyuss) likes to get his musical friends together for jammin' jamborees. Homme's friends this time include Mark Lanegan, and, allegedly, somebody from Motley Crue.

DESERT SESSIONS Vol 1 / Vol 2 (Man's Ruin Records) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

DESIDERII MARGINIS Deadbeat (Cold Meat Industry) cd 21.00

DESIGNER Gebarck Star (Duophonic) 12" 8.98
Casey Rice (one of the superstar Chicago producers whose talents have been featured in Tortoise, Liz Phair, etc.) is the latest to release a fetish object for Duophonic. Well produced, but terminally dull 'quirky' drum & bass / electronica grooves. Due to the Duophonic tag this will at least make for a good investment for future collectors.

DESIRE If I Can't Hold You Tonight (Italians Do It Better) 12" 9.98
Always an exciting day at AQ when a new slab of vinyl from Italians Do It Better comes our way. Earlier this year we got totally addicted to the debut full length from Desire, a record that was so spot on in its 80's sleek and sultry, late-night dance jams infused with a dark romantic aching yearning. With the intoxicating vocals of Megan Luise setting such a perfect tone for the impeccable production of Johnny Jewel (Glass Candy, Chromatics, etc.). So it's rad to get different versions of two of our favorite songs from the album. Side one gives us a totally lysergic slow burning stretched out version of "If I Can't Hold You Tonight" and then a completely stripped down minimal vocal version. Side two starts off with an instrumental version of their cover of "I Can Dream About You" followed by a goosebump inducing 8-track demo of the song that proves that Desire are not just about style and dancefloors, but that their music really does evoke such strong emotions. The 12" offers a much more minimal and slow burning side of Desire then the more over-the-top, all out 80's disco vibe of the full length. We're melting into this wax!

DESIRE II (Italians Do It Better) cd 13.98
Everything Johnny Jewel touches these days turns to sultry dancefloor gold. Whether it's Glass Candy, the Chromatics, or a handful of other groups on Italians Do It Better that have felt Jewel's magic touch, he has really been largely responsible for making IDIB a label to trust when it comes to sizzling, late night spaced out disco!
What sets Desire a little apart from other acts on Italians Do It Better is that it's much more of a full band effort, with an affection for analog synthesizers as well as strings, percussion, piano, and it's got an overall delivery that is much more warm and rich than some of the other similar sounding outfits on the label. Desire still have that icy-detached aesthetic that can be found in the sounds of Chromatics, but there is something a bit more personal sounding in the songs here. While most records in this genre tend to be filled with super immediate hooks that sometimes lose their staying power on repeated listens, this record is a serious grower. In fact on first listen we thought maybe this was going to be a bit of a let down, but we're so happy we gave it a few more spins, cuz we were eventually totally sucked into the moody, sultry stylings that Desire conjure up. Between this and the Nite Jewel record we gushed about recently, our late night coming down soundtrack is sounding better then ever. Feel the slow burn!
MPEG Stream: "Dans Mes Reves"
MPEG Stream: "Oxygene"
MPEG Stream: "Mirroir Mirroir"

DESIRE II (Italians Do It Better) lp 13.98
NOW ON VINYL!
Everything Johnny Jewel touches these days turns to sultry dancefloor gold. Whether it's Glass Candy, the Chromatics, or a handful of other groups on Italians Do It Better that have felt Jewel's magic touch, he has really been largely responsible for making IDIB a label to trust when it comes to sizzling, late night spaced out disco!
What sets Desire a little apart from other acts on Italians Do It Better is that it's much more of a full band effort, with an affection for analog synthesizers as well as strings, percussion, piano, and it's got an overall delivery that is much more warm and rich than some of the other similar sounding outfits on the label. Desire still have that icy-detached aesthetic that can be found in the sounds of Chromatics, but there is something a bit more personal sounding in the songs here. While most records in this genre tend to be filled with super immediate hooks that sometimes lose their staying power on repeated listens, this record is a serious grower. In fact on first listen we thought maybe this was going to be a bit of a let down, but we're so happy we gave it a few more spins, cuz we were eventually totally sucked into the moody, sultry stylings that Desire conjure up. Between this and the Nite Jewel record we gushed about recently, our late night coming down soundtrack is sounding better then ever. Feel the slow burn!
MPEG Stream: "Dans Mes Reves"
MPEG Stream: "Oxygene"
MPEG Stream: "Mirroir Mirroir"

DESOLATION WILDERNESS New Universe (K Records) cd 14.98
Hailing from Olympia, Washington, Desolation Wilderness create hazy dreampop that's the perfect twilight of summer soundtrack. With shimmering guitars, breezy vocals, infectious melodies swirled amongst the fog and haze, this record has been reminding us of so many bands we love, like Chapterhouse, Spiritualized, The Chills, 764 Hero, Galaxie 500, Sparklehorse, Ride, etc. While there is a definite shoegaze element to their sound, the songs also have a spark and punch to them. We also can't help but think of a very awesome and underrated '90s band from Los Angeles called Strictly Ballroom who similarly found enticing ways to evoke this kind of daydream nation. New Universe is one of those records that's perfect for so many occasions - the long ride home, the blissed out late night walk through the city, the lazy Sunday afternoon... Desolation Wilderness pleases on so many levels!
MPEG Stream: "Boardwalk Theme"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Fade"
MPEG Stream: "You Hold A Power Over Me"

DESORMAIS Dead Letters (Intr-version) cd 14.98

DESOTO REDS Hanglide Thru Yer Window (Floating Man) cd 11.98
Those Desoto Reds sure have a knack for writing the sweet pop hooks and winking lyrical twists. Each tune comes with heaping servings of horns, organs, vocal harmonies... and fun! The first song "Allowed Loud" sounds like a cross between the themes from two incongruous TV shows (The Partridge Family and Crank Yankers). It's a playful pairing of punchy and perky pop. Whoa, is that enough 'p' words for ya?! Definitely for fans of those seemingly long-forgotten quirky early '90s college radio pop bands such as Too Much Joy (remember them?).
MPEG Stream: "Allowed Loud"
MPEG Stream: "My Affair With Julia Roberts"

DESPERATE MAN BLUES Discovering The Roots Of American Music (Cube Media) dvd 24.00

DESPERATE MAN BLUES (OST) (Dust-To-Digital) cd 15.98

DESPISE YOU / AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED And On And On... (Relapse) cd 14.98
The return of grindlords Agoraphobic Nosebleed, here teamed up with fellow grinders Despise You, who offer up their first new material in a decade, although their sound has definitely not changed. Despise You traffic in furious, punishing hardcore heaviness, blurred buzzing riffs, wild thrashing drumming, dense super intricate arrangements, slipping from chug and churn to frantic blast, punk pound to mathy lurch, the songs short and sharp, cramming 18 songs into about 16 minutes, even tackling Fear's "I Don't Care About You", the boy/girl vocals (mostly boy) yelped and howled, the sound rough and raw, filthy and crusty, total fast core power violence style, definitely harkening back to the old school Pessimiser / Theologian / Slap A Ham sound of the nineties. Which we STILL love like crazy...
Agoraphobic Nosebleed counter with their own take on that sound, starting their half out with some downtuned doomed out sludge, the vocals a heavily effected guttural bellow, the sound grooving and slithery, a chugging churning almost Black Flag-ish bit of gnarled hardcore, it's not until the second song that the band explode in a frenzy of hypergrind, complete with dive bombing Slayer style leads, the sound thick and corrosive, the riffing insane and intense, super intricate and mathy, cramming tons of parts into super short blast of sonic fury, finishing off with another chunk of tangled doom flecked midtempo hardcore pound, that grinds and howls and creeps until it fades into a spaced out sprawl of psychedelic feedback and swirling distant drones. Killer.
MPEG Stream: DESPISE YOU "Bereft"
MPEG Stream: DESPISE YOU "Repeat Until You Fail"
MPEG Stream: DESPISE YOU "Roll Call"
MPEG Stream: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "Half Dead"
MPEG Stream: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "As Bad As It Is..."
MPEG Stream: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "Miscommunication"

DESPISE YOU / AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED And On And On... (Relapse) lp 16.98
The return of grindlords Agoraphobic Nosebleed, here teamed up with fellow grinders Despise You, who offer up their first new material in a decade, although their sound has definitely not changed. Despise You traffic in furious, punishing hardcore heaviness, blurred buzzing riffs, wild thrashing drumming, dense super intricate arrangements, slipping from chug and churn to frantic blast, punk pound to mathy lurch, the songs short and sharp, cramming 18 songs into about 16 minutes, even tackling Fear's "I Don't Care About You", the boy/girl vocals (mostly boy) yelped and howled, the sound rough and raw, filthy and crusty, total fast core power violence style, definitely harkening back to the old school Pessimiser / Theologian / Slap A Ham sound of the nineties. Which we STILL love like crazy...
Agoraphobic Nosebleed counter with their own take on that sound, starting their half out with some downtuned doomed out sludge, the vocals a heavily effected guttural bellow, the sound grooving and slithery, a chugging churning almost Black Flag-ish bit of gnarled hardcore, it's not until the second song that the band explode in a frenzy of hypergrind, complete with dive bombing Slayer style leads, the sound thick and corrosive, the riffing insane and intense, super intricate and mathy, cramming tons of parts into super short blast of sonic fury, finishing off with another chunk of tangled doom flecked midtempo hardcore pound, that grinds and howls and creeps until it fades into a spaced out sprawl of psychedelic feedback and swirling distant drones. Killer.
MPEG Stream: DESPISE YOU "Bereft"
MPEG Stream: DESPISE YOU "Repeat Until You Fail"
MPEG Stream: DESPISE YOU "Roll Call"
MPEG Stream: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "Half Dead"
MPEG Stream: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "As Bad As It Is..."
MPEG Stream: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED "Miscommunication"

DESTINY'S CHILD Destiny Fulfilled (Columbia) cd 17.98

DESTINY'S CHILD Survivor (Columbia) cd 17.98
No doubt you've at least heard 'Survivor', and you've most definitely heard the Charlie's Angels song. And unfortunately, outside of a track or two, those happen to be the best songs on the record. So while it is a good record, it maybe doesn't measure up to the last one. Windy loves it, and thinks it actually might be better than the last one. But Allan and Andee are yet to be convinced. Heads up for the Stevie Nicks sample on one of the other great tracks 'Booty-licious'.

DESTINY'S CHILD The Writing's On The Wall (Columbia) cd 16.98
We actually toyed with the idea of making this 'record of the week' (indie-rock cred be damned!) on the strength of their top-ten single 'Bills Bills Bills' alone (I saw the video for this at a friend's house and it was almost enough to make me want to sign up for cable! I mean the music, not just their outfits). That song, and a couple of others like it certainly make this a record that all those down with the the last, ex-cel-lent TLC disc will love. Indeed, the intro to TLC's 'No Scrubs' is all over this album. True, there's a few of those obligatory urban r&b slow jams that you'll probably want to fast forward past (unless you're in the right 'mood'), but the rest is well worth it. Guest appearance from Missy Elliott.