DO MAKE SAY THINK Other Truths (Constellation) cd 16.98
On their latest release, Canadian post-rockers Do Make Say Think deliver four splendid instrumentals that differ starkly in mood and atmosphere, and that follow a defined dynamic arc. The first kicks things off with a driving tempo, and a somewhat more gritty-raw approach than on their last album 2007's You, You're A History In Rust. It brings to mind the old school Chicago post-rock from the '90s. The second draws the listener in with a comparatively subdued chant and lulling rhythm that eventually is swept up and away into the stormy dramatics we've come to know and love from this band and their Montreal comrades. The third continues along in that vein, and the fourth brings the 43 minutes to a sunset gazing, drowsy close with lanky sliding guitar lines and hushed brush-on-snare drumming. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Do"
MPEG Stream: "Think"

DO MAKE SAY THINK Other Truths (Constellation) lp 25.00
On their latest release, Canadian post-rockers Do Make Say Think deliver four splendid instrumentals that differ starkly in mood and atmosphere, and that follow a defined dynamic arc. The first kicks things off with a driving tempo, and a somewhat more gritty-raw approach than on their last album 2007's You, You're A History In Rust. It brings to mind the old school Chicago post-rock from the '90s. The second draws the listener in with a comparatively subdued chant and lulling rhythm that eventually is swept up and away into the stormy dramatics we've come to know and love from this band and their Montreal comrades. The third continues along in that vein, and the fourth brings the 43 minutes to a sunset gazing, drowsy close with lanky sliding guitar lines and hushed brush-on-snare drumming. Nice.

DO MAKE SAY THINK s/t (Constellation) cd 13.98
The first album from Do Make Say Think showcases their hypnotic rhythm section which alternates from jazzy grooves to intricate pop structures. On top of this solid base, swells of guitar noise and organ drones explode and dissolve much like a cross between Bardo Pond and a weirder version of Spiritualized. On the same label that brought you the fantastic Godspeed You Black Emperor (!!) and also from Canada.

DO MAKE SAY THINK Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn (Constellation) cd 14.98
Fourth album of epic instrumental post-rock from one of Canada's best. Droning, lush, rhythmic, dynamic. If you're gonna try just one other Constellation label band besides the mighty Godspeed You Black Emperor!, maybe it should be Do Make Say Think. And this would be just the album of theirs to check out. As it starts, you might think it's gonna be all cinematic and kinda jazzy but then they display some heavy fuzz-ed out muscle that ought to appeal to fans of Kinski for sure. Nice n' moody.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 7"

DO MAKE SAY THINK Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn (Constellation) 2lp 17.98
Fourth album of epic instrumental post-rock from one of Canada's best. Droning, lush, rhythmic, dynamic. If you're gonna try just one other Constellation label band besides the mighty Godspeed You Black Emperor!, maybe it should be Do Make Say Think. And this would be just the album of theirs to check out. As it starts, you might think it's gonna be all cinematic and kinda jazzy but then they display some heavy fuzz-ed out muscle that ought to appeal to fans of Kinski for sure. Nice n' moody.

DO MAKE SAY THINK You, You're A History In Rust (Constellation) cd 14.98
Over the years Toronto's Do Make Say Think have become one of the few ensembles able to step out of the shadow of their connection to Godspeed You Black Emperor and make a strong name for themselves in the world of intricate and dynamic instrumental post-rock. Their last few records have shown the band refining their sound, becoming a bit more pop orientated yet not losing their ability to create goosebump inducing moments in their songs. Their latest doesn't veer much from their fine formula, but folks might be surprised to find vocals on a few tracks and we have to say those songs would have been just fine without them. But for the most part all the elements that have made Do Make Say Think one of our favorites from the Constellation family are all still here and shining bright.
MPEG Stream: "The Universe"
MPEG Stream: "Herstory Of Glory"

DO MAKE SAY THINK You, You're A History In Rust (Constellation) lp 17.98
Over the years Toronto's Do Make Say Think have become one of the few ensembles able to step out of the shadow of their connection to Godspeed You Black Emperor and make a strong name for themselves in the world of intricate and dynamic instrumental post-rock. Their last few records have shown the band refining their sound, becoming a bit more pop orientated yet not losing their ability to create goosebump inducing moments in their songs. Their latest doesn't veer much from their fine formula, but folks might be surprised to find vocals on a few tracks and we have to say those songs would have been just fine without them. But for the most part all the elements that have made Do Make Say Think one of our favorites from the Constellation family are all still here and shining bright.
MPEG Stream: "The Universe"
MPEG Stream: "Herstory Of Glory"

DO SKONU Womb Of Primeval Darkness (Forever Plagued) cd 8.98

DOC HOLLIDAY Doc Holliday Rides Again (Rock Candy) cd 17.98

MPEG Stream: "Last Ride"
MPEG Stream: "Good Boy Gone Bad"
MPEG Stream: "Whiskey Train"

DOC RHYMIN' Practitioner Of Rhymes (Numero Group) 12" 8.98

DOCDAIL Stone Me / Sad Harold (Magic) cd ep 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
French heavy psychedelic acid rock proto-metal. Yes we said French. Last year, via the interweb, we got clued in to the existence of some way rare and obscure late '60s / early '70s heaviness from the land of baguettes and berets. Rotomagus, Les Variations, Chico Magnetic Band, Quo Vadis, Zoo... Francais Metal de Proto!! We'd had no idea. So we're happy now we've tracked down a few import cds bearing proof of this hitherto unknown phenomenon. This one's by a band from Paris called Docdail. Housed in a cardboard sleeve, this cd features just four tracks -- the A and B sides of Docdail's first two singles, from 1969 and 1970, which might be their entire recorded output as far as we know. In fact we don't know much about these guys at all -- except that at they wrote at least one song, found here, that is mindblowingly heavy for 1969!!!
This disc starts off with "Sad Harold", an electric blues number that while decent enough probably won't get anybody too excited. It definitely betrays nothing of the utterly ahead-of-its-time onslaught of psychedelic instro-sludge found on the flip, track two here, "Aere Perennius". A way HEAVY acid jam, man. Doubtless this one was influenced by Jimi Hendrix, but to us sounds more like freakin' Steel Pole Bathtub! If we were told this was a band from the early '90s on AmRep, we'd have believed it, except maybe during a breakdown halfway through when some vocals come in, briefly shouting in Latin and French. Simply astonishing, and worth the price of this disc to those of you obsessed, like us, with the early daze of the heavy. Following that, third up on the disc, is the not-quite-as-heavy "Stone Me", a song as groovy and stonery as you'd hope from the title. Reminds us maybe of Steppenwolf. The B-side to that wraps things up, a much mellower track called "Why Do You Cry" that is slow, sad and sweet, which Docdail manages quite nicely. Leaving us puzzled though... it would seem that Docdail didn't really "get it" (or their management/audiences didn't), 'cause otherwise why the heck wouldn't they have taken the incredible, extreme sound of "Aere Perennius" and run with it?? Maybe they scared themselves, who knows!
MPEG Stream: "Aere Perennius"

DOCK BOGGS Country Blues (Revenant) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Gorgeous package, bound like a hardcover book, from John Fahey's Revenant label, who haven't put out a less-then-stellar reissue yet. Gorgeous stark banjo and voice that runs chills up yr spine. From the sleeve notes: "Dock Boggs was a singer and banjo player who sounded as if his bones were coming through his skin every time he opened his mouth. In the mountains of eastern Kentucky/western Virginia in the 1920s he forged a highly personal music of such intensity it retains the power to shock seventy years after it was recorded.
"'[Boggs] set down a handful of performances so strangely demanding as to lead a listener to measure what he or she know of the American voice --any emblematic American voice, Huckleberry Finn's, Robert Johnson's, Franklin Roosevelt's, Barbara Jordan's-- against Boggs, to see if what one knew could pass his test. [He] created a small body of work so dissonant that like black gravity it can seem to suck into itself whatever music might be brought to bear upon it.' -Greil Marcus
"Includes 64 pages of text and rare photos. Over 60 minutes of music, including Bogg's 12 original 1927 and 1929 recordings, 5 never-before heard 1929 outtakes, and 4 1920s cuts by Boggs compatriots Bill and Hayes Shepherd."

DOCK BOGGS Country Blues (Revenant) 2lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on vinyl. Revenant has rivaled their CD issue with a deluxe double LP gatefoled edition. Gorgeous stark banjo and voice that runs chills up yr spine. From the sleeve notes: "Dock Boggs was a singer and banjo player who sounded as if his bones were coming through his skin every time he opened his mouth. In the mountains of eastern Kentucky/western Virginia in the 1920s he forged a highly personal music of such intensity it retains the power to shock seventy years after it was recorded.
"'[Boggs] set down a handful of performances so strangely demanding as to lead a listener to measure what he or she know of the American voice --any emblematic American voice, Huckleberry Finn's, Robert Johnson's, Franklin Roosevelt's, Barbara Jordan's-- against Boggs, to see if what one knew could pass his test. [He] created a small body of work so dissonant that like black gravity it can seem to suck into itself whatever music might be brought to bear upon it.' -Greil Marcus
"Includes 64 pages of text and rare photos. Over 60 minutes of music, including Bogg's 12 original 1927 and 1929 recordings, 5 never-before heard 1929 outtakes, and 4 1920s cuts by Boggs compatriots Bill and Hayes Shepherd."

DOCK BOGGS His Folkways Years 1963-1968 (Smithsonian Folkways) 2cd 16.98
"Dock Boggs only recorded 12 songs in the 1920s, but his raw, powerful singing and distinctive banjo-playing caused Harry Smith to include him in his Anthology of American Folk Music and Mike Seeger to search for him in the hills of Kentucky in 1963. A new series of recording sessions captured the 50 blues, instrumentals, regional and religious songs included on this two-CD set." Includes extensive notes by Mike Seeger and Barry O'Connell.

DOCKSTADER, TOD Aerial #1 (Sub Rosa) cd 14.98

DOCKSTADER, TOD Aerial #2 (Sub Rosa) cd 14.98

DOCKSTADER, TOD Aerial #3 (Sub Rosa) cd 14.98

DOCKSTADER, TOD Eight Electronic Pieces (Locust) cd 14.98
Along with the Rhythmania disc by J.D. Robb we recently reviewed, Locust has reissued on cd another example of early 'electronica', this 1961 Folkways LP by famed tape music pioneer Tod Dockstader, whose experiments in musique concrete and pure electronics are always lively and dramatic. The simply if accurately titled Eight Electronic Pieces is a work of abstract sonic theatre constructed from a large library of tape 'cells' -- 12,000 feet of tape in total -- sourced from recordings made both in the studio and out. All the noise and chaos of the big city (the Big Apple in this case) seems to be swept up in these compositions, with the tape speed manipulations corresponding to the flow of traffic, although little you hear is readily identifiable, even if evocative of the roar of a jet plane overhead, or animals in the wild. Most of the sounds are suggestive only of the pings and pongs and oscillations that they are. Laboratory Music you might call it. Laborious at any rate, when you think of the hours of craft and creativity that Dockstader devoted to works like this, sustained really by his own excitement at the possibilities inherent the genre he was helping to invent, wherein the role of the engineer (composer) utterly supercedes that of the not-now-so-necessary musicians. Listening to sound, and editing sound, replaces writing music (or becomes a way of 'writing' music). In other words, we wouldn't have, say, Matmos today without the likes of Tod Dockstader back when. But not only is his stuff, like Eight Electronic Pieces, worth checking out for historical reasons, it's gonna give your ears something to chew on that's still vital forty years later.
MPEG Stream: "Piece #3"
MPEG Stream: "Piece #6"

DOCKSTADER, TOD & LEE MYERS Pond (ReR MEGACORP) cd 14.98

DOCTOR MIX AND THE REMIX Wall Of Noise (Acute) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Can you improve on The Stooges' "No Fun"? No, but the combination of a really weird French guy, a primitive drum machine and incredibly distorted electric guitar is a good try! Eric Debris, leader of the seminal French synth-punk act Metal Urbain (and, subsequently, Metal Boys) also had a recording project in the late '70s/early '80s under the Doctor Mix And The Remix moniker. It was his solo project for (the most part) doing stripped-down, fucked-up cover versions of classics like "No Fun" and the Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself". The first Doctor Mix singles featured "versions" on the flip (included here) that are even more messed up. Those are all here along with the entire 1979 Wall Of Noise album, wherein songs by Bowie, The Seeds, the Velvet Underground (an amazing take on "Sister Ray"), Roxy Music and others are all operated on by Doctor Mix, who gives the original artists reason to sue for malpractice! A further Doctor Mix ep is included as well, with a few originals and, among other things, the perenial cover tune "Hey Joe". With Debris singing in Anglais with a snotty French accent, it's all kinda goofy but full of Gallic-punk charm. And if you didn't already check 'em out, we still have Acute's recent reissues of the Metal Urbain and Metal Boys albums in stock, both come highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "No Fun (single version)"
MPEG Stream: "Six Dreams"

DOCTOR ROCKIT D is for Doctor (Clear) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A full length to satiate those who loved his double 10" from last year. Doctor Rockit makes instrumental electro-influenced songs out of the kinds of sounds (bleeps and pings, cheese-grating, baby-cooing, Fred & Ernie, static) that others would only think to use as embellishment to something more standard. Original, delightful and exciting.

DOCTOR ROCKIT Indoor Fireworks (Lifelike) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Doctor Rockit a.k.a. Matthew Herbert releases his first full length in about 3 years. Like fellow electronic funsters Muziq, Luke Vibert, and the Aphex Twin, Doctor Rockit displays impressive ear for honest-to-gosh melodies, pure lightheartedness and lots of groove. And very much like AQ-faves Matmos, the Doctor makes genius use of simple everyday sounds sampled and looped to great percussive effect. Here we have samples of his dad's old Mini (before crashing it), running water, French cafes, etc. A delightful record. UK import.

DOCTOR ROCKIT Indoor Fireworks (Lifelike) 2lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Doctor Rockit a.k.a. Matthew Herbert releases his first full length in about 3 years. Like fellow electronic funsters Muziq, Luke Vibert, and the Aphex Twin, Doctor Rockit displays impressive ear for honest-to-gosh melodies, pure lightheartedness and lots of groove. And very much like AQ-faves Matmos, the Doctor makes genius use of simple everyday sounds sampled and looped to great percussive effect. Here we have samples of his dad's old Mini (before crashing it), running water, French cafes, etc. A delightful record. UK import.

DOCTOR ROCKIT The Music Of Sound (Clear) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

DOCTOR ROCKIT Unnecessary History (Accidental) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

DOCTOR WHO AT THE BBC RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP Volume 1: The Early Years, 1963-1969 (Mute) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've featured some BBC Radiophonic Workshop collections in the past, but these two discs are especially exciting as it's all music and sound effects from the cult British television show Doctor Who! Before we get into it, Doctor Who fanatics, please go easy on us. We're new to this whole Doctor Who thing (not me! says Doctor Who fan Allan). For one we only recently learned that the Doctor was not indeed named Doctor Who, but simply 'The Doctor' which then prompts the response "Doctor Who?". We know, we know... Anyway, our pal Jay Lesser introduced us to the wonderful world of Doctor Who, by lending us a massive load of Doctor Who DVD's and now we're hooked. So hooked that we had our friend Lynda record the NEW series for us and send them over as they aired. And while we know everyone has a favorite Doctor, and for us it was Tom Baker (maybe just because he was our first!) we have been pretty smitten with the NEW Doctor, Christopher Eccleston (Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, 24 Hour Party People). Unfortunately he only signed up for one season, and we've only gotten a brief glimpse of the new Doctor (that would be Doctor number 10!). Anyway, point is we've been all fired up about the new season, which features the same music, the same sound effects, but in a much more modern package. Still properly cheesy, but way more advanced. The important thing is all the classic sounds are there. It's part of what made the show so great. And makes the new version great too. When you hear the sound of the TARDIS landing, you get that familiar little chill. Part thrill part deja vu. And all those sounds are here on these two discs: the materialization of the TARDIS, creepy music for the Daleks, as well as loads of random sound effects and bits of incidental music, even multiple versions of the classic theme song (composed by BBC Radiophonic Workshop legend Delia Derbyshire)! So cool! Just listening to these has gotten us all excited to watch more Doctor Who. Volume One covers the early years, 1963-1969, while Volume Two is subtitled New Beginnings and covers the years 1970-1980. Doctor Who fanatics will no doubt probably already own these (or if not will buy them immediately without even reading the review), but anyone who loves weird sound effects and digs crazy sounds will love these. And even though they seem to be a bit of a hodgepodge of random sounds and snippets of music, they are a surprisingly cohesive and totally enjoyable listen! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!
MPEG Stream: "Doctor Who (Original Theme)"
MPEG Stream: "Tardis Takeoff ("An Unearthly Child")"
MPEG Stream: ""The Edge Of Destruction""

DOCTOR WHO AT THE BBC RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP Volume 2: New Beginnings, 1970-1980 (Mute) cd 21.00
We've featured some BBC Radiophonic Workshop collections in the past, but these two discs are especially exciting as it's all music and sound effects from the cult British television show Doctor Who! Before we get into it, Doctor Who fanatics, please go easy on us. We're new to this whole Doctor Who thing (not me! says Doctor Who fan Allan). For one we only recently learned that the Doctor was not indeed named Doctor Who, but simply 'The Doctor' which then prompts the response "Doctor Who?". We know, we know... Anyway, our pal Jay Lesser introduced us to the wonderful world of Doctor Who, by lending us a massive load of Doctor Who DVD's and now we're hooked. So hooked that we had our friend Lynda record the NEW series for us and send them over as they aired. And while we know everyone has a favorite Doctor, and for us it was Tom Baker (maybe just because he was our first!) we have been pretty smitten with the NEW Doctor, Christopher Eccleston (Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, 24 Hour Party People). Unfortunately he only signed up for one season, and we've only gotten a brief glimpse of the new Doctor (that would be Doctor number 10!). Anyway, point is we've been all fired up about the new season, which features the same music, the same sound effects, but in a much more modern package. Still properly cheesy, but way more advanced. The important thing is all the classic sounds are there. It's part of what made the show so great. And makes the new version great too. When you hear the sound of the TARDIS landing, you get that familiar little chill. Part thrill part deja vu. And all those sounds are here on these two discs: the materialization of the TARDIS, creepy music for the Daleks, as well as loads of random sound effects and bits of incidental music, even multiple versions of the classic theme song (composed by BBC Radiophonic Workshop legend Delia Derbyshire)! So cool! Just listening to these has gotten us all excited to watch more Doctor Who. Volume One covers the early years, 1963-1969, while Volume Two is subtitled New Beginnings and covers the years 1970-1980. Doctor Who fanatics will no doubt probably already own these (or if not will buy them immediately without even reading the review), but anyone who loves weird sound effects and digs crazy sounds will love these. And even though they seem to be a bit of a hodgepodge of random sounds and snippets of music, they are a surprisingly cohesive and totally enjoyable listen! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!
MPEG Stream: "TARDIS Control On And Warp Transfer ("Inferno")"
MPEG Stream: "Blue Veils And Golden Sands ("Inferno")"
MPEG Stream: "The Master's Theme ("The Mind Of Evil")"

DODDS, BABY Talking And Drum Solos (Unheard Music) cd 14.98

DODECAHEDRON s/t (Season Of Mist) cd 14.98
Armed with a seriously bad ass band name, these Dutch avant black metal merchants throw their hats into the gnarled dissonant experimental blackness ring alongside groups like Deathspell Omega and Katharsis, and do their best to up the ante, taking that sound we already dig so much and making it more twisted, more chaotic, more dense, more progged out, and to a degree pull it off.
The first track is all it should take, the opening a pounding wash of atonal riffage, and moody atmospheres, which soon explode into a furious white hot blast of buzz and howl, the opening atonal melody continuing on, drifting amides the dense swirl of sound, a sound so dense, that minus headphones it might be difficult to suss out exactly what's going on, which is a LOT. At one point the group add a layer of high end industrial skree, which sounds totally bizarre, but transforms the sound into something fucked up and geniusly far out. But that's only the first two minutes, the song splinters into a woozy psychedelic doomy breakdown, a swirling morass of intricate drumming, spidery minor key melodies, and some seriously bust, super melodic bass lines, not to mention some super dramatic crooned vocals, and then when the song explodes back into the black fray, it's like an anvil to the skull, and if anything, the sound emerges even more densely layered and complex. If you ever wondered what would happen if DSO were faster and more fucked up, well, this is most likely your answer. The second track is more of the same, a dizzying barely controlled chaos, ultra mathy and impossible intricate, some of the drumming utterly mind boggling, and the guitar playing not just fast and furious, but also super abstract, a torrent of twisted unlikely melodies and seriously warped chordal crush, all interspersed with some blown out black drones, industrial soundscapes, mysterious glitched out ambience, and other aural oddities.
Then there are tracks like "Vanitas" which finds the band slowing way down, and spitting out some seriously harsh abject doom, with processed alien sci-fi vox, swirling cinematic atmospheres, the vibe gloomy and depressive, but still the sound fantastically lush and blackly beautiful. The record finishes with a 22 minute three part epic, that fuses some classic metal riffing, with more of the groups impossibly gnarled blackness, managing to make much of it surprisingly catchy, or at least as catchy as stuff this fucked up and heavy can be. In fact the main riff of the first movement might be the catchiest chunk of black metal we've heard in ages. But over the next two parts, the sound slips easily from psychedelic slo-mo drift, to woozy black-prog, and from churning grim doom to epic, majestic and surprisingly catchy heaviness, the whole thing rife with insane bizarre and brilliantly fucked up guitar parts, and fractured calculus arrangements, the band fusing some serious (but still subtle) hooks with some absolutely crushing blackness. Definitely a new favorite, and absolutely recommended for fans of DSO, Katharsis, Antaeus, Ascension and all the rest, which is a whole lot of you!
MPEG Stream: "Allfather"
MPEG Stream: "I, Chronocrator"
MPEG Stream: "Vanitas"

DODGE, CHRIS / SOLMANIA / SPEEDRANCH Even Statics Vol. 1 (Evenstilte) cd 14.98
Now here is indeed a deliberately odd release... from the French/Japanese label that last brought us that Tabata und Guilty Connector collaboration comes an even more absurd team-up, a three-way remix-and-mismatch conjunction of the following international audio fiends: Chris Dodge (guitarist from the goofy American "fastcore" band Spazz), Solmania (Japanese noisician who builds his own mutant guitars), and the UK's DJ Speedranch (of Phantomsmasher and Speedranch & Jansky Noise). Three artists, from three continents (or islands near continents), all sharing a "what the heck, let's make some noise!" aesthetic.
Chris Dodge's dozen tracks are a blend of punk/metal and electronically-assisted, noisy chaos. Something along the lines of Melt Banana comes to mind. Then, Solmania's 11-minute "Ice Cream" is a crunkly, lurching, seasick soundscape of dirge, distortion and feedback. Lastly, Speedranch wraps things up with three tracks of distorted beat mayhem whose source material derives from both Chris Dodge's stuff earlier on the disc, and the Solmania album Trembling Tongues. Chaotic and crazed as you might imagine, Speedranch samples various spoken non-sequiturs and sci-fi fx into something along the lines of what we used to call "industrial" music before the rise of the DJ.
For some (the more serious-minded?), the more textural Solmania track will be the stand-out, for others who love low-attention-span-spazz the Dodge and Speedranch constructions will be the real ear-ticklers. A pleasantly maddening experience for fans of all forms of severe noise-fuckery.
MPEG Stream: CHRIS DODGE "39 Steps"
MPEG Stream: CHRIS DODGE "Bub"
MPEG Stream: SOLMANIA "Ice Cream"
MPEG Stream: SPEEDRANCH "Begin To Eat It"

DODHEIMSGARD 666 International (Moonfog) cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Black metal from Norway, taking the weird path previously explored by the likes of Arcturus, Solefald and Borknagar...piano is often as important as guitars, and clearly they've been listening to a lot of drum n' bass type stuff. Members of various famous bands participate.

DODHEIMSGARD Satanic Art (Moonfog) cdep 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Leaving aside the question of whether it really is "satanically artful" to have your record cover adorned with a stopaction photo of a pole vaulter in motion, we can say that musically this is a very weird Norwegian black metal ep. Pianoswoon, devilish samples, goofy babbling and of course metalevil constitute this disc's highlights, and although the total running time of this ep is only 13 minutes, we can say that it is worth it to fans of bizarre and sinister bands like Solefald, Arcturus, and Emperor.

DODHEIMSGARD Supervillain Outcast (Moonfog) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Vendetta Assassin"
MPEG Stream: "The Snuff Dreams Are Made Of"
MPEG Stream: "21st Century Devil"

DODOS All Night b/w Horns (French Kiss) 7" 4.98
It's been a few weeks since the madness and fun of Record Store Day, but actually there were a few intended-for-Record-Store-Day releases that were delayed, and are only now, luckily, falling into our laps.
Here's one, a shredding 7" from local heroes The Dodos that just arrived and hooo boy we're happy that it has, as these are two of the most rocking and raw tracks from these guys that we've ever heard. Both tracks are previously unreleased and show how great these guys are at crafting impassioned and driving songs, so focused and so ecstatic. What's extra cool about these songs is they are a bit less produced and shiny than their albums, showing that this is indeed a band that sounds just as good raw and rugged as lush and orchestrated. Makes us so excited to see these guys play and experience all this frenetic sonic energy live. Grab one of these while they last! LIMITED NUMBERED EDITION!

DODOS No Color (French Kiss) cd 13.98
The Dodos continue to remain one of the most immediate and satisfying voices to rise above the crowded indie rock scene. With each subsequent record they've built on what came before, pushing it a little further every time, their sound becoming more fleshed out and fully realized, and the songs just getting better and better.
With their last outing, Time To Die, Dodos showed they could make a record that kept their frenetic energy but also really raised the bar on their songwriting capacity. On No Color, they've made an album that so perfectly melds their unique ability to sound so urgent while also being rife with such lush melodic layers, unique time changes, incredible guitar shredding, and powerful percussion, all of which really makes their songs sound like sonic marching orders to get through the mundane of the every day.
There is an epic nature to these tracks, as Dodos have the rare ability to make a four minute song sound so big and wide in scope, yet still remain grounded by an intimacy that shines through it all. It doesn't hurt that their pal Neko Case joined them on many of these songs. Alongside Pinback, they stand as one of the most substantial and engaging indie rock bands around!
MPEG Stream: "Black Night"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Try And Hide It"
MPEG Stream: "Good"

DODOS No Color (French Kiss) lp 17.98
The Dodos continue to remain one of the most immediate and satisfying voices to rise above the crowded indie rock scene. With each subsequent record they've built on what came before, pushing it a little further every time, their sound becoming more fleshed out and fully realized, and the songs just getting better and better.
With their last outing, Time To Die, Dodos showed they could make a record that kept their frenetic energy but also really raised the bar on their songwriting capacity. On No Color, they've made an album that so perfectly melds their unique ability to sound so urgent while also being rife with such lush melodic layers, unique time changes, incredible guitar shredding, and powerful percussion, all of which really makes their songs sound like sonic marching orders to get through the mundane of the every day.
There is an epic nature to these tracks, as Dodos have the rare ability to make a four minute song sound so big and wide in scope, yet still remain grounded by an intimacy that shines through it all. It doesn't hurt that their pal Neko Case joined them on many of these songs. Alongside Pinback, they stand as one of the most substantial and engaging indie rock bands around!
MPEG Stream: "Black Night"
MPEG Stream: "Don't Try And Hide It"
MPEG Stream: "Good"

DODOS Time To Die (French Kiss) cd 13.98
Long gone are the days when Meric Long's sweet vocals and talented songwriting skills were just our little secret. After carrying his debut self released cd-r from a few years back, Meric has merged his forces into creating one of the most refreshing and rewarding bands in the modern indie-pop landscape. The Dodos have proven to be a force to be reckoned with, their record from last year, Visiter, launched them into the stratosphere and rewarded them with a whole new and very large fan base. Which was well deserved considering that Visiter was most definitely the sound of a band finding their sound, everything falling into place perfectly, passion, hooks and creative instrumentation. Time To Die finds the band sounding even more assured with a refined sound that is pretty darn irresistible. Like a more effervescent Built To Spill, The Dodos create songs that have maximum mix-tape potency, every song here a gem, really not a wasted moment or a throwaway track anywhere to be found. While not many of today's indie rock bands really do it for us, The Dodos are a shining exception!
MPEG Stream: "Two Medicines"
MPEG Stream: "Fables"
MPEG Stream: "Time To Die"

DODOS Time To Die (French Kiss) lp 17.98
Long gone are the days when Meric Long's sweet vocals and talented songwriting skills were just our little secret. After carrying his debut self released cd-r from a few years back, Meric has merged his forces into creating one of the most refreshing and rewarding bands in the modern indie-pop landscape. The Dodos have proven to be a force to be reckoned with, their record from last year, Visiter, launched them into the stratosphere and rewarded them with a whole new and very large fan base. Which was well deserved considering that Visiter was most definitely the sound of a band finding their sound, everything falling into place perfectly, passion, hooks and creative instrumentation. Time To Die finds the band sounding even more assured with a refined sound that is pretty darn irresistible. Like a more effervescent Built To Spill, The Dodos create songs that have maximum mix-tape potency, every song here a gem, really not a wasted moment or a throwaway track anywhere to be found. While not many of today's indie rock bands really do it for us, The Dodos are a shining exception!
MPEG Stream: "Two Medicines"
MPEG Stream: "Fables"
MPEG Stream: "Time To Die"

DODOS, THE Beware Of The Maniacs (self-released) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now On Vinyl!
Meric Long, the man behind The Dodos, was calling his band The Dodo Bird for a spell, which just so happened to be the title of his debut cd-r release which we carried earlier this year (which was billed as a Meric Long album). Now they go by the abbreviated The Dodos. Confused? Well, all you need to remember is that Meric Long along with percussionist Logan Kroeber are The Dodos. Their engaging music makes keeping them in mind and heart as easy as pie!
As far as we can tell unlike their namesake they are neither feathered and flightless nor extinct. In fact, from the sounds of this, their first full length cd, these Dodos are flourishing, blossoming, ready to take flight. With his contemplative lyrics, terrific songwriting and rich arrangements of vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, percussion and... trombone(!), Long more than makes good on the impressive promise he showed on his debut. Throughout the proceedings he exudes a warm charm and confidence and an occasional willingness to gently nudge the boundaries of the acoustic folk singer/songwriter terrain. Jeff Mangum and John Darnielle, set a place at the table for The Dodos!
MPEG Stream: "Beards"
MPEG Stream: "The Ball"

DODOS, THE Visiter (French Kiss) cd 13.98
It's really exciting to be digging a band just as they are hitting their special 'moment in time.' Such is the case with San Francisco's The Dodos. We've been championing the work of Meric Long for the last couple years with his self-released records, released under his given name, also as The Dodo Birds and finally as The Dodos. With Visiter, The Dodos are no longer our little secret, as the rest of the world has finally taken notice of Meric and Logan Kroeber and their fantastic debut for French Kiss. We love when every once in a while a band who truly deserves the hype and press, actually gets it. From the opening seconds of this record you can hear and feel that this is a record that they poured all of themselves into. Their is an immediacy and urgency in Visiter that draws you right in and makes you want to listen again and again.
The instrumentation is so well thought out and the recording keeps things punchy and tight but never too glossy or slick. We hear the influence of recent Animal Collective, the rich back catalog of the Elephant Six collective, Polvo, the more rocking elements of Vetiver and we also are reminded a lot of a way underrated band from Boston from the late '90s / early '00s called The Wicked Farleys (yes bad name but they were so rad!)
What really sets The Dodos apart from the indie rock herd is what a great vocalist Meric Long is, he has a truly beautiful voice that he isn't afraid to actually USE, but is also never too precious with, even occasionally letting out some exhilarating screams as well. And while other bands who have a great vocalist usually lack, and tend to bore with their instrumentation, The Dodos truly have the entire package. Musically they are so charged and varied, creating sounds that get you to stand tall at attention as they make your heart beat a bit faster and give you goosebumps. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Red And Purple"
MPEG Stream: "Paint The Rust"
MPEG Stream: "The Season"

DODOS, THE (DODO BIRD) Beware Of The Maniacs (self-released) cd 12.98
Meric Long, the man behind Dodo Bird, is now calling his band Dodo Bird, which just so happened to be the title of his debut cd-r release which we carried earlier this year (which was billed as a Meric Long album). Confused? Just get this, that Meric Long along with percussionist Logan Kroeber are now Dodo Bird, but as far as we can tell unlike their namesake they are neither feathered and flightless nor extinct. In fact, from the sounds of this, their first full length cd, this Dodo Bird is flourishing, blossoming, ready to take flight. With his contemplative lyrics, terrific songwriting and rich arrangements of vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, percussion and... trombone(!), Long more than makes good on the impressive promise he showed on his debut. Throughout the proceedings he exudes a warm charm and confidence and an occasional willingness to gently nudge the boundaries of the acoustic folk singer/songwriter terrain. Jeff Mangum and John Darnielle, set a place at the table for Dodo Bird!
MPEG Stream: "Beards"
MPEG Stream: "The Ball"

DODSFERD Denying With Arrogance Your Pathetic Existence (Years Of Pure Hatred And Disgust) (Inferna Profundis) cd 13.98
Dodsferd are another black metal band that we all dig, but that has somehow managed to remain unlisted and unreviewed, until now.
This one man band from Greece, personifies misanthropy and hate, misery and total disdain for humanity. Just have a look at the liner notes: "Dodsfred does not belong to any kind of scene! No begging for anything! Support nothing, no-one should need anything from no-one! Dodsferd is Wrath and Wrath is Dosferd, no compromise, no respect for anything at all! Dodsferd is an ideal, a philosophy that only wrath stands for! Ignorance is the ultimate gift to your stupidity! I feel nothing for you leeches, you are a big nothing and you know it! I am getting stronger and stronger everyday! I am becoming sicker and sicker everyday with your pathetic existence and stupidity! Your incompetence makes me puke! Make a favor to yourselves and suicide! Bastard sons following ridiculous shepherds!"
And the music is appropriately hateful and harsh. The record begins with some sort of evil incantation, some dark ritual, minor key guitars drifting through black clouds of blackened shimmer, and a harsh rasp, reciting some sort of unholy prayer, and then the metal kicks in and we're into some seriously raw old school thrashing blackness, so stripped down it's almost crusty and punky more than metal, fans of Akitsa and Ash Pool and Malveillance and Bone Awl will definitely dig. But then Dodsferd launches into something much more bleak and black, a lurching midtempo Burzumic dirge, all minor key and miserable, before lurching into a full on blackened blast, chaotic and frenzied and fierce as fuck, that spills over into the next song, another thrashing chunk of black hate, all blast beats and buzzing riffage.
Denying With Arrogance is actually an older demo, recorded in 2004, and available briefly in 2007 as a split with Ganzmord, now finally available on its own, in all it's hateful black glory, with the 4 tracks from the original demo, plus a killer live track, ultra raw and necro and brutal, and a live Burzum cover, appropriately heavy and blown out and super distorted.
And as if the liner notes didn't convince you that Dodsferd indeed despised you, there's a note in the special thanks: "A big fuck-off to all those who tried to gain power and respect from my ideal! Retarded people! For another time, a big "go fuck yourselves and die" to all those who tried to take advantage of the name of my band and gain things that they didn't deserve! Losers and parasites! Go hide in your shit holes again!"
MPEG Stream: "Dodsferd"
MPEG Stream: "Pale Forests Sing For The Dead"

DOE / ESO STEEL / BIRCHVILLE CAT MOTEL Gallery 4 - 6 (20 City) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
20 City Records presents a trio of sound artists for their second release. Doe produces bass heavy drones with subtle melodic repititions woven into the ashen tapestry of sound, that sounds like Maeror Tri / Troum at a much slower speed. Eso Steel presents subtle sampled droning loops topped with tiny feedback events and metal scrapings for a interesting fusion of the synthetic and the organic much like Hazard. Birchville Cat Motel is the only previously known entity for this album with a few records of nauseating high-end squallor. Here, the New Zealand outfit presents more of a tone float improvisation for guitar, violin, and some kind of distorted toy synthesizer. Not unlike the latest Total / Sunroof work. Nice.

DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? You Have No Idea what your Getting Yourself Into (Virgin) cd 13.98
Oh how we wanted to hate this band. The hype. The blogs. The cheeky name. The fact that they were signed to a huge record deal based on two MySpace tracks. We're sure there are more reasons, but for now that's plenty. The glut of total dancey electronic bullshit, overhyped blog-house, it's killing us. Not to sound like old men, but remember when bands played instruments and wrote songs, and spent months, maybe years working on albums, recorded in studios? Yeah, we don't either actually.
But fuck it, we wanted to hate it, but it would be foolish not to just accept the fact that this record rules. We can't stop listening to it. The opener is a dancefloor destroying banger. Huge fuzzy synths, lots of squelch and grind and buzz, tearing a page straight out of Justice's playbook and scribbling all over it with dayglo crayons. But that's the only track on the record that sounds like that. The rest of the disc is all over the map, angular dancepunk, total cotton candy synth pop, and in fact, most of the disc is much more song-y, verses choruses, crunchy guitars pounding drums, wild howled vocals, and HOOKS everywhere. But fear not synthies, there is still plenty of electronic weirdness and synth overload, but that stuff is deftly woven into actual songs.
The second track is a killer as well, super grindy guitars, funky propulsive drumming, howled vocals, super proggy arrangements, swirling synths, dense and heavy, but still funky and groovy. The next track veers back a bit toward the vibe of the opener, but this time it's all vocodered Kraftwerk worship, peppered with sweeping synth buzz and funky cowbell, and a pretty irresistible hook.
Our favorite right now (although it changes every time we listen to it) is probably "Dawn Of The Dead", a total eighties pop jam. Sounding like it came straight out of a John Hughes movie, soaring and bubblegummy, big guitars lush harmonies, it's dangerously close to being too cheesy, but it's just so fucking awesome.
Later there are some surfy carnival organ jams, more eighties technopop, some unabashed total Daft Punk worship, some angular jangle guitar artpunk, flecked with skittery drum machines, and a massive hook filled chorus, the record is almost so scattered that it threatens to be a total mess, but somehow, the songs all sort of fit together, forming some dizzying sugar rush of technicolor techno flecked pop punk synth fuzz bliss.
We're gonna go blog about it. Right now (ummm, not really, just kidding, we SWEAR...). Though maybe this comes close.
MPEG Stream: "Battle Royale"
MPEG Stream: "With A Heavy Heart (I Regret To Inform You)"
MPEG Stream: "Dawn Of The Dead"

DOF if more than twenty people laugh, it wasn't funny (Highpoint Lowlife) cd 11.98
A bedroom electronica record that combines warm, pastoral interweaving guitars with sweet fingerpicking on acoustic guitar mixed with gentle clicks and whirrs, melodic and soothing yet just glitchy and quietly manic enough to add some texture and grit to the organic lushness. Emotional, melancholy chord changes. Like Papa M or Sonna meets Mouse on Mars and Oval. Yep, it's that pretty!
MPEG Stream: "derail in dream"
MPEG Stream: "two times two makes five is such a charming concept"

DOG s/t (Autopsy Kitchen) 3"cd 5.98
Elsewhere on this list you'll find a kick ass split 7" featuring dueling Hungarian hordes Marblebog and Vorkuta. This 3"s cd is the work of a group called simply DOG, which just so happens to feature the mainmen from both Vorkuta and Marblebog, teaming up to create some of the most twisted damaged and fucked up primitive black thrash EVER. Really. It's says "recordead in miasmatic moors under a puss moon" and we believe it.
The record starts off with some cool harmonized guitars, a super catchy riff that sounds like a lo-fi Melvins or maybe Torche, but then with a grunt, the song splinters into a super lo-fi blast of stumbling chaotic blackness, the drums simple and almost stumbling, the guitars raw and punky, and then the vocals, holy shit, completely insane and over the top, grunted and howled, a bit Cookie Monster, a bit like the deep voiced rapper from Hawd Gangstuh Rappuhs MC's Wid Ghatz, or maybe Abruptum or Vondur at their most twisted and tweaked, adds a whole other level of whatthefuck to the lumbering blasting thrashy black chaos underneath. Consider us blown away. We bow before the Carrion responsible for this insanity. It didn't take long at all for DOG and their Ancient Crypt Metal to be inducted into our pantheon of fucked up black metal genius, SOOOOOOO recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Ghoul"
MPEG Stream: "Troop Of Zombies 2"

DOG FACED HERMANS Hum Of Life (Mississippi Records) lp 13.98

DOG FACED HERMANS Mental Blocks For All Ages (Mississippi Records) lp 13.98

DOG LEATHER Bad Poet Society / Snap That Shit Off (Ormolycka) 7" 6.98
So far, the only thing we've reviewed on the awesome Ormolycka label, run by aQ pal Jason, was the cassette version of Liturgy's Renihilation, the one that featured a bad ass Liturgy jungle remix courtesy of our very own Andee. But we do carry everything else on the label, we just get such limited copies, they never make it onto the list, tapes by Pistol Disko, Anthro Rex, Synt.Tofs, Shams, M Ax Noi Mach, Modern Witch, Dubknowdub, GDFX, Pushups, Diamond Black Hearted Boy, A Magic Whistle, Juiceboxx, Frak, Narwhalz, Death Grips, Pictureplane, Kalambya Sisters and more! Phew. Ormolycka has also just started doing 7"s, the first two of which we have in stock, and we've go just enough to list!
Don't know much about the oddly named Dog Leather, other than they follow in the footsteps of other snotty white rappers like the aQ beloved Hawd Gankstuh Rappuh Emsees Wid Ghatz. Whiney and bratty, but the music changes everything, on the A side it's a killer lo-fi / hip hop tripout, all low slung, echoey and distorted, stripped down and super rhythmic, noisy groovy and distorted, sounding almost like hip hop via Animal Collective or Wavves or something. The flipside is all dubbed out, boomin' system low rider style, still fucked up and lo-fi and a bit electro, but way more banging, while Dog Leather flow over the top.
Limited of course, and pressed on fancy gold vinyl!

DOGTOWN - THE LEGEND OF THE Z-BOYS (Burning Flags Press) book 27.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Meant as a companion to the same-named documentary film, this book features photographs by Craig Stecyk and Glen Friedman (who has exhibited photos here at AQ). These two were as close to the Zephyr skate and surf teams, who changed the skateboarding world with their aggressive style, as you could get: they were an intrinsic part of the scene, they were friends with Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams, etc. These visual documents are their lasting contribution to skate culture. More than just photos of rad pool and street skating, the book includes insider's-glimpse portraits of the Z-boys living the life, smokin' joints, throwin' paint -- proving the oft-quoted point that "they were more like a street gang than a skate team." Also includes super interesting articles written by Stecyk for Skateboarder magazine from '75 to '79. Really cool! Recommended.
Hardcover, 8" x 8", 200+ pages.