EVERGREEN TERRACE Sincerity Is An Easy Disguise In This Business (Eulogy) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Dogfight"
MPEG Stream: "I Can See my House From Here"

EVERGREEN TERRACE Wolfbiker (Metal Blade) cd 14.98

EVERGREEN TERRACE Writers Block (Eulogy) cd 14.98
Okay, I know how fun it is to play covers. How could it not be? You get to actually play those songs you air guitar-ed to as a child or danced along with in the mirror. You dreamed about this day and now it's finally here. That said, sometimes recorded covers leave you a bit cold, either wanting to hear the originals, or in the case of Evergreen Terrace, wishing that there was actually an extreme metal band that really sounds like this all the time -- that writes -real- songs. Not just chugging riffy chaotic craziness (not that we don't love that stuff) but songs with actual verses, and choruses and hooks, without losing any of the ferocity. But as far as covers records go this one is pretty frigging awesome. The band's age (younger than us) is evident in some of the song choices, but they all end up sounding great. Highlights: Michael Sembello's "Maniac" (you know, the theme from Flashdance) gets turned into a thrashing monster. Smashing Pumpkins' "Zero" sounds a lot like the original but with WAY more firepower. Tears For Fears' "Mad World" (recently redone on the Donnie Darko soundtrack), becomes a ferocious chugging epic, with a massive half time mosh underneath that oh so familiar chorus. Not sure how many of you remember the song "Stars" by the band Hum, but it was an uncharacteristically complex song that somehow found itself all over MTV for a while, with massive pauses, and bizarre stop/starts and heavy riffs, tailor made for a metalcore overhaul. Sounds like it could be an Evergreen Terrace original. And then there's a pretty kick ass version of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday"! Fun and funny, but you'll still find yourself singing/thrashing along. The rest of the record is filled out with songs by Sponge, Operation Ivy, the Offspring, NOFX and one original. Good stuff and definitely a fun stopgap until the new record. But still, where is THAT band, heavy as fuck, crushing and totally brutal, with songs like we heard on the radio when we were kids and that stick in your head for years? If it doesn't exist, it sure as hell oughtta! This record sort shows that it could be done...
MPEG Stream: "Mad World"
MPEG Stream: "Maniac"

EVERLASTING ARMS, THE s/t (self-released) lp 9.98
These Everlasting Arms embrace (sorry for the pun, we couldn't resist) the moody angularities of post punk. Some of the more shadowy, dramatic, tumultuous moments brings to mind the awesome but dearly departed SF band Pleasure Forever, while others project a more straightforward rock-ness. Propulsive, occasionally explosive and mathy with angstful male vocals that you would guess comes from SoCal (think: ThreeOneG or Gold Standard Labs). Pressed on vinyl the color of popcorn Jelly Bellys (pale swirly yellow) with sleeves hand-silkscreened by the band themselves.

EVERLOVELY LIGHTNINGHEART Cusp (Double H Noise Industries) cd 14.98
We'd been hearing about this band for ages. But had no real idea what to expect. This was most definitely not it.
Everlovely Lightningheart are a 3 piece (or 14 piece if you count all the contributors) ensemble, whose debut has somehow found its way to Hydra Head imprint Double H Noise Industries. That distinction is most definitely important in this case, so all you Hydra Head geeks expecting more Isis / Pelican / Old Man Gloom can relax, sit back, throw on the headphones and prepare for a distinctly unheavy, but beautifully fucked up sonic experience.
It's one slow growing 40 minute track, that is all over the map sonically, never getting heavy, in fact there are no RIFFS here, this is abstract free noise, but most of the noise is of the subtle subdued variety. ELLH would most certainly be at home on Kranky, Celebrate Psi Phenomenon, PseudoArcana, or any one of a hundred microlabels who have been unfurling gentle abstract soundscapes.
Everlovely cover a lot of ground in 40 minutes, most of the time is spent drifting lazily through slow shifting fields of ethereal sound, ever lovely indeed. A reverb drenched piano plays some sort of dirgey ballad before dissipating into chimes and tinkling bells, which are quickly smoothed out into an abstract lowercase drift. Soon buzzing steel strings and squealing sine waves join the fray, becoming some sort of otherworldly Appalachia. The rest of the record is like strolling through little sonic vignettes, from clattery percussive workouts, to lilting dreamlike melodies, to some fuzzy muted metallic guitar, to soundscapes of keening strings and delicate chimes, it's all quite beautiful, an incredibly compelling listen, but definitely the kind of soundwork that requires the listener to -really- listen to truly appreciate everything that is going on. Sometime it's foolish to list all the instruments used on a record, but with music like this, it's as much about the instruments as it is the players: accordion, various metals, a creosote bush, exhaust pipe, receivers, bass, acoustic guitar, microphone, metal bucket, blood, wood, piano, rivers, springs, sheet metal, distortion pedals, cymbals, hand made harp, drums, skin, jars full of liquid, broken glass, bells, a boot, tin cans, frying pan, record player, broken clarinet, harmonica, megaphone firecrackers, xylophone, as well as objects and IDEAS like a feather, ghosts, gasping for life, jars full of memories, breathing, dragon's blood, bat wing, icicles, monsoons, scars, bullets, thoughts, trains and more. Phew. Recorded in a monastery's barn, the dead end of a tunnel, a train station, various abandoned rooms, hallways and basements and the desert. Sounds like it too!
Packaged in a striking gatefold with a dense animal collage cover, each disc comes with a hand sewn booklet.
MPEG Stream: "Cusp"

EVERWINTER Final Victory (Antinomian) cd 11.98

EVERY MOVE A PICTURE Heart = Weapon (V2) cd 13.98
Heads up! Better late than never, Every Move A Picture have arrived with their V2 debut album. Their pouty boy vocals, '80s synths, crunchy guitars and butt-shakin' beat are all primed and ready to out-Faint The Faint, out-Killers The Killers and... aw, you get the picture, doncha? They do a mighty fine job of it too. Nothing you haven't heard before, but well-written and slickly executed, and pretty much guaranteed to get the kids on the dancefloor.
MPEG Stream: "Mission Bell"
MPEG Stream: "The Best Is On The Outside"

EVERY MOVE A PICTURE Signs Of Life (Diyorelse) cd ep 6.98
Combine equal doses of Brit pop (Pulp, Supergrass and Blur) and danse-punque (The Faint, Franz Ferdinand) and maybe a dash of Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" for good measure, and what do you get? Well, not quite a mojito, but more like the debut EP from this new SF band! Five sleek, stylishly coiffed, appealingly infectious songs composed of all the ingredients for a good time -- lanky electric guitars, arpeggiated bleep-blops and synth strings, cocky (we assume faux?) Britboy vocals and an omnipresent thumpin' beat. Sure to fit very nicely alongside those bands mentioned above as well as current hip bands like Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. After just one listen, I could already tell this'll make for some great dancin' and drivin' music (and I don't even drive!).
MPEG Stream: "Signs Of Life"
MPEG Stream: "Chemical Burns"

EVERY TIME I DIE Gutter Phenomenon (Ferret) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Apocalypse Now And Then"
MPEG Stream: "Kill The Music"

EVERY TIME I DIE Last Night In Town (Ferret Music) cd 13.98
More amazing New York metalcore. Every Time I die play ultra heavy metal (very little 'core to be found here) with weird time signatures and off kilter rhythms. While their sound is similar to their contemporaries (Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye, Coalesce) they add really cool Deftones-style clean vocals and super catchy melodies which sound really great (and weird) surfacing occasionally between the screaming vocals and monstrous riffs.
RealAudio clip: "Emergency Broadcast Syndrome"
RealAudio clip: "Jimmy Tango's Method"

EVERY TIME I DIE The Big Dirty (Ferret Music) cd 15.98

EVERYDAY LONELINESS An Error In Judgement (Ekhein) cassette 5.98

EVERYTHING BUT THE GARGOYLE Four Flies On Grey Velvet (Panaxis) cd-r 9.98
Everything But The Gargoyle is a new project spearheaded by San Francisco's Ferrara Brain Pan and fellow Californian Kyra Pixy. Working under the guise of Forms Of Things Unknown, Ferrara has previously mustered occult atmospheres with plenty of nods to Nurse With Wound, Coil, and even some Ryoji Ikeda through an ever intriguing mixture of bass clarinet, electronics, bowed psaltry, and then some. His uneasy and evocative sound design pairs with the breathy cooing of Kyra Pixy, who's reciting the poetry of one G. James Wyrick. The nature of the lyrics is somewhat obscured by the breathy nature of Pixy's delivery, although a pretty good guess would land this somewhere in the supernatural horror and the oblique gothic. The arrangements are well suited to these themes, with martial overtures of slow motion drums lumbering behind eerie reeds that hold the apocalyptic mysticism that Coil achieved on Horse Rotovator many years ago. On other tracks, a slinky noir approach is taken, with the clarinets matching a smokey Barry Adamson / Angelo Badalamenti vibe, making for a brief 4 track ep that's well done and certainly a teaser for a future full-length recording.
MPEG Stream: "Susto"
MPEG Stream: "The Hum Of Blood"

EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Back to Mine (Ultra) cd 14.98
Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn of EBTG reveal their "chillout" mix as their contribution to the Back To Mine series. Stuff they play includes cuts from DJ Cam, Carl Craig, Beth Orton, and The Roots.

EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Walking Wounded (Atlantic) cd 15.98
Ben Watt isn't looking too healthy on the cover. Hmm. Mixes from Todd Terry, Springheel Jack, and others. Whether you think the 'jungle' beats are (a) cool, subtle & mellow or (b) irreparably watered-down in deference to the so-called mainstream's palate (I would say -b- but Cathy thinks it's great record = -a-, so here we are), should EBTG be commended for recognizing the beauty of the new beats?

EVIL MADNESS Super Great Love (Editions Mego) cd 16.98
Now available on cd!!
To look at the personnel line-up of Evil Madness, you probably wouldn't know what to expect. There's the melancholy composer Johann Johannsson with a number of acclaimed cinematic records on 4AD. There's the bleak-minded drone specialist BJ Nilsen and his long-time collaborators Stillupsteypa. And there's another Icelander dude named Petur Eyvindsson, who has some oddball releases under the name DJ Musician. Given that, the punchy discotheque grooves of Evil Madness are way out of left-field and totally great. Italo disco, minimal wave / EMB, anthemic Detroit techno circa 1988, John Carpenter's paranoiac synth arpeggiations, lots of analogue synth worship, and pre-fab electronic beats all come together underneath the stoic yet tongue-in-cheek banner of Evil Madness. We suspect that Sigtryggur from Stilluppsteypa has quite a lot to do with this one, given the electro-breaks that would occasionally slap in the face of his seriously minded crackled dronemuzik; no matter who's responsible, both sides of Super Great Love are brilliantly hedonistic mash-ups of vintage synth stabs, stupidly good anthemic electronic melodies, and plenty cybernetic Moroder sequences, spiralling upon techno, disco, and electro rhythms. Super Great Love is actually the fourth record by Evil Madness, with their other releases coming out through the poorly distributed 12 Tonar label and the dada-fetish imprint Ultra Eczema, so this album on Editions Mego should garner a broader audience for Evil Madness. Fans of Majeure, Umberto, K-X-P, and the Oneohtrix Point Never sideproject Games would be well served to check this out!
MPEG Stream: "Divine Sensual Love Fantasy"
MPEG Stream: "Cafe Eindhoven"
MPEG Stream: "Maxim's Goldfinger"
MPEG Stream: "Stundin Okkar"

EVIL MADNESS Super Great Love (Editions Mego) lp 21.00
To look at the personnel line-up of Evil Madness, you probably wouldn't know what to expect. There's the melancholy composer Johann Johannsson with a number of acclaimed cinematic records on 4AD. There's the bleak-minded drone specialist BJ Nilsen and his long-time collaborators Stillupsteypa. And there's another Icelander dude named Petur Eyvindsson, who has some oddball releases under the name DJ Musician. Given that, the punchy discotheque grooves of Evil Madness are way out of left-field and totally great. Italo disco, minimal wave / EMB, anthemic Detroit techno circa 1988, John Carpenter's paranoiac synth arpeggiations, lots of analogue synth worship, and pre-fab electronic beats all come together underneath the stoic yet tongue-in-cheek banner of Evil Madness. We suspect that Sigtryggur from Stilluppsteypa has quite a lot to do with this one, given the electro-breaks that would occasionally slap in the face of his seriously minded crackled dronemuzik; no matter who's responsible, both sides of Super Great Love are brilliantly hedonistic mash-ups of vintage synth stabs, stupidly good anthemic electronic melodies, and plenty cybernetic Moroder sequences, spiralling upon techno, disco, and electro rhythms. Super Great Love is actually the fourth record by Evil Madness, with their other releases coming out through the poorly distributed 12 Tonar label and the dada-fetish imprint Ultra Eczema, so this album on Editions Mego should garner a broader audience for Evil Madness (they'll be releasing a cd version eventually too). Fans of Majeure, Umberto, K-X-P, and the Oneohtrix Point Never sideproject Games would be well served to check this out!

EVIL MOISTURE / HANATARASH Fatanarchy On Airtube (Harbinger / Tochnit Aleph) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If we told Hanatarash fans that this new cd WASN'T chock full of totally insane, random, chaotic noise, they'd be disappointed. So -- don't worry, no disappointment! The first release from Boredoms leader Eye Yamantaka's noise project Hanatarash in many moons (10 years?) is finally here, and it's a collaboration with UK noise artist Evil Moisture, aka Andy Bolus, who's based now in France and has quite a few cassettes and cds of extremely difficult listening under his belt. Together (and you can't tell who's doing what) they've produced 35 brief tracks of ear-hole destroying noise, somewhat in the style of Hanatarash 4: Aids-a-delic from 1994. It's a crazy collage of cut-up sounds, some snippets of recognizable "music" sprinkled amidst a heckuva lot of distorted turntable and microphone abuse, whooshing groaning screaming overload that just keeps on keepin' on, an endless barrage with no discernible structure, noises constantly morphing into some new noises but never making any sense. It's a bit like the sounds you might imagine some truly nightmarish Rube Goldberg device might make. And you've gotta love the "song" titles: "Never Mind The Overdosing", "Fingertip Believer", "Atomichy in the LSD", "Bank Punks / Noise Bank"... Also this includes "covers" of songs by both Survivor and The Exploited, supposedly. Limited edition of 500 copies by the way.
MPEG Stream: "Sleepwalking Guaide Book At Ohio"
MPEG Stream: "track 34"

EVIL OCEAN s/t (Old Scientist Records) cd-r 9.98
To begin with, there's already something special about bands from New Zealand, whether they're making eccentric indie pop or droned-out experimental noise, we like ourselves a lot of NZ music! So this band Evil Ocean, from Auckland, already has that going for them. But then add in the fact that they're flat-out obsessed with music from another of our favorite locales, Finland, specifically what our friends in Circle like to call NWOFHM, and what do you get? A really, really awesome and unclassifiable album indeed. Krauty confusional garagey distorted DIY doom metal new wave soundtrack music? Maybe we can call it NWONZHM??
Apart from several interludes of eerie, abstract weirdness, the disc mostly consists of some fairly blown-out, rockin' songs, which are ALSO weird as all heck though. These tracks are full of thick fuzz guitar, churning riffage riding the rinky-dink ticky-tock of the manic, machine-sounding percussion. Other ingredients include dramatic female vocals and gnarlier, sneering male vox (rising into a falsetto at times), plenty of effects and sci-fi synth sounds everywhere, tons o' fuzz (we mentioned that already), spooky suspenseful bits, metallic gallop, industrial clank, seasick keyboards, and more... There's ritualistic stuff that sounds like Sylvester Anfang, propulsive parts a la Circle, and heads-down Hawkwindy hypno-rock. The mood can get genuinely intense and disturbing, yet Evil Oceans also obviously display a bizarre, even nerdy sense of humor, heck there's a track here called "Rise Of The Administration Daleks", complete with hysterical Dalek voices... but also Spaghetti Western whistling... what does it all mean?? It's art, or arty (several of the members are apparently successful painters) but most importantly it rocks in a quite entertaining WTF? fashion.
Recommended to anyone into so-called NWOFHM stuff (Circle, Pharaoh Overlord, Steel Mammoth, etc.), also White Hills, Brain Donor, and other gritty post-Stooges space rockers and post-punk derelicts. Released on pro-printed cd-r, packaged in a in a full-color ecopak with photos and artwork celebrating both the epic New Zealand landscape, and Charles Darwin.
MPEG Stream: "Rise Of The Administration Daleks"
MPEG Stream: "I Foresee"
MPEG Stream: "Intro "

EVOKEN Antithesis Of Light (Mercenary) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Depressive doom death from New Jersey. Where else? Well they kinda sound like they're from Finland, actually, the land of funereal doom acts like Skepticism, Rapture, and Shape Of Despair. But these guys have been on the scene for a long time and are probably inspired by such older bands such as Long Island's Winter and of course the primitive godfathers of the extreme doom/death scene, Hellhammer. Though, the keyboard-laden dirges of Evoken demonstrate a more sophisticated form of grim brutality, one that generates its own notion of beauty, with guttural vocals, eerie atmospheres, slow-motion riffs and minor-key melodies. Lamentations of misery drawn out to (hopefully) cathartic extremes. It's been four years since Evoken unleashed their masterful Quietus album, and in that time they haven't gotten any happier, that's for sure. Antithesis of Light stops the clock with 71 endless minutes comprising seven sorrowful songs of massive mournful metal. It's perhaps the doomiest, deathliest lower-depths trudge we've heard since the last Runemagick disc.
MPEG Stream: "In Solitary Ruin"
MPEG Stream: "Pavor Nocturnus"

EVOKEN Quietus (Peaceville) cd 16.98
Not sure why one of our distributors described Evoken as 'doom for morons', especially considering how much completely stupid metal they actually distribute. In fact, this record is really great, like super-slow motion death metal. Huge and dark, droning and hypnotic, and totally dismal, the way great doom oughta be. From the East Coast (New Jersey we think). Fans of Skepticism should definitely check this out.

EVOL Magia Potagia (Mego) cd 16.98

EVOLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved (Seeland) 2cd 13.98
Probably best known for their legendary mash up fusing the a cappella vocals from a Public Enemy song to a jam by Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass, this lawsuit baiting plunderphonic duo return with a new record of twisted samples, mutated mashups, and a sure fire way to fend off lawsuits (which will come in handy, since on this album they fuck up a Beatles track, quite brilliantly, more on that in a moment), but how exactly does the ECC expect to insulate themselves from the teams of entertainment lawyers who will no doubt be knocking down their doors? Simple. By legally and contractually forbidding you, the listener, to listen to their record. What? Yep, it's right there, TWICE in fact, an audio contract stating that by listening to the record, you have broken a binding legal contract, and thus the ECC are absolved of any wrongdoing. Pretty genius, especially considering by listening to the contract, you're already breaking said contract. Who knows it if would actually hold up in court, but pretty dang funny nonetheless, and since we already broke the contract by listening to the record, well, heck, we might as well tell you what it sounds like.
Our favorite might have to be "What Would You Think If I Sang Autotune", which uses the oft abused Autotune program for what it was originally designed for, to subtly tweak vocals to change their pitch and 'autotune', them, but here, instead of shifting the vocals so they're IN tune, they take a Beatles song, and do nothing but nudge the vocals slightly out of tune, turning a classic into a cringeworthy exercise in terrible karaoke. Then there's "Stairway To Britney" which finds Ms. Spears groaning and crooning over Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven", and it's a surprisingly good fit.
Or maybe "California Dreamings" which seems to take about a million different cover versions of "California Dreaming" cuts em up into little parts and weaves them together into a schizophrenic ADD cover version. Or "Fock It" which melds Herbie Hancock's 'Rockit" and the surprisingly similar sounding "Axel F Theme" from Beverly Hills Cop. And so it goes, a dizzying head spinning mix of samples, and chopped up beats, voices, and sound snippets, each song a plunderphonic mash up of epic proportions, groovy, funky, twisted, stuttery, confusional, baffling and brilliant.
The cd version includes a second computer data disc, with high quality MP3 files of the record as well as album length commentary tracks, outtakes, remixable song versions and more!
MPEG Stream: "What Would You Think If I Sang AutoTune"
RealAudio clip: "Stairway To Britney"
MPEG Stream: "California Dreamings"
MPEG Stream: "Feel Like Breakin' Love"

EVOLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved (Seeland) lp 13.98
Probably best known for their legendary mash up fusing the a cappella vocals from a Public Enemy song to a jam by Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass, this lawsuit baiting plunderphonic duo return with a new record of twisted samples, mutated mashups, and a sure fire way to fend off lawsuits (which will come in handy, since on this album they fuck up a Beatles track, quite brilliantly, more on that in a moment), but how exactly does the ECC expect to insulate themselves from the teams of entertainment lawyers who will no doubt be knocking down their doors? Simple. By legally and contractually forbidding you, the listener, to listen to their record. What? Yep, it's right there, TWICE in fact, an audio contract stating that by listening to the record, you have broken a binding legal contract, and thus the ECC are absolved of any wrongdoing. Pretty genius, especially considering by listening to the contract, you're already breaking said contract. Who knows it if would actually hold up in court, but pretty dang funny nonetheless, and since we already broke the contract by listening to the record, well, heck, we might as well tell you what it sounds like.
Our favorite might have to be "What Would You Think If I Sang Autotune", which uses the oft abused Autotune program for what it was originally designed for, to subtly tweak vocals to change their pitch and 'autotune', them, but here, instead of shifting the vocals so they're IN tune, they take a Beatles song, and do nothing but nudge the vocals slightly out of tune, turning a classic into a cringeworthy exercise in terrible karaoke. Then there's "Stairway To Britney" which finds Ms. Spears groaning and crooning over Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven", and it's a surprisingly good fit.
Or maybe "California Dreamings" which seems to take about a million different cover versions of "California Dreaming" cuts em up into little parts and weaves them together into a schizophrenic ADD cover version. Or "Fock It" which melds Herbie Hancock's 'Rockit" and the surprisingly similar sounding "Axel F Theme" from Beverly Hills Cop. And so it goes, a dizzying head spinning mix of samples, and chopped up beats, voices, and sound snippets, each song a plunderphonic mash up of epic proportions, groovy, funky, twisted, stuttery, confusional, baffling and brilliant.
The cd version includes a second computer data disc, with high quality MP3 files of the record as well as album length commentary tracks, outtakes, remixable song versions and more!
MPEG Stream: "What Would You Think If I Sang AutoTune"
RealAudio clip: "Stairway To Britney"
MPEG Stream: "California Dreamings"
MPEG Stream: "Feel Like Breakin' Love"

EVOLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE Plagiarythm Nation V2.0 (Seeland) cd 14.98
Probably best known for their Public Enemy / Herb Alpert mash-up, years before the bootleg/remix craze, Evolution Control Comittee return with a brand new full length of cut and paste, steal and reappropriate madness on Negativland's Seeland label. Nothing totally groundbreaking, quite reminiscent of early Negativland / Tape-beatles but with way more of an emphasis on humor and goofiness, with the musical emphasis being on the hip hop / funk / R+B side of things. But it is fun and funky and really funny. The perfect mix-tape / party record. Childrens records over vintage funky soul breaks, a foul mouthed astronaut over luxurious Beach Boys harmonies, more chopped up Public Enemy and much more!! Everyone who dug the Bran Flakes record from a few lists back will totally love this!!
MPEG Stream: "Star Spangled Bologna"
MPEG Stream: "I Want A Cookie"

EVOLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE The Whipped Cream Mixes (Eerie Themes) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
2 Public Enemy vocal tracks courtesy Chuck D from some of their 12"s, which often feature vocals without any accompaniment, laid right on top of 2 Herb Alpert instrumentals. Truly hilarious results; we wonder what Chuck thinks...

EVOLUTIONARY JASS BAND Change Of Scene (Community Library) cd 16.98
The strangely monickered Evolutionary Jass Band features two ex members of free noise abstract improvisors Jackie-O-Motherfucker, and while that pedigree definitely informs the sound of the EJB, their sound is much more aligned with traditional jazz, a mix of dark New Orleans funeral jazz and skittery post bop, but all sort of laid back and dreamy, dark and dolorous. Horns don't skronk so much as swoon and shimmer. Dark tones shift and slide, drifting thick and rich over dense tribal drumming, and simple slippery bass. There's even some sitar to add some droney buzz. The EJS are a pretty big ensemble, but it doesn't sound cluttery or crowded, each player contributes and deftly interacts with the rest of the group, but also knows when to let someone else step forward.
This will definitely hit the spot for modern jazz-heads, and might even appeal to the more traditionally inclined, but folks who dig the abstract clatter and free form drift of bands like JOMF, No Neck Blues Band, Sunburned Hand Of The Man and the like, might dig this too. It could be their gateway to a lifelong love of jazz, which is at least partially responsible for informing the new breed of improvised abstraction that is all the rage these days.
Great stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Aunt Dot"
MPEG Stream: "Change Of Scene"

EVORA, CESARIA Rogamar (Bluebird) cd 17.98
Another stunning album from this formidable Cape Verdean vocalist! On her tenth album Cesaria Evora's voice, so timeless and effortless, will send wonderful shivers down your spine... at least it did ours! She's backed up by a stellar ensemble lead by Fernando Andrade who not only played piano and sang backup vocals, but also masterfully handled the orchestral direction and arrangements. Rogamar is the aural equivalent of the most passionate embrace. So welcoming and irresistible.
MPEG Stream: "Sombras Di Distino"
MPEG Stream: "Modje Trofel"

EVORA, CESARIA Sao Vicente (Windham Hill) cd 16.98

EX, TERRIE, & AB BAARS Hef (Terp) cd 17.98
Guitarist Terrie Ex (of Dutch political avant rock band The Ex) follows up the collaboration with Han Bennink on "Laughing Owl", with another duo recording, this time making noise with saxophonist Ab Baars. Improv brutality, totally harsh and grating. Are you tough enough?

EX, THE 1936, the Spanish Revolution (AK Press/Alternative Tentacles) 2x3"cd+book 20.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

EX, THE Beautiful Frenzy video 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've got just a *single copy* of this hard-to-find video documenting The Ex, stalwarts of the underground avant rock scene since they began in 1979 -- that's over 20 years ago! Contains lots of footage documenting their famously intense live shows, conversations with all of the band members, rehearsals, much insight into their view of punk as DIY way of living, which they apply in activities such as self-releasing records, etc. A nice glimpse into the world of a band that has inspired cultish devotion amongst many (including some here at AQ) not to mention Tortoise, Sonic Youth, Dutch avant jazz pioneer Han Bennink, Tom Cora, etc. 52 minutes. Color. Made by Swedish filmmakers, subtitled. First come...

EX, THE Building A Broken Mousetrap (Touch And Go) dvd 14.98

EX, THE Dizzy Spells (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
The Ex, maybe the Netherlands' most famous punk export, return with a new record of their unique churning, sinewy brand of punk angularity, but with a sound even more subdued than their previous release on Touch & Go, "Starters Alternators". If you're looking for the fury and rage of The Ex, definitely look to their earlier works. Much like their fellow hardcore vets Fugazi and NoMeansNo, The Ex have progressively moved towards a more understated and varied means of communicating their message.
RealAudio clip: "Nobodies' Dream"
RealAudio clip: "Burnsome"

EX, THE Singles. Period. (The Vinyl Years 1980-1990) (Touch And Go) cd 14.98
With a career that has spanned three decades, The Ex have been stalwart antagonists from the far left, in fusing an uncompromising political agenda to a steady stylistic development of their own interpretation of punk. While their hometown of Amsterdam has long been associated with the left thanks to their liberal (and legal) attitudes towards drug use and prostitution, The Ex emerged as pissed off and utterly hostile towards mainstream Dutch culture as any band from far more puritanical lands. But like any punk band worth anything, The Ex began with little or no musical training, merely the desire to express their political dissent and make a hell of lot of noise doing it. This compilation of the singles they made through the '80s surveys their growth from an enegetic pogo punk band into a far more musically mature post-punk band with brittle-as-glass guitars, throbbing PiL / Killing Joke inspired basslines, and a willingness to take plenty of risks, as heard in the industrial rhythmic slab on "Rara Rap" and the clunky militant-folk number "Lied der Steinklopfer." The Ex have always been an amazing band, and sadly the politics are as prescient as they were two decades ago.
MPEG Stream: "Trash"
MPEG Stream: "When Nothing Else Is Helpful Anymore"
MPEG Stream: "Stupid Americans"

EX, THE Starters Alternaters (Touch & Go) cd 14.98
The latest recordings by The Ex have found their way onto Touch & Go. It should be noted that this is NOT a reissue of older material. Time has mellowed out the legendary punk agitators from Holland, yet they still deliver a powerful album of angular punk rage. A few tracks take on almost folk harmonics in their praise of the proletariat.

EX, THE Turn (Touch & Go) 2cd 15.98
Some select words for this new release and the people who created it: Fervent and focused. Vital and valid. Now well into their third defiant decade (they did post-punk before it was post!), this band's potent message and razor-sharp musicianship will kick your ass around the block... twice. Yes indeed, Turn is the very welcome return of socio-political ensemble known as The Ex. Two solidly packed cds with no filler whatsoever. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "Dog Tree"
MPEG Stream: "Confusion Errorist"

EX, THE + TOM CORA Scrabbling At The Lock (Mississippi) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
** MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT **
** MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT **
** MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT **
Okay, as always, that's just for the Mississippi obsessed out there, which we know, is a LOT of you, so you need not read further, just add one of these to your cart, and move on, but for the rest of us, please read on, we're so psyched to finally write up and list what is probably our favorite Ex record ever.
For Scrabbling At The Lock, Dutch aggro punks The Ex teamed up with NY cellist Tom Cora, a downtown scene veteran, who played with John Zorn and the usual suspects, and sadly passed away in 1998 at the age of 44.
The Ex, as much as we always wanted to dig them, were often a little to frantic and spiky for our tastes, a relentless barrage of bristly cacophony and tangled manic melodies, but somehow, teamed with Cora, the mix was magical, his fluid melodies, perfectly complimented the Ex's excesses, often taking a back seat, locking into propulsive laid back rhythms, and letting Cora's cello sing. It's been years since we've heard this (the cd now goes for crazy $$), but it sounds as amazing, as vibrant and emotional and dramatic as it ever did.
The Ex, for those who have not heard them, play a sort of wild punk rock gypsy folk, angular and sinewy, wild and free, very rhythmic, shouted vocals, intense percussion, one of the longest running DIY musical outfits still going, always pushing boundaries, most recently collaborating with Ethiopian musicians, bringing many of them to Europe to perform outside of Ethiopia for the first time ever. They have tons of records, and people love them, and we've definitely dug a few of them, but this is the one, it's magical and timeless and transcendent, super rocking, heavy, groovy, angular, but the sharpest edges, the ones that often poked us in the wrong way, are perfectly dulled by Cora's cello, often transforming the Ex's agit punk into something almost Klezmer. Some of our favorite include the gorgeous "Hidegen Fujnak a Szelek" a reinterpretation of a Hungarian folk song, with soaring female vocals perfectly complimenting the chugging percussive cello. And "State Of Shock" which is probably the heaviest track on the record, starting out all haunting and gypsy, before the band explodes in a squall of howling guitars, and pounding percussion, the cello anchoring the track letting the other instruments go wild.
So goddamn good. As powerful and emotional as ever. If you've resisted the Ex in the past, this might be the ONE Ex record you need, and it's of course an incredible tribute to the memory of Cora and his musical legacy.

EX, THE / TORTOISE In The Fishtank (Konkurrent/Touch & Go) cd 9.98
From the liner notes: "Konkurrent invited Tortoise from Chicago to contribute some of their hypnotic, catchy instrumental pieces to our series. They gladly accepted and asked The Ex to join them. Both bands began from very different points when constructing songs. The Ex work with dynamics and tension building while Tortoise work at a more introspective and subdued level, adding layers and texture to their sound. Where they meet is in how they work with repetition and introduce very specific atmospheres into their songs." Recorded in Holland, this collaboration reveals much more of The Ex than of Tortoise. In faact, you may not even be aware of Tortoise's presence except for subtle hints here and there.

EX, THE / TORTOISE In The Fishtank (Konkurrent/Touch & Go) lp 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the liner notes: "Konkurrent invited Tortoise from Chicago to contribute some of their hypnotic, catchy instrumental pieces to our series. They gladly accepted and asked The Ex to join them. Both bands began from very different points when constructing songs. The Ex work with dynamics and tension building while Tortoise work at a more introspective and subdued level, adding layers and texture to their sound. Where they meet is in how they work with repetition and introduce very specific atmospheres into their songs." Recorded in Holland, this collaboration reveals much more of The Ex than of Tortoise. In faact, you may not even be aware of Tortoise's presence except for subtle hints here and there.

EX-BOYFRIENDS Dear John (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
Wow, there's a surprisingly punchy new arrival making its presence felt on the Absolutely Kosher roster. They are retro-edged power popsters Ex-Boyfriends, and their debut album is a shot of adrenaline amid the predominantly wistful indie rock/pop (Sparrow, Dudley Corporation, Get Him Eat Him, Jim Yoshii Pile-Up) and gloomy fevered dramatics (Dead Science, Frog Eyes) of the label's recent releases. When we've played it in the store, Dear John has already drawn comparisons to Generation X, Misfits and more recent upstarts Maximo Park. As well, their male vocals teeter between Robert Smith and Andy Partridge. Sound good? Lots of snap in the drumming, not to mention some well placed handclaps keep the joint jumpin'.
MPEG Stream: "Him For Me"
MPEG Stream: "Willingly"

EX-BOYFRIENDS In With (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
Ex-Boyfriends' latest full length kicks off in full college rock fashion. Yeah, it's the infectiously hook laden kind that immediately gives you the warm nostalgic fuzzies for '90s indie bands like Tree People, Velocity Girl or Tsunami... but with Robert Smith style dour singing and post-punky edged guitar crunch! The first three songs on In With in particular have 'highschool movie soundtrack' written all over it, and you know that's a good thing in our books! A terrific spring-summer pop album!
MPEG Stream: "Pick Up Line"
MPEG Stream: "Situation"

EX-COCAINE Esta Guerra (Siltbreeze) 12" 13.98
A dense slab of mysterious druggy psych rock from Missoula Montana courtesy of the always reliable Siltbreeze. Some impossible mash up of Crazy Horse, the Dead C and No Neck Blues Band. The opening track is a lengthy damaged drum jam, with plenty of trash can lid clatter, a sprawling lo-fi free jazz noiserock spasm that quickly segues into some gorgeously lilting folk strum, wrapped in an ultra murky production, with deep warm vocals, hippy, druggy, spacey, classic sounding folk filtered though the cracked Siltbreeze lens, jangly guitars and tribal hand drums, all beneath a strangely traditional sounding pop song. Moments later, the band has transformed into a free noise rock beast, emitting a stream of plodding rock crumble, super distorted ambience dripping all over jagged guitars and growling grumbling murk.
Most of side 2 is taken up by a wild, slow burning Crazy Horse like jam, that eventually builds into an epic psych rock blow out, a dense cloud of pot smoke, noise rock and psychedelic skree.
Vinyl only and of course super limited!

EX-COCAINE Keep America Mellow (Killertree) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

EX-COCAINE / YELLOW SWANS split (Not Not Fun) lp 15.98
Is it even necessary to point out that Noise nerds and Free Jazz freaks tend to keep the sort of the same company? Probably not, but if it were, then we would just play you this record and say goodnight. Those of you who don't like jazz, don't get scared off! The sensibility coloring this record with that spirit is really just one of genuinely free improvisation, so don't expect Coltrane or anything like that, this is still largely a Noise affair. Ex-Cocaine starts off with a loose instrumental guitar piece, accompanied by various drum sounds. The second track follows a similar trajectory, with the addition of vocals. If Aztec Camera were a lo-fi art rock band, this is what it might sound like. Side two features none other than the prolific -- and soon to be extinct -- Yellow Swans. Yes, it's true, after 7 years or so of trying to destroy both your ears and your speakers, Gabriel Saloman and Pete Swanson are calling it quits. They're not exactly going to disappear though, just saying goodbye to the Swans and starting some new things. If you saw our last list, then you probably noticed Mr. Saloman's collaborative effort with Aja Rose of In Flux. As for Pete Swanson, he's got a new label called Freedom to Spend -- check our review of it's first release, the album "Light Ships" by Axolotl off-shoot Bulbs. Okay, you're all caught up, now: the second side of the record. From mindfuck analog meltdown to blissful psych incantations, YS have certainly changed over the years, and, perhaps for the best, their final days have drifted into a more melodic, psychedelic direction. This track could not possibly better demonstrate that trend. In fact, if you didn't know who this actually was, it would be pretty dang impressive if you could guess. Meandering guitars, buried vocals, and a final showdown that dissolves into beautiful sheets of noise. Recommended!

EX-GIRL Back To The Mono Kero! (Ipecac) cd 17.98
Yet one more time, let's hear it for Japan! Always pushing things (anything! everything!) to the next level of absurdity and wonder. The highly animated, outstandingly costumed Chihiro, Fuzuki and Kirilo return to take us on another bizarre musical journey to their secret magicland of Kero (that's "ribbit" in Japanese). Definitely a group to be seen live in concert --- it's a spectacle!--- but if you're not one of the lucky ones who've had this joyful experience, their recordings will just have to do. Imagine incredibly organized, playful and strange sonic chaos. A capella vocal acrobatics, punky/prog-y guitars, raw tribal beats. This time they're accompanied by one Mr. Robin Scott. Name sound familiar? Think M. Think "Pop Muzik". Uh huh, he's the voice behind that great, truly new wave tune from 1979 which Ex-Girl cover quite splendidly. Once again produced by Hoppy Kamiyama.
RealAudio clip: "Wipe Out 3"
RealAudio clip: "Frog King"

EX-GIRL Endangered Species (Alternative Tentacles) cd 14.98
More pop-tastic, bombastic, triple-threat vocal mania from Ex-Girl, three hot and insane Japanese women whose band rocks hard and weird and is tough not to like, especially if you're a bit of a Japanophile. Ex-Girl is nothing if not exceedingly over the top, more concerned about being fun and kicking ass than being avant-garde, although they can't help it, especially with cross-dressing keyboard whiz Hoppy Kamiyama as their producer/arranger/main composer. A song you thought was gonna be an overdose of operatic artiness will turn out to be the Hello Kitty version of rap-metal or something. And it's good. Imagine, if you can, a cross between Hundred Sights of Koenji and Faith No More or No Doubt, and a few random techno/electronica DJ cds... Crunching guitars, pounding drums, wild synths, and zany fx abound, with numerous pop hooks taken to the heights of these ladies' impressive vocal capabilities. Dizzying and delightful, loud and lovely. Deserving of their cult following and due for some major commercial success someday we hope! (Not likely in this country, but who knows maybe they're huge in Japan now.)
MPEG Stream: "Hettakorii No Ottokotou"
MPEG Stream: "PUJEVA"

EXALTED We Are The Grim Throng (Battle Kommand) cd 9.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
This is one grim throng indeed (not thong!). No long songs, no fucked up weirdness, no insane vocals, no retarded riffage, as much as we love all that stuff, we also love intense blasts of frenzied blackened fury. Blast beats so fast they sound like drum rolls, riffing so buzzy and intense it almost sounds like white noise. Vocals buried in the mix, just another layer of buzz and hum, short sharp bursts of super intense blackness. Grim. True. Kvlt. That's what you get with the grim throng that is Exalted. A relentless barrage of brutal thrashing old school raw black metal.
But just because it's not outwardly weird, doesn't mean there isn't strange stuff going under beneath the surface. Plenty of convoluted arrangements, angular atonal riffage, super dynamic arrangements, strange stretches of blown out ambience, where just the blast beat stutters beneath streaks off feedback, there's even some cowbell in there if you listen close. But if you're looking for ultra weird or fucked up this is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you like it raw and black and heavy, and are looking for something old school but a little twisted, Exalted are just interesting and off kilter enough to keep this from being just another batch of retro black thrash, instead offering up a roiling black mass of sound and fury, that we've been listening to like crazy since it first came in!
MPEG Stream: "Blood Magick"
MPEG Stream: "And The Cinders Tell The Tale"

EXCEPTER Alternation (5RC) cd 14.98
For the last several years Excepter have been creating super fucked up, seriously pleasurable waves on outsider dancefloors everywhere, with an onslaught of ep's, 12"s, split releases and full lengths. Alternation is full length number three, and as always these guys do not disappoint! A dizzying slab of herky-jerky rhythms, beat up electronics, drugged out rumblings, late night salvation. The first half has some almost catchy pop moments (this is all relative of course) including quite possibly their most infectious song to date "Rock Stepper", while the second half of the album features longer tracks that melt and burst with the unique flavor we've come to love from these guys. They seem to be taking some of the more melodic moments of Throbbing Gristle's legacy (a friend even suggested one might throw one of these songs on a mix right next to TG's "Hot On The Heels Of Love!") Excepter makes sounds that are the perfect conglomeration of the now and hip with a eyes toward the future and a knowing nod to the past. And while their music sounds nothing like Ariel Pink, we can totally imagine the sort of craziness that might result if those wonderfully warped melody makers got together. Since they both approach music making from a damaged and drugged out, Technicolor drenched angle unlike almost any other bands we've heard. Until then, we'll just be content to soak up this super kick ass full length.
MPEG Stream: "The "Rock" Stepper"
MPEG Stream: "Op Pop"

EXCEPTER Debt Dept. (Paw Tracks) cd 14.98
Haunted and humorous, Excepter's Debt Dept. opens with a Sabbath like riff, looped and fuzzed to create the platform for the vocals of not 1, nor 2, but 3 vocalists' unhinged ramblings.
Excepter's cast flood the track with faithless and caustically delivered lyrics, half sung, half spoken. The effect is oddly chilling, considering the tone is ultimately that of Excepter's tried and true mix of futurist-dub, narcotic fuzz and drone, and mellow yet schizophrenic vocals; a pastiche sometimes too dynamic, ridiculous, or slapdash to take "seriously." Nonetheless, on Debt Dept., Excepter's sardonic wit and notedly more focused approach gives them a winning hand. Their most recent efforts have been less oriented towards vocals and lyrics, but the addition of two new vocalists, Clare Amory and Lala Harrison, has changed that. The vocals by committee approach is made a dominant fixture through the diverse array of effects their digressions are filtered through. The rhythmic collision course is more spacious than previous efforts giving time for grooves to develop, and even a few hooks to set in. Beyond the half-sung/postpunk/almost-rap like vocal delivery, there are also spectral vocal interludes, resulting in blanketed and billowing textures that soften the harsh and incisive beats and guttural, expulsive, and erotic moaning.
Those who love Excepter will find themselves well satisfied with Dept Debt., as it embellishes and improves upon their developing style of droney, dubby eclecticism. On this, their full length Paw Tracks debut, the band offers a near staggering swirl of most of the styles and sounds the label already offers, with heavy ladle-fulls of Black Dice, Rings, and Ariel Pink added to the already potent brew. Lest this hint at a lack originality, it must be stressed that the way in which the band incorporates and stirs these qualities is wholly original. Rhythmically, the album is a little tighter and more committed than previous efforts, with a greater apprenticeship to hip hop and dub, and some wacked notion of post-industrial dance. It could work well as the soundtrack to some alchemists in a satellite factory processing dark matter into... well... dark pop. Or perhaps like watching a disco ball shatter in slow motion, its shards reflecting a disparate collection of cultural references as they fly past you. Whichever the more operative metaphor, the band has invited you lovingly to their fucked-up, post-everything party, and if we were you, we'd be joining them in the festivities.
MPEG Stream: "Kill People"
MPEG Stream: "Sunrise"