EL-DABH, HALIM Crossing Into The Electric Magnetic (Without Fear) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
There are a few people who always seem to be in the right place at the right time, in spite of themselves. Judging from the liner-notes to this anthology of his early works, Egyptian composer Halim El-Dabh led one of those lives. His first public performance was a reluctant one, while he was taking classes at Cairo University. Having only composed for piano as something of a hobby, he never thought he would amount to much as a musician, yet he went through with the performance, won first place and was quickly whisked off to the Royal Palace to play for the court. Subsequently, he discovered the wire recorders in one of the radio stations in Cairo and began tinkering around with them as a means of sound construction. The year was 1944, a couple of years before Pierre Schaeffer introduced the world to musique concrete. Dozens of other improbable events followed, and he inevitably landed at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center under the aegis of Vladimir Ussachevsky.
"Crossing Into The Electric Magnetic" is a documentation of the work that El-Dabh composed during his stay at the Center, and certainly has the grizzled electronic crackle and pointilist composition techniques indicative of coming from that institution. Occasionally, El-Dabh incorporates poems sung in the Arabic tradition along with the musique concrete and electronics. Really Cool.
RealAudio clip: "Meditation In White Sound"
RealAudio clip: "Leiyla Visitations 1"
RealAudio clip: "Leiyla Visitations 8"

EL-G Capitaine Present 5 (Nashazaphone) lp 30.00
More twisted collaged schizophrenic cabaret French pop folk weirdness from mysterious troubadour Laurent Gerard aka El-G! Where El-G's last record was a dizzying shimmery Gainsbourg meets Animal Collective song suite, that slipped from delicate hushed French pop, to more abstract free rock weirdness to epic dense dronemusic, Capitaine Present 5 is something way more out there.
On the surface, it almost sounds like one of those Sublime Frequencies collections, that just features snippets collected from the radio, short snippets, mysterious disembodied voices, a glorious barrage of constantly shifting sounds and textures, but as the record progresses, it becomes easier and easier to become lost in El-G's sound, tolling bells, thrummed bass, maniacal spoken word, bursts of noise, and tangled fractured melody, wheezing organ, delicate acoustic guitar strum, the vocals dramatic and passionate, the single song (?) that takes up the record's one playable side, shifting constantly from total chaos, to fluttery folk, to dreamy avant pop, to mysterious foreign radio play, to Residents-like art rock, to warm orchestral shimmer, to sultry smoldering torch song, to total what the fuck mashup and every possible permutation in between.
It's definitely chaotic, and a bit out there, a total head phone trip for sure, but the chaos is infused with plenty of jangle, subtle hooks, some pretty vocals, and irresistible melodies, even some cinematic strings, which makes Capitaine Present 5 a fantastic, and fantastically confounding listen.

EL-G Tout Ploie ((K-RAA-K)3) lp 15.98
We didn't know a whole lot about El-G, aka French pop weirdo Laurent Gerard, other than he was supposed to be sort of like a twisted modern day Serge Gainsbourg, and hearing this now, that's really not that far off the mark, he even has a female foil to further cement the Gainsbourg comparison. Mix in some Animal Collective weirdness, some Kemialliset foresty folk, and you'd be getting close.
French ballady folk is definitely the core of Gerard's sound, but the tracks here vary wildly, compiled as they are from a handful of super limited previous releases. But a quick sampling reveals laid back French pop, breezy and dreamy, brushed snares, subtle electronics drifting over finger picked guitars, fractured blues drenched in wheezing organ and random percussion, peppered with deep bassy throbs and grunted garbled vocals, Abstract fractured folk, soft female vocals over shimmery organs, rubbery basslines and howled male background vox, the final track of the A side builds from a folky whisper to a soaring layered drone, all buzzing tones and warbly organ, strangled guitar leads and lurching low end melodies. The rest of the record hovers close-ish to French folk and pop, but tweaks them just enough to keep it interesting, at one point converting the main riff from the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now" into a backdrop for some ethereal crooning. Cool stuff. Definitely recommended for fans of any of the above mentioned bands, as well as the softer side of freak folk and the weirder side of French pop.

EL-P Collecting The Kid - Limited Edition (Definitive Jux) cd 14.98
You know how crazy we are for all things Def Jux. Cannibal Ox, RJD2, Aesop Rock and of course El-P. This is a super limited compilation (never to repressed once it is gone) collecting a whole mess of instrumentals, b-sides, remixes and unreleased tracks. All the El-P / Def Jux shit you love is present, throbbing, head-nodding beats, random samples and bizarre loops, funky bass and fuzzed out synths, crackling record static and stuttering shuffling drumming all melded into blissed out druggy hip hop weirdness. So fucking good! Highlights include the hip hop / free jazz hybrid of "Intrigue In The House Of India" featuring Matthew Shipp from Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, the stone cold classic "The Day After Yesterday", and...well, hell it's all good!! Once again. SUPER LIMITED. Once these are gone, they're gone for good!
MPEG Stream: "Jukie Skate Rock"
MPEG Stream: "Intrigue In The House Of India"

EL-P Fandamplus: Instrumentals (Definitive Jux) 2cd 14.98
The instrumental version of El-P's solo debut sounds exactly like you think it would -- good! Layered, experimental, unrpedictable and super interesting in its own right without the vocals, eminently spinnable for DJs, aspiring rappers, or instrumental hip hop lovers. If you're buying the cd version, the second disc contains 3 remixes, including excellent one by Def Jux rising star RJD2, and for your computer there the "Deep Space 9mm" video, a live set, and lyrics.
RealAudio clip: "Lazerface's Warning (RJD2 remix)"

EL-P Fandamplus: Instrumentals, Remixes, Lyrics & Video (Definitive Jux) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The instrumental version of El-P's solo debut sounds exactly like you think it would -- good! Layered, experimental, unrpedictable and super interesting in its own right without the vocals, eminently spinnable for DJs, aspiring rappers, or instrumental hip hop lovers. If you're buying the cd version, the second disc contains 3 remixes, including excellent one by Def Jux rising star RJD2, and for your computer there the "Deep Space 9mm" video, a live set, and lyrics.

EL-P Fantastic Damage (DefJux) cd 16.98
What to say about this one? Heads have been waitng for the new El-P like is was the second coming. Or the first coming, which I suppose it technically is. You may know El-P from his stint fronting underground hip hop phenoms Company Flow, or for his Definitive Jux label that has been releasing wickedly damaged hip hop from Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, RJD2 and others. He also spent the last little while producing former Rage Against The Machine frontman Zack De La Rocha's solo record. So this here is El-P's first proper solo record and it's a doozy. Windy and Allan were both surprised (slash dismayed) to find out Mr. Def Jux was white [thanks to his appearance in this month's Wire, taking part (not so successfully we might add) in the Invisible Jukebox], but sonically it always seemed sort of obvious, this record, and his production in general has way more in common with Anticon, Them, and cLOUDEAD than Eric B and Rakim, EPMD, Public Enemy or whatever, and before that he (with Company Flow) sounded like nothing we had ever heard. El-P eschews traditional hip hop beats and comfortable funk for a patchwork of stumbling clutter, loping hiccupping beats, and a thick wash of soulful background vocals and buzzing guitars, murky turntable grit and primitive scratching. And over the whole thing is El-P's shouted, almost sung staccato flow, sounding not at all unlike 3rd Bass's MC Serch (NOT a dis, check out 3rd Bass's 'The Cactus Album'!) But the sound is (and has always been) El-P's bread and butter, and he doesn't disappoint, beat heavy soundscapes, cluttered and mayhemic, but in a good way, super dynamic, with big bursts of beat/guitar and big wide open spaces with mad flow skittering wildly through the wasteland. Features the ususal suspects: Aesop Rock, Ill Bill (Non Phixion), Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox), Mr. Lif, Rob Sonic, Steven Segal (not that one) and more.
RealAudio clip: "Fantastic Damage"
RealAudio clip: "Squeegee Man Shooting"
RealAudio clip: "Deep Space 9mm"
RealAudio clip: "Tuned Mass Damper"

EL-P Fantastic Damage (DefJux) 3lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What to say about this one? Heads have been waitng for the new El-P like is was the second coming. Or the first coming, which I suppose it technically is. You may know El-P from his stint fronting underground hip hop phenoms Company Flow, or for his Definitive Jux label that has been releasing wickedly damaged hip hop from Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, RJD2 and others. He also spent the last little while producing former Rage Against The Machine frontman Zack De La Rocha's solo record. So this here is El-P's first proper solo record and it's a doozy. Windy and Allan were both surprised (slash dismayed) to find out Mr. Def Jux was white [thanks to his appearance in this month's Wire, taking part (not so successfully we might add) in the Invisible Jukebox], but sonically it always seemed sort of obvious, this record, and his production in general has way more in common with Anticon, Them, and cLOUDEAD than Eric B and Rakim, EPMD, Public Enemy or whatever, and before that he (with Company Flow) sounded like nothing we had ever heard. El-P eschews traditional hip hop beats and comfortable funk for a patchwork of stumbling clutter, loping hiccupping beats, and a thick wash of soulful background vocals and buzzing guitars, murky turntable grit and primitive scratching. And over the whole thing is El-P's shouted, almost sung staccato flow, sounding not at all unlike 3rd Bass's MC Serch (NOT a dis, check out 3rd Bass's 'The Cactus Album'!) But the sound is (and has always been) El-P's bread and butter, and he doesn't disappoint, beat heavy soundscapes, cluttered and mayhemic, but in a good way, super dynamic, with big bursts of beat/guitar and big wide open spaces with mad flow skittering wildly through the wasteland. Features the ususal suspects: Aesop Rock, Ill Bill (Non Phixion), Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox), Mr. Lif, Rob Sonic, Steven Segal (not that one) and more.

EL-P High Water (Thirsty Ear) cd 15.98
Latest in Thirsty Ear's Blue series, discs where jazz players are matched up with non-jazz performers (electronic, hip hop, etc.) for some cross genre explorations. The results have been mosly great, with past participants including the Antipop Consortium and Spring Heel Jack. This long awaited volume matches up the usual jazz suspects: Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Daniel Carter, Guillermo Brown, and Steve Swell with Definitive Jux head honcho El-P. Thankfully El-P shows an amazing amount of restraint here, and instead of dropping beats everywhere, and scratching and rapping all over the place, he lets the band just go. And in fact, the band goes in all sorts of new directions, some seriously dark and gritty, like on the opening track turning their avant bop into a creepy crawly cinematic jazzscape of pounding piano, wailing horns and slamming propulsive drumming. Sounds like the darkest scariest sample Shadow never dug out of a musty old crate. And things continue on in that vein, dark and boppish soundscapes, and it's not really until the end of track five where El-P makes his presence known, subtley, with a shuffling hip hop beat over muted trumpet and simple piano chords. For the second half of the record, El-P adds more and more beats, nothing bombastic or booming, just simple and groovy, totally complimenting the groups jazzy explorations. Track seven features some raspy jazz vocals over a creeping, minor key dirge, that is so intensely dark and moving. Once again, DJ Shadow would kill to come up with a track like this. So while there are beats and occasional hip-hop-isms, this is basically at heart a jazz record, albeit a dark and funky and creepy one. Maybe the best in the series so far!
MPEG Stream: "Get Your Hand Off My Shoulder, Pig"
MPEG Stream: "Intrigue In The House Of India"

EL-P I'll Sleep When You're Dead (Definitive Jux) cd 16.98
EL-P's highly anticipated I'll Sleep When You're Dead may be one of the best produced hip-hop records thus far in the new millennium. Produced by EL-P himself, the record could stand alone on it's carefully arranged beats and backgrounds and samples but offers so much more, with killer rhymes that are equal parts political, dark and personal, and seriously humorous. EL-P spits lyrics that toe the line of a fucked up paranoid world in such a way that by the end of the record you too may find it hard not to imagine a bleak droidian future. The album features a slew of interesting guests including Trent Reznor, Aesop Rock, and in case you were wondering how Cat Power's Chan Marshall would fare hip-hoppified, the final track may leave you with yet another wonder -- did she miss her calling? Or, it may be just another testament to the El-P's deft production and incredible vision, you decide. Trust us, I'll Sleep When You're Dead is a must even the most casual of hip-hop headz.
MPEG Stream: "EMG"
MPEG Stream: "Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)"

EL-P I'll Sleep When You're Dead (Definitive Jux) lp 16.98
EL-P's highly anticipated I'll Sleep When You're Dead may be one of the best produced hip-hop records thus far in the new millennium. Produced by EL-P himself, the record could stand alone on it's carefully arranged beats and backgrounds and samples but offers so much more, with killer rhymes that are equal parts political, dark and personal, and seriously humorous. EL-P spits lyrics that toe the line of a fucked up paranoid world in such a way that by the end of the record you too may find it hard not to imagine a bleak droidian future. The album features a slew of interesting guests including Trent Reznor, Aesop Rock, and in case you were wondering how Cat Power's Chan Marshall would fare hip-hoppified, the final track may leave you with yet another wonder - did she miss her calling? Or, it may be just another testament to the El-P's deft production and incredible vision, you decide. Trust us, I'll Sleep When You're Dead is a must even the most casual of hip-hop headz.
MPEG Stream: "EMG"
MPEG Stream: "Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)"

EL-P Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 (Gold Dust) cd 14.98
Nice and different outing by El-P. Almost sounds like Ratatat going way more hip-hop.

ELA ORLEANS / DIRTY BEACHES Double Feature (La Station Radar / Atelier Ciseaux / Night People) lp 16.98
Another clutch of lo-fi rockabilly R&B grime jams from Dirty Beaches, a handful of tracks recorded at the same time as Badlands, his recent full length, here presented as one half of a split with previously-unknown-to-us Ela Orleans. The Dirty Beaches tracks, do in fact sound like they could have been included on Badlands, although according to Mr. DB himself they just didn't fit the flow of the album, but they work pretty well here, the opener being about the most rocking track we've heard from DB, still swirly and washed out, the vocals a snarly reverby Elvis-y croon, but more propulsive, the rest of the record more moody and murky and slithery, with woozy spidery melodies, the vibe hazy and druggy, like Badlands, a sort of experimental avant take on classic fifties rock and RnB, until the final track, which like the opener is another odd sonic duck, a cool shuffling, skittery psychedelic groove, that sounds downright krautrocky!
Not sure if Ela Orleans is a person or a group, but he/they are a pretty good match for Dirty Beaches, beginning with a brooding bit of echo drenched piano, the sound quickly shifts into a more swirly reverby exotica, a distinctly Ducktails vibe, a sort of dreamy easy listening, but a bit darker and more FX drenched, the vocals dreamy and passionate, feeling a little Animal Collective here and there. As the record progresses, the sound grows wilder and more psychedelic, the sound collaged and blurry and a bit dizzyingly tripped out, while somehow remaining surprisingly catchy.
Both sides of the split sound like lost documents of groups out of time, as if each set of songs was some skewed glance back at an alternate sonic past, the sounds here both modern and timeless. Cool stuff for sure.
Like other releases on Night People, striking one panel, two colored silkscreened jacket/insert, which along with the record is housed in a plastic outer sleeve.

ELAHI, OSTAD Cascade (Le Chant Du Monde) cd 16.98

ELAHI, OSTAD Destinations (Harmonia Mundi) cd 26.00

ELAHI, OSTAD Oraison Mystique (Le Chant Du Monde) cd 17.98

ELAHI, OSTAD The Celestial Music of... (Le Chant Du Monde) cd 16.98

ELAHI, OSTAD Une Epopee Spirituelle (Le Chant Du Monde) cd 17.98

ELANORS Movements (Parasol) 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 you can't wait for a new Rufus Wainwright or Antony & The Johnsons album or are simply a big fan of lush elegant pop music, you might want to welcome Elanors's new one in a warm embrace. While this Chicago band's second full length Movements is not quite on the grand scale of Rufus or Antony's epic productions, the Elanors' eight finely crafted arrangements of piano, guitar, bass, synthesizer, drums and velvety vocals caress and charm in their own sumptuous ways. Darkly captivating.
MPEG Stream: "The Lion"
MPEG Stream: "She Had A Dream"

ELDER Dead Roots Stirring (MeteorCity) cd 11.98
Despite being called Elder, the guys in this stoner/doom trio look pretty young! Nevertheless, this is their 2nd full length for the quite reliable MeteorCity label. We actually never listed Elder's first, self-titled album, from back in 2008, that one somehow slipped by, for whatever reason, but hope to make up for that by highlighting this new one, which we do dig big time, particularly 'cause of how it possesses a blissful lightness within its considerable heaviness.
And it's worth pointing out that, like a lot of things we list, it's by choice, we didn't have to list it y'know, there's lots of other things we could have listed instead, but it's something we liked enough to go to the trouble of ordering in and writing up to share with you 'cause we think you'd really like it too - well in this case, especially if you're into the stoner/doom sounds like we are.
They traffic in extended bouts of churning, blown-out heaviness, sludgey and psychedelic, with lumbering riffs, wailing guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and some nice, almost folky melodies (the 12 minute title track has some bits in it that remind us of early Wishbone Ash!). Theirs is not exactly a groundbreaking style, but boy do they bring it all together and do it right. And even though they're from Massachusetts, they've got the desert-y vibe down (these kids obviously having consumed much Kyuss), heavied up further to swing with the likes of Electric Wizard, Yob, Sleep, UFOmammut, and Boris (note the similar Roger Dean inspired logo). The vocals here are mostly an echoed afterthought, with the urgent instrumental unfurling of that desert-y doom being their main mode of mesmerization.
While the whole disc delivers those goods, they perhaps save the best for last, "Knot", another epic at 11:56 (well, all their songs are pretty darn long), which somehow seems to channel the essence of some of Elders' elders - ye olde '70s proto-metallers that is - into its bulldozing rifferama.
MPEG Stream: "Gemini"
MPEG Stream: "Dead Roots Stirring"
MPEG Stream: "Knot"

ELDER s/t (MeteorCity) cd 11.98

ELDER Spires Burn / Release (Armageddon) 12" 15.98
Are those purple icicles on the cover? We're not sure exactly, but it looks cool and psychedelic and eldritchÉ perfect for this latest, vinyl-only release from these stoner sludge heavies. We loved their MeteorCity cd from two years ago, Dead Roots Stirring, a disc of desert-y doom that was both crushingly heavy and mesmerically melodic. Now on it's second pressing, this newer two-tracker (one song to a side, 22 minutes total) follows on from that album with yet more lumbering riffage and fuzzed out psych glory. The track on the second side, "Release", in particular is a thing of epic, grungy beauty. Like we said, second pressing, no doubt just as limited as the first was.

ELDERS OF ZION Dawn Refuses To Rise (Incidental Music) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Newest project from Punk Planet editor and all around nice guy Joel Schalit. While I completely wrote off his former project, The Christal Methodists (and for good reason, boring Christian bashing, Negativland-ish political punk/techno whatever) this is something entirely different. Enlisting help from all over the country and from such disparate sources as Asphodel records and Queer-core kings Pansy Division, Schalit has put together a droning hypnotic almost krautrock-ish record of extended psychedlic freakouts, and meandering dirges.The first few tracks are extended post-rock workouts, buzzing synths and big drums that stretch out into loping, almost motorik rhythms. Like if you took Tortoise (the WHOLE band) and ran them through a distortion pedal, and had a chorus of howling demons try to hum along. Their supercharged post rock side is balance by a weird sort of Butthole Surfers vibe, with relentless tribal drumming, weird found sounds and looped samples, under a barrage of chirping and squealing feedback. We were expecting an 'electronic' record, but the only time 'Dawn Refuses To Rise' sounds electronic, is when on a few tracks the Elders veer into Muslimgauze territory, with Indian percussion, hand drums, Middle Eastern melodies, 'space-echo'-ed drums and wailing sampled vocals. The only missteps are the occasional 'funky' bit and the horrible media sound bites lifted from the handbook of passive resistance and socialist militia, but they are easy to overlook when the rest of the record is this cool and weird.
RealAudio clip: "Dawn Refuses to Rise"
RealAudio clip: "Future Avant-Garde Society"

ELDRIG Everlasting War Divinity (Eastside) cd 13.98
Second of two new releases from this Portland black metal horde, the first, Kali, reviewed a few weeks back, was a glorious chunk of epic and majestic, nearly symphonic buzz, three looooong track separated by gorgeous little ambient drone interludes. We still have a few of those left, but in the meantime we just got release number two, and while structured differently, if anything, it's even more massive and grandiose, triumphant and fucking EPIC.
As we mentioned in the review of the other disc, there does seem to be some questionable politics lurking below the surface. Nothing obvious, not in the song titles, the lyrics or the artwork, like most black metal it seems to be more concerned with nature and misery, war and death, but folks who are sensitive to the problematic politics that underscore a lot of black metal, might do well to read the other Eldrig review. But if you can look past that stuff, and as we mentioned it's not really that difficult here, as the band seem more concerned with crafting soaring blackened buzzscapes, and the cryptic lyrics (if you could make them out at all) are cries of war and wails of anguish.
But the music, holy shit. The sound of Eldrig manages to be buzzing and grim and brutal, but at the same time, the riffing is totally majestic, almost chiming, the melodies soaring skyward, the drums a furious thrashing framework, the vocals a barely audible howl, all woven into what sounds like a black metal Explosions In The Sky or a Satanic Godspeed. Spiraling riffage that just builds and builds, the melodies so intense and emotional, everything peppered with swaths of swirling keyboards, but unlike the other Eldrig, here the riffs sound almost like classic eighties metal, little bursts of NWOBHM tangled into much blacker shapes. But the sound is somehow impossible poppy, like if you stripped all the snarling guitars and the demonic rasps, the blasting beats, you'd be left with some sort of simple catchy lullaby, or some perfect pop song, but here it's buzzed and blackened into some impossible black metal hybrid. So fast and furious and black, but so goddamn catchy and moody and melodic, culminating in the near power metal sounding outro to the final track "Death To The Unwilling", with classical sounding keyboard runs, chiming keyboards, and super poppy riffage, all whipped into a glorious frenzy, before it fades out with a strange skipping cd sound, and then returns with a programmed drum fill, only to explode into an even more over the top power/back metal frenzy with epic keyboards, those majestic riffs, all wrapped in wild squiggly leads, only to eventually fade out into some churning, mournful, abstract riffage.
Super limited! We may have gotten all we can get of these, so when we run out, prepare to either be disappointed, or to wait a while for us to track down more.
MPEG Stream: "Power Ascension"
MPEG Stream: "Death To The Unwilling"

ELDRIG Everlasting War Divinity (Eastside) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This epic chunk of grim and grand black fury, available on vinyl for the first time. And of course ULTRA ULTRA LIMITED. ONLY 500 COPIES PRESSED. In beautiful hand screened silver on black jackets, with a super deluxe full color fold out insert. Here's our review of the cd when we first got it in:
Second of two new releases from this Portland black metal horde, the first, Kali, reviewed a while back, was a glorious chunk of epic and majestic, nearly symphonic buzz, three looooong tracks separated by gorgeous little ambient drone interludes. Everlasting War Divinity, while structured differently, is if anything, even more massive and grandiose, triumphant and fucking EPIC.
As we mentioned in the review of the other album, there does seem to be some questionable politics lurking below the surface. Nothing obvious, not in the song titles, the lyrics or the artwork, like most black metal it seems to be more concerned with nature and misery, war and death, but folks who are sensitive to the problematic politics that underscore a lot of black metal, might do well to read the other Eldrig review. But if you can look past that stuff, and as we mentioned it's not really that difficult here, as the band seem more concerned with crafting soaring blackened buzzscapes, and the cryptic lyrics (if you could make them out at all) are cries of war and wails of anguish.
But the music, holy shit. The sound of Eldrig manages to be buzzing and grim and brutal, but at the same time, the riffing is totally majestic, almost chiming, the melodies soaring skyward, the drums a furious thrashing framework, the vocals a barely audible howl, all woven into what sounds like a black metal Explosions In The Sky or a Satanic Godspeed. Spiraling riffage that just builds and builds, the melodies so intense and emotional, everything peppered with swaths of swirling keyboards, but unlike the other Eldrig, here the riffs sound almost like classic eighties metal, little bursts of NWOBHM tangled into much blacker shapes. But the sound is somehow impossible poppy, like if you stripped all the snarling guitars and the demonic rasps, the blasting beats, you'd be left with some sort of simple catchy lullaby, or some perfect pop song, but here it's buzzed and blackened into some impossible black metal hybrid. So fast and furious and black, but so goddamn catchy and moody and melodic, culminating in the near power metal sounding outro to the final track "Death To The Unwilling", with classical sounding keyboard runs, chiming keyboards, and super poppy riffage, all whipped into a glorious frenzy, before it fades out with a strange skipping cd sound, and then returns with a programmed drum fill, only to explode into an even more over the top power/back metal frenzy with epic keyboards, those majestic riffs, all wrapped in wild squiggly leads, only to eventually fade out into some churning, mournful, abstract riffage.
MPEG Stream: "Power Ascension"
MPEG Stream: "Death To The Unwilling"

ELDRIG Kali (Supernal) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of two new releases from this Portland based one man black metal project. And it's a doozy. Been playing this nonstop since we first got it. But as with a lot of black metal records, some questionable right wing politics come into play, so fair warning to those put off by those things. On Kali, that influence is subtle, especially considering the fact that the record is totally instrumental. The song titles give nothing away either, but there's a quote on the inside of the cd booklet, "Creation and destruction are one, in the eyes who can see beauty." Which also doesn't seem any more oblique and grim than text found on other black metal records. But the quote is attributed to Savitri Devi, a French writer who wrote much of trying to synthesize Hinduism and Nazism, believing Hitler was an avatar for the Hindu god Vishnu, among other problematic and bizarre beliefs. Woah. She does seem pretty fascinating, what little we've read about her, at least in a seriously fucked up way, but she was definitely a total loony, and because of her strange beliefs has become a bit of a favorite amongst neo-Nazi's, hence the quote and hence the warning.
But if you can overlook the politics, as subtle as they may be here, this record is intense and beautiful and completely epic. Three loooooooong tracks, blazing buzzing, majestic, almost orchestral black buzz, furious and frenetic, relentless and weirdly gorgeous, separated by brief droning ambient interludes, moaning cellos, deep cavernous rumbles, epic minor key swells, soaring majestic synths, crumbling distortion, a dark industrial ambience with haunting music box melodies drifting over stretches of mournful murk.
But it's the three long tracks, which make up the bulk of this disc, that really make this such essential blackness. And even referring to this as blackness is not entirely accurate, as those tracks soar, the chugging guitars and tangled melodies, the furious drumming and the super emotional melodies all whirled into an epic slab of blissed out metallic beauty. In fact, the first long track, "The Great Destroyer", sounds to us what that Alcest record would have sounded like if it was actually metal. Shoegaze-y and dreamy and blissy, but still fierce and heavy, multiple guitar lines unfurling melodic tangles that stretch heavenward, all sustained and super dramatic, the drums a non stop barrage, perfectly complimenting the dense whirl of dreamy high end buzz.
The second long track, "The Intoxication", begins all slow and meandering, a crumbling distorted guitar picking out a minor key melody, before the song launches into a furious melancholy blast, the guitars continuing to soar and wail, with brief bits of midtempo drift separating the blissy blasts. The final long track, "The Dance Of Creation", is more of the same, but with two awesome interludes, the first, a gnarled breakdown with grinding high end guitars, and convoluted melodies over seasick riffing, the other a haunting expanse of synthesized strings, wavering and whirring before being swallowed up by the drums and guitar crashing back in. Very weird and strangely beautiful, epic grim not-so-blackness. The disc ends with a two minute stretch of ghostly buzz and reverb drenched swells of hiss and whir, creepy and abstract...
And again, while we of course find all that aforementioned political / racial stuff reprehensible, it's hard not to love a record this fucked up and gorgeous.
The packaging is pretty amazing too. Super thick textured paper, the images all washed out like some old parchment, the cd itself, red on the playing side, matching the artwork on the cd face. Cool.
MPEG Stream: "The Great Destroyer"
MPEG Stream: "The Intoxication"

ELDRIG Mysterion (Supernal) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The return of Portland one man black metal horde Eldrig. We have been totally obsessed with the two previous records, Kali and Everlasting War Divinity, both sounding like an impossible mix of Godspeed and Darkspace, furious and relentless and blackened, sweeping, epic and emotional, looong tracks, rife with droning buzz guitars, furious drumming, surprising melodies, all wrapped around some super abstract and far out mythologies, but here, those same strange obsessions are tangled up with a totally new, and seriously demented and unlikely sound.
As we mentioned in previous Eldrig reviews, like much black metal, there seems to be in Eldrig, some somewhat unpleasant political leanings, flirtations with Aryanism, Nietzschism, that sort of thing, which is only represented in the lyrics and the artwork as the music is all (or almost all) instrumental. But the more we hear, and the more we dig into the strange liner notes, the less this seems like some sort of NSBM, and the more it appears to be an all consuming and twisted obsession with all manner of problematic and crackpot theologies, far out mythologies, arcane symbolism, Eldrig revel in exploring the hidden meanings of symbols, both classic and traditional, forbidden and shocking, the music, in some strange way expressing the power and energy behind and within these symbols, the words wrapped around those symbols, and the people who lived and died over ideas and beliefs and yes, symbols. The booklet is gorgeous this time, thick marbled matte black pages, with text and symbols in super reflective ink, each song represented by a symbol, and some notes on the symbol and the music from Eldrig himself, there's a pentagram (of course), the cosmic egg, the AUM, the black sun, and of course the sunwheel (aka the swastika). The text accompanying the sunwheel speaks merely of the 'golden sun' and its abstract symbolic significance. But fair warning, folks sensitive to this stuff should steer clear, it's subtle but it's definitely there (for instance, Eldrig are still obsessed with Savitri Devi, a crackpot who was all about combining Nazism and Hinduism), although the interest does seem more abstract and intellectual than political or social.
But all of that hardly prepares you for the sonic shift Eldrig have undergone since the last album. Where was once, massive stretches of near static buzz and blast, sweeping epic blackened heaviness, there is now, what can only be described as, well, power metal. Black power metal (not BLACK POWER metal, if only!), Symphonic and super melodic and seriously over the top. It's barely even black metal anymore, lots of guitar leads, and squiggly melodies, and lush keyboards, there are vocals this time around, and they are blackened throat shredding vokills, the drumming is insane, the guitar is buzzy and insectoid, but the arrangements are ridiculous, totally epic and major key, the melodies sound sped up, keyboards everywhere. It's like Hammerfall with a black metal makeover. Some of the tracks do dip into doomy black grimness, the guitars thick and grinding, the vocals raspy and hateful, ploddingly along, but without fail, in will swoop some totally nuts guitar freakout, or an avalanche of majestic keyboards, sometimes the tracks slip into full on melodic hard rock, bordering on power ballad, there are even stretches of pretty clean guitar laid over burbling brooks and chirping birds, but those tracks always seem to return to some sort of furious power metal buzz. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, sort of, but it's also completely unhinged and fucked up and GENIUS. Not sure what he was thinking, but with Mysterion, Eldrig has crafted some totally outsider black metal, and be sure, this will definitely not appeal to the the troo and the grim, instead this is for fans of the fucked, the damaged, the so bizarre it blows your mind. And Mysterion most definitely blows our mind. Fucked up blackened power metal record of the year? As if there could possibly be any other contenders...
MPEG Stream: "The Ray Of Green Light"
MPEG Stream: "Physis"

ELDRIG Urlagarne (Darker Than Black) cd 10.98
The return of this Northwestern one man black metal horde brings us yet another collection of soaring, majestic, symphonic transcendental blackness, that like on past records reminds us almost more of old school power metal than typical grim black metal buzz, the record divided into three lengthy epics, those proper tracks separated by three interludes (structured much like their 2007 debut Kali) and each of those proper tracks a sprawling, instrumental metal majesty that few other bands can touch. Sonically a bit reminiscent of Krallice, but way more melodic, in fact, those Mick Barr solo guitar records, where he's basically doing these epic arrangements of black metal shred, if that stuff was transformed into proper black metal, it might just sound like Eldrig. But melody is huge in Eldrig's world, hence the power metal comparisons, and listening to this new one, we're even hearing other stuff, more post rock and post metal, the melodic component even more pronounced than before, and beyond the usual soaring epic metal, there are moments, like at the end of opening "Urd", where the sounds is somehow pushed even further, blossoming into something impossibly lush, almost choral sounding, layer upon layer, multiple melodies, woven into something emotional and passionate, that in some weird way almost sounds like a blackened Arvo Part. Symphonic and cinematic and so goddamn good.
The interludes this time around are pretty strange, all three a sort of gypsy folk, the main melody played on a jaw harp, there seem to be mandolins too, the sound of crackling fire surrounding the jaunty jam, in a weird way, it's upbeat vibe is not that far removed from the metal songs proper here, but at first blush it's pretty surprising.
The second proper song, "Verthandi", begins with epic arcs of howling high end guitar skree, filling the sky with a lush sprawl of slowburn melody, all over swirling synths, melancholic and minor key, slowly building, growing more and more dramatic, before finally bursting into a pounding blast, those guitar trills soaring and epic, while the drums pound away in a frenzy, the whole thing ratcheting up the tension, until finally, the song breaks into an old school metal gallop, but those guitars continue to soar in fast picked high end streaks, the sound occasionally bursting into impossibly frenzied freakouts, rife with emotional energy, the sort of vibe that is lacking from even the most intense traditional black metal, but here, Eldrig conjures up a dense cloud of raw sonic emotion, and sends it swirling into a wild buzz drenched squall, that is tense and intense and utterly epic.
Finally, the fifteen minute closer wastes no time, just lurches right into it, as if it was taking up right where "Verthandi" left off, all furious drum pound, soaring guitar trills, wild soaring melodies, but this time, there's a whole second layer of strange ethereal keyboards draped over the top, adding a sort of prismatic psychedelic feel to the proceedings, the soundtrack to storming Valhalla, or some sort of epic battle, this the ultimate cinematic blackness, evoking deep emotion, conjuring up images of wide open expanses, massive oceans, alien ice fields, crumbling planets. Eldrig should be scoring avant sci-fi flicks or bleak apocalyptic art films, rare is the black metal record that pushes past the rote black buzz and manages to move into a higher realm. But Eldrig's Urlagarne most definitely does...
MPEG Stream: "Urd"
MPEG Stream: "---"
MPEG Stream: "Skuld"

ELECTED, THE Sun, Sun, Sun (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Here's what Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett is up to when he's not Rilo Kileying. Yup, The Elected is his other band, and this is his second album (the first was called Me First). Sun, Sun, Sun effortlessly keeps pace with the glorious tunes of R.K. You would think he could've come up with a more imaginative band name though, wouldn't ya? Ah well, there's a song on this album that's so darn "feelgood, last day of summer scene of a teen movie" that it just made us go, "Whoa!" If you wanna join us on our highschool nostalgia field trip give "Not Going Home" a spin for yourself. It even has one of those pauses in it that in the movie would signal the (re)appearance of the main character's dream girl. Y'know when the music kicks back in, eyes meet, a shy smile, maybe there's a sweet hug, etc. Aaaawwww! The rest of Sun, Sun, Sun is filled with soft, sensitive slightly retro-70s pop sounds that bring to mind the Pernice Brothers and Elliott Smith. Sennett's vocals at times also have that endearing quiver similar to that of Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne or Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donohue. There are a couple of eyebrow raising moments later on in the song "Biggest Star" where the combined vocal, sax and guitar performances get a little uncharacteristically overwrought and wanky noodly amid the album's generally mellow scheme of things, but those are relatively minimally irksome. Nice.
Psst, coincidentally Sennett's R.K. bandmate Jenny Lewis also just released a fine solo album!
MPEG Stream: "Not Going Home"
MPEG Stream: "Beautiful Rainbow"

ELECTED, THE Sun, Sun, Sun (Sub Pop) lp 12.98
Here's what Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett is up to when he's not Rilo Kileying. Yup, The Elected is his other band, and this is his second album (the first was called Me First). Sun, Sun, Sun effortlessly keeps pace with the glorious tunes of R.K. You would think he could've come up with a more imaginative band name though, wouldn't ya? Ah well, there's a song on this album that's so darn
"feelgood, last day of summer scene of a teen movie" that it just made us go, "Whoa!" If you wanna join us on our highschool nostalgia field trip give "Not Going Home" a spin for yourself. It even has one of those pauses in it that in the movie would signal the (re)appearance of the main character's dream girl. Y'know when the music kicks back in, eyes meet, a shy smile, maybe there's a sweet hug, etc. Aaaawwww! The rest of Sun, Sun, Sun is filled with soft, sensitive slightly retro-70s pop sounds that bring to mind the Pernice Brothers and Elliott Smith. Sennett's vocals at times also have that endearing quiver similar to that of Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne or Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donohue. There are a couple of eyebrow raising moments later on in the song "Biggest Star" where the combined vocal, sax and guitar performances get a little uncharacteristically overwrought and wanky noodly amid the album's generally mellow scheme of things, but those are relatively minimally irksome. Nice.
Psst, coincidentally Sennett's R.K. bandmate Jenny Lewis also just released a fine solo album!
MPEG Stream: "Not Going Home"
MPEG Stream: "Beautiful Rainbow"

ELECTRELANE Axes (Too Pure) cd 13.98
On their latest album, Electrelane continue to wear their appreciation for Neu! on their eight sleeves (and they'd probably wear them on even more if they had more arms). This UK band is four ladies, but it's definitely leader of the pack Verity Susman's show. She handles the lions share of the instruments (piano, organ, harmonium, saxophone, guitar and voice) as well as writing the choir and brass arrangements. Her (their?) past untethered eccentricities have been reined in considerably on Axes to good effect. This is definitely a tighter, more focussed Electrelane. The freewheelin' abandon is still present but its much more concentrated -- striking a balance between their earlier rough, space-y instrumentals and their more recent straight-forward vocal pop song endeavors. For the heavier portion of this album's baker's dozen, they launch into driving Krautish jams, ramping up the tempo on each to a frenzied finish (in fact, they do it on almost every one of those tracks). So, it's not at all surprisingly that many songs on Axes still very closely resembles early Stereolab -- albeit minus the dreamy Laetitia-sung vocals but with the addition of Susman's oft-peculiar style of vocalizing and some very empassioned piano. The album's highlight by far is also its centerpiece. The sixth track "Gone Darker" is all lengthy, slow, atmospheric moodiness composed around the sound of a passing train. The engine's propulsive churn clearly inspired the album as a whole. As we've come to expect from Electrelane's releases, there's usually one song that sticks out as the album's black sheep, and while the 'train song' is sure in the running for that honor, it's the eighth free jazz-y improv track "Business Or Otherwise" that truly fits the bill. Recorded by Steve Albini, the whole record recorded in one take, live, as if they were playing a show. Cool.
MPEG Stream: "Gone Darker"
MPEG Stream: "Bells"

ELECTRELANE Axes (Too Pure) lp 13.98
On their latest album, Electrelane continue to wear their appreciation for Neu! on their eight sleeves (and they'd probably wear them on even more if they had more arms). This UK band is four ladies, but it's definitely leader of the pack Verity Susman's show. She handles the lions share of the instruments (piano, organ, harmonium, saxophone, guitar and voice) as well as writing the choir and brass arrangements. Her (their?) past untethered eccentricities have been reined in considerably on Axes to good effect. This is definitely a tighter, more focussed Electrelane. The freewheelin' abandon is still present but its much more concentrated -- striking a balance between their earlier rough, space-y instrumentals and their more recent straight-forward vocal pop song endeavors. For the heavier portion of this album's baker's dozen, they launch into driving Krautish jams, ramping up the tempo on each to a frenzied finish (in fact, they do it on almost every one of those tracks). So, it's not at all surprisingly that many songs on Axes still very closely resembles early Stereolab -- albeit minus the dreamy Laetitia-sung vocals but with the addition of Susman's oft-peculiar style of vocalizing and some very empassioned piano. The album's highlight by far is also its centerpiece. The sixth track "Gone Darker" is all lengthy, slow, atmospheric moodiness composed around the sound of a passing train. The engine's propulsive churn clearly inspired the album as a whole. As we've come to expect from Electrelane's releases, there's usually one song that sticks out as the album's black sheep, and while the 'train song' is sure in the running for that honor, it's the eighth free jazz-y improv track "Business Or Otherwise" that truly fits the bill. Recorded by Steve Albini, the whole record recorded in one take, live, as if they were playing a show. Cool.
MPEG Stream: "Gone Darker"
MPEG Stream: "Bells"

ELECTRELANE No Shouts, No Calls (Too Pure) cd 13.98
Electrelane have always been about momentum. Their songs have an anthemic quality and a building tension to them that always leads to an intensely exhilarating experience. That momentum seems to be seriously peaking right about now. No Shouts, No Calls is the sound of a band totally coming into their own. We totally dug their past records but this is the one that really gets us, our love affair with Electrelane suddenly seems to be in full bloom. Electrelane revisit some of the same sonic qualities that made Stereolab so irresistible for a while, but with a more revved up engine under the hood, they're a band that's not afraid to go full throttle. This is one of those records that's pretty much a unanimous favorite here at AQ. Even Andee who claims to not dig this stuff (and is admittedly dancefloor-phobic) can't help but shake some of his seldom seen fine moves every time this is blasting from our speakers (Andee denies everything). Vocal melodies soar and swirl, organs are used to rocking perfection, and that aforementioned momentum which reels you in from the get go and will not let you go, dragging you in deeper and deeper as the album plays out. This is truly a record that the always over zealous UK press should be drooling over right now, cause we sure are!
MPEG Stream: "To The East"
MPEG Stream: "Tram 21"

ELECTRELANE No Shouts, No Calls (Too Pure) 2lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Electrelane have always been about momentum. Their songs have an anthemic quality and a building tension to them that always leads to an intensely exhilarating experience. That momentum seems to be seriously peaking right about now. No Shouts, No Calls is the sound of a band totally coming into their own. We totally dug their past records but this is the one that really gets us, our love affair with Electrelane suddenly seems to be in full bloom. Electrelane revisit some of the same sonic qualities that made Stereolab so irresistible for a while, but with a more revved up engine under the hood, they're a band that's not afraid to go full throttle. This is one of those records that's pretty much a unanimous favorite here at AQ. Even Andee who claims to not dig this stuff (and is admittedly dancefloor-phobic) can't help but shake some of his seldom seen fine moves every time this is blasting from our speakers (Andee denies everything). Vocal melodies soar and swirl, organs are used to rocking perfection, and that aforementioned momentum which reels you in from the get go and will not let you go, dragging you in deeper and deeper as the album plays out. This is truly a record that the always over zealous UK press should be drooling over right now, cause we sure are!
MPEG Stream: "To The East"
MPEG Stream: "Tram 21"

ELECTRELANE Rock It To The Moon (Mr. Lady) cd 10.98
A smouldering, spaced-out, farfisa organ-fueled sonic journey which suitably befits its title "Rock It To The Moon". Quite a bit like a more garage-y version of the heady, repetitive jams often found within the Too Pure roster (especially Th' Faith Healers, Moonshake, and bits of Stereolab).
MPEG Stream: "Film Music"
MPEG Stream: "Le Song"

ELECTRELANE Rock It to the Moon (Too Pure) cd 10.98
Originally released on queer-punk label Mr. Lady Records, Electrelane's debut album Rock It To The Moon gets a reissuing courtesy of their current label Too Pure, and at a slightly nicer price too! Here's what we said about it the first time around, and it seems we were presciently right about it:
A smouldering, spaced-out, farfisa organ-fueled sonic journey which suitably befits its title Rock It To The Moon. Quite a bit like a more garage-y version of the heady, repetitive jams often found within the Too Pure roster (especially Th' Faith Healers, Moonshake, and bits of Stereolab).
MPEG Stream: "Film Music"
MPEG Stream: "Le Song"

ELECTRELANE Singles, B-Sides & Live (Too Pure) cd 10.98
Slowly but surely Electrelane has developed a decent sized following over the last several years. Thanks in part to the good taste of folks like The Ex and Broadcast taking them out on tour as well as their own musical progression which has seen them develop from their instrumental roots into their now more dynamic full sound. This collection pieces together singles, b-sides and live tracks from their early days right on up to recordings from last year. Their love of the building repetition of krautrock, the naivete of The Shaggs and the complexity of Stereolab has made them one of the more compelling bands in recent years. What's so nice about Electrelane is that they have this ability to please the ears of those who can trace their roots as well the ears of those who don't have an extensive relationship with things like krautrock and Farfisa organs. Their populist approach becomes more evident on some of their covers like Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire". But we have to say we like when their originals more. And this collection's chock full of gems for all kinds of ears to appreciate.
MPEG Stream: "Come On"
MPEG Stream: "I've Been Your Fan Since Yesterday"

ELECTRELANE The Power Out (Too Pure) cd 10.98
Been sensing a little buzz lately about this band from the U.K. You might've spotted these four women recently when they toured the U.S. with fellow Brits Broadcast. Having seen their performance here in S.F. and now, having heard this their second full length, we'd say they're much stronger on record. Live, they came across rather stiff and unprepared. On The Power Out, they reveal intriguing and adventurous ideas a-plenty -- mostly rooted in brooding propulsive rock laced with organ, piano and even a saxophone on one of the later songs. On occasion however, they lack the chops to truly lock it all together. The unpolished, loose quality of both the recordings and the performances may be appealing to some, but overall it makes for an uneven album. When they do hit the mark though Electrelane can really shine. For an example of this you need look (or listen) no further than the album's third song. A bit of a black sheep among the rest of the more straightforward guitar-driven songs it's a film soundtrack-y choral number called "The Valleys". Glorious! We'd wish for more of a similar ilk, but only one other (the eighth song "This Deed") comes close. One reason for this is the presence of additional vocals that accompany those of lead singer/multi-instrumentalist Verity Susman. They really flesh out the two songs, making them more expansive, more enveloping and a stark contrast to the rest. Actually the prominent and varied vocal presence on The Power Out is a marked change from its predecessor, the mostly instrumental, more krautrock influenced Rock It To The Moon. So, with this increased focus on the vocals what's the in-store response been like? Well, it's run both hot and cold ranging from those who dug Susman's voice quite a bit to those who thought it was grating and a bit sour. She definitely tackles a number of different vocal deliveries that range from gutsy grrrl hollerin' to a low Chrissie Hynde-ish throatiness to droll Pastels-ish sing-song not to mention some odd non-verbal bird-call sounds (check out "On Parade"). Definitely seems to be a matter of taste.
MPEG Stream: "The Valleys"
MPEG Stream: "On Parade"

ELECTRELANE The Power Out (Too Pure) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Been sensing a little buzz lately about this band from the U.K. You might've spotted these four women recently when they toured the U.S. with fellow Brits Broadcast. Having seen their performance here in S.F. and now, having heard this their second full length, we'd say they're much stronger on record. Live, they came across rather stiff and unprepared. On The Power Out, they reveal intriguing and adventurous ideas a-plenty -- mostly rooted in brooding propulsive rock laced with organ, piano and even a saxophone on one of the later songs. On occasion however, they lack the chops to truly lock it all together. The unpolished, loose quality of both the recordings and the performances may be appealing to some, but overall it makes for an uneven album. When they do hit the mark though Electrelane can really shine. For an example of this you need look (or listen) no further than the album's third song. A bit of a black sheep among the rest of the more straightforward guitar-driven songs it's a film soundtrack-y choral number called "The Valleys". Glorious! We'd wish for more of a similar ilk, but only one other (the eighth song "This Deed") comes close. One reason for this is the presence of additional vocals that accompany those of lead singer/multi-instrumentalist Verity Susman. They really flesh out the two songs, making them more expansive, more enveloping and a stark contrast to the rest. Actually the prominent and varied vocal presence on The Power Out is a marked change from its predecessor, the mostly instrumental, more krautrock influenced Rock It To The Moon. So, with this increased focus on the vocals what's the in-store response been like? Well, it's run both hot and cold ranging from those who dug Susman's voice quite a bit to those who thought it was grating and a bit sour. She definitely tackles a number of different vocal deliveries that range from gutsy grrrl hollerin' to a low Chrissie Hynde-ish throatiness to droll Pastels-ish sing-song not to mention some odd non-verbal bird-call sounds (check out "On Parade"). Definitely seems to be a matter of taste.
MPEG Stream: "The Valleys"
MPEG Stream: "On Parade"

ELECTRELANE To The East (Too Pure) 7" 3.98

ELECTRIC ANNIHILATION Issue No. 1 magazine 3.00
First issue of a new local San Francisco based zine that covers the underground music scenes of various locales around the country and beyond. Features articles and interviews with Sun Araw, Wet Hair, Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins, Emeralds and Nomen Dubium, with columns and scene reports from Cleveland and Iowa. Photocopied with hand-drawn borders and artwork on old school folded newsprint. Rad!

ELECTRIC BANANA, THE Blows Your Mind (Carnabeat) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Pretty Things, in a money making ploy used the alias Electric Banana. They recorded soundtrack pieces for the DeWolfe Music Library, who would store them away for whenever that hip swinging London sound was called for in a film. They appeared in some late '60s/early '70s soft porn titles and horror flicks like Michael Armstrong's The Haunted House Of Horror. These 15 tracks were recorded when The Pretty Things were at their best so the songs are totally great groovy british psychedelia.

RealAudio clip: "Alexander"
RealAudio clip: "It'll Never Be Me"

ELECTRIC BIRDS Gradations (Mille Plateaux) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

ELECTRIC BIRDS Panorama (Deluxe) cd 13.98
This is the second full length from Electric Birds (Mike Martinez -- head honcho of Deluxe, formerly of Cars Get Crushed). Panorama is full of rich tones, layered with organic found sounds and bubbly beats. Fans of Nobukazu Takemura and Matmos should definitely check this out.

ELECTRIC BIRDS s/t (Deluxe) cd 13.98
With credits as providing additional production, Matmos' influence on the sound of the one-man project, Electric Birds, may be much greater than simply supplying a sampled whoopy-cushion every once in a while. Mike Martinez - the brainchild behind the album - has concocted an exceptional debut album of organic electronica liberally spiked with halcyon and bliss-pop, complete with guitars drenched in Slowdive reverb, algorithmic digital sputterings, awkwardly happy-go-lucky breaks, and a whimsical sensibility.

ELECTRIC BIRDS Strata Frames (U Cover) cd 13.98
Third record from Mike Martinez and his Electric Birds. The earthy, organic textures formerly prominent on past EB releases collide with a newfound love of dub and the cold microhouse rhythms of Berlin. Not too distant from the arctic dub stylings of Pole and Kit Clayton. Limited press on U-cover of Belgium.
RealAudio clip: "Stem"

ELECTRIC BUNNIES, THE Pretty Joanna / I Swear I'll Never Let You Go (Sacred Bones) 7" 5.98
One of two new Sacred Bones releases on this week's list, and the first we've heard from the Electric Bunnies, although a quick check of the internet perhaps suggests that we're a bit out of the loop on this one. But no matter, we're digging these two new jams BIG time, starting off with a squall of feedback and some pounding psychedelic drum damage, the song blossoms into something much more moody and epic, with brooding deep vocals, and plenty of buzz. What sounded like a jam that could have exploded into some serious noise rock, instead sprawls into some fuzzy post punk cold wave crunch, gloomy and gothy, but wrapped in thick sheets of feedback, and swirling cloud of whir and skree, the rhythm motorik and relentless and hypnotic.
The flip side offers up a whole different side of the band, with falsetto vox, Beach Boys harmonies, tumbling tribal drumming, a total "Don't you, forget about me..." eighties teen flick soundtrack vibe, but filtered through the current cracked sonics of the new wave of lo-fi warped garage pop. Awesome stuff, definitely has us hankering for more.

ELECTRIC COMPANY 62-56 (Tigerbeat6) cd 11.98
Electric Company is one Brad Laner, whom you may recognize as he is formerly of L.A. dreampopsters Medicine. Riding on the coattails of his acclaimed 'Slow Food' lp on Mike Paradinas' Planet µ label as well as last year's wonderful 'Exitos' cd on Tigerbeat6, Mr. Laner's latest is a wonderful exploitation of the amalgamation of harsh electronics and dreamy analoguesque climates. Fragments of Lesser, Thomas Brinkmann, Pthalocyanine and the Chain Reaction roster liquefy, materializing into something challenging and extraordinary. Includes a lengthy collaboration between Electric Company, Lesser, Blectum From Blechdom and Kid 606 in Brad's studio in Los Angeles.
RealAudio clip: "Hyperion"
RealAudio clip: "Kidblesserfromblectricompany"

ELECTRIC COMPANY Exitos (Tigerbeat6) cd 12.98
Brad Laner (of Medicine) returns with another solo electronic effort, ambient computer collage art.

ELECTRIC COMPANY Greatest Hits (Tigerbeat6) cd 14.98
Brad Laner's Electric Company gets the remix treatment from many of his wonderfully talented friends: Kid 606, U-Ziq, Blectum From Blechdom, Pimmon, Phthalocyanine, Tom Recchion (y'know, from the LAFMS!), Leafcutter John, Frank Bretschneider, Geoff White, Timeblind, Jasper, Lexaunculpt and Kim Cascone.
RealAudio clip: KID 606 "Josie and the slamming Demonic Riffs Rmx"
RealAudio clip: BLECTUM FROM BLECHDOM "Elco-Meon-oh"
RealAudio clip: U-ZIQ "Octelcogopod u-ziq rmx"