CEX Sketchi (Temporary Residence) cd 14.98
Cex sinks knee-deep in dub and industrial sounds on his latest full length. As usual his lower brow presence on the Temporary Residence label sorta sticks out like a sore thumb amid the often lovely, atmospheric post-rock recordings that make up the majority of the label's catalog. Admittedly we've had something of a love/hate relationship with Cex over the years, but this time around y'know what? We're leaning more towards the former... well maybe at least 'like'. Heh heh. Somewhat surprisingly Sketchi's a morass of gloom and grit with not a giggle or grin in sight... except for maybe some of the song titles (such as "Waiting 4 Yankovic"!). Quite a marked departure from his past mischievous, silly releases. An oddly limited pressing of 1000.
MPEG Stream: "Damon Kvols"
MPEG Stream: "Camber Sands"

CEX Starship Galactica (555) cd 12.98
Cex certainly has some artistic talent, but "Starship Galactica" shows him to still be just a dorky kid from Baltimore. The majority of this album features what Cex does best -- Autechre / Funkstorung breakbeats with sad, romantic chords derived from both warm acoustic instruments and cold digital algorhythms. However, he inexplicably drops in skits / introductions to these tracks... one is a shout-out to his crew in Baltimore, another is a really stupid skit of a woman masturbating while Cex is getting all gung-ho about his high score on his Playstation (somehow, it's supposed to be funny), and he ends the album with a lo-fi Atom & His Package type song. It may be possible to look beyond all of this juvenile, sexually frustrated behaviour and really listen to his pretty great skittery melancholy electronica... but boy those skits make it tough.

CEX Tall, Dark, And Handcuffed (Tigerbeat6) cd 13.98
New record from the underground rock scene's Brian Austin Green (c'mon, you remember, from Beverly Hills 90210....made a rap record....it was BAD)
Let's ruin the only 'funny' bit (a skit of all things, a take off of an Eminem skit) on this otherwise dreadful album of white bread, stupid pointless hip-hop by transcribing it here:
Jeremy deVine (of Sonna and Temporary Residence) with a tone of businesslike urgency: "Hey Cex, what's up?"
Cex goofily unaware: "Hey Jeremy deVine! Good to see you! What's up?"
Jeremy: "Cex could you come in here and have a seat, please. Vanessa, shut the door."
Cex: "What's up, how's Otis (?) looking for the first week?"
Jeremy: "It would be better if you gave me nothing at all. This album is less than nothing. I can't sell this fucking record. Do you know what's happening to me out there?"
Cex: "What's the problem?"
Jeremy: "Bjork told me to go fuck myself."
Cex: "Who's Bjork?"
Jeremy: "Aquarius Records told me to shove this record up my ass. Do know what it feels like to be told to have a record shoved up your ass? I'm going to lose my fucking job over this. Do you know why Radiohead's album was so successful? They're singing about homosexuals and Vicodin. You're rhyming about dodgeball and bicycles. Have you been in my office again? Look at this desk! There's a spring busted and it's all messed up. Either change the record or it's not coming out."
Cex: "Wait. What am I supposed to do?"
Jeremy: "Get the fuck out of my office. Now."
For the record, it was Cex who was to be the recipient of record-ass-shoving, not Jeremy deVine. But Jeremy'll do.
RealAudio clip: "Gigolo Knights"
RealAudio clip: "K-12 Days Of Hell"
RealAudio clip: "Jeremy Devine"

CEX / ELECTRIC COMPANY "$" vol. 2 (Tigerbeat6) 7" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Number two in the $ series of Tigerbeat6 singles, this one's got Baltimore's Cex and Los Angeles' Electric Company. Don't know how limited, but I wouldn't wait on these hotcakes...

CEX / VENETIAN SNARES Connected Series Volume 2 (Klangkrieg) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Second in Klangkrieg's Connected series (volume one featured DJ Scud and Pthalocyanine). Baltimore's Cex reworks the unstoppable Venetian Snares (aka Aaron Funk) and vice versa. Bubbly drill'n'bass from two prolific playas in underground electronica.

CHAOS A.D. Buzz Caner (Rephlex) 3lp 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Tom Jenkinson/The Squarepusher's new project Chaos A.D. goes back to the roots of techno, bringing along some digital hardcore as a tour guide.

CHARLES ATLAS Fabricate: Remixes Of The Album Worsted Weight (Audraglint) cd 13.98
Could Charles Atlas' wistful atmospheric music possibly be made any more airy and blissful? You betcha! Especially when put in the able hands of (the mostly likeminded) Magnetophone, Pram, Sybarite, Isan, The Telescopes, Marconi Union, Nudge, Strategy, Park Avenue Drift, Stendec, Casino Vs. Japan, Signaldrift, and Telefunken. Sooo mellow and soothing, these glistening tracks just wash right over you. Go on, unwind!
MPEG Stream: "Sun With Teeth"
MPEG Stream: "Antiphon"

CHARRED BELLS Broken Bells Breaks Vol. 2 (Shiranui) cd 19.98
Release from the Japanese label Shiranui, which has developed a rather unique variant of drum & bass, which employs spastic asynchronous breakbeats accompanied with austere modernist jazz overtones of bowed metal, stand-up bass, and muted horns. Not at all dissimilar to the early Spymania releases by Squarepusher, though more dissonant and less groove-based.

CHARTIER, RICHARD Incidence (Raster-Noton) cd 17.98
In many ways, the work of Richard Chartier is anathema to the aesthetic course embraced by Aquarius Records. It can't be tangentially connected to the expanding definitions of metal, and only liminally parallels the feral dronecore of Birchville Cat Motel and the Double Leopards. It doesn't lend itself to ridiculous ruminations on the artifice of memory and loss, or any hyperbolic rhetoric for that matter. It's hard even to call this type of work beautiful as the rigor embedded into the process is attuned to an cold sterility rather than an aspirations for aesthetic transcendence. Thus, Chartier's work simply is what it is: a pure manifestation of sound elegantly moving through time with a highly refined sensibility for the subtle transition. The simple perfection from the minimalist ethos is difficult to champion as the manifestations are hardly theatrical enough to warrant any of the marketing strategies listed above to make most people jump up and down; but here we are, announcing that Richard Chartier has crafted an exquisite album, one that may be his finest recordings to date.
Incidence is a vacuum of external references, beginning and ending with the same hissing static. Chartier plunges the album into a series of interlocking subsonic frequencies. While these frequencies were never intended to achieve the heaviosity of SUNNO))) or Earth, Chartier's understanding of psychoacoustic principles actualizes an impressively claustrophobic display of blackened tones. As Chartier introduces a simple half-step melody against these extended drone vibrations, his work opens a small referential window towards the grim isolationism of Thomas Koner or BJ Nilsen. Time manages to stand still on the best of Chartier's work, and at over an hour in length, Incidence is over before you know it. Very, very well done.
MPEG Stream: "Incidence (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Incidence (excerpt 2)"

CHARTIER, RICHARD & TAYLOR DEUPREE Specification.Fifteen (Line) cd 14.98

CHEMICAL BROTHERS Come With Us (Virgin) cd 16.98

CHEMICAL BROTHERS Music: Response (Astralwerks) cd 10.98
Ooooh! It's the "Special U.S. Edition". Like I fucking care. New tracks, remixes, live stuff from Glastonbury, cd-rom video.

CHEMICAL BROTHERS Push The Button (Astralwerks) cd 17.98

CHEMICAL BROTHERS Setting Sun (Astralwerks) cdep 7.98
3 versions of the title song plus "Buzz Tracks." Noel Gallagher appears.

CHEMICAL BROTHERS We Are The Night (Astralwerks) cd 13.98

CHESSIE Manifest (Plug Research) cd 11.98
It has been far too long since we've heard from Chessie. Seven years, in fact. And that sabbatical, hibernation, hiatus, or whatever you want to call it is somewhat quizzical, considering that Overnight (the 2001 album in question) had received heaps of acclaim from all across the board. For loyal Aquarius customers who happened to venture in the store around that time, Overnight was on the short list of albums that seemed to be in constant rotation here in the store, alongside the likes of Spoon's Girls Can Tell, the first New Pornographers album, Amon Duul II's Yeti, and the Andrew Chalk / Jonathan Coleclough collaboration Sumac. We have our beloved former co-worker Byram Abbott to thank for getting Overnight under our collective skin. Seven years later, Chessie works their magic once again.
A duo comprised of Stephen Gardner and Ben Bailes, Chessie operates along the borders between digitally crunched electronics and impressionist shoegazing. Gardner began his off-and-on musical career in US shoegazing indie-pop band Lorelei back in the early '90s, with a smattering of impressive singles that clearly formed the foundation for Chessie's chiming guitars grafted into an electronica context. Many of the songs on Manifest enjoy wistfully slow-burning, post-pop crescendos (e.g. Pinback, early Stereolab) as remixed through the fizzing Max/MSP patches of Fennesz. Shuffling motorik breakbeats, pierced bleeps 'n' bloops, blissed-out washes of multi-tracked guitars, and maudlin samples from muted French horns and strings pock the album's varied tracks, with occasionally lulls into hypnotic atmospherics only to snap into some truly memorable pop hooks. Had Chessie decided to incorporate a vocalist, perhaps they might be the next Postal Service; but the more adventurous route of the instrumental better serves Chessie's sensibility. A very highly recommended album, and one which will no doubt be on lots of 2008 top ten lists!
MPEG Stream: "Inner City"
MPEG Stream: "Long Bridge"
MPEG Stream: "High Time"
MPEG Stream: "Poughkeepsie Aflame"

CHESSIE Meet (Drop Beat) cd 14.98

CHESSIE Overnight (Plug Research) cd 16.98
Beautifully hypnotic, guitar-driven electronica from the Virginian duo of Stephen Gardner and Ben Bailes. Their third full length and first for Los Angeles-based Plug Research, "Overnight" is quite a departure from Chessie's underachieving, experimental-electronic beginnings. Infusing a stronger approach to texture and songwriting (sans vocals), as well as emphasis on live instrumentation (at least guitars and bass, the drums are probably all electronic), it may be incorrect to classify this music as purely "electronic" as it ranks up there with the shoegazer dreaminess of My Bloody Valentine and Hood, or more recently, Fennesz and Stephan Mathieu. Another wonderful release from the groundbreaking Plug Research, continuing to blur the borders between rock and electronica as previously witnessed on the recent Dntel album, "Life Is Full Of Possibilities."
RealAudio clip: "Daylight"
RealAudio clip: "Eyes And Smiles"
RealAudio clip: "Pantograph"

CHESSMACHINE Live In Los Angeles (Line) cd 14.98

CHEVRON Everything's Exactly The Same (Planet Mu) cd 16.98

CHICKS ON SPEED 99¢ (EMI Germany) cd 19.98
Euro-scenesters Chicks On Speed host a wild electro-rock, disco-punk party on their somewhat-inaccurately titled new album 99¢, inviting such friends as Peaches, Tina Weymouth, Le Tigre, Kevin Blechdom, Miss Kittin, Mika Vaino and others to get down with them. Now, while fashion/design/music collective Chicks On Speed are considered cutting edge, it may be that their visual aesthetic is more advanced than their musical mode -- which, despite the laptops and advanced Austrian electronica technology, is less 21st century than 1983. Of course, that's the idea. Sheer good times retro dance floor fodder, with an edge. It's fun and hip and sure to please fans of the CoS, Peaches, Blectum From Blechdom, Ladytron, all that sorta thing. It's hard to tell if the lyrics are supposed to be clever or dumb, but since when did anyone have a problem with disco having dumb lyrics? Includes video clip for the track with Peaches, "We Don't Play Guitars" (for which we're also selling the cd single, $6.98, fyi).
MPEG Stream: "Shooting From The Hip"
MPEG Stream: "We Don't Play Guitars, featuring Peaches"
MPEG Stream: "Wordy Rappinghood"

CHICKS ON SPEED Chix 52 (Chicks on Speed Records) cdep 8.98
The Chicks on Speed return with more of their stupid art school crap. "Chix 52" finds these talentless morons covering the B-52s ("leave the B52s alone, dammit!"), and ending up sounding even worse than the Kathleen Hanna electronica project Julie Ruin. Yeah, it's that bad. Heck, even if you liked Julie Ruin (as some here did), this is bad. Do not buy this, unless you want to be stuck with the worst album of the year. I'm fucking serious.

CHICKS ON SPEED Re-releases of the Unreleased (K) cd 14.98
The Chicks on Speed return with more of their stupid art school crap. "Chix 52" finds these talentless morons covering the B-52s ("leave the B52s alone, dammit!"), and ending up sounding even worse than the Kathleen Hanna electronica project Julie Ruin. Yeah, it's that bad. Heck, even if you liked Julie Ruin (as some here did), this is bad. Do not buy this, unless you want to be stuck with the worst album of the year. I'm fucking serious.

CHICKS ON SPEED We Don't Play Guitars (Chicks On Speed) cd single 6.98

CHICKS ON SPEED Will Save The World (Chicks On Speed Records) cd 15.98
Stupid art-school crap. That's all this is. Don't say we didn't warn you. Dunno why The Wire devoted a page to 'em, except that they have some connection to the Mego / Mille Plateaux scene. There's a bunch of special guests on this record but we'll refrain from embarrassing any of these Austrian electronic-nerds further by naming them. A horrific cover of "Warm Leatherette" seals their fate.

CHICKS ON SPEED / KREIDLER s/t (Chicks On Speed) cd ep 8.98
Berlin-based art school pop darlings Chicks On Speed team up with Dusseldorf post-Kraftwerk electro craftsmen Kreidler for four arty synthpop anthems. As expected, the collaboration quickly becomes a throwaway novelty as the Chicks' ridiculous post-ironic, Smack The Pony comedic style gets old after one listen. Yet, the catchy "Frequent Flyer Lounge Song", in which the phrase "Dance music... Do you want to dance?" becomes an infectious guilty pleasure. A warbled, sinister, and strangely Coil-esque cover of Nick Cave's "Where The Wild Roses Grow" closes the disc. The cd version also includes a quicktime video clip of the sessions.
RealAudio clip: "Frequent Flyer Lounge Song"
RealAudio clip: "Where The Wild Roses Grow"

CHICKS ON SPEED / KREIDLER s/t (Chicks On Speed) 12" 7.98
Berlin-based art school pop darlings Chicks On Speed team up with Dusseldorf post-Kraftwerk electro craftsmen Kreidler for four arty synthpop anthems. As expected, the collaboration quickly becomes a throwaway novelty as the Chicks' ridiculous post-ironic, Smack The Pony comedic style gets old after one listen. Yet, the catchy "Frequent Flyer Lounge Song", in which the phrase "Dance music... Do you want to dance?" becomes an infectious guilty pleasure. A warbled, sinister, and strangely Coil-esque cover of Nick Cave's "Where The Wild Roses Grow" closes the disc. The cd version also includes a quicktime video clip of the sessions.

CHICKS ON SPEED AND THE NO HEADS Press The Space Bar (Chicks On Speed) cd 14.98
A very different Chicks On Speed greets us when we press the play button. For the first track, the aptly titled "Household Song", it seems like they've taken ample cues and inspiration from the seminal minimal art-punk of The Raincoats' Ana Da Silva (whose fine solo debut album they just released on their own label), stripping away their usual clutter and tidying things up a whole bunch. However for the second song they revert back to their raucous angular selves with crunchy rudimentary guitars, throbbing bass, clunky drum machine rhythms, cryptic samples and barked-out hystrionic vocals shouting out their socio-political lyrics. Yes, their sonic sisterhood with Le Tigre is still in full effect, but they strike us as being far less self-important and much more willing to cut loose and do whatever tickles their fancy... no matter how retarded, like naming a song "Wax My Anus". That said, the second song "Mitte Bitte" did sorta make us wanna bounce around the living room like a delirous Muppet. Some of this is genuinely fun, while some of it is just plain painful. Ah, but some folks have a penchant for painful. 'Tis an acquired taste.
MPEG Stream: "The Household Song"
MPEG Stream: "Mitte Bitte"

CHICKS ON SPEED/DMX KREW Smash Metal (Go Records) 2x7 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A double seven inch from the DHR electronica realms of low IQ punk fury thrown onto 808s and powerbooks. Chicks on Speed follows Cobra Killer's alienated and blatant sampling in a new wave context... DMX Krew (the same who did those cheese-ball electro cuts for Rephlex???) cranks out the punk rock songs, literally.

CHILLED BY NATURE Musical Box (Big Chill) cd single 10.98

CHINE NUAL Tomorrows Leaders Are Busy Tonight (Plate Lunch) cd 12.98
While this is technically not new, we still figured we ought to list it since it somehow managed to fall through the cracks when it initially came out. Released in 2000 on Germany's Plate Lunch label, Chine Nual is beloved AQ customer Rick Kitch, composing, manipulating and recontextualising source material (courtesy of Randy Grief, Jeph Jerman and Steve Brand) into hypnotic, lazy-hazy drones, quietly propulsive krautrockish electronica, and burbly atmospherics. Gorgeous and dreamy soundscapes occasionally dotted with minute clicking rhythms, rumbling, serene drones with washes of gentle hum. Really excellent. My new favorite late night record. Fans of Gas, good Eno and the like will love this.
RealAudio clip: "Machine Manual"
RealAudio clip: "Charityware"
RealAudio clip: "More Free Than Welcome"

CHRISTINE 23 ONNA Shiny Crystal Planet (Alchemy) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Christine 23 Onna is a collaborative effort between Fusao Toda and Maso Yamazaki, better known as Masonna. While the presence of one of Japan's most frightening noisicians should be enough the scare away all of the too-hip-and-too-stoned kids who only care about 'rare grooves,' Christine 23 Onna's "Shiny Chrystal Planet" is actually a pretty damn funky record. Yeah, it's noisy, but in a swirling, synth-overload, super psychedelic way, not like Masonna's usual electronic scream-skree. And really uptempo breakbeats set the rhythmic backbone for some awesome trance-rock much like the latest grooves from their countrymen the Boredoms (a la "Super Are" and "Vision Creation Newsun)". The phase shifting fuzz guitar and cosmic space dusted synthesizers get jammy, but fortunately never too wanky. Those of you familiar with the '60s spy thrillers of Jerry Van Rooyen may recognize one of his tempestous songs covered by Christine 23 Onna (we think we do, anyways, although it's not credited as such...). Wild, spacey groov-adelia. All around great stuff! Amazing cover art recreating Ash Ra Temple's "New Age Of Earth"!
RealAudio clip: "Christine Hop #1"

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Communal Rust (Community Library) cd 16.98
Ok, so this has been passed around the store for a little while with a rotation of different people assigned to review it. Why the hesitation? It seems the folks around here who had no idea who Christmas Decorations are, took a look at the cover and thought it was perhaps another Christian psych-folk reissue from the seventies or some twee homey Americana and kept putting it below their priority list. And the folks around here who DID know who Christmas Decorations are, from their Kranky debut a few years ago, didn't like that album very much at all, mainly due to its atonal vocalizing over quirky electronica. Well, when we finally put this on, we were pleasantly surprised, if not out and out AMAZED at what we heard. First of all, there are thankfully no vocals, and while this is not the Christian folk or Americana record some of us thought it to be, there is a strain of, er rustic folkiness through the presence of slide guitar as it barely permeates through the murky minimal ambience of shifting electronics. It seems that Christmas Decorations have cleaned house since their debut, removing all the unnecessary elements of song-forms from their compositions, and reducing their sound to layers of decayed and drifting abstractions barely hinting at the melodies beneath them. Think the winter equivalent to Fennesz's Endless Summer. Like the sounds of oxidation on old and rotting wood, subtle and melancholy with the textures of wet dirt and leaves burbling under slowly melting ice. So beautiful! We think fans of Jasper TX and Machinefabriek and similar outfits of dreamy drift would dig this a lot. What a surprise!!
MPEG Stream: "Closer To the Carpet"
MPEG Stream: "Twig Harpoon"
MPEG Stream: "Aphid Text"

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Model 91 (Kranky) cd 14.98
Sometimes droll, atonal singing can work really well (think Beat Happening, Reynols or Magnetic Fields), but unfortunately not on the Christmas Decorations' debut album. Seriously, this is some painfully out of tune singing. It distracts from the rest of the music which taken without the vocals is quite pleasant, if somewhat underwhelming - moody chiming soundscapes comprised of some highly effected guitars, bass, melodica and sequencers. This comes as an enormous disappointment following Revolve the one and only album from the fantastic but crushingly short-lived band that was Beautiful Skin whose nucleus was Nick Forte and Ross Totino. There was an unquestionable musical chemistry between them that propelled their music beyond simplistic new wave references and the Wire / Gang Of Four / New Order worship of Forte's previous bands. This new group however does not draw such glowing praise, instead it truly bummed out a few of us.
RealAudio clip: "A Random Hill"
RealAudio clip: "Tables And Chair "

CHRISTOPHE HEEMANN Magnetic Tape Splicing lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Rumours have it that Christophe was clocked at over 500 splices per second for this record. Regardless of the truth to this, his brilliant cut-up collage done entirely on an old reel-to-reel sounds very similar to recent digital collages of Stock, Hausen, and Walkman!

CHROMATICS In The City (Italians Do It Better) 12" 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
With a new perfectly delivered sound, Chromatics have become a huge favorite here in aQ land over the last couple months as we've been playing their new album IV: Night Drive over and over and still not even getting close to burning out on its seductive and steamy sounds. This 12" contains one of their great selections from the scene defining After Dark compilation which will for sure find its way on to many 2007 best of lists. Along with that comes an extended mix, an instrumental version, the haunting vocal only mix and a hot take on Springsteen's "I'm On Fire." We're not sure if the Boss would approve, but we sure do!
MPEG Stream: "In The City"

CHROMATICS IV: Night Drive Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Italians Do It Better) cd 13.98
Ooooh Ahhhhh! This one has been sizzling in our ears pretty much on endless repeat since it showed up at the store. Chromatics have undergone a pretty radical change from their early herky-jerky no-wave inspired beginnings, as showcased on the amazing and scene defining After Dark comp that we recently listed, and are still so in love with. Chromatics now have a sound that is much more sensual, subdued and spaced out. And we have to say we are loving this new direction. I definitely suits them so much more naturally than their noisier punky past.
With a sound much more rooted in early drugged out disco and '80s Euro-pop, Night Drive is sparse and melancholic enough to reel in folks whose taste usually falls on the darker end of the spectrum yet with songs so damn sexy and enticing that those of us with dance and pop leanings are seduced by their sound as well. With Ruth Radalet's vocals sounding like they are being delivered in a dark room filled with fog and smoke, there is such an intoxicating late night vibe that Chromatics tap into which feels so vacant and so sexy in the best possible way. They take on the daunting task of covering Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" and manage to make it their own, no small feat as that is a song with such deep meaning for so many of us. So damn good!
MPEG Stream: "Night Drive"
MPEG Stream: "The Killing Spree"
MPEG Stream: "Running Up That Hill"

CHROMEO Fancy Footwork (Vice) cd 14.98
Much like the vibrant clothes of eras past that twenty-somethings are currently sporting to wild nights at dive bar dance parties, the soundtrack to those dance parties has become vibrant and '80s-esque, with a '00s spin. It's what you could call synth-wave with a digital flare. In fact, Chromeo's Fancy Footwork is the third ultra-Moogy album we've reviewed for this list -- check out our reviews of Justice and Digitalism... While those two tip their hats to the '80s with uber-synths and samples, they also combine more modern sounds (Daft Punk, Faint, and Fatboy Slim come to mind) to give an overall feel that the Deathstar has just descended on the sweaty dance party. Chromeo, however, has taken a more pure approach in their nod to the '80s, and it isn't the '80s that never stopped being 'cool' (Cure, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, etc). Oh no, Chromeo have managed to create the the sound of Don Johnson walking into the room and eyein' your girlfriend, that kind of '80s vibe in the year 2007. We're talking Rockwell and Ray Parker Jr. kind of '80s folks. We figure this balls-to-the-wall synth resurgence might go as fast as it's come, but will no doubt shape what comes next and will be remembered fondly by many as they look back when the decade has passed reflecting fondly on the raging party they attended when the world was so close to the edge.
MPEG Stream: "Fancy Footwork"
MPEG Stream: "Call Me Up"

CHROMEO She's In Control (Vice / Atlantic) cd 13.98
A friend played me the song, "Me And My Man", a while ago and I was instantly addicted to one of Canada's best current electro exports, Chromeo. Shockingly, we haven't carried it until now. Well, reminiscent of Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue", Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" and Egyptian Lover (minus some nasty freakiness), She's In Control features analog synths, some rockin guitar, 808, rhodes and lots of talk-box... yeah! That it's on Vice's label should tell you something on how it rates on the hipster scale, but it's definitely an album for delightfully uncool people too. It's chock full of party tracks like "Needy Girl", "Woman Friend" and "Ah Oui Comme Ca". The production is just good enough not to sound too polished, leaving the songs sounding fresh, like they were put together by two inspired best friends - which is true. It is also true that they are pulling from such a specific type of nostalgic sound, it will easily date itself now... but it's just soooo fun! If you plan on having a kick ass dance-party soon... invite me. If you want to listen to something fresh and totally awesome, you must must must have this!!
MPEG Stream: "Me & My Man"
MPEG Stream: "Needy Girl"

CHURCH STEPS Brisbane Cats (Static Caravan) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Don't miss out on this very limited UK import. Only 500 were pressed. Three songs from this San Francisco duo. Chris and Mike create layer upon layer of electronic textures, thoughtful, hushed vocals and lovely, tentative guitar melodies. We should note that this record has a much more aggressive electronic presence from Chris (alias OST/Rook Vallard) than the fragile, pretty Jewelry cd-ep.

CHURCH STEPS Criticism (Flapping Jet / Dial) cd ep 9.98
Sounding a lot like indie rock fave Smog (if Bill Callahan would only keep up with the state of music today, instead of sounding more and more dated with each release), Church Steps cloak the most heartfelt sensitive-guy vocals in a shimmer of melancholy. However, this second EP from the group reveals a subtle shift. On their previous outings the "Jewelry" cd-ep and "Brisbane Cats" 7", two seeming incongruities were successfully melded: the mellow guitar strum and murmured vocals of Mike Donovan and the considerably more aggressive digital abrasions of OST. Perhaps a foreshadowing of the departure of OST from the CSteps roster, gone are his trademark bursts of chilly caustic circuitry, to be replaced by gentler hums and warm whirrs. A *very* pleasant record. We can't wait 'til there's a full album!
Cover art by beloved local artist Jo Jackson.
RealAudio clip: "Meismine"

CHURCH STEPS Jewelry EP (Dial) cdep 5.98
The Church Steps are Mike Donovan (on guitar and vocals) and Chris Douglas (electronic sound-meister aka OST). The duo's brilliance lies in their coming at the music from opposite directions, meeting in the middle where few dare tread. Mike writes and sings quietly pretty sometimes melancholic songs. Some so quiet and personal that it almost seems that he's singing them to himself more than anyone else. And while on his own releases Chris is a well documented eardrum shredder/pummeller, here he takes it down a few notches and applies a very nice counterpart to Mike's lo-fi meditative guitar lines. Lightly abrasive textures and occasional beats almost like a very fine metallic sandpaper swirl over and around the often murmured vocals.
The duo's artistic vision is completely realized, an irresistible mix of Smog-like loner vocals mixed with epic yet quiet electronica, like ambient-era Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Portishead. So good! Better than, yet similar to, Wisdom of Harry!
The Jewelry EP is five songs in all, a perfect "jewel" of a record and a fine intro to Church Steps. Released on Mike's own Dial label (home to releases by Blectum From Blechdom, Iran, OST, and Hot Fucking Jets).
RealAudio clip: "Mathematical Tongue"

CHURCH STEPS The Hand That Is The Wave (Dial) 10" 8.98
Local out-there electronica label Dial is the latest label to explore the lathe cut technology from the New Zealand lathe press run by Peter King. The Church Steps are Chris Douglas (aka O.S.T. and Rook Vallard) and Mike Donovan (label bossman of Dial) drifting rather sad melodies of electronic bells alongside downtempo beat skitter, not unlike Markant or Boards of Canada. As good as it is limited.

CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA Man With A Movie Camera (Ninja Tune) cd 15.98
I may have to go back and check out some of the older Cinematic Orchestra releases now, 'cause I really dig this new one. I had sort of written them off as yuppie cocktail makeout music (a la Kruder and Dorfmeister), and maybe it still is, but it sure sounds a whole lot better than I remember. Dark and moody and sexy and creepy, but also playful and fun. A newly recorded soundtrack for Tziga Vertov's famous 1920's silent film Man With A Movie Camera. The music is very reminiscent of Portishead with its lugubrious smoke-y and murky downtempo dirges but with some shuffling acid jazz and wild and wooly funk mixed in as well. Goes from super sinister, dangerous dark alley, late night cinematic soundscapes to almost-wacky twenties slapstick caper music to skittery Mission Impossible style spy music to fuzzed out Hammond organ funk to dreamy, melancholy instrumentals. Really cool. We also have the DVD that includes a restored version of the film with the new soundtrack, as well as live footage and interviews!
RealAudio clip: "Melody/Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Evolution"

CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA Man With A Movie Camera (Ninja Tune) dvd 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the DVD version of the most recent Cinematic Orchestra album, a score for the famous Russian silent film Man With A Movie Camera made by Tziga Vertov in 1920. It's a great movie, part social documentary, part pure visual artistry. If you haven't ever seen it, it's well worth a viewing! This new DVD version contains the original film with the newly recorded score, as well as live footage and interviews.
Here's what we had to say about the score:
I may have to go back and check out some of the older Cinematic Orchstra releases now, 'cause I really dig this new one. I had sort of written them off as yuppie cocktail makeout music (a la Kruder and Dorfmeister), and maybe it still is, but it sure sounds a whole lot better than I remember. Dark and moody and sexy and creepy, but also playful and fun. Very reminiscent of Portishead with its lugubrious smoke-y and murky downtempo dirges but with some shuffling acid jazz and wild and wooly funk mixed in as well. Goes from super sinister, dangerous dark alley, late night cinematic soundscapes to almost-wacky twenties slapstick caper music to skittery Mission Impossible style spy music to fuzzed out Hammond organ funk to dreamy, melancholy instrumentals. Really cool.

CLARK Ted (Warp) cd ep 10.98
Over the years Clark (aka Chris Clark) has proven to be one of the most reliable and pleasing artists on the Warp label as many of the label's bigger electronic names have been a bit spotty in their productivity and prowess in recent years. While Clark still might not have the same high visibility and name recognition as folks like Squarepusher, Plaid and Aphex Twin, we have to say that while he may have been influenced by all those guys, these days he seems to be creating sounds way more interesting than any of his influences, making him one of the best bets in the world of modern electronica. Ted is the follow up e.p. to Body Riddle, one of the best electronic records of the last few years and one we think was sadly overlooked by most. Ted is the single from that record and also includes a stellar remix by Bibio and four new tracks that continue to demonstrate Clark's amazing exploration of beautiful skittering color soaked washed out sounds. Very nice!
MPEG Stream: "Ted (Bibio Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Springtime Epiphany"

CLARK Totems Flare (Warp) cd 14.98
Clark put out one of the best and sadly overlooked electronic albums of last year, Turning Dragon. A high adrenaline rush of colorful spazzed out electronic perfection. Totems Flare finds Clark adding vocals to the mix on a few tracks (with varied results) and while we're not as much in love with this album as we were with his previous outings, Totems Flare still has plenty of crunchy, glitchy, color that pops out of our speakers and here and there REALLY hits the spot. In many ways Totems Flare has a sound reminiscent of Go Plastic era Squarepusher and it certainly is the most vintage Warp sounding record to come out on that label in a long time. And actually, the more we play this, the more we find ourselves getting into it. Check it out...
MPEG Stream: "Growls Garden"
MPEG Stream: "Look Into The Heart Now"

CLARK Totems Flare (Warp) 2x12" 23.00
Clark put out one of the best and sadly overlooked electronic albums of last year, Turning Dragon. A high adrenaline rush of colorful spazzed out electronic perfection. Totems Flare finds Clark adding vocals to the mix on a few tracks (with varied results) and while we're not as much in love with this album as we were with his previous outings, Totems Flare still has plenty of crunchy, glitchy, color that pops out of our speakers and here and there REALLY hits the spot. In many ways Totems Flare has a sound reminiscent of Go Plastic era Squarepusher and it certainly is the most vintage Warp sounding record to come out on that label in a long time. And actually, the more we play this, the more we find ourselves getting into it. Check it out...
MPEG Stream: "Growls Garden"
MPEG Stream: "Look Into The Heart Now"

CLARK Turning Dragon (Warp) cd 15.98
A few years ago Chris Clark decided to drop his first name as he continually tweaked and changed his sound, making his records some of the most consistently interesting and innovative releases in the world of electronica.
With his latest album he's made more bold changes, probably the most immediately felt (and heard!) of his career. Clark's sound is changed to full throttle on this outing and we are loving it. This is way more four on the floor full on crazy dance party style than anything we've ever heard from him before, but still with such an interesting and unpredictable sound palette. While it taps a bit into 90's Aphex Twin and the more raging side of Kid 606, we still can hear Clark's great and eclectic touch in all of these songs. This is the soundtrack to a rave we'd love to spend all night, every night at. We gotta say this is making us want to do a hit of E and dance the night away, but what's awesome about the record is that it also appeals to those of us not too keen on the dance floor, but who still love pounding and driving electronic music that we can totally spazz out to.
Definitely a contender for electronic record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "New Year Storm"
MPEG Stream: "Mercy Sines"

CLARK Turning Dragon (Warp) 2lp 17.98
A few years ago Chris Clark decided to drop his first name as he continually tweaked and changed his sound, making his records some of the most consistently interesting and innovative releases in the world of electronica.
With his latest album he's made more bold changes, probably the most immediately felt (and heard!) of his career. Clark's sound is changed to full throttle on this outing and we are loving it. This is way more four on the floor full on crazy dance party style than anything we've ever heard from him before, but still with such an interesting and unpredictable sound palette. While it taps a bit into 90's Aphex Twin and the more raging side of Kid 606, we still can hear Clark's great and eclectic touch in all of these songs. This is the soundtrack to a rave we'd love to spend all night, every night at. We gotta say this is making us want to do a hit of E and dance the night away, but what's awesome about the record is that it also appeals to those of us not too keen on the dance floor, but who still love pounding and driving electronic music that we can totally spazz out to.
Definitely a contender for electronic record of the year!
MPEG Stream: "New Year Storm"
MPEG Stream: "Mercy Sines"