GONJASUFI A Sufi and A Killer (Warp) 2lp 22.00
Now available on vinyl!
One of our favorite tracks from Flying Lotus's excellent Los Angeles record was the penultimate track "Testament" that featured a singer we imagined was discovered in some remote smoky opium den in Morocco. The voice felt ancient, a weezing whispering mixture of Jimmy Scott and Billie Holiday that we thought could have been a sample from an old dusty recording. Well, it turns out that voice is one Sumach Ecks (aka Gonjasufi), a San Diego based yoga instructor and one-time rapper and DJ who in a chance meeting with The Gaslamp Killer and Flying Lotus in Las Vegas, struck up a bond with the two producers and they started working together. A Sufi And A Killer is an amazing debut, a perfect fit between the dark off-kilter beats of Flying Lotus, Burial and King Midas Sound. But it also surprisingly displays a lot of vocal and musical range, moving into some rockier moments, tripping out on short interludes or sometimes delving down strange, mysterious but always interesting sonic tangents. Supposedly it took much longer to mix than it did to record, showing a dedication to detail that is truly rewarding to listen to. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Kobwebz"
MPEG Stream: "Ancestors"
MPEG Stream: "Candylane"
MPEG Stream: "Klowds"

GONZALES Solo Piano (Sunnyside) cd 16.98
A few years ago electro wizard/producer Gonzales surprised us all with the release of an immaculate and beautiful solo piano recording. For some weird reason the record seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye, but thankfully the Sunnyside label has saved the day and made this gorgeous record available once again. Best known for his production work with the likes of Peaches, Feist and various artists on the Kitty-Yo label as well as his own forays into electro-pop and hip-hop, Gonzales shows that you just never know what somebody has up their sleeves. Playing piano since he was a young child, Solo Piano is the work of an obviously gifted musician but also someone with a keen sense of rich melody and elegant execution. Conjuring up the spirit of Erik Satie and George Gershwin, Solo Piano is that perfect mix of skill and simplicity. Short tracks, breezy and tranquil and beautiful. Oh so nice!
MPEG Stream: "Overnight"
MPEG Stream: "Meischeid"
MPEG Stream: "Basmati"

GONZALES, CHILLY Entertainist (Kitty Yo) cd 15.98
God, this sucks ass. Only if you really liked him at the recent Peaches live show will you probably want this. With names like Patric Catani (EC8OR), Bomb 20 and even Peaches given production credits (and even a L'Trimm sample!), you'd hope for a decent record, but the godawful lyrics are just so damn bad.

GONZALES, JOSE In Our Nature (Imperial) cd 14.98
If you loved Veneer, than we imagine you will be just as smitten with In Our Nature, as Gonzalez delivers another disc full of well-crafted yet subdued pop melancholy. Features a striking cover of Massive Attack's "Teardrop", otherwise known as the theme from TV show House.

GONZALEZ, CHRIS Christmas With Chris G. (Conspiritorial Efforts Recordings) cd 9.98
Woah, it's like the day before the day before Christmas, so if we're ever gonna list this we'd better do it now, eh?! Although, this specially-priced, hour-long disc from ex-Comets On Fire/Gargantula/Exploding Crustaceans member Chris Gonzalez, despite its rather over the top Xmas theme, could be enjoyed at other times of the year as well. We suppose. It's funny ha-ha and also funny weird too. Probably playing it in July would make it more of the latter. Basically, Chris, seemingly intoxicated with the Yuletide spirit, has decided to have his way with a bunch of traditional holiday songs (including "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Winter Wonderland", "Silent Night" and "Little Drummer Boy"... indeed all but one of of the twelve tracks are traditional Christmas tunes, see if you can guess which one isn't). However, several are barely recognizable when he's through with 'em! He tackles each song differently, but you've gonna hear a lot of chaotic, distorted, deranged lo-fi lounge and hard rock stylings, recorded on a four-track, with various "guests"... some of it in front of a (fake) live audience, complete with heckling. It's all about as ridiculous as can be. Christmas comedy doesn't get much more silly and surreal -- or noisy. The hip-hopped version of "Jingle Bells" that morphs into a Slayer song might be the low point...and the high point too. Or maybe that would be the "all star celebrity jam" version of "Simple Having A Wonderful Christmastime" that allegedly features Lars Ulrich, Eddie Vedder, Jah Rule, and Donald Duck, among others! Will Santa think Chris has been naughty or nice with this lil' cd? Well it's hard to judge. He's probably just asking "why?" But for a mere six bucks this might be a fine last-minute novelty stocking-stuffer for the wacky music fan on your list.
MPEG Stream: "Jingle Bells"
MPEG Stream: "Frosty The Snowman"

GONZALEZ, DELIA & GAVIN RUSSOM Relevee (Astralwerks) cd ep 7.98
Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom's alchemic synthesizer excursions invoking 70's Klaus Schulze/Manuel Gottsching/Tangerine Dream's long-form synth-prog efforts get the remix treatment on this single. What you get is an alternate take and 3 remixes of the song "Relevee" from their self-titled full length on DFA. The remixers are DFA (of course), Baby Ford ('80s acid-house, anyone?) and the minimalist house of Carl Craig, whose latest remixes, this and his remix of Rhythm and Sound's "Poor People Must Work" is actually making us enjoy house music. Which, as you well know, is quite a feat around here.
MPEG Stream: "Relevee (Alternate Version)"
MPEG Stream: "Relevee (Carl Craig Remix)"

GONZALEZ, DELIA & GAVIN RUSSOM The Days Of Mars (Astralwerks / DFA) cd 16.98
Somehow missed this when it came out last year. But with Delia & Gavin being recent Arthur Magazine cover stars we figured we should get on the ball. Some of us remember hearing a 12" of theirs on DFA that stood out as it was really like nothing else on the label. These weren't sounds interested in making you dance and shaking your ass, instead they were about creating a trance, a hypnotizing, tranquil and space-bound dreamlike state. The album takes the same approach and even widens and propels its effect. With 5 long songs that will no doubt make you think of the best of Tangerine Dream. So entrancing and mesmerizing. The Days of Mars sort of sounds like trying to travel to outer space in an old helicopter that rises ever so slowly with its rotors going around and around, an analog starship travelling through some druggy digital universe. Taking cues from lots of the best of 70's electronic minded ambient recordings, like the collaborations between Eno & Cluster, as well as the most spaced out moments of pre-Wall Pink Floyd, this is a record that totally nails its sound so well. Something so mesmerizing, empty, and creepy about its presence. There have been times near closing hour where there will be just one person in the store and this will be on and there's just the weirdest tension that begins to permeate the store. Like a film loop of a acid drenched washed out kodachrome shot image that you can't stop staring at. This is the sound of hours after the rave, days of being awake, nights of being in a complete daze. A late night early morning eyes wide shut dreamstate blissout for sure! We are hooked!
MPEG Stream: "Relevee"
MPEG Stream: "Black Spring"

GONZALEZ, JOSE Veneer (Mute) cd 15.98
If the cruddy weather we've seen recently in San Francisco decides to come back, we have the perfect rainy day indie-folk record to make us feel ok with it. Minimal arrangements of pensive Spanish-inflected guitar accompany Gonzalez' sedate yet strong voice that falls somewhere between Nick Drake and a male version of Juana Molina, without the electronic accompaniments. Before we heard this, we wrongly assumed this was a folk-tronica record in the vein of Molina or Beck but thankfully Veneer avoids such trappings. With an economy and restraint, unheard of in many contemporary singer-songwriters, Gonzalez wisely lets his sophisticated finger-picking express the melancholic heft of the songs. Beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Slow Moves"
MPEG Stream: "All You Deliver"

GONZALEZ, RUBEN Chanchullo (Nonesuch) cd 16.98
With most any album from Buena Vista Social Club pianist Ruben Gonzalez, you can be assured of highly uplifting Cuban music, this one is no exception. Simply gorgeous.

GONZALEZ, RUBEN Introducing... (Nonesuch/World Circuit) cd 17.98
So wonderful! Ry Cooder says Ruben Gonzalez is "the greatest piano soloist I have ever heard in my life. A Cuban cross between Thelonious Monk and Felix the Cat." The liner notes read: "This is the debut album by one of Cuba's national treasures. Made over fifty years after his first classic recordings with the great Arsenio Rodriguez, it was recorded 'live' with no overdubs in two days at Egrem Studios in Havana."

GONZALEZ, WALLY On The Road (Vicor) cd 15.98
Wally Gonzalez, guitarist from the Phillippines' proto stoner rock combo the Juan De La Cruz band, stepped out in the late '70s with these two newly cd-ified solo records, 1977's Tunog Pinoy and 1978's On The Road. They're not that heavy but do feature lotsa wailing Wally guitar action -- and wild/cheesy keyboard synth sizzlin' too. Wally fronts 'em both on guitar and vocals and although each was recorded with a different backing band, the two discs are pretty similar. Slow-burning mellow psych pop ballads are mixed with strutting boogie numbers. What titles there are in English are along the lines of "Rock & Roll Mama", "Wally's Blues", "Rockin' Roller" and, uh, "Screw". Neither album is as raw and gritty as the best of Juan De La Cruz, but this is still good fun hard rock and folky balladry, Filipino style, with a polyester '70s sheen that will either kitschly add to your enjoyment or perhaps ruin it totally.
MPEG Stream: "Kailan Pa Kaya"
MPEG Stream: "Tattong Araw"

GONZALEZ, WALLY Tunog Pinoy (Vicor) cd 15.98
Wally Gonzalez, guitarist from the Phillippines' proto stoner rock combo the Juan De La Cruz band, stepped out in the late '70s with these two newly cd-ified solo records, 1977's Tunog Pinoy and 1978's On The Road. They're not that heavy but do feature lotsa wailing Wally guitar action -- and wild/cheesy keyboard synth sizzlin' too. Wally fronts 'em both on guitar and vocals and although each was recorded with a different backing band, the two discs are pretty similar. Slow-burning mellow psych pop ballads are mixed with strutting boogie numbers. What titles there are in English are along the lines of "Rock & Roll Mama", "Wally's Blues", "Rockin' Roller" and, uh, "Screw". Neither album is as raw and gritty as the best of Juan De La Cruz, but this is still good fun hard rock and folky balladry, Filipino style, with a polyester '70s sheen that will either kitschly add to your enjoyment or perhaps ruin it totally.
MPEG Stream: "Palaman"
MPEG Stream: "Pinag-Isa"

GOOD FOR COWS Audumla (Web Of Mimicry) cd 13.98
What happens when the dooooom takes hold of experimental jazzzz? Good For Cows' latest mooooozzzzzic. Heh Heh. On Audumla drummer Ches Smith (Secret Chiefs 3, Xiu Xiu, John Zorn among others) and bassist Devin Hoff (formerly of Xiu Xiu) churn and rumble their way through nine instrumental jams. We can't say for sure if these sounds are beneficial for cattle, and we doubt we'll be hearing this cd played out in a pasture anytime soon to find out. The bass is a deep sludge-y boiled ooze, the drums are all rhythmic angularities. Electronics and effects provide additional atmospheric texture and unexpected shocks of lightning and sheets of rain in this aural thunderstorm. Some passages definitely brings to mind horror movie soundtracks from the '70s. Ultra ominous and heavy.
MPEG Stream: "Audumla"
RealAudio clip: "Legion"

GOOD FOR YOU Falling Out (Good Forks) cd 9.98
It seems San Francisco's Good for You aren't aiming to break any new ground with this debut album, but y'know often it's nice to tread a very familiar, well-trodden path. This hails from the catchy emo-land that'll never go out of style. All salute the early strains of Superchunk, Doug Martsch's pre-Built To Spill band the much more tense and angstful Treepeople, and the boy/girl harmonies of PEE and more recently The Anniversary.
RealAudio clip: "French Lies"

GOOD LIFE, THE Black Out (Saddle Creek) cd 13.98
Loping pop with plaintive vocals that alternately brought to mind Robert Smith (The Cure), Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) and Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields). Sort of like a low-key indie Coldplay. And please know that to me this is by no means a bad thing! A multi-layered and engaging album that finds its home on the ever-growing and diversifying Saddle Creek label (The Faint, Bright Eyes, etc). This quintet sweeps from spare acoustic guitar strumming to swelling electrified crescendos, and from electronic wiggly bleeps to completely lush developments with strings and woodwinds, vibraphone, piano, and organ. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Drinking With The Girls"

GOOD STUFF HOUSE Endless Bummer (Root Strata) cd 12.98
Endless Bummer is such a good name for a record. Usually we're not all that into puns as titles (or band names), but Endless Bummer manages to be a pun, while sort of flipping the spirit of the original inside out. We always wanted to call a record Endless Bummer, but we've now been beat to the punch TWICE. At least. Once in the nineties by Further, whose Endless Bummer was an effervescent chunk of in the red post-Pavement slacker Beach Boys worship, and now this record right here, by the mysteriously named Good Stuff House, whose own particular Endless Bummer is much darker and more sedate, a sprawling drift of minimal shimmer and fluttery folk enveloped by dense clouds of natural reverb and billows of soft buzz.
We didn't know too much about Good Stuff House, we had another cd-r that we dug quite a bit, but which went out of print before we could get enough to review, but now we know just why we liked GSH so much, it's the two guys from dronedrift duo Zelienople, and none other than long time aQ fave, guitarist Scott Tuma, he of the legendary Souled American as well as a clutch of amazing solo records (including a recent record of the week). Pretty much hard to go wrong. And Endless Bummer is further proof of just how far from wrong these guys can get....
Apparently Endless Bummer was recorded in unorthodox spaces, warehouses, churches, basements, and it's not just the band performing live, but much like Taj Mahal Travellers 30 years earlier, who would record various performances, then broadcast them into the space, playing along live, often more than once, every step adding more and more murk and buzz and reverb and echo, the sound getting less and less distinct, until it became the sound of drifting along some murky body of water, through a sonic fog so thick it clings to the surface of the water, every note sounding like it had travelled up from the bottom of the sea, or echoing off of the distant shore. Tuma offers up bits of his gorgeous distinctive guitar, and while they do manage to hover briefly, they seem to absorb the sounds around them, soft spidery tendrils transformed into thick swells, the trio introducing bits of voice, various other sounds, all rendered almost immediately unrecognizable, becoming more another part of this sprawling organic whole, cymbal sizzle becomes shimmering clouds, drifting over the drifting murkscape below.
The sound is simultaneously muddy, murky and lo-fi, yet warm, glistening, and subtly melodic, everything is muted, the softened edges barely hiding the glowing sonic glimmers within. Gorgeous.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES. Packaged in super subtle silver ink on pale blue fold over origami style sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled I"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled II"

GOODIE MOB One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (Koch) cd 16.98

GOODIEPAL Narc Beacon (Skipp) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Goodiepal is an extremely shy young man from Denmark who plays gleefully bent music that teeters on the fringes of experimental electronica (ala Mego) and Scandinavian flavored folk music. A collector of unusually tweaked and jagged sounds, Goodiepal maintains a day job independently contracting sound work from companies like Nokia, Chupa Chups, Hitachi, Carlsberg, Matrix, blah blah blah... Anyway, the music itself disguises a dissonant, troublemaking problem child with wide-eyed innocence as captivating as it is irritating. To confuse even further, he records under aliases like Chupa Chups and Mainpal Inv. and collaborates with the Italian Gamers In Exile and those V/VM pranksters. From dreamy, otherworldly arrangements involving acoustic guitars, resonating chimes, car horns, toy recorders and other wind instruments to a brilliantly conceived acapella track performed through a vocoder, Goodiepal brings back a Jean Jacques Perry or Electric Company (the old TV program, mind you) feel to inspire a new, inventive, and playful electronic music. After I first put this on, I looked again inside the cardboard package to see if there was a toy prize! On Dat Politics' own label Skipp!
RealAudio clip: "Icon Dub"
RealAudio clip: "Lick Lick Flick Flick"
RealAudio clip: "My Robotic Skills Have Failed"

GOODWIN, SCOTT Impeccable Surface (Autonomous Object) cd-r 8.98
Scott Goodwin is probably not a name most of you know off the top of your head. But as the man behind minimal drone combo Bonus, we were pretty excited to hear what he had been up to lately, especially since the Bonus discs we'd carried in the past were some of our favorite minimal drone music,
Impeccable Surface is definitely less rumbly and buzzy and low end than Bonus, but no less drone-y or hypnotic, this 32 minute disc begins with a pulse like high end tone, some strange klaxon, bleating out a machine like throb, while beneath and all around it, thick textured electronic tones ebb and flow, swallowing the pulse entirely, then fading to a distant whisper, the sound incredibly lush and full, the sounds slipping back and forth from ear to ear, heavily panned, the sound very spatial and expansive. A few minutes in and another, louder layer of tones join the fray, and seem to swoop wildly over the proceedings, but begin to blend with the various other sounds, and suddenly it's almost like one of those paintings you stare at a different shapes emerge. The tones blend and then beat against each other, the sounds stuttering, buzzing, transforming into smooth long harmonies, and then back again, a glorious sonic tangle, that seems to spin and change shape, change colors, change appearance right before our ears. A dog whistle tone soon joins in and the whole thing gets that much more intense, until finally, at about the halfway mark, the piece becomes much more minimal, a single tone undulating, wavering, joined by another tone, way off in the distance, the distant ultra high tone eventually eclipsing the lower tone, until it sounds like Ryoji Ikeda or Francisco Lopez. The main tone lurches back in, and suddenly the tones are winding in and out of each other's space, drawing all sorts of minimal melodies and not quite rhythms until the track shuts down, leaving just that impossible dog whistle tone, and then silence.
Some seriously incredible minimal drone music for sure. The usual suspects will definitely need this. And of course, be warned, SUPER LIMITED, when we run out, we may not be able to get more.
MPEG Stream: "Impeccable Surface"

GOODWIN, SCOTT Off Light (Root Strata) cd 12.98
First proper cd (not cd-r) release from Scott Goodwin, whose day job is in the group Bonus, but who spends his spare time, making even MORE drone music. Unlike the thick and rumbling, almost doomlike drone of Bonus, on his own, Goodwin tends toward the minimal, more Niblock than SUNNO))), less distortion, more timbre and tone. Goodwin's most recent cd-r Impeccable Surface demonstrated a dramatic shift in that direction, but with Off Light, Goodwin full realizes his vision, crafting too extended drones from pure tones, sine waves, the result is a subtle dronescape of shimmering overtones, and of sound in flux. Niblock is definitely the closest reference, as Goodwin seems to approach his drones in a similar fashion, lining up the layers, the tones, and then shifting them microscopically to create various rhythms and colors. For what seems fairly static, the sounds are incredibly active. Changing shape, their textures constantly shifting, the overtones creating rhythms, those rhythms interacting with the tones and creating counter rhythms and more overtones. With headphones it's easy to get sucked in, it almost makes the listener dizzy, the way the sound seem to move and breathe, but take a step back, and the sound seems more static and manageable, but ever beckoning, with its own impossible gravity. The two tracks, one low, one high, both offer up glimpses into sound, both entrance and enthrall, each soothing in its own way, but far too complex to be ambient music. The sound is academic as well as primal (what's more primal than the drone?), ethereal and ineffable, yet measured and composed, the sounds here are complex enough that they can be appreciated on either level, as a world of sound to explore, and attempt to understand and unravel, or as pure sound, simple and subtly lovely. Or better yet, a mix of the two.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES!!!
MPEG Stream: "Arc"

GOON MOON I Got A Brand New Egg Layin' Machine (Suicide Squeeze) cd 12.98
Whoa, nuthugger! Does this quench (or clench) your supergroup craving? Hella's Zach Hill, former Marilyn Manson guitarist Twiggy Ramirez and Chris Goss of Masters Of Reality. Strange bedfellows, indeed! Not surprisingly this total mish mash of musical personalities have made a total mish-mash musical stew that doesn't really resemble any of their other bands' stuff... well, maybe Hella a wee bit! Pretty hard to put into words. Give 'er a spin and see for yourself!
MPEG Stream: "Inner Child Abuse"
MPEG Stream: "Apartment 31"

GOPAL, SAM Escalator (Breathless) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sam Gopal was an Indian tabla player, making the scene in Swinging Sixties London. His 1969 Escalator album is pretty obscure, but a classic as far as we're concerned. Sam's percussion of course does a lot to set it apart from the paisley pack (not that Eastern sounds weren't unheard of back then), but it's really vocalist/guitarist Ian "Lemmy" Willis (yes, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead) who really shines here. The young Lemmy conjures up some incredibly liquid, languid dark psych on tracks like "The Dark Lord" and "You're Alone Now". Reminds us a bit of Twink's Think Pink album, or even T2. So starkly beautiful. Mellow, melodic, mystical. Not heavy in a loud way (nothing like Motorhead that's for sure!!), but "heavy" nonetheless if you know what we mean. Some of the songs definitely do rock out, but still remain somehow muted and moody. It's gorgeous stuff, the downer, down-tempo mood spoiled only a bit by covers of "Back Door Man" and "Season Of The Witch" (the later with R&B-ish female backing vocals). Aside from those, though, supposedly all the songs on here were written by Lemmy in one night, up on speed! Wow. Jeez, is Lemmy the best or what? Hendrix roadie, onetime Hawklord, metal icon...and sinister psych singer-songwriter too! This nice digipack reissue, including two tracks from the group's lone single as a bonus, comes very much recommended.
MPEG Stream: "The Dark Lord"
MPEG Stream: "The Sky Is Burning"

GORDON, EDWARD LARRY Celestial Vibration (Universal Sound) cd 21.00
For the past couple of years, we've really been digging the recent unearthing of little known private press new age music whether it be Collie Ryan, William Eaton or Iasos. Lately we've been especially excited about this reissue from Universal Sound, of Edward Larry Gordon's 1978 debut. Gordon, or Laraaji, as he is otherwise known, creates long-form trance-inducing compositions using electronically enhanced zithers, auto-harps, kalimbas and other acoustic instruments that shimmer and radiate in beautifully meditative pulses. This record comprised of two thirty minute tracks, "All Pervading" and "Bethelehem" gained little notice upon its initial release, but thankfully it caught the attention of Brian Eno who subsequently produced his follow-up Days of Radiance for the EG Editions Ambient series in 1980 to wider acclaim. You can tell that Gordon was much inspired by earlier progenitors of cosmic music from Sun Ra to John and Alice Coltrane. You can especially hear the harp-like shimmer of Alice Coltrane in his treatments of the open tuned zither that he plays while in a complete meditative state. Really gorgeous stuff!
MPEG Stream: "All Pervading"
MPEG Stream: "Bethlehem"

GORDON, EDWARD LARRY Celestial Vibration (Universal Sound) lp 23.00
For the past couple of years, we've really been digging the recent unearthing of little known private press new age music whether it be Collie Ryan, William Eaton or Iasos. Lately we've been especially excited about this reissue from Universal Sound, of Edward Larry Gordon's 1978 debut. Gordon, or Laraaji, as he is otherwise known, creates long-form trance-inducing compositions using electronically enhanced zithers, auto-harps, kalimbas and other acoustic instruments that shimmer and radiate in beautifully meditative pulses. This record comprised of two thirty minute tracks, "All Pervading" and "Bethelehem" gained little notice upon its initial release, but thankfully it caught the attention of Brian Eno who subsequently produced his follow-up Days of Radiance for the EG Editions Ambient series in 1980 to wider acclaim. You can tell that Gordon was much inspired by earlier progenitors of cosmic music from Sun Ra to John and Alice Coltrane. You can especially hear the harp-like shimmer of Alice Coltrane in his treatments of the open tuned zither that he plays while in a complete meditative state. Really gorgeous stuff!
MPEG Stream: "All Pervading"
MPEG Stream: "Bethlehem"

GORDON, JACQUELINE dreamBlanket (Diagnosis...Don't!) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not only do the Grey Daturas kick up a serious noiserock ruckus, they also run their own cd-r label, the mysteriously titled Diagnosis... Don't! There are three new releases, and we managed to get a handful of each.
Gordon is an Oakland-based sound artist, who designs blankets with speakers sewn into them, each connected to some sound producing device, a toy or musical instrument, the listener is then encouraged to wrap themselves in the blanket, and luxuriate in the sounds produced by the listener's movement. Incredibly immersive and so goddamn cool! This disc captures a brief snippet of Gordon's installation. A warm fuzzy soundscape of distorted electronics, droning and growling, hissing and rumbling and whirls of haunting electronic glitches all woven into an undulating swirl of thick buzz and strange murky and mechanical melody.
SUPER LIMITED (of course!). Each disc comes packaged in two squares of one of Gordon's blankets, sewn together into an oven mitt like sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "dreamBlanket"

GORDON, KIM / DJ OLIVE / IKUE MORI SYR #5 (SYR) cd 9.98
The fifth title in Sonic Youth's self-released series of experimental work isn't Sonic Youth proper: instead it's bassist Kim Gordon, lauded avant-percussionist Ikue Mori, and DJ Olive of the illbient drum'n'bass group We. And guest Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto. Certainly all these folks have made excellent music with their regular groups, but in the name of that emperor who had no clothes, we must tell you that this record sucks. It's terrible. It's trying to be avant improv, I think (it certainly wasn't composed), but just comes across as utterly self-indulgent noodling without a center, a focus, or a point. The sound of a toilet flushing just might be the most apt moment on the record. Wanting to be supportive of Kim's side projects, and being a big fan of We and Mori, it pains me to have to write this. They're smart people, they must have realized this is BAD! How could they NOT know? For heaven's sake! A total disappointment.

GORDON, MICHAEL [Purgatorio] Popopera (Cantaloupe Music) cd ep 5.98
Best known as one of the cofounders and directors of the great Bang On A Can new music festival in New York, Michael Gordon is also a pretty damn great composer in his own right. Performed by a guitar ensemble led by Emio Greco, this twenty minute composition finds Gordon channeling the likes of New York avant powerhouses like Glen Branca and Rhys Chatham. Sounds that conjure images of rushing waves, cascading waterfalls and thundering eruptions. [Purgatorio] Popopera has the range to appeal to not just classical music fans, but also folks into dramatic and exquisite post-rock like Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky, albeit perhaps with a slightly more avant-garde influence. Cool stuff, and cheap too.
MPEG Stream: "[Purgatorio] Popopera"

GORE Hart Gore (Southern Lord) 2lp 21.00
Holy shit. GORE! Easily one of our favorite heavy bands EVER. This is the sort of review that is so intimidating. A record we have loved for years and years, listened to hundreds, maybe even thousands of times, and then to finally have to put into words what it is that makes it so good, so special, whatever it is that makes these two of our favorite records EVER!!!! How much do we love these records? Well, whenever we would find one used, we would buy it just to give it to someone who needed to hear it, so much so that Andee at one point was even talking to the band about a comprehensive career spanning box set. But why you ask? Difficult to explain, especially without being able to play it for you, so since we just got these lps reissues in, and since they WILL be coming out on cd as well, we're just gonna go ahead and list these lps now with an abbreviated review, assuming that most Gore fanatics will need these anyway, and most heavy music fans have probably at least heard OF Gore, if not heard them once or twice, so they too might also want to pick these up. When the cds come out, we'll list them properly, with a longer more fleshed out and more gushing review (if that were even possible... IT IS!), with sound samples and everything, but for now...
Gore were a Dutch instrumental power trio trafficking in ultra minimal heaviness, like an even more minimal Melvins, but sans vocals, their songs made up of one, maybe two riffs, pounded out over and over, a bit like a more metal, proto-Circle.
Hart Gore and Mean Man's Dream are the first two Gore records, but play like part one and part two of a single song cycle. Crushing, pummeling, heavy as hell, repetitive, motorik, but weirdly melodic and impossibly catchy, we can't stress enough how massive and seminal these records were and are. Gore mastered a sound that would go on to influence countless heavy bands, and yet, somehow, these two records stand solid decades later as YEARS ahead of their time, masterpieces of heavy rock, of minimal metal, of proto-math metal, of hypno rock, this, as they say is THE SHIT.
For now, all we can say, is if you are at all into heavy music, these records are about as essential as it gets, your life will be changed, the way you look at music, what you consider heavy, how you hear other heavy bands, all of that will change, for the better. Trust us.
For Gore fanatics, like us, these are ESSENTIAL, the new designs are gorgeous, incorporating the timeless original album covers with new drawings and a beautiful super stylized layout. Inside, the records are pressed on nice thick vinyl, with printed inner sleeves adorned with tons of rare photos as well as extensive liner notes detailing the history of the mighty Gore! And most importantly, both record come with a whole extra lp of live tracks from the same era! Unreleased and unheard until now!
BUY THESE NOW!

GORE Hart-Gore / Mean Man's Dream (Southern Lord) 2cd 17.98
Holy shit. GORE! Easily one of our favorite heavy bands EVER. We raved about the separate 2lp reissues last list, but we figured we'd wait for the cds to show up before bestowing Record Of The Week status upon them. Now combined as one massive double disc document collecting the first two albums and then some from this Dutch instru-metal group, who forged an incredible minimal metallic legacy that would go on to influence loads of our favorite bands. In fact, aQ would quite possibly be a whole different kind of store if it wasn't for Gore...
This is the sort of review that is so intimidating. Records we have loved for years and years, listened to hundreds, maybe even thousands of times, and then to finally have to put into words what it is that makes these so good, so special, whatever it is that makes these two of our favorite records EVER!!!! How much do we love these records? Well, whenever we would find one used, we would buy it just to give it to someone who needed to hear it, so much so that Andee at one point was even talking to the band about a comprehensive career spanning box set. But why you ask? Difficult to explain, hearing them is enough, even decades after they were originally released, folks who have never heard Gore, are usually sold after ONE song. Sometimes it doesn't even take that long. Just listen to "Mean Man's Dream" below, we'll wait....
See what we mean? So heavy, repetitive, mesmerizing, hypnotic, angular and abrasive, but impossibly catchy, groovy even. Listen to the other tracks, you won't be able to stop, you'll need to hear them all.
Gore fanatics will need these no matter what, and most heavy music fans have probably at least heard OF Gore, if not heard them once or twice, so they too might also want to pick these up. But we might as well start with who the heck this Gore band is anyway, and why should we care...
Gore were a Dutch instrumental power trio trafficking in ultra minimal heaviness, like an even more minimal Melvins, but sans vocals, their songs made up of one, maybe two riffs, pounded out over and over, a bit like a more metal, proto-Circle.
Hart Gore and Mean Man's Dream are the first two Gore records, but play like part one and part two of a single song cycle. Crushing, pummeling, heavy as hell, repetitive, motorik, but weirdly melodic and impossibly catchy, we can't stress enough how massive and seminal these records were and are. Gore created and mastered a sound that would go on to influence countless heavy bands, and yet, somehow, these two records decades after their initial release, still sound YEARS ahead of their time, masterpieces of heavy rock, of minimal metal, of proto-math metal, of hypno rock, this, as they say is THE SHIT.
For now, all we can say, is if you are at all into heavy music, these records are about as essential as it gets, your life will be changed, the way you look at music, what you consider heavy, how you hear other heavy bands, all of that will change, for the better. Trust us.
For Gore fanatics, like us, these are ESSENTIAL, the new designs are gorgeous, incorporating the timeless original album covers with new drawings and a beautiful super stylized layout. The cd includes a big booklet, packed with liner notes, the story of Gore, tons of rare photos, and most importantly, both discs come with a whole mess of live tracks from the same era! Unreleased and unheard until now!
BUY THIS NOW! YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY. THIS COULD BE YOUR NEW FAVORITE BAND! AND C'MON SOUTHERN LORD! KEEP THE GORE REISSUES COMING. WREDE! LIFELONG DEADLINE! MEST! SLOW DEATH! WE WANT, NAY -NEED- THEM ALL!!!!!!
MPEG Stream: "Mean Man's Dream"
MPEG Stream: "Search"
MPEG Stream: "Extirpation"
MPEG Stream: "To The Gallows"

GORE Mean Man's Dream (Southern Lord) 2lp 21.00
Holy shit. GORE! Easily one of our favorite heavy bands EVER. This is the sort of review that is so intimidating. A record we have loved for years and years, listened to hundreds, maybe even thousands of times, and then to finally have to put into words what it is that makes it so good, so special, whatever it is that makes these two of our favorite records EVER!!!! How much do we love these records? Well, whenever we would find one used, we would buy it just to give it to someone who needed to hear it, so much so that Andee at one point was even talking to the band about a comprehensive career spanning box set. But why you ask? Difficult to explain, especially without being able to play it for you, so since we just got these lps reissues in, and since they WILL be coming out on cd as well, we're just gonna go ahead and list these lps now with an abbreviated review, assuming that most Gore fanatics will need these anyway, and most heavy music fans have probably at least heard OF Gore, if not heard them once or twice, so they too might also want to pick these up. When the cds come out, we'll list them properly, with a longer more fleshed out and more gushing review (if that were even possible... IT IS!), with sound samples and everything, but for now...
Gore were a Dutch instrumental power trio trafficking in ultra minimal heaviness, like an even more minimal Melvins, but sans vocals, their songs made up of one, maybe two riffs, pounded out over and over, a bit like a more metal, proto-Circle.
Hart Gore and Mean Man's Dream are the first two Gore records, but play like part one and part two of a single song cycle. Crushing, pummeling, heavy as hell, repetitive, motorik, but weirdly melodic and impossibly catchy, we can't stress enough how massive and seminal these records were and are. Gore mastered a sound that would go on to influence countless heavy bands, and yet, somehow, these two records stand solid decades later as YEARS ahead of their time, masterpieces of heavy rock, of minimal metal, of proto-math metal, of hypno rock, this, as they say is THE SHIT.
For now, all we can say, is if you are at all into heavy music, these records are about as essential as it gets, your life will be changed, the way you look at music, what you consider heavy, how you hear other heavy bands, all of that will change, for the better. Trust us.
For Gore fanatics, like us, these are ESSENTIAL, the new designs are gorgeous, incorporating the timeless original album covers with new drawings and a beautiful super stylized layout. Inside, the records are pressed on nice thick vinyl, with printed inner sleeves adorned with tons of rare photos as well as extensive liner notes detailing the history of the mighty Gore! And most importantly, both record come with a whole extra lp of live tracks from the same era! Unreleased and unheard until now!
BUY THESE NOW!

GORE GORE GIRLS Strange Girls (Get Hip) cd 14.98
Garage rock label Get Hip brings us this hot, hot, HOTT all-girl three-piece rock and roll band. The Gore Gore Girls, named after the Herschell Gordon Lewis movie of the same name, kick ass and sing tough girl songs like "I'm Going to Hunt You Down and Get You and Make You Mine." Reminiscent of the Pandoras before they went all L.A. metal, which, whether you believe it or not is quite a compliment. Full-sounding garage with raw guitar solos and burly, mean girls screaming over top. Sometimes the sound goes all beefy rock and roll but more often than not it's the cool and wicked stripped down garage that I love.
RealAudio clip: "Hunt You Down"
RealAudio clip: "I'm Gonna Get You Yet"
RealAudio clip: "Gore She's Got It"

GORECKI, HENRYCK Kleines Requiem fur Eine Polka (Nonesuch/Elektra) cd 15.98

GORGONTONGUE The Lighter Side of a Suicidal Mind (Universal Tongue) cd-r 9.98
What do Aidan Baker, Gnaw Their Tongues, Alkerdeel, Persistence In Mourning, Caina and Expo 70 all have in common? Well they've all released records on ultra cool Portuguese micro label Universal Tongue. And to that list you can add these guys, the strangely named Gorgontongue, one part Arizona black metal outfit Ganzmord, one part Oklahoma funeral doom horde Persistence In Mourning. Although the parts don't necessarily predict the whole in this case, as The Lighter Side of a Suicidal Mind is not in fact metal, black, doom or otherwise, instead this duo are exploring some grim, haunting, oppressive black ambient otherworld, blending soft noise, field recordings, mysterious murky effects, layered drones, much of this sounds like a prettier, less harsh Gnaw Their Tongues, sort of epic and cinematic and dramatically doomy, but also a bit like a more grim blackened Expo 70, that same sort of glimmering slow burn kosmische krautdrone, but laced with strange processed vox, crumbling industrial detritus, swaths of wheezing organs, buried barely audible rhythms, the occasional hellish shriek, tangled bits of detuned acoustic guitar, dubbed out electronics, ghostly vocals, woozy arpeggiated melodies, keening feedback, bits of Dead C like free rock drift, sprawling expanses of space-y ambience, various bits of crash and clank twisted and transformed into strange sonic streaks, rumbling low end pulses, crumbling walls of corrosive metallic crunch, tinkling chimes, all drifting through epic black expanses and dense squalls of psychedelic abstract effects-damaged buzz, culminating in the near meditative final track, a haunting, black ambient driftscape, hushed and haunting and weirdly lovely.
LIMITED TO ONLY 100 COPIES!!! Housed in a Blue Ray style dvd case, with a printed two sided front cover, and a printer insert / mini poster.
MPEG Stream: "Everytime Something Falls"
MPEG Stream: "The Children Of Their Gods Writhe At My Feet"

GORGOROTH Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam (Candlelight) cd 14.98
The return of the mighty Gorgoroth!!! With all the non musical drama surrounding these guys it's sometimes hard to remember that Gorgoroth remain one of the only TRUE Norwegian black metal bands still totally capable of utter blackened musical destruction. Vocalist Gaahl has had it tough, arrested, headed for prison, but as we've learned from Lords Of Chaos, if you're gonna commit a heinous crime, do it in Norway. 14 years for first degree murder. Gaahl only got a year or so for taking a man hostage and torturing him. But what this might tell you is that Gorgoroth are indeed still very very EVIL. And they sound like it.
There are seemingly two schools of thought on Gorgoroth. There are those who love OLD Gorgoroth, Under The Sign Of Hell being THE ONE, and there are those, like us who lean toward Destroyer, the band's most noisy and fucked up record. We actually love both, but as we're sure you know, we tend to lean toward the damaged and demented. Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam falls mostly on the side of the former, a TRUE buzzing and blasting blackness, that does sound fucking fantastic but is not really weird or noisy or fucked up. We still love it, cuz these guys can still basically do no wrong, ands if you are hankering for some blasting frosty fury, some true grim classic sounding black metal, this will definitely hit the spot. The production is better, the band is tighter, the songs are maybe catchier, but it basically sounds like a modernized version of Under The Sign Of Hell, which is a VERY good thing. Secretly we were hoping for the band to totally drop us in our tracks with the weirdest black metal record ever, cuz if anyone is capable of coming up with such a thing, it's Gorgoroth, but hell, we've been to busy banging our heads to really notice.
MPEG Stream: "Wound Upon Wound"
MPEG Stream: "Carving A Giant"

GORGOROTH Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam (Regain Records) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL!!
The return of the mighty Gorgoroth!!! With all the non musical drama surrounding these guys it's sometimes hard to remember that Gorgoroth remain one of the only TRUE Norwegian black metal bands still totally capable of utter blackened musical destruction. Vocalist Gaahl has had it tough, arrested, headed for prison, but as we've learned from Lords Of Chaos, if you're gonna commit a heinous crime, do it in Norway. 14 years for first degree murder. Gaahl only got a year or so for taking a man hostage and torturing him. But what this might tell you is that Gorgoroth are indeed still very very EVIL. And they sound like it.
There are seemingly two schools of thought on Gorgoroth. There are those who love OLD Gorgoroth, Under The Sign Of Hell being THE ONE, and there are those, like us who lean toward Destroyer, the band's most noisy and fucked up record. We actually love both, but as we're sure you know, we tend to lean toward the damaged and demented. Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam falls mostly on the side of the former, a TRUE buzzing and blasting blackness, that does sound fucking fantastic but is not really weird or noisy or fucked up. We still love it, cuz these guys can still basically do no wrong, ands if you are hankering for some blasting frosty fury, some true grim classic sounding black metal, this will definitely hit the spot. The production is better, the band is tighter, the songs are maybe catchier, but it basically sounds like a modernized version of Under The Sign Of Hell, which is a VERY good thing. Secretly we were hoping for the band to totally drop us in our tracks with the weirdest black metal record ever, cuz if anyone is capable of coming up with such a thing, it's Gorgoroth, but hell, we've been to busy banging our heads to really notice.
MPEG Stream: "Wound Upon Wound"
MPEG Stream: "Carving A Giant"

GORGOROTH Antichrist (Season Of Mist) cd 15.98

GORGOROTH Destroyer, Or About How To Philosophize With The Hammer (Nuclear Blast) cd 14.98
Norwegian black metal of the most hateful, primitive, loud, noisy, evil variety. On this masterpiece of almost-avantgarde extremism, Gorgoroth evoke Burzum and Darkthrone. The Romanticism and Hammer Horror gothic cheese of "pop" black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth are nowhere to be found here, this is so much more raw and hellish (tho some melody creeps in now and then).

GORGOROTH Incipit Satan (Nuclear Blast) cd 15.98
The latest from this traditional yet unpredictable Norwegian black metal band. Their previous disc "Destroyer" was a masterpiece of totally noisy, fucked primitive metal and electronics. With that out of their system, "Incipit Satan" is a lot smoother and melodic but bizarre in its own way, going so far as to include bluesy, clean vocals on the love (!?) song "When Love Rages Wild In My Heart".

GORGOROTH Pentagram (Season Of Mist) cd 15.98

GORGOROTH Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt (Regain) cd 14.98
So, here we have it, one of the more scandalous black metal releases to hit the rounds as of late, at least to those with the time to focus on such pressing matters. Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt is the first Gorgoroth release following the power struggle for, um, ownership of the Gorgoroth franchise and name. The Norwegian courts, certainly in league with Satan, agreed with guitarist/founder Infernus, while his ex-bandmates Gaahl and King Ov Hell were legally forced to peddle their craft in the decidedly less cool sounding God Seed (which, apparently is now kaput following Gaahl's decision to drop out of the black metal scene for more, shall we say, "colorful" endeavors). Remember when Norwegian black metal bands were actually on trial for cool shit? But whatever, all joking aside, Gorgoroth in 2009 is certainly worthy of the name and reputation they have been building for so long. Yeah, it sounds like Gorgoroth. And why wouldn't it? Infernus is the guy who pretty much established the band's identity with his songwriting and intense riffery, and the man replacing Gaahl is actually the one who was replaced BY Gaahl... wait, what? It marks the return of the mighty Pest on vocals, and we certainly aren't complaining. The album shreds relentlessly, the production is nice and not too over the top, and the band pretty much slays like you would expect them to. Maybe the lack of surprises is just because it's easy to take a band like this for granted after so many face melting releases. But that said, this definitely stands out as a grim black highlight in Gorgoroth's stellar catalog as well as the introduction of yet another evil chapter in Gorgoroth lore. Maybe not quite as evil as Gaahl kidnapping that guy and ripping his balls off with a fork and making him bleed into a cup... but pretty damn evil, nonetheless.
MPEG Stream: "Aneuthanasia"
MPEG Stream: "Cleansing Fire"

GORGOROTH True Norwegian Black Metal (Regain Records) cd 15.98
True Norwegian Black Metal is an interesting release on several levels. Okay, it features new vocalist Gaahl, as well as the guitarist (and oldest member) Infernus. In the time since this was recorded, the latter was kicked out of the band - but has started another band he insists is the real Gorgoroth - and they've been feuding ever since. Part of the fight involved Regain Records taking up the side of Infernus, and after which Gorgoroth's remaining members swore never to work with them again. But here it is! A live record on Regain, so we're wondering if this is just to fulfill any final obligations before band and label officially split. Did we say live? Well, live in Grieghallen Studio, that is. Oh, and Infernus re-recorded all of the bass guitar. That means this isn't so much a real live album as it is an album of previously recorded songs being played again by live people, during a new recording session. So what could possibly be gained by hearing this album? Well, if you're a huge Gorgoroth fan, this does give you a chance to hear Gaahl perform vocals on some songs that precede his entering the band. This also feels like some bizarre swansong from Infernus. The bottom of the thank you list just has his name, and as the list comes to a close he starts mentioning some weird names, such as: Leo Fender, Marcus Aurelius, and Mikhail Bulgakov. Sort of needlessly epic? Dude may be losing it. Anyway, this release is for fans only. If you're new to the band and want to find a good starting point, we'd probably point you to Under the Sign of Hell, which - incidentally - features more songs on this release than any other proper album. Tracks sampled below are from the following original releases: "Forces of Satan Storms" is from Twilight of the Idols, and "Unchain My Heart" surfaces first on Incipit Satan.
MPEG Stream: "Forces of Satan Storms"
RealAudio clip: "Unchain My Heart"

GORGOROTH Twilight of the Idols (Nuclear Blast) cd 14.98
Maybe all seems grim and dismal and you're in the mood for some truly wretched, nasty, evil-as-fuck black metal to match your mood? Or maybe you're perfectly well-adjusted, but like to explore extremes of mood and melody in a metal context? Look no further than this new disc from Norwegian black metal stalwarts Gorgoroth. Twilight Of The Idols provides eight delightful tracks featuring throat-ripped screams and distorto-riff-carnage to match. Carefully, artfully, Gorgoroth weave a complex tapestry, an ancient shroud, from these elements. Not as experimental and fucked up as Gorgoroth's Destroyer, nor as quirkily 'pop' as their last one Incipit Satan, this new album delivers the goods without any gimmickry at all (until, perhaps, you get to the final, what-the-fuck-? faux classical synth coda ending the album, that is). It's pretty much just straight-to-hell, do not pass go, do not collect 200 kroner. There's dense, downer epics of slow trudge, and trancey, higher BPM blur, both having about the same effect, a lot like a less overtly (overly?) prog Enslaved. With their sense of sick melody and technical execution, Gorgoroth are definitely one of the greats. Indeed, if these guys weren't hulking, face-painted, spike-draped Norwegians, but a bunch of skinny American metalcore guys, maybe we wouldn't take 'em for granted as much as we do, and we'd realize that all the praise heaped on the likes of Converge and Isis is also the level of worship worthy of this band...
MPEG Stream: "Exit - Through Carved Stones"
MPEG Stream: "Teeth Grinding"

GORGOROTH Under The Sign Of Hell (Season Of Mist) cd 15.98

GORGUTS From Wisdom To Hate (Century Media) cd 15.98
The eagerly awaited new album from French-Canadian metallers Gorguts eases away from the no-wave guitar sounds that made their previous disc Obscura such a startling, bizarre work of genius (although those skronky sounds are still very much present) to bring back a little bit more of their early '90s technical, brutal death metal roots. So your typical death metal head will find this disc a little more listenable than the completely avant-garde Obscura, as lyrically too it focuses on epic tales of ancient mythologies rather than on arcane philosophies of yoga or whatever. Still, a fuckin' great death metal record.
RealAudio clip: "Inverted"
RealAudio clip: "Behave Through Mythos"

GORGUTS Obscura (Olympic) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Rarely do bands completely reinvent themselves, especially metal bands. But Canada's Gorguts have done it (firing all but one member of the band in the process...) on this, their third album. Nobody was expecting it (nobody was really expecting a new Gorguts record at all, to be honest), but on Obscura generic deathmetal becomes super aggressive, completely unmelodic, stop/start math metal with the most bizarre guitar playing (totally "no-wave", like they have the guitarist from the Scissor Girls or something!) possibly ever heard in a "metal" band. Highly recommended!

GORIES I Know You Fine, But How You Doin' (Crypt) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of my (Sadie) favorite bands ever. Seriously, I don't tire of them. Simple, stripped down, fucked up garage rock, but no one else seems to be able to capture the magic they do. Blues. R&B. Garage. The basic elements of the Gories, who basically learned their instruments, and how to write songs as they went, which shows in the total energy of their delivery. They released three full lengths and a handful of singles, and their first two full length releases ('I Know You Fine But How You Doin' and 'Houserockin') are on this cd, for only 13.98!!! When I first discovered and fell in love with these records they were out of print and impossible to find, and now lucky you can have them both for totally cheap. These two are definitely my favorites. I've loved the Gories for so long I don't even think of them as unknown or underappreciated but I suppose they are. If you like any garage -at all-, for christ's sake, get this, it is so rockin' and dirty and driving and just makes you want to shake your ass like crazy. They have been such an enormous influence on so many bands (The Coachwhips, The White Stripes, et al) that if you like that stuff go to the source!!!
RealAudio clip: "Early In The Morning"
RealAudio clip: "Let Your Daddy Ride"
RealAudio clip: "Feral"
RealAudio clip: "Hidden Charms"

GORILLA Gimme Some... Gorilla (Beard Of Stars) cd 14.98
Last time when we stocked up on UFOmammut's Godlike Snake on the Beard Of Stars label, we also brought in a few copies of this second (new to us, released in 2004) album from English retro-rock stompers Gorilla. Consisting of two guys, including one who looks a heck of a lot like Ron Wood, and one girl who thankfully doesn't, this power trio remains unabashedly dedicated to good-time rock n' roll excess in the amped-up, fuzzed-out, cowbell-knockin' tradition of fellow '70s revivalists Fu Manchu, Nebula and Monster Magnet. Lyrics like "whoah-yeah" will be heard. SF locals Drunk Horse and Parchman Farm might also serve as comparisions. Of course, if you ask Gorilla I'm sure they'll say that what they're into is Blue Cheer, Grand Funk, Sabbath, Humble Pie, Free, Frijid Pink and other staples of the late '60s/early '70s stoner rock pantheon.
Channelling their heroes with enthusiasm, Gorilla pretty much veer between whoopin' it up on the fast songs, and grinding it out with plentiful psych leads on the slower, heavier tunes, or some combination thereof. There's a couple of longer cuts that also dabble in melodic, moody progness (even bringing in Mellotron and flute) but after each spacey interlude they generally start crankin' it again pretty quick -- which is good 'cause, well, we can't say that melodic vocals are their strong suit, unfortunately. But when they stick to the distorted, dunderheaded riff-dealin' on tracks like "Rok Orl Night" and "I'm Dirty", Gorilla live up to their burly name. If that's your thing, and/or if you liked their self-titled debut we reviewed in 2002, then Gimme Some... should prove to be an apt title.
MPEG Stream: "Double Neat"
MPEG Stream: "I'm Dirty"

GORILLA s/t (Lunasound) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Gorilla, as befits their name, are a heavy power trio from the UK. The band photo in the cd booklet recalls the Melvins (the photo from their "Ozma" album, complete with female bass player and drummer in horizontally striped shirt, but minus the cat), but a better clue to this band's brand of heaviness is the back cover, which appears to be a homage to the back cover of Budge's "Squawk" (a high-contrast photo of the band sitting on a piece of heavy machinery). Yes, they really delve into the Seventies thing, to the point of having extensive liner notes detailing all their authentic, vintage equipment ("a '68 Gibson SG special with P-90 pickups run through an early '60s Vox AC-30" -- that sort of thing) which wouldn't mean much if they hadn't truly managed to capture that early '70s hard rock sound and vibe, which they did. And they can play. Their fuzz-laden heavy riff rock might not be original but of course it's not supposed to be. It's about kicking out the jams, brothers and sisters! The ten tracks here all pretty much live up to the title of track one, the self-descriptive "Good Time Rockin'" -- we also especially dig "She's Got A Car" with its sped up Blue Cheer riff and MC5/The Who '60s beat energy, along with the plodding, Sabbath-riffed "Acorn Brain", and the crushing, spaced-out "Iron Ball", among others. Fans of the likes of Monster Magnet, Nebula, and even maybe the White Stripes should consider adding these throwbacks' disc to your daily listening dosage.
RealAudio clip: "Roachend Salad"
RealAudio clip: "She's Got A Car"
RealAudio clip: "Acorn Brain"

GORILLAS Message To The World (Damaged Goods) cd 15.98

GORILLAZ D-Sides (Virgin) 2cd 23.00