GHOSTFACE KILLAH Bulletproof Wallets (Epic) cd 16.98
There's definitely a division in the clan, Wu-Tang that is. There's the upper tier, Method Man, Old Dirty Bastard, RZA, GZA, the ones whose solo records are as good, if not better than the proper Wu-Tang records, the ones who are too busy producing, filming movies, and guesting in other folks' videos to actually show up for Wu-Tang shows leaving angry crowds pissed that they paid $25 to check out U-God. Then there is the lower tier, the ones who HAVE to show up for every show, the ones who get solo records and guest spots on upper tier records to keep them from complaining too much, U-God, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah. But Raekwan and GFK both seem poised to make the leap from lower to upper tier, as their records get better and their guest appearances seem more an event than a concession. But sadly, both never seem able to get over. Weak production, lackluster flow, stupid songs, even stupider skits, and SLOW JAMS...ugh. So while this is the best Ghostface Killah record yet, it's still not nearly as good as any Method Man or RZA. It's like that old saying 'the worst song on a Method Man record is better than the best song on a Ghostface Killah record'. Or something. There are some gems, but probably only for Wu-Tang fanatics.
RealAudio clip: "Flowers"

GHOSTFACE KILLAH Fishscale (Def Jam) cd 12.98

MPEG Stream: "Shakey Dog"
MPEG Stream: "Kilo"
MPEG Stream: "R.A.G.U."

GHOSTFACE KILLAH GhostDeini Great (Def Jam) cd 15.98

GHOSTFACE KILLAH Ghostdini Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City (Def Jam) cd 15.98

GHOSTFACE KILLAH Ironman (Razor Sharp/Epic) cd 15.98
Featuring WuTang luminaries Raekwon and Cappadonna.

GHOSTFACE KILLAH Put It On The Line (Full Clip Media) cd+dvd 17.98

GHOSTFACE KILLAH The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam) cd 14.98

GHOSTFACE KILLER More Fish (Island / Def Jam) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Miguel Sanchez"
MPEG Stream: "Guns N' Razors"

GHOSTIGITAL In Cod We Trust (Ipecac) cd 17.98
Fomer Sugarcubes singer Einar Bendiktsson does a Mark E. Smith over very wrong hip-hop techno electro. It's Sprocketsy, Eurotrashy and, hopefully, tongue in cheek. If that, then kinda funny!

GHOSTING Cloudburst (Students Of Decay) cd-r 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another gorgeous and mysterious sonic document from these until recently WAY under the radar sound sculptors from Portland. And yes, this is another way too limited cd-r, but rest assured it's another absolute abstract freedrone gem.
One 33 minute track, a ghostly dreamlike shuffle through a fuzzy indistinct world of softly surging swells, smeared guitar ambience, shimmering high end short wave interference, distant almost-melodies, sonar like blips and bleeps, and thick washes of rumbling chordal swirl, all deftly woven into a fuzzed out, slow shifting dreamdrone. So good.
Includes a full color poster/insert
Limited to 100 copies.
MPEG Stream: "Cloudburst (excerpt)"

GHOSTING Fox Glove (Digitalis Industries) cd-r 7.98

MPEG Stream: "Fox Glove"

GHOSTING s/t (Onomato) cd-r 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This mysterious three piece ensemble from Portland couldn't have chosen a more appropriate monicker for their deep listening inner space explorations. Everything about this single 40 minute track is ghostlike, from the drifting shimmer of the opening few minutes, where guitars hover and haunting keening faraway sounds drift past like stormclouds, to the stretch about halfway through, of warm white noise over muted melodies and hauntingly harmonious drones, to the final few minutes of muted murky creeping broken music box like lilt, all twisted and warped, slowed down and slithery. A dark fog blurring all the edges and laying down a fuzzy drift. So darkly lovely.
Limited to 100 copies, each copy hand numbered and all the covers are hand painted, each slightly different!
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 2"

GHOSTING Why Not Be Utterly Changed Into Fire (Jyrk) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the second disc we've had from these North Western sonic explorationists, the first was an appropriately ghostlike dronescape and while this new one is similar, it is also a lot more active and varied, and quite a bit weirder. Where the first one was dreamy and drifty, easy to get lost in, music to float away to, Why Not Be Utterly Changed Into Fire is much more dense, with a nonstop series of sonic events manifesting themselves in subtle ways, each sound and each layer and each element is quickly absorbed into the whole, adding to the richness of sound, but not completely losing their unique sonic footprint. The sound is still soothing and mesmerizing, but definitely begs to be listened to closely, to be explored and enjoyed actively. Drone is still the order of the day, but these drones are not so simple, there are layers and layers of disparate sound, that have been deftly assembled into this half hour sonic swirl. A fuzzy staticky pulse is underpinned by warm monochromatic tones, a very simple melody almost rendered unmelodic by its arrangement, the different tones beat against each other and create strange overtones, which become yet another layer. The static builds and builds until the original drone, the original melodies are barely visible beneath a sea of fuzzy prickly staticky hiss. The rest of the record plays out as a constant battle between the soft shimmering drone and the thick billowing clouds of static, the result is quite beautiful, a noisy yet melodic soundscape, a drone swallowed whole by the sounds around it, a dense and detailed rare glimpse into the secret life of sound.
LIMITED TO 150 COPIES!!
MPEG Stream: "Why Not Be Utterly Changed Into Fire"

GHOSTING / BONECLOUD Catch Waves / Campfire (Yarnlazer) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
How awesome is the name Yarn Lazer?! If it wasn't already the name of this killer cd-r label, it would definitely be the name of my band, or my restaurant, or maybe my first born!! This is a super limited split between Portland drone ensemble Ghosting, a band AQ folks just can't seem to get enough of, and Irish stoned drone ensemble Bonecloud (also a possible name for the first born btw!).
Ghosting pretty much sound like their name. Their sound is a drone based wander through a ghost town, or better yet, a ghost world, the sound of floating wraithlike through a moonlit landscape, dreamlike and indistinct. Lovely but slightly ominous. Completely mesmerizing.
Bonecloud offer up their own sonic ghostworld, beginning as a shimmery high end drone, before slowly devolving into a murky subterranean crawl, muted voices, buzzing strings, thick whirs and pulsing white noise, all wrapped in a druggy fug and left to drift through along some Stygian stream, a dense murky fog, wrapping your head in muted fuzz and filling your ears with a warm thick sonic syrup. A bit like a modern day, lo-fi, cd-r Taj Mahal Travellers!
LIMITED TO 150 COPIES!!! Packaged in screen
printed and spray painted sleeves with a photocopied insert.
MPEG Stream: GHOSTING "Catch Waves"
MPEG Stream: BONECLOUD "Campfire"

GHOSTING / ROBEDOOR split (Not Not Fun) 7" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Two AQ faves together for the first time: Portland Oregon's Ghosting and L.A.'s Robedoor.
Been a little while since we've heard from Ghosting and it's mighty fine to have them back. Their half of the split begins with warm whirring drones beneath buzzing and scraping steel strings, intense and dramatic, and maybe a bit more aggressive than their usual sound. The track grows in intensity, the drones becoming thicker and thicker, eventually becoming an almost Sunroof! style roar, swallowing up any of the drifting melodies completely.
Robedoor, a recent discovery, and a new favorite for sure, counter with what might be their -prettiest- track yet. Very serene, warm swells in the distance, strange submerged rhythms, silver streaks of muted feedback, moaned melodies way down in the mix, the whole thing crawling and slithering darkly through buzzy blurry murky cloud of sound.
Gorgeous packaging, hand screened, one side artfully torn, limited to 325 copies, each sleeve hand numbered, pressed on black streaked white vinyl. Nice!

GHOSTS ON WATER s/t (Faraway Press) cd 33.00

GHOUL Raping Soul (Battlecruiser / Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another 'metallic' masterpiece from the Battlecruiser label, the side label of Campbell Kneale's Celebrate Psi Phenomenon label, specializing in all things metal or sort of metal. However the metal found on Battlecrusier releases is not the metal of Maiden or Priest, nor is it the metal of Carcass or Napalm, instead, this is the metal that occurs when drone obsessed minimalist noisemakers take a stab at invoking the beast: everything from from ultra-repetitive riffing, to blissed out expanses of slow motion dooooooom, to smeary stabs of grind, to pounding industrial metal pummel.
The couldn't-be-more-aptly-named Ghoul hit us which just might be the creepiest BC release yet. A haunting plodding doomscape constructed from slowed down Krautrock and Skinny Puppy scraps, with rumbling bass thuds and a skeletal rhythm cobbled together from chopped and clipped vocals, malfunctioning synths, and a distant swirl of Earth-en guitars. Imagine an electro Skepticism, or Red Lorry Yellow Lorry jamming with Sunn 0))). Weird and weirdly hypnotic. Not heavy per se, but quite dark and evil and grim and spare and spooky. As with all things Celebrate Psi Phenomenon, this is VERY VERY LIMITED!!!
MPEG Stream: "Raping Soul (excerpt)"

GHQ California Night Burning Dreams (Not Not Fun) LP + 3"cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Latest from this underground super group. Featuring folks from the Magik Markers, Hototogisu and Double Leopards among others. This is probably the most laid back and mellow thing we've heard from these folks. The whole first side is a spare and spacious stretch of raga like drone and disembodied Appalachia. Guitars buzz way off in the distance, drifting amidst clouds of folky flutter, wheezing harmonicas, an almost Morricone Western vibe, desert-y and desolate, but mysteriously lush and lovely. The sounds grow in intensity here and there, getting more raucous and abrasive, the guitars scraped and metallic, all bathed in thick swells of whirring shimmer, but always seeming to settle back down into another dreamy drift.
The flip side is split into two movements, the first is a longform slab of chaotic free folk skree, the instruments all blurred and smeared into a constantly evolving and shifting swirl of sound, dense and layered and lovely, the second half a rumbling wall of thick guitar ambience, a whirling buzz that manages to be epic and majestic, while remaining minimal and mysterious.
All recorded live apparently, but also comes with a bonus 3" cd-r, of the band live in Seattle, in its own little full color minisleeve.
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES!

GHQ Cosmology Of Eye (Time Lag) cd 15.98
GHQ is a name new to us, but apparently this free drone raga outfit has been lurking on the firnges of the new weird underground for a while now. GHQ just so happens to feature Marcia Bassett (Double leopards, Hototogisu, etc.) and Pete Nolan (Magik Markers, Vanishing Voice) so it's a little surprising this is their first proper release, but it's a good one. This is druggy, dreamy, shoegazey bliss folk, vocals are fuzzy and indistinct, guitar strum is strident and loop-like, even the proper songs devolve into raga like mesmerism, simple percussion, tamborine, shaker, does nothing but shuffle drowsily alongside the subtle pulse beneath the thick swaths of psych guitar and shimmery drone. Steel strings vibrate and the waves drift echolike across vast expanses of hovering tones and slow shifting overtones, warm and languid, a total dream drone drift. The sound on Cosmology Of Eye is completely unlike Bassett's full on free noise assaults as Hototogisu with Matthew Bower, and equally unlike Nolan's avant rock spazz splatter in the Magik Markers, instead it sounds like these two just turned off all the lights, smoked until the room was dense with drifting clouds of smoke, turned on their amps, laid down their guitars, spread their wings and just drifted heavenward. Surprisingly lilting and lovely.
Packaged with loving care, as are all things on Time Lag, in a cool two color screened black fold over letterpress sleeve, with an insert photo taken by Charalambides' Tom Carter.
MPEG Stream: "Drink The Good Moon"
MPEG Stream: "Cosmology Of The Eye"

GHQ Cosmology Of Eye (Time Lag) lp 21.00
GHQ is a name new to us, but apparently this free drone raga outfit has been lurking on the firnges of the new weird underground for a while now. GHQ just so happens to feature Marcia Bassett (Double leopards, Hototogisu, etc.) and Pete Nolan (Magik Markers, Vanishing Voice) so it's a little surprising this is their first proper release, but it's a good one. This is druggy, dreamy, shoegazey bliss folk, vocals are fuzzy and indistinct, guitar strum is strident and loop-like, even the proper songs devolve into raga like mesmerism, simple percussion, tamborine, shaker, does nothing but shuffle drowsily alongside the subtle pulse beneath the thick swaths of psych guitar and shimmery drone. Steel strings vibrate and the waves drift echolike across vast expanses of hovering tones and slow shifting overtones, warm and languid, a total dream drone drift. The sound on Cosmology Of Eye is completely unlike Bassett's full on free noise assaults as Hototogisu with Matthew Bower, and equally unlike Nolan's avant rock spazz splatter in the Magik Markers, instead it sounds like these two just turned off all the lights, smoked until the room was dense with drifting clouds of smoke, turned on their amps, laid down their guitars, spread their wings and just drifted heavenward. Surprisingly lilting and lovely.
Packaged with loving care, as are all things on Time Lag, in a two color letterpress printed heavy black artboard cover, with photo insert shot by Charalambides' Tom Carter. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and hand numbered in an edition of 850 copies.
MPEG Stream: "Drink The Good Moon"
MPEG Stream: "Cosmology Of The Eye"

GHQ Crystal Healing (Three Lobed Recordings) lp + cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another gorgeous missive from GHQ, an outfit featuring Marcia from Hototogisu and Double Leopards and Pete from the Magik Markers and Wooden Wand, who combine drone-y noise with raga-like buzz, and never more perfectly than on Crystal Healing. Beginning with some swooshing backwards ambience, muted guitar and what sounds like harmonica, very dreamy and pretty, the record quickly settles into a haunting disembodied Appalachia, clouds of insect buzz and distant chantlike vocals woven into a lush backdrop for simple mournful steel string guitar, very dark, very wistful, gets a bit aggro toward the end but without losing any of it's drama or emotion. Imagine Jack Rose's Mr. Hyde and you'll get an idea. The rest of the record wanders from similarly dark acoustic dronefolk to wide open expanses of raga like drift, the former even introduces some actual vocals, an almost atonal stoned country drawl hovering over seasick fiddle and lazy strum, while the latter goes from dense swirls of guitar crumble and siren like melodies (sounding quite a bit like Vibracathedral or Sunroof!), to Jandekian sprawl, with distorted vocals, caveman percussion, detuned guitars all wrapped in plenty of grind and rumble and buzz, to the record's epic final track, a lengthy blissed out new age-y drift, a swirl of weightless melodies and long drawn out buzz.
LIMITED TO 855 COPIES! Pressed on ultra thick vinyl, and housed in a super heavy gatefold sleeve (hand numbered). While they last, the first 212 copies come with a bonus cd, 2 tracks, about 13 minutes, featuring more atonal Appalachia, raga-buzz, drifty drone and haunting vocals. The perfect coda to the record's expansive rambling drift. Once those are gone, they are GONE, and you'll receive the normal lp version.

GHQ Heavy Elements (Three Lobed Recordings) cd 13.98
We have to admit, we're not the biggest Magik Markers fans. But get MM's Pete Nolan in a room with Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards, Hototogisu) and the results are divine. A gloriously expansive free-drone raga, a swirling wall of buzz and squeal and keening high end guitars and roaring amps, thick washes of buzzing strings and wild streaks of upper register skree. Huge drifts of abstract sound, that manage to move and drive, within their almost static clouds of drone and shimmer lurk dreamy melodies, strange sonic whorls, and super simple percussion. Ultra divine drug drenched raga drone bliss out of the highest order. Not sure what else to say. This is like the best parts of Sunroof!, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Jazzfinger, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, boiled down to its utter essence, packed into pipes made out of monkey skulls and smoked. A potent blend of mysterious musicks, hidden in a cave at the top of some perilous peak, reachable by only the bravest of souls. Once in the cave, follow the light, and observe as the cave opens up into a star filled sky, a small spot where one can watch the light of the universe shift and shimmer. This is that sound. Essential.
MPEG Stream: "Lost In The Blinding Sheen Of Moonlight Mirrored"
MPEG Stream: "Twelve Events"

GHQ La Poesia Visiva (Heavy Blossom) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another mind expanding slab of raga like Ur-drone from Marcia Double Leopards and Pete Majik Markers and company. GHQ again channel the spirt of Henry Flynt and Angus Maclise, harnessing a slippery melodic buzz into a warm soundscape of sonic solar flares and a vast symphony of warm whir and creaking groaning magnificence. Like some shadowy cloaked figure standing at a podium like mound of dirt in the middle of a field, conducting nature: crickets and frogs and all of mother nature's noisemakers into a slow moving swirl of sound. And that's just the first track. The rest of the disc explores hippy krautrocky jams with muted buzzy steel string guitars, hand drums, drifting ethereal vocals, moody melancholy melodies, sitar-like buzz all cloaked in a gauzy timeless haze, like some long lost ESP freak folk classic.
Released on Hototogisu's Heavy Blossom label. As always, SUPER LIMITED. Packaged in a cool mini hard plastic DVD case with very crusty metal looking black and white artwork.
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 1"
MPEG Stream: "Untitled 2"

GHQ / EX-COCAINE split (Not Not Fun) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

GIA DINH <> Que Hurong (Dunya) cd 24.00

GIAMON The Old Buried Memories (Rusty Axe) cd ep 5.98

GIANT ROBOT Issue #47 magazine 5.98
Another killer new issue of Giant Robot, the magazine of "Asian pop culture and beyond!" Always an amazing read, jam packed with killer stories and eye popping photos. And tons of far out shit you can't or wouldn't read about anywhere else. This month they've got: a sampling of Martin Giant Robot's Asian themed t-shirt collection, the Know1edge clothing line, a whole bunch of kick ass toys and jewelry and clothing, Cassandra Nguyen and her giant plush squids, book and comic book reviews, SoCal surfer Kio Inagaki and his Yellow Rat clothing line, poet Beau Sia, flammable household items as improvised weapons, Una Kim and her Keep line of sneakers, Linda Linda Linda: the saga of an all girl garage band, Mountain Mountain collectable toys, The Host director Joon-Ho Bong, the Nice Rainbow Film production studio, tennis pro Paradorn Srichaphan, the Suicide Bomb Button!, tons of record reviews, modern new wave noise rockers VHS or Beta, post Versus rock combo +/-, artist Long Nguyen, Journey From The Fall director Ham Tran, a Vietnam film diary, Installation artists Pattara Chanruechachai and Pratchaya Phinthong, anime reviews, Japanese TV reviews, comics and somehow even more!!!

GIANT ROBOT MAGAZINE #17 magazine 3.95
Margaret Cho on the cover, a ramen taste test, a big interview with mainland Chinese film director Chen Kaige (who made Farewell My Concubine), ska/rocksteady/reggae legend Byron Lee (I never knew he was half Chinese!), Dave Pajo of Tortoise, Slint, and Papa M, Jeff Chinn and the Bruce Lee museum, street food in Vietnam, lactose intolerance in Asians, and so much more. Glossy, substantial.

GIANT ROBOT MAGAZINE #18 magazine 3.95
Issue 18 of one of the most fun reads around. Ron Rege, the artist behind the "Boys" comic that old pal Michael Drivas sold me from his killer store in Minneapolis, captures the specialness of GR best in this letter to the editor: "The whole 'here's what we like' tone, combined with the fact that the focus is on Asian stuff, makes it accessible to everyone. You may be into video games, or comics, or punk or techno or... but chances you like, or are curious about, some Asian stuff. You guys plow right into what could be a whole serious mess of race issues head on... fearlessly, with a smile, without hardly ever mentioning it."
In this issue, 100% Japanese American 'Optic Nerve' comics artist Adrian Tomine, J Church guitarist/Lost Weekend video slinger/Valencia regular Lance Hahn, comics artist/AQ-fave J. Otto, Martin goes to Mexico, Chinese filmmkaer Zhang Yimou, Lois, Looper, Arling & Cameron, Kid Koala, Sara Tanaka from Rushmore, the Asian girl Power Ranger, and lots more. As always, highly recommended.

GIANT ROBOT MAGAZINE Issue 39 magazine 4.95
Almost to the fortieth issue mark, and those Giant Robot Mag folks are showing no signs of slowin' down. Not a grey hair in sight, from what we can see (mind you they're in L.A. while we're here in SF, and admittedly our eyesight isn't bionic). In recent years they've increasingly drawn their subject matter from the latter half of their subtitle (it's 'Asian Pop Culture And Beyond', by the way), but that hasn't deterred the GR devotees. Head honchos Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong like cool stuff, and like to share their latest faves and interests with their readers. Issue #39 features their Giant Robot Awards for 2005, artist Souther Salazar, fimmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, king cobra fights (yes, that means the actual snakes, not the beer or its drinkers), skateboarder Daewon Song, and their usual plethora of reviews covering all sorts of music, books and other neat treats. Psst, will someone please get us one of those Domokun photo holders? Sooo rad! FYI: As of next year, the mag will be going bi-monthly... that means six issues instead of twelve.

GIANT ROBOT MAGAZINE issue #42 magazine 4.99
Newest issue of one of our favorite magazines around. Music and toys and food and shows and records and clothes all with a distinctly and uniquely Asian American bent. This time around: a guided tour of modern Manilla, how to start your own boy band, Ugly Dolls!, an interview with director Ronny Yu, an interview with LOUDNESS!!! and tones of reviews and fiction and comics and cool little bits of trivia, and sidebars about random edibles and buyables and oh my, just one of the most fun to read magazines EVER!

GIANT ROBOT MAGAZINE Issue 43 magazine 4.99
Congratulations and bestest wishes to Giant Robot co-captain Martin Wong on his recent nuptual-ization! Whoo hoo! But the extracurricular excitement hasn't slowed down the production of his and Eric Nakamura's great Asian pop culture mag (nor that of their stores nor their restaurant)! This month we have heaping helpings of killer toys, comix, drawings as well as book reviews, record reviews, a trip to the South Pole, the paintings of Rachell Sumpter (one of which adorns the cover), a look at killer NY based Reed Space design and boutique, Asian American film fests, SooYoung Park of Seam and Bitch Magnet, boy bands in Hong Kong, the cool and creepy artwork of Louie Cordero, an interview with legendary tattoo artist Ed Hardy, Japanese toy auctions and more and more and more!!!!

GIANT SAND Blurry Blue Mountain (Fire) cd 16.98
Just in time for the chill in weather we are feeling right now, it's a new set of ultra warm and cozy tunes from the always dependable Howe Gelb. His latest Giant Sand outing is so hitting the spot on these wintry days, with songs perfect for sitting by the fire, drinking some bourbon, and swapping stories with close friends. The album sinks in right away with the kind of intimacy and southwest charm that Gelb is so masterful at evoking. Blurry Blue Mountain covers so much of the terrain that Giant Sand have explored in their long wonderful career. From the subtle and seductive to the all out twang filled rockers. Fans of Smog, Johnny Cash, and Townes Van Zandt will find so much to love here, and if for some reason Giant Sand has slipped under your radar over the years this is a great time to jump into their wonderful world of warm honest sound.
MPEG Stream: "Monk's Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "Fields Of Green"
MPEG Stream: "Thin Line Man"

GIANT SAND Blurry Blue Mountain (Fire) lp 24.00
Just in time for the chill in weather we are feeling right now, it's a new set of ultra warm and cozy tunes from the always dependable Howe Gelb. His latest Giant Sand outing is so hitting the spot on these wintry days, with songs perfect for sitting by the fire, drinking some bourbon, and swapping stories with close friends. The album sinks in right away with the kind of intimacy and southwest charm that Gelb is so masterful at evoking. Blurry Blue Mountain covers so much of the terrain that Giant Sand have explored in their long wonderful career. From the subtle and seductive to the all out twang filled rockers. Fans of Smog, Johnny Cash, and Townes Van Zandt will find so much to love here, and if for some reason Giant Sand has slipped under your radar over the years this is a great time to jump into their wonderful world of warm honest sound.
MPEG Stream: "Monk's Mountain"
MPEG Stream: "Fields Of Green"
MPEG Stream: "Thin Line Man"

GIANT SAND Chore of Enchantment (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
Fifteen new songs from the pen of Howe Gelb (and one by the late Rainer Ptacek, to whom this album is dedicated) make up this, the newest full length from Giant Sand. Yet another band whom we've not heard from in quite a while. Oh certainly, there's been a veritable plethora of side projects and solo efforts from John Convertino, Joey Burns, and Mr. Gelb, but y'know it's just not the same. The fine tracks here were recorded in three cities - Tucson, Memphis and New York - with a giant list of guests, instruments and toys. Produced by Howe Gelb, Kevin Salem, Jim Dickinson, and John Parish.

GIANT SAND Cover Magazine (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
On "Cover Magazine" the follow up to the wonderful "Chore Of Enchantment" from 2000 (and the beautiful recent reissue of OP8's "Slush"), Howe Gelb, he of the ever-severe countenance, takes a slightly different path and is joined by an illustrious gathering of musician friends as he presents his smouldering renditions of songs penned by the diverse likes of Nick Cave, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash, Goldfrapp, Roger Miller, X, Marty Robbins and... Sonny & Cher. On this grand occasion, the Giant Sand roster swells to epic proportions with guest contributions from PJ Harvey, Neko Case, Kevin Salem, Matt Ward, Jim Fairchild (Grandaddy), Kelly Hogan, as well as frequent collaborators Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico, OP8). And the outcome? As stylistically and instrument varied, eccentricity packed and finely crafted as only Giant Sand can be. Intense, strange and weighty at times, but not without an occasional spark of wit. Piano, horns, wind around a plethora of odd unidentifiable sounds and textures. Most of these tracks were recorded in Tucson, AZ, except the handful which took place in Brussels, Belgium and Oslo, Norway.
RealAudio clip: "Johnny Hit And Run Pauline"
RealAudio clip: "Human/Lovely Head"

GIANT SAND Cover Magazine (Thrill Jockey) lp 11.98
On "Cover Magazine" the follow up to the wonderful "Chore Of Enchantment" from 2000 (and the beautiful recent reissue of OP8's "Slush"), Howe Gelb, he of the ever-severe countenance, takes a slightly different path and is joined by an illustrious gathering of musician friends as he presents his smouldering renditions of songs penned by the diverse likes of Nick Cave, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash, Goldfrapp, Roger Miller, X, Marty Robbins and... Sonny & Cher. On this grand occasion, the Giant Sand roster swells to epic proportions with guest contributions from PJ Harvey, Neko Case, Kevin Salem, Matt Ward, Jim Fairchild (Grandaddy), Kelly Hogan, as well as frequent collaborators Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico, OP8). And the outcome? As stylistically and instrument varied, eccentricity packed and finely crafted as only Giant Sand can be. Intense, strange and weighty at times, but not without an occasional spark of wit. Piano, horns, wind around a plethora of odd unidentifiable sounds and textures. Most of these tracks were recorded in Tucson, AZ, except the handful which took place in Brussels, Belgium and Oslo, Norway.

GIANT SAND Glum (Fire) cd 21.00
Giant Sand are probably most well know for featuring the rhythm section of John Convertino and Joey Burns, who left to form aQ beloved Calexico, and who would end up becoming WAY more popular than Giant Sand. But they are so much more than that, and so much of their music directly informed the sound of Calexico.
This reissue celebrates 25 years of Giant Sand, and is part of a comprehensive reissue of all the GS records. Glum, originally released back in 1994, was many folks first exposure to the band, which was a bit ironic considering it was their ELEVENTH album, but it was their first for a big label, and their first with a big budget, but none of that did anything to temper the group's experimental proclivities and difficult sonic tendencies, which is precisely why it might just be thee best. Sand mastermind Howe Gelb gathered up everyone who had ever played with them in the past and assembled what was essentially a Giant Sand big band. And the band set out to make Glum.
For those who have never heard Giant Sand before, as we mentioned before there's definitely a line that can be drawn from Calexico, the same sort of deserty shuffle, a dark countryish twang, but with Gelb's super distinctive drawl, and cool distorted guitar playing, like a warped Neil Young, blasts of gnarled psychedelia or bursts of squealing feedback erupting from the most tranquil of tracks. Just check out the title track, which is definitely one of our favorites, a dark twangy shuffle, Gelb crooning over muted minor key fingerpicking, and whirring organ, a sort of slowcore country, but then bam, the sharp crack of a snare, and some super distorted angular riffing, very Marc Ribot like in fact, which becomes a warm wash of chords, only to fade out again leaving that original dark shuffle.
"Yer Ropes" is more of a rocker, and could have bit a hit in some alternate universe, the sound lush and warm, the guitars thick and fuzzy, the drums muscly, and Gelb's voice sounding better than ever.
This whole record is just magical, and the family/big band vibe of Giant Sand is evident everywhere, from the sweet vocals of Victoria Williams, the oh so sweet "Bird Song", written and sung by Gelb's daughter, in a bid to prolong her bedtime, with Gelb adding some creepy chords, and the family pitching in on drums and bass, or the heartbreaking version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", a gorgeous version sung by long time GS collaborator Pappy Allen, who passed away, soon after, featuring both his wife and daughter on backup vocals, and it's those sorts of songs, that most bands would leave off the record proper, that so defined Giant Sand's idiosyncratic approach to music making, one born of a seemingly pure love for, and joy in, creating, in singing and playing and performing, and that totally seeps into every note, every song, and every sound here.
The rest of the songs on Glum are just as great, the band getting heavy and distorted as often as hushed and melancholic, the songs peppered with strange sampled sounds, lush layers, whatever they could think of, all woven into something special and unique, their sound falling somewhere between Sparklehorse, Uncle Tupelo, Neil Young, Calexico and other similar country rockers, but there's something about Giant Sand that is utterly unlike any of the others. Which is probably why they never really got super popular. But then that's probably also exactly why we love them, and this record in particular, so much.
This reissue tacks on six extra songs, that sound like they could have come from the same sessions, and if that is indeed the case, it's kind of hard to figure out why they were left off, cuz they're pretty goddang great, beautiful and strange, like the band itself. Also included is new liner notes written by Gelb, about the making of the record, the songs, and what all was going on with GS way back in 1994.
MPEG Stream: "Glum"
MPEG Stream: "Yer Ropes"
MPEG Stream: "Happenstance"

GIANT SAND Is All Over... The Map (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
We've said it before and we'll say it again... Mr. Howe Gelb is an admirably freewheeling music maker. His newest album under his longstanding band moniker Giant Sand is another prime example of this. The title is the most a propo to date! He truly follows his every whim, revisiting older songs he's done in the past, and bringing many of his musical friends and relatives along for the ride. Unlike past works that had a tendency to frequently veer into somewhat puzzling/alienating territories, IAOTM is more cohesive, warm and engaging (the female backing vocals help a lot) while still maintaining his roaming unpredictability. The new Giant Sand band incarnation includes skilled craftsmen Anders Pedersen (on lapsteel, electric slide mandolin and guitar), Thoger T. Lund (on upright and electric bass), Peter Dombernowsky (on percussion and drums) and John Parish (on drums, mellotron and national guitar, and who also co-produced the album with Gelb). Plus this time you can look forward to a guest appearance by Vic Chesnutt! Gelb redoes "Crackling Water" from the Slush album by OP8 (his collaboration with John and Joey of Calexico with Lisa Germano on vocals - excellent!). The OP8 version is pretty damn fine and hard to beat, but his new one with Marie Frank on vocals comes pretty close. Hurrah for Howe!
MPEG Stream: "A Classico Reprise"
MPEG Stream: "NYC of Time"

GIANT SAND Is All Over... The Map (Thrill Jockey) lp 12.98
We've said it before and we'll say it again... Mr. Howe Gelb is an admirably freewheeling music maker. His newest album under his longstanding band moniker Giant Sand is another prime example of this. The title is the most a propo to date! He truly follows his every whim, revisiting older songs he's done in the past, and bringing many of his musical friends and relatives along for the ride. Unlike past works that had a tendency to frequently veer into somewhat puzzling/alienating territories, IAOTM is more cohesive, warm and engaging (the female backing vocals help a lot) while still maintaining his roaming unpredictability. The new Giant Sand band incarnation includes skilled craftsmen Anders Pedersen (on lapsteel, electric slide mandolin and guitar), Thoger T. Lund (on upright and electric bass), Peter Dombernowsky (on percussion and drums) and John Parish (on drums, mellotron and national guitar, and who also co-produced the album with Gelb). Plus this time you can look forward to a guest appearance by Vic Chesnutt! Gelb redoes "Crackling Water" from the Slush album by OP8 (his collaboration with John and Joey of Calexico with Lisa Germano on vocals - excellent!). The OP8 version is pretty damn fine and hard to beat, but his new one with Marie Frank on vocals comes pretty close. Hurrah for Howe!
MPEG Stream: "A Classico Reprise"
MPEG Stream: "NYC of Time"

GIANT SAND Provisions (Yep Roc) cd 14.98
It's been a few years, Mr. Gelb, we've sure missed you! Your new album is absolutely wonderful, and not just because you've got Neko Case, M. Ward and Isobel Campbell on board this time around... although that definitely sweetens the deal!
Each of the thirteen songs slowly unwinds in the dusk hour shadows with the ever enigmatic Gelb occasionally bringing to mind a southwest desert sun-baked Leonard Cohen. While he definitely pulls out a few classic Giant Sand twangy eccentric yarns (particularly late in the album - "Belly Full Of Fire" and "Saturated Beyond Repair"), overall Provisions seems to be his most mellow, straightforwardly melodic and song structured work to date. Even when he drifts off into the downright cryptic and bizarre, the raw emotion and poetry of his music somehow still speaks straight to the heart. Some of the album's best moments feature are the most bare bones with just voice and piano ("Spiral"). Wow. You might recall the short lived superb collaboration that took place many years ago between Gelb, Lisa Germano, and Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. OP8 was its name, and Slush was the title of their amazing album. Of any of the albums that the individual artists have released since, this new Giant Sand full length comes the closest to capturing that magic (albeit with different parties involved).
And attention all you new Calexico fans picking up the latest album from those fellow Arizonans, time for a little history lesson! Burns and Convertino were members of Giant Sand prior to forming Calexico. If you haven't checked GS out yet, you are missing out! Some early GS albums may initially seem impenetrably strange and more of an acquired taste, but you don't wanna miss this album!
Most certainly highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Without A Word "
MPEG Stream: "Increment Of Love"
MPEG Stream: "Spiral"

GIARDINI DI MIRO s/t (Zum) cd 6.98
Italian post-rock on Zum. Very beautiful, exercising on the same treadmills as Slint, the Dirty Three, and more recently Mogwai and God Speed You Black Emperor.

GIBBONS, BETH & RUSTIN MAN Out Of Season (Sanctuary) cd 17.98
Now at last, Beth Gibbons' solo debut gets a domestic release (so it's a little cheaper) AND it's got some bonus stuff for you slowpokes/cheapskates who didn't get the import. Yeah, isn't life like that? Bonus tracks and video clips for those who wait... (Specifically, Lou Reed's "Candy Says" done live and a video for "Mysteries".) Anyway, it's a great record, here's what we said about the import:
Here it is, the highly anticipated album from the voice of Portishead - Ms Beth Gibbons! Much like such artists as Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen, Gibbons possesses a timeless, immensely affecting voice that exists outside of passing fancies and dated trends. Out Of Season dispells any question of that, presenting a very different -perhaps more accessible- backdrop than that of Portishead, but a no less dramatic and fitting one. The former embodies a mysterious, complex and haunting otherworldliness, the latter is much more familiar, folkish and earthbound. But who is Rustin Man with whom Ms Gibbon's is collaborating, you might ask? Why he is the alter ego of her friend Paul Webb (formerly of Talk Talk). And we should also note the presence throughout this album of her Portishead comrade Adrian Utley in both performance and production mode. A great line-up, indeed. Grand orchestral, big band and cabaret arrangements sit well beside more minimal instrumentations and Gibbons conveying her trademark deepest of despairs chameleons gracefully into the changing landscapes. This is apparent very early on with the expansive John Barry-esque lushness of "Tom The Model". Following that number is the sparsely beautiful "Show" with its assembly of cello, flute, double bass and piano, and a vocal performance that echoes the emotional brittleness of Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine". While she still often stirs up those Shirley Bassey-esque inflections as she did in Portishead, in our opinion, she's at her best without them. Refined and elegant. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Tom The Model"
MPEG Stream: "Spider Monkey"

GIBBONS, BETH & RUSTIN MAN Out of Season (Go Beat) lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally on LP!
Here it is, the highly anticipated album from the voice of Portishead - Ms Beth Gibbons! Much like such artists as Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen, Gibbons possesses a timeless, immensely affecting voice that exists outside of passing fancies and dated trends. Out Of Season dispells any question of that, presenting a very different -perhaps more accessible- backdrop than that of Portishead, but a no less dramatic and fitting one. The former embodies a mysterious, complex and haunting otherworldliness, the latter is much more familiar, folkish and earthbound. But who is Rustin Man with whom Ms Gibbon's is collaborating, you might ask? Why he is the alter ego of her friend Paul Webb (formerly of Talk Talk). And we should also note the presence throughout this album of her Portishead comrade Adrian Utley in both performance and production mode. A great line-up, indeed. Grand orchestral, big band and cabaret arrangements sit well beside more minimal instrumentations and Gibbons conveying her trademark deepest of despairs chameleons gracefully into the changing landscapes. This is apparent very early on with the expansive John Barry-esque lushness of "Tom The Model". Following that number is the sparsely beautiful "Show" with its assembly of cello, flute, double bass and piano, and a vocal performance that echoes the emotional brittleness of Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine". While she still often stirs up those Shirley Bassey-esque inflections as she did in Portishead, in our opinion, she's at her best without them. Refined and elegant. Recommended.

GIBBONS, WALTER Jungle Music (Strut) 2cd 17.98
Long overdue and much deserved collection documenting the work of one of the most influential DJs, remixers and game changers in New York's dance scene of the '70s and '80s. Gibbons was working mixing magic with two turntables back in the mid '70s as well as being one of the first artists to make reel-to-reel edits of tracks as he extended the breaks for ecstatic dancefloor delight. In many ways he was one of the first people responsible for remixes, edits and extended tracks, which would become staples of dance 12"s for years to come. It also helped that Gibbons had such great taste, working on mixes for such amazing artists as Arthur Russell, Bettye Lavette, Gladys Knight, Stetsasonic, Double Exposure, etc. He had this incredible ability to keep the essence of their tracks alive yet completely transform them into something even more primitive and physical. It's no wonder folks like Arthur Russell and the Salsoul label would only trust Gibbons with their remixes. Gibbons could always take what was just an average song on its own and make in into absolute magic (see "Sun Sun Sun")!
He brought a street grit to the disco floor, and his mixes remain as some of our favorite dance floor burners of all time. It's eerie what a striking resemblance his photo on the cover of this collection bears to another great pioneer of dance music, Patrick Cowley, and sadly like so many of the talented artists of this era, Gibbon's life ended all too soon due to AIDS related illness in 1994. His legacy, spirit, and sound live on, captured so lovingly on this Strut collection, making it an absolute must have!
MPEG Stream: LUV YOU MADLY ORCHESTRA "Moon Maiden [12" Mix]"
MPEG Stream: ARTHUR RUSSELL "Calling All Kids [Walter Gibbons Mix]"
MPEG Stream: JAKKI "Sun Sun Sun [Walter Gibbons Original 12" Edit]"
MPEG Stream: BETTYE LAVETTE "Doin' The Best That I Can [Walter Gibbons 12" Mix]"

GIBBS, JOE Love Of The Common People Anthology 1967-1979 (Trojan) 2cd 22.00
Double cd anthology of rocksteady and reggae tracks from producer Joe Gibbs. Gibbs started his career with a bang, recording Lyn Taitt & the Jets "Hold Them" in 1967 -- a song that would later be hailed as the first rocksteady release. Gibbs had the good fortune to secure the talents of Lee Perry to be the first engineer for his label (Perry had worked on Gibbs' first single while working for the studio that Gibbs had hired to record it) and when Perry left he was quick to hire Niney The Observer to take his place. Gibbs' reputation increased rapidly in his first years, enough to secure European distribution through Island in 1968 and by the mid seventies his success in producing tracks that would prove popular with both Jamaican and European audiences earned him enough to build a small recording empire replete with a 16 track recording studio and pressing plant. Featuring an impressivve roster of tracks by Lee Perry, The Pioneers, Sir Lord Comic, Peter Tosh, The Heptones, U Roy, Delroy Wilson, Dennis Brown, Big Youth, I Roy, Prince Far I, and much more. Also includes very complete bio liner notes.
RealAudio clip: SHIRLEY, ROY "Hold Them"
RealAudio clip: THOMAS, NICKY "Love Of The Common People"
RealAudio clip: BROWN, DENNIS "Money In My Pocket"

GIBBS, JOE Productions (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
Collection of Joe Gibbs productions from the late seventies and early eighties tracing the evolution of dancehall and Gibbs' role within it. Working with Sly & Robbie and their group (under Gibbs they were known as the Professionals) Gibbs produced a number of successful tracks and, more importantly, helped establish a modus operandi which would become de rigeur among producers through the eighties on to the present. Most importantly, inspired by Bunny Lee, was the concept of the recycled rhythm -- done to save money (no need to come up with and rehearse a new rhythm, hoping it would become a hit) -- the bulk of which initially came from classic Studio One tracks. Another was the requisite dub side for every single released. While Bunny used King Tubby, Gibbs went to Errol Thompson. Soul Jazz has culled together 19 tracks, both classic and rare, typifing the Gibbs production sound from his most successful period. Included are classics like Culture's "Two Sevens Clash", Junior Murvin's "Cool Out Son", oddballs like the Joe Gibbs & The Professionals sound effects laden dub "Massive Fire" and the troll like vocal track "Dreader Mafia" by Snuffy And Wally. Includes a 14 page booklet of liner notes and historic photos.
MPEG Stream: JOE GIBBS & THE PROFESSIONALS "Massive Fire"
MPEG Stream: CULTURE "Two Sevens Clash"

GIBBS, JOE Productions (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
Collection of Joe Gibbs productions from the late seventies and early eighties tracing the evolution of dancehall and Gibbs' role within it. Working with Sly & Robbie and their group (under Gibbs they were known as the Professionals) Gibbs produced a number of successful tracks and, more importantly, helped establish a modus operandi which would become de rigeur among producers through the eighties on to the present. Most importantly, inspired by Bunny Lee, was the concept of the recycled rhythm -- done to save money (no need to come up with and rehearse a new rhythm, hoping it would become a hit) -- the bulk of which initially came from classic Studio One tracks. Another was the requisite dub side for every single released. While Bunny used King Tubby, Gibbs went to Errol Thompson. Soul Jazz has culled together 19 tracks, both classic and rare, typifing the Gibbs production sound from his most successful period. Included are classics like Culture's "Two Sevens Clash", Junior Murvin's "Cool Out Son", oddballs like the Joe Gibbs & The Professionals sound effects laden dub "Massive Fire" and the troll like vocal track "Dreader Mafia" by Snuffy And Wally. Includes a 14 page booklet of liner notes and historic photos.

GIBBS, JOE & THE PROFESSIONALS No Bones For the Dogs (Pressure Sounds) cd 14.98
A real nice collection of dubs from Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson. The two were responsible for recording some of Jamaica's hottest tunes in the mid-seventies. Joe Gibbs was an electrical engineer by trade, but was seduced into the music business after he began selling records on the side in his television / radio repair shop. His early successes in his career eventually led him to an introduction to Randy's legendary house engineer Errol Thompson who he subsequently stole away from the studio, forming a lasting and very successful professional relationship. The dubs here are all taken from roots productions the two did at the height of their career. Along with lots of great keyboard and piano solos, echoey horn sections, and the reverbed out rocker rhythms of Sly Dunbar there are plenty of dubs which show off the uninhibited creativity of the pair: using mics to pick up car horns, bubbling and running water, crying babies and other sound effects to mix into the pot. Comes with a decent four pages of liner notes, photos and a handsome outer paper sleeve.
RealAudio clip: "C/W Burning Version"
RealAudio clip: "War Is Over"

GIBBS, JOE & THE PROFESSIONALS No Bones For the Dogs (Pressure Sounds) 2lp 17.98
A real nice collection of dubs from Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson. The two were responsible for recording some of Jamaica's hottest tunes in the mid-seventies. Joe Gibbs was an electrical engineer by trade, but was seduced into the music business after he began selling records on the side in his television / radio repair shop. His early successes in his career eventually led him to an introduction to Randy's legendary house engineer Errol Thompson who he subsequently stole away from the studio, forming a lasting and very successful professional relationship. The dubs here are all taken from roots productions the two did at the height of their career. Along with lots of great keyboard and piano solos, echoey horn sections, and the reverbed out rocker rhythms of Sly Dunbar there are plenty of dubs which show off the uninhibited creativity of the pair: using mics to pick up car horns, bubbling and running water, crying babies and other sound effects to mix into the pot. Comes with a decent four pages of liner notes, photos and a handsome outer paper sleeve.