HEDAYAT, DASHIELL Obsolete (Mantra Mantra) cd 21.00
What do you get when you take members of Gong, William Burroughs, Robert Wyatt's 5 year old son Sam and probably some pretty amazing drugs and mix 'em all up? The answer is THIS, Obsolete, a lost psych/prog masterpiece from 1971. Dashiell Hedayat's second record found him recruiting Daevid Allen and Gillie Smith from Gong to round out the lineup of his band, and began work on what would turn out to be a crazy twisty and turny cosmic psych/prog epic, from start to finish. There are moments of structure and actual fleshed out songs and melodies but there are also of course a non stop litany of amazing outbursts, squeaks, rantings, yells, and cutups. But what makes the record so great is how it can go from manic acid soaked freakout to stunning beauty in the blink of an eye. There are guest appearances from William S. Burroughs, the the cooing of Sam Wyatt (Robert's son who was 5 years old at the time), but ultimately this record is fueled by the great pairing of Gong and Hedayat, whose vocals run the spectrum from beautifully sung, to subtly spoken to wild and deranged.
The LP was originally released on the legendary avant-garde label Shandar, an amazing label out of France in the '70s who put out records by folks like Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Sunny Murray, Pandit Pran Nath, Cecil Taylor, and more. Obsolete is such a perfect snapshot of early 70's free rock exploration. There are moments that are confusing, moments that are absurd, moments that are HEAVY and moments that are utterly profound. Hedayat sums it up perfectly in the original liner notes: "This record must be played as loud as possible, must be heard as stoned as impossible..." And whether or not you are actually taking his words to heart, when you listen to Obsolete, it's pretty impossible not to feel like you're on some kind of wonderful and deranged trip. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Cielo Drive"
MPEG Stream: "Long Song For Zelda"

HEDBERG, MITCH Do You Believe In Gosh? (Comedy Central) cd 14.98
Mitch Hedberg is the kind of comic you either get or you don't. He's not immediately "ha-ha" funny on the surface, but like a junkie version of Jerry Seinfeld, he's truly one of the few comics we could listen to over and over again and still laugh at the inane brilliance of his stoner observations. It's not so much what he says but how he says it; focusing on the small mundane details of colloquialisms and popular culture and mining them for epiphanies of absurd logic. It's hard to say had he lived longer (he died in 2005) if he would have had a bigger following, as attempts to groom him into a sit-com starring comedian didn't quite pan out. His strength was stand-up, and even then his best shows were the ones where they teetered on the brink of all-out failure (see his HBO special!). Thankfully, this killer set was recently salvaged from material that wasn't on the first two Hedberg discs. Arguably, the best recording from this sadly missed comic genius.
MPEG Stream: "Hotels and Beds"
MPEG Stream: "Texas and Seafood"

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (OST) (Hybrid) cd 17.98

HEINRICH AT HART s/t (Position Chrome) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
In the constant search for the 'new', electronica runs the risk of dating itself with failed sampling abilities and the bandwagoning of sounds that may have been exciting at one time but lose their explosiveness after one or two listens. Drum'n'bass is one of the most guilty subgeneres of this self destruction. So it is certainly a rarity in which an album defies the laws for the half-life of electronica. Heinrich at Hart's debut is one of those anomalies. A good portion of the sounds could have been found on an early Doc Scott single or the first Panacea album, but the attention to production details and the stalking menace of the breakbeats make the album as good as it is.

HEINRICH AT HART s/t (Position Chrome) 2lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
In the constant search for the 'new', electronica runs the risk of dating itself with failed sampling abilities and the bandwagoning of sounds that may have been exciting at one time but lose their explosiveness after one or two listens. Drum'n'bass is one of the most guilty subgeneres of this self destruction. So it is certainly a rarity in which an album defies the laws for the half-life of electronica. Heinrich at Hart's debut is one of those anomalies. A good portion of the sounds could have been found on an early Doc Scott single or the first Panacea album, but the attention to production details and the stalking menace of the breakbeats make the album as good as it is.

HEKEL De Dodenvaart (Total Holocaust) cd 14.98
Another mysterious black metal horde, this time from the Netherlands, brought to our attention by the seemingly infallible Total Holocaust, who in the past have brought us discs by Heresi, Sortsind, Malcuidant, Hell Militia, Make A Change... Kill Yourself, Blodulv, The One and of course Nortt and Xasthur. That is one seriously brilliant black elite for sure. Hekel have no problem measuring up though. They too traffic in that Burzumic buzz punctuated by EXTREMELY tortured vocals, a la Weakling, Sortsind, Bethlehem, Silencer and the like. And like those bands, we're talking -seriously- tortured. Total Holocaust's website describes the singing here as "painfully performed vocals" and that pretty much nails it. Utterly anguished, damned and tormented, howling demonic screeches, like the sound of flesh being flayed, or of being burned alive. That tortured. All sprawled bruised and bloodied over a haunting sound world of minor key buzz. Mostly midtempo, everything wreathed in suffocating doom, lots of that mournful arpeggiated guitar, huge layers of fuzz and buzz, a loping, lurching depressive blackness. And those vocals. So intense and emotional. If there was some sort of designation for 'emo' black metal, this might qualify. You hear old stories about Rites of Spring rocking out, and getting so into it, that the band members actually broke down and cried. You can almost imagine Hekel doing the same. Blasting and buzzing in utter darkness, tears streaming down their faces, corpsepaint smeared into streaks of black and grey, guitars and drums drenched in blood.
The disc starts off strangely, with simple martial drumming, haunting forest sounds, wolves, owls, wind, while a raspy voiced demonic invocation is spewed out over the top. From then on, it's a super expansive seasick swirl swinging from buzzing blasts of black blur to plodding mournful doom drenched buzz.
A harsh and harrowing, super emotional, ultra depressive exploration of a truly tortured black metal soul.
MPEG Stream: "Ik Irilaz..."
MPEG Stream: "Bloed En Eer"
MPEG Stream: "Waar De Wind Fluistert In De Nacht Luister Ik"

HELCARAXE Broadsword (Regimental) cd 14.98

HELDEN, JOHANNES Sketchbook (Trente Oiseaux) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Sketchbook" is an apt title for the debut recording for Swedish lowercase composer Johannes Helden, as this album is an earnest collection of fragmented and processed field recordings, which originated during Helden's travels from his native Sweden through Norway and into Russia. There's an up and coming school of travelogue field recordists operating under the broad banner of 'phonography.' While it's possible to qualify this album as a travelogue, Helden has composed these field recordings as a series of empathic impressions of the environment's desolate beauty and numbing cold; furthermore, "Sketchbook" shares little of that aforementioned aesthetic's specificity of references (i.e. rain, cars, market sounds, etc.). This album very comfortably situates itself within the parameters of the Trente Oiseaux label and the productions of Bernhard Gunter: slow moving structures bracketed by pronounced silences, muted tonalities and blurred sounds as if the sounds were 'out of focus' (to use a visual analogy), and pointillist digital markings that don't quite manifest as the granular based glitch-electronica. Somatic pulsations flicker, and drones evolve into symphonic swells resembling Feldman's handling of woodwinds more than any given field recording. Makes for good headphone listening.
RealAudio clip: "Sketchbook 1"
RealAudio clip: "Sketchbook 2"

HELDON Allez Teia (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
2nd album from this seminal French electronic rock act lead by Richard Pinhas (Guitars, ARP, VCS 3, Mellotron and tapes). With Pinhas on this record is
Georges Grunblatt (Mellotron, Guitar and ARP). Features the Pinhas composition "In The Wake Of King Fripp" -- tells you his big influence, don't it?

HELDON I/III: Electronique Guerilla / "It's Always Rock 'n' Roll" (Cuneiform) 2cd 24.00
The first and third Heldons as one double cd.

HELDON Interface (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
Ok, anyone into Magma and/or Moogs pay attention! A couple lists back we got our friend Loren Chasse to write some nice things about Tranzition, the latest album from cult French musician Richard Pinhas, the guy who masterminded the pioneering electronic rock act Heldon back the '70s. That made us realize: hey, we really should get some of those old Heldon records up on our website too! So if you look you'll see we already stuck a few up there with real brief reviews. However, Cuneiform happens to have just brought these two Heldon albums back into print on cd and that gives us a perfect excuse to further sing the praises of Pinhas and his band, as these are two of our faves (though all Heldon comes recommended by us), perfectly combining Pinhas' Robert Fripp guitar obsession with (what are now) vintage synth sounds into some of the best psych-prog sci-fi jamming ever.
Interface was Heldon's sixth LP, dating from 1977, and features the latter-day Heldon trio line-up of Pinhas (guitar, various Moogs, electronics), Patrick Gauthier (Moog bass and Mini-Moog) and Francois Auger (drums and synthesized percussion). Tracks like "Jet Girl" and the nearly twenty minute title cut are kinda like King Crimson meets Suicide or something.
Then there's 1979's Stand By which was Heldon's final studio outing and sees the Pinhas/Gauthier/Auger trio augmented by several additional musicians, including vocalist Klaus Blasquiz of Magma fame. The three tracks here (two of them quite lengthy) will definitely appeal to fans of Magma's "zheul" style. But the Fripp and Suicide allusions above also apply. One track is an extended space-rock opus loosely based on "Bolero"! Even judged by their covers alone, Stand By and Interface both possess a lot of the future-retro cool that's so hip nowadays, while being legitimately classic albums that anyone who digs krautrock or Circle or that kind of thing should investigate. Both discs have been reissued with two bonus live tracks apiece, by the way. So if you aren't already hip to Heldon, either or both of these would make good starting points!
MPEG Stream: "Jet Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Interface - Live (Part 2)"

HELDON IV: Agneta Nilsson (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
Fourth album (of course) from Heldon. Great cover, great album.

HELDON Live 1975-1979 Live Electronik Guerilla Well And Alive In France (Captain Trip) 3cd 44.00
This triple cd set in a fat ol' jewel case combines two previous Captain Trip releases of rare live Heldon material that we'd previously reviewed -- those were the Live Elektronik Guerilla: Paris 1975-1976 cd and Well and Alive: Live in Nancy 1979 2cd. It's a lot cheaper to get 'em both together in this 3cd package, though you're missing out on the miniature lp style sleeves.
Here's a conglom of our reviews of the two:
The disc that collects the 1975-'76 live recordings consists (in contrast to the rhythmically precise spaciness of the later '79 material) of looser, stoned, rockin' jamming. Indeed. Of course, still pretty darn spacey. This wasn't recorded by electronic robots by any means. Sounds more like mellow Hendrix-digging freaks doing drugs and getting off on droning acid rock guitar. We can't exactly argue with that, though. Be warned that sound-quality-wise, this is fairly hissy and lo-fi. Not a pristine studio recording, that's for sure -- but it really works with all the fuzz, effects, and feedback, akin to a Rallizes boot. Still, not the place to start if you're utterly new to Heldon.
Then on to the two discs from '79...what a difference a few years made! The '79 stuff kicks so much precision ass. Awesome! On the first disc, the band effortlessly locks into hypnotic rhythmically complex cycles driven by Francois Auger's incredibly tight yet dexterous drumming. Some stretches are austere, atmospheric and almost soothing, while others possess a mysterious dark force that'll thrust you back in you seat, and still others' synthed-out spaciness might have you tripping your pants off. Mind-melting. The second disc is less kinetic, more along the lines of frontman Richard Pinhas' later solo guitar and synthesizer drone explorations (think: more Tangerine Dream, less King Crimson).
Please note: be forewarned that the recording quality is less than stellar (somewhat murky at times), but also keep in mind that these are previously unreleased tracks. Personally we feel the pros outweigh the cons in this situation, but of course you'll have to decide for yourself.
If you're new to this group, allow us to simply proclaim: late '70s Heldon = psych-prog / electronic rock at its finest. Prior to entering the live Heldon arena, we'd highly recommended checking out 1977's Interface and 1979's Stand-By. Fierce, menacing and propulsive.
MPEG Stream: "1984 Apres Cosmic C'Etait"
MPEG Stream: "Track Of Cocaine"
MPEG Stream: "Heldon UFO War Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Red Line Target"

HELDON Live Elektronik Guerilla: Paris 1975-1976 (Captain Trip) cd 25.00
OK, all you dedicated fans of the French synth prog act Heldon, here's the other live document of Richard Pinhas' band recently released by the Japanese label Captain Trip, alluded to in our review last list of the double cd Well and Alive: Live in Nancy 1979. We mentioned that while the 1979 set was both rhythmically precise and wonderfully spacey, this single-disc collection of earlier live recordings from the 1975-'76 era consisted of looser, stoned, rockin' jamming. Indeed. Of course, still pretty darn spacey. This wasn't recorded by electronic robots by any means. Sounds more like mellow Hendrix-digging freaks doing drugs and getting off on droning acid rock guitar. We can't exactly argue with that, though.
Be warned that sound-quality-wise, this is fairly hissy and lo-fi. Not a pristine studio recording, that's for sure -- but it really works with all the fuzz, effects, and feedback, akin to a Rallizes boot. Still, not the place to start if you're utterly new to Heldon.
52 minutes, seven previously unreleased tracks, limited to 1000 copies, packaged in a nice Japanese mini LP styled sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "1984 Apres Cosmic C'Etait"
MPEG Stream: "Track Of Cocaine"

HELDON Stand By (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
Ok, anyone into Magma and/or Moogs pay attention! A couple lists back we got our friend Loren Chasse to write some nice things about Tranzition, the latest album from cult French musician Richard Pinhas, the guy who masterminded the pioneering electronic rock act Heldon back the '70s. That made us realize: hey, we really should get some of those old Heldon records up on our website too! So if you look you'll see we already stuck a few up there with real brief reviews. However, Cuneiform happens to have just brought these two Heldon albums back into print on cd and that gives us a perfect excuse to further sing the praises of Pinhas and his band, as these are two of our faves (though all Heldon comes recommended by us), perfectly combining Pinhas' Robert Fripp guitar obsession with (what are now) vintage synth sounds into some of the best psych-prog sci-fi jamming ever.
Interface was Heldon's sixth LP, dating from 1977, and features the latter-day Heldon trio line-up of Pinhas (guitar, various Moogs, electronics), Patrick Gauthier (Moog bass and Mini-Moog) and Francois Auger (drums and synthesized percussion). Tracks like "Jet Girl" and the nearly twenty minute title cut are kinda like King Crimson meets Suicide or something.
Then there's 1979's Stand By which was Heldon's final studio outing and sees the Pinhas/Gauthier/Auger trio augmented by several additional musicians, including vocalist Klaus Blasquiz of Magma fame. The three tracks here (two of them quite lengthy) will definitely appeal to fans of Magma's "zheul" style. But the Fripp and Suicide allusions above also apply. One track is an extended space-rock opus loosely based on "Bolero"! Even judged by their covers alone, Stand By and Interface both possess a lot of the future-retro cool that's so hip nowadays, while being legitimately classic albums that anyone who digs krautrock or Circle or that kind of thing should investigate. Both discs have been reissued with two bonus live tracks apiece, by the way. So if you aren't already hip to Heldon, either or both of these would make good starting points!
MPEG Stream: "Stand By"
MPEG Stream: "Une Drole de Journee"

HELDON Un Reve Sans Consequence Speciale (Cuneiform) cd 14.98
From 1976, the 5th album by Richard Pinhas's classic band. This one's super dark and dense, Magma gone industrial? Proto-industrial French electronic rock anyway. With 2 bonus live tracks. Heldon on this recording features bassist Janick Top (Magma).

HELDON Well And Alive: Live In Nancy 1979 (Captain Trip) 2cd 33.00
What a difference a few years made! Of the two live Heldon albums that we just got in, this one from '79 kicks so much precision ass (while the other from '75-76 is looser, more straight-forward jam rock). Awesome! On the first disc, the band effortlessly locks into hypnotic rhythmically complex cycles driven by Francois Auger's incredibly tight yet dextrous drumming. Some stretches are austere, atmospheric and almost soothing, while others possess a mysterious dark force that'll thrust you back in you seat, and still others' synthed-out spaciness might have you tripping your pants off. Mind-melting. The second disc is less kinetic, more along the lines of frontman Richard Pinhas' later solo guitar and synthesizer drone explorations (think: more Tangerine Dream, less King Crimson). Please note: be forewarned that the recording quality is less than stellar (somewhat murky at times), but also keep in mind that these are previously unreleased tracks. Personally we feel the pros outweigh the cons in this situation, but of course you'll have to decide for yourself.
If you're new to this group, allow us to simply proclaim: late '70s Heldon = psych-prog / electronic rock at its finest. Prior to entering the live Heldon arena, we'd highly recommended checking out 1977's Interface and 1979's Stand-By. Fierce, menacing and propulsive. Limited to 1000!
MPEG Stream: "Heldon UFO War Machine"
MPEG Stream: "Red Line Target"

HELICE PIED Conduit No. 2 (Drone Records) 7" 9.98

HELIOS Ayres (Type) cd 14.98
Oh yes, we're always happy to discover something new from Keith Kenniff! He's the Boston based gent behind the postrocktronic gauzy gazes of Goldmund and Helios. Whenever a new customer asks for something relaxing, meditative, massage-suitable, of course we'll first say "Brian Eno", but chances are we'll then steer them in Kenniff's direction. We've just received the latter's third album (as well as a new Goldmund album titled Two Point Decimation too... yeesh, does this guy ever sleep?). It's definitely got a few new twists and takes on his usual light-touch instrumental approach. For one thing, Ayres features Kenniff utilizing his voice as another sound source -- murmuring, whispering and otherwise haunting the proceedings in dreamy, shimmer-shiver fashion. As well, the half dozen tracks seem to materialize and form slightly more solid presences than the drifting, shifting layered ambience of past releases. May be quite appealing to those who love Mum and The Album Leaf. Psst, included is a cover version of "In Heaven", the awesome Lady In The Radiator song from the soundtrack of David Lynch's cult classic Eraserhead!
MPEG Stream: "Woods And Gives Away"
MPEG Stream: "Signed I Will You Well"

HELIOS Caesura (Type) cd 15.98
You can't always judge a record by its cover. But after one look at the cover of Caesura, disc number four from Boston's Helios, we could pretty much tell this would be a wondrous escape into some heavenly realm of ambient goodness. Between the latest Grouper release and the cosmic psychedelia of the recent Alps disc, Type seems to have tapped into some infinite well of dream pop specialists. And Helios is one of the most outstanding members of this cast of dream weavers. Boston's Keith Kenniff, the man behind Helios, has crafted an album of delicate, gorgeous compositions shrouded in winter's haze. Light and somber guitar passages stepping along side sparse electronic beats and percussion to create a lush wreath of pop ambiance. Unlike some pop ambient records that too easily meander into the dreary corners of space, Caesura remains anchored to earth. Invoking images of quiet pines and blissful isolation, there's a captivating relationship between the more industrial, electronic backbone of the record and the droning, organic melodies that hover above. Caesura is the perfect soundtrack for gazing out at the morning fog on lonely winter mornings. Need we say much else?
MPEG Stream: "Hope Valley Hill"
MPEG Stream: "A Mountain of Ice"

HELIOS Caesura (Type) lp 19.98
You can't always judge a record by its cover. But after one look at the cover of Caesura, disc number four from Boston's Helios, we could pretty much tell this would be a wondrous escape into some heavenly realm of ambient goodness. Between the latest Grouper release and the cosmic psychedelia of the recent Alps disc, Type seems to have tapped into some infinite well of dream pop specialists. And Helios is one of the most outstanding members of this cast of dream weavers. Boston's Keith Kenniff, the man behind Helios, has crafted an album of delicate, gorgeous compositions shrouded in winter's haze. Light and somber guitar passages stepping along side sparse electronic beats and percussion to create a lush wreath of pop ambiance. Unlike some pop ambient records that too easily meander into the dreary corners of space, Caesura remains anchored to earth. Invoking images of quiet pines and blissful isolation, there's a captivating relationship between the more industrial, electronic backbone of the record and the droning, organic melodies that hover above. Caesura is the perfect soundtrack for gazing out at the morning fog on lonely winter mornings. Need we say much else?
MPEG Stream: "Hope Valley Hill"
MPEG Stream: "A Mountain of Ice"

HELIOS Eingya (Type) cd 15.98
For his second release under the moniker Helios Keith Kenniff (also of Goldmund) has crafted pretty gauzy post-rock instrumentals from feathery melodic wisps of guitar, keyboards and electronics set atop soothing dronescapes. Imagine an album filled with solely the hushed, delicate atmospheric passages of artists such as Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Mum, Album Leaf, and many artists on the Temporary Residence label. Really really lovely. A blissed out soother.
MPEG Stream: "First Dream Called Ocean"
MPEG Stream: " The Toy Garden"

HELIUM No Guitars (Matador) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

HELIUM No Guitars (Matador) 12" 6.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

HELIUM The Magic City (Matador) cd 13.98
With the addition of Polvo bassist Ash Bowie, Mary Timony and the rest of Helium turn to agitated bittersweet music that's been compared to everyone from Pink Floyd to T-Rex. An improvement over their other recent releases.

HELIUM The Magic City (Matador) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
With the addition of Polvo bassist Ash Bowie, Mary Timony and the rest of Helium turn to agitated bittersweet music that's been compared to everyone from Pink Floyd to T-Rex. An improvement over their other recent releases.

HELIUM3 3 s/t (Quaketrap) 12" 8.98
Latest blast of hip hop madness from local crew Helium 3 (responsible in the past for Pancake Circus, Yoko Solo, Thug Emporium etc.) and their shit just keeps getting better. The beats are simple and solid, but the loops and samples are just tweaked enough to keep things interesting. The rappers spit rhymes that fall somewhere between the nasal whine of Cypress Hill's B-Real and the lazy laconic drawl of 50 Cent. Lyrically the flow is fleet and fast and a bit absurd which definitely reminds us of those Anticon / Mush folks. A teaser for their forthcoming full length. Can't wait!
MPEG Stream: "Primary Position"
MPEG Stream: "Razor Blades"

HELL MILITIA Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit (Total Holocaust) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Holy shit. Or maybe we should say, Unholy shit! This record scare us to death. Not just sonically, but visually as well. Hell Militia is some sort of black metal super group, can't remember the constituent parts, but the sum of those parts has somehow conjured up the fabulously foul Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit, a sick, hateful, evil and abominable blackened alchemy, equal parts grim buzz, convulsive thrash, furious blast and some of the sickest, brimstone gargling, angel crushing, fire breathing vocals EVER. A relentless musical pummeling, like laying in a shallow pool of black pitch atop a rocky crag in the middle of an endless expanse of dark water, cowering and shivering and praying for death as fallen angels beat you to within an inch of your life with spiked clubs, the whole while horned heads held aloft, burnt wings hanging useless behind them, wailing and squealing like some demonic choir, as all around you squalls of buzzing guitars and fuzzed out bass and shards of blasting beats rain down, burning jagged chunks of flesh searing black metal. So amazing and frighteningly furiously heavy, and then those inhuman vocals just push it totally and completely into the nightmarish black. The artwork is stunningly creepy as well, perfectly capturing the hateful, Christ crushing fury within, gorgeous black and white photos of clergymen, nuns, bishops, all blended with skulls, and corpses, wolves and goats, and all manner of unidentifiable beats and creatures. Like an even more damaged Joel Peter Witkin. So totally freaky but quite striking and creepily alluring at the same time. All printed on gorgeous thick paper stock, the whole thing housed in a similarly garish and striking slipcover.
MPEG Stream: "Psalm I - Burning Human Pigs"
MPEG Stream: "Psalm II - Torture Of The Saints"
MPEG Stream: "Psalm III - Black Arts Of Crime"

HELL MILITIA Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit (Debemur Morti) lp 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The cd may be out of print, but for a limited time we have the super deluxe vinyl version of the foul and grim black metal brilliance that is Hell Militia's Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit. Slightly altered artwork, but still gloriously garish, thick vinyl, thick sleeve, and a gorgeous oversized booklet inside.
Holy shit. Or maybe we should say, Unholy shit! This record scare us to death. Not just sonically, but visually as well. Hell Militia is some sort of black metal super group, can't remember the constituent parts, but the sum of those parts has somehow conjured up the fabulously foul Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit, a sick, hateful, evil and abominable blackened alchemy, equal parts grim buzz, convulsive thrash, furious blast and some of the sickest, brimstone gargling, angel crushing, fire breathing vocals EVER. A relentless musical pummeling, like laying in a shallow pool of black pitch atop a rocky crag in the middle of an endless expanse of dark water, cowering and shivering and praying for death as fallen angels beat you to within an inch of your life with spiked clubs, the whole while horned heads held aloft, burnt wings hanging useless behind them, wailing and squealing like some demonic choir, as all around you squalls of buzzing guitars and fuzzed out bass and shards of blasting beats rain down, burning jagged chunks of flesh searing black metal. So amazing and frighteningly furiously heavy, and then those inhuman vocals just push it totally and completely into the nightmarish black. The artwork is stunningly creepy as well, perfectly capturing the hateful, Christ crushing fury within, gorgeous black and white photos of clergymen, nuns, bishops, all blended with skulls, and corpses, wolves and goats, and all manner of unidentifiable beats and creatures. Like an even more damaged Joel Peter Witkin. So totally freaky but quite striking and creepily alluring at the same time.
MPEG Stream: "Psalm I - Burning Human Pigs"
MPEG Stream: "Psalm II - Torture Of The Saints"
MPEG Stream: "Psalm III - Black Arts Of Crime"

HELL, RICHARD Spurts: The Richard Hell Story (Rhino / Warner) cd 16.98

HELL, RICHARD Time (Matador) cd 15.98
A double disc set for the price of one from the inimitable Richard Hell, founding member of New York-style punk in the '70s with the bands Television, the Heartbreakers, and the Voidoids. The first disc is a reissue of the formerly cassette-only ROIR release R.I.P., and contains live stuff, outtakes, demos, all of which Hell thought deserving to be included here. There's Heartbreakers and Voidoids rarities here. Some of it is wonderful but I have to say that other tracks just do not stand the test of time.
Disc two is a document of a few live shows, including one that took place in England on an ill-fated tour with the Clash. Hell calls this performance one of the most aggressive he'd ever given, but the recording quality is terrible throughout the live disc, and I don't really get why he chose to release it. Liner notes are extensive, with song by song recounts written by Hell himself, and lots of photos.
RealAudio clip: "Love Comes in Spurts"
RealAudio clip: "Time"

HELL, RICHARD & THE VOIDOIDS Blank Generation (Warner Bros) cd 12.98

HELLA Acoustics (5 Rue Christine) cd 8.98
You wouldn't think that a band revisiting their past would make us fall in love with them all over again but that is precisely the case with this new ep from Hella. Acoustics finds Hella reworking some of their early songs but this time done all acoustic! Hella + acoustic? "Huh? What? How?", you might be asking yourself, but the answer is a huge big colorful YES!!!
We have to admit we were getting a little cold on the whole Hella thing, but with Acoustics they have totally regained our attention and recaptured our hearts, with their intricate spazzy convoluted prog laid totally bare (err... well acoustic at least). Hard to imagine Hella acoustic, but it's pretty darn cool, maybe like Gastr Del Sol on a steady diet of crystal meth and cocaine, or a more manic Cheval De Frise. While it's easy to sound crazed and weird and spastic with amps turned to eleven and feedback busting out of every speaker, it's a whole lot harder to maintain that same sort of intensity with no electricity at all. That's what separates Hella from so much of the spazzy pack. Sure anyone can freak out hidden behind huge amps and silly costumes, but only the truly talented and demented can knock your block off with an all acoustic record. We think someone should slip a copy of this to Tom Waits as Hella in this incarnation would make the perfect backing band for his next record. OK, Lightning Bolt, Wolf Eyes, Black Dice -- the gauntlet has been thrown down... can you get it up up when the power is out? Hella sure as hell can! So totally recommended!
MPEG Stream: "1-800-Ghost Dance"
MPEG Stream: "Welcome To The Jungle Baby, Your Gunna Live!"

HELLA Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People (Suicide Squeeze) cd ep 8.98
At last, this ep is now out on cd (but out of print on 12" vinyl). The Sacramento twosome known for a million riffs a minute and insane drumming brings some electronic video-game beats to the party before tearing into some incredibly dense noise prog fulla widdly guitar solos and clattering drums. Like Orthrelm and Lightning Bolt (who they sound even more like here, perhaps due to the production), Hella turn two people into a finely honed instrument of sonic destruction. While the drumming never lets up its multilayered, frantic pace, the guitar (augmented here and there by keyboard) takes Hella's sound from This Heat precision to all out noise and into more accessible song territory on the fourth and last track, which features vocals, a first for the band!
MPEG Stream: "Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People"

HELLA Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People (Suicide Squeeze) 12" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new 12" on nice marble vinyl. The band known for a million riffs a minute and insane drumming brings some electronic beats to the party before tearing into some incredibly dense noise prog. Like Lightning Bolt and Orthrelm, Hella turn two people into a finely honed instrument of sonic destruction.
While the drumming never lets up its multilayered, frantic pace, the guitar (augmented here and there by keyboard) takes Hella's sound from This Heat precision to all out noise and into more accessible song territory on the last track, which features vocals, a first for the band.

HELLA Church Gone Wild / Chirpin Hard (Suicide Squeeze) 2cd 15.98
Whooahh man. Hella's latest (and third) release is an overwhelming, two hour long, double solo album exploration. Drummer Zach Hill's Church Gone Wild battles guitarist Spencer Sein's Chirpin Hard. Church seems to be a dismembered hour-long noise mantra in 12 parts. It's pretty driving and kinetic, a swirling maelstrom of free-noise muddied by pitch-shifted vocals and tape manipulation.
As for Sein's contribution, imagine the pixelscapes of Nintendo NES' Tennis, Joust, Tetris, Zelda, Double Dragon, Mega Man, Golf and Cobra Command all meshed into one massive super-game being played at a warehouse free-noise show and we could have it's documentation here with Chirpin Hard. Hella fans will lovingly dive into this behemouth double album without hesitation.
MPEG Stream: "Half Hour Handshake"
MPEG Stream: "Gold Mine, Gold Yours"

HELLA Concentration Face & Homeboy (5 Rue Christine) cd + dvd 17.98
Do you rememer that scene in the movie, "Hook" where Rufio and all the Lost Boys have a massive feast *powered by imagination* and all the food looks like radioactive play-doh and then they start having a food fight and everyone gets smattered with colorful edible goo? No? Ok well....then just imagine a radioactive play-doh food fight. Now convert that into sound. There you go. That's this album. Except....every 6th or 7th wad of play-doh food is actually a bag full of flaming fists. Sloppy, raucous, and punch you in the face fun. Woah. Disc two is a double feature DVD from Hella's Japanese Tour.
MPEG Stream: "Gothpel for You Not Them"
MPEG Stream: "If I were in Hella I would eat lick"

HELLA Falam Dynasty (5 Rue Christine) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A couple of brief outbursts of precision mayhem from Hella, featuring their trademark maniacally dense drumming and head splitting guitar riffery.

HELLA Hold Your Horse Is (5rc) cd 14.98
Well now, this record is certainly a breath of fresh air. I mean when was the last time you heard a decent mathrock record? Hella is two Sacramento guys on guitar and drums and they've made this loud 'n awesome record, which is super listenable and accessible, so those of you who aren't into mathrock, you should still hear this. While the guitarwork is manic and soaring and epic (akin to Don Cab or Storm & Stress), the drumming is even more insane! It's complicated and full of energy; there are quick stops and it's almost all hectic drum fills, one lightning speed kick drum attack after another, and another. Hella is the smart math radness of the (Fucking) Champs without the metal. Really cool. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Been A Long Time Cousin"
RealAudio clip: "Brown Metal"
RealAudio clip: "Cafeteria Bananas"

HELLA Hold Your Horse Is (5rc) lp 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Well now, this record is certainly a breath of fresh air. I mean when was the last time you heard a decent mathrock record? Hella is two Sacramento guys on guitar and drums and they've made this loud 'n awesome record, which is super listenable and accessible, so those of you who aren't into mathrock, you should still hear this. While the guitarwork is manic and soaring and epic (akin to Don Cab or Storm & Stress), the drumming is even more insane! It's complicated and full of energy; there are quick stops and it's almost all hectic drum fills, one lightning speed kick drum attack after another, and another. Hella is the smart math radness of the (Fucking) Champs without the metal. Really cool. Highly recommended!

HELLA The Devil Isn't Red (5RC) cd 14.98
The precision, nutso drumming of Zach Hill and the frantic, fearless guitar playing of Spencer Seim is something the world needs more of, and they are happy to oblige with this, only their second full-length recording after a few eps and live discs. Yay, Hella!
This dynamic duo hold the lease on hectic, headspinning math rock mayhem, tempering their breathless performances with a very eclectic, electric variety of sounds and good sense of what's catchy and what isn't. The Devil Isn't Red is perhaps denser than their debut Hold Your Horse Is, but no less delightful. As almost always, this is all-instrumental, with cryptic art and song titles to add to their aesthetic of controlled chaos. Into indie-prog a la Don Caballero, Lighting Bolt, Ruins, This Heat? Well if you haven't already, now's the time to make room for a Hella section in your record collection. (By the way, did you notice how 'Hella' no longer seems like a dumb band name, it just means Hella the band? You know, just like with the Melvins, for instance. They're good enough and have been around long enough now to make that transition.)
MPEG Stream: "The Kid The Mother Could Be You"
MPEG Stream: "Welcome To The Jungle Baby, You're Gonna..."

HELLA The Devil Isn't Red (Suicide Squeeze) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The precision, nutso drumming of Zach Hill and the frantic, fearless guitar playing of Spencer Seim is something the world needs more of, and they are happy to oblige with this, only their second full-length recording after a few eps and live discs. Yay, Hella!
This dynamic duo hold the lease on hectic, headspinning math rock mayhem, tempering their breathless performances with a very eclectic, electric variety of sounds and good sense of what's catchy and what isn't. The Devil Isn't Red is perhaps denser than their debut Hold Your Horse Is, but no less delightful. As almost always, this is all-instrumental, with cryptic art and song titles to add to their aesthetic of controlled chaos. Into indie-prog a la Don Caballero, Lighting Bolt, Ruins, This Heat? Well if you haven't already, now's the time to make room for a Hella section in your record collection. (By the way, did you notice how 'Hella' no longer seems like a dumb band name, it just means Hella the band? You know, just like with the Melvins, for instance. They're good enough and have been around long enough now to make that transition.)
MPEG Stream: "The Kid The Mother Could Be You"
MPEG Stream: "Welcome To The Jungle Baby, You're Gonna..."

HELLA There's No 666 in Outer Space (Ipecac) cd 16.98

HELLA Total Bugs Bunny On Wild Bass (Narnack) cd 9.98
That rad Sacto duo Hella is back, guitar and drums just goin' for it in a punk-prog stylee. You can still use Lightning Bolt and the Ruins as comparisons, but with the added instrumentation -- noisy, new wavey synths -- they're getting further away from the Bolt template. All instrumental save for some funny voices bookending the tracks, this album is just as kinetic and hyperchaotic as their previous output, veering into a bit o' Carl Stalling style cartoon music as befits the title. 7 songs in just under 20 minutes, plus for those with computers, a live video clip for "Brown Metal" from their first album. Definitely a treat for those into drums, math, and spinning around until you're dizzy. FUN!
MPEG Stream: "Your DJ Children"
MPEG Stream: "Magixburg"

HELLA / DILUTE split (Sick Room Records) 2cd 15.98
Here's a good buy for fans of either or both bands: a double cd, featuring a disc each of Hella and Dilute performing live. SF's Dilute do "Apple", "Alphabet", "Sickroom", "Balloon Song" and "Sold" while Sacramento's Hella play "Republic of Rough and Ready", "Better Grab a Broom!", "Cafeteria Bananas", "Biblical Violence", and "City Folk Sitting, Sitting". If this was a competition, we'd have to say Hella has the better song titles. But it's not a competition and both bands are winners, with Dilute being one of the Bay Area's best, most creative post/indie rock combos and Hella being NoCal's answer to Lightning Bolt, a two-piece instrumental tour de force. Go see both bands if/when you get the chance, and in the meantime don't miss out on this double live document (which maybe could have fit all on one disc, but whatever).
MPEG Stream: DILUTE "Apple"
MPEG Stream: HELLA "Republic of Rough and Ready"

HELLA / FOUR TET split (Ache) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

HELLACOPTERS Cream of the Crap!: Collected Non-Album Works Volume 1 (Gearhead) cd 13.98
A compilation of Hellacopters tracks you might've missed 'cause they're all from singles, 10"s, split releases, etc on labels from Sweden, Spain and the U.S. As is often the case, some of the best songs appear in limited release on 7"s, and so it is with the Hellacopters. If you're a fan of the garage punk revival (particularly the Swedish one - hello, Hives!) you'll surely want to check this comp out.
Nicke Royale (aka Nicke Andersson ex-drummer of Entombed) writes some damn catchy retro rock anthems full of ballsy guitars, hammering piano, gang vocals. And they do some respectable rockin' covers of songs by the Stones, Iggy Pop, Nino Tempo and Social Distortion. One thing though, the cd's packaging is a bit confusing. I opened up the six panel foldout and found that one whole side is taken up by a "Cream of The Crap" poster. The weird thing is it looks as if the poster was supposed to be nine panels instead of six and they just sliced off the top three. Confused? Me too. On San Francisco's garage, punk and hotrods label Gearhead Records. Also features the track 'Killing Allan'. Hmmmmmm.
RealAudio clip: "Thanks For Nothing"
RealAudio clip: "Television Addict"
RealAudio clip: "I Got A Right"

HELLACOPTERS Super Shitty to the Max (Man's Ruin Records) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

HELLACOPTERS, THE By The Grace Of God (Universal) cd 15.98
This band rules so hard. Big guitars, big hooks, leads all over the place, even that sort of pounding piano that hasn't been cool since forever. Or more specifically, since your Dad was high as a kite holding up his lighter to Bob Seger's "Turn The Page". Or your Uncle was feeling up some girl in the parking lot of a Lynyrd Skynyrd show. This is totally classic, fucking awesome rock and roll. The kind you should still be able to see in stadiums instead of nu-metal and MTV crap. Huge in Sweden, it's a crime they're not packing Madison Square Garden here. But that's good too, 'cause it means that's it's still okay for all the hipsters to still dig 'em. But ignore all that stuff and just buy this record. Think every stadium rock show you've ever seen, Kiss, Lynrd Skynrd, Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Van Halen, Peter Frampton, and then supercharge it, filter it through a bunch of former death metallers, and you've got the Hellacopters. In a perfect world bands like the Darkness and the White Stripes would be begging for a chance to open for these guys! Or not. Includes two videos, a video interview and a patch!
MPEG Stream: "By The Grace Of God"
MPEG Stream: "All New Low"

HELLACOPTERS, THE High Visibility (Gearhead) cd 13.98
The domestic release! Sweden's been churning out some fiery garage punk in the last few years. Example #1: The Hives! Example #2: these guys! Actually calling these guys garage punk - a genre in which they've been frequently categorized - is a bit misleading. In fact, this is slick hard rock - think Rocket From The Crypt meets MC5. Lead by former Entombed drummer Nicke Andersson (now on guitar and vocals), they kick out driving tunes heavy with '70s rock guitar and some almost Rick Springfield or Foreigner-ish vocals. It's been well-documented how seriously both bands rage in the live arena, kicking butt on most of their American contemporaries. So if you're seekin' some rawkin' good times - maybe a companion disc to your Hives' "Veni Vidi Vicious"? - look no further!
RealAudio clip: "Toys And Flavors"
RealAudio clip: "You're Too Good (To Me Baby)"