CORRUPTED / NOOTHGRUSH (Reservoir) split cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
2 songs by Japan's kings of sludgemetal Corrupted, and 3 songs by Bay Area power violence doomsters Noothgrush. Like a chainsaw trapped in molasses or something...

COSMIC INVENTION Help Your Satori Mind (The Now Sound) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Japanese heavy psych supergroup, with Masaki Batoh and other Ghosts, guitarist Michio Kurihara of White Heaven/Ghost, and ex-Subvert Blaze drummer Okano.

COSMOS Tears (Erstwhile) cd 14.98
Click, zap, bleep. Japanese miminalist electronic experimental music alert! The lovely cover art of this disc conceals some mighty difficult music. "Tears" consists of three long tracks from the duo of Sachiko M and Ami Yoshida. Sachiko M's "empty" tone generating sampler you've heard before, wreaking havoc (in a pure, Zen-like way) both solo and in collaboration with others, quite often with Otomo Yoshihide in such outfits as I.S.O., Filament, and Ground Zero. She's also a member of the electronic avant-pop trio Hoahio. In Cosmos, she's teamed up with Ami Yoshida, another Otomo collaborator, whose instrument is more ancient: her own voice. Of course, these are some quite abstract vocalizations indeed, rivaling the extremity of sound that Sachiko coaxes from the pulsing, piercing sine-waves of her electronics. Track one starts in with the fluttering, dog-whistle sampler sounds of Sachiko, in a strange duet with the kissy-kissy squeals and dying, whispery retching of Yoshida. Random machine bleeps punctuate the slowly unfolding action. It's like something's gone very very wrong in the hospital ward. The noise isn't enough to attract the doctors, however. By track two, you're wondering if Yoshida isn't actually employing a rubber balloon to make all her bizarre noises. But maybe that's Sachiko, who on this track is experimenting with contact mics. Track three was our favorite, with Sachiko's Ryoji Ikeda -like purrs and pulses coming to the fore, in a crinkly, calm cacophony of clicks and silence. Well, it might seem quiet, but try turning it up, we dare you.
RealAudio clip: "track 3"

COURTIS, ANLA / SEIICHI YAMAMOTO / YOSHIMI Live At Kanadian (Public Eyesore) cd 10.98
Yep, noisy!

CROW TONGUE Red Hand Mark (Hand / Eye) cd 14.98

CRYSTAL FIST FEAT. UNIVERSAL INDIANS Live at Liquid Room 2.22.1997 (Zero Gravity) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We love pretty much everything on Japanese label Zero Gravity, including this recent disc. But unlike the abstract electronics found on most Zero Gravity releases, Crystal Fist's album is an electro-acoustic hippie jam that owes more to the No Neck Blues Band, Amon Duul, and the Taj Mahal Travellers than to Ryoji Ikeda. Featuring the stumbling, 'free' drumming of Merzbow's Masami Akita (here leaving his noise persona behind for his first love, psychedelic rock), this single thirty three minute piece is a druggy, spacey, hypnotic masterpiece, that starts as a murky, otherworldly soundscape; all chirping crickets and ambient murmur. The sound is soon bolstered by the drone of Huun Huur Tu -like faux throat singing, whirring feedback, and the hum of rumbling turntables and abused cd players. This pagan ritual reaches a fever pitch as various percussion elements are introduced, and Akita's style of brain-damaged-Jaki Leibezeit drumming builds a rickety framework around the whole ceremony.
What's amazing is that this sounds so much like it was recorded in the seventies....not in 1997. And it most certainly doesn't sound like turntables and cd players, it sounds more like rickety old amps, and bowed metal, and the vocalizations of lysergically enhanced druids. So recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Live At Liquid Room"

CULT JUNK CAFE (Gentle Giant 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.
Japanese experimental/rock/jazz quintet last heard on Gentle Giant's "Miracle of Levitation" compilation. Otomo Yoshihide guests on most tracks - not on turntables, but on handmade guitar and six string bass. Fans of Otomo's Ground Zero outfit should like this.

CURSIVE / EASTERN YOUTH 8 Teeth To Eat You (Better Looking) cd 11.98
An international punk rock mini-fest, this split release features four tunes each from Japanese trio Eastern Youth and Omaha, NE emo-punk boys Cursive. Consider this your preparation for their imminent U.S. tour together. Eastern Youth fares best when vocalist Hisashi Yoshino totally cuts loose - which in my opinion, he doesn't do hardly enough on these songs - 'cause when he's singing in a calmer fashion the songs tend to drag and stumble (although at times it sort of reminded me of Shudder To Think). I've noticed a prevalent and very distinct sound in the Japanese punk rock recordings I've heard to date (particularly noticeable in the guitar tone). The individual instruments/musicians sound isolated from one another. Clean and somewhat sterile, like the music production on Japanese tv variety shows. Made me think - sizeable budgets but lacking in a unified rockin' energy. Their live rage just fails to come across consistently in the recorded realm. As for Cursive, they've seldom let their fans down, and they're not gonna start now. Tim Kasher's raw, angstful voice is primed and ready as they kick out four new songs of angular punk rock aggression made even more moody by the relatively recent, highly complementary addition of cello to their standard guitar/bass/drums lineup.
RealAudio clip: "Excerpts From Various Notes Strewn Around The Bedroom Of April Connolly Feb. 24, 1997"
RealAudio clip: "Muyohnosuke"
RealAudio clip: "Bura Bura Bushi"

DARE DEVIL BAND s/t (PSF) cd 22.00
Fans of freaky free improv exploration, particularily skronk of Japanese origin, may remember a disc a called Dare Devil released some years back featuring saxophonist Peter Brotzman and drummer Shoji Hano. Jazz drummer Hano -- who has also played in 'rock' contexts with Mainliner and Keiji Haino -- reactivated the Dare Devil name for this new PSF project, for which he's enlisted the talents of Mainliner and Acid Mothers Temple guitarist Makoto Kawabata (no chance of an Aquarius list going by without at least one or two appearances somewhere by ol' Kawabata!) and bassist/vocalist Atsushi Tsuyama (also of AMT, Omoide Hatoba, Akaten, and many others). Together, the trio stir up a mess o' psychedelic improv trouble, a bit along the lines of Musica Transonic. Freeform skronk chaos, very "out" there indeed. AMT fans will feel at home, and Tsuyama's unusual vocals give this a silliness factor that much clattery free improv lacks. Meanwhile Kawabata's guitar spazzes endlessly, almost Ginn-like, and Hano provides a strong, propulsive foundation.
Nice packaging, btw, in a gatefold mini-LP styled cd sleeve.
MPEG Stream: "Musha"

DARK REVOLUTION COLLECTIVE Dark Revolution / Madmen Union (Qbico) picture disc 12" 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The Dark Revolution Collective was the first musical group formed by Kawabata Makoto, who has since earned considerable notoriety in the incredibly prolific Acid Mother's Temple. Recorded back in 1978, Kawabata with Tetsushi Kawagishi and Yasuo Iwaki had no instruments, but managed to borrow a synthesizer and acquired some equipment from their high school science laboratory to use as percussion. The unwavering rhythmic clatter from the multiple percussionists, hammering away at PVC pipes, glass beakers, and metal pots with an assortment of cutlery, sound somewhat like a human powered version of Joe Jones' solar umbrellas and automated percussive devices. The first edition of these recordings was a super limited cassette published by R.E.P. in the '80s and more recently had been issued in the equally limited 10 CD-R box set of Kawabata's early works. The Dark Revolution Collective now gets reissued as a beautiful picture disc courtesy of the Italian label Qbico, which supposedly had been founded specifically to release a handful of early Kawabata recordings.
While these recordings are not as good as the recent flurry of AMT activities, you should realise that the mean age of the Dark Revolution Collective at the time of this recording was 13!!! Some of the Acid Mothers Temple freaks here think it's worth it, yet also some of us think you could save your money and get Andee's upcoming tUMULt label AMT picture disc "41st Century Splendid Man" instead.

DATE COURSE PENTAGON ROYAL GARDEN Report From Iron Mountain (P-Vine) cd 32.00
This is the debut recording from a new eleven piece fusion outfit featuring Otomo Yoshihide on guitar (yep, he's better known for his turntable artistry, but he's been doing guitar improv for a long time too). Basically, Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden (what a name!) is the brainchild of Naruyoshi Kikuchi (whose dexterous saxophone work can be heard in Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet), who fronts this group on guitar and electronics. Joining the lineup are New Jazz Quintet members Kenta Tsugami and Yasuhiro Yoshigaki and many other luminaries from the Japanese improv underground. They play a weird, roiling electronic-jazz-fusion with samples, synths, and funky grooves. At its best, DCPRG is kinda like early '70s electric Miles with a Boredoms twist. But then there's some super-cheesy sounding stuff on here, the kinda sax blowing that gives the words "jazz" and "fusion" a bad name. So you might have to hit the fast-forward button once in a while. Despite that reservation, this is actually worth the $32 import price just for the twelve minutes of their delirious, almost unrecognizable, wildly psychedelic and funky instrumental cover of "Hey Joe"!! Then again, the kitschy pastiche called "Mirror Ball" that follows it, however, may tip your purchasing decision in the other direction. It sounds like some song we can't pin down, but whatever it is, it would be at home on an episode of "The Love Boat". It's hard to tell, is this really what underground Japanese avant-garde jazz is supposed to sound like, or is Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden meant to be an ironic pisstake on '70s lounge-jazz cheese? We're confused, and amused.
RealAudio clip: "Play Mate At Hanoi"
RealAudio clip: "Hey Joe"

DEATH COMES ALONG Psychedelic Inferno (Psychedelic Inferno) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not sure how many of you know the Japanese punk band Crow, a kick ass crusty Amebix style crew. Who would have thought that underneath all that leather and denim and spikes lurked a bona fide spaced out, drugged out, hippified psychedelic space rock band. Certainly not us. But here we are, with record number two from Death Comes Along. Not sure how we managed to miss the first one, cuz this one is a killer. Another one of those records that we were basically sold on before we even heard it. The front cover features a photo of a greying-haired Japanese hippy / rocker with a big old medallion and a sparkly flowered shirt. The back side features purple, scythe wielding ghostly grim reapers, on a pink background. Then there's the inset photos of the rest of the band, all appropriately long haired and surly, and song titles like "Death Death Death", "Children Of The Death", and of course "Psychedelic Inferno I", "Psychedelic Inferno II" and "Psychedelic Inferno III". And their last record listed Amebix, Antisect, Crude SS, Flower Travellin' Band, Diamanda Galas, Ash Ra Tempel, Bodkin, Amon Duul and German Oak as influences. How could you NOT be sold?
And this record is no disappointment. In fact, it's way weirder than we could have possibly expected. Simple repetitive, crunchy riffing, with sort of spoken disembodied vocals, loose tribal drumming, the whole thing smothered in layer after layer of acid fried space rock synths and sound effects, swoops and swirls and bleeps and bloops and trills, like all the random abstract parts from every Acid Mothers Temple song piled atop these hazy repetitive space jams. The guitar playing is very metal, but stretched out and repeated so it becomes a droney circular psych workout. The final track on side one is vocals only and is really scary and weird, all heavily affected creepy distorted whispers. The entirety of side two is taken up by "Psychedelic Inferno II" and "Psychedelic Inferno III" a massive psychedelic suite that has more in common with Sunroof! or Vibracathedral Orchestra than it does with Hawkwind. Faux throat singing over an extended wash of floating synthesizers, stretched out guitar feedback, plenty of spaced out swoosh, and distant barely there percussion, very abstract and quite hypnotic. We only managed to get about 20 copies of this record (when Crow were in town recently, they left a box behind with a friend) and it's super limited and hand numbered. Only 444 pressed, and the copies we have are in the 400's, so you know what that means....

DEFILED Ugliness Revealed (Baphomet / Necropolis) cd 14.98
Unlike the primitive American black metal ususally found on Killjoy's Baphomet label, this dometic debut from this Japanese band fits better into the technical, brutal death metal scene, a la Cryptopsy and Gorguts -- but with more of an old school, metal feel than those acts. The disc is chock full of twisting guitar riffs and chaotic changes, delivered with a biting sound. This actually reminds us a bit of long-gone Seattle speed metal coulda-been-greats Forced Entry, but with extra brutality and a Japanese accent. One thing that's strange about this disc is that each song is preceeded by its own separate ambient intro track (so you can program them out? hey, that's a good idea!). Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Uncovered Plots"

DERAKUSHI s/t (PSF) cd 17.98
First heard these guys (and girl, it appears) on Tokyo Flashback Vol. 7, now here's their PSF full-length, packaged in a nice miniature-lp style gatefold sleeve. Very little information is available about 'em. So we'll just make do with describing the music. Avant garde free jazz improv, kinda, but also psychedelic free rock too, from a quartet consisting of alto sax, guitar, drums, and bass. Sometimes super heavy distorted bass! Definitely a lot of electricity to this unit. Along with plenty of human-powered pounding and screaming... PSF compares 'em to Borbetomagus, but that's not quite right. They're wild, but not -quite- that dense and noisy. PSF's own Ahousen would be a better comparison, if you liked that, you should check out Derakushi too. Sax honking and squealing, bass shuddering, guitar stabbing, the pipe fighting percussion sometimes skittery, sometimes straight up rocking, right through the freakout, and it's not at all wall-to-wall freakout, there's dynamics and stop and go and sudden silence... Emotional, mayhemic, yet controlled. Derakushi know how to do it, or they wouldn't be on PSF. The dark psych guitar rock elements that bleed into their freeform "jazz" are what grabs us about this, and that's also a definite PSF specialty.
MPEG Stream: "Gateway"
MPEG Stream: "Pegana"

DISSECTING TABLE Awake In Hell (UPD Org.) cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
As we've no doubt mentioned in the past, we're not really all that into 'noise music', especially the ultra brutal white noise face melting Merzbowian sort of noise music. But when noise is used as a tool, or as an instrument, or when it's twisted into all sorts of strange shapes and atypical sounds, well, that's when we really get interested.Ê So when someone takes noise and blackens it, and turns it into some super intense grinding industrial doom metal juggernaut, we're pretty much completely sold.Ê
Such is the case with Awake In Hell from legendary Japanese outfit Dissecting Table, aka one man noise metal machine Ichiro Tsuji, who here has unleashed four loooooooooooong, slow motion, ultra distorted jams, huge bass heavy riffs that slither and crawl over a field of broken glass production and a mine field of pounding percussion. Everything is harsh and jagged, sheets of stinging feedback and walls of crumbling distortion, maybe there are guitars, even vocals, but they're pulled apart into their constituent atomic particles and sent careening like pinballs made from liquid nitrogen and Marshall amps melted down into some caustic black buzz. Occasionally, the blown out blasts abate, leaving weird muted throbs and skittering synthesized loops, but blink and they're gone, replaced by a snarling black doom behemoth, fangs bared ready to swallow you whole.Ê
Holy shit this stuff is intense, it's like grindcore by way of Japanoise by way of ultradoom. Or that lost Pitchshifter record recorded by Masami Akita, of Godflesh backing up Masonna, or... oh fuck it, you know what we're getting at. This is devastatingly ultra destructive, noise drenched, grinding industrial doooooooooooooooom that KILLS. And makes bands like Bunkur and Khanate sound downright tame by comparison.Ê
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES, each one hand numbered and housed in a mini dvd style clamshell case with full color cover. Only got a handful of these, not sure we'll be able to get more.....
MPEG Stream: "Biperiden Hydrochloride"
MPEG Stream: "2"

DIZA STAR & THE PINK LADIES BLUES Featuring Mani Neumeier (Fractal) cd 23.00
As if it wasn't confusing enough that a band from France went around calling themselves Acid Mothers Temple & The Pink Ladies Blues, now they've gone and changed their name to Diza Star & The Pink Ladies Blues. We guess in the long run it will be less confusing. It's still guitarist Magic Aum Gigi (who runs the Fractal label), and Japanese expats Tsuchy and Mai Mai. But on this disc the trio are joined by a very special guest -- Mani Neumeier, master percussionist from krautrock legends Guru Guru!! He's totally in his element here (or they in his), on these ten spaced-out tracks of psychedelic jamming, a few of which make overt Guru Guru references titlewise ("Mani-festly Immer Lustig", "Ooga Booga Rock"). Sprawled about the place, there's chanting vocals and droning Jew's harp, percussive freakouts, and of course extended distorto-guitar grinds -- though overall this disc seems a bit cleaner and mellower than earlier whomever & The Pink Ladies Blues offerings. Regardless of the name change, definitely still one for AMT fans! Minus Mani, these guys and gal also have another new album, the vinyl only 3, which we also have in stock but haven't had a chance to hear just yet...
MPEG Stream: "Bali Bali"
MPEG Stream: "Acid Blueberry"

DMBQ Esoteric Black Hair (Fake Chapter) cd ep 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
All right! Esoteric Black Hair was originally cd-r sampler release put together for this great Japanese band's US West Coast tour this past summer. We were stoked to carry it, but a bit bummed it was just a cd-r. Now, it's being properly pressed on cd, and the label is being super awesome and has arranged for anyone who got the cd-r version to get a free cd replacement. Cool, eh? More details on that are to be found at the end of this review, but first let's recap what we said about the original release, for all of you who didn't get it yet ('cause you should!):
From Japan...DMBQ!! (Formerly known as the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet.) Damn, did you see these guys (and gal) play last year?? If not, don't miss 'em this time... If you DID see 'em last time, of course you'll be at their shows again this time too. One of the ultimate over-the-top rock experiences... a spectacle of backbends, stagedives, sweat, awesome polyester outfits, and let's not forget heavy psych-rock chops!! An AWESOME live band -- they had rock moves I've never seen before. Are DMBQ tongue in cheek fantasy? Or totally sincere love of rock n' roll overload? Probably both. It's a blend of Hendrix and Blue Cheer played with the attitude of Guitar Wolf or the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. What The Darkness would be if they were Japanese and inspired by '70s acid riff-rock instead of '80s hair metal, perhaps. I've been a BIG fan of this band for a long time, and was always super frustrated not to be able to get any of their recent cd output to sell here at Aquarius. They're on a major label in Japan, and it's just impossible to get their discs for any reasonable price. But now, we've got this, their first and only domestic US release, a thirty minute selection of choice cuts from some of their Japanese albums. There's seven songs here, each crazier and heavier and more rockin' than the last. If you liked Boris' Heavy Rocks or Akuma No Uta albums, you'll like this!! (And Acid Mothers Temple, you'd better get out of the way.) It's too bad we can't get their 'actual' albums, but for now this will have to do, and it makes for a nice, budget priced sampler/intro to the band's brand of bellbottomed insanity. I bet some smart label will pick 'em up and we'll have more domestically released DMBQ to look forward to soon [recent news flash: expect an album in March 2005 on Estrus!]. So get this, and don't miss their shows, if you've got a rock bone in your body. They have a new drummer (China-Mana from Shonen Knife) and tell us in an email about playing with her: "It is VERY fun! We can show you more crazy show surely. I feel we could get more EVIL musical power through her...! We are very excited." So are we!
If you missed 'em, they will be back...and yes they DID get more EVIL musical power by the way. So keep an eye out for them to return. Ok, now here's more about what do if you already purchased the previous cd-r of Esoteric Black Hair and want to upgrade to the cd. Fake Chapter sez: "Earlier this year, Japan's DBMQ toured the West Coast bringing with them a tour souvenir EP Esoteric Black Hair. Now due to their enormous success, Fake Chapter Records (who partnered with them for the tour) has commercially released the EP. For those of you bought the original CD-R, don't feel ripped off! Fake Chapter and Aquarius Records have made a special arrangement for you. Simply leave your information with Aquarius or email your mailing address directly to dmbq@fakechapter.com and we'll send you a copy of the new version for FREE. That's right, no sending the old EP back, no paying for postage, no being forced to buy the same thing twice, just let us know who you are and it will be in your mailbox! Please note: Both versions include the SAME track listing and artwork. The only difference is CD-R vs. CD duplication quality. Please email dmbq@fakechapter.com for any questions."
MPEG Stream: "Smoker"
MPEG Stream: "Fellows"
MPEG Stream: "Are You Satisfied?"

DMBQ The Essential Sounds From the Far East (Estrus) cd 14.98
These guys and gal from Japan should need no introduction, eh? I mean, I think we've done our best to already familiarize AQ customers with the rock n' roll awesomeness of the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, right? We've certainly sold a ton of their Esoteric Black Hair ep, that's for sure! Plus, they've been on a stateside touring assault recently that is clearly pulling more and more fans into their orbit. In our review of EBH, we predicted that sooner rather than later some clever American label would pick this band up...and lo, Estrus has done the deed. They're a label perhaps known for a retro sound more garagey than these guys, but it's definitely a good fit with DMBQ's brand of wild rock n' roll abandon.
On The Essential Sounds From the Far East (terrible title, although no falsehood), DMBQ's Boredoms-playing-Blue Cheer attack continues unabated. Tons and tons of guitar with tons and tons of effects. Swooshing sizzling wah-wah mayhem. Howling, raucous vox. Groovy drumming. Exuberant energetic explosions of sound. Sonic starbursts and brightly coloured visuals absolutely must accompany rock that's kicking out the jams this hard. Imagine the most in-your-face elements of Hendrix and Led Zep I taken to absurd extremes by some extroverted Japanese freaks, right now, today, in your town if you're lucky. Anyone who likes Acid Mothers Temple when they pay a visit to "electric heavyland", or digs the psychedelic, '70s rawk side of Boris, will love cranking this up.
As mentioned, they've been touring more in the US. DO NOT MISS SEEING THEM. Their showmanship has to be seen to be believed. They're always upping the ante. They were just here last month, and the crowd at the Hemlock got to witness frontman Shinji pass the drum kit into the audience, piece by piece, assemble it there, then grab DMBQ's new drummer China (ex-Shonen Knife) and hand *her* into the crowd, from where she picked up the beat and finished the song, drumming in the midst of the sweaty multitude. Wow. But as good live as they are, they don't slack in the studio either.
You can tell they mean to impress with this, their first-ever US album release (EBH being both an ep and a collection of previously released tunage). This does include a version of "Are You Satisfied?", a song that's also on EBH... but everything else is new. It's one loud pounding, swirling, throbbing psych-out after another, with only the spaced out six and a half minute "Dm" providing a bit of relaxation. Damn we love this band. Now if only all their other, also-excellent previous Japanese releases would get reissued over here...
MPEG Stream: "She Walks"
MPEG Stream: "Mo-Ya Mo-Ya"

DMBQ (DYNAMITE MASTERS BLUES QUARTET) Esoteric Black Hair ( Fake Chapter) cd-r ep 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From Japan...DMBQ!! (Formerly known as the Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet.) Damn, did you see these guys (and gal) play last year?? If not, don't miss 'em this time, they're gonna be touring the West Coast this month (June '04). If you DID see 'em last time, of course you'll be at their shows again this time too. One of the ultimate over-the-top rock experiences... a spectacle of backbends, stagedives, sweat, awesome polyester outfits, and let's not forget heavy psych-rock chops!! An AWESOME live band -- they had rock moves I've never seen before. Are DMBQ tongue in cheek fantasy? Or totally sincere love of rock n' roll overload? Probably both. It's a blend of Hendrix and Blue Cheer played with the attitude of Guitar Wolf or the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. What The Darkness would be if they were Japanese and inspired by '70s acid riff-rock instead of '80s hair metal, perhaps. I've been a BIG fan of this band for a long time, and was always super frustrated not to be able to get any of their recent cd output to sell here at Aquarius. They're on a major label in Japan, and it's just impossible to get their discs for any reasonable price. But now, we've got this, their first and only domestic US release, a thirty minute cd-r compiling a selection of choice cuts from some of their Japanese albums. There's seven songs here, each crazier and heavier and more rockin' than the last. If you liked Boris' Heavy Rocks or Akuma No Uta albums, you'll like this!! (And Acid Mothers Temple, you'd better get out of the way.) It's too bad we can't get their 'actual' albums, but for now this will have to do, and it makes for a nice, budget priced sampler/intro to the band's brand of bellbottomed insanity. I bet some smart label will pick 'em up and we'll have more domestically released DMBQ to look forward to soon. So get this, and don't miss their shows, if you've got a rock bone in your body. They'll be debuting a new drummer on this tour (China-Mana from Shonen Knife) and tell us in an email about playing with her: "It is VERY fun! We can show you more crazy show surely. I feel we could get more EVIL musical power through her...! We are very excited." So are we!
NB. if you got the cd-r 'bootleg' that DMBQ was selling at their shows last year, be aware that Esoteric Black Hair is an *entirely* different disc.
MPEG Stream: "Smoker"
MPEG Stream: "Fellows"
MPEG Stream: "Are You Satisfied?"

DMBQ (DYNAMITE MASTERS BLUES QUARTET) EXP (Less Than TV) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here is, quite literally, a "warehouse find"... the first two cds by Japanese mega-psych-mongers DMBQ aka Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, the only two actual DMBQ albums that were ever really available in the USA before, and barely, on the seemingly-now-defunct Japanese indie label Less Than TV. Allan was visiting one of our suppliers and dug these up, they happened to have about a dozen copies each of these cds stuck in a dark and dusty corner of their warehouse. So we grabbed 'em all, knowing that a bunch of you out there would be stoked to get yr hands on these, seeing as how we sold so frickin' many of the DMBQ's Esoteric Black Hair EP. That cd-r compiled some of their more recent material, and if you liked those cuts we imagine you'll dig this earlier material too. It's rawer and maybe even wilder. The usual "act fast since we've only got a few" warning applies of course!
EXP is their second album, from 1996. Every track on EXP has the words "EXP" in the title, from "A House EXPosed To Every Wind" to "Everybody Got Something To Hide EXPect Me And My Monkey" (yes, that's what it says, and yes it is a rather demented rave-up cover version of the Beatles tune with the not-quite-the-same title). And you can EXPect that DMBQ are at their distorto-blues-psych best here, total rock n' roll mayhem and big-riff heaviness bustin' out all over this disc. Definitely for fans of both Blue Cheer and Boris. A lot of the tracks sound like "Dazed And Confused" bathed in sludge, while the last track "EXPlosion" brings in some free-blowin' horns for a Funhouse effect. And it comes with a sticker.
MPEG Stream: "The EXPanse Of The Skirt"
MPEG Stream: "Make An EXPeriment On Oneself With A New Drug"

DMBQ (DYNAMITE MASTERS BLUES QUARTET) s/t (Less Than TV) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here is, quite literally, a "warehouse find"... the first two cds by Japanese mega-psych-mongers DMBQ aka Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, the only two actual DMBQ albums that were ever really available in the USA before, and barely, on the seemingly-now-defunct Japanese indie label Less Than TV. Allan was visiting one of our suppliers and dug these up, they happened to have about a dozen copies each of these cds stuck in a dark and dusty corner of their warehouse. So we grabbed 'em all, knowing that a bunch of you out there would be stoked to get yr hands on these, seeing as how we sold so frickin' many of the DMBQ's Esoteric Black Hair EP. That cd-r compiled some of their more recent material, and if you liked those cuts we imagine you'll dig this earlier material too. It's rawer and maybe even wilder. The usual "act fast since we've only got a few" warning applies of course!
Their self-titled 1995 debut cd really throws down the dirty distorted heavy-psych garage rock gauntlet. It's just a massive blow-out of raucous, stomping, fuzz and feedback-filled punk blooze rockin' freakiness that'd give Hendrix a headache. Basically imagine the Boredoms playing Blue Cheer and you've got the idea. They get into some cool '60s surf stuff on here too. Hopefully some day we'll be able to stock their newer albums but in the meantime fans of DMBQ and/or their brand of mayhem ought to be happy to score one of these while they last...which won't be long we're pretty sure.
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"

DODGE, CHRIS / SOLMANIA / SPEEDRANCH Even Statics Vol. 1 (Evenstilte) cd 14.98
Now here is indeed a deliberately odd release... from the French/Japanese label that last brought us that Tabata und Guilty Connector collaboration comes an even more absurd team-up, a three-way remix-and-mismatch conjunction of the following international audio fiends: Chris Dodge (guitarist from the goofy American "fastcore" band Spazz), Solmania (Japanese noisician who builds his own mutant guitars), and the UK's DJ Speedranch (of Phantomsmasher and Speedranch & Jansky Noise). Three artists, from three continents (or islands near continents), all sharing a "what the heck, let's make some noise!" aesthetic.
Chris Dodge's dozen tracks are a blend of punk/metal and electronically-assisted, noisy chaos. Something along the lines of Melt Banana comes to mind. Then, Solmania's 11-minute "Ice Cream" is a crunkly, lurching, seasick soundscape of dirge, distortion and feedback. Lastly, Speedranch wraps things up with three tracks of distorted beat mayhem whose source material derives from both Chris Dodge's stuff earlier on the disc, and the Solmania album Trembling Tongues. Chaotic and crazed as you might imagine, Speedranch samples various spoken non-sequiturs and sci-fi fx into something along the lines of what we used to call "industrial" music before the rise of the DJ.
For some (the more serious-minded?), the more textural Solmania track will be the stand-out, for others who love low-attention-span-spazz the Dodge and Speedranch constructions will be the real ear-ticklers. A pleasantly maddening experience for fans of all forms of severe noise-fuckery.
MPEG Stream: CHRIS DODGE "39 Steps"
MPEG Stream: CHRIS DODGE "Bub"
MPEG Stream: SOLMANIA "Ice Cream"
MPEG Stream: SPEEDRANCH "Begin To Eat It"

DOO SOO, KIM Ten Days Butterfly (PSF) cd 22.00

DOO-DOOETTES / KEIJI HAINO / RICK POTTS Free Rock (PSF) cd 22.00
One of two very different new PSF releases from our favorite dark lord of Japanese psychedelic improv (Haino's "Mazu Wa Iro O Nakuso Ka" being the other, reviewed last list). This one's actually an archival release, recorded way back in 1981. As per the title, it's a "free rock" jam merging the talents of Haino with a bunch of dudes from pioneering weird-music collective the Los Angeles Free Music Society! With Haino and Rick Potts both on guitar, plus the Doo-Dooettes trio of Dennis Duck (drums), Fredrik Nilsen (bass), and Tom Recchion (on his home-made instruments the "mock cello" and "strungaphone"), this group really whips up a wild and woolly storm of avant-rock insanity. It's one single thirty-five minute long track which actually has its own title -- we'll repeat it here 'cause it's so evocative: "Blueprint For The Shimmering Quivers Of The Deep Purple Ultraviolet Tuning Fork". Pretty much says it all. You can definitely hear Haino's distinctive guitar in there, but the LAFMS guys hold their end up too. And as messy as it may at first seem, it does go somewhere musically. Verdict: Worth hearing for sure, if you're into alien noise-rock skree at all. An unusual entry in Haino's discography, like his Fushitsusha jamming with the Magic Band or something. Glad they dug this one out of the vaults...
NB. We're told (by a friend who reads Japanese) that Keiji Haino's liner notes for this describe how he visited Aquarius Records on a 1979 trip to San Francisco! He apparently bought a LAFMS LP here and that led him into contact with Potts et. al. and thus to the creation of this very recording. Cool.
RealAudio clip: "Blueprint For The Shimmering...."

DOODLES Nokori (Alchemy) cd 21.00
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Ok, we imagine that some of you might be kind of skeptical about this band, seeing as they're called, ahem, Doodles. Not exactly an awe-inspiring, heavy-psych kinda moniker is it? And with a name like that, and because of the fact that it's an all-girl outfit, you might expect some kind of cutesy "chick band from Japan" (as someone we know who shall remain nameless put it). But this ain't no Puffy Ami Yumi. Or even Shonen Knife. And their music is quite a bit different from the (also great) but much more robustly silly mayhem unleashed by the other all-girl Japanese psych duo reviewed on this week's list, Afrirampo. No, Doodles are a more serious sort of band, despite the name. Far from silly or fluffy. More roughly hewn and melancholic. These ladies (Akiko Terashima on vocals/guitar/piano and Nao Shibata on drums/chorus) play plodding, haunted psych-rock, with storms of guitar distortion hovering on the horizon, and sweet, sad vocals quivering deeply soul-ward. Ringing, reverby chords, jagged strum, staggering drums. Japanese psych-scene fans will understand if we compare 'em to Angel' In Heavy Syrup, Shizuka, and Nagisa Ni Te. But for a (sort of) non-Japanese comparison, we think maybe Blonde Redhead would be a slight parallel. Uh, Blonde Redhead meets Codeine, maybe. They've also drawn comparisons to other punkish/naive Western acts like the Smashachords and Swell Maps. And then there's some Neil Young and VU too. They're definitely a band that we think should appeal to indie-rock lovin' AQ customers beyond just those with Japanocentric tastes! And the Japan-psych fans among you ought to be already into 'em, thanks to their appearance on first volume of Alchemy's great The Night Gallery: 21st Century Psychedelic Underground compilations. Also Akikio plays on the two Jojo Hiroshige discs we've recommended recently. And in fact this is their 2nd or 3rd album after one on Gyuune and at least one cd-r release before that, though it's the first we've managed to stock. But we'll definitely keep Doodles on our list of bands to watch out for more from in the future!
MPEG Stream: "track 2"
MPEG Stream: "track 6"

DOOMRIDERS VS. BORIS Long Hair And Tights (Daymare) 2lp 49.00
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First in a super limited series of lp-only releases from everyone's favorite Japanese doom-drone-psych-rock overachievers Boris! For this limited double lp, they've teamed up with Boston's Doomriders, which just so happens to feature members of Converge, Old Man Gloom, There Were Wires and more...
These records capture live shows recorded back in 2006 when the two bands toured together.Ê
The Doomriders for those who don't know, are a straight up Motorheady rock and roll band, they even start their set with a bellowing roar: "We are the Doomriders from Boston, and WE PLAY ROCK AND ROLL!!!" And they do, pounding and simple, not thrashing or blasting just riff heavy big drum blasts of kick ass RAWK. The perfect sonic match up for the more rock side of Boris.Ê
The first track, though, on one of Boris' two lp sides had us fooled, a massive churning droned out low end sludge, the heaviest thing we've heard from them since Flood (not counting the Altar collab with SUNN) but after that it's back to the full blown, in the red, ultra distorted pedal to the metal blasting Pink-style wild psychedelic garage rock stomp that have become their modern sound. And it sounds great. Super saturated production, amazing sound, loud Loud LOUD!!! Obviously essential for all you Boris freeks...
And of course super elaborate packaging as always. Deluxe metallic gold gatefold, super thick stock, killer Screaming For Vengeance Judas Priest homage artwork, clear yellow vinyl...
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES, half red, half yellow, the copies we have are yellow, and this is ALREADY SOLD OUT and selling for crazy $$$ on eBay. We tried to get 100 copies, and got less than half that. Needless to say these will be gone before you know it. ONE PER CUSTOMER.Ê

DORONCO GUMO Old Punks (Holy Mountain) lp 14.98
Part Les Rallizes Denudes, part Maher Shalal Hash Baz, this Japanese super group do a sort of droney, jangley garage psych pop, that over the course of Old Punks slips from woozy indie rock to brooding looped psych rock, playful power pop, to reverby almost ballads to Velvets-y minimal lope. The band is super laid back, the songs are weary and ragged and drawly and shambling, the guitars loose and detuned sounding, the drums spare and simple, the vocals, which might make or break DG for most folks, are sort of flat and tuneless, mumbled and moaned, sometimes crooned, but usually buried in the mix, just another layer of whirling sonic warmth.
Occasionally, things do get weird, some crunchy surf guitars, some strange jumbled group vocals, all tangled and chaotic, and of course bursts of psychedelic solo guitar squall, but for the most part Old Punks traffics in simple stripped down psychedelic rock, laced with bits of folk and pop, and of course shadows of both Maher and Les Rallizes.
Comes with a download card so you can grab yourself a digital copy of the record too!

DOT [.] s/t (Blind Date) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We managed to get the last 40 or so copies of the third and (supposedly) final pressing of only 175 copies of this massive slab of Japanese heaviness. So act fast.
BORIS! CORRUPTED! EYEHATEGOD! JAPANESE DOOM SLUDGE! If those words mean anything to you, drop everything you're doing RIGHT NOW and order yourself up one of these massive slabs of earth flattening, face melting downtuned dirge. Slow slow slow like their sludgy countrymen Boris and Corrupted, Dot [.] focus less on the drone, and more on the riff, sounding much more raw and aggressive, aligning themselves a bit more with Eyehategod, Bongzilla, Grief and the rest of the US slow motion doom contingent. Huge riffs, pounding relentless drumming, hellish shrieking vocals, amps until forever, everything (even the drums?) tuned as low as they will go, a soul sucking metallic black hole of sound. Four lengthy tracks, only one of which even comes close to almost breaking the midtempo mark.
AGAIN, SUPER LIMITED!!!!! To only 175 copies, and we got about 40, most likely never to get more again. You have been warned.

DRAGON BLUE Hades Park (Avant) cd 19.98
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Japanese avant-garde singer Tenko & her superstar backing band (Otomo Yoshihide, turntables; Kato Hideki, bass; etc.) return with a new recording on John Zorn's Avant label.

DUMB TYPE Memorandum (CCI Recordings) cd 19.98
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Dumb Type is a performance / conceptual art group comprised of Ryoji Ikeda and Toru Yamanaka and has been active since 1984, producing a number of multi-media spectacles. "Memorandum" combines their audiovisual architechtronics to explore memory as the semiotic sum of the elliptical orbits of emotion, instinct, and intellect, utilising dance, translucent scrims, and rapid fire video collages. Dumb Type saw fit to release just the audio from "Memorandum", and it's certainly strong enough to stand on its own, even without all of the visuals. In working with Yamanaka, Ikeda's clinical pulses of pure sinewave tones are flushed out with extended drones, making this simultaneously sound like early Klaus Schulze or Pan Sonic. Dumb Type breaks up the piece with snippets of spoken texts that are accompanied by delicate synth patterns, emulating the sappiness of daytime soap operas. While the intent of these musical interludes is unclear, it is the only flaw in an otherwise fantastic post-techno score.

EAGLE KEYS s/t (Even Stilte) cd 12.98
Eagle Keys (which is probably just the name of the record, not the name of the band, but since it's on the spine we're calling 'em Eagle Keys) is two dudes, one whom we know and one whom we don't. Respectively, there's electric bassist Tim Olive, who we most recently heard in the Supernatural Hot Rug And Not Used duo recording from EM Records. He's been in some other bands over the years, including Nimrod and Soap-Jo Henshi, best known to Japanese-music nerds like ourselves. The other fella is Francisco Meirino, responsible here for "computer and acoustics". Together they have produced two long tracks, "Eagle Keys Part One" and "Eagle Keys Part Two", about 50 minutes total of crinkly-crankly improvised soundscapes, littered with abstract, atmospheric detail. Part One begins with shuffling clicks and whirring hum and rattling gurgle, sounding a bit like some sort of shaggy electronic beast snuffling through its dinner. Long quiet drones and sizzling hissing and ominous creakings and chaotic clankings occur as this duo rummage about with their instruments and and objects and microphones, the whole process finally building into a dense, satisfying distorted drone-howl at almost the very end of its 34 minutes. Then, the 15 and a half minute Part Two is more about gentle flutter and whispered feedback. It's spooky and hissy and whistle-y (enough so that at points, dogs might not like it!). It comes to an end with a sudden, satisfying "clunkgluntch"!
MPEG Stream: "Eagle Keys Part One"
MPEG Stream: "Eagle Keys Part Two"

EARTH / KK NULL split (Important) cd 14.98
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Originally released as a super limited colored vinyl 12", for sale only on a 2003 European tour (and limited to, depending on who you ask, either 330, or 660 copies) this amazing and amazingly limited record finally gets a proper release on cd. Which is also great considering the label that released the 12" apparently never paid the bands ANY money and actually ditched said European tour taking lots of the bands' money with them. Hopefully this will help set things right on that front, and at the same time it's a chance for those of you who missed out on the vinyl to finally check this out. KK Null, guitarist for Japanese sludge metal outfit Zeni Geva offers up a lengthy free noise exploration, guitars and electronics, abstract space-y weirdness, that gradually builds and builds into full on squalls of guitarnoise and ultra distorted electronic freakout. The cd also includes a twenty minute bonus track from Null, a sort of part two addendum to his original 12" track, and it's appropriately enough another extensive blooping swooshing analog space-out psych-free-noise epic, equal parts Merzbow and Space Machine (Masonna's space-y analog analog synth project). The Earth tracks is a single twenty minute long track recorded live at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle in 2003 and was one of the first (if not THE first) recordings to introduce the new sound of Earth, owed in no small part to the addition of Adrienne Davies on drums. A lot less sludgey and droney than old Earth, and a lot more hypnotic and melodic that later Earth, a very minimal post rock almost, with slow motion distorted arpeggiated melodies and woozy droned out riffs, all sort of pulsing and throbbing supported by simple shuffling, drumming and lots and lots of space. As hypnotic as ever, but definitely more rocking, and certainly the first hint of Earth's slow directional sonic shift.
MPEG Stream: EARTH "Dexamyl"
MPEG Stream: KK NULL "Andromeda"

EASTANBURIA s/t (Japan Overseas) lp 13.98
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The liner notes for Eastanburia's first and possibly only record state that "there was no intention other than having a fun reunion." This vinyl-only limited edition Japanese import picture disc release definitely lives up to that claim, being a percussion and vocal jam session from and all star line-up: Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms / OOIOO), Atr (Boredoms), David Nuss (No Neck Blues Band), Yoshida (Psychobaba), and painter Rita Ackermann (Angelblood). Guided by nothing but freedom of the spirit, these sessions possess the spontaneity of a hippy drum circle with a few Eastanburians maintaining a simple cohesive beat and others offering dense but unsophisticated textural rhythms. These stoned-out bongo grooves complement an assortment of non-verbal vocalizations, mostly cackles, moans, monkey hoots, and little girl screams. At first, Eastanburia's jam is quite infectious but eventually starts to lose itself in with an inability to focus on any one musical idea. Fortunately, Yoshimi took these loose improvisations into the studio to transform them into a more coherent, tranced out piece of electronic psych-rock, more like her recent work in the Boredoms and OOIOO. That isn't enough to really make this into a great record, but as a documentation of some cool people jamming in the forest it's cool, and at least the picture disc aspect of this (art from Rita Ackermann) is nice enough that after a few listens you could just convert the record into a nifty looking clock or something. One additional warning: every copy we've seen of this has been slightly warped, again, less of a concern since it's a picture disc. We sent the really badly warped ones back and the ones we have should still play fine, but just so you know...

EDDIE MARCON Shining On Graveposts (Preservation) cd 16.98
This AQ favorite from a few years back is FINALLY available again!!!
Ooooh. Some really nice, gentle Japanese acid-folk here, from this female duo, first heard (by us that is) on Alchemy's Night Gallery 2: 21st Century Psychedelic Underground compilation. If you like Nagisa Ni Te, or L's Holy Letters, or the ghostliest Ghost you'll certainly welcome the embrace of Eddie Marcon's dreamy, folky, psychedelic soundworld. As with Nagisa and L, you'll find here similarly drawn out and sparse compositions infused with strange and subtle atmospheres - mostly acoustic/electric guitars with some snare and piano (cymbal drones, scrapes, gasps - all acoustically hand-crafted). The record also has some haunting horn blasts and lots of rattling percussion, bells, etc., and the whole thing is sedated by ongoing mallet flourishes on drums and cymbals. Vocally, this could be Takako Minekawa or Tojiko Noriko stripped of the electronica element. There's all the seductive conventions of melancholy folk with just enough eccentricities to place this in a continuum of modern Japanese underground psychedelia, such as LSD-march (an early line-up of which apparently featured both Eddie Marcon's singer Eddie and guitarist Marcon - aha, now you see how Eddie Marcon came up with their name!) and the female bass-drums duo of Coa (singer Eddie's other band). Eddie Marcon is quite a bit more quiet and mellow than either of those outfits tend to be, though! And outside of the Japanese comparisons, we'd think anyone into anything in the psych-folk vein from Vashti Bunyan to Islaja might quite find this to their liking...
Australia's Preservation label has stylishly packaged this disc in/with an intriguing minimalist graphic design fold out poster. Totally recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Amime"
MPEG Stream: "Siro No Uta"

EIKO, ISHIBASHI & TATSUYA YOSHIDA Slip Beneath The Distant Tree (Rhythm Tracks) cd 15.98
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Ok, if you're a fan of the Japanese prog-core duo Ruins and their amazing drummer and musical mastermind Tatsuya Yoshida, you already know he's a big fan of '70s progressive rock. Of course. It's pretty obvious, even if you've never experienced the Ruins' infamous "Prog Rock Medley". Ruins wouldn't be Ruins without the influence of classic '70s bands like Magma, Area, and Henry Cow. Here, Yoshida -really- gets proggy, though, paying tribute to some of his inspirations in that genre (and, classical music too) with both a batch of worthy originals and several exquisite cover versions as well.
At home in yet another duo situation, Tatsuya Yoshida (vocals, drums, programming, keys, acoustic guitar) teams up with Eiko Ishibashi (vocals, piano, keys, flute), to turn in 14 tracks of utter prog nirvana, stuff that's gorgeously melodic and mathematically mindboggling, both.
Fans of Ruins, Koenjihyakkei, Tairikuotoko vs. Sanmaykuonna, and other manifestations of Yoshida's prog-obsession will be drooling, from the sweet female vocals and quirky hectic changes of "Festival Of Teeth" to the amusing, impressive ADD-antics of the quite clever "Classic Medley" (all 1 minute, 21 seconds of it), from the dizzying "The Invention Of A Parachute" to the thickly synth-buzzed, heavy and haunting "Planet Of Reverberation" which ends the disc... Wow.
While that "Classic Medley" has a tongue-in-cheek, showoffish element we're sure, this duo also respectfully give props to a few of their influences with some other covers, including songs by This Heat ("Twilight Furniture"), Soft Machine ("As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still"), Genesis ("Time Table"), and Debussy ("Doctor Gradus Ad Pernassum")! You know what? Even if you've never ever heard Ruins before, we would still recommend this to the curious, who could just as easily as any old school prog diehard be thrilled by this elegant, intricate music. Especially since, with both the covers and originals, these two manage to strike a stellar balance between the technical, excitingly indulgent side of prog, and truly lovely, uh, songishness. So nice!
And now we're curious to hear more from Ms. Eiko...
MPEG Stream: "Sanctuary"
MPEG Stream: "The Invention Of A Parachute"
MPEG Stream: "Classic Medley"
MPEG Stream: "Planet Of Reverberation"

ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK / GET-GO split (Micro Music) cd 9.98
A split release between SF's boyish emo-popsters The Get-Go and Japan's considerably more fired up'n'crazed, crunchy guitar-slingin' Electric Eel Shock (not to be confused with Electric Eels). This is where the melodic meets the manic, the catchy meets the chaotic, the... you get the picture. I personally leaned more towards the Electric Eel Shock camp, but you might lean differently. The tracks are split evenly between the two bands -- five apiece -- for a total head-to-head match.
RealAudio clip: ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK "Rock'N'Roll Can Rescue The World"
RealAudio clip: THE GET-GO "The Kids Who Took Forever"

EMPIRE, ALEC VS MERZBOW Live CBGB's NYC 1998 (DHR) cd 14.98
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A clash of the titans like this undoubtedly has noise freaks everywhere salivating like crazy. It sure as heck did back in 1998, when as part of CMJ, it was one of a handful of must see shows. By some weird set of circumstances, I (Andee) actually got to witness said clash, and it was something else. Something else in this case being a noisy, ear drum destroying mess. It was definitely a blast (literally). Easily the loudest show I have ever been to. So much so that we had to leave early. This set of supersonic skree translates a lot better on record than we expected it would. Live it was a minimal set up, Masami Akita hunched over his equipment, Alec Empire behind his sampler, occasionally shouting over the din. Sonically it's much as you might imagine. BIG digital hardcore beats pelted by jagged shards of white hot noise. Occasionally everything clicks and it sounds like the best DHR record that never was, and occasionally it just sounds like you're standing in the hallway of a practice studio listening to Empire and Merzbow doing their own thing, oblivious of each other. Either way, this is a beautifully furious, crushingly caustic set of big beat noise that should hit the spot for those who dig that sort of thing.
MPEG Stream: "The Destroyer And Merzbow"
MPEG Stream: "The Full Destroyer / Merzbow Meltdown"
MPEG Stream: "The White Man Destroys His Own Race"

ENDO, KAZUMOTO While You Were Out (BOXmedia) cd 14.98
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"While You Were Out" is a collection of the singles from Japanese noise artist Kazumoto Endo, who specializes in screeching noise tears, distorted lumbering rhythms, and digitally abused techno pop appropriations. Comparisons to Merzbow are quite apt.

ENKIDU Hasselt (Turtle's Dream) cd 17.98
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Following their very well received Live At Showboat recording for Last Visible Dog, Mukai Chie and Yamamoto Sei-ichi have hooked up with French improviser and electro-acoustic wizard Eric Cordier for a project they've entitled Enkidu. Ms. Mukai has been wandering through the Toyko improv scene since the '70 performing with the PSF band Che-Shizu, whereas Yamamoto's illustrious career finds his guitar freakouts splattered throughout the Boredoms, Omoide Hatoba, and Rovo. Harkening back to the psychedelic, ur-drone mantras of the Taj Mahal Travellers, this trio offers a delirious set of improvisations out of Mukai's trademarked two-stringed violin and percussion, Yamamoto's guitar and flute, and Cordier's hurdy-gurdy and mess of electronics. Nick Cain accurately describes the resulting sounds as "swirling and head-spinningly noisy slow burn deep-sound drone-ragas." It takes a good 10 minutes or so for their improvisation to really take off from the incredibly quite introduction of Mukai's deliberate bowing upon her violin. Deep cavernous electronic tones rumble behind, Yamamoto's neck-wrangling of jagged flourishes and Mukai's vocal wailings. The trio constantly builds dense crescendos which in turn they abruptly halt in rough, herky-jerky gestures, only to reform into a new trajectory towards another crescendo, all the while unfolding into a magnificently complex drama.
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 3"

ENVY Insomniac Doze (Temporary Residence) cd 14.98
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Apparently the trend of post rock and metal cross pollination is not exclusive to North America. Enter Japanese band Envy with their latest album titled Insomniac Doze just released on Temporary Residence. It's sort of a shift in direction for this veteran hardcore band not to mention something of an incongruous, abrasive presence among the label's soundscapers and more traditional post-rockers. As we've witnessed before Japanese bands have a tendency of one-bettering the Westerners' execution of any given musical style. Nay, they frequently blow the top off of a particular genre's conventions. Delivering solid muscular grit instead of flash and incorporating newfound depth and detail, Envy do the deed in a much more controlled yet no less concentrated fashion than many of their wildly untethered Japanese brethren.
MPEG Stream: "Further Ahead Of Warp"
MPEG Stream: "Shield Of Selflessness"

ENVY Insomniac Doze (Temporary Residence) lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Also on vinyl!
Apparently the trend of post rock and metal cross pollination is not exclusive to North America. Enter Japanese band Envy with their latest album titled Insomniac Doze just released on Temporary Residence. it's sort of a shift in direction for this veteran hardcore band not to mention something of an incongruous, abrasive presence among the label's soundscapers and more traditional post-rockers. As we've witnessed before Japanese bands have a tendency of one-bettering the Westerners' execution of any given musical style. Nay, they frequently blow the top off of a particular genre's conventions. Delivering solid muscular grit instead of flash and encorporating newfound depth and detail, Envy do the deed in a much more controlled yet no less concentrated fashion than many of their wildly untethered Japanese brethren.
MPEG Stream: "Further Ahead Of Warp"
MPEG Stream: "Shield Of Selflessness"

ERICKSON, ROKY I Have Always Been Here Before (Shout! Factory) 2cd 31.00
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We've gotta admit it, due to this comprehensive double cd collection of songs by the legendary Roky Erickson, those of us that weren't already are now newly devout fans of his work. Sure, we always liked his hits with '60s Texas psych pioneers the 13th Floor Elevators, of course, but god DAMN. Wow. This collection touches on the best of the 13th Floor Elevators while moreso elaborating on the multitude of music Roky created afterward, solo and with his band The Aliens (among others). Of course we knew that "You're Gonna Miss Me" was a stone classic of slightly-psycho garage-psych, and that 'whup-whup-whup' electric jug sound (the 13th Floor Elevators' trademark) has also never failed to fascinate. But somehow we'd never investigated much further, thinking that perhaps the sad saga of Erickson's life (a psychedelic drug-damaged downward spiral) might be more interesting than his music. How wrong we were... disc two here is all post-1980 and a lot of it is brilliant. And of course totally weird.
Maybe you know the story of how, after the inevitable break-up of the LSD-fueled Elevators, Roky was busted for pot in 1969 and, given the choice between spending time in jail or in a mental institution, he chose the latter, claiming insanity. Doing so, however, only led him to suffer through painful shock-therapy and liquid thorazine treatments, rendering him more frail and emotionally damaged than before his admittance. Years after this "therapy", while living in a housing project in Austin, Erickson was busted for mail fraud. He had been stealing his neighbors' mail, taping it up on his apartment walls, unopened. So, you get the gist that the fellow's mental state is precarious at best, right? Add his obsession with schlocky horror films and you get songs like "I Think Up Demons" and his band being called Bleib Alien (bleib, an anagram for Bible).
So, disc one (22 tracks) starts off with a bunch of his '60s singles with The Spades and the 13th Floor Elevators, before moving on to the first of several "comebacks" in the mid-'70s. The songs that followed his institutionalization were either blissful country-type psych tunes or outer-space paranoia-laced ragers. "Starry Eyes" is one of our favorites. A beautiful, earnest, heart-felt melody and that lends loveliness to his throat-scratched lyricism. And then there's "Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play." Not really sure how he got his guitar to sound like that, but it's pretty amazing. Searing and raging with electricity. Really, there are so many amazing tracks on the first disc. Listening to 'em all, we were half-expecting the second disc to pale in comparison. BUT NO. It's totally jammin with his later-era songs, 21 of 'em. One (new) fave of ours here is the doomy "Bloody Hammer" from 1981 which totally makes us understand how that Swedish band Witchcraft was influnced by Erickson just as much as by Pentagram -- it sounds so much like it coulda been on Witchcraft's album! But even as late as '95 Erikson was releasing solid material in his inimitable style. With the same effectiveness in songwriting capability as later-era Johnny Cash, Erickson offers us "True Love Cast Out All Evil" (from 1988) among others.
Yup, this anthology is some essential stuff all right. And it's nicely packaged with liner notes that give a pretty good biographical picture of Erickson and detail the music and its players. You gotta check out the incredible assortment of photos too!
MPEG Stream: "You're Gonna Miss Me"
MPEG Stream: "Starry Eyes"
MPEG Stream: "Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play"

ETERNAL ELYSIUM Searching Low & High (DIWPhalanx) cd 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fresh from the "Wizard's Convention" show/dvd release wherein they appeared alongside Boris, Green Machine and Church Of Misery, now Japanese stoner metal throwbacks Eternal Elysium have a new album out (import only) on the label that did that DVD, also home to those other bands. Eternal Elysium certainly fits right into such company, maybe coming closest to Boris and CoM at their most seventies n' psychedelic. Song titles like "Reefer Happiness" and "Twilight High" should give you some idea of their focus, stoner stuff somewhere between Sabbath and Soundgarden. They're fairly eclectic though, so you never know totally what to expect...acoustic interludes, spacey jams, riffy rockers, and more, from the tripped-out to the totally heavy. The album ends with the sprawling sixteen-minute-plus monster "Green Song", which some of you have already heard since it was used on that Jamnation disc we listed not long ago!
MPEG Stream: "Twilight High"
MPEG Stream: "Reefer Happiness"

ETERNAL ELYSIUM Share (MeteorCity) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's the second Meteor City full-length from these Japanese stoner rockers. HEAVY, '70s influenced psychedelic metal drawing on Sabbath (of course), as well as Japanese bands of that era like Flower Travellin' Band. But Eternal Elysium aren't that simple to pin down. They do some stuff that we're not sure we really always "get" -- like the "Hi de hi de ho" chorus in the song "Dogma", or the weird vocal/drone piece "Fairies Never Sleep" that ends the disc, or what sounds like a distorted kazoo solo in "Feel The Beat". Maybe that's 'cause they're Japanese? Still, such eccentricities are cool and besides, most of the stuff on here is really good, groovy, swinging, bellbottomed, drugged-out heaviness that you don't have to think about too hard. If you haven't heard 'em before, though, start with their previous cd, "Spiritualized D", 'cause it still contains their best song, "Easy Goin'"...
RealAudio clip: "Schizy"
RealAudio clip: "Feel The Beat"

ETERNAL ELYSIUM Spiritualized D (MeteorCity) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Easily a shoo-in for heavy metal/stoner rock album of the month! The long-awaited domestic debut by this cult Japanese band of longhaired 70's Black Sabbath freaks. Although they actually sound less like the Sabs than fellow Sabs-worshippers Trouble. Some other influences that come through the pot haze include the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (this disc includes their cover of "Innocent Exile" from Meteor City's Iron Maiden tribute), '70s Japanese heavy psych bands like Blues Creation and Flower Travellin' Band, Thin Lizzy, Saint Vitus, Kyuss, and other heavies. Meaning, in addition to sheer psychedelic doom riffage (a la another Japanese band, Church of Misery) they really can write *songs* in the classic sense--one listen to, arguably, the album's highlight, "Easy Goin'" and you'll know. We didn't think they made 'em like that anymore. And stay tuned for the 'bonus track', an unlisted 15 minutes of improv hippie folk drone in the tradition of Japan's Taj Mahal Travellers. Very recommended indeed!!
RealAudio clip: "Easygoin'"

ETERNAL ELYSIUM / BLACK COBRA split (DIW-Phalanx) cd 14.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
When we ordered this Japanese import, we were like, a split release between Japanese psychedelic stoner/doom rockers Eternal Elysium and San Francisco's own metalcore two-piece Black Cobra? Gotta get that! When it showed up, we were surprised to discover that the entire Black Cobra half had exactly the same tracks as those found on their recent full-length Feather And Stone, which we've already reviewed and raved about. Whoops. So... some of you already have that. However, if you want to get it again, you'll also get 23 minutes of Eternal Elysium material that only appears here. More likely, this is a good call for those who haven't yet picked up the Black Cobra album and also like (or think they might like) EE. Or simply for EE fans who don't mind getting the Black Cobra stuff as well (why would you?) as a bonus. Even at the import price, it's still 2 for the price of 2 (or 1.5 more like it) on one handy disc, not too shabby of a deal, really. So, let's say somethin' about the music for those ignorant of EE and/or BC:
Eternal Elysium always has us a little confused. Strange band. Sometimes they're straight up Sabbath-meets-grunge complete with vocals hinting at Alice In Chains or Soundgarden... and then there's the NWOBHM influences... and the groovy retro-sixties stuff... that's all here, plus of course random weirdness like the brief track "Golden Seaweed", with sped-up chipmunk voices. They try hard to make a stoner drug thing you wouldn't understand, but certainly something that fans of Boris, Solar Anus, and Church Of Misery should check into, to rock out to.
As to the BC half, here's what we said about Feathers And Stone before: Two man heavy riff-machine Black Cobra return with another pummeling release... Picking up right where Bestial left off, Feather And Stone shreds from the start. Brutally punishing circular riffs, heavy as all hell doomy moments, throat ripping screams, and incredibly hard hitting and precise drums. The fact that this massive sound comes from two fellas is pretty damn amazing. The album has all kinds of peaks and valleys. Amidst the constant time signature shifting, and brain-burning riff heavitude, there are a couple of beautifully dark intros and outros thrown in, giving the album a very balanced feeling. But it's mostly just crushingly heavy and ripping. If you can imagine a heavier, much more misanthropic Karp, that's kind of what they remind us of. Feather And Stone is a must for anybody needing a little taste of thrashing triumphant, sometimes doomy and dark, sometimes fast and techy, but always heavy and punk as fuck ROCK music... For fans of Cavity, Karp, Floor, Torche, and things that kill shit! (Note though that unlike the domestic edition of the BC album, there's no cd-rom live footage included.)
MPEG Stream: ETERNAL ELYSIUM "Shadowed Flower"
MPEG Stream: BLACK COBRA "Five Daggers"
MPEG Stream: BLACK COBRA "Ascension"

EVIL MOISTURE / HANATARASH Fatanarchy On Airtube (Harbinger / Tochnit Aleph) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If we told Hanatarash fans that this new cd WASN'T chock full of totally insane, random, chaotic noise, they'd be disappointed. So -- don't worry, no disappointment! The first release from Boredoms leader Eye Yamantaka's noise project Hanatarash in many moons (10 years?) is finally here, and it's a collaboration with UK noise artist Evil Moisture, aka Andy Bolus, who's based now in France and has quite a few cassettes and cds of extremely difficult listening under his belt. Together (and you can't tell who's doing what) they've produced 35 brief tracks of ear-hole destroying noise, somewhat in the style of Hanatarash 4: Aids-a-delic from 1994. It's a crazy collage of cut-up sounds, some snippets of recognizable "music" sprinkled amidst a heckuva lot of distorted turntable and microphone abuse, whooshing groaning screaming overload that just keeps on keepin' on, an endless barrage with no discernible structure, noises constantly morphing into some new noises but never making any sense. It's a bit like the sounds you might imagine some truly nightmarish Rube Goldberg device might make. And you've gotta love the "song" titles: "Never Mind The Overdosing", "Fingertip Believer", "Atomichy in the LSD", "Bank Punks / Noise Bank"... Also this includes "covers" of songs by both Survivor and The Exploited, supposedly. Limited edition of 500 copies by the way.
MPEG Stream: "Sleepwalking Guaide Book At Ohio"
MPEG Stream: "track 34"

EX-GIRL Back To The Mono Kero! (Ipecac) cd 17.98
Yet one more time, let's hear it for Japan! Always pushing things (anything! everything!) to the next level of absurdity and wonder. The highly animated, outstandingly costumed Chihiro, Fuzuki and Kirilo return to take us on another bizarre musical journey to their secret magicland of Kero (that's "ribbit" in Japanese). Definitely a group to be seen live in concert --- it's a spectacle!--- but if you're not one of the lucky ones who've had this joyful experience, their recordings will just have to do. Imagine incredibly organized, playful and strange sonic chaos. A capella vocal acrobatics, punky/prog-y guitars, raw tribal beats. This time they're accompanied by one Mr. Robin Scott. Name sound familiar? Think M. Think "Pop Muzik". Uh huh, he's the voice behind that great, truly new wave tune from 1979 which Ex-Girl cover quite splendidly. Once again produced by Hoppy Kamiyama.
RealAudio clip: "Wipe Out 3"
RealAudio clip: "Frog King"

EX-GIRL Endangered Species (Alternative Tentacles) cd 14.98
More pop-tastic, bombastic, triple-threat vocal mania from Ex-Girl, three hot and insane Japanese women whose band rocks hard and weird and is tough not to like, especially if you're a bit of a Japanophile. Ex-Girl is nothing if not exceedingly over the top, more concerned about being fun and kicking ass than being avant-garde, although they can't help it, especially with cross-dressing keyboard whiz Hoppy Kamiyama as their producer/arranger/main composer. A song you thought was gonna be an overdose of operatic artiness will turn out to be the Hello Kitty version of rap-metal or something. And it's good. Imagine, if you can, a cross between Hundred Sights of Koenji and Faith No More or No Doubt, and a few random techno/electronica DJ cds... Crunching guitars, pounding drums, wild synths, and zany fx abound, with numerous pop hooks taken to the heights of these ladies' impressive vocal capabilities. Dizzying and delightful, loud and lovely. Deserving of their cult following and due for some major commercial success someday we hope! (Not likely in this country, but who knows maybe they're huge in Japan now.)
MPEG Stream: "Hettakorii No Ottokotou"
MPEG Stream: "PUJEVA"

EXIAS-J Electric Conception "Avant-Garde" (PSF) cd 22.00
Batten down the hatches, this is some seriously loud n' dense n' noisy Japanese "jazz" music. Jazz? Well not if your idea of jazz doesn't include massive grinding drones. This is free improvised mayhem, cavernous and chaotic, with LOTS of electronics, feedback, amplified electric guitar distortion. Howling effects, cymbal splashes, freakout guitar squall, pounding toms... Beautiful, especially if you're into stuff like Ascension, Borbetomagus, Dislocation, Rudolph Grey's Blue Humans and other examples of extreme electric freedom music. But there's no saxes here, so this might be even more accessible to more rock-oriented types out there. It's guitars and electronics, drums, synth and computer processing, with some piano that you can hear in the few moments of respite -- the five long tracks here do feature a few ominous calms betwixt the storms, quiet passages beautiful in their own right. Abstract and freeform, yet structured in such a way that this is definitely music, not noise, despite how noisy it gets. Very intriguing, moreso when you try to decipher the liner notes (which are presented in an English translation from the Japanese, but remain rather opaque and poetic). One thing they do explain is that this group's strange name is actually short for their full title: the Experimental Improvisers Assocation Of Japan! Some kind of loose collective of musicans and aesthetes (jazz, classical, film, philosophy, etc. we're told!) formed in 1999 by guitarist Hideaki Kondo. Apparently, they have a bunch of cds, some acoustic, some electric, out on their own label Bishop Records that we've never ever seen -- but we'll have to try to hunt them down on the strength of this PSF release, which sees their "electric conception" at full force, live in Yokohama, 2002. Leave it to PSF, home to Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha and those great archival recordings from Masayuki Takayanagi's New Direction Unit, to clue us in to these guys.
MPEG Stream: "Cycle, Shifting"