LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted light green T shirt with dark green logo - Medium T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted light green T shirt with dark green logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted light green T shirt with dark green logo - Small T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted light green T shirt with dark green logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo - Extra Large T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo - Large T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo - Medium T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo - Small T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted navy T shirt with aqua logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo - Extra Large T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo - Large T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo - Medium T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo - Small T shirt 13.98
Ladies' fitted red T shirt with white logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo. - Extra Large T shirt 13.98
The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo. - Large T shirt 13.98
The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo. - Medium T shirt 13.98
The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo.

LADIES AQUARIUS T SHIRT The very evil ladies' fitted black T shirt with shiny black logo. - Small T shirt 13.98
The very evil black ladies' fitted T shirt with shiny black logo.

LADIES W.C. s/t (Essex) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compact disc reissue of super rare 1970 psych LP.
Remember this band's great song "People" from the Love, Peace & Poetry: Latin Amercian Psychedelia compilation? Well, that's the first track on here, followed by more bluesy jungle psych rock made by wandering Yankee hippy Stephen Scott (bass/vocals) and a group of fellow freak musicians he met in Venezuela. Although mostly full of fuzz geeetar, pounding garage-rawk energy, and wild harp blowing, there are also some moments of melancholic folk-rock gentleness.
It's obviously mastered from one of the rare vinyl copies, 'cause the sound is just a bit scratchy, but that's not particularily detrimental -- after all, this is an album with musique concrete elements that of course include the sound of a flushing toilet as the first thing you hear!
RealAudio clip: "People"
RealAudio clip: "And Everywhere I See The Shadow Of That Life"

LADIES W.C. s/t (Shadoks Music) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compact disc reissue of super rare 1970 psych LP from Venezuela! We had a previous edition of this a while back, but now it's been reissued by Shadoks, with better packaging and a more legit "look". It now includes liner notes from two of the band members, reminiscing about their days in the band. And the sound quality is much better than before, not so crackly.
Remember this band's great song "People" from the Love, Peace & Poetry: Latin Amercian Psychedelia compilation? Well, that's the first track on here, followed by more bluesy jungle psych rock made by wandering Yankee hippy Stephen Scott (bass/vocals) and a group of fellow freak musicians he met in Venezuela. Although mostly full of fuzz geeetar, pounding garage-rawk energy, and wild harp blowing, there are also some moments of melancholic folk-rock gentleness -- which contrast nicely with the musique concrete elements that of course include the sound of a flushing toilet as the first thing you hear!
MPEG Stream: "People"
MPEG Stream: "And Everywhere I See The Shadow Of That Life"

LADIES WHO LUNCH Present: Kims We Love (Grand Royal) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
LwL is Kate Schellenbach (Luscious Jackson, Beastie Boys) and Josephine Wiggs (Breeders, Perfect Disaster) emitting plinky bleepy noises from children's synths. They cover 'Bull in the Heather' and 'Gigantic,' hence the record's title. Get it?

LADIES, THE They Mean Us (Temporary Residence Ltd.) cd 14.98
Rob Crow has been paying much more attention to his metallic leanings as of late. With his Goblin Cock release a few months back he was finally able to unleash a side of himself that the smooth sounds of Pinback don't really allow. Being HUGE fans of Mr. Crow back from his beginnings in Heavy Vegetable (-especially- in HM!) there is no doubt that Crow has always had a scrappy / scizophrenic / ADD element to his aesthetic, which definitely showed on those Heavy Vegetable records and even his records with Thingy. Being able to go from bursts of guitar and drums to the sweetest melody all at the drop of a coin. The Ladies find him re-exploring that chaotioc split personality, hard meets soft side of his song writing skills. The Ladies are two fellas, the abovementioned Mr. Crow and Mr. Zach Hill (of Hella). Sounds promising, doesn't it?
The two bring their totally recognizable and seemingly incompatible sounds together to create a record that's choppy, rocking, proggy, noisy, poppy, sweet and satisfying all at the same time. There are moments when Zach's Hella sounds comes to the front with intense drumming and noisy outbursts, but underneath it all Rob Crow shows again how no matter what elements he's working with, he has the ability to bring out whatever great pop song or hidden hook that lives underneath it all. Another exciting chapter in the always ongoing and prolific world of Rob Crow. And quite possibly our favorite batch of Crow tunes since Heavy Vegetable or the first Pinback record!
MPEG Stream: "Black Caesar / Red Sonja"
MPEG Stream: "Nice Chaps, Buddy"

LADIES, THE They Mean Us (Temporary Residence Ltd.) lp 13.98
Rob Crow has been paying much more attention to his metallic leanings as of late. With his Goblin Cock release a few months back he was finally able to unleash a side of himself that the smooth sounds of Pinback don't really allow. Being HUGE fans of Mr. Crow back from his beginnings in Heavy Vegetable (-especially- in HM!) there is no doubt that Crow has always had a scrappy / scizophrenic / ADD element to his aesthetic, which definitely showed on those Heavy Vegetable records and even his records with Thingy. Being able to go from bursts of guitar and drums to the sweetest melody all at the drop of a coin. The Ladies find him re-exploring that chaotioc split personality, hard meets soft side of his song writing skills. The Ladies are two fellas, the abovementioned Mr. Crow and Mr. Zach Hill (of Hella). Sounds promising, doesn't it?
The two bring their totally recognizable and seemingly incompatible sounds together to create a record that's choppy, rocking, proggy, noisy, poppy, sweet and satisfying all at the same time. There are moments when Zach's Hella sounds comes to the front with intense drumming and noisy outbursts, but underneath it all Rob Crow shows again how no matter what elements he's working with, he has the ability to bring out whatever great pop song or hidden hook that lives underneath it all. Another exciting chapter in the always ongoing and prolific world of Rob Crow. And quite possibly our favorite batch of Crow tunes since Heavy Vegetable or the first Pinback record!
MPEG Stream: "Black Caesar / Red Sonja"
MPEG Stream: "Nice Chaps, Buddy"

LADY GENIUS s/t (Gold Robot) 10" 7.98
Channeling the orchestral pop sound of many of the Elephant Six bands (Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples In Stereo, The Minders) this Bay Area five piece has got some mighty fine pop chops of their own. "Saber Ace" is probably our favorite of the bunch which is so delightfully sweet & sour and benefits from the somewhat lo-fi and dirty recording. They do a really nice job of sprinkling tasteful horns on a few of these tracks. Six sweet songs grace this red vinyl record which also comes with a code for a free download.

LADY SAW Walk Out (VP) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Hello Lady Saw"
MPEG Stream: "Big Up"
MPEG Stream: "Me And My Crew"

LADY SOVEREIGN Blah Blah EP (Universal Island) cdep+dvd 11.98
It's hard to get a grime fix these days, at least on this side of the Atlantic. We got a grimy little tease last year with an ep we made aQ Record Of The Week last November. A dizzying, head spinning post hip hop whatthefuck. For those who have yet to sample the grime, imagine a super stripped down hip hop, sort of junglized, a very ragga like beat, lots of fuzzy synths, and then rapping that is totally tonguetwisting, lightning fast, marble mouthed. Lady Sovereign is the toast of the grime scene these days, having blown up BIG managing to pretty much totally eclipse M.I.A who was one of the first grime shooting stars. But deservedly so we have to say. Lady Sov's tracks are fierce and funky, funny and spunky, the beats are killer, the music is always weird and wild, and her flow is second to none, fast and furious flurries of disses, self deprecation, insane free association, all woven into impossibly tangled smears of mind melting wordplay. And "Blah Blah" might be here best track yet. The riff (yep, there are real insturments) is some weird Morricone guitar twang, almost like a grime Cramps or something, peppered with plenty of little Missy Elliott bleeps and rhythmic hiccups. And Lady Sov going fucking wild over the top. Never thought she could get faster, never thought the rhymes could get more bizarre and funny as hell. But they have, in a big way. It's a bit frustrating to get hit with another single, since we're all chomping at the bit for the upcoming Jay-Z full length, but when they're this good, it's hard to complain too much. Plus these singles are packed to the gills with extra goodies. The cd features the new track, a remix (by Adrock from the Beastie Boys) which also showed up on the Vertically Challenged ep, plus you get two live tracks, one an almost rocker, the other a simple stripped down beat, with Sov freestyling. Pretty cool. Plus you get a DVD with the video for "Blah Blah" as well as a making of short and a bunch of interviews with fans.
Just barely enough to hold us over, in fact we were definitely jonesing for more Lady Sov so this arrived just in time, but now we're even more anxious for the full length to drop, since we're pretty dang sure that Lady Sov / Jay-Z joint is gonna destroy.
SUPER LIMITED. Each disc is numbered. We got about 30 copies. Pretty sure they're gone for good after that.
MPEG Stream: "Blah Blah"

LADY SOVEREIGN Jigsaw (Midget Records) cd 11.98

LADY SOVEREIGN Public Warning (Def Jam) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Love Me Or Hate Me"
MPEG Stream: "Hoodie"
MPEG Stream: "9 To 5"

LADY SOVEREIGN Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries) cd 11.98
As we've mentioned before, we just can't get enough Grime. We absolutely dug Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Virus Syndicate, and even M.I.A. who had a bit of grime going on. But over in the UK, grime is the shit, happening on loads of 12"s, in clubs, and on underground radio stations, but very little of it has made it over here, unfortunately, outside of a few comps. It makes perfect sense that Lady Sovereign would be the one to follow Dizzee and M.I.A. from underground hype to next big thing. EVERY time we play this in the store at least one person buys it, and usually half the people in the store come up to see what we're listening to. It's that catchy and funky and fucked up, and totally unlike anything else you've heard -- okay, other than M.I.A. maybe, but Lady Sovereign sounds so much more raw and gritty and weird, maybe like M.I.A.'s snotty, sexy little sister. The grooves are grime for sure, super stuttery and repetitive, with thick swaths of fuzzy synth and huge rolling basslines, but the arrangements are really damaged and complex, with plenty of start and stops, twisty and tangled, the tonguetwisting vocals careening at breakneck speed all over the place, riding a huge synth line, skipping nimbly over a spastic drum break, like a musical version of a Jackie Chan action sequence. Lady Sovereign is ducking and dodging and spitting madly over funky beats and all manner of samples. But no matter how crazy the tunes are, it's all about Lady Sov's flow. The sticker on the front of the disc describes her as "Eminem if he was an 18 year old female from South London" which makes for good copy but isn't entirely accurate. She's got a really unique voice, sometimes squeaky and feminine, but more often a bit scruffy and growly, and it's amazing how many syllables she can spit per minute, dizzying! And she can easily slip into some strange melodic vocalization for a song's chorus before slipping back into her Cockney growly snotty delivery. And her lyrics are really funny, plenty of shit talking of course, but lots of self deprecating references to her slight stature (5'1", hence the title) and her baggy clothes, and lots of other really silly randomness. Although sometimes the delivery is so rapid fire it's hard to catch anything but a word here and there. Hardly matters though, you'll be too busy bouncing or dancing or whatever you do with these tunes blasting in the background.
Vertically Challenged may be an ep, but it's pretty long, eight tracks, 35 minutes, features a handful of remixes, one from the Beastie Boys' Adrock and one from Ghislain Poirier, and features guest vocal spots from UK grimies Shystie, Frost P., Zuz Rock.
And even though it's an ep it's definitely all killer and no filler, unlike most hip hop records, and it definitely lays the groundwork for Lady Sovereign to blow up M.I.A. big in the not too distant future. And we're definitely psyched for that. The more GRIME the better, and we'd sure as hell rather hear Lady Sovereign on the radio and on MTV than J-Lo or Madonna or Ashlee Simpson!
MPEG Stream: "Random"
MPEG Stream: "Ch Ching (Cheque 1-2 Remix)"

LADY SOVEREIGN Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries) 2lp 13.98
FINALLY AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!
As we've mentioned before, we just can't get enough Grime. We absolutely dug Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Virus Syndicate, and even M.I.A. who had a bit of grime going on. But over in the UK, grime is the shit, happening on loads of 12"s, in clubs, and on underground radio stations, but very little of it has made it over here, unfortunately, outside of a few comps. It makes perfect sense that Lady Sovereign would be the one to follow Dizzee and M.I.A. from underground hype to next big thing. EVERY time we play this in the store at least one person buys it, and usually half the people in the store come up to see what we're listening to. It's that catchy and funky and fucked up, and totally unlike anything else you've heard -- okay, other than M.I.A. maybe, but Lady Sovereign sounds so much more raw and gritty and weird, maybe like M.I.A.'s snotty, sexy little sister. The grooves are grime for sure, super stuttery and repetitive, with thick swaths of fuzzy synth and huge rolling basslines, but the arrangements are really damaged and complex, with plenty of start and stops, twisty and tangled, the tonguetwisting vocals careening at breakneck speed all over the place, riding a huge synth line, skipping nimbly over a spastic drum break, like a musical version of a Jackie Chan action sequence. Lady Sovereign is ducking and dodging and spitting madly over funky beats and all manner of samples. But no matter how crazy the tunes are, it's all about Lady Sov's flow. The sticker on the front of the disc describes her as "Eminem if he was an 18 year old female from South London" which makes for good copy but isn't entirely accurate. She's got a really unique voice, sometimes squeaky and feminine, but more often a bit scruffy and growly, and it's amazing how many syllables she can spit per minute, dizzying! And she can easily slip into some strange melodic vocalization for a song's chorus before slipping back into her Cockney growly snotty delivery. And her lyrics are really funny, plenty of shit talking of course, but lots of self deprecating references to her slight stature (5'1", hence the title) and her baggy clothes, and lots of other really silly randomness. Although sometimes the delivery is so rapid fire it's hard to catch anything but a word here and there. Hardly matters though, you'll be too busy bouncing or dancing or whatever you do with these tunes blasting in the background.
Vertically Challenged may be an ep, but it's pretty long, eight tracks, 35 minutes, features a handful of remixes, one from the Beastie Boys' Adrock and one from Ghislain Poirier, and features guest vocal spots from UK grimies Shystie, Frost P., Zuz Rock.
And even though it's an ep it's definitely all killer and no filler, unlike most hip hop records, and it definitely lays the groundwork for Lady Sovereign to blow up M.I.A. big in the not too distant future. And we're definitely psyched for that. The more GRIME the better, and we'd sure as hell rather hear Lady Sovereign on the radio and on MTV than J-Lo or Madonna or Ashlee Simpson!
MPEG Stream: "Random"
MPEG Stream: "Ch Ching (Cheque 1-2 Remix)"

LADYBUG TRANSISTOR Live At Emmabodafestivalen 99 (Amigo) cd 8.98
An official "bootleg" released by the band themselves. As per the bootleg norm, the cover is a simple black and white Xerox-looking photo, and most song titles (and the band's name) are wonkily misspelled... intentionally. Lo-fi packaging aside, this is quite an impressive live recording. Both the sound quality and band performances are right on the mark. Elephant 6 Collective followers will be familiar with these kids, but if you haven't visited that crowded clubhouse yet, this is from the chamber pop branch of that musical arts'n'crafts collective. Mind you, if you are new to them you should first check out "The Albemarle Sound" album on which most of these songs originally appear. Plentiful orchestral pop flair. Fans of the grand stylings of Cinerama or Magnetic Fields, just might soon become fans of the LT. Includes a BeeGees cover to boot!
RealAudio clip: "Aleidas Theme"
RealAudio clip: "Masschussettes"
RealAudio clip: "Medow Port Arch"

LADYFINGER (NE) Dusk (Saddle Creek) cd 14.98
Sometimes you just need some guy rock (or should that be "Guy Rock"). Yeah, you do. The kind with tons of dudely testosterone with just a tiny squirt of fabric softener so that the ol' grey hoodie is comfy enough and not too stinky for the girlfriend. Whenever she hears this, Cup makes a beeline for her old Seaweed albums whose fierce yet catchy emo punk pop tunes are a clear influence. Chris Machmuller and Jamie Massey's muscular double-barrelled guitar riffin' flexes along with the sharp punch of Pat Oakes' drums while the deep boil of Ethan Jones' bass guitar provides the imposing scowl. What brings this band's music out of the '90s is the emotive scream-yelp-croon vocal range of Chris Machmuller which alternately brings to mind Seaweed's Aaron Stauffer and Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme. Cool stuff!
MPEG Stream: "Over And Over"
MPEG Stream: "Bones"

LADYHAWK s/t (Jagjaguwar) cd 16.98
Debut album from a Canadian band that you can be sure has a healthy collection of both indie rock and classic rock records that they hold near and dear to their hearts. Crunchy guitar and emotive vocals that echo both '70s rock a la Neil Young & Crazy Horse/CSNY, as well as indie rock luminaries like Dinosaur Jr, Will Oldham, and later era Husker Du as well as roaming some of the same territory as label-mates Black Mountain (which makes sense since some of the folks in Ladyhawk also do time in Black Mountain).
MPEG Stream: "My Old Jacknife"
MPEG Stream: "Drunk Eyes"

LADYTRON 604 (Emperor Norton) cd 16.98
Pop music simply doesn't get much more stylin' than this euro-fashion plate quartet. 604 is packed with groovy moments that bring to mind the sound and mood of "Sexy Boy" by AIR (but with female vocals). Lots of retro-futuristic (yes, at times quite Giorgio Moroder, New Order and Kraftwerk-esque --- in fact, their song "He Took Her To A Movie" is a shameful deadringer for "The Model") synth fluffiness along with equally light, playful lyrics delivered by the two female vocalists in sweet breathiness cozied up next to almost-spoken drollness a la Flying Lizards. Add in the bouncing, boogie-worthy beats and - voila! - a perfect fit on the Emperor Norton roster (amid such kindred spirits as Fantastic Plastic Machine and Takako Minekawa). Although I do have to ask -- why? Why do something that was done to perfection in the '80s and not even add anything new to the formula?
RealAudio clip: "Discotraxx"
RealAudio clip: "The Way That I Found You"

LADYTRON Extended Play (RykoDisc) cd+dvd 11.98
Ladytron enter a bid to keep the kids on the dancefloor just a little bit longer with this remixes 'n' b-sides collection. The former are previously unreleased tracks in which the fluffy electronic pop foursome's music gets even more techno-fied, and the latter are drawn from their Witching Hour album's UK singles. One of the best cuts on the cd is the third. It's James Iha mix of "Weekend". He wisely keeps one of the best things about Ladytron in the foreground, that is, the gals' breathy kittenish vocals. It has a raved-up ending that would've been great on the Run Lola Run soundtrack. Another tasty track is what the group has dubbed the "Catholic Version" of their last album's single "Destroy Everything You Touch". They deliver the song's simple central synth line through a church organ sound and apply a heavy dose of echoe-y cathedral-esque reverb. Quite nice. An aside, we'd swear that in the second track ("Nothing To Hide" which is one of the b-sides, but actually seems more like a remix in its unstructuredness) they're singing "I huff and I puff". It could be our rain-addled minds, 'cause we kinda doubt that they'd be making any Three Little Pigs references.
Also included in the deal is a bonus dvd so that in between boogie sessions you can kick back for a half an hour or so and watch some vids and a short documentary.
MPEG Stream: "Nothing To Hide"
MPEG Stream: "Weekend (James Iha Mix)"

LADYTRON Gravity The Seducer (Nettwerk) cd 13.98

LADYTRON Gravity The Seducer (Nettwerk) lp 22.00

LADYTRON Light & Magic (Emperor Norton) cd 17.98
Here it is, the much-anticipated second full length from these four Euro-cats! Behold more pleasingly groovy, unbarbed club pop that's definitely not experimental nor groundbreaking although they've been frequently touted thusly by the media. Prepare yourself to see their name in even more electro-clash / '80s discussion-group threads! Yes, many have yet to forgive them for their shameless facsimile of Kraftwerk's "The Model" ("He Took Her To A Movie") and their general recreation of the '80s new wave dance sound, but seldom do you hear as loud an outcry about any of the recent guitar-based revivals and regurgitations. Hmmm, seems to be just a given that guitars - both acoustic and electric - are a mainstay, whereas synthesizers are somehow still viewed as novel and effortless button-pushing. Clearly it's what you do with your chosen instrument that's key, and you can do quite a lot with a guitar, but you can also do quite a lot, if not more, with a synthesizer. That said, this album does find the foursome venturing out a little further, and honing their songwriting and production skills. "Nuhorizons" and "Re:Agents" are prime examples of this. Yet overall, Ladytron still overflows with bubbly programmed beats and repetitive, uncomplicated arpeggiated melodies (the synthesized 'strings' sounds are put to rather abundant use). Their distinct soft'n'wispy versus droll'n'deadpan dual female vocals are much more effected and integrated into the mix, making the lyrics less decipherable than those on 604, and making the album, as a whole, less pop. Sadly however, there aren't any tracks that immediately made their presence known by locking their hooks in the way that "Playgirl" or "Paco!" did. Andee did remark however that "Turn It On" sounded like it could easily be "Axel's Theme Part Two" from Beverly Hills Cop. Whether this is a good or bad thing... dunno! Regardless, if you like sleek, stylish and playful dance music, Ladytron is for you.
RealAudio clip: "Seventeen"
RealAudio clip: "Turn It On"
RealAudio clip: "Nuhorizons"
RealAudio clip: "Re:Agents"

LADYTRON Light & Magic (Emperor Norton) 2lp 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl...
Here it is, the much-anticipated second full length from these four Euro-cats! Behold more pleasingly groovy, unbarbed club pop that's definitely not experimental nor groundbreaking although they've been frequently touted thusly by the media. Prepare yourself to see their name in even more electro-clash / '80s discussion-group threads! Yes, many have yet to forgive them for their shameless facsimile of Kraftwerk's "The Model" ("He Took Her To A Movie") and their general recreation of the '80s new wave dance sound, but seldom do you hear as loud an outcry about any of the recent guitar-based revivals and regurgitations. Hmmm, seems to be just a given that guitars - both acoustic and electric - are a mainstay, whereas synthesizers are somehow still viewed as novel and effortless button-pushing. Clearly it's what you do with your chosen instrument that's key, and you can do quite a lot with a guitar, but you can also do quite a lot, if not more, with a synthesizer. That said, this album does find the foursome venturing out a little further, and honing their songwriting and production skills. "Nuhorizons" and "Re:Agents" are prime examples of this. Yet overall, Ladytron still overflows with bubbly programmed beats and repetitive, uncomplicated arpeggiated melodies (the synthesized 'strings' sounds are put to rather abundant use). Their distinct soft'n'wispy versus droll'n'deadpan dual female vocals are much more effected and integrated into the mix, making the lyrics less decipherable than those on 604, and making the album, as a whole, less pop. Sadly however, there aren't any tracks that immediately made their presence known by locking their hooks in the way that "Playgirl" or "Paco!" did. Andee did remark however that "Turn It On" sounded like it could easily be "Axel's Theme Part Two" from Beverly Hills Cop. Whether this is a good or bad thing... dunno! Regardless, if you like sleek, stylish and playful dance music, Ladytron is for you.
RealAudio clip: "Seventeen"
RealAudio clip: "Turn It On"
RealAudio clip: "Nuhorizons"
RealAudio clip: "Re:Agents"

LADYTRON Softcore Jukebox (Emperor Norton) cd 16.98
First off, this isn't a new Ladytron album proper. The deal is, apparently in addition to being 'electroclash' heroes/heroines, Ladytron are also rad DJs, and this brand new mix disc Softcore Jukebox has us convinced. Of the eighteen tracks on here, two are by Ladytron themselves (both of 'em never before released in the USA) and the rest are by artists as diverse as My Bloody Valentine, The Fall, New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Wire, !!!, Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra (the one everyone loves, "Some Velvet Morning"), Fanny Pack, Fat Truckers, and others. There's your '80s new wave roots tracks like Cristina's "What's A Girl To Do" from 1982, and also a bunch of stuff from Ladytron contemporaries that are so new and hip and up to date that the tracks taken from albums that aren't even out yet. We were happiest though with the inclusion of the fuzz-filled "Send Me A Postcard" from Holland's Shocking Blue, circa 1969. So if you need help at your next dance party, this Ladytron DJ set could be handy.
MPEG Stream: SHOCKING BLUE "Send Me A Postcard"
MPEG Stream: FAT TRUCKERS "Teenage Daughter"

LADYTRON Velocifero (Netwerk) cd 16.98

LADYTRON Velocifero (Cobraside) 2lp 24.00

LADYTRON Witching Hour (Rykodisc) cd 16.98
Many changes greeted us when we put this new Ladytron album on for its inaugural spin. For one thing, they're much less electronic dance-oriented, for another they've beefed up their line-up and sound most noticeably by adding a human drummer. There's far less of their shameless Kraftwerk worship this time around, and some more edgier power pop sensibilities (think Elastica or more recently Canada's Metric). On this their third full length, Ladytron also venture more into the territory of space age euro-pop. Many songs on Witching Hour conjure images of lovely stylish 60's jetsetters whisking their way through Heathrow Airport on their way to the next exotic destination. Light, effervescent and pretty. If you liked their song "Playgirl" from their first album 604, there's a lot here that will tickle your fancy. This certainly continues on in that delightful vein with soft female vocals charming the pants off the listener from start to finish. Oooooh la la!
MPEG Stream: "High Rise"
MPEG Stream: "International Dateline"

LAFAYETTE AFRO ROCK BAND, THE Malik (As The Record Turns) lp 17.98

LAGAN TAPES, THE s/t (Heart & Crossbone) cd-r 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Back in stock, pretty sure these are the last copis we'll be able to get!
More amazing sonic weirdness from Israel, from the always amazing Heart & Crossbone label, who in the past have given us releases from Barbara, Lietterschpich, Cadaver Eyes, Grave In The Sky and Mildew. Lagan Tapes is the work of a duo who between the two of them are members of most of the above mentioned bands as well as Panda Porn whose disc is reviewed elsewhere on this list. One half of the duo bangs on on stuff, the other half captures it on tape, and the result is really fantastic. Not as noisy and clattery as you might expect, instead, it's rhythmic and hypnotic, a sort of junkyard Gamelan, recorded in Belfast Ireland, while walking across the Lagan River... metallic clank and rapid fire skitter, thumping on fences and garbage cans and anything else within reach, bare hands on metal, a constantly shifting set of rhythms, all captured on a broken cassette recorder, wrapping the rhythms in all sorts of lo-fi hiss and distorted buzz. Some tracks are hissy and high end, a relentless blast of clank and clatter, others are much more subdued, mellow and meandering, some tracks sound like straight up field recordings, chiming bells, the crash of metal fences, others sound like full on blown out lo-fi krautrock jams. Behind the percussive patter, you can hear all sorts of ambient sounds, voices, birds, running water, it's almost like some strange blend of avant percussion and nature recording.
The label compares the sound to MCMS, Crash Worship, Pain Teens, early 80's Sonic Youth, 23 Skidoo, Gamelan Son of Lion, but for us, the most obvious and accurate references are probably Gamelan Son Of Lion and Crash Worship, as this is all about the rhythms, the pound and pulse, the shuffle and skitter, the clang and the clatter. Hyper rhythmic and abstract, intense and mesmerizing, an incredible chunk of experimental percussion, that should of course appeal to the rhythm obsessed, but also manages to sound surprisingly musical.
Packaged in an oversized envelope with the imprint of a cassette tape pressed into the paper, inside, three oversized printed cards with photos and liner notes...
MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Three"
MPEG Stream: "Four"

LAGUARDA, PEP & TAPINERIA Brossa d'Ahir (Discmedi Blau) cd 17.98
Wow! What a dreamy Spanish psych-folk gem this is! A gorgeous sonic gem from the late 70's only making it to our eager ears nearly 30 years later. Turns out this is the only album that Pep Laguarda released, but what a timeless record left for future generations to enjoy. With production and assistance from Daevid Allen of Gong and Soft Machine, Brossa d'Ahir is the kind of record you put on and then just drift away and get lost with. So breezy and well crafted, these are songs designed for long daydreams, windows down as the wind comes rushing in and the scenery breezes by. Pep Laguarda & Tapineria is reminding us of the Chilean cosmic psych-folk of Congregacion, the tender touch of Caetano Veloso and the sprawling beauty of Neil Young albums like On The Beach or Comes A Time. We can imagine that if they aren't already, current day folks like Brightblack Morning Light, Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham and Vetiver would be drooling over the beautiful melodies and flowing ambience of this three decade old document of psych-folk perfection!
MPEG Stream: "Alceu Vos,Xe,Que Ja Es De Dia Sent"
MPEG Stream: "Cims Abismes"

LAIBACH Anthems (Mute) 2cd 25.00
The art of Laibach can be found in their precise engineering of context, as they specialize in the cross-pollenization of musical archetypes and political rhetoric in an effort to undermine the totalitarian forces at work within consumer culture. The Laibach iconography emerges as a complex and purposefully contradictory concoction of Nazi-kunst, Wagnerian pomp, and Teutonic disco. When Laibach gets their hands on them, these forms become especially absurd, as they fuse such industrialized, miltaristic aesthetics to the songs of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd, Europe, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Yes, some of these Frankensteinian marches are a little clumsy; if you've heard their infamous reinterpretation of the Beatles' Let It Be, and particularly the comically fumbled version of "Get Back", then you know that Laibach's iron fist has the potential to crack a pretty bad joke from time to time.
Anthems is the self-explanitory anthology of Laibach's most bombastic, and well, anthemic work. In many ways, Anthems is a "best of" compilation for Laibach, dating back to such classics as "Brat Moj" a turgid, solemn oath delivered with the sanguine baritone voice that has become a trademark for Laibach. But the bulk of Anthems feature the jackhammered, post-Wax Trax rhythms, incendiary guitar riffs, and claustrophobic electronics which Rammstein shamelessly stole on their way to MTV domination. Laibach probably didn't care, as they obviously did it much better and with a smug intelligence that Rammstein wholly lacks. Along with a great retrospective of this self-proclaimed retro-garde band, Anthems also features a second disc of remixes which apply a greater dancefloor sheen to Laibach's sound.
MPEG Stream: "Die Liebe"
MPEG Stream: "Panorama"
MPEG Stream: "Sympathy For The Devil"
MPEG Stream: "Wirtschaft Is Tot"

LAIBACH Neu Konservatiw (Cold Spring) cd 14.98
From their very earliest audio documents and live performances, the Slovenian avant-industrial ensemble Laibach had developed an incredibly focused mythology around themselves as a provocative force acting upon the extremes of art and politics. Working particularly with the aesthetics of totalitarianism (which as a political institution had long been hammered into the psyche of the Slovenian people from the left, right, East, and West), Laibach reconstituted any number of myths which invoked both fear and fascination in their audience. They wrote manifestos calling for a depersonalization through their music; they cross-pollinated Stalinist and Nazi imagery (alongside occultish symbolism and increasingly absurdist pop-cultural references); and they qualified their concerts as presentations of "systematic psycho-physical terror as a principle of social organization." In 1985 when Laibach ventured out upon their Occupied Europe Tour, they were a truly scary band with nobody really knowing how to analyze what they were doing. Was it an ugly resurgence of fascism? Was it psychological warfare conducted in the public arena? Was it a post-modern strategy reconnecting signifiers of hollowed ideologies? It was probably all of those things and more.
In the live recordings from that tour that made their way onto Neu Konservatiw, Laibach's sound was a punishing collision of martial rhythms and megaphone vocal broadcasts, exhibiting none of the black humour found later in their Beatles covers or their take on Jesus Christ Superstar. With the insistent plod of the multiple drums and monochord bass thumps, Laibach paralleled the abject stomp that the Swans were producing at that time, even though both projects had vastly different artistic intentions. As their studio albums in the mid-'80s were mostly sample based and had a clipped rigidity that make some of their songs a little clumsy, the live setting forced Laibach to strip their music to the most essential stabs of anthemic bombast; and on Neu Konservatiw, Laibach pull it off with an executioner's cold stoicism. Forcefully blunt and uncompromisingly brilliant.
MPEG Stream: "Nova Akropola (live)"
MPEG Stream: "Die Liebe (live)"

LAIBACH Rekapitulacija 1980 + 1984 (NSK / EFA) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If one were to take the logic of appropriative artists like Warhol or Rauschenberg, to the extremities of absurdity and dehumanization through the procress of mechanical reproduction, you would have Laibach. Perhaps the most misunderstood post-modern project to infiltrate pop culture, Laibach has often been associated with the proliferation of totalitarianism and Nazi culture, simply because they used those higly charged symbols and images and projected them back into the mass culture. However, Laibach's intent is to reinvest not just those symbols, but any symbol of authority and power, with the question of why is this symbol important to our culture. In many ways, Laibach was continuing in the same paths of inquiry found in their British compatriots Throbbing Gristle and The Hafler Trio; however, Laibach never cracked a smile, an attitude exemplified in their triumphant reinterpretations of the Beatles "Let It Be" as a series of miliaristic dirges and patriotic medleys.
"Rekapitulacija 1980 + 1984" was their first album, released as a double LP set with a beautiful series of reproduced woodcuts, offering portraits of the noble spirit from the agrarian worker married to the industrial landscapes, mirroring the same totalitarian artforms that had been thrust upon their native Slovenia during the Nazi occupation and later behind the Iron Curtain, when Yugoslavia was a Communist country. Despite this being their earliest set of recordings, Laibach's skill in the studio is tremendous, as heard in their epic piece 'Ti, Ki Izzivas' transforming Bernhard Hermann's soundtrack for "Psycho" into a punishing uber-motif coupled with a relentless drum machine pound and discordant organ blasts. Other tracks such as 'Brat Moj' or 'Smrt Za Smrt' are brooding no wave constructions, taking the best and most haunting elements of early Swans and early Cabaret Voltaire and fusing them into a skeletal anti-groove laced with growling vocals and commanding basslines.
But Laibach themselves have said it best in their early masterpiece 'Perspektive' : "By darkening the consumers' mind, it drives them into a state of humble contrition and total obedience and self-sacrifice, by destroying every track of individuality, it melts the individuals into a mass and a mass into a humble collective body... Our basic inspiration (ideals which are not ideals through their form but the material of Laibach manipulation itself) remains an industrial production, the art of the third Reich, totalitarianism, taylorism, bruitism, disco... The disco rhythm as a regular repetition, is the purest / the most radical form of the militantly organized rhythmicity of technicist production, and as such the most appropriate means of media manipulation." To hear this recited in the style of a Russian propagandist over a ominous thud of drum machines and triumphant Wagnerian horns, one can't help but laugh at the absurdity of such a statement; however, the logic quickly sinks in that Laibach are 100% correct. A brilliant album.
Perhaps the greatest and most challenging pieces of conceptual art disguised as a pop album. Truly awesome.
MPEG Stream: "Brat Moj"
MPEG Stream: "Slovenska Zena"
MPEG Stream: "Ti, Ki Izzivas"

LAIBACH Wat (Mute) cd 16.98
What with the sad recent history of the former Yugoslovia -- conflicting ethnicities and religions, horrible atrocities, wars upon wars -- Laibach's perspectives on politics and culture appear as ghastly premonitions, which unfortunately have come true. Since the early '80s Laibach has located their Slovenia at the crossroads of the many forces (e.g. Nazi fascism, Communism, Western consumerism, fundamentalist religions, etc.) which all attempt to exact their wills upon the people of their nation, who in turn have had to adapt culturally, politically, or otherwise to such forces. In turn, Laibach and their larger organization NSK has embraced this behavior for adaptation and appropriation as a means of both celebrating the Slovenian spirit and criticizing the invasive forces. At times, the Laibach ethos spoke through grim industrial mantras (e.g. "Rekapitulacija" and "Nova Akropola"); yet others, Laibach's message came through the pastiche of their bizarrely comical cover album of the Beatles "Let It Be."
So strong are their convictions about their own concepts, politics, and aesthetics that Laibach runs dangerously close to self-parody. Of course, Laibach has plenty of rhetoric to defend their conceptual agenda; but it's hard for them to hide behind tautologies in defense of "Wat," a strange album that jack hammers 909 rhythms, Wagnerian samples, Chain Reactive synth pads, and growling vocals into a slick production not unlike a guitarless Rammstein, who in turn are the most egregious of Laibach copyists. That said, Laibach unwaveringly believes that "Wat" is a relevant pop album disguising their interrogative practices. The bombast of these ideals is what makes Laibach so effective, but at the same time Laibach can stumble over their own tongues.
MPEG Stream: "B Mashina"
MPEG Stream: "Du Bist Unser"
MPEG Stream: "Now You Will Pay"

LAIKA Good Looking Blues (Too Pure) cd 21.00
Margaret Fiedler and her Laika co-horts brings us another super-sultry album. The follow-up to Sound of The Satellites is full of the same sexy murmurred, whispered vocals, rich Rhodes keyboard, minimoog textures, and intricate rhythms. A wonderfully groovy collection.

LAIKA Good Looking Blues (Too Pure) cd 15.98
Now domestically available (thus cheaper, the important point). Otherwise, as with the identical import version that we previously stocked, it's a super-sultry follow up to "The Sounds of Satellites", full of the same sexy murmurred, whispered vox, minimoog textures, and infectious rhythms.

LAIKA Lost In Space (Pure) 2cd 16.98
A ten year anniversary double cd retrospective from the fabulous Laika! Even a decade after their debut, some amount of confusion still seems to linger as to the band's identity. Therefore, once again we'd like to state the following: Named after the Soviet space travellin' canine (the album cover is an awesome photo of the lil' doggie's bubble helmet!), this Laika is not to be confused with the other musical group of the same name (y'know, the one with The Cosmonauts) who are a surf combo. That said, this trippy groovy London quartet, lead by Ms Margaret Fiedler (formerly of Moonshake) and Guy Fixsen, have released three fine albums - 1994's Silver Apples Of The Moon (no relation to the band nor the Morton Subotnick album of the same name), 1997's Sounds Of The Satellites, and Good Lookin' Blues from 2000. A fourth full length is currently in the works. They're a melding of all the good stuff: complex and sexy electronics, hypnotic dubby bass, scintillating jazzy percussion, and Fiedler's seductive vocals. Meticulously piecing and layering it all together to set moods that crackle, smoulder and undulate.
The first cd is a compilation of highlights from their three previous albums, and the second features remixes, Peel sessions, live recordings and a *new* previously unreleased track! Will surely delight Laika fans until their next album finally surfaces, and win them some new admirers as well. Captivating!
RealAudio clip: "Beestinger"
RealAudio clip: "Sugar Daddy"

LAIKA Sounds Of The Satellites (Too Pure) cd 14.98
Finally available domestically!