LENNOX, ANNIE Bare (BMG) cd 17.98
Annie Lennox sure takes her own sweet time. It's been over a decade since the fabulous Eurythmics disbanded and eight years since the release of her second solo album Medusa. And for this, her long-awaited studio follow-up titled Bare, she delivers what we'd like to think of as her counterpart to Raymond Scott's Soothing Sounds For Baby series. Simply stated, it might be more appropriately named "Soothing Sounds for Grown-ups". Smartie-pants-ness aside, this is really, absolutely 'Adult Contemporary' -- a sleek, lushly produced, deeply personal album just as you'd expect from this fine chanteuse -- much like that of Peter Gabriel or Sting. Although she's definitely not assuming the countless guises that she once did in her Eurythmics days -- sharply suited androgynous redhead, vinyl-clad dominatrix, ultra-blonde '60s lounge singer -- her vocal performances and personas are as potent as ever in whichever genre she chooses.
MPEG Stream: "A Thousand Beautiful Things"
MPEG Stream: "The Saddest Song I've Got"

LENO s/t (BMG Spain) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the album cover -- an oddly staged photo featuring four long haired dudes with peculiar, only-in the-seventies fashion sense (high top Converse sneakers or bare feet, tube socks, floral print shirt and white vest and pants, bathrobe, shorts, little red hat...) relaxing at a cafe table -- you wouldn't necessarily guess that this is as heavy as it is. But it is. Though this first (and best) album by Spanish hard rockers Leno dates from 1979, it definitely sounds a few years older than that. Total early '70s heavy proto-metal in sound (which means that if you come into the store looking for it, you'll find it in our new "heavy '70s proto metal" section that lives in our "vintage psych rock" rack) for fans of all that stuff like Dust, Toad, Bang, Buffalo, Budgie, Blues Creation, Socrates Drank The Conium, etc. Wild, riffy rock with tough, rough wailing (Spanish-language) vocals and lots and lots of *killer* guitar that gets almost Sabbathy in spots. Man, we love finding obscure stuff like this that sounds so classic the second you put it on. Pretty darn kick ass.
MPEG Stream: "El Oportunista"
MPEG Stream: "Este Madrid"

LENTO Earthen (Supernatural Cat) cd 21.00
When we got the Supernaturals Vol.1 cd that teamed up Italy's UFOmammut and Lento (or Lent0?) we knew who UFOmammut were. The snailkings of psychedelic heavy sludge stoner metal awesomeness, a perfect hybrid of Electric Wizard's drugged-out doom and Hawkwind's even spacier, uh, spaciness. Big fans of UFOmammut we already were. But who were this Lento?? Now we have that band's out-on-their-own debut, and now we know. Lento are Italy's all-instrumental answer to Isis. They're Italy's masters of sinister, atmospheric, super-heavy post rock chugga chugga. The seven tracks of Earthen are divided between full-on, blown-out, heavy-riffing clobber and more restrained, near-ambient dronology, usually dynamically within the same song, though there's several tracks given over entirely to the latter, as on "Emersion Of The Islands" a drone-piece with crackling sferic-like sounds... It's a majestic, metallic post-rock soundtrack to a trudging trip across the cratered surface of some airless planetoid, an epic slog under unknown stars, bathed in space radiation, amidst the ruined remains of ancient alien technology... Or at least that's what we're getting from all their drone and grit and feedback, crashing cymbals, and monolithic riffage. Though Earthen's theme, as expressed in the song titles and artwork, appears actually to be more "Subterrestrial" than extra-terrestrial.
First off & obviously we'd recommend this to fans of their pals UFOmammut... the rigid, mechanical Godflesh-like elements that we've detected in UFOmammut's music are more prominent here, with some isolationist Lustmord ambience thrown in as well. Certainly check out Lento if you're into Godflesh (and Justin Broadrick's Jesu too), Isis, Nadja, Dumb & The Ugly, Hyatari... and of course if you liked that Supernaturals Vol.1 disc. This, and UFOmammut's new one Idolum also reviewed this list, are both fine follow-ups to that.
Similar to that new UFOmammut, this "regular" edition of Earthen is packaged in one of those newfangled rounded-corner jewel cases. There is (or was) a special limited edition of Earthen, too, with arty inserts and all, but we got precisely one of those 'cause they cost so damn much. If you're interested, ask, we might still have it... $49! Otherwise, this $21.00 edition is recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Need"
MPEG Stream: "Subterrestrial"
MPEG Stream: "Earth"

LEO, TED & THE PHARMACISTS Hearts Of Oak (Lookout!) cd 13.98
We're so glad that the world is finally waking up to the genius of Ted Leo. We have been huge fans since his early days fronting the aggro mod-pop band Chisel. And the things that made Chisel so appealing have only intensified and matured since then. Jangly, super catchy hooks, classic riffs, amazingly literate, clever and funny lyrics, and that voice! A soaring almost falsetto that is keening and straining at impossible registers one moment, belting it out at others. So awesome. The sound is still sort of mod-pop, think the Jam/Style Council, Thin Lizzy, Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson all wrapped up in a sensitive thirtysomething emo boy! And all filtered through Leo's knack for inventive arrangements and weird chordal choices. This is not easy or simple pop. This is the kind of stuff that rewards repeated listens. The hooks are there, but they aren't obvious. And the melodies are infectious, but not cloying. And to me that's the best kind of pop record. One that stays fresh and offers something new everytime you hear it. Leo is seriously one of the best pop songwriters around. And he just keeps getting better.
RealAudio clip: "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?"
RealAudio clip: "I'm A Ghost"
RealAudio clip: "The High Party"
RealAudio clip: "Hearts Of Oak"

LEO, TED / PHARMACISTS The Tyranny of Distance (Lookout!) cd 14.98
Ted Leo, former leader of the criminally overlooked D.C. mod-pop outfit Chisel, with his pick-up band the Pharmacists, continues on his unique pop trajectory, somewhere between the jumpy caffeinated pop of his old outfit Chisel, the mod emotion of the Jam, the kick ass rock of Thin Lizzy and the perfect pop of old Elvis Costello. Super smart and sentimental (especially the lyrics: wry and clever, but heartfelt and really unique), but playful and infectious at the same time. This record is a definite contender for pop record of the year. And Leo has one of the best voices we've heard. High and crystal clear, he belts out these songs, occasionally slipping smoothly into a perfect falsetto that makes you stand on your toes just listening to it. I got to see him perfrom these songs live a few months ago, just him and a guitar, and it was just as good live. His voice was perfect, the songs were perfect. Leo is a total pop genius. Hopefully this record will help more and more people finally realise this and they will jump, and dance, and sing along, and buy all his records!
Leo is joined on this record by his brother Chris (who fronts the Lapse) on drums and percussion. Brendan Canty (of Fugazi) plays some drums as does his brother James. And Amy Dominguez (who plays on every indie rock record that needs a cellist it seems like) plays cello.
This record is so good. Really.
RealAudio clip: "Under The Hedge"
RealAudio clip: "Biomusicology"
RealAudio clip: "Tinorous Me"
RealAudio clip: "My Vien Ilin"
RealAudio clip: "You Coul Die (Or This Might End)"

LEO, TED / THE PHARMACISTS Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead (Lookout!) cd 10.98
If you've been reading the AQ list, you know how much we love Ted Leo. His gorgeously keening vocals, jangly mod guitars, brilliantly funny lyrics, and unique songsmithery have really made him one of the most appealing singer/songwriters going these days. Screw Rufus Wainwright, forget Elliott Smith. A dense heady mix of the Jam, Elvis Costello, and Thin Lizzy, mixed with an undeniable knack for irresistably catchy indie rock. This sort-of-EP is a bit of a stopover until the next full length with a few originals, a few solo vocal/guitar tracks and some unique covers. The Jam cover is an obvious choice ("Ghosts"), then there's a version of the celtic sixties standard "Dirty Old Town", and a Split Enz cover. THAT could have been a travesty, and although it makes me want to hear the original more than anything, Leo manages to make it enough his own that it's worth checking out! Can't wait for the next full length.
MPEG Stream: "Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead"
MPEG Stream: "Ghosts"

LEO, TED AND THE PHARMACISTS Dirty Old Town (Plexifilm) dvd 21.00

LEO, TED AND THE PHARMACISTS Living With The Living (Touch And Go) cd 14.98
Yippeee! Ted Leo And The Pharmacists are back!
The opening track kicks things into gear with sharp crunchy guitars that penetrate right to the roots of your hair and teeth(!). Said guitars are feverishly strummed atop a runaway train drumbeat... oh, and don't forget the handclaps! NEVER! As always, Leo's sound is very mod inspired a la The Jam with a little eighties power pop vocal flavor (Elvis Costello and Rick Springfield) and hard rock (lots of Thin Lizzy) in there. That said, Living With The Living keeps us on our toes with a couple twists that caught us by surprise -- three of 'em being the bizarre jig in the sixth tune "A Bottle Of Buckie", the fiery rock blast of "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb" and the unpredictable reggae turn on "The Unwanted Things". A neat balance of boyish charm, winking pop hooks, and anthemic balls-out rawk power!
Bonus alert! The first pressing of the cd includes a five-song cdep, and the initial vinyl edition includes a coupon for a free MP3 download of the entire album plus some extra non-album MP3s! More Leo to love!
MPEG Stream: "A Bottle Of Buckie"
MPEG Stream: "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb"

LEO, TED AND THE PHARMACISTS Living With The Living (Touch And Go) 2lp 15.98
Yippeee! Ted Leo And The Pharmacists are back!
The opening track kicks things into gear with sharp crunchy guitars that penetrate right to the roots of your hair and teeth(!). Said guitars are feverishly strummed atop a runaway train drumbeat... oh, and don't forget the handclaps! NEVER! As always, Leo's sound is very mod inspired a la The Jam with a little eighties power pop vocal flavor (Elvis Costello and Rick Springfield) and hard rock (lots of Thin Lizzy) in there. That said, Living With The Living keeps us on our toes with a couple twists that caught us by surprise -- three of 'em being the bizarre jig in the sixth tune "A Bottle Of Buckie", the fiery rock blast of "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb" and the unpredictable reggae turn on "The Unwanted Things". A neat balance of boyish charm, winking pop hooks, and anthemic balls-out rawk power!
Bonus alert! The first pressing of the cd includes a five-song cdep, and the initial vinyl edition includes a coupon for a free MP3 download of the entire album plus some extra non-album MP3s! More Leo to love!
MPEG Stream: "A Bottle Of Buckie"
MPEG Stream: "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb"

LEO, TED AND THE PHARMACISTS Shake The Sheets (Lookout!) cd 14.98
Is Ted Leo the new voice of our generation? We wish. If only music this catchy and smart could be the sound of today's youth (and the not so young, can't leave ourselves out) instead of Good Charlotte and Hilary Duff.
Shake The Streets is the newest release from Ted Leo and his band the Pharmacists and continues where the last record left off, channelling classic rock (Thin Lizzy), mod rock (the Jam), classic new wave pop (Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson) and indie rock (Leo's former outfit, the indie-mod Chisel) into music that somehow sounds like all of those and none of those. Huge riffs collide with indie jangle, Leo's soaring vocals (often slipping into an impossible falsetto) spinning tales of love, loss, politics, drug policy (!) and all sort of other subjects not often sung about in pop music. This is definitely Leo's least immediately catchy record so far, but as is often the case, now that it's been out for a while and we've had a chance to listen to it a bunch, it's blossomed into an absolutely amazing pop record. Unforgettable riffs, those sort of muted major key Thin Lizzy hooks, really strange and convoluted arrangements (not so much so that they ruin the pop element), clever sharp tongued lyrics and of course Leo's crystal clear vocals. Leo's music is really something special, kick ass rock that sounds perfect blasting from your car stereo flying down the highway, but works just as well on a mixtape for that special someone, and works even better sitting on your bed with headphones reading along with the lyrics!
MPEG Stream: "Me And Mia"
MPEG Stream: "The Angels' Share"

LEO, TED. RX The One AM Radio (Translucence) cd ep 5.98

LEONARD COHEN I'M YOUR MAN OST (Verve) cd 15.98
Here's a unique kind of movie soundtrack, and an excellent one at that! Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man features live recordings of Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Teddy Thompson, Nick Cave, Antony (of And The Johnsons), Beth Orton, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, The Handsome Family, Perla Batalla, Julie Christensen, U2 and the man himself, Leonard Cohen. The performances (except for the Cohen/U2 one) were part of Hal Willner's production "Came So Far For Beauty: An Evening Of Leonard Cohen Songs" which took place twice in Brighton, England (2004) and Sydney, Australia (2005). Cool!
MPEG Stream: ANTONY "If It Be Your Will"
MPEG Stream: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT "Chelsea Hotel No. 2"
MPEG Stream: JARVIS COCKER "I Can't Forget"

LEONARD, JIM Super Saw (EM Records) cd 19.98
The musical saw has long been used in popular music as a mysterious embellishment much like the similarly haunting theremin, but on Jim Leonard's Super Saw the instrument's ghostly howl takes center stage. Leonard is nothing short of virtuoso (he also wrote a book about the instrument!) and was a bit of a saw renegade. Here he incorporates some of his own distinct playing innovations, namely the speedy "saw shredder" bowing style which stand in stark contrast to other saw players' extended tones. On the first few numbers his performance is accompanied by delightful sounds that resemble actual construction (like sanding, gentle hammering and yes, sawing). Mind you, it's in a most melodic and playful fashion. The rest of the album is a strange coming together of lonesome cowboy twang, rousing ragtime, mystic waltzes and cocktail exotica. At times it's so otherworldly, you'd almost expect a vocal appearance by exotica great Yma Sumac. Additional instrumentation fleshing out the selection of nineteen originals and familiar standards includes banjo, Hawaiian style guitar, harmonica, and organs.
Apparently this Japanese import is the only release of Leonard's music currently available. And as always beautifully and painstakingly packaged by those folks at EM record in Japan!
MPEG Stream: "Tico Tico"
MPEG Stream: "Under The Double Eagle"

LERCHE, SONDRE Two Way Monologue (Astralwerks) cd 16.98
The second full length from this Norwegian heartbreaker has arrived! And from the very first couple of songs, who can deny the heartmelting power of Lerche's sensitive boyish croon? In-store play has drawn plenty of enthusiastic queries. Definitely brings to mind the music of Jeff Buckley or Rufus Wainwright -- particularly the latter with the grand Bacharach-ian orchestral flourishes. However on the very next tune, he shifts his delivery to a much more forthright Robyn Hitchcock quirkiness and the music follows suit. Indeed, it's a finely composed, lush and sophisticated pop album that covers a much broader scope than Lerche's impressive debut Faces Down. And although it's certainly much less obvious this time around, in each song you can catch more than fleeting glimpses of his clear Beatles and Beach Boys worship. If you have a penchant for heaping spoonfuls of well-crafted pop sugary sweets, this is for you!
MPEG Stream: "Track You Down"
MPEG Stream: "Wet Ground"

LERMAN, RICHARD Music Of Richard Lerman 1964-1987 - Featuring Travelon Gamelon (Music For Bicycles) (EM Records) cd 29.00
Japan's EM records strikes again. Without a doubt, the coolest, weirdest, most amazing re-issue label EVER!! We could list again all the killer reissues we've carried and reviewed and raved about over the past year or two, but we've done that in pretty much every other EM review, so do a label search for EM Records on the AQ website, and prepare to have your mind blown!
Another long lost, long sought after holy grail of sorts, dug up and dusted off and beautifully presented by EM, Travelon Gamelon, a piece by Richard Lerman for amplified bicycles! Performed on stage with upturned bikes, but also, performed on the streets, the bikes mic'ed and each with it's own tiny amplifier broadcasting the various sounds of the bike rolling along streets, the metallic flutter of spokes, the sounds of passing cars, squeaking brakes, whipping wind, all woven into the organic whole. A piece of moving music, constantly shifting, obviously improvised and random, and so totally wonderful.
There are two versions of the piece, which has been performed for years all over the world, one is the concert version, which features musicians on stage, with upside down bikes, using various implements with which to strike, rub and bow the different parts of the bicycles, these are the versions that are the most gamelan like, a gorgeous assemblage of metallic clangs and percussive clamor. From dreamy and spare, to cacophonous and wildly chaotic. A sort of junkyard gamelan, definitely clattery but also strangely melodic.
But it's the other versions, the Promenade versions, that are the most exciting. These pieces are basically field recordings of cyclists on mic'ed and amplified bicycles, every sound their riding creates being broadcast through little speakers affixed to the bikes, and recorded by Lerman! So not only is this group of bikes creating this gorgeous whirring mechanical ambience, that sound is also travelling through city streets, a self contained performance of sorts, a strange little cloud of metallic shimmer and buzzing mechanical ambience performed for all passersby. It's also cool to hear the organizers' instructions, children laughing and playing, running alongside, ringing their own bike bells, you can hear Lerman giving orders to the cyclists as they prepare to begin the piece, and various warnings like "Watch out for the metal!" Street cleaners, random cars, voices and footsteps, all a sort of organic backdrop to the divine slow shifting whir the bicycles produce. Constantly shifting, and changing, depending on the speed of the bikes, the direction of the amplifiers the placement of the mics, the people or cars, amazing. It reminds us a bit of the Taj Mahal Travellers in fact, TMT's method of broadcasting their sounds out of loudspeakers, and then recapturing them with microphones placed at various distances, well, Travelon Gamelon is almost like a mobile Taj Mahal Travellers. So cool!
This collection would be well worth it for disc one alone, 5 lengthy excerpts from various performances of Travelon Gamelon, but also included is a second disc, of various other pieces Lerman composed and performed over the years spanning 1964-1986.
"For Two Of Them" is a soundscape of old records, a spring reverb, and manipulated tapes, very dark and dreamy, a fuzzy, multilayered drone shot through with streaks of metallic shimmer and sounding not all that different than contemporary noismakers like the Starving Weirdos, the Skaters and the like. In fact, most of the pieces on disc two, could just as easily come from some super limited cd-r we just managed to track down. "Sections For Screen, Performers And Audience" features the score presented as a film projected on a screen, the performers face the screen with their backs to the audience, and their improvisations are electronically modified into a gorgeous bit of twisted Twentieth Century. "End Of The Line" is a very dramatic tape piece based on the deaths of close friends, and is another piece that sounds presciently modern, huge dramatic swells, very melancholic and resonant, huge fields of drone and buzz. Even tracks like "Soundspot", a piece for amplified 40 foot Slinky, with its gorgeously resonant creaking and moaning and whistling metallic buzz, and "Music For Plinky And Straw", a piece for bendy straw and reverb, creating a dense field of abstract melodies, crystalline shimmer and percussive chimes, sound less Twentieth Century and more like any number of modern free noise abstract drone releases! This is the sort of collection we wish had been expanded to 4 discs, or 8 discs!! We want more.
But even with two discs there is plenty here to keep you busy and your ears full and happy for sure. Two hours plus of remarkable sound, a massive booklet, with tons of photos, liner notes in both English and Japanese, as well as notes on each individual piece, but also included are a rare video of a Trevelon Gamelon performance, as well as one of Lerman performing his piece for bendy straw, plus scores for several pieces, and a killer photo guide to building a tape delay out of two walkmans!! SO SO SO RECOMMENDED!
The perfect record to bring music nerds and bike nerds together (most of us here are both!)...
MPEG Stream: "Promenade Version [Boston, MA, July 2, 1979]"
MPEG Stream: "Concert Version [Pittsburg, PA, June 6, 1981]"
MPEG Stream: "For Two Of Them [1964]"
MPEG Stream: "Sections For Screen, Performers And Audience [1975]"

LES FLEURS DE PAVOT s/t (Underground Masters) cd 21.00

LES GEORGES LENINGRAD Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98

LES GEORGES LENINGRAD Supa Doopa Remix (Troubleman) cd ep 8.98
Yes. Yes. Yes. Hmmmm, yes. Yes. And Yes! While some people around here might be incredibly annoyed by our ridiculous French-Canadian electropop-artrock-postpunk friends, Les Georges Lenningrad, others of us can't get enough of 'em. Ainsi, pour nous qui t'adore [so for those of us who adore them], this remix cd ep lands on open ears and, um, dancing feet. And as always, it features some cool handmade-or-sewn-'n-scanned artwork. Meow. I wish they would handmake me a fuzzy shirt.
MPEG Stream: "Akufen Soutien-Georges - remix"

LES GEORGES LENINGRAD Sur Les Traces De Black Eskimo (Alien8 Recordings) cd 14.98
Ahhhh ouuuuiii... Le nouveau super rockin' release from our French-Canadian friends Les Georges Leningrad. Poney, Bobo and Mingo (a trio now after losing one member through interpersonal conflict) deliver astounding electronoisepop compositions on Sur Les Traces De Black Eskimo. Groovy beats and spastic outbursts are prominent characters in the song craft they call petrochemical rock. Why they are obsessed with 'black eskimo', je ne sais pas. Mais, je t'aime, Les Georges. If you have the chance to see them live, they generously offer an award-winning show, featuring self-made costumes and an arresting stage presence. Their artwork is all done by the band members themselves and est la superbe. Check it!
MPEG Stream: "Missing Gary"
MPEG Stream: "Fifi F."

LES MALEDICTUS SOUND s/t (Mucho Gusto) cd 14.98
Previously a vinyl-only reissue, now also available on cd -- the crazy French-Canadian sound of 1968! Collectors (like Jello Biafra) have apparently been salivating over this bizarre record for years. A wild psychedelic big-band instrumental soundtrack trip, it sounds like. Titles include "Inside My Brain", "Concerto Genocide", and "Monster Cocktail". What does it all mean? We really don't know, but it's certainly entertaining, and fans of mind-bending exotica will want to check this out. Very much the ridiculous kind of thing only possible in the late sixties acid-era.
UPDATED SIDE NOTE: Of course we didn't realize this 'til much later that Les Maledictus Sound was one of many nom de plumes of the bizarre pop freak eccentric, Jean Pierre Massiera, who has gotten a much deserved renaissance these days with three separate compilations of far-out material! All amazing! Check 'em out elsewhere on the site!
MPEG Stream: "Kriminal Theme"
MPEG Stream: "Inside My Brain"

LES RALLIZES DENUDES (double vinyl bootleg #2) (Fucked Up And Naked) 2lp 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Les Raillize Denudes (alternatively, "Hadaka No Rallizes") are the legendary and obscure '70s Japanese psych-rock combo that exterted a huge influence on the Keiji Haino/Fushitsusha/High Rise crowd. They're so obscure that it's just about impossible to find recordings of any of their music. Rare cd-r releases trade for big $$$, and the "Live '77" double vinyl bootleg that surfaced last year is now long gone. But, here's another volume. It's live, the sound quality is poor, there's no information about anything given (tho the color insert sleeve is nice) -- but the music is psychedelic grail-worthy. We've only got four copies, and won't be able to get any more. So, collectors: ready, set, go!

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Are You Rallizesed? (Ignuitas) 2cd 31.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What the heck? There's FIVE new Les Rallizes Denudes archival releases on this hitherto unknown label Ignuitas? And three of them are ALREADY out of print? (Sorry!). That's right. We were only able to get a handful of each, and they sold out in the store almost immediately. But we do have A FEW copies left of two of 'em that we were able to get more of, and by a few we mean like 6 or 8... so act fast, Rallizes-heads. Not even sure if we should bother with a "review" since in this case it'd be a mere formality, but here goes, briefly... Les Rallizes Denudes were/are a seminal underground Japanese psychedelic rock band, totally influential on the current crop of Tokyo guitar psych acts like LSD-march and Up-Tight (for instance), yet obscurely under-documented. What you CAN find, is primitive lo-fi genius (?). For more possibly dubious but nonetheless very interesting info get Julian Cope's recent book the Japrocksampler (when we have it back in stock, it's on backorder right now). And check out the recent Rallizes "best of" cd entitled Yodo-Go-A-Go-Go reviewed on AQ list #282.
These two releases, since we have so few, are reserved for the devout fans. There's Are You Rallizesed?, subtitled Shizuoka Stupa 1974, a double disc of material recorded live in '74 (natch). 115 sprawling minutes of classic Rallizes murk, nine tracks total. It's all moodily melodic psych drift that's a wraith-like presence, about to spontaneously combust into ashes even as it echoes irresistibly in your mind, ever out of reach. Is it band leader Takeshi Mizutani's searing guitar making that distorted sound... or just the deteriorating recording medium? Either way, once you've ingested the entirety of these two discs you won't be able to listen to any "normal" or "correct" recordings, quite the same way again. What else has this much fragile emotion, or needs your ears to meet it more than halfway, to hear the music within the magnetic tape miasma that they made that night 34 years ago? (Or maybe it's not all from the same night, since they do one song twice...)
The other one we've (barely) got is called Live May 25 1975 Yaneura. And that's about all the info we have for you right there. Four tracks, about 31 minutes of Rallizes' damaged distorted jangle as captured by someone's cheap, tinny tape recorder. It's a mysterious meeting of the shrillest of feedback and the sweetest of psych pop. You can put your imagination to work to try to figure out what it actually sounded like in person or just go ahead and assume it's meant to be so fucked up and muffled and utterly destroyed... that's right, we probably don't need to spell this out, but be warned: these are EXTREMELY lo-fi, dub-of-a-dub, Nth generation, ultra-bootleggy sounding recordings. The tape hiss is almost as loud as Mizutani's guitar. It's like this Rallizes music is psychically appearing on tape from beyond the grave a la EVP, Ghost Orchid style... But of course, you wouldn't expect anything less. It's all part of the Rallizes mystique anyway. Half the reason folks like Rallizes is 'cause nothing else is ever allowed to sound like THIS. What we can legitimately complain about is the crappy cheap graphic design Ignuitas has thrown together for these releases. Good grief these look terrible. But you're not buying 'em for the packaging anyway. And the ARE real cds, not cd-rs... so that's something. Rallizes fans will take what they can get, when and if they can get it, we know 'cause we are. First come, first served...
MPEG Stream: "Tori No Koe"
MPEG Stream: "My Conviction"

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Eve Night 1983 (Ignuitas) 2cd 39.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Le 12 Mars 1977 a Tachikawa (Over Level) 2cd 26.00
BACK IN STOCK. This Japanese psych essential, originally reviewed back on list 156, has been hard to come by for some time now but finally has been repressed or something, and we've got 'em, again!
You hear that? That echoing, droning, heavy psych jamming destroying your mind? Yep, at last, we've got 'em. Real cds, not cd-rs. Reasonably priced. More than a handful in stock (for now). The distorto-delic seventies Japanese guitar psych holy grail known as "Live '77", previously released only in an absurdly expensive, impossible to track down double cd-r edition, and in part on long-gone vinyl bootlegs, is now within your grasp (almost). This we expect to have around for more than two seconds at least, and is a comparative steal at only $25. Nicely done too, with a die cut cover revealing a blurry b&w photo of Les Rallizes Denudes guitarist Mizutani Takashi in action.
Disc one starts off exploring Les Rallizes mellow side, all sensitive and lovely, with "Enter The Mirror", but then soon explodes into sheer amplified overload, with throbbing mantric rhythms Circle fans should dig. It's a searing wash of guitars in the most far out VU, Neil Young, Fushitsusha realm, but taken way further out. Rough, raw live sound, but really all the fuzz and distortion and grit sounds just right. There's four long tracks on disc one, three looong tracks on disc two. By the time the epic 20+ minute "The Last One" on disc two marches into white noise oblivion, you -- and maybe your speakers -- will be fried.
Apparently, Takashi and co. are still out there, somewhere in Japan, making music as they have been for the past 30-odd years, but rarely leaving a recorded trace. But this 1977 live set isn't just about the only thing really available, it's also proof of their obscure genius. Next to 60's beat-psych legends the Jacks, they are maybe THE pioneering Japanese psychedelic outfit, obviously a BIG influence on today's underground Japanese psych bands, like Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha, High Rise and Mainliner, Acid Mothers Temple, Nagisa Ni Te, maybe even noiseniks Hijokaidan... All of 'em could simply be Les Rallizes tributes, really. We'd have to imagine that Keiji Haino and co. caught some Rallizes shows back in the day. So, if you like any of that stuff, you need this...and if you're the sort who buys every admittedly fine Kawabata Makoto/AMT cd or LP released every goddamn week, you have to get this just to help with the cosmic balance, man. Get 'em now, while you can!
MPEG Stream: "disc 1, track 1 (Enter The Mirror)"
MPEG Stream: "disc 1, track 3"

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Le Festival De Fleur Complet, 8 Avril 1975 (Ignuitas) cd 28.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Live 1972 (Over Level) cd 17.98
Dunno what the most blown-out, amped-up, destroyed distorted damaged demented acid rock psychedelic craziness you've ever heard is... but whomever they are, we bet Les Rallizes Denudes could hang with 'em no problem at all. Might even teach 'em a thing or two. For those in the know, the fact that we've got another rare documentation (live, they're always live) of this legendary Japanese underground band is reason enough to buy one. If you haven't yet turned on to them, well, have you head any of the current crop of world-weary Japanese psych bands, in their black leather and dark glasses? Like LSD-march and Up-Tight and Keiji Haino's mighty Fushitsusha? Well they're all basically trying to be THIS band. Whom you'll hear here storming and stomping back in, yeah, 1972, as blackened and bleak and badass as as any of 'em today. This is definitely the Rallizes we like, mesmerizing and mind-numbing, with howling guitar and bleating vocals... The endlessly repetitive, trudging drones of some of the tracks here are relatively mild and "pop", but wait, others are throbbing Excedrin headaches in the guise of rock music. All right!! Live 1972 is lo-fi as hell, and glitches, drop outs, and abrupt edits are all part of the experience. Wouldn't have this any other way. We're just happy somebody recorded this way back when, even if it was on a hand held cassette tape deck! Six tracks, 43 and a half minutes of 34-year-old void-treading, feedback-blurting bliss!!!
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 5"

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Live At Kinjou Gakuen University, October 30, 1976 (Ignuitas) cd 28.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

LES RALLIZES DENUDES Live May 25 1975 Yaneura (Ignuitas) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What the heck? There's FIVE new Les Rallizes Denudes archival releases on this hitherto unknown label Ignuitas? And three of them are ALREADY out of print? (Sorry!). That's right. We were only able to get a handful of each, and they sold out in the store almost immediately. But we do have A FEW copies left of two of 'em that we were able to get more of, and by a few we mean like 6 or 8... so act fast, Rallizes-heads. Not even sure if we should bother with a "review" since in this case it'd be a mere formality, but here goes, briefly... Les Rallizes Denudes were/are a seminal underground Japanese psychedelic rock band, totally influential on the current crop of Tokyo guitar psych acts like LSD-march and Up-Tight (for instance), yet obscurely under-documented. What you CAN find, is primitive lo-fi genius (?). For more possibly dubious but nonetheless very interesting info get Julian Cope's recent book the Japrocksampler (when we have it back in stock, it's on backorder right now). And check out the recent Rallizes "best of" cd entitled Yodo-Go-A-Go-Go reviewed on AQ list #282.
These two releases, since we have so few, are reserved for the devout fans. There's Are You Rallizesed?, subtitled Shizuoka Stupa 1974, a double disc of material recorded live in '74 (natch). 115 sprawling minutes of classic Rallizes murk, nine tracks total. It's all moodily melodic psych drift that's a wraith-like presence, about to spontaneously combust into ashes even as it echoes irresistibly in your mind, ever out of reach. Is it band leader Takeshi Mizutani's searing guitar making that distorted sound... or just the deteriorating recording medium? Either way, once you've ingested the entirety of these two discs you won't be able to listen to any "normal" or "correct" recordings, quite the same way again. What else has this much fragile emotion, or needs your ears to meet it more than halfway, to hear the music within the magnetic tape miasma that they made that night 34 years ago? (Or maybe it's not all from the same night, since they do one song twice...)
The other one we've (barely) got is called Live May 25 1975 Yaneura. And that's about all the info we have for you right there. Four tracks, about 31 minutes of Rallizes' damaged distorted jangle as captured by someone's cheap, tinny tape recorder. It's a mysterious meeting of the shrillest of feedback and the sweetest of psych pop. You can put your imagination to work to try to figure out what it actually sounded like in person or just go ahead and assume it's meant to be so fucked up and muffled and utterly destroyed... that's right, we probably don't need to spell this out, but be warned: these are EXTREMELY lo-fi, dub-of-a-dub, Nth generation, ultra-bootleggy sounding recordings. The tape hiss is almost as loud as Mizutani's guitar. It's like this Rallizes music is psychically appearing on tape from beyond the grave a la EVP, Ghost Orchid style... But of course, you wouldn't expect anything less. It's all part of the Rallizes mystique anyway. Half the reason folks like Rallizes is 'cause nothing else is ever allowed to sound like THIS. What we can legitimately complain about is the crappy cheap graphic design Ignuitas has thrown together for these releases. Good grief these look terrible. But you're not buying 'em for the packaging anyway. And the ARE real cds, not cd-rs... so that's something. Rallizes fans will take what they can get, when and if they can get it, we know 'cause we are. First come, first served...
MPEG Stream: "The Last One"
MPEG Stream: "(Japanese title third track)"

LES RALLIZES DENUDES (AKA HADAKA NO RALLIZES) Yodo-Go-A-Go-Go (aka Flightless Bird Needs Water Wings) (10th Avenue Freeze Out) cd 17.98
With the publication of Julian Cope's long awaited Japrocksampler tome, interest in Japan's underground psychedelic rock scene in the '70s has gotta be running at an all time high. A big portion of Cope's book dealt with the legendary Les Rallizes Denudes aka Hadaka No Rallizes, a long running (since the late sixties, still "active" today) and influential act led by guitarist Takashi Mizutani. Without Les Rallizes, more modern day bands like Up-Tight and LSD-march wouldn't exist. Rallizes were also a big inspiration for Keiji Haino's equally significant Fushitsusha group. Their style (musical and sartorial), their distortion, their sunglasses... blown-out minimalist rock throb, carving delicate and/or devastating beauty out of guitar feedback and reverby pop simplicity. Unfortunately for readers of Cope's book, pretty much the entire catalog of Rallizes LPs, cd, cd-rs, cassettes etc. falls into the category of near-myth, hard to find at the very least. It used to be, you could go into a record shop in Japan and spend hundreds of dollars for a handful of live Rallizes cd-rs. We've stocked what we could, but Rallizes cds are few and far between.
In other words, good timing that this disc just materialized (and maybe no coincidence that it was written up as a Record Of The Month on Cope's Head Heritage website a few months back). Titled either Yodo-Go-A-Go-Go or Flightless Bird Needs Water Wings, this cd offers up eight tracks of prime Rallizes, a "best of" of sorts drawn from rare recorded relics circa the early/mid '70s, though it goes back to '67 for track one. The disc opens with that garagey raver, "Otherwise My Conviction", then ventures into a gentler but no less distorted drone pop territory with "Valle d l'eau". The mood stays mellow until Mizutani busts out his searing Neil Young eat your heart out style guitar scorch for the end of the 13 minute third track, "Enter The Mirror". Has Wooden Shjips heard this? We're pretty sure they have. "Smokin' Cigarette Blues" is next, supremely lo-fi (with this band, that's a virtue), about as murky a 19 minutes of "blues" as you'll ever hear...it's all ambient low rumble and clatter, so abstract it's hard to tell if there's a band involved or not... this could be the Dead C for goshsakes! Wow. Following that, the fiery "Flames Of Ice" is propulsively distinct in comparison, and these 17 minutes should weigh heavily as a reason to pick this up. Then they plow into "Field Of Artificial Flowers", another heavy one, something like Link Wray's "Rumble" ultra-distorted into white hot sizzle and stretched out for ten minutes. What can they do to follow that? Being Les Rallizes Denudes, they go "Deeper Than Night" of course, which perfectly condenses everything that's wonderful about Les Rallizes into a mere two minutes and 24 seconds -- the mantric plod, the screeching sheets of sound wrenched from still bleeding guitars and amps. And then we're back to "Otherwise My Conviction", another version ending this disc much like it began. Whew. While any Rallizes cd is almost by definition essential, this really covers all the bases. Definitely one to get -- and it's also one of the only ones you CAN get.
MPEG Stream: "Enter The Mirror"
MPEG Stream: "Field Of Artificial Flowers"

LES RALLIZES DENUDES / TAJ MAHAL TRAVELLERS OZ Days Live 1973 lp 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super rare, totally amazing split lp from two Japanese legends. Fuzzed out psych rockers Les Rallize Denudes on one side, blissy drone ensemble Taj Mahal Travellers on the other. HOLY SHIT! What a match up! We only had this once before and it was nearly $40 (and we were only able to get a couple copies that time). Now we managed to get FIVE more copies, and they're only $18.98! Need we stress that these will be gone before you even finish reading this... sorry!!

LES SAVY FAV 3/5 (Frenchkiss) cd 13.98
Reissue of one of our favorite indie rock records ever. Les Savy Fav don't really get their due, but back in the day, these guys were just about the most freaked out, chaotic noise-pop proposition going. An insane vocalist who spent as much time in the crowd, or dragging his mic into the parking lot as he did on stage. And a hyper kinetic band of dissonant, angular axemen and a seriously spastic drummer backing him up. This disc, their debut from 1999, finally gets the remastering/repackaging/reissuing it so deserves. A gloriously energetic blend of the Pixies and the Archers Of Loaf, but with loads of extra snotty swagger, plenty of metallic crunch, and a fistful of hooks most pop band's would kill for. And some of the best indie rock vocals ever, sometimes getting locked into long stretches of looped yelps, or wildman stream of consciousness ranting, all delivered in a distorted scrachy garage rock howl.
Worth it alone for the third track, a wholesale rip off of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", that instantly recognizable melody, but all twisted up into a chugging, propulsive chaotic slab of fuzzy pounding perfect pop throb. An all time mix tape staple for sure. But the rest of the record kicks just as much ass. Like the record the Pixies would have made if they were twenty something art school nerds from Rhode Island dosed on Red Bull and Robitussen. Fuck yeah!
Pssst: new record coming in 2007!
MPEG Stream: "Cut It Out"
MPEG Stream: "New Teen Anthem"

LES SAVY FAV Accidental Deaths (Rococo / Popfrenzy) 7" 5.98
Hey Les Savy Fav fans, if you missed the band's Accidental Deaths release the first time around when it was released as a limited edition, tour only cd in Australia on Pop Frenzy Records a few years back, today's your lucky day 'cause it's been reissued! Mind you it's another limited edition! The two songs "Hit By Car" and "Hit By Train" have been pressed onto a 7" vinyl record. This time it is by the Rococo label. Limited pressing of 1000.

LES SAVY FAV Go Forth (French Kiss) cd 14.98
These east coast art-rocking boys are back with their third release. Word has it that this band is pretty right-on live. This record is totally dancy and catchy, and much more emo and peppy than previous releases. Their post-punk guitar assault swings from propulsive new wave into hectic, raw Birthday Party-like radness, and on into something akin to Fugazi. Although this may seem somewhat scattered - each song does stand out from the next - the record does flow quite well.
RealAudio clip: "track 1"
RealAudio clip: "track 5"
RealAudio clip: "track 7"

LES SAVY FAV Go Forth (French Kiss) lp 11.98
These east coast art-rocking boys are back with their third release. Word has it that this band is pretty right-on live. This record is totally dancy and catchy, and much more emo and peppy than previous releases. Their post-punk guitar assault swings from propulsive new wave into hectic, raw Birthday Party-like radness, and on into something akin to Fugazi. Although this may seem somewhat scattered - each song does stand out from the next - the record does flow quite well.

LES SAVY FAV Inches (Frenchkiss) cd + dvd 16.98
Attention Les Savy Fav fans, here's a compilation of sixty-three inches of your favorite band... or if you prefer, nine LSF singles... or if you prefer, eighteen LSF songs which charts the band's notable progress in reverse chronological order (i.e, it begins with the most recently released and steps back in time with each subsequent song on the cd). An unusual choice for sure, but then again LSF are well known for not always sticking with the norm. Whichever way you choose to measure it, you gotta credit those LSF folks with creating some damn cool angular postpunk. At each stage of their career thus far, from the early more raw recordings to the recent more 'polished' stuff, they've maintained a consistency of dynamics and craftiness. Oh and hop to it 'cause the first pressing of the cd includes a bonus dvd!
MPEG Stream: "Knowing How The World Works"
MPEG Stream: "Our Coastal Hymn"

LES SAVY FAV Let's Stay Friends (French Kiss) cd 13.98
Hard to believe, but it has been close to six years since Les Savy Fav's last studio album! For this grand occasion, they've pulled out the big guns in the guest department... Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger, Metric's Emily Haines, Islands' Nicholas Thorburn, Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer, Fred Armisen, and the whole of Enon! Have to say, it starts out a little peculiarly jumping from Modest Mouse-y indie rock ("Pots & Pans") to Turbonegro or Hot Snakes-y fire power ("The Equestrian"). Actually it isn't until the fourth song that they make us feel we're truly back in the Les Savy Fav zone. It's the alien indie funk post punkiness of "Patty Lee" that does it. So it idiosyncratically goes, Let's Stay Together is a total mixed bag, but a super hyper fun one! Sounds like at the heart of it all their aim is to rock you, and they succeed!
MPEG Stream: "The Equestrian"
MPEG Stream: "Patty Lee"

LES SAVY FAV Let's Stay Friends (Chunklet) lp 15.98
Hard to believe, but it has been close to six years since Les Savy Fav's last studio album! For this grand occasion, they've pulled out the big guns in the guest department... Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger, Metric's Emily Haines, Islands' Nicholas Thorburn, Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer, Fred Armisen, and the whole of Enon! Have to say, it starts out a little peculiarly jumping from Modest Mouse-y indie rock ("Pots & Pans") to Turbonegro or Hot Snakes-y fire power ("The Equestrian"). Actually it isn't until the fourth song that they make us feel we're truly back in the Les Savy Fav zone. It's the alien indie funk post punkiness of "Patty Lee" that does it. So it idiosyncratically goes, Let's Stay Together is a total mixed bag, but a super hyper fun one! Sounds like at the heart of it all their aim is to rock you, and they succeed!
MPEG Stream: "The Equestrian"
MPEG Stream: "Patty Lee"

LES SAVY FAV / DAVID CROSS Obsessed With The Excess (Chunklet) 7" 4.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not so much a split or even a collaboration really, this is basically two tracks from spastic indie noise-rockers Les Savy Fav with a David Cross intro / outro on each track. The LSF songs are great, falling somewhere between Deerhoof, Grandaddy and Interpol, equal parts moody throbbing hypno rock, and skronky indie splatter. And the Cross stuff is pretty funny, mildly un-PC as you'd probably expect, but unfortunately quite brief.

LES SOEURS ROGERS [THE ROGERS SISTERS] Les Fantasies Sont Bien (Troubleman Unlimited) cd single 4.98
It's still very early in their career, but those hectic Rogers Sisters, real-life sisters Jennifer and Laura along with their honorary bro' Miyuki Furtado, have already demonstrated a penchant for brevity in each of their releases. Why belabor the subject? Why waste time? Just get in, have yer fun and get out! The Brooklyn-based trio's latest is no exception coming in the form of a bilingual 2-song cd single. The title song is sung in Japanese by Jennifer while the other "45 Prayers" is sung in French by Miyuki. Note: If you've already got their album Three Fingers, you might not really need this unless you're a total completist 'cuz you've already got these songs, albeit in slightly different versions. If you don't have Three Fingers and/or have never heard them yet, this makes for a nice little sneak peek. Very much following in the footsteps of the 70s/80s female post-punk, no wave, and stripped-down funk bands such as Slits, Liliput and ESG with jutting guitars, skronky sax and whooped vocals. Pretty rad!
MPEG Stream: "45 Prayers"

LES TROUBADOURS DU ROI BAUDOIN Missa Luba (El / Cherry Red) cd 17.98
This recording of the Missa Luba - a version of the Roman Catholic Latin Mass filtered through traditional Congolese songs - was made in 1958 by a group of 45 teenaged boys under the direction of a Belgian Franciscan Friar named Father Guido Haazen. It's beautiful to the point that we're stumped as to what else we can say about it, which given how verbose we usually are is probably saying something. We will, however, relate an anecdote: a few days ago a woman came into the shop, spent a good while browsing the stacks, and eventually made her way to the counter to ask for a recommendation. She was hippie-fied in a particularly San Franciscan way, and the only direction that she gave us was that she wanted a record that was going to "open her mind to new possibilities" (we know this sounds like a Scharpling and Wurster bit, but we swear to God that this actually happened!). We scratched our noggins for a few minutes, asked her a few questions about what she did and didn't like, and played her a few things. She walked out with this record, and by all accounts the new possibilities are now a-flowin'...! 
OK, so maybe touting Missa Luba as a catalyst for middle-aged, hippie enlightenment isn't the best way to sell it to aQ list devotees, but a quick straw poll of aQ staffers has this record popping up in the collections of at least 3 of us, all of whose tastes run to some pretty different extremes (on that note, all of us who happen to be lucky owners of the original US lp release from 1965 are excited to see a complete cd reissue that includes the performances of traditional Congolese songs that were left off the only other digital release). Again, it's hard to explain precisely what it is that makes this record so captivating, but there's something about it that is so emotionally pure, honest, humble and beautiful that it's hard to deny. Perhaps it's the fact that we spend so much time listening to dark, hopeless, bleak music - songs about death and drugs and depression and misanthropy and whatever else - that when we hear something as unrepentantly joyous as this record, it throws us for a loop. It's a simple formula - songs of praise sung in a Congolese style by a boys' choir - and it sounds almost exactly like you would expect based on the description (those of you who were thoroughly blown away by the last song on the first side of Mississippi Records' Lipa Kodi Ya City Council LP take note!); however, if you're anything like us, you won't be expecting the effect that these songs will have on you. This is one of those records that grabs you and forces you to listen in a way that makes everything around you stop for a few minutes. Catholic or not, we're positive that's a good thing. Beautiful, essential, perfect.
MPEG Stream: "Banaha (Soldiers' Song)"
MPEG Stream: "Gloria"
MPEG Stream: "Sanctus"

LESBIAN Power Hor (Holy Mountain) cd 14.98
Black Metal. No, wait. Sludge-doom. Wait, no, it's post-rock. Huh? Seattle's Lesbian (who do themselves no favors with their dumb name, although they used to be called Lesbian Witch, not sure if that's better or worse) are, to us, pleasingly confusional and compelling when given a listen, their extended, epic songs -- 4 tracks in 1 hour here, folks -- veering from sheer metallic violence to moody melody to shoegazing stoner space-outs... it's like Wolves In The Throne Room one moment, Pelican or Isis the next. And it's great. Definitely another "heavy" winner from the eccentric Holy Mountain label, fresh from their successes with the likes of Om and Mammatus, two other question-mark-metal bands with heady, hypnotic abilities.
Their throat-torn vocals and the weighty riffage argue for Lesbian's status as metallers, while the many passages of quiet blissfulness reveal a surprisingly sensitive side, just as emotionally effective, each opposed aspect of their music enhancing the power and beauty of the other via Lesbian's devastating dynamics and psychedelic synergy. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Black Forest Hamm"
MPEG Stream: "Powerwhorses"

LESBIAN / OCEAN split (Roadburn / Senor Hernandez) 10" 15.98
We've mentioned it before, but it definitely bears repeating. It's always good to print the speed a record is meant to be played at. If your band is slow and sludgey, droney and dirgey, then odds are it will sound good at both 45 -and- 33, and if you're like us, you'll probably think it sounds better slower, dirgier, heavier, so we're gonna review this split at 33, cuz it sounded better that way. If it was meant to be played at 45, well, everything we're about to say, only slightly higher pitched and a bit faster.
Lesbian are from Seattle and feature a bunch of dudes who have done time in other heavy bands, most notably Asva. They released an awesome album on Holy Mountain a year or two ago. And here, they offer up one track of classic sounding doom, at least at first, soaring minor key guitars, wrapped around crushing drums, harsh demonic vox, strangely haunting and pretty, but as the song develops it gets weirder and weirder, introducing some blasting double kick, some old school eighties style chug complete with guitar harmonies, and some streaks of blurred almost-black metal. Like Khanate meets Iron Maiden, but weirder, and even cooler than that already sounds.
The flipside is a new track from Ocean, from Maine, not to be confused with THE Ocean from Germany, the sound here is brooding post rocky metal, a simple strum, all murky and Godspeedy, slow building, before exploding into a churning low slung sludge, that at 33 is thick and viscous, but maybe slightly less so at 45. Heavy and murky and pummeling, before giving way to a pretty droned out abstract outro.
Packaged in sturdy full color sleeves, pressed on thick opaque yellow vinyl, and most likely limited.

LESCALLEET, JASON The Pilgrim (Glistening Examples) picture disc + cd 35.00
With an artist as prolific as Jason Lescalleet, we're a little ashamed that we've only ever managed to list two of his releases. And both of those were fantastic. One a super limited cd-r on Campbell Kneale's Celebrate Psi Phenomenon label, the other a collaboration with fellow sound artist and long time AQ fave John Hudak. We'll try to remedy that, beginning with this most recent release, an epic and incredibly lovingly assembled sonic tribute to Lescalleet's father who passed away in 2005.
A lot of drone music, minimal experimental music, while sounding cool, often amazingly cool, doesn't always resonate emotionally. A lot of it is dark and mysterious, moody or melancholy, but without lyrics, and with minimal melody, it's hard to convey much emotion. A select few, those with a deft hand at sculpting sound, are able to infuse even the most minimal of musics with feeling and emotion, but lots of music is simply an assemblage of interesting sounds, which truth be told is often enough.
For The Pilgrim, Lescalleet has created an incredibly emotional and moving tribute in sound, to his father, who found a strange and surprising appreciation for his son's music. A combination of field recordings, old tape recordings and live performance, this set is both musically ambitious, and sweetly personal. A combination that in less capable hands could have turned into something maudlin and schmaltzy, instead, The Pilgrim is simply beautiful.
The picture disc features two recordings, both moving in their own way. The first is a live performance recorded shortly after the discovery that his Father's cancer was terminal. Lescalleet begins the set by reading an email from his father, where he explains how much he liked his son's music, and how it reminded him of being young and laying on the floor of the car and feeling the vibrations rumble through his body. And the sounds of bells. Both rich memories for his father. So Lescalleet performs a piece incorporating those elements, the parts of his music that so moved his father. And it is indeed lovely. Deep rumbles, subtle whirs, slowly drifting from barely there shimmer to cavernous roar, but usually hovering dreamily somewhere in between. Toward the end, the sound grows more corrosive, with subtle rhythms surfacing amidst the crackle and buzz, before winding down to silence.
The second recording is a little difficult to listen to, and is extremely intense and personal. While Lescalleet's father was in the hospital, he gave him a hand held recorder, thinking it might lift his spirits to be able to record messages and his thoughts. But his father was incapable of having long conversations, so the whole side is a recording of a hospital room, with bits of mumbled speech, footsteps, snatches of conversations in the hall, very stark and lonely sounding, the room giving the recording a strange natural reverb. Incredibly moving...
The cd is a new 70 minute piece based on those same sounds Lescalleet's father found so appealing: bells, chimes, rumbling vibrations. And it's a gorgeous piece of minimal dronemusic. Murky and bleary eyed, a slow almost funereal drift, the low end sometimes throbbing like the engine of a car, but just as often glistening in abstract smears. Part way through, more and more melody surfaces amidst the dreamy drones, before the track devolves into some serious, and very cathartic noise, crumbling, ultra distorted howls of white noise and blown out buzz, eventually fading out, leaving just the voice of Jason's daughter singing to her grandfather while he was in the hospital, an old Irish folk song. As her song ends, the record drifts off with a dark and barely audible coda of softly struck bells. So intense and poignant and absolutely gorgeous to listen to.
The packaging is divine as well, a deluxe gatefold sleeve, a rich blue on the outside, inside a painting by Lescalleet's brother of their Dad, as well as the printed out email. The lp is a picture disc, one side an old fashioned tape reel, the other a photo of Lescaleeet's Dad eating cake. Inside is a deluxe booklet, with the cd in a pouch on the inside of the cover, lots of liner notes, photos, notes on each track and the whole story of this record.
MPEG Stream: "The Pilgrim CD (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "The Pilgrim CD (excerpt 2)"

LESCALLEET, JASON To The Teeth (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) 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.
Mr. Lescalleet, besides being a loyal aQ customer, is also quite an amazing experimental musician with loads of releases on labels like RRR, Chloe, Cut, Erstwhile and others. To The Teeth is his first release on Campbell Kneale's Celebrate Psi Phenomenon label, and it's a pretty darn good match. Lescalleet definitely traffics in NOISE, but he has a deft touch and his noise is filled with all sorts of subtle shadings and strange dynamics. The first track on To The Teeth starts off with a subtle rumble, which grows into a hiss, and then builds into a thick wall of whirring which finally transforms into a churning pulsing battering ram of white hot staticky fuzz. Track two is a harsh expanse of overloaded circuits and rumbles, all turned into full on rrrroooaaarrrs, the whole track sounds like a trip to hell (if hell was a bottomless pit filled with white hot crackle and analog synthesizers set on fire), where a game of Pong is slowed way down and played for eternity, every blip so distorted they sound like pokes in the eye. The final track is another beast, a bit like laying on a bed of nails while tons of grinding circuitry and huge sonic black holes are dropped on you from above, until eventually a huge barrel of molten white noise is upended and dumped over your bruised and bloody body. Not for the faint of ear!
SUPER LIMITED AS ALWAYS!! NOT SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE WHEN THESE ARE GONE!
MPEG Stream: "Reception"
MPEG Stream: "Light Shines Through Perforations As I Stretch The Fabric"

LESLIE, DESMOND Music Of The Future (Trunk) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The weird and wonderful Trunk records who in the past has brought us unreleased soundtrack music from Dawn Of The Dead, the Psychomania soundtrack, the Flexi-Sex compilation of X-rated flexi discs as well as a handful of archival recordings from the amazing Basil Kirchin, returns with another amazing, and totally bizarre collection, this time it's all sorts of creeped out ambience, demented sound effects, chopped and spliced mood music, haunting drones and all manner of spooky swirly spacey soundtrack music. Originally issued as super limited acetates just for friends, later licensed and re-released on 78rpm library discs, these recordings remained mostly unheard, outside a few science fiction and mystery programs, including Dr. Who!
The story of Leslie's life was about as weird and fascinating as his music: grew up in an Irish castle, became a fighter pilot, wrote one of the earliest new age / UFO books, recorded this here music, quit music, opened a nightclub in a castle, punched out a reviewer who gave a scathing review to his wife's one woman show, wrote some spoof science fiction, finally developed a huge interest in meditation and spirtualism, pursuing both until his death in 2001.
These tracks recorded between 1955 and 1959 are so demented and ahead of their time, they could very well be some dada-ist sound collage from Nurse With Wound or some modern experimental music concrete. Being as this is taken from one of the original acetates, the whole thing sounds warm and fuzzy and slightly distorted, adding to its alien otherworldliness. Lots of primitive tape manipulation, strange found sounds, sped up and slowed down, bathed in reverb and echo, the sounds of flies and wind and whatever else he could get his hands on, all jumbled together into slow moving slabs of ominous creep and freaked out buzz and scuttle, droning and haunting and dark and demented. It's a bit hard to believe music this dense and weird and wonderful could remain lost for so long, or that it could be the product of a man dabbling in music, rather than a musician who had dedicated his whole life and being to sound. Includes Leslie's music for Music Of The Voids Of Outer Space, The Day The Sky Fell In, Death Of Satan and Sacrifice B.C. 5,000, as well as Leslie's original notes on each, and a brief overview of his life and history.
MPEG Stream: "Destruction of The Flies (from The Day The Sky Fell In)"
MPEG Stream: "Asteroid Belt (from Music Of The Voids Of Outerspace)"
MPEG Stream: "Dawn, Invocation (from Sacrifice B.C. 5,000)"

LESLIE, DESMOND Music Of The Future (Trunk) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The weird and wonderful Trunk records who in the past has brought us unreleased soundtrack music from Dawn Of The Dead, the Psychomania soundtrack, the Flexi-Sex compilation of X-rated flexi discs as well as a handful of archival recordings from the amazing Basil Kirchin, returns with another amazing, and totally bizarre collection, this time it's all sorts of creeped out ambience, demented sound effects, chopped and spliced mood music, haunting drones and all manner of spooky swirly spacey soundtrack music. Originally issued as super limited acetates just for friends, later licensed and re-released on 78rpm library discs, these recordings remained mostly unheard, outside a few science fiction and mystery programs, including Dr. Who!
The story of Leslie's life was about as weird and fascinating as his music: grew up in an Irish castle, became a fighter pilot, wrote one of the earliest new age / UFO books, recorded this here music, quit music, opened a nightclub in a castle, punched out a reviewer who gave a scathing review to his wife's one woman show, wrote some spoof science fiction, finally developed a huge interest in meditation and spirtualism, pursuing both until his death in 2001.
These tracks recorded between 1955 and 1959 are so demented and ahead of their time, they could very well be some dada-ist sound collage from Nurse With Wound or some modern experimental music concrete. Being as this is taken from one of the original acetates, the whole thing sounds warm and fuzzy and slightly distorted, adding to its alien otherworldliness. Lots of primitive tape manipulation, strange found sounds, sped up and slowed down, bathed in reverb and echo, the sounds of flies and wind and whatever else he could get his hands on, all jumbled together into slow moving slabs of ominous creep and freaked out buzz and scuttle, droning and haunting and dark and demented. It's a bit hard to believe music this dense and weird and wonderful could remain lost for so long, or that it could be the product of a man dabbling in music, rather than a musician who had dedicated his whole life and being to sound. Includes Leslie's music for Music Of The Voids Of Outer Space, The Day The Sky Fell In, Death Of Satan and Sacrifice B.C. 5,000, as well as Leslie's original notes on each, and a brief overview of his life and history.
MPEG Stream: "Destruction of The Flies (from The Day The Sky Fell In)"
MPEG Stream: "Asteroid Belt (from Music Of The Voids Of Outerspace)"
MPEG Stream: "Dawn, Invocation (from Sacrifice B.C. 5,000)"

LESS Cover, Protective, Individual (Firecode Core) cd 14.98
This is strange indeed. The last Less record (reviewed 2+ years ago) was a blast of MTV ready prog-gloom post-metal, equal parts Tool, Rage Against The Machine and Nine Inch Nails with strange and wonderful math rock filligree a la Don Caballero. We predicted that in a couple years we'd probably be seeing them all over MTV if there was any justice in this world. So you can imagine how surprised we were when we first threw this, the new Less record, on. A completely different beast altogether. Well, not completely. First off, there's not a distorted guitar to be found. Anywhere. And all traces of pounding percussion have been replaced by skittery brushwork and delicate whispery shuffles. The riffs remain, still sort of doomy and heavy, but slowed down, played on a steel string guitar, giving them a sort of backwoods mystery and acoustic urgency. This may be stripped down and acoustic, but it's definitely not wimpy. This is dark and heavy and groovy, grim and sinister, creepy and crawly. Slightly distorted/reverbed vocals wail minor key laments over dirgy minor key doomscapes, vocals slithering between the riffs, tense and intense. Lots of ambient murk, backwoods twang, and sinister groove. Think Sixteen Horsepower crossed with Deadboy And the Elephantmen, or Woven Hand mixed with Agents Of Oblivion, or an even darker, creepier version of Alice In Chains' acoustic record Sap. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Starvation"
MPEG Stream: "Our Sin"

LESS Piano Wire Smile cd 10.98
Local metallic gloom rockers Less (not to be confused with Lesser) spit out a caustic blend of Tool and Don Caballero and Rage Against The Machine. I can't really figure out what this guy is doing releasing his own cds, when he should be on MTV and touring with Tool or Nine Inch Nails or something. Super well recorded, heavy and catchy with great vocals way up in the mix. Weird chugging riffs, relentless rhythms, bizarre squiggly leads, convoluted song structures. Lots of sinister ambience and dark fury. Stretched out melancholy instrumental passages explode into jagged shards of acidic guitar and stuttering syncopated fills. I wouldn't be surprised if in a couple years we saw this guy all over the place, MTV, Spin, whatever. If this were a magazine I might say 'next big thing'. But it's not, so I won't. Not for those of you underground rock snobs, but for those of you who dig Tool, A Pefect Circle, Rage, NIN, that sort of thing, should definitely check this out. Pretty great.
RealAudio clip: "It's Over"
RealAudio clip: "Garrotte"
RealAudio clip: "Mortar"

LESSER Gearhound (Matador UK) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
So here it is. The new Lesser record. On Matador no less. We were all a little afraid, that not wanting to blow his big chance (it's quite a leap from Vinyl Communications to Matador), Jay Lesser was going to soften his attack, blunt his weapons, and make a 'nice' record (one the Plaid/Plone/Boards of Canada crowd could get into) which probably would be okay, but lacking the confusional chaos that we here at AQ love so much but which most people have trouble getting their heads around. Fear not. This is THE record Lesser has been trying to make for years. It all comes together just right. Gone is most of the drum 'n bass dabbling of the last record, and in its place a tangled mess of skittering beats (like a malfunctioning Autechre), funky hiccupping beats patched together from a thousand skipping cds, long stretches of ambient noise, radio interference and just completely random sound. Probably the most difficult Lesser record yet. Certainly the most difficult thing you've heard on Matador. But it's worth the work, because underneath all this mayhem and confusion are some amazing songs, catchy melodies super funky beats, hilarious (usually unrecognizable) samples, and some of the most unique amazing 'sound' you've ever heard. Imagine an Autechre / Merzbow soundclash on New Years Eve, in Central Park, and for some reason their rig is intercepting thousands of cellular phone calls / radio transmissions / crowd sounds, and then it begins to rain, and the whole thing short circuits, causing an ungodly assortment of sizzle and crackle and white noise and total mayhem. It's kind of like that, but with a few pretty parts.
I mean, any record that gets a review calling it "a detriment to humanity" (Stanford Intermission) has got to be great. Most musicians, kings, presidents, criminals and supervillains work their whole lives towards that end and still don't make it.
Hopefully this record will steal some of the Kid606 / Matmos / Blechdom / Kit Clayton thunder and put it back where it probably belonged all along.
Fucking essential.
RealAudio clip: "Deep Sixed in the Back Nine"
RealAudio clip: "Matador Records Tax Deduction"

LESSER Gearhound (Matador UK) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
So here it is. The new Lesser record. On Matador no less. We were all a little afraid, that not wanting to blow his big chance (it's quite a leap from Vinyl Communications to Matador), Jay Lesser was going to soften his attack, blunt his weapons, and make a 'nice' record (one the Plaid/Plone/Boards of Canada crowd could get into) which probably would be okay, but lacking the confusional chaos that we here at AQ love so much but which most people have trouble getting their heads around. Fear not. This is THE record Lesser has been trying to make for years. It all comes together just right. Gone is most of the drum 'n bass dabbling of the last record, and in its place a tangled mess of skittering beats (like a malfunctioning Autechre), funky hiccupping beats patched together from a thousand skipping cds, long stretches of ambient noise, radio interference and just completely random sound. Probably the most difficult Lesser record yet. Certainly the most difficult thing you've heard on Matador. But it's worth the work, because underneath all this mayhem and confusion are some amazing songs, catchy melodies super funky beats, hilarious (usually unrecognizable) samples, and some of the most unique amazing 'sound' you've ever heard. Imagine an Autechre / Merzbow soundclash on New Years Eve, in Central Park, and for some reason their rig is intercepting thousands of cellular phone calls / radio transmissions / crowd sounds, and then it begins to rain, and the whole thing short circuits, causing an ungodly assortment of sizzle and crackle and white noise and total mayhem. It's kind of like that, but with a few pretty parts.
I mean, any record that gets a review calling it "a detriment to humanity" (Stanford Intermission) has got to be great. Most musicians, kings, presidents, criminals and supervillains work their whole lives towards that end and still don't make it.
Hopefully this record will steal some of the Kid606 / Matmos / Blechdom / Kit Clayton thunder and put it back where it probably belonged all along.
Fucking essential.