PIPPILINA Upsquirrel (Independent) cd 12.98
What starts off sounding like a malfunctioning music box possessed by Aphex Twin soon mutates into what one would imagine a pillow fight in a video arcade would like. Look out! Ms PacMan's got Super Mario in a half-nelson! San Francisco's Pippilina (aka Astrid Meeks) has been known to make her frisky lil' twinkie tunes utilizing among other things a Gameboy and a Korg Chaos Pad. And on her full length cd, there's plenty of samplin' and sequencin' mirth and mayhem. Frivolous fun for all ages.
RealAudio clip: "Origami Pilon Hunter"
RealAudio clip: "16 Bit Torch Song"

PIRATE RADIO s/t (Lo5) cd 9.98

PLAN TO PINK Debutante Ball (Extra Small) cd 10.98
A shiny new quartet is here in SF delivering buoyant, jangly guitar pop that initally seems quite straightforward. But wait! Plan To Pink are gonna keep you on your toes with their fair share of unexpected twists and turns in both tempo and style. They move confidently from rollicking feisty punk pop to almost-lullaby mellowness often within the span of one tune. Tandem singers Andria Alefhi and Jaime Borschuk keep right in pace, shifting their vocal delivery (often quite drastically) with grace and ease. Their vocals alternately bring to mind Throwing Muses and Helium. Add some xylophone, viola and a dash of cornet and clarinet for good measure. Voila! What a fine introduction!
RealAudio clip: "Vaudeville Trickster"
RealAudio clip: "Winner At Macy's"

PLAN TO PINK The Spring Project (Extra Small) 7" 3.98
A light, dreamy and all too short record from these Bay Area honey-pie popsters. Me thinks these two songs -- "The Spring Project" and "Lemon Fresh" -- might tickle the fancy of pretty pop fans even more than the quartet's fine Debutante Ball cd from late last year! Super soft and sweet.

PLANET SEVEN The Tomorrow That Never Was (Default) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New disc from this local (track 7: "Lost On Valencia") instrumental surf rock combo. Solid stuff for the genre, groovy, catchy and reverby just like it should be, with a bit of a '60s psych vibe, and also some underlying menace -- you can understand why the dudes in Anthrax once covered the surf classic "Pipeline", there's a definite hidden connection between surf music and metal. Motorhead fans Planet Seven prove that, with some metally licks and an overall "heavy" (for a surf band) sound. Seems like they'd be fun live. Nice cover/booklet art that appears to be taken from old pulpy sci fi paperbacks.
RealAudio clip: "Jack Scratch"
RealAudio clip: "Long Ride"

PLEASED, THE One Piece From The Middle (self-released) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you like The Strokes, this new SF group sound JUST LIKE THEM! The lead vocalist is a deadringer for Julian Casablancas. Slouchy sullen singing over hectic, jangly guitars.
MPEG Stream: "If You Can Afford It"

PLEASURE FOREVER s/t (Sub Pop) cd 15.98
Combining beautiful harmonies and heartbreaking epic songs, the debut album from Pleasure Forever (formerly Slaves) displays elements of the Doors if they were good and the gutwrenchingly despairing parts of great eighties rock such as Swans or the Birthday Party. The recording itself is so complex and layered it's hard to believe this band is a 3-piece. Their music has a magickal force all its own. Don't miss.
RealAudio clip: "Any Port In A Storm"

PONY BOY Stay Out Of Trouble (self-released) cd ep 9.98

POP-O-PIES Pop-O-Anthology: 1984-1993 (Pop-O-Pies) cd 14.98
"Hardcore is a place where upper-middle-class white kids take all the good pan handling spots away from the bums who really need them". So said the irreverent punk rock sage that is Joe Pop-O-Pie in his classic "The Words of Jamal -- The Rainbow Bridge Version". Along with the Butthole Surfers, the Pop-O-Pies were the perfect antidote for punks who were tiring of a stale, formulaic genre and a scene that took itself way too seriously. Started in 1981, the Pop-O-Pies were the brain child of New Jersey raised, 'Frisco' transplant Joe Callahan (A.K.A. Joe Pop-O-Pie). And for those who weren't there for the legendary first two years of its existence, the rumor is true, the Pop-O-Pies really did play only one song: "Truckin'". According to Joe the reason was because the band's lineup changed so often, there really wasn't much time to learn anything more. The end result however, was a band tailor made to piss off punks and hippies (or pseudo-radical youth culture) alike. Joe eventually found a competent, and consistent backing band in the form of none other than Faith No More and recorded the now out of print (and master tapes lost forever, sigh) "White EP" on 415 Records. But that, due to its nonexistent nature, is not the subject of this anthology. The bulk of the material here are the complete Joe's Second (also featuring Faith No More) and Joe's Third Records released in 1984 and 1986 on Subterranean Records -- at the height of punk rock's uber-hip, uber-tough, uber-serious "hardcore" era. If there's one thing that self righteous punks needed at that time, it was a good satirical slap in the face and Joe Pop-O-Pie was there to administer it. And administer he did, replete with well played, overindulgent Hendrix-esque guitar parts market tested to irritate the minimalist punk rock purists. To be fair (to the punks and Joe), that isn't all that the Pop-O-Pies satirize. Joe takes on the music industry ("Industrial Rap"), New York City ("I Love New York"), the Beatles ("I Am the Walrus"), bummed out guys ("Bummed-Out-Guy"), morons ("World-O-Morons"), the Grateful Dead ("Truckin' Slow Version" and "Sugar Magnolia") and much more and all throughout peppered with the unique punk rock salt-of-the-earth wisdom of Joe Pop-O-Pie. Not only does this anthology contain the Second and Third Records in their entirety, but also includes four additional tracks: two from Joe's 1993 comeback "The In Frisco Single" released on Amarillo and two previously unreleased tracks from the same recording session (featuring Mr. Bungle alumni Trey Spruance, Danny Heifetz and Dieselhed bassist Atom Ellis). Included with the disc is a three panel fold out featuring historical notes on the Pop-O-Pies, photos new and old and a brief account of an actual conversation overheard by Robert Mailer Anderson. And what's best is that, buying this, you don't have to worry about the artist getting screwed. Yes, that's right, Joe has come out of hiding himself to put this collection together in 100% true D.I.Y. fashion. So every dollar goes to Joe and not some A&R clown in some office building somewhere.
MPEG Stream: "Truckin' - Slow Version"
MPEG Stream: "The Words of Jamal"

POREST Mood Noose (Resipiscent) cd 11.98
Listen closely to all the recordings by Mark Gergis, and you'll discover a very interesting, subversive thread running through all of his work. Whether it be in his impeccable contributions to the Sublime Frequencies series (i.e. Choubi Choubi, Cambodian Cassette Archives, I Remember Syrai, Molam: Thai Country Groove From Isan), the gleeful recreation of Thai Pop in Neung Phak, or his media reclamation projects Mono Pause and Porest, Gergis delights in what mainstream American culture discounts as alien, invalid, or profane. On occasion, this delight has been tempered with a political animosity, as is most evident in Gergis' curatorial choices on the Choubi Choubi collection of Iraqi pop songs; but through his experiments in media sabotage through Mono Pause and his solo project Porest, Gergis' recontextualization is spiked with searing dissent. Mood Noose is the second outing for Gergis as Porest, and it's a bit of a detour from the Negativland / People Like Us like collages of his earlier work which relied so heavily on black humor in its juxtaposition of sound. Nevertheless, Gergis has constructed an impressive and wholly decentered album in Mood Noose. Opening with spy-thriller horns marching on top of crunchy electronic rhythms, Gergis presents Mood Noose as something of a splattered electronica album full of rewired circuits, hypersaturated granular synthesis, Geiger-counter pinpricks, and slabs of digi-noise. At times, the album seems more in keeping with the Dada-electronic works of Stilluppsteypa or even a fragmented version of some of Bruce Gilbert's solo projects. But these references don't hold much water by the end of the record, as the compositions take wildly divergent paths, as collages of barking dogs and warbled moans crash into Russian pop songs. The most disturbing segment to Mood Noose is the violent argument between a couple as read by two computerized voices, offering a dispassionate delivery of "ouch, Tom, you're hurting me." This is one of those records that will certainly haunt you well after you've stopped listening to it.
MPEG Stream: "Mother Of All Mistakes"
MPEG Stream: "The Key and The String"
MPEG Stream: "Tom and his Wife"

POREST Prude Juice For the Heritage Swinger (Seeland / Electro Motive) cd 14.98
In the great tradition of Negativland, People Like Us, Tape Beatles, Evolution Control Committee and Stock, Hausen & Walkman comes Porest (a.k.a. Mark Gergis of Mono Pause). Porest dis-assembles the world, leaving no cultural and musical stone unturned, to create a twisted, irreverant, post-folk ethnography. We visit a psycho-sexual homicidal Austrian engaged in making "fist dumplings", reciting his quaint and surreal story a la Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant". We're taken on a journey into a world where plastic sheep have been raised the same way for thousands of years, a world where Dan Fogelberg is an avant garde yodeller and where our heroes died for our syrup. Sprinkled throughout are instrumental numbers of equally dis-membered cultural origin, on par with Stock, Hausen & Walkman. Brew yourself a hot cup of Oolan tea, slam several shots of hard NyQuil and let Porest lead you on a journey through musical un-history.
MPEG Stream: "Fist Dumplings"
MPEG Stream: "Pasture Pressure"
MPEG Stream: "Happening"

POREST Tourrorists! (Abduction) cd 14.98
Let it be known, that Tourrorists! is a difficult record, and those with a stubborn lack of cultural objectivity will be wise to avoid this album. You have been warned!
Up until this album, Mark Gergis, the man behind Porest (as well as Mono Pause / Neung Phak), has been quietly mapping out his own course of ethnomusicology that hinges upon the complex layers of cultural perception between the US and the third world. Neung Phak stands as his Thai Pop ensemble, in which he exquisitely explores the particulars of SE Asian pop music complete with re-creations of radio dramas and the eccentric hybridizations of eastern and western idioms; he's also been responsible for some for some of the best collections from the Sublime Frequencies series (i.e. Choubi Choubi and Cambodian Cassette Archives). Porest is Gergis' media-manipulation project, and Tourrorists! will undoubtably go down as his most inflamatory and most provocative work. Tourrorists is a scathing political record that unabashedly takes on the themes of 9/11, Guantanamo, Arabic conspiracy theories about Israeli secret police (Mossad), and Christian missionaries. However, unlike the politically charged works of Negativland, Gergis refuses to center the album from a particular political or cultural institution (whether that be atheism, socialism, anarchism, etc.); instead, he challenges the listener to question his or her own politics and cultural perspective about any of the topics. Case in point, "Let's Roll" recontextualizes various media snippets from the 9/11 hearings as well as Jihadist rhetoric through computerized voices that emulate the inflection of an American woman, an American man, and an African-American man. There's something intrinsically disturbing about these dispassionate spoken texts, not to mention the wildly contradictory banter between these three characters. Similarly, Gergis collages a particularlly banal public service announcement into a matter of fact "Soilent Green is people!" declaration. Gergis also gives an English translation to the classic collaboration between Aaviko and Kabar on "Eye of the Leopard" originally sung by the only known escapee from Guantanamo. Alan Bishop from the Sun City Girls also makes a stunning cameo on the summery groove of "Hoyda." None of this speaks of the intricacy of Gergis' musical productions which run from mangled electronics, plenty post-SCG Syrian pop numbers, and canned bossanova rhythms; but, it's the ideological content that renders this album a pipe bomb. Tourrorists! is bound to piss you off or offend you in some way shape or form; and we mean that as a very high compliment.
MPEG Stream: "Let's Roll"
MPEG Stream: "Hoyda"
MPEG Stream: "Meat Supply"

PORRO, CHRIS Lampreys And Gigolos (self-released) cd 11.98
Lampreys And Gigolos is the debut album from this SF storytelling songsmith, and quite an impressive introduction it is! The songs that Chris Porro crafts run the gamut from earthy heartfelt folk ("Secret Story") to straight-up catchy pop ("Pop Star") -- often akin to the broad scope of Robert Pollard of Guided By Voices. His warm, lilting voice is sometimes reminiscent of Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer of The Posies and other times of Chris Isaak. Along the way, Porro embellishes his path with interesting lil' noise details and lush string and organ treasures here 'n' there. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Secret Story"
MPEG Stream: "Pop Star"

PORT O'BRIEN When The Rain Comes (self-released) cd 8.98
On the opening track of their debut album When The Rain Comes, Oaklanders Port O'Brien struck us as being quite vocally reminiscent of the frailty of This Heat (particularly their vocals in "Fall Of Saigon" from their self-titled album). From there though mainman Van Pierzalowski keeps things much more in a straightforward rough-hewn folkiness mode that in turn brings to mind early Bright Eyes. Some rousing whistlin' and hollerin' embellish the tune "Split" which is followed by the ultra hushed delicate number "Dance With Our Ashes". Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Two Suns"
MPEG Stream: "Split"

POSITIVE KNOWLEDGE Another Day's Journey (Music & Arts) cd 14.98
Oluyemi Thomas: Bass clarinet, C-melody, soprano saxophones, bamboo flute & percussion.

Ijeoma Thomas: Poetic vocals and percussion.

Roberto de Haven: Percussion.

POTION Among Dreams (www.potionmusic.com) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you love the warm female vocals of Call And Response or in fact those of '70s singers Helen Reddy or Maureen McGovern (remember the theme from "Poseidon Adventure"?), then hop to it! The SF duo known as Potion embrace many genres but most often find their way back to a smooth, lounge-y sound. A low and lilting, calming debut.

PRE-TEENS Sunday Morning Service (11345 Records) cd 9.98
With the female yowls of Sleater Kinney, the in-your-face sweet presence of Mates of State, and indie rock power chords that twist your heart ever so painfully, the Pre-Teens break out with their second album. Possibly a little derivative but their hearts are totally in the right place.
RealAudio clip: "Railing"

PRE-TEENS Why Don't You Marry It? (Sassy Wench) cd 9.98
Yes, emo-boy-core seems perpetual, but we haven't really heard much from the emo-girl camp in some time, have we? Well, here we have The Pre-Teens: polished guitar pop that bounces us back to the mid-'90s. Swooping from feisty hit-the-road driving tunes to soft, thoughtful dreamers. It's already garnered plenty of inquiries and positive comments from in-store play. For For fans of Kristin Hersh, Jale or maybe even Team Dresch.

PROOF The Magazine of Virtuous Reality, Issue No. 2 magazine 5.95
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new issue -- the second ever -- of one of our favorite local magazines, the eclectic and unusual Proof, published and edited by dapper AQ-customer Neil Martinson. Proof #1 came out a few years ago, and we've been waiting patiently since then, never faltering in our belief that one day we'd be seeing more proof of Proof's unique perspective in the world of 'zinedom.
Proof is a journal of arts and culture -- sometimes quite obscure, but always interesting. I'd pretty much guarantee you'll learn something from reading an issue. You get your $5.95 worth, this sure isn't a throw-away zine. Yes, there's "pop-culture" content, stuff about movies and music. But even that's got quite an obscure slant -- a Caroliner interview, a piece on Plastikville Records, an autobiographical piece by editor Martinson deaing with Disney movies made by Patrick "The Prisoner" MacGoohan in the masked avenger role of Dr. Syn, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh -- but also some deep philosophical discussions with the likes of Goethean scholar Dennis Klocek, deep thoughts about sheep and goats, an essay about the dadists' girlfriends, and much much more (including additional info about scarecrows as a sidebar to the Disney movie piece). Plus cartoons by Archer Prewitt and Bradley Johnson. It's a lot to take in, requiring a bit of an intellectual curiosity or at least a poetic spirit -- certainly qualities present in most, if not all Aquarius customers!

PUNY HUMANS No One Will Ever Understand Our Genious cd 9.98
What kind of an album would feature on its back cover a still from "The Big Lebowski" with Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and John Goodman sitting at a bar in a bowling alley -- all wearing black metal corpse paint??!? And feature music that kinda actually *sounds* like that picture might sound?? One by the notorious Steven Schultz (of The History Of Vats, Stalin Claus Superstar!, Busuchan, and I Forgot To Get A Rap Name! infamy) and fellow musical mastermind/masturbator Jason Kocol, of course! "No One Will Ever Understand Our Genious" is a more than apt album title for this duo's output. Genious [sic] put to questionable use. Embarrassing but stoopid funny music nerd indulgence, with the boys' sick chops in metal, jazz, dance music and whatever else they choose to abuse making the likes of Mr. Bungle and Estradasphere and Frank Zappa seem like mere puppies next to these Puny Humans. A silly genre-shift every 1.5 seconds or so, with blasting metal giving way to kazoo blues interrupted by circus music then back to the metal but with tinkling bells and sampled interjections from Flava Flav and house beats and skits and the quiet storm etc. etc. etc. Good grief! The mind reels, the throat chortles. This is really over the top. There's skits (y'know, the producers talking like on a rap record) and they even stoop so low as to sample the Benny Hill Theme at one point. Yes, the dumb humor driving this is SO dumb and relentless that it might even be brilliant. I mean, can you argue with songs that actually live up to song titles like "Deicide At Their Mom's House", "Sweep-Picking The Flugelhorns", and "Wouldja Look At The Ass On That Mummy?". Nope, or at least you wouldn't want to waste your time. Of course, without the dumb humor this mighta been the best ridiculous meta-metal ever, like if they were Japanese or something and we didn't "get" the jokes. But with the humor, it still shows Mr. Bungle where to get off. We really can't help but like it despite ourselves. Trying too hard to be insane -- and succeeding!!
MPEG Stream: "Thorax, Ho!"
MPEG Stream: "Hey, There's Always Urine!"

PUSSYFINGER Chew & Swallow (Dielectric) cd 12.98
We're pretty sure that Drucifer (Aq pal, turntablist Die Elektrischen, head of Dielectric records, etc.) named his new band, a laptop duo with Dielectric labelmate Carson Day, ahem... Pussyfinger, just so we'd have to keep saying it out loud, inevitably causing the speaker, and the speakee, to either wince or giggle or both. It's been a running joke around the shop. "Hey did we get more of that new Dielectric record, you know, the one with Drucifer and Carson...you know... um..." We've come to embrace the name now. Pussyfinger. See? PUSSYFINGER! So besides the provocative monicker, what's all the fuss about? Well, Pussyfinger is the scientific laptop duo of Drew Webster aka Drucifer (see above) and Carson Day, who have melded their individual approaches to music and the laptop in particular and come up with something skittery and electronic enough to keep Boards Of Canada fans in a tizzy, but fucked up enough to keep 'em seriously confused. Pussyfinger's sound is an organic clatter, it IS glitchy laptronica, but it's arranged and presented like songs, you know like real songs. The elements are distinctly organic, but chopped and sliced and diced in a totally inorganic way. Strings resonate and buzz, but are processed into weird ambient smears of sound. Vocals are all over the place, but they are so fucked with they end up sounding like just another random sound element. The core sound is still electronica, IDM even, there is an Autechre streak a mile wide running through Chew And Swallow, and that's definitely not a bad thing. Things do get noisy at times, thick washes of digital feedback and some full on harsh noise, but there are also some truly lovely moments of tranquil ambience that sort of balance the equation. Ultimately it's the skittery shuffle that is the framework for Pussyfinger's electronic world, think BoC, Autechre, a little Aphex, a bit of Chris Clark, Pussyfinger would not be at all out of place on Warp, but they would definitely bring a bit of black humor and some serious sonic dissent along with them.
Beautifully packaged, with truly horrific, but somehow strangely striking cover art, the perfect complement to Pussyfinger's oh so problematic sobriquet!
MPEG Stream: "Kurenai (Samul Nori Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Mala Gente"

QBERT Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Features that legendary tear-up of Rush's "Tom Sawyer" before Z-Trip or Mix Master Mike ever got a hold of it. Includes bonus cuts with DJ Disk and Shortkut. This is a Japanese compact disc pressing of the rare samenamed cassette issued by the Piklz.

QBERT Wave Twisters (Galactic Butt Hair) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The first proper album from the mad scientist of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz is "a trans-galactic deconstructed symphony of head-wringing turntablist godliness with booty-bruisin' beats communicated via microcosmic creatures hidden deep within the grooves. Layered in vinyl generated sound collages, samples, and of course Q-Bert's unequaled skratch style, it's an orgasmically dental fresh hip-hop sound explosion of the first order!"

QBERT Wave Twisters (Galactic Butt Hair) lp 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The first proper album from the mad scientist of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz is "a trans-galactic deconstructed symphony of head-wringing turntablist godliness with booty-bruisin' beats commucnicated via microcosmic creatures hidden deep within the grooves. Layered in vinyl generated sound collages, samples, and of course Q-Bert's unequaled skratch style, it's an orgasmically dental fresh hip-hop sound explosion of the first order!"

QBERT & YOGA FROG Canadian Kung Fu (ISP Vision) videotape 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"In Turntable TV 5.0, take a journey to the north with Yoga Frog and Q-Bert to the cold lands of Canada. Take a sneak peek at a behind-the-scenes look at the pre-DMC practice sessions with the Turnstyles crew and other Canadian DJs. Plus hear some cool interviews with all the DMC contestants as well. Watch ultra rare scratch sessions with Mix Master Mike, Q-Bert, Shortkut, and D-Styles. To top it off experience the deadly kung fu lessons by no other than the infamous toadman, with fight scenes of DJ Fat Blubber Belly."

QBERT, DJ Cop Porn Breaxxx (Dirtstyle) lp 14.98
His name doesn't appear anywhere on this record, but Qbert is da guy what compiled these breaks for your inner DJ. The sleeve is pretty brilliant too, it folds into a popcorn box! Perfect companion to your new Qbert how-to dvd that you bought last week!

QUAILS, THE Atmosphere + (Inconvenient) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The kids love this energetic San Francisco trio, who have recently been seen touring about with Erase Errata and Sleater Kinney. And Sleater-Kinney comparisons, while sometimes arising out of a reviewer's lack of familiarity with a broad range of female oriented post punk sounds, are relevant here to describe The Quails girl-girl-boy vocal interchanges. At points, the heavily affected vocal stylings make us here put our hands over our collective ears, although "Atmosphere" is definitely not as ouch! as their testicle liberation opera "Bon Soir." If you do dig the vocals, or at least don't mind them, you'll have a great time getting down to their highly accessible, poppy take on the arty punk thang.
RealAudio clip: "Riding The 5"
RealAudio clip: "Soon The Rest Will Fall"

QUAILS, THE The Song Is Love (Mr. Lady) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Who can resist feisty art punk with horns? If you can't, the first song on this album is for YOU! Made us eager for more, but unfortunately the trumpet only appears on that opening track. Dang! But the rest is pretty great nonetheless, packed with edgy female vocals (still drawing comparisons to Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker) occasionally coupled with more subdued male backing vocals, angular raw guitars that veer and twist as if teetering precariously on a cliff, and a driving firecracker drumbeat that seems considerably tighter than on previous releases. Actually the whole picture seems a lot more feverishly focussed (and a little less poppy) that their last full length, the well received Atmosphere+. Hmmm, a bill of The Quails coupled with Erase Errata and Sleater-Kinney would make for a damn fine show. Yeah, I know this has already happened -- these bands have toured together in the past. However on The Song Is Love, The Quails are bursting with an increased confidence and attitude that would surely add ample fuel to such a blistering fun evening of rock. Indeed The Quails seem to be the bridge between those two bands -- particularly in the aforementioned swooping grrrl vocals of S.K., the jagged postpunk dissonance of E.E., and the volatile energy of both. Right on!
MPEG Stream: "More Gender, More Of The Time"
MPEG Stream: "What I Saw"

QUAILS, THE We are The Quails (Inconvenient Press & Recordings) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Local trio featuring Jen Smith, Julianna Bright and Seth Lorinczi formerly of Circus Lupus (although *don't* take that to mean that if you liked the late great Circus Lupus, you'll necessarily like The Quails). Herky jerky quirky pop with all members trading off vocals, duelling lead guitars that weave together, and a hefty dose of Raincoats-style DIY arty punk.
RealAudio clip: "Don't Do That"
RealAudio clip: "Brighter"

RACHEL'S / MATMOS Full On Night (Quarterstick) cd 12.98
This release from Rachel's and Matmos will undoubtedly warrant sufficient critical consternation / amazement / hate / love simply based on the unusual pairing of the two sets of musicians. Rachel's - the indierock answer to a chamber ensemble - present a shortened but reconstructed version of "Full on Night" originally found on their first album "Handwriting." This updated version dynamically rearranges the original such that it maintains its antiquited sound (delicate played piano with a reserved guitar angularity)... It's super sparse at first and mutates by the end of the track into something quite rockin', especially for the Rachel's.
San Francisco's electronica duo Matmos, by turn, apply a wealth of electronic trickery to the Rachel's sound. Scraped violin and a guitar din similar to the Moore / Ranaldo duets for guitars and screwdrivers emerge from a digidubscape that gets quite volatile by the end of Matmos' 18 minute excursion. While apparently not overly concerned with keeping the Rachel's material recognizable, Matmos mirrors the out-rock / chop-shop of Brise-Glace -- that project fronted by Jim O'Rourke many many moons back.
This is one of those records that the staff in the office is so confounded by that they have to run out to the front room to find out what's playing. I mean, you'd never guess.

RACHEL'S / MATMOS Full On Night (Quarterstick) lp 12.98
This release from Rachel's and Matmos will undoubtedly warrant sufficient critical consternation / amazement / hate / love simply based on the unusual pairing of the two sets of musicians. Rachel's - the indierock answer to a chamber ensemble - present a shortened but reconstructed version of "Full on Night" originally found on their first album "Handwriting." This updated version dynamically rearranges the original such that it maintains its antiquited sound (delicate played piano with a reserved guitar angularity)... It's super sparse at first and mutates by the end of the track into something quite rockin', for Rachel's.
San Francisco's electronica duo Matmos, by turn, applies a wealth of electronic trickery to the Rachel's sound. Scraped violin and a guitar din similar to the Moore / Ranaldo duets for guitars and screwdrivers emerge from a digidubscape that gets quite volatile by the end of Matmos' 18 minute excursion. While apparently not overly concerned with keeping the Rachel's material recognizable, Matmos mirrors the out-rock / chop-shop of Brise-Glace -- that project fronted by Jim O'Rourke many many moons back.
This is one of those records that the staff in the office is so confounded by that they have to run out to the front room to find out what's playing. I mean, you'd never guess.

RADHAKRISHNAN, PRASANT East Facing (Lotus Music) cd 14.98
When it comes to specific musical instruments it's definitely tough for us to be won over by the sax. It's an instrument that all too often employed by those who have no business using it (think Kenny G, bad '80s pop rock, etc.) It's questionable use has made it so that even in respected jazz we almost cringe at its use unless its by one of the very few sax masters. So we knew immediately that this record by Carnatic player Prasant Radhakrishnan was something very special when it began with the sounds of a gorgeous alto sax. Part of it was the fact that the sax was being played in a way we had never really heard the instrument used before. Radhakrishnan's ability to bring together the disciplines of Classical South Indian music with Jazz is something he does grace and style. Equally influenced by John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins as much as D.K. Jayaraman and his guru Kadri Gopalnath, Radhakrishnan essentially uses the Sax to play ragas while his group adds violin and traditional Carnatic percussion to round out the sound. Now living right here in San Francisco, Radhakrishnan has found a perfect place to share his transcendent sounds with lots of open minds and ears.
MPEG Stream: "Varnam"
MPEG Stream: "Kshinamai"

RADIUS Please Hold On (self-released) cd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Radius is the new collaboration between Mr. Mark Edwards and Mr. Jeff Ray (also of SF band Zmrzlina and one of the main organizers of the Mission Creek Music Festival). This cd-r features nine pretty acoustic folk songs laced with some very subtle electronics. Quite akin to N. Lannon... actually we put this on right after playing Lannon's Chemical Friends album and they fit together almost seamlessly. Very nice!
MPEG Stream: "Apartment"
MPEG Stream: "Early Morning"

RAL PARTHA VOGELBACHER Shrill Falcons (Monotreme Records Ltd.) cd 14.98
SF's Ral Partha Vogelbacher unleash their boyish indie rock charms right from the get go on this their third album. Mainman Chad Bidwell sings his deeply personal lyrics in the drollest fashion that reminded us of cross between AQ faves Casiotone For The Painfully Alone's Owen Ashworth and Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields. The musical backdrop (provided by local pals Thee More Shallows and a guest appearance from Odd Nosdam on the track "New Happy Fawn") though is unlike that of either of those artists. As far as we can tell despite the album's title Shrill Falcons, neither piercing sounds nor feathered friends can be found anywhere. What it is filled with is very slouchy yet perky distorted jangly guitars, hazy droning keyboards and infectious hummable melodies. Another reason to get that fuzzy well-worn cardigan out of storage!
Psst, the band enlisted the fine seamstress skills of AQ's very own Pam to stitch a flag version of the album's cover art.
MPEG Stream: "Three Gorges"
MPEG Stream: "New Happy Fawn"

RASCO Time Waits for No Man (Stone's Throw) cd 14.98
Local underground rapper's long-awaited full length with guest appearances by Dilated Peoples, DJ Babu of the Beat Junkies turntablists, etc. Produced and released by the Peanut Butter Wolf.

RASCO Time Waits for No Man (Stone's Throw) lp 14.98
Local underground rapper's long-awaited full length with guest appearances by Dilated Peoples, DJ Babu of the Beat Junkies turntablists, etc. Produced and released by the Peanut Butter Wolf.

RAY'S VAST BASEMENT By A River Burning Blue (RVB) cd 11.98
Finally, the second and final (?) installment in the epic musical/fictional world that is Ray's Vast Basement. Smoke-y and murky song-stories following the life and times of the residents of Drakeville. Dreamy and surreal, By A River Burning Blue is equal parts Tom Waits, Sparklehorse, classic Nebraska-era Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Butch Hancock, Dire Straits, etc. Slow melancholy classic sounding rock songs, lushly produced, intimate and hushed. Sweet and lovely. For those new to RVB, the songs all chronicle the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, a fictional cave in the town of Drakesville about which all the songs are written. The complete set is also now available with the debut cd, the new cd as well as a songbook and set of beautifully printed cards.
MPEG Stream: "Invisible Chords"
MPEG Stream: "Grey"

RAY'S VAST BASEMENT On The Banks Of Time (RVB) cd 11.98
One of the most refreshing listens we've heard in a long long while, Ray's Vast Basement is a collection of perfectly-crafted, honest-to-gosh SONGS written in the tradition of gravelly-voiced observers-of-life such as John Prine, Bob Dylan, and especially Butch Hancock, one of the four founding members of Austin's legendary Flatlanders (who also spawned Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Oh, and Andee thinks they sound a little like the Dire Straits. "On the Banks of Time" is a fully formed aesthetic triumph.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS REGULAR VERSION OF THIS CD, WITHOUT THE ADDED EXTRAS: LYRIC BOOKLET, TIMELINE CARDS ETC. WE CAN GET THE DELUXE VERSION FOR YOU. THE COST IS $25.The lyric booklet and stunningly executed, heartbreakingly poignant series of 60 cards detailing the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, the fictional cave in the town about which all the songs are written (which were included with the original pressing) are now available for purchase at the band's website.
RealAudio clip: "Why Can't I Be Slow"
RealAudio clip: "Swan of Vancouver"
RealAudio clip: "I Can Be Alone"

RAY'S VAST BASEMENT On The Banks Of Time (Deluxe Version) (RVB) cd 25.00
One of the most refreshing listens we've heard in a long long while, Ray's Vast Basement is a collection of perfectly-crafted, honest-to-gosh SONGS written in the tradition of gravelly-voiced observers-of-life such as John Prine, Bob Dylan, and especially Butch Hancock, one of the four founding members of Austin's legendary Flatlanders (who also spawned Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Oh, and Andee thinks they sound a little like the Dire Straits. "On the Banks of Time" is a fully formed aesthetic triumph.
The lyric booklet and stunningly executed, heartbreakingly poignant series of 60 cards detailing the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, the fictional cave in the town about which all the songs are written (which were included with the original pressing) are available in this deluxe version.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE DELUXE VERSION OF THIS CD, WITH ALL THE ADDED EXTRAS: LYRIC BOOKLET, TIMELINE CARDS ETC. WE CAN GET THE REGULAR VERSION FOR YOU, TOO. THE COST IS $12.98.
RealAudio clip: "Why Can't I Be Slow"
RealAudio clip: "Swan of Vancouver"
RealAudio clip: "I Can Be Alone"

RAY'S VAST BASEMENT Starvation Under Orange Trees (Howells Transmitter) cd 9.98
Have the usually completely d.i.y. folks Ray's Vast Basement thrown open their secret subterranean workshop to welcome other like-minded burgeoning music makin' folks? Sure seems so, and the results are nothing short of wonderful. The RBV sound is so burnished, earthy and rustic that if they do indeed have a basement, then we'd imagine it's nestled amid the roots of a great redwood instead of beneath a building somewhere here in the city. Their new album comes to us by way of young Bay Area indie label Howell's Transmitter which is home to the likes of Michael Zapruder's Rain Of Frogs, Modular Set and Black Fiction. It's a perfect fit. The music on Starvation Under Orange Trees grew forth from a soundtrack composed by band leader Jon Bernson for the Actors Theatre Of San Francisco. Each song is inspired by one of the literary works of John Steinbeck -- Of Mice And Men, Grapes Of Wrath, Cannery Row, East Of Eden, and Tortilla Flats. All are infused with an overcast gravity befitting Steinbeck's pervading themes of common man hardships. Bernson is joined by guests Tim Cohen (Black Fiction), Sean Coleman (Kelley Stoltz), Larry Crane (Tape Op Magazine), Enzo Garcia (Jolie Holland), Matt Greenberg (Charles Atlas), Nate Query (The Decemberists), and Michael Zapruder (Michael Zapruder's Rain Of Frogs). Together they strike a balance between their old intimate, crafty charms and some newer, more ambitious compositions. Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "California's Gone"
MPEG Stream: "Black Cotton"

RAY'S VAST BASEMENT The Drakesville Mythology (RVB) 2 x cd, songbook, cards 38.00
This is it! The complete Drakesville mythology. Those of you who have the first Ray's Vast Basement album know just what we're talking about. For those of you who don't, the Mythology of Drakesville has been in the works for nine years, an interwoven, fictional culture of music, stories, history and imagery, all revolving around an imagined cave called Ray's Vast Basement and the eccentric residents of the northern California town of Drakesville. The story is told via the two RVB cds as well as a gorgeously printed songbook and set of cards. Here's what we had to say about the first RVB album:
One of the most refreshing listens we've heard in a long long while, Ray's Vast Basement is a collection of perfectly-crafted, honest-to-gosh SONGS written in the tradition of gravelly-voiced observers-of-life such as John Prine, Bob Dylan, and especially Butch Hancock, one of the four founding members of Austin's legendary Flatlanders (who also spawned Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Oh, and Andee thinks they sound a little like the Dire Straits. "On the Banks of Time" is a fully formed aesthetic triumph. There's also a lyric booklet and stunningly executed, heartbreakingly poignant series of 60 cards detailing the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, the fictional cave in the town about which all the songs are written.
And elsewhere on this list you'll find the review of the second album and final piece of the Drakesville story:
Finally, the second and final (?) installment in the epic musical/fictional world that is Ray's Vast Basement. Smoke-y and murky song-stories following the life and times of the residents of Drakeville. Dreamy and surreal, By A River Burning Blue is equal parts Tom Waits, Sparklehorse, classic Nebraska-era Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Butch Hancock, Dire Straits, etc. Slow melancholy classic sounding rock songs, lushly produced, intimate and hushed. Sweet and lovely. For those new to RVB, the songs all chronicle the 100,000,000-year history of Ray's Basement, a fictional cave in the town of Drakesville about which all the songs are written.
This set includes both cds, the songbook and the printed cards. So cool!
MPEG Stream: "Invisible Chords"
MPEG Stream: "Grey"

REACHING QUIET. In The Shadow Of The Living Room (Mush) cd 14.98
Why? and Odd Nosdam from Anticon/Mush mainstays cLOUDEAD and Greenthink demonstrate that they do nothing but record 24 hours a day by releasing their 500th record under as many different names. And again cries of quality control are quashed by just how fucking great EVERYTHING they do is! Reaching Quiet is sort of more song based, with totally tweaked (but amazingly creative) production, bizarre samples, low-fi beats, hammond organs, -and- the kitchen sink all crafted into demented little pop song/hip hop tidbits with lots of strange vocalising, rapping, spoken word, melodic warbling and flat out wailing. Sometimes haunting and otherworldy, sometimes dark and dreary sometimes goofy and silly, but always really, really good.
RealAudio clip: "Your Fish"
RealAudio clip: "Mother You're Long Gone"
RealAudio clip: "She Ain't Gonna Call You Back"

RED HOUSE PAINTERS Songs for a Blue Guitar (Island/Polygram) cd 15.98

RED THREAD, THE After The Last (Badman) cd 13.98
Jason Lakis of local band Half Film has a new band, The Red Thread. This debut album is lovely, unhurried, and consistently engaging. Mixes the hushed languor and downtrodden vocal delivery of Red House Painters, the clean, pure melancholy of Scud Mountain Boys, some Fahey-like exploratory guitar. Doesn't scream for attention but attention is nonetheless rewarded, as it is with the abovementioned bands, or groups like Low and Tindersticks. And Steely Dan, *that's* who Red Thread reminds me of. An overall minor key tone never becomes cloying, there's occasional subtle harmonizing and sprightly pedal steel. Very nice! Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Subject to Change"
MPEG Stream: "All In"

RED THREAD, THE Ship In The Attic, Birds In The Subway (Badman) cd 13.98
This is great! If the day has become overcast, this just might be the album to put on... that is if you want something to lure you deeper into that drizzly, hot chocolate-required state. The Red Thread's wistful music will offer you comforting shelter. Along with mainman Jason Lakis' own trademark understated, lilting mellowness cushioned by a warm combo of acoustic and electric guitar, you might also perceive the lush heartache pop sensibilities of bands like Pernice Brothers or Low and, forgive me if this sounds nuts, but maybe even an occasional dash of '70s classic rock influences a la Blue Oyster Cult too. Unlike the ship and birds in the album title, everything here seems fittingly (and lovingly) arranged in their places. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Long Arm"
MPEG Stream: "Treasure Island"

RED THREAD, THE Tension Pins (Badman) cd 13.98
So oddly familiar! Red Thread remind me of a band from the '90s... can't quite put my finger on it. Help! And no it's not Half Film, The Red Thread mainman Jason Lakis' previous band. Hmmm, at any rate the familiarity makes listening to this album quite a comforting experience. Anyways this is his second solo album, that continues on in his moody mellow rock path. Tension Pins is rich with forlorn beauty, strong songwriting, warm twangy productions. Lakis' vocals sounds like a drowsy Britt Daniel of Spoon (no, that's not who R.T. remind me of either!). There's some real treasures here. One of the album's best just might be the third song "Five Below", give 'er a listen! For fans of Red House Painters, Pernice Brothers and the Czars.
MPEG Stream: "Five Below"
MPEG Stream: "Counting Stitches"

RELLIK Killer (Doomed Planet) lp 14.98
Digging up more rare metal history (starting with the Solitude Aeturnus demos vinyl pressing), Rob Preston's Doomed Planet label presents a reissue of obscure '80s Bay Area (non-thrash!) metal act Rellik's lone 12", with unreleased bonus tracks filling it out to full-length status. On vinyl only, of course, and limited to 500 copies, almost sold out. OK, most folks who get this list probably won't be interested, but we're listing it for those who'll be searching for it on the internet. And besides, Rob's got good taste in metal -- this is pretty good in the mid-'80s Metal Blade vein (a la Omen, Cirith Ungol).

REPLICATOR Validation Complex (self-released) cd-r ep 4.98
Picking up from right where they left off with last year's cd "Winterval", Replicator's follow-up comes in the form of a cd-r. They've taken their loud/quiet approach up a few notches, leaning much more on the former this time out. Aggressive, and angstful vocals with tense, raw guitars and bass. Containing four tracks totalling approximately 20 minutes of rock.

RealAudio clip: "Bawkbakawk Bawkbagone"

REPLICATOR You Are Under Surveillance (Substandard) cd 9.98

RESIDENTS, THE Commercial Album (Cryptic / Mute) cd 20.00
Probably the second most talked about Residents album, and some would argue their last great effort, is the brilliant Commercial Album. The concept was to craft 40 pop gems (in true Residents fashion) each spanning exactly 60 seconds (to match the time of the average television commercial in 1980). With the help of some of their friends: Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Andy Partridge and of course Nessie Lessons and Snakefinger, the Residents crafted some truly beautiful, surreal and poignant tunes; each one completely trimmed of any excess fat. A classic Residents album wouldn't be complete without a jab at the Beatles, included here as the "Simple Song". Other songs take on psycho-sexual topics, dream-like narratives twisted love songs and down right non sequiturs. This special edition comes packaged in a hardcover booklet with lyrics to the songs and new images from videos the Residents have been working on to complete the entire song cycle of videos they started in the eighties.
MPEG Stream: "Die In Terror"
MPEG Stream: "Loss of Innocence"
MPEG Stream: "Moisture"