SHE'S, THE Then It Starts To Feel Like Summer (self-released) cd 9.98
We'd been hearing about this new San Francisco band The She's for a while now, friends who have seen them live have been totally raving to us about 'em. We can see why now, as this is full on bright colored, punchy pop bliss!
While we are in the crisp and cold time of winter right now, these songs are bringing us the hope of warmth and sunshine that springtime and summer will surely bring. Such an awesome feeling when the first time you ever hear a band you immediately feel the same way you did when you heard bands that have become all-time favorites. Think of some awesome version of Best Coast stripping away the lo-fi vibes and going on a road trip in a red convertible with the first Weezer album and The Breeders' Last Splash, and you start to get an idea of what kind of pop perfection The She's have created with this debut.
While lots of other new bands have been great at tapping into a sound or era with their aesthetic, The She's are a refreshing reminder of how great it is to hear a new band that believes in SONGS. Pretty much every song on here is filled with such inciting hooks and melodies. We have a strong feeling that The She's could be the next San Francisco band who could make it kinda big, this is awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Running"
MPEG Stream: "Then It Starts To Feel Like Summer"
MPEG Stream: "Put It All Together"

SHE'S, THE Then It Starts To Feel Like Summer (self-released) lp 15.98
NOW ON LP!
We'd been hearing about this new San Francisco band The She's for a while now, friends who have seen them live have been totally raving to us about 'em. We can see why now, as this is full on bright colored, punchy pop bliss!
While we are in the crisp and cold time of winter right now, these songs are bringing us the hope of warmth and sunshine that springtime and summer will surely bring. Such an awesome feeling when the first time you ever hear a band you immediately feel the same way you did when you heard bands that have become all-time favorites. Think of some awesome version of Best Coast stripping away the lo-fi vibes and going on a road trip in a red convertible with the first Weezer album and The Breeders' Last Splash, and you start to get an idea of what kind of pop perfection The She's have created with this debut.
While lots of other new bands have been great at tapping into a sound or era with their aesthetic, The She's are a refreshing reminder of how great it is to hear a new band that believes in SONGS. Pretty much every song on here is filled with such inciting hooks and melodies. We have a strong feeling that The She's could be the next San Francisco band who could make it kinda big, this is awesome!
MPEG Stream: "Running"
MPEG Stream: "Then It Starts To Feel Like Summer"
MPEG Stream: "Put It All Together"

SHEPPARD, AARON Leverage (Psychic Arts) cd-r 8.98
So many cd-r's come our way on what seems like a daily basis, but it isn't often that one of them immediately stops us in our tracks on first listen. These seven tracks by Aaron Sheppard have done just that. Haunting psychedelic solo guitar that manages to be both meditative, spacey, and focused all at the same time. We had no idea who Sheppard was when this first showed up, but his playing won us over immediately. Like Roy Montgomery and James Blackshaw conjuring up a soundtrack for a dazed afternoon, Leverage also has moments that make us think of vintage Robert Fripp, the beauty of Heldon's second album Allez Teia, as well as the recent mind blowing output of Matt Baldwin that we've raved about in the last year. Alternating between more grounded finger-picking tracks to more melting and stretched out sounds, this is by far one of the most engaging and rewarding solo guitar records we've heard in so long.
We actually want to go and on about how much this record has been moving us, but the cd-r is limited to 50 copies, so we should probably stop talking now and give you the chance to grab one of these before they are gone for good...
MPEG Stream: "Flight Path"
MPEG Stream: "The Recidivistic Stowaway"

SHIGGAR FRAGGAR Battle Beats, Breaks, Loops, and Shit (Hip Hop Slam) 12" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Culled from the Shiggerfraggar radio show records that've been lovingly reissued by Billy Jam on disc, this is a prime breaks record for all you turntablist DJs. Speaking of which, has everyone heard about the cool turntable festival happening in LA November 2002? Looks incredible! Everyone from Kid Koala to Philip Jeck. http://http://www.turnament.com/index2.html

SHIGGAR FRAGGAR SHOW Vol.4 (One Eyed Slug Entertainment) dvd-r 23.00
DJ Disk brought this in the other day, a dvd (or dvd-r, we're pretty sure, it's blue on the playing side, whatever that means) version of this video document of the infamous Invisible Skratch Picklz, originally released on VHS ten years ago. Disk, Q-bert, Flare, Shortkut, and the devilish brown-bag masked Shiggar Fraggar himself skritch-skritch-scratch the hell out of a bunch of vinyl on an array of turntables, in a crazed DJ jam session. It's pretty amazing to see them do this live, even today. Indeed, it's what Time Magazine (TIME MAGAZINE!) called "the greatest turntable scratch show ever created". Frenzied fun showcasing mad skillz. For live visuals of classic "Turntablist Orchestrated Music" with a wacky sense of humor, look no further!

SHINGO2 Homo Caeruleus Cerinus (Revolg) 2lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Cool Japanese hiphop with unexpected twists and turns, so it will appeal to fans of DJ Shadow, Mo'Wax, and the Future Primitive series. Double LP, cd any day now.

SHINGO2/CAPITAL/DJ NOZAWA s/t (Homo Caeruleus Cerinus) 2cd 18.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super good Japanese hip hop with unexpected twists and turns. Will appeal to fans of DJ Shadow, Mo'Wax, and the Future Primitive series. Comes in a beautiful book-like package. Recommended.

SHOLI Hejrat (Holocene) 7" 6.98
As featured on the cd that came with the latest music issue of The Believer, local SF group Sholi tackle a song by the seventies "Queen of Persian Pop", Googoosh, a beloved Iranian singer who brought much glamorous style and beauty to Middle Eastern pop music, before being forced underground by the Iranian revolution. According to Payram Bavafa, the bands singer/guitarist, "'Hejrat' is often regarded as one of Iran's most beautiful and romantic pop songs". Sholi extends the cover tributes to the B-side where they bravely take on Joanna Newsom's "The Sprout and The Bean" with surprisingly good results. Recorded by Greg Ashley it comes with a coupon to download mp3 versions of the two tracks. Nice!

SHOLI s/t (Quarterstick) cd 14.98
The first full length from this young SF band is given an admirable launch on the highly regarded Quarterstick label (home to Calexico, Mekons, Shipping News, Rachel's among many other wonderful music makers), and they've really taken flight! Though the band is certainly not new to us, their sound on this debut sure is. Caught us a bit by surprise, in fact! This is a far different from the by-the-books shufflin' slouchy indie rock Sholi of 2006. Indeed, the band has honed their chops and their songcraft quite a bit since their first (also self-titled) three song cd-r that they brought into our shop a mere three years ago almost to the day!
The 43-minute long album's eight songs feature lots of lush, expressive dynamics and post-rock complexities both in melody and rhythm. Solid from start to finish, but definitely check out the opening track "All The We Can See" and "Out Of Orbit". An impressive warm and beautiful 'official' debut!
MPEG Stream: "All That We Can See"
MPEG Stream: "Out Of Orbit"

SHOLI s/t ep (self-released) cd-r 3.98
Here's a short lil' three song introduction to this new Bay Area trio. This self-titled EP features gentle slouchy, slightly retro-pop sounding indie rock played out on the basics -- jangly electric guitar, solid bass and tumbling drums. Warm summery shades of Olympia, WA / K Records days past, old Sebadoh, or maybe imagine a lower-fi Sloan? Like what you hear? There'll be a full length comin' out soon, and rumor has it that it's gonna be produced by Mr. Greg 'Deerhoof' Saunier!
MPEG Stream: "Aimless"

SHOLI / DEAD SCIENCE split (KDVS Recordings) 7" 4.98

SHOW ME STATE CCAC / Western Heirs (Hella Rad) 7" 3.98
You may recall an ultra-soothing self-released cd-r we carried here a while ago by a local atmospheric post-rock band named Carrier. Well, Jerry Jai from that very band has moved on to this like-minded new combo, and this 7" is your pleasant introduction to them. A short'n'sweet pair of glistening indie pop tunes. Nice!

SHRED, DJ TED Mix Tape Vol 3 (Sicmats) cd-r 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The notorious DJ Ted Shred is back. SF's own local master of messed-up mash-up returns with a third volume (a cd-r this time) of his mix tape madness. Ted, if you haven't heard him, is an anything-goes DJ who likes to play hip hop not just next to but right on top of some classic rock...kinda like some of the stuff DJ Z-Trip does. But Ted's even more reckless, less concerned with careful beat-matching than with fitting square pegs into round holes for laffs...and he's got NO concern for 'musical correctness'. So, I guess this is a novelty record, but so much fun. Some examples: CCR vs. Da Beat Minerz, Don Henley vs. Puff Daddy, Whitesnake (and Toto!) vs. Nas, Johnny Cash vs. Arrested Development, Cory Hart vs. Run-DMC, Scorpions vs. Missy Elliott... and on and on. He also has a big collection of old children's records that get much play. You'll also hear the Lord Of The Rings theme, the Oompa Loompas, Dave Chappelle, Conan The Barbarian, and Def Leppard... Ted gets props for doing this stuff with live skillz rather that on a computer, like most of the 'mash-ups' that are all the rage these days. And he puts some thought into the segues, like answering Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking" (vs. Mos Def) with the Allman Brothers' "Rambling Man" (vs. Mix Master Mike). Good fun!
MPEG Stream: "Volume 10 vs. Peter Shilling (Major Tom)"
MPEG Stream: "Nancy Sinatra vs. Mos Def"

SHUT-INS Sing Songs Of Pain And Joy (self-released) cd 14.98
You might find the title and cover art of this new Shut-Ins' album to be a bit deceiving... We sure did! They give nary a hint of the ol' style hoedown -- with a little luau ("Hawaiian Cowboy" and "Hapa Haole Hula Girl") and sock hop ("Just Because") thrown in for good measure -- contained within. Although the instrumentation (deep warm standup bass, frantic banjo pluckin', sparkling mandolin, slip-slidin' pedal steel) and overall tone is certainly traditional country, the Shut-Ins keep the barndoor wide open and inviting, ably hoppin' about from style to style as they so please, and they do so at such a fevered pace. They even cover Blondie's "Dreaming" in earnest twangin' fashion! Such fun! Just don't forget your gingham tablecloth, saddleshoes and grass skirt. Eighteen songs in all.
MPEG Stream: "Hapa Haole Hula Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Dreaming"

SI, CLARO Si, Claro Presents: A Series Of Serious Songs (The First In An Order Of Volumes.) (self-released) cd-r 5.98

SIC ALPS A Long Way Around To A Shortcut (Animal Disguise) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've long been extolling the kick ass retro distorto pop virtues of SF's own Sic Alps. A series of awesome lps, 7"s, cassettes, all way too limited and gone in a flash.
Well the dudes at Animal Disguise have got your back, compiling almost all of those out of print goodies, here's a list: the Description Of The Harbor 12", the Strawberry Guillotine 7", the Semi-Streets 7", the Teenage Alps cassette, the Soft Tour In Rough Form 12", a track from the Hip Hop Shop Sweepers comp and one unreleased song. Whew! That's 26 tracks, in less than an hour, a joyous chunk of noisy, distortion drenched noisepop, lilting, falsetto vocals, detuned guitars, plink plonk piano, everything soaked in reverb and delay, gloriously ramshackle and DIY.
The disc opens with a Strapping Fieldhands cover (definitely one of Sic Alps' sonic forefathers) that begins all pretty and minor key and evolves into a super abstract field of high end ambience, random percussive clatter and feedback. From that point on, the disc offers up short and sharp track after track, acoustic guitars, woodblocks, maracas, shakers, simple drums, more piano, sing songy Lou Reed-ish vocals, super tinny electric guitar, blown out distortion, awesome druggy fuzz, woozy grooves, buzzy distorted old school garage rock, acid fried psych pop, and lots and lots of NOISE. It's no coincidence that Sic Alps shared members with other noisepop locals like Iran and the Coachwhips. Fans of those bands will definitely dig this stuff too.
Messy, chaotic, wild and wooly, rocking and weird, stripped down and distorted, fuzzy and noisy, what more could you want?
MPEG Stream: "Description Of The Harbor (Strapping Field Hands)"
MPEG Stream: "Strawberry Guillotine"
MPEG Stream: "And What Came Next"
MPEG Stream: "Arthur Machen"

SIC ALPS A Long Way Around To A Shortcut (Drag City) lp 21.00
Now available on VINYL!!! Which is especially good, as the cd is out of print and no longer available, so grab one of these while you can...
All the better, since it's been out of print in the cd format for a while. Here's what we said about it when we did have the cd:
We've long been extolling the kick ass retro distorto pop virtues of SF's own Sic Alps. A series of awesome lps, 7"s, cassettes, all way too limited and gone in a flash.
Well, A Long Way Around To A Shortcut compiles almost all of those out of print goodies, here's a list: the Description Of The Harbor 12", the Strawberry Guillotine 7", the Semi-Streets 7", the Teenage Alps cassette, the Soft Tour In Rough Form 12", a track from the Hip Hop Shop Sweepers comp and one unreleased song. Whew! That's 26 tracks, in less than an hour, a joyous chunk of noisy, distortion drenched noisepop, lilting, falsetto vocals, detuned guitars, plink plonk piano, everything soaked in reverb and delay, gloriously ramshackle and DIY. And on vinyl now too no less!!
The disc opens with a Strapping Fieldhands cover (definitely one of Sic Alps' sonic forefathers) that begins all pretty and minor key and evolves into a super abstract field of high end ambience, random percussive clatter and feedback. From that point on, the disc offers up short and sharp track after track, acoustic guitars, woodblocks, maracas, shakers, simple drums, more piano, sing songy Lou Reed-ish vocals, super tinny electric guitar, blown out distortion, awesome druggy fuzz, woozy grooves, buzzy distorted old school garage rock, acid fried psych pop, and lots and lots of NOISE. It's no coincidence that Sic Alps shared members with other noisepop locals like Iran and the Coachwhips. Fans of those bands will definitely dig this stuff too.
Messy, chaotic, wild and wooly, rocking and weird, stripped down and distorted, fuzzy and noisy, what more could you want?
MPEG Stream: "Description Of The Harbor (Strapping Field Hands)"
MPEG Stream: "Strawberry Guillotine"
MPEG Stream: "And What Came Next"
MPEG Stream: "Arthur Machen"

SIC ALPS Battery Townsley (Drag City) 7" 6.50
Two new singles from SF's own Sic Alps, aka Mike Donovan and company, and both sound kind like they could have come from the same session, even the artwork makes them seem like two parts of some sort of maxi double single. Hard to imagine most folks not wanting both, as they're both pretty great.
"Battery Townsley" starts off with the A side title track all urgently strummed acoustic guitar, cardboard box percussion, and thick reverby vocals, a seriously hooky melody, the sort Sic Alps seem to have a lock on, which leads right into the oddly titled "Cambridge Vagina", a kick ass distorted blast of fuzz drenched psychedelic jangle, that should have fans of The Oh Sees who haven't already discovered the joys of Sic Alps making up for lost time.
The "Breadhead" single offers up the title track, which is another primo slab of fuzzy, jammy jangle, plenty distorted and reverby, with that subtly folky undercurrent that all the Sic Alps seem to have, like some lost Dylan track cranked and super charged, which gives way to two short blasts of experimental psych, one a big guitar-ed heavily panned acoustic groover with whispered vox the other a super lo-fi wild rhythmic practice space jam, before finishing off with "Can't You See", a Wailers cover, that sounds like some lost classic sixties psych pop a la The Who or the Kinks, which makes sense as it features Matthew Melton from the Bare Wires playing bass, as well as Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees playing guitar and Ty Segall playing drums, a veritable SF garage rock supergroup. Needless to say, you should probably just buy both...

SIC ALPS Breadhead (Drag City) 7" 6.50
Two new singles from SF's own Sic Alps, aka Mike Donovan and company, and both sound kind like they could have come from the same session, even the artwork makes them seem like two parts of some sort of maxi double single. Hard to imagine most folks not wanting both, as they're both pretty great.
"Battery Townsley" starts off with the A side title track all urgently strummed acoustic guitar, cardboard box percussion, and thick reverby vocals, a seriously hooky melody, the sort Sic Alps seem to have a lock on, which leads right into the oddly titled "Cambridge Vagina", a kick ass distorted blast of fuzz drenched psychedelic jangle, that should have fans of The Oh Sees who haven't already discovered the joys of Sic Alps making up for lost time.
The "Breadhead" single offers up the title track, which is another primo slab of fuzzy, jammy jangle, plenty distorted and reverby, with that subtly folky undercurrent that all the Sic Alps seem to have, like some lost Dylan track cranked and super charged, which gives way to two short blasts of experimental psych, one a big guitar-ed heavily panned acoustic groover with whispered vox the other a super lo-fi wild rhythmic practice space jam, before finishing off with "Can't You See", a Wailers cover, that sounds like some lost classic sixties psych pop a la The Who or the Kinks, which makes sense as it features Matthew Melton from the Bare Wires playing bass, as well as Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees playing guitar and Ty Segall playing drums, a veritable SF garage rock supergroup. Needless to say, you should probably just buy both...

SIC ALPS Fool's Mag (Folding) cassette 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Whoo! Hoo! We finally got another last little handful of these babies back in stock!
Another little chunk of fractured noise pop from local popkid Sic Alps aka Mike Donovan. This is not super new, but odds are most folks never got their hands on it, as the label (Donovan, actually) sort of stopped making them for a while. So after a bit of nudging and cajoling, Fool's Mag is finally available again... for the first time, sort of. An ep length collection of that fuzzy washed out pop we've grown to love, and that only Sic Alps seems to kick out. Folks who dig stuff like Iran and Oh Sees, who haven't heard Sic Alps should really give it a chance, as they traffic in the same sort of hook filled noise drenched poppiness.
Short and sharp, warm muted distorted guitars, simple Pavement-y drumming, whiney sad boy vox, that occasionally slip into a strained falsetto, awesome buzzy sort-of-leads, lush harmonies, all buried in hiss and murk, the sound WAY lo-fi, but somehow the pop still shines through, hooks galore, melodies that will stick in your head like crazy, some of the best Sic Alps songs so far.
Not sure how long we'll have these, we did get a bunch, but you never know...

SIC ALPS How Does Vedley Gather? (Drag City) 7" 6.50
Latest single from Mike Donovan, aka local avant psychedelic garage pop one man band Sic Alps, and it might just be the weirdest one yet. The A side is a pretty pop song pulled apart and deconstructed and wedded to all sorts of blown out beats and experimental 4-trackery, super percussive and abstract, almost funky at points, with acoustic guitar strum, and sweet falsetto croon peppered with bursts of distorto drumming, and some wild production, this twisted arrangement hiding what seems to be a sweet hooky jangle pop gem, but it's hard to tell at times, with the sound flitting from strummy and sweet, to bombastic and chaotic, to angular and abstract. It's a pretty potent combination though.
The flipside almost sounds like an alternate version of the A side, or maybe a 'dub', the same fuzzy dream pop, all urgent strum and sweet croon, this time pocked with clouds of radio interference and more of those big booming distorted drums, but it's still not enough chaos and skree to disguise the perfect pop and its center. Nice!

SIC ALPS L. Mansion / Superlungs My Supergirl (Slumberland) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sic Alps just keep getting better and better. This new jam "L. Mansion" is definitely one of our favorites so far. Cool and stripped down, acoustic guitar and shuffling drums, a killer vocal line, lots of 'woooooo's, a rad reverbed piano 'solo', sounds like an acoustic version of some classic post punk / new wave jam from the eighties. The flipside is a cover, of Donovan's "Superlungs My Supergirl". We were pretty much convinced that Terry Reid's version was UNTOUCHABLE, and while Sic Alps' take on this classic doesn't quite measure up, it's still plenty bad ass, and they definitely give it their own flavor, super distorted lo-fi guitars, big booming drums, pounded piano, softly crooned vocals, some wild psych leads, plenty of feedback, and all wrapped in an awesomely buzzy wall of sound production.

SIC ALPS Napa Asylum (Drag City) cd 14.98
Another fantastic twisted slab of lo-fi psychedelic shitgaze noise pop from these SF rockers, formerly the duo of Mike Donovan and Matt Hartman, now expanded to a trio with the addition of former Comet On Fire Noel Harmonson, and while it's inevitable that bands get more polished, and their songs get better, and recording techniques improve, as we all know, that's not always a good thing. Thankfully in the case of Sic Alps, the new record manages to move leaps and bounds beyond their last one, with out losing any off the oddball ramshackle charm and on-the-verge of collapse songsmithery that made them so endearingly lovable in the first place.
The songs this time around are somehow more immediately catchy, the band ditching their purposefully obtuse fuck you vibe and some of their sonic spikiness, for a noisiness and looseness that seems more organic, less calculated, and somehow the songs seem the better for it. It helps that these songs are super catchy, maybe Donovan's best batch yet, the sort of songs that recorded in a big studio with a crack band could be total hits. Okay, maybe not, but for a lo-fi noiserock band on Drag City, this is sorta like Sic Alps' Slanted And Enchanted, the perfect blend of new more polished songwriting, and the old, don't give a fuck, whatever vibe.
The opening three track salvo is pretty untouchable though. "Jolly" is a brooding noise drenched ballad, all lumbering tempo, and ominous piano, laid beneath, weary vox, falsetto harmonies, and shuffling drumming, "Eat Happy" is all minimal acoustic strum, wreathed in jagged psychedelic noiseguitar, mumbled mush mouthed vocals, and a super poppy, almost GBV sort of classic Brit pop sounding chorus, with a crazy catchy stuttered vocal line, and finally, "Cement Surfboard" might be the dreamiest Sic Alps jam yet, lilting and super melodic, with some sweetly melodic singing, and a hazy harmony vocal driven chorus. And we could probably go on. Expand that three track salvo to four, or five, or ten. Things do get more chaotic and noisy, abstract and murky, but even at its loosest and most fucked up, Napa Asylum is pretty solidly pop, and no amount of fuckery can disguise that. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "Jolly"
MPEG Stream: "Eat Happy"
MPEG Stream: "Cement Surfboard"
MPEG Stream: "Occult Display"

SIC ALPS Napa Asylum (Drag City) 2lp 22.00
Another fantastic twisted slab of lo-fi psychedelic shitgaze noise pop from these SF rockers, formerly the duo of Mike Donovan and Matt Hartman, now expanded to a trio with the addition of former Comet On Fire Noel Harmonson, and while it's inevitable that bands get more polished, and their songs get better, and recording techniques improve, as we all know, that's not always a good thing. Thankfully in the case of Sic Alps, the new record manages to move leaps and bounds beyond their last one, with out losing any off the oddball ramshackle charm and on-the-verge of collapse songsmithery that made them so endearingly lovable in the first place.
The songs this time around are somehow more immediately catchy, the band ditching their purposefully obtuse fuck you vibe and some of their sonic spikiness, for a noisiness and looseness that seems more organic, less calculated, and somehow the songs seem the better for it. It helps that these songs are super catchy, maybe Donovan's best batch yet, the sort of songs that recorded in a big studio with a crack band could be total hits. Okay, maybe not, but for a lo-fi noiserock band on Drag City, this is sorta like Sic Alps' Slanted And Enchanted, the perfect blend of new more polished songwriting, and the old, don't give a fuck, whatever vibe.
The opening three track salvo is pretty untouchable though. "Jolly" is a brooding noise drenched ballad, all lumbering tempo, and ominous piano, laid beneath, weary vox, falsetto harmonies, and shuffling drumming, "Eat Happy" is all minimal acoustic strum, wreathed in jagged psychedelic noiseguitar, mumbled mush mouthed vocals, and a super poppy, almost GBV sort of classic Brit pop sounding chorus, with a crazy catchy stuttered vocal line, and finally, "Cement Surfboard" might be the dreamiest Sic Alps jam yet, lilting and super melodic, with some sweetly melodic singing, and a hazy harmony vocal driven chorus. And we could probably go on. Expand that three track salvo to four, or five, or ten. Things do get more chaotic and noisy, abstract and murky, but even at its loosest and most fucked up, Napa Asylum is pretty solidly pop, and no amount of fuckery can disguise that. Awesome.
MPEG Stream: "Jolly"
MPEG Stream: "Eat Happy"
MPEG Stream: "Cement Surfboard"
MPEG Stream: "Occult Display"

SIC ALPS Pleasures And Treasures (Animal Disguise Recordings) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What manner of warble is this? Why, it's AQ pal Mike Donovan's local cave pop unit, Sic Alps, in what looks to be their debut full length that (thankfully!) for once is not uber-limited. Featuring members of Erase Errata and The Hospitals, Sic Alps brand of noise pop is akin to listening to a beat up Troggs 45 while robotripping. Subterranean beats, murky vocals, echo-y sheets of feedback and dirty shimmer mask the sublimest of pop songs, leaving us to suspect if the Coachwhips were played on 16 rpm, they might sound a lot like this. Love it!!
MPEG Stream: "Semi-Streets"
MPEG Stream: "Reconnectionland"

SIC ALPS Pleasures And Treasures (Animal Disguise Recordings) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What manner of warble is this? Why, it's AQ pal Mike Donovan's local cave pop unit, Sic Alps, in what looks to be their debut full length that (thankfully!) for once is not uber-limited. Featuring members of Erase Errata and The Hospitals, Sic Alps brand of noise pop is akin to listening to a beat up Troggs 45 while robotripping. Subterranean beats, murky vocals, echo-y sheets of feedback and dirty shimmer mask the sublimest of pop songs, leaving us to suspect if the Coachwhips were played on 16 rpm, they might sound a lot like this. Love it!!
MPEG Stream: "Semi-Streets"
MPEG Stream: "Reconnectionland"

SIC ALPS s/t (Folding) cassette 2.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's a short cassette released by AQ pal Mike Donovan (Big Techno Werewolves, Nam, Sounds Of The Barbary Coast, The Ropers, Dial Records) of his current band Sic Alps whome you might recall from their split 7" with California Lightening (featuring members of Erase Errata)! As with most releases by the very DIY San Francisco fella Mr. Donovan, there is only going to be a very small homespun run of these made, so needless to say, don't snoooooze!
Pssst... we also have a small number of some other Folding cassette releases, all with hand made covers -- a short one from Death Sentence: Panda plus a compilation he compiled with artist Chris Johanson called SSSSSOSS2 and ones by Dark Yellow Swans (aka Yellow Swans) and NVH with Six Organs Of Admittance's Ben Chasny. Dust off yer cassette deck!

SIC ALPS Semi Streets (Skulltones) 7" 5.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More limited edition noisy guitar dissonance from SF's Sic Alps. Four gnarled songs including the title track which also appears on their most recent full length Pleasures And Treasures.
Limited to 300 hand numbered copies.

SIC ALPS Strawberry Guillotine 7" (Woodsist) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fans of Sic Alps, your fave band is keeping their primal distorto-rock love flowin' with their latest 7"! Three new songs, the title track "Strawberry Guillotine" is a commentary on and a dedication to the Bay Area homeless. As with most Sic Alps releases we don't know for certain how long we'll have these in stock, so best to get 'em while you can (which is now)!

SIC ALPS U.S. EZ (Siltbreeze) cd 13.98
Now that Iran seem to be dead. And the Church Steps are gone. And the Coach Whips are no more. Well, it's up to Sic Alps to keep the SF noise pop freak flag flying!
It always seemed that sonically, these guys belonged on Siltbreeze, and lo and behold, it has come to pass. For those who are new to Sic Alps, imagine a fractured noise drenched lo-fi garage pop, rife with blown out drums, simple detuned guitars, lazy drawled vocals, tons of reverb and distortion, all tangled up into some seriously catchy pop. Guided By Voices, Strapping Fieldhands, Pavement, but with plenty of hazy sixties psych, a killer lo-fi Phil Spector-ish wall of sound production, and a bit of corrosive noise and fractured amp buzz a la the Dead C.Ê
U.S. EZ leans way more toward the pop than the noise, many of the songs, eschewing any sort of noise or distortion completely, offering up instead, a sort of shimmery sixties soft pop, all jangly guitars, and reverbed background vocals, but elsewhere the band rocks pretty hard, channeling classic nineties slacker indie rock, through modern noise rock, via some fuzzy retro garage, the result as we mentioned before, often ends up sounding like a Beach Boys or Hollies record on Siltbreeze. Which should be recommendation enough. Dwyer from the Oh Sees says it's worth it just for the track "Gelly Roll Gum Drop"!!
MPEG Stream: "Gelly Roll Gum Drop"
MPEG Stream: "Massive Place"
MPEG Stream: "Bric Jaz"

SIC ALPS United (Important Records) 7" 5.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ultra ultra limited one sided 7"s from local noisepop faves Sic Alps. Pressed on clear blue vinyl, packaged in a plain white sleeve with a black and white sticker and NO information, this just might be the poppiest Sic Alps yet. Beginning with revving engines and super distorted drums, the track soon launches into some sunny jangly reverb drenched pop, all clean jangly guitars, summery sing songy vocals, a super catchy melody, classic old school Phil Spector style lo-fi production, it's almost a shame it's only one song. Like a noise rock Archies, or the Beach Boys recording for Siltbreeze. Good stuff. And, it's a Throbbing Gristle cover fyi!

SIC ALPS US EZ (Siltbreeze) lp 14.98
Now On Vinyl!
Now that Iran seem to be dead. And the Church Steps are gone. And the Coach Whips are no more. Well, it's up to Sic Alps to keep the SF noise pop freak flag flying!
It always seemed that sonically, these guys belonged on Siltbreeze, and lo and behold, it has come to pass. For those who are new to Sic Alps, imagine a fractured noise drenched lo-fi garage pop, rife with blown out drums, simple detuned guitars, lazy drawled vocals, tons of reverb and distortion, all tangled up into some seriously catchy pop. Guided By Voices, Strapping Fieldhands, Pavement, but with plenty of hazy sixties psych, a killer lo-fi Phil Spector-ish wall of sound production, and a bit of corrosive noise and fractured amp buzz a la the Dead C.Ê
U.S. EZ leans way more toward the pop than the noise, many of the songs, eschewing any sort of noise or distortion completely, offering up instead, a sort of shimmery sixties soft pop, all jangly guitars, and reverbed background vocals, but elsewhere the band rocks pretty hard, channeling classic nineties slacker indie rock, through modern noise rock, via some fuzzy retro garage, the result as we mentioned before, often ends up sounding like a Beach Boys or Hollies record on Siltbreeze. Which should be recommendation enough. Dwyer from the Oh Sees says it's worth it just for the track "Gelly Roll Gum Drop"!!
MPEG Stream: "Gelly Roll Gum Drop"
MPEG Stream: "Massive Place"
MPEG Stream: "Bric Jaz"

SIC ALPS / CALIFORNIA LIGHTENING Four Virgins (City Records) 7" 3.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A super limited split single by two raw SF art-rock hotties! On special occasions half of Erase Errata (namely Jenny and Bianca) splinter off to form the dynamic duo California Lightening (no, not Lightning). And when Sic Alps convene they usually star Hospitals' Adam Stonehouse and Mike Donovan (of Big Techno Werewolves and Church Steps and a heap of other projects), but on this record the abovementioned Jenny (oh yeah, and she's also a member of Burmese!) and Flying Luttenbachers' Weasel Walter join in the S.A. fray too. The record sleeve features those participants, minus Mr. Walter, remaking the Lennon/Ono Two Virgins album cover photo. That in itself is an attention grabber, but then there's their music to keep you glued too. Sic Alps proclaim "I Am Grass" in their peculiar hazy, glazed-eye dissonant fashion and California Lightening offer up a churning menace in "Basement". Ultra limited pressing of 300 of which we've only got a handful, so either act now or whimper to yourself when they're all gone!

SINGER, LIAM Our Secret Lies Beneath The Creek (Tell-All) cd 11.98
Wonderful! Mr. Liam Singer's second album is such a sumptuous affair! In the scale of production and composition, it's quite an impressive progression from his already mighty fine debut The Empty Heart Of The Chameleon which came out just last year. Evocative, earthy and at times quite bold and adventurous, this album pushes gently at the boundaries of popular music norms incorporating classical and operatic elements throughout. For instance, some folks may need to get a little acclimatized to the initially startling, spine-tingling operatic female vocals that punctuate the proceedings. They serve as quite an affecting counterpart to Singer's own softly poetic, boyish demeanor (which has drawn in-store comparisons to Elliott Smith) particularly on standout numbers such as "Travelogue - The Great Divide". However, where the spotlight shines brightest (and deservedly so) is on his intricate cascading piano passages. Most are delicately filigree'd and occasionally accompanied by trumpet, e-bowed guitar and very Spartan percussion, but we'd venture a guess that the syncopation/paradiddle workout in the eighth track "Left Ventricle/Tone Clusters" is a reverent reference to Steve Reich's Four Organs. Our Secret Lies Beneath The Creek exudes grace from the first note to the last. Yes, recommended.
MPEG Stream: "One Breath Out"
MPEG Stream: "Travelogue - The Great Divide"

SINGER, LIAM The Empty Heart Of The Chameleon (Tell-All ) cd 9.98
The Empty Heart Of The Chameleon is the debut from Liam Singer. His soft, faint vocals have already drawn comparisons by a few AQ customers to Elliott Smith, but his solo piano and theremin that take turns accompanying his voice create altogether different lonely moods and solitary atmospheres. As well, on occasion, Singer's voice is contrasted with more classically trained sounding female vocals that climb to dramatic, operatic heights. Everything is ultra hushed and delicate, brittle around the edges, in danger of vanishing or being crushed under the emotions they bear. Much like autumn leaves that fall slowly one by one, this music is spartan and contemplative, allowing an achingly sensitive vocal phrase or simple note sequence to linger in the air. Starkly beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Between My Lips, Which Did Sing"
MPEG Stream: "Asthma / Rivets In Water"

SINGER, LIAM Twelve: A Series - F (Tell-All) 3" cd-r 2.98
What do you do when the rules are simply: compose a piece of music using only one note? Well, the folks at SF label Tell-All Records decided to explore the possibilities with a 3" cd-r series titled "Twelve". Each of the participants was assigned (or perhaps chose for themselves) one note of the 12-note scale. Here's one of the first two volumes released thus far, it's Liam Singer in 'F' (the other is Dave Zohrob's compositions in 'E').
He utilizes octave jumps, tempo changes and rhythmic shifts and syncopation to bring movement and shape to the lone note. The proceedings are punctuated by sparse percussion and vocal utterances (cues?). A lively beginning to this series.

SIPPY CUPS, THE Electric Storyland! (Snacker Disc) cd 14.98
Yay Sippy Cups! What started out as a few local rockers doing Syd Barrett and Who covers for kids a few years back has evolved into a full-blown kids entertainment juggernaut complete with sold-out choreographed live shows (involving a juggler!) and a whole new album of original songs. Electric Storyland is for parents who want to wean their kids off Barney-type treacle and nudge them into something weirder -- but not too weird. The album's songs are catchy and fun and have playful hints of psychedelia -- from '60s-sounding pop songs with suggestive/innocent titles ("Little Puffer" and "Magic Toast") to songs that reference Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips ("I Am a Robot)". Buy it for your sister's kids -- chances are this is the only album you, your sister and her kids might find some common ground on!
MPEG Stream: "Magic Toast"
MPEG Stream: "I Am A Robot"

SIX EYE COLUMBIA A Million Six cd 9.98
Strong songwriting dominates this debut release from the local rock group Six Eye Columbia. In addition to guitar and vocals, bandleader / all-around nice guy Josh Pollock also wields the banjo, xylophone, piano, and assorted toys. An array of guests offer pedal steel, cello, sax, trumpet etc. The effects-laden vocal delivery is similar to Guided By Voices' Robert Pollard -- tinny, staticky as if thru a bullhorn. Doleful male harmonies bring to mind Mark Eitzel's solo work, as does the simmering tension and midtempo pace throughout. Forlorn and depressing in a good way.
RealAudio clip: "Traitor Hygiene"
RealAudio clip: "Uranium Doll I"
RealAudio clip: "Joni Mitchell Songs"

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE Shelter From The Ash (Drag City) cd 14.98
The first two tracks on Shelter From The Ash pretty much illustrate the two complementary sides to Mr. Six Organs Ben Chasny's usual modus operandi. The first cut, "Alone With The Alone", is droning and dense, building into tripped out, fairly fierce electric guitar solo, while the second, "Strangled Road", is a much mellower, subdued folk-ish number, with hushed vocals and lonely guitar strum... Together, you've got a recipe for the morose, bleak beauty that this album cooks up, with songs sung about war, loss and survival amidst yearning instrumentals, including one dedicated to the Sun City Girls.
Shelter From The Ash is record number ten (at least!) from Six Organs of Admittance and it's another winner, much like its predecessors in having a basis in Chasny's facility with Faheyesque steel-string fingerpicking while heading off into the wilder reaches of heavy psych, and almost country-rockish moodiness. He's helped out here by members of Comets On Fire and Magick Markers, though it's the rough hewn, intimate hum and buzz of just Ben and his guitar that works the most magic for us.
MPEG Stream: "Coming To Get You"
MPEG Stream: "Alone With The Alone"

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE Shelter From The Ash (Drag City) lp 15.98
The first two tracks on Shelter From The Ash pretty much illustrate the two complementary sides to Mr. Six Organs Ben Chasny's usual modus operandi. The first cut, "Alone With The Alone", is droning and dense, building into tripped out, fairly fierce electric guitar solo, while the second, "Strangled Road", is a much mellower, subdued folk-ish number, with hushed vocals and lonely guitar strum... Together, you've got a recipe for the morose, bleak beauty that this album cooks up, with songs sung about war, loss and survival amidst yearning instrumentals, including one dedicated to the Sun City Girls.
Shelter From The Ash is record number ten (at least!) from Six Organs of Admittance and it's another winner, much like its predecessors in having a basis in Chasny's facility with Faheyesque steel-string fingerpicking while heading off into the wilder reaches of heavy psych, and almost country-rockish moodiness. He's helped out here by members of Comets On Fire and Magick Markers, though it's the rough hewn, intimate hum and buzz of just Ben and his guitar that works the most magic for us.
MPEG Stream: "Coming To Get You"
MPEG Stream: "Alone With The Alone"

SIXTEENS Casio (Cochon) cd 10.98
Now here on cd! Here's What We Had To Say about the vinyl version a few years ago:
This 3 piece from Oakland CA play arty, chaotic, somewhat dark, noisy sort-of-punk-rock. The influence of electro, goth, darkwave, new wave and post-punk all do battle in a Sixteens song, and the outcome is inevitably a draw. Not surprisingly the trio are friends and musical allies of SF local scary ones The Vanishing, The Phantom Limbs, and Black Ice. Intense girl and boy vocals over hectic, deranged sludgy noise. 8 songs = 51 minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Community People"
MPEG Stream: "Bed Of Nails"

SIXX Sister Devil - Demo 1991 (Nuclear War Now!) cd 11.98
Bay area black metal masters Von were responsible for two of the most important USBM documents ever, the Satanic Blood and Blood Angel demos, considered by many to be the first US black metal record(s), and to this day, those records continue to inspire a legion of musical hordes, who strive to emulate that furious idiosyncratic raw that few can reproduce. What few people know, is that right after the release of those demos, the members of Von shifted their focus to another project, with a way different sound and vibe, called Sixx, which was anything but black metal, instead a dark, creepy, brooding, gothic deathrock, think Bauhaus, Christian Death, Specimen, all minor key spidery guitars, swirling dark ambience, pounding new wave drums, and of course, super dramatic crooned vocals.
It seems almost prescient, considering that this sound is enjoying a pretty serious resurgence these days: past Record Of The Weekers Soror Dolorosa, Hateful Abandon, Factums, Dial M For Murder, Cold Cave, Crystal Stilts, etc. But this demo, recorded in 1991, was as mentioned above, recorded hot on the heels of two of the most grim and raw, blasting black metal records ever! And while it may not directly inform the actual sound, it does speak to what a strange and special record the Sixx demo was and is. Chiming guitars and krauty rhythms, lots of reverb and delay, a dark brooding ambience, we hear lots of classic goth and darkwave and new wave, Kommunity FK, Human Drama, Tones On Tail, and the more we listen to it, the more the link between Sixx and Von crystallizes, both bands trafficked in simple stripped down songs, most with only one or two parts, vocals repetitive and mantric, in fact, in some ways, Sixx almost sounds like Von with all the distortion removed, right down to those classic Von goaty grunts. That said, just 'cause you like Von, doesn't necessarily mean you'll like Sixx, but if you dig that sound, and any of the above mentioned bands, then Sixx's Sister Devil might just be your lost reissue / rediscovered gem of the year.
MPEG Stream: "On The Dead"

SKATERS Gambling In Ohpa's Shadow (Pseudo Arcana) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SKATERS Pavilinous Miracles Of Circular Facet Dice (Chocolate Monk) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SKATERS Rippling Whispers (self-released) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MPEG Stream: "One"
MPEG Stream: "Two"

SKATERS / YELLOW SWANS Humming Lattice Flowers (JYRK) cd-r 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another SUPER LIMITED cd-r from the Jyrk Collective (run by the guys in the Yellow Swans) who also just recently released the amazing (and also quite limited) Grey Daturas / Yellow Swans collaboration found elsewhere on this list. Unlike the GD / YS collaboration, this is a good old fashioned split, with each band offering up twenty minutes or so of their particular brand of skree. The Yellow Swans deliver a practically swoonsome drone, haunting and mysterious, with simple plodding percussion, occasional elctronic filigree and moody Eastern sounding guitar melodies. So nice. The Skaters take the noisier road, with a clangy clattery blown out soundscpae of distorted drones, buzzy fuzzy electronic whir and heavily affected disembodied vocalisations. Thickly layered and weirdly otherworldly.
And again, just to drive that point home, THIS IS VERY LIMITED. By the time you read this review, this cd-r will already be out of print. So if you want one act fast!
MPEG Stream: "One"

SKATERS, THE Palm Shaper (267 Lattajjaa) cd-r 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SKIN HORSE s/t (self-released) cd-r 9.98
We thought this debut from now defunct SF heavies Skin Horse was gone for good, but we managed to get a handful more from the band...
Local folks may have seen these guys tearing up stages around town. Although maybe tearing up isn't precisely what these guys do. They're much more of a brooding behemoth. But they're much more than that. Almost confusingly so (but in a good way!) Anyway, Skin Horse are a trio who traffic in long stretches of plodding doom, mathy jangle, and epic post rock, laced with haunting atmospherics and deep black ambience.
This 3 song cd-r is their debut, and each of the three tracks is totally different, and in some cases almost sound like different bands, but somehow, the tracks do manage to fit together, a little disjointedly, but still strangely cohesive.
The opener begins with a sheet of guitar noise under static and strange voices, soaring harmonics, and rumbling drones, when the band do finally kick in, it's a sort of slowcore, dronedoom hybrid. Plodding and downtuned and heavy, but weirdly melodic, the guitars heavy and abstract, the drums a caveman pound, vocals a harsh shriek, Khanate fans will be all over this, as will all ultradoomlords.
But only maybe until the second track, which begins with dark minor key guitar jangle, which erupts into some awesomely nineties sounding mathrock, all clean guitars, and convoluted arrangements, before locking into a spiraling freakout, all tribal rhythms, and squealing feedback, a stuttering riff and swirls of FX, launching immediately into the final track, another blast of angular clean guitar mathrock, but structure like doom, so the chords ring out, the drums crash, but there's tons of space, some super abstract arrangements, killer dynamics, all wrapped around a super intense main minor key melody, the kind of stuff we could listen to forever, before again, locking into an extended outro, a cool woozy chugging groove, that eventually gives way to a brief stretch of moody Slintish drift to finish off.
We've been inundated with post rock metal bands, or post metal or whatever, but Skin Horse are as far as we can remember the first band to fuse math rock with serious doom metal, and we're definitely up for hearing more.
Packaged in hand sewn, hand screened red or black pouches, LIMITED TO 200 COPIES, each one hand numbered.
MPEG Stream: "Confined To Shadows"

SKIN HORSE / NANDA DEVI split (Apterran Recordings) cd 5.98
We thought this split from aQ faves Skin Horse was gone for good, but we managed to get a handful more from the band...
We'd been dying to hear more Skin Horse ever since their self released 3 song ep from last year, a killer mix of lurching black doom, mathy post rock, and epic dark ambience.
So here we have one new track (it's a long one though, nearly 14 minutes), and it definitely takes off right where the ep left off. Beginning with a dark brooding slowcore skitter, although it's laced with some super strange warbly downtuned tones, that make the whole thing sound a bit twisted and off kilter. The heaviness builds, as heaviness so often does, but here it just wraps itself around that initial post rocky guitar part instead of obliterating it completely, making for some seriously moody heaviness. Once things get going, the guitars are slathered on thick, and allowed to bow and bend the otherwise straight ahead jams into yet another warped groove, there do seem to be vocals, but they're buried way down in the murk.
About halfway through, Skin Horse shift gears and get super intense and aggro, going all mathy, offering up bursts of ultra tight rock, before splintering into some plodding ultra doom, the vocals a caustic wail, the guitars an oozing black buzz, the drums a massive plod, and just as you're getting into that slow motion groove, they shift gears again and bliss out, the guitars becoming nearly translucent, drifting over a sea of sizzling cymbals, weird bits of sampled preaching, dense grinding effects laden buzz, building to another mathy metallic frenzy, before almost dubbing out into a long, sprawling outro. Killer stuff, definitely need to see these guys pull this off live.
Skin Horse share this two song half hour split with a band called Nanda Devi, who we'd never heard before now, but who definitely seem like a good match for Skin Horse. Their 18 minute epic begins with layered sheets of noise, buried bits of melody and softly strummed guitars, which give way to some surprisingly melodic post rocking, the drums massive and LOUD, the guitars simple and stripped down, swirling and building into some metallic Godspeed territory, in come the howled Neurosisy vocals, but the cool thing is, the guitars are still not heavy or distorted, instead jangling and shimmering and singing and soaring, a good contrast with the raw gruff vocals and the wildly chaotic drumming. They too shift gears part way through, the drums getting all tribal, the guitars getting more angular, and beginning another slow build, until a second guitar swoops in adding all sorts of spaciness to the proceedings. Another bout of howled vocals, and the song unwinds in a flurry of tripped out spaced out swirling whirling epic heaviness. Bad ass. And BOTH bands here come WAY recommended.
MPEG Stream: SKIN HORSE "109"
MPEG Stream: NANDA DEVI "Lifelong Migration"

SKY PILOTS Enjoy A Day Off (Ghost Mansion) cd 14.98