MASADA Live at Tonic 2001 (Tzadik) 2cd 22.00
It's becoming really hard to creatively describe records by John Zorn's Klezmer-bop ensemble Masada, especially considering this is record number twenty or something. Every record sounds quite similar, but by the same token, every record is absolutely fantastic. Recorded live at Tonic in New York City earlier this year, this is a 2 hour double cd document of a single show. Masada has to be one of the most intense, most emotional, and just straight up best modern jazz ensembles going. Zorn and his stellar group: Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen and Joey Baron, take understated percussion, hypnotic basslines and Douglas and Zorn's intertwined horns and weave dark and exotic epics. So beautiful.

MASADA Live In Sevilla 2000 (Tzadik) cd 15.98
The classic Masada lineup (Zorn, Douglas, Baron, Cohen) hits us with yet another recording. Yeah, if like us you're into Zorn's group and their trademark Ornette-meets-Klezmer jazz then you've probably got a shelf already groaning under the weight of their other releases, but that's no reason to pass up another, especially this one, 'cause it's super. Masada is really one of the best modern jazz combos going, and "Live In Sevilla" is proof enough (and a great starting-point for the Masada virgin). Includes a bad-ass drum solo from the godlike Joey Baron.

MASADA Sanhedrin (Tzadik) 2cd 34.00

MASADA (JOHN ZORN) Alef (DIW) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The fifth avant-klezmer release from the New York version of Zorn's Masada. The 4th, you'll recall, is available only by sending in yr proofs-of-purchase gleaned from the first 3.

MASADA (JOHN ZORN) Bar Kokhba (Tzadik) 2cd 29.00
Small ensembles of strings, keyboards, and clarinets playing klezmer/jazz tunes. This brief description must be augmented with the declaration that this is an ALL TIME AQUARIUS FAVE!!!

MASADA (JOHN ZORN) Live in Jerusalem 1994 (Tzadik) 2cd 21.00
Another amazing 2cd collection of John Zorn's Masada, this time recorded live at the world famous Jerusalem Festival marking Masada's first visit to Israel. Dark and sublime klezmer mixed with the shrieking bombastic jazz Zorn is famous for. Excellent.

MASADA (JOHN ZORN) Live In Taipei 1995 (Tzadik) 2cd 21.00
"An absolutely essential document of one of the world's most exciting working bands" says the obi. Well, if after a dozen-plus releases one can define this new one as "essential", I don't know - but it's true that Masada is an incredible band, and Masada fans will have to decide what's essential and what's not. Heck, all the Masada releases might well be essential!! For those just checking in, Masada is saxophonist Zorn's klezmer-meets-Ornette jazz combo, with trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassist Greg Cohen, and drummer supreme Joey Baron, great players all. For the curious, this is also a good purchase.

MASADA (JOHN ZORN) Tet (Nine) (DIW) 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
John Zorn's series of avant-experimental klezmer quartet pieces. The usual suspects: Zorn on alto sax, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass, and Joey Baron on drums.

MASAOKA, MIYA, TRIO Monk's Japanese Folk Song (Dizim) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Koto virtuoso Masaoka teams up with jazz greats Reggie Workman (bass) and Andrew Cyrille (drums) to explore tunes from (or inspired by) both Thelonious Monk & Japanese folk music.

MASCIS, J & FRIENDS Sing + Chant For Amma (Baked Goods) cd 15.98
Hey, what's that?! Bongos, tambourine, acoustic guitar... why, it sounds like a Dinosaur Jr campfire singalong out in the woods! Wait, they even brought a generator (or very long extension cord) to power the electric guitar amplifier. All joking aside, while we recognize and respect that Mascis wrote and recorded these songs with deep reverence for Amma (the living Indian saint Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi aka the hugging saint), it doesn't mean we have to like it. Many of us didn't. Let's just say, a little goes a long way. Imagine Cat Stevens possessing the body of a more nasally congested than usual Mascis. Whoa. All proceeds from this self-released album will go towards Amma's humanitarian relief projects. Yes, Mascis' heart is in the right place, but we're afraid his music sure isn't. And if there's any question, please allow us to clarify that we're being critical of
the craft, not the message nor the cause.
MPEG Stream: "Please Remember That I'm Here"
MPEG Stream: "Help Me AMMA"

MASCIS, J + THE FOG Free So Free (Ultimatum / Artemis) cd 14.98
With his signature layers of fuzzy guitar and his whiny pleading drawl (meant in the nicest way of course), J Mascis comes through yet again. Looks like this record is J all by his lonesome, multitracking his way to a full band. And doing it quite beautifully I might add. It's been so long since I listened to Dinosaur, that listening to this totally brought me back. This record definitely has that trademark Dinosaur sound. All charming, lush and sad, but in that weirdly optimistic way.
RealAudio clip: "Freedom"
RealAudio clip: "If That's How It's Gotta Be"

MASCIS, J. + THE FOG More Light (Ultimatum Music) cd 15.98
Oh my, Kevin "My Bloody Valentine" Shields has joined forces with J. Mascis. Why?! Well, maybe 'cause they knew they'd make a great album together. With Shields' production help (and the assistance of various others, like some vocals from GBV's Robert Pollard) "More Light' is easily J.'s best work in years, since the heyday of Dinosaur Jr. Yeah, the cover art and graphic design still has the look of any number of crappy '90s Dinosaur Jr. records, but ignore that for the moment and listen. Get set for loads of fantastic Mascis guitar soloing, Neil Young-style vocal drawl, and catchy songwriting (some echoes of Nirvana in that dept.). The final blowout guitar overload cut (with Kevin Shields stepping up to the plate as guest guitarist) is only the icing on the cake. If you've given up on Mr. Mascis, it's time to reconsider; this is a winner.

MASERATI Inventions For The New Season (Temporary Residence) cd 14.98
A simple check-list should help you to get an idea of what Maserati is all about: instrumental post-rock, released on the Temporary Residence Ltd. label, with a sports car name sorta like Trans Am... This album focuses a lot of psychedelic guitar distortion and krauty, rhythmic energy into eight sleek, speedy, and sometimes shoegazey tracks that sound like Frippertronics at the disco, or a coke-fuelled Circle/Tortoise/Zombi jam. It's a loud yet gentle ear-massage lit up by flashing, stroboscopic drumming. The drummer also plays in !!! and the Turing Machine, you could sorta see Maserati as a mix of those two bands, mathy propulsive post-rock with a bit of a groove-y, dance-y vibe. Portions of this could make a good Miami Vice soundtrack, like for a scene (filmed from a helicopter) of an exciting power-boat chase across a deep blue, beautiful, sunshiney sea. Also several of these tracks, Cup is convinced, could easily segue into a rendition of "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring... which is cool by us.
MPEG Stream: "Inventions"
MPEG Stream: "This Is A Sight We Had One Day From The High Mountain"

MASERATI Passages (Temporary Residence) cd 13.98
Rev it up! The Maserati boys are back with another compact disc installment of their instrumental, exceedingly rhythmic post rock, and unlike some bands who have run afoul of corporate intellectual property lawyers (Pansonic, Kleenex, Bipolaroid, etc.), they still haven't been sued by the manufacturers of the Italian sports car from whom they borrow their name (though perhaps it's also an obscure Ted Nugent lyrical reference? let's hope not). Probably the suits at the automaker Maserati's headquarters realize that this band's music is free, excellent advertising for their product!
This is definitely -driving- music, sometime a pleasant Sunday drive, sometimes a white knuckle ride over the speed limit, always propulsive, hypnotically repetitive, but dynamic as well. "Join Us, Mystic Sister" is a brief, ecstatic intro, that shines forth and then segues smoothly into "No More Sages", with its vaguely metallic, chucka-chucka guitars, motorik beats, and washes of shoegazery distortion. Other cuts venture further into purely kosmische, krautrock inspired territory, like the minimalist all-synth pulsations of "Thieves".
There's 8 tracks on this 40 minute disc, three of them remixes. However, all but two of the tracks previously appeared on limited edition, now out of print vinyl releases. The first four cuts are from Maserati's side of their 12" split with Zombi that we were never able to get enough of to list. And two of the remixes, by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy and !!!'s Justin Van Der Volgen, are from the Inventions Remixes 12". Both really dance it up, accentuating the cosmic disco vibe that Maserati already possess. The other remix, of a spacier take of this disc's "Monoliths", was done by Zombi's Steve Moore, and is exclusive to this release, as is album closer "Do You Hear The Nightbirds Calling You?". And if all that wasn't enough, this cd is further enhanced by the presence of two pretty cool Quicktime video clips. One's live, the other a cute, partly animated music video demonstrating Maserati's potential as workout music.
As always, VERY recommended for fans of Zombi, Trans Am, Circle, Salvatore, Tussle, Nisennenmondai, SF's own Jonas Reinhardt, and other likeminded coked up post rockers.
MPEG Stream: "No More Sages"
MPEG Stream: "Monoliths"

MASHAYEKHI, ALIREZA & ATA EBTEKAR (SOTE) Persian Electronic Music: Yesterday And Today (1966-2006) (Sub Rosa) cd 16.98

MASMELO Madeline (self-released) cd-r 5.98
Madeline is the first release from these two Japanese gals currently calling SF their home. Prior to moving to the States, the pair were in a band called Small Universe, and one member is also currently the bassist for The Ass Baboons Of Venus! They dish out five very short (and only occasionally sweet) jolts of super raucous and lo-lo-fi, truly garage-style pop. Primitive thumpin' drumbeats, trashy guitar chords, girl gang vocals and the howl of uncontrolled feedback.
MPEG Stream: "Number Count"
MPEG Stream: "Here We Go"

MASONNA Ejaculation Generator (Alchemy) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Japan's hopping noise honcho. Continues the "Good Alchemy" series of outrageous aural assaults.

MASONNA Hyper Chaotic (V. Records) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More of the crazy, dynamic noise Masonna is known for, this time available on a relatively inexpensive American disc.

MASONNA Mademoiselle Anne Sanglante Ou Notre Nymphomanie Aureole (Alchemy) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MASONNA Noskl In Ana (Alchemy) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MASONNA Shock Rock (MIDI Creative) cd 27.00
And now for the third of our reviews of the three "Freakout Triplex" cds that were released in 2002 in honor of Maso Yamazaki's 15th anniversary (of noise/music making, presumably). There was a disc apiece dedicated to each of his main projects: Christine 23 Onna's Acid Eater (reviewed on list 255), Space Machine's 2 (reviewed on list 258), and Masonna's Shock Rock (being reviewed right NOW). These weren't readily available over here in the USA when they first came out, so we figured a bunch of you Japanese psychedelic/electronic/noise fans would be interested if we reviewed these, now that we can finally get 'em.
Masonna is Maso Yamazaki's best known project, his solo screaming noise guise. As harsh Japanese noise goes, Masonna's at the top of the heap, up there with the likes of Merzbow and Hijokaidan in a sort of unholy trinity. Quite prolific in the past, Masonna's discography is rather large to say the least. But you can be sure than ANY Masonna album you hear is gonna sound like just about the most insane noisy thing EVER. Shock Rock, his umpteenth cd release, is also as far as we're aware the last full-length Masonna album to come out... So it stands to reason that this could well be the noisiest. We're not talking trance-inducing drone like you might get from, say, Aube or even Merzbow, sometimes. We're talking short sharp shocks of feedback-attack noise, 31 tracks on this 46 minute disc. Ultra-distorted, deliriously painful, apoplectic EXTREME noise here! Which, paradoxically, can be a pleasurable, almost gleeful thing...though it's an acquired taste no doubt! Folks who already know and love the likes of Shinsen Na Clitoris (Vanilla, 1990) or Mademoiselle Anne Sanglante Ou Notre Nymphomanie Aureole (Alchemy, 1993) will want to add this to their collections. It's as spasmodically fierce as those classics. But for Japanese noise noobs, well, this might be like jumping in at the deep end! However, if you're not afraid, and/or simply want to get maximal noise for your 27 bucks, this surely would be the ticket!
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 16"

MASONNA Super Compact Disk (Alchemy) cd 21.00

MASONNA Ultimate Collection Vol.1 (Alchemy) cd 21.00
There's noise, and then there's noise!!! And then, there's Masonna... and this, the Ultimate Masonna (volume one).
Never heard any Japanese noise? Well, there's always a first time, and this could be it. Maybe you'll love it (if not, you'll probably hate it... not much room for any reactions in-between). If you have heard Japanese noise, you probably already know Masonna. Along with Merzbow and Hijokaidan, he's probably the most (in)famous and most extreme of all the many Japanese noisicians. At AQ, he's also quite popular for his other sonic endeavors, the analog spaced out kosmiche electronic trips of Space Machine, the super psychedelic rhythmic synth grooves of Christine 23 Onna, and the fuzz-freaked garage rock of Acid Eater. Those outfits, to varying degrees, can be considered music, even pop music. But recording under the Masonna moniker, Maso Yamazaki makes sheer noise, no "music" involved at all. Just ultra dynamic, distorted screaming and electronic distortion, volume cranked to the max, an all-out expressive attack, acrobatic and energetic. Very similar to his famous "jumping" live performances.
In honor of Masonna's 20th anniversary of noisemaking, packaged with super swank graphics (we dig the elaborate Greatful Dead/Quicksilver looking logo) and liner notes in both English and Japanese, Ultimate Collection Vol.1 brings back two long out of print Masonna documents. It includes the oddly titled Masonna Vs. Bananamara LP, originally released on vinyl in 1989 by Japan's Vanilla Records in an edition of 290 copies, and the aptly titled 1996 album Hyper Chaotic, originally from tiny US label V Records. Reissued together on one compact disc, these two albums comprise 48 mostly short tracks (many of 'em under a minute each) of the most intense, shrieking shards of distortion with which you've ever abused your ears... you've been warned!!
The vs. Bananamara album (which was Masonna's debut LP after some self-released cassettes) perhaps features more high-end skree, while the later Hyper Chaotic is more about blown-out white noise... but there's plenty of both sounds throughout!
MPEG Stream: "Keckold"
MPEG Stream: "Baimn Lamx"
MPEG Stream: "Hyper Chaotic - Chapter 2"
MPEG Stream: "Hyper Chaotic - Chapter 13"

MASONNA Ultimate Collection Vol.2 (Alchemy) cd 21.00
What could be better (and noisier) than Masonna's Ultimate Collection Volume 1? Volume 2 of course. In honor of the man's 20 years of noisemaking madness, Alchemy has reissued several crucial, long out of print Masonna documents as two-on-one cds in this Ultimate Collection series. You can check out our review, elsewhere on our site, of Vol. 1 to read more about Masonna and his legendary place in the pantheon of Japanese noise, alongside the likes of Merzbow and Hijokaidan... suffice to say if you've never heard this stuff before, be warned! It's noisy all right. Not everyone will have the same reaction (no siree) but for us, when we hear the harsh sonic genius of Masonna, it's like, we freeze, fascinated, compelled - numbed and hypnotized even. It's really enjoyable... really.
So, Volume 2 comprises the early 1990 album Shinsen Na Clitoris (of which only 499 copies were pressed), and the 1998 cd-r Tripsy Sunshine (which was even rarer, in an edition of 49 copies!). Rather than the many short, sharp, shocking tracks found on Vol.1, there's just four long tracks here, each of the original albums split into two approximately 15 minute pieces. Though, on Shinsen Na Clitoris, it still sounds like a lot of cut-up edits.
That album is all about totally destroyed, distorted to hell vocals, Masonna's insane shrieking demonic baby babble in a swirling vortex of feedback and warped FX, the sounds of guitar (?), electronics, and his voice all one massive noisy jibber-jabber. Whew! He's really freaking out, hyperventilating probably. Later, on the Tripsy Sunshine tracks, Masonna moves more into the fuzzed out psych-synth territory of his Christine 23 Onna and Space Machine projects, with washes of fuzzy synth overload and throbbing pounding rhythms. So it becomes a bit more 'musical' but just barely. There's certainly gobs of sheer chaotic please turn that down NOISE to happily torment your earholes with as well, from start to finish.
You know how you can't fit more than, like, 80 minutes of music on a compact disc? Well this disc is one hour long, but it's probably got more (noisy) SOUND crammed into it than any cd you can find, whatever the length. Basically, Masonna takes to heart the principle that if you're gonna make noise, make it the noisiest. And he sure does.
MPEG Stream: "Shinsen Na Clitoris Part 1"
MPEG Stream: "Space Psychetronics Erector"

MASONNA Vestal Spacey Ritual (Alchemy) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MASS From Zero (Paratactile) cd 19.98
A truely extraordinary second release from the improv power trio Gary Smith, Gary Jeff, and Lou Ciccotelli (God, Spleen, etc.) on guitar, bass, electronics, and percussion.

MASS Mixed Media (Paratactile) cd 16.98
British avant-garde "stereo" guitarist Gary Smith unleashes the third release from his power trio Mass, wherein he's joined by the equally out there and extreme rhythm section of Gary Jeff and Lou Ciccotelli. You might know these guys from their contributions to projects like God and Aufgehoben No Process. Mass is a bit less oppressive than those bands, closer to "jazz" but not what most people think of as jazz, of course. Yessir, their electronics, improv moves, and rock-derived power combine for another satisfying head-bender.
MPEG Stream: "Advance"

MASS s/t (Man's Ruin) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
One of the best new releases on Man's Ruin in a while! This debut cd by Germany's Mass will definitely appeal to fans of Melvins, Boris, and similar paragons of avant-metallic heaviness. The opening track "White Light Yellow Pt. One" establishes the band's inital juggernaut similarity to the Melvins, but as the album progresses, so does Mass, incorporating the judicious use of keyboards, non-distorted vocals, and other unusual moves -- really blossoming into something original, devastating, and addictive. The closing instrumental 'cover' of funkmaster Larry Graham's "Earthquake" puts the perfect finishing touch on this quality album. Featuring the former rhythm section of the underrated and unsung Nonoyesno (although the sound of Mass is very different). Recommended! Also, this disc's artwork, while simple, is a cut above what we have come to expect from Man's Ruin's usual 'I stole this off the net, and made it different colors' lazy artistic re-appropriation.

MASS, THE City Of Dis (Crucial Blast) cd 14.98
This fierce, frenetic Oakland band isn't afraid to take a kitchen sink approach to their brand of avant-garde metalcore... ok, maybe they don't include the metaphorical kitchen sink but they do cram in lots and lots of saxophone! That's on top of a heavy, mean, rockin' blend of grind, punk, black metal, prog, etc.
Dunno if they ever really exceed being just the sum of their overt influences (we'd guess the likes of Dillinger Escape Plan, John Zorn, King Crimson, Botch, Guapo, Motorhead, Slayer...) but they do make a nasty racket that even metalheads normally adverse to jazz and/or saxophones might find headbangingly worthy. So if "Yakety Sax" meets metal sounds good (or good n' weird) to you, check this out! As a bonus, this includes a Quicktime live video for their track "We Enslaved Elves To Build Our Death Machine"!
MPEG Stream: "La Porc"
MPEG Stream: "Trapped Under A Ice"

MASS, THE Perfect Picture (Crucial Blast) cd 13.98
Second and so far best album from this metal-with-saxophone band!

MASSACRE Funny Valentine (Tzadik) cd 15.98
18 years later, Fred Frith (Naked City, Henry Cow, Skeleton Crew) and Bill Laswell (Praxis, Material, Painkiller, Arcana) are joined by Charles Hayward (This Heat) to reform Massacre--a brutal and complex improv-rock trio that wupped asses and ears back in the early '80's. Adolf Wolfli cover art.

MASSACRE Killing Time (ReR) cd 16.98

MASSACRE Lonely Heart (Tzadik) cd 16.98

MASSACRE Meltdown (Tzadik) cd 16.98
Massacre has been around since 1981's seminal album Killing Time (which you must seek out if you haven't heard it already). Comprised of guitarist Fred Frith, bassist Bill Laswell, and -- new to the group -- Charles Hayward on drums, Massacre specialize in improvised avant rock -- propulsive rhythms, plink-plonking bass, scraping schizo textural guitarwork. Recorded live at Robert Wyatt's 2001 Meltdown Festival, it all adds up to an intense listening experience, especially when the trio lets loose with climactic fervor. As the founder of the legendary This Heat, Hayward's name makes this even more of a supergroup than before. Luckily the music lives up to that, although we'd still recommend Killing Time to start with.
RealAudio clip: "Closing the Circles and Loose End"
RealAudio clip: "Up For It"

MASSEMORD Obscura Symphonia (Cybertzara) cd 14.98

MASSEMORD Skogen Kaller (Cybertzara) cd 14.98

MASSIERA, JEAN-PIERRE Midnight Massiera (Finders Keepers) cd 23.00
We'd never normally accuse the Finders Keepers Label of being slow on the draw, having turned us on to so much stuff we wouldn't know about otherwise. But we thought it a bit odd that they just released this Jean-Pierre Massiera compilation so soon after the Mucho Gusto label released the two incredible Psychoses compilations (Discoids and Freakoids) showcasing the eccentric prog, pop and disco productions of this incredible French mad genius. Yet while there is some crossover (six songs here are also on the Freakoids comp; three are also on Discoids), there is about half of Midnight Massiera that's from other outfits not featured on those two previous comps. Some we've heard of (Les Maledictus Sound, who contribute two tracks), others we've heard of but didn't realize Massiera was involved in their production (Chico Magnetic Band and Chris Gallbert, the same track featured on the awesome earlier Mucho Gusto comp, Total Freak Out!), and finally there are a few groups totally new to us: the spaghetti western Moog weirdness of S.E.M. Studios; the one and only Jesus, who contributes two tracks - one loungey freak beat, the other melancholy folk; a percussive fuzz interlude by Atlantide, and the cinematic psych-folk of Afterlife. Visitors, Hermans Rocket, Human Egg, Basile (with two tracks) Les Chats, Les Monegasques, The Pyranhas, and The Starlights make repeat appearances. Folks who already have the two previous compilations (plus the Les Maledictus Sound, Visitors, and Chico Magnetic Band albums, as well as the Total Freak Out compilation), may not want to shell out more for this. But for a one-stop Massiera compilation, this is very wide ranging and well curated, featuring most of the best of the Mucho Gusto compilations, as well as our favorite tracks from Les Maledictus Sound. If you haven't already purchased any of the previous Massiera related releases available, and need a really good introduction, this one will do quite nicely!
MPEG Stream: THE STARLIGHTS "Mao Mao"
MPEG Stream: BASILE "Engins Bizarres et Gens Estranges"
MPEG Stream: VISITORS "Visitors"
MPEG Stream: CHRIS GALLBERT "Sing Sing"
MPEG Stream: LES MALEDICTUS SOUND "Kriminal Theme"
MPEG Stream: JESUS "Song Mortuaire"
MPEG Stream: CHICO MAGNETIC BAND "Pop Or Not"

MASSIERA, JEAN-PIERRE Midnight Massiera (Finders Keepers) cd 23.00
We'd never normally accuse the Finders Keepers Label of being slow on the draw, having turned us on to so much stuff we wouldn't know about otherwise. But we thought it a bit odd that they just released this Jean-Pierre Massiera compilation so soon after the Mucho Gusto label released the two incredible Psychoses compilations (Discoids and Freakoids) showcasing the eccentric prog, pop and disco productions of this incredible French mad genius. Yet while there is some crossover (six songs here are also on the Freakoids comp; three are also on Discoids), there is about half of Midnight Massiera that's from other outfits not featured on those two previous comps. Some we've heard of (Les Maledictus Sound, who contribute two tracks), others we've heard of but didn't realize Massiera was involved in their production (Chico Magnetic Band and Chris Gallbert, the same track featured on the awesome earlier Mucho Gusto comp, Total Freak Out!), and finally there are a few groups totally new to us: the spaghetti western Moog weirdness of S.E.M. Studios; the one and only Jesus, who contributes two tracks - one loungey freak beat, the other melancholy folk; a percussive fuzz interlude by Atlantide, and the cinematic psych-folk of Afterlife. Visitors, Hermans Rocket, Human Egg, Basile (with two tracks) Les Chats, Les Monegasques, The Pyranhas, and The Starlights make repeat appearances. Folks who already have the two previous compilations (plus the Les Maledictus Sound, Visitors, and Chico Magnetic Band albums, as well as the Total Freak Out compilation), may not want to shell out more for this. But for a one-stop Massiera compilation, this is very wide ranging and well curated, featuring most of the best of the Mucho Gusto compilations, as well as our favorite tracks from Les Maledictus Sound. If you haven't already purchased any of the previous Massiera related releases available, and need a really good introduction, this one will do quite nicely!
MPEG Stream: THE STARLIGHTS "Mao Mao"
MPEG Stream: BASILE "Engins Bizarres et Gens Estranges"
MPEG Stream: VISITORS "Visitors"
MPEG Stream: CHRIS GALLBERT "Sing Sing"
MPEG Stream: LES MALEDICTUS SOUND "Kriminal Theme"
MPEG Stream: JESUS "Song Mortuaire"
MPEG Stream: CHICO MAGNETIC BAND "Pop Or Not"

MASSIERA, JEAN-PIERRE Psychoses: Discoid (1976 - 1981) (Mucho Gusto) cd 16.98
Now on cd!! We sold a ton of both volumes of these on vinyl already, here's our review...
It's not every day you hear samples of Hitler speeches and Nazi marches over a pulsating glammy space groove next to an even wackier freaked out French version of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming To Take Me Away". Throw in some warped '60s beat pop, zany space prog and the weirdest but most sublimely cosmic disco tracks you have never heard, and you are somewhat closer to wrapping your head around the skewed production genius of Jean-Pierre Massiera. Starting his career in the south of France and relocating to Montreal in the seventies, Massiera, best known for Les Maledictus Sound, a holy-grail record for collectors of sixties psych-exotica freakiness has continued to explore for the past 40 years all manner of spacey and unhinged pop and dance grooves through a myriad of single-based projects, the best of collected on these two volumes. Like a surrealist Serge Gainsbourg mixed with Gong, Cerrone and Zolar X, Massiera never concerned himself with record industry pressures or making fame or fortune off his production efforts but instead used the studio to explore his love of surrealism, off-beat humor and some coke-addled (we presume) cosmic fantasy.
The Discoid volume begins with Sex Conventions' "Toi Qui Reve de Baisers", a funky groover that owes much of its success to Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" as they share similar riffs and breaks. Native American, and Brazilian rhythms come through on tracks by Herman's Rocket (who were also on the first volume) and Brasa Brasil & Helena. While Human Egg gives us "Onomatopaiea", a hypnotic vocal-only rhythm chant and the cosmic disco epic "Love Like This" that any DJ with a penchant for Italo or electro-funk should get this volume for that track alone! Of course The Starlights "Mao Mao" along with tracks by Mickey and Joyce and Venus Gang also make this essential for crate diggers and beatheads and freaky music collectors of all types. Psychoses Indeed!
MPEG Stream: THE HUMAN EGG "Love Like This"
MPEG Stream: THE STARLIGHTS "Mao Mao"
MPEG Stream: SEX CONVENTION "Toi Qui Reve De Baisers"

MASSIERA, JEAN-PIERRE Psychoses: Discoid (1976 - 1981) (Mucho Gusto) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's not every day you hear samples of Hitler speeches and Nazi marches over a pulsating glammy space groove next to an even wackier freaked out French version of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming To Take Me Away". Throw in some warped '60s beat pop, zany space prog and the weirdest but most sublimely cosmic disco tracks you have never heard, and you are somewhat closer to wrapping your head around the skewed production genius of Jean-Pierre Massiera. Starting his career in the south of France and relocating to Montreal in the seventies, Massiera, best known for Les Maledictus Sound, a holy-grail record for collectors of sixties psych-exotica freakiness has continued to explore for the past 40 years all manner of spacey and unhinged pop and dance grooves through a myriad of single-based projects, the best of collected on these two volumes. Like a surrealist Serge Gainsbourg mixed with Gong, Cerrone and Zolar X, Massiera never concerned himself with record industry pressures or making fame or fortune off his production efforts but instead used the studio to explore his love of surrealism, off-beat humor and some coke-addled (we presume) cosmic fantasy. Each record comes with a code to download mp3's and a bonus track.
The Discoid volume begins with Sex Conventions' "Toi Qui Reve de Baisers", a funky groover that owes much of its success to Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" as they share similar riffs and breaks. Native American, and Brazilian rhythms come through on tracks by Herman's Rocket (who were also on the first volume) and Brasa Brasil & Helena. While Human Egg gives us "Onomatopaiea", a hypnotic vocal-only rhythm chant and the cosmic disco epic "Love Like This" that any DJ with a penchant for Italo or electro-funk should get this volume for that track alone! Of course The Starlights "Mao Mao" along with tracks by Mickey and Joyce and Venus Gang also make this essential for crate diggers and beatheads and freaky music collectors of all types. Psychoses Indeed!
MPEG Stream: THE HUMAN EGG "Love Like This"
MPEG Stream: THE STARLIGHTS "Mao Mao"
MPEG Stream: SEX CONVENTION "Toi Qui Reve De Baisers"

MASSIERA, JEAN-PIERRE Psychoses: Freakoid (1963 - 1978) (Mucho Gusto) cd 16.98
Now on cd!! We sold a ton of both volumes of these on vinyl already, here's our review...
It's not every day you hear samples of Hitler speeches and Nazi marches over a pulsating glammy space groove next to an even wackier freaked out French version of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming To Take Me Away". Throw in some warped '60s beat pop, zany space prog and the weirdest but most sublimely cosmic disco tracks you have never heard, and you are somewhat closer to wrapping your head around the skewed production genius of Jean-Pierre Massiera. Starting his career in the south of France and relocating to Montreal in the seventies, Massiera, best known for Les Maledictus Sound, a holy-grail record for collectors of sixties psych-exotica freakiness has continued to explore for the past 40 years all manner of spacey and unhinged pop and dance grooves through a myriad of single-based projects, the best of collected on these two volumes. Like a surrealist Serge Gainsbourg mixed with Gong, Cerrone and Zolar X, Massiera never concerned himself with record industry pressures or making fame or fortune off his production efforts but instead used the studio to explore his love of surrealism, off-beat humor and some coke-addled (we presume) cosmic fantasy.
The Freakoid volume begins with Basile, a novelty singer who was popular in the South of France for playing a rural imbecile who has two tracks, one being the skewed Napoleon XIV cover mentioned above. That there is no mention that this song is a cover ( both were released the same year) and instead claims to be inspired by an early thirties French recording just adds to Massiera's strange self-made mythos masking some pretty blatant appropriations. Other tracks by groups Les Monegasques and Piranhas venture into psyche beat and garage rock while tracks by Le Chats and J.P.M & Co. explore proggified Salvador Dali, with wigs and body paint, hermaphrodites, and tape collages over pulsing synths and rhythms. More cosmic space funk rounds out side two with alien fantasias from Visitors and more glitter wigs and body paint from Herman's Rocket and Venus Gang providing some late-era Mutantes / Nina Hagen zaniness. Add the traditional African and Indonesian folk groove of The Starlights and you're in for a druggy Euro-mind-trip that you might not be able to return from. Psychoses indeed!
MPEG Stream: BASILE "Engins Bizarres et Gens Estranges"
MPEG Stream: J.P.M & CO. "Plus Jamais Ca"
MPEG Stream: VISITORS "Flatwoods Story"
MPEG Stream: VENUS GANG "Space Inferno"

MASSIERA, JEAN-PIERRE Psychoses: Freakoid (1963 - 1978) (Mucho Gusto) lp 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's not every day you hear samples of Hitler speeches and Nazi marches over a pulsating glammy space groove next to an even wackier freaked out French version of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming To Take Me Away". Throw in some warped '60s beat pop, zany space prog and the weirdest but most sublimely cosmic disco tracks you have never heard, and you are somewhat closer to wrapping your head around the skewed production genius of Jean-Pierre Massiera. Starting his career in the south of France and relocating to Montreal in the seventies, Massiera, best known for Les Maledictus Sound, a holy-grail record for collectors of sixties psych-exotica freakiness has continued to explore for the past 40 years all manner of spacey and unhinged pop and dance grooves through a myriad of single-based projects, the best of collected on these two volumes. Like a surrealist Serge Gainsbourg mixed with Gong, Cerrone and Zolar X, Massiera never concerned himself with record industry pressures or making fame or fortune off his production efforts but instead used the studio to explore his love of surrealism, off-beat humor and some coke-addled (we presume) cosmic fantasy. Each record comes with a code to download mp3's and a bonus track.
The Freakoid volume begins with Basile, a novelty singer who was popular in the South of France for playing a rural imbecile who has two tracks, one being the skewed Napoleon XIV cover mentioned above. That there is no mention that this song is a cover ( both were released the same year) and instead claims to be inspired by an early thirties French recording just adds to Massiera's strange self-made mythos masking some pretty blatant appropriations. Other tracks by groups Les Monegasques and Piranhas venture into psyche beat and garage rock while tracks by Le Chats and J.P.M & Co. explore proggified Salvador Dali, with wigs and body paint, hermaphrodites, and tape collages over pulsing synths and rhythms. More cosmic space funk rounds out side two with alien fantasias from Visitors and more glitter wigs and body paint from Herman's Rocket and Venus Gang providing some late-era Mutantes / Nina Hagen zaniness. Add the traditional African and Indonesian folk groove of The Starlights and you're in for a druggy Euro-mind-trip that you might not be able to return from. Psychoses indeed!
MPEG Stream: BASILE "Engins Bizarres et Gens Estranges"
MPEG Stream: J.P.M & CO. "Plus Jamais Ca"
MPEG Stream: VISITORS "Flatwoods Story"
MPEG Stream: VENUS GANG "Space Inferno"

MASSIMO Hey Babe, Let Me See Your USB And I'll Show You My FireWire (Mego) 3" cd 9.98
Gross! Okay, referring to the cover art, wherein an image of a naked man sitting in a chair with a FireWire cable superimposed in place of his dick via Photoshop is coupled with a similar image of a man's ass sporting a rather large USB port: One of the most annoying traits of current electronic music is the fact that artists like to fetishize aspects of their equipment -- that was okay when electronic music consisted of knobs and levers and oscillators and physical objects found only on electronic music equipment. But when it comes down to USB and Firewire and common things used by everyone from accountants to musicians, it's just dumb. Anyway, that's beside the point. It's just that the idea was probably a funny idea to the folks at Mego (and the images themselves are good for one laugh), but plain retarded in execution. Maybe that's what they were going for... This ep from the Sicilian Massimo is full of extremely loud digital farts and squiggles akin to Pita or a more hyper/short attention span Russell Haswell. The cover art as mentioned before takes digital pornography to new levels. Nasty.

MASSIVE ATTACK 100th Window (Virgin) cd 16.98
Our beloved customer and friend Jesse Zeifman loves this album more than any of the AQ staff did, so we asked him to say a li'l something about it:
It's been five years since Massive Attack's startlingly aggressive Mezzanine marked a turning point for the Bristol trio credited, by most, for creating trip-hop. In the interim, the band's lost two of its three founding members, leaving the reins in Robert "3D" Del Naja's hands.
From Blue Lines (1991), a debut that used hip-hop as an endoskeleton and had a body made of soul music, to the muted, austere, follow-up Protection (1994), no Massive Attack album has sounded alike. For their new release, Del Naja has managed to shape-shift the group once again, eschewing Mezzanine's guitars and static and grit for something closer to ambient electronica.
Beginning with "Future Proof" and its combination of galloping electronic blips, reverberating guitars and layers of feedback, Del Naja throws an unexpected curve when, rather than delivering his lyrics with his signature blunted raps, he sings. Sounding like Thom Yorke stoned might, he doesn't display a lot of range, but he phrases things accordingly, effectively, and where it could have felt soft and wrong it doesn't.
As with their previous efforts, the sound-system dynamic with which the group was built remains in place. While Del Naja helms four of the album's nine tracks, he calls upon two other vocalists, Sinead O'Connor and Horace Andy, to give voice to the rest. O'Connor is, unfortunately, underused, leaving her songs the album's least interesting, but Andy, especially on the lovely "Everywhen", fares better. "Small Time Shot Away" is the album's warmest song. If any tonal comparison is to be drawn, it would be with Boards of Canada's "Music Is Math" (from their latest, Geogaddi). "Antistar" closes 100th Window with a threatening guitar loop smashed against Middle Eastern-flavored strings and Del Naja at his most claustrophobic. Juxtapositions of the beautiful and the ominous betray this track's genetic lineage. It's the take-no-shit younger sibling of Mezzanine's, "Risingson."
The rigor of Massive Attack's production always sets their work apart and 100th Window is no different. It may feel, upon first pass, like a pleasant soundtrack to your next dinner party. Check again. Tracks upon tracks of percussive elements, of tingling, stuttering, noise, of lost guitar loops moving independently, churning in their subterranean canals, makes for an experience of uneasy listening.
Recommended for fans of the group -- if you're new to Massive Attack, please start with Mezzanine.
RealAudio clip: "Everywhen"
RealAudio clip: "Future Proof"

MASSIVE ATTACK 100th Window (Virgin) 3lp 31.00
Our beloved customer and friend Jesse Zeifman loves this album more than any of the AQ staff did, so we asked him to say a li'l something about it:
It's been five years since Massive Attack's startlingly aggressive Mezzanine marked a turning point for the Bristol trio credited, by most, for creating trip-hop. In the interim, the band's lost two of its three founding members, leaving the reins in Robert "3D" Del Naja's hands.
From Blue Lines (1991), a debut that used hip-hop as an endoskeleton and had a body made of soul music, to the muted, austere, follow-up Protection (1994), no Massive Attack album has sounded alike. For their new release, Del Naja has managed to shape-shift the group once again, eschewing Mezzanine's guitars and static and grit for something closer to ambient electronica.
Beginning with "Future Proof" and its combination of galloping electronic blips, reverberating guitars and layers of feedback, Del Naja throws an unexpected curve when, rather than delivering his lyrics with his signature blunted raps, he sings. Sounding like Thom Yorke stoned might, he doesn't display a lot of range, but he phrases things accordingly, effectively, and where it could have felt soft and wrong it doesn't.
As with their previous efforts, the sound-system dynamic with which the group was built remains in place. While Del Naja helms four of the album's nine tracks, he calls upon two other vocalists, Sinead O'Connor and Horace Andy, to give voice to the rest. O'Connor is, unfortunately, underused, leaving her songs the album's least interesting, but Andy, especially on the lovely "Everywhen", fares better. "Small Time Shot Away" is the album's warmest song. If any tonal comparison is to be drawn, it would be with Boards of Canada's "Music Is Math" (from their latest, Geogaddi). "Antistar" closes 100th Window with a threatening guitar loop smashed against Middle Eastern-flavored strings and Del Naja at his most claustrophobic. Juxtapositions of the beautiful and the ominous betray this track's genetic lineage. It's the take-no-shit younger sibling of Mezzanine's, "Risingson."
The rigor of Massive Attack's production always sets their work apart and 100th Window is no different. It may feel, upon first pass, like a pleasant soundtrack to your next dinner party. Check again. Tracks upon tracks of percussive elements, of tingling, stuttering, noise, of lost guitar loops moving independently, churning in their subterranean canals, makes for an experience of uneasy listening.
Recommended for fans of the group -- if you're new to Massive Attack, please start with Mezzanine.

MASSIVE ATTACK Blue Lines (Virgin) cd 16.98

MASSIVE ATTACK Heligoland (Virgin) cd 15.98
We wanted so much to like this new Massive Attack record. It had all the right ingredients (vocals by Horace Andy, Hope Sandoval, Damon Albern, etc.) but damn if it doesn't just fall a little bit flat. There are a few nice moments but as an album it feels a bit dated and really underwhelming. Some consolation can be found in the fact that another record came out not long ago, reviewed last list: King Midas Sound's record Waiting For You, which sounded exactly how we were had hoped the new Massive Attack would, warped and dark and dreamy, hypnotic and otherworldly, washed out and so divine. So if you love how Massive Attack sounded way back when they were great, maybe pass on this one and get King Midas Sound instead!
MPEG Stream: "Pray For Rain"
MPEG Stream: "Psyche"
MPEG Stream: "Saturday Come Slow"

MASSIVE ATTACK Mezzanine (Circa) cd 16.98
Scoffing at Portishead for not really extending themselves beyond the John Barry inspired trip hop of their first album, Massive Attack's Mezzanine is an excellent departure from the blunted references from Protection into a darkly polished gem that features Elizabeth Fraser of The Cocteau Twins on vocals! We think this record out-Trickys Tricky.

MASSIVE ATTACK Vs Mad Professor (Caroline) cd 14.98

MASSTISHADDHU Shekinah (Psychedelic Pig) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Masstishaddhu's only album was released on United Daries back in 1988 and finally sees its long overdue cd reissue on Psychedelic Pig. Fronted by the hermetic Richard Rupenus (who also masterminded the noise scrape of The New Blockaders, the baffling Dada collages of The Mixed Band Philanthrophist, and the industrial rituals of Metgumbnerbone), Masstishaddhu is an entirely new vocabulary for Rupenus as he employs a healthy dose of Indian drones, deep transcendental chants, and bowed metal clatter. While references to the grizled malevolence of Organum or even some Nurse With Wound stuff may be appropriate, Masstishaddhu's dark, heavily opiated improvisations sit much closer to the American improv-damage of the Sun City Girls and No Neck Blues Band at their nost subtle. Jim has actually been looking for this album for several years now, and happily announces its return!