MANIACS DREAM Die, Learn, No Way (HP Cycle) lp 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yet another mysterious musical discovery from the wild wooly world of underground Finnish rock. On first listen, Maniacs Dream sounds like they just might follow the same path as fellow Finns Avarus, Anaksimandros, or Kemiallliset Ystavat, with splattery, droning, free folk clatter. But we're in for a rude awakening as the band launches into a series of massive psych rock jams, echoey, reverby and relentlessly propulsive, with heavily affected riffing underpinning huge shards of angular guitar melodies. Like some unholy union of Faust and the Butthole Surfers. The band dips into homemade electronica, damaged and slathered in all sorts of cobbled together effects, and what sounds like some sort of alien circus music, skronky and bouncy but still noisy and sinister. But those get sort of chopped up anyway, into stumbling bursts of rhythmic space rock oddness that become more raw material for MD's freaky psych rock weirdness.

MANIACS DREAM Turku Hold 'Em (Lal Lal Lal) cd 16.98
Yikes! No quiet forest folky revels here. Sure, last time we reviewed something by Finland's Maniacs Dream, an lp they did for HP Cycle a few years back, they were a sort of skronky psychedelic heavy freakout band, whose jams we likened to an unholy union of Faust and the Butthole Surfers. Well, on this disc they've gone a bit further down the freakout path. In fact, it seems like they set out to prove that Finnish peeps can make "Finnish noise" that's just as noisy as any Japanese noise. Turku Hold 'Em is just an all out assault on the ol' earholes, 68 and a half minutes of sheer feedbacking, crinking-cranking, screaming n' screeching N-O-I-S-E. Spread out over two long tracks with nary a respite, though sometimes the rumbling distortion will hold "steady" long enough to take the hardy listener into something of a drone trance zone. This happens more during track two (or maybe its that by track two, the listener is in a state of stunned submission anyway).
If this calorie-burning cavalade of chaos was by Japanese spasming noise outfit Incapacitants (subject of a recent 10cd box set), Allan here would buy this in a second. In fact, he's gonna buy it anyway. It's that good. And if good=noisy in your book, you might agree!
MPEG Stream: "track 1"
MPEG Stream: "track 2"

MANIC SHOOTER Dog Master Teleportation (Upstairs) cd-r 8.98
Manic Shooter is one of three new cd-r's on The Upstairs cd-r label, run by Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never aka KGB Man aka one third of the trio that is Manic Shooter, this is the first we've heard from these guys but it definitely fits in with the Upstairs stable (Flower Man, Nonhorse, that Radio Scenic Glow comp), some futuristic sci-fi synth soundtrack weirdness, that veers from minimal beat heavy drift to garbled collaged whatthefuck, to atmospheric ambience, all run through that distinctly cracked Upstairs future/retro filter: clipped electronic beats get all twisted up by warped effects, hovering like UFOs over a field of distant high end squiggle and washed out shimmer, which gives way to some murky submerged vocal late-night swirl, before fracturing into a super distorted crawl through bad-reception radio, before settling into some skeletal synth skitter. Elsewhere hushed minimal synthesizer wheeze gets molded into a darkly propulsive Blade Runner groove, laced with warped bass and ultra creepy sped up vox, and so it goes, a dizzying trawl through some late night futuristic underworld rendered in blurred ambience, and short attention span soundscape, haunting and unnerving, mysterious and weirdly evocative, lovely here and there for sure, but definitely freaky and frightening in equal measures.
LIMITED TO LESS THAN 100 COPIES! We only got a handful, you do the math...
MPEG Stream: "Cathedral Pines"
MPEG Stream: "Dog Master Teleportation"
MPEG Stream: "Gliese 581"

MANIERISME s/t (Nekrokult Nihilism) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We always say we're not going to write very much about something for whatever reason, we couldn't get enough, it sold out already, but then we always seem to go on and on and write a bunch anyway. Not this time. Short and to the point, since we only have 7 copies of this, and for months now, maybe years, we've been trying to get more, lots more. If we could track more of these down, it would definitely be a highlight, probably even a record of the week. Andee finally made contact with the band, indirectly though another band, so maybe he can convince them to let him re-issue it, or maybe release their next album or both. But for now, we have 7, and once they are gone, for the foreseeable future they will be gone for good.
So yeah, Manierisme, a mysterious black metal horde from Japan, this record easily one of our all time favorite BM records EVER. Fucked up for sure, warped and warbly, twisted and off kilter, buzzy and beautiful, so completely and utterly unique, one of those records that when some one is in the store and is looking for something strange and black and mindblowing, this is the disc we always pull out, and simply tell the person, "buy this". And so there you go. No ROTW, no highlight, just tucked away within the body of the list to be discovered by the aQ faithful who read the whole list. Maybe one day we'll be able to get more, until then though, seven lucky folks will enjoy the beautiful black grim mystery of Manierisme...
MPEG Stream: "Promise In The Masquerade - At Reunion"
MPEG Stream: "Asobi Tawamureru Siryo No Sumu Heya"
MPEG Stream: "Waltz At Last Moment"
MPEG Stream: "The Secret Garden"

MANILLA ROAD Crystal Logic (Iron Glory) cd 14.98
BACK IN PRINT! This exceedingly weird '80s fantasy metal band has another of their many obscure albums reissued on cd! We first listed this way back in 2000, and it's a reissue of a 1983 album in the first place. But these days, Manilla Road is probably much better known than they ever were, whether nine or 26 years ago, now being cited as an influence by everyone from The Gates Of Slumber to Wormsblood, so it's about the time this cd was available again, particularly 'cause it's also pretty much our favorite of their whole weird ouvre (though they're still going strong even today).
When you talk about a cult metal band, they don't get much more "cult" than this one... Hailing from the state of Kansas, but more at home in some sub-Robert E. Howardian prehistoric epoch of swords and sorcery, this band is beloved by the same folks who worship Cirith Ungol and The Lord Weird Slough Feg, and should appeal to bizarre-minded fans of Iron Maiden, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Manowar... "Crystal Logic" is a perfect illustration of what's great (and ridiculous) about Manilla Road: eccentric (to say the least) vocals, a totally wrong (tinny, thin, poverty-stricken) guitar sound that paradoxically sounds fantastic & punk, doomy bass, mythological/intellectual lyrics, and lets not forget the so-bad-it's-good cover art... But most importantly, Manilla Road had the talent and imagination to write some great songs, and truly rule their own unique sub-genre of progressive, remarkably catchy garage-metal. This reissue includes the crazed guitar instrumental "Flaming Metal System" as a bonus track. On the album proper, you'll find true Manilla classics like the oft-covered "Necropolis", the doomy "The Veils Of Negative Existence", and the especially epic "Dreams Of Eschaton".
MPEG Stream: "Necropolis"
MPEG Stream: "The Riddle Master"

MANILLA ROAD Gates Of Fire (Battle Cry) cd 16.98
Wichita's wizards of true, epic, eccentric heavy metal are back with their umpteenth album! You know a band is CULT when the last thing we reviewed by them, earlier this year, was a reissue of their debut album from way back in 1980, and months later here we are with a review of a brand new disc, heavier than ever! Most metal fans outside of Greece, Germany and maybe Kansas have never heard of 'em, yet they've been at it for over two and half decades now. Of course, Mark "The Shark" Shelton is the only remaining original member, but since his (shall we say) unusual vocal stylings, undeniably great guitar playing, and storytelling songwriting are Manilla Road's main attractions, that's no matter. And indeed Gates Of Fire has got all you'd want from a Manilla Road opus. Literary themes both pulp and classical, prog-length song suites, and plenty of raw metal mastery in the guitar dep't. It's all here. Unique and anachronistic, Manilla Road exist for the true few who aren't too cool for the old school -- and indeed want to take advanced classes, under the tutelage of a teacher (Shelton) who has designed his own weird lesson plans.
MPEG Stream: "The Frost Giant's Daughter: When Giants Fall"
MPEG Stream: "Out Of The Ashes: Imperious Rise"

MANILLA ROAD Invasion / Metal (Cult Metal Classics) 2cd 21.00
As, I suppose, with so many things we sell, for some this release will mean nothing -- to others, holy crap! Check the label name: Cult Metal Classics. Well, with this release they're not lying. Perhaps you're a metal cultist yourself and/or recall us here at AQ raving about this '80s vintage metal band and the various recent (and already, again, often hard to come by) reissues of their albums, or even their latest, the return to former glories that was the Spiral Castle album. Wichita, Kansas' Manilla Road, the epitome of obscure epick, eccentrick metal! The band that The Lord Weird Slough Feg can't avoid being compared to (not because Manilla Road were an influence, they weren't, but because both bands, as traditionally metal as they are, can be so gosh darn weird). And this here is doubtless the weirdest of the whole screw-loose Manilla Road discography. Two albums actually, their 1980 debut Invasion and the 1982 follow-up Metal, which had been bootlegged before but never properly compact-disc'd until this double cd release. Though the production (and the cover art) is oh so low-budget and lo-fi, the band's imagination certainly wasn't limited. These guys were into Rush, Hawkwind, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Motorhead -- and dosing on LSD and reading pulp fantasy fiction. And, in these early days, they were bound by no "traditional" metal blueprints (or, for that matter, commerical considerations). Heck Iron Maiden wasn't even an influence until at least their second album, the bluntly-titled Metal. So Manilla Road were free to blend psych and prog and hard rock and whatever else into what they considered to be "epic space-metal". Who else would do a song called "Defender", written from the perspective of a Defender video arcade machine?? You gotta love that. And then there's the love 'em or hate 'em vocals of guitarist Mark "The Shark" Shelton -- growling, soaring, dramatic and outlandish, ranging all over these songs, whether they be riffy and rockin', or epic and theatrical. And his guitar does the same. Quirky, pioneering, pure underground metal (or, proto-metal) indeed. About as underground as it gets. Now most folks aren't gonna like this, I'll admit right now, but a select few will -- and if you're already like Manilla Road, or the aforementioned Slough Feg, or Cirith Ungol or Brocas Helm, or are perhaps just into retro, ridiculous, unashamed rock n' roll, that might be you. There's just an infectious zeal to these proceedings that I for one can't deny.
And by the way, this reissue is a fan's delight, including lyrics and lengthy liner notes that give a very detailed early history of the band.
MPEG Stream: "Queen Of The Black Coast"
MPEG Stream: "Street Jammer"

MANILLA ROAD Mark of the Beast (Monster Records) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Two 'new' releases from the USA's most cult '80s era true/power/heavy/epic metal band. We've lauded them before, as being a uber-eccentric low-budget take on Maiden and Manowar, with hints of '70s prog, precursor to the likes of The Lord Weird Slough Feg and near-contemporaries Brocas Helm. Like Brocas, Manilla Road are still around. With a revised line-up, "Spiral Castle" is their 13th album in a 27 year career. A lot more melodic than their year 2001 comeback disc "Atlantis Rising", this really sounds like classic Manilla Road of old, complete even with their Edgar Allen Poe fixation (his story "Shadow" inspires a track here) and Mark "The Shark" Shelton's distinctive guitar and vocals. Cool!
"Mark of the Beast" also sounds like old Manilla Road -- 'cause it's actually an unreleased album from 1981, originally titled "Dreams of Eschaton". The band didn't like the recordings at the time and shelved them, but bootleg tapes have circulated among the Manilla Road faithful for years. Now Monster Records have persuaded Shelton & Co. that it's time to give the album a proper release at last. Boasting cover art from Thin Lizzy cover artist Jim Fitzpatrick, "Mark of the Beast" is a worthy addition to the Road's official catalog, though not their heaviest -- it's a doomy but kinda mellow and psychedelic album of epic, sad melodicism and majesty. Like all Manilla Road, this doesn't fit any generic metal template...some of this reminds us of Rush's early songs, and there's even a proto-Current 93 narration thing happening on one track too!
RealAudio clip: "Avatar"

MANILLA ROAD Mystification (Sentinel Steel) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Finally reissued, one of the many lost classics by this super-underground cult '80s metal outfit. Dating from 1987, "Mystification" is a keystone album in Manilla Road's long and obscure career. Epic "true" metal a la Iron Maiden, with a macabre, doomy feel. Dark and magical, and oh so slightly eccentric. Appropriately, this album's lyrics are mostly inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. With previously unreleased bonus track. Totally remixed (by the band) as well, as they were unhappy with the original lp mix. For fans of Maiden, Cirith Ungol, Omen, Manowar, Warlord, Slough Feg...

MANILLA ROAD Open The Gates (Dragonheart) cd 21.00
Another long-awaited reissue, adding another piece to the puzzle that is the legacy of obscure '80s metal legends Manilla Road. Since the late '70s, these guys have hammered out umpteen elpees of fantastic and fantastical heavy metal, treading a progressive, peculiar path that made them akin to a cult, low-budget American version of Iron Maiden, but much weirder and cruder and doomier and thrashier. 1985's King Arthur-inspired "Open The Gates" is one of their most well-regarded efforts, and this digipak cd version tacks on two live tracks. For any fans of eccentric epic METAL like Cirth Ungol, Brocas Helm, Manowar, or today's champs The Lord Weird Slough Feg.
RealAudio clip: "Open The Gates"
RealAudio clip: "The Fires Of Mars"

MANILLA ROAD Out Of The Abyss / Live Roadkill (Cult Metal Classics) 2cd 21.00

MANILLA ROAD Spiral Castle (Iron Glory) cd 14.98
Two 'new' releases from the USA's most cult '80s era true/power/heavy/epic metal band. We've lauded them before, as being a uber-eccentric low-budget take on Maiden and Manowar, with hints of '70s prog, precursor to the likes of The Lord Weird Slough Feg and near-contemporaries Brocas Helm. Like Brocas, Manilla Road are still around. With a revised line-up, "Spiral Castle" is their 13th album in a 27 year career. A lot more melodic than their year 2001 comeback disc "Atlantis Rising", this really sounds like classic Manilla Road of old, complete even with their Edgar Allen Poe fixation (his story "Shadow" inspires a track here) and Mark "The Shark" Shelton's distinctive guitar and vocals. Cool!
"Mark of the Beast" also sounds like old Manilla Road -- 'cause it's actually an unreleased album from 1981, originally titled "Dreams of Eschaton". The band didn't like the recordings at the time and shelved them, but bootleg tapes have circulated among the Manilla Road faithful for years. Now Monster Records have persuaded Shelton & Co. that it's time to give the album a proper release at last. Boasting cover art from Thin Lizzy cover artist Jim Fitzpatrick, "Mark of the Beast" is a worthy addition to the Road's official catalog, though not their heaviest -- it's a doomy but kinda mellow and psychedelic album of epic, sad melodicism and majesty. Like all Manilla Road, this doesn't fit any generic metal template...some of this reminds us of Rush's early songs, and there's even a proto-Current 93 narration thing happening on one track too!
RealAudio clip: "Spiral Castle"

MANILLA ROAD The Deluge (Underground Symphony) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A few months ago, "Open The Gates", now, "The Deluge" -- it's a deluge indeed, of Manilla Road reissues! Manilla Road? They're the ultimate obscure American fantasy metal band from the '80s, a cult group if there ever was one, having a bit of a resurgence today with these re-releases and even a new album (which is out but hasn't made its way to us yet). "The Deluge" was originally unleashed in 1986, is another one of the Road's best efforts, being suitably epic, baroque, thrashy and doomy. Guitarist/vocalist Mark "The Shark" Shelton belts 'em out in his usual eccentric manner, drummer Randy "Thrasher" Foxe lets his kit have it in the worst way...it's a rager. As always, definitely recommended to fans of the equally cult and eccentric The Lord Weird Slough Feg!
RealAudio clip: "Hammer Of The Witches"
RealAudio clip: "Friction In Mass"

MANILLA ROAD Voyager (My Graveyard Productions) cd 15.98
For their umpteenth release (and fourth since their 2001 comeback) this from-the-'80s true metal cult lead by Mark "The Shark" Shelton has decided to do an album about Vikings. At first we were like, huh, hasn't that been done before... and, like, by bands from Sweden? But leave it to Manilla Road to inject something weird into the proceedings to keep it interesting. Who else would make a Viking concept album partially set in Mexico??
Voyager tells the tale of a group of hardcore Vikings who, upon returning to their northern homeland from one of their usual business trips involving rapine and plunder, find that the local king has converted to Christianity. Disgusted, they flee to Iceland, only to find the place also crawling with Christians. What's a proper Odin-fearing Viking to do? Off they go to Greenland. Sadly, it too proves to be filthy with Christianity, so they are forced to set sail points further west, and south. Along the way, the narrative includes a gratuitous torture scene, pretty much just as an excuse for the band to do a song called "Blood Eagle"... Eventually these Viking voyagers wind up in Mexico, where the native Toltecs hail the Viking captain as the human incarnation of their Serpent-God. And more bloodshed ensues. But at least there's no Christians about.
You can imagine how this story would provide some darn good metal fodder, violent and aggressive. And indeed it does, but given the unique Manilla Road treatment, it's also psychedelically atmospheric, epically doomy, and very heavy within Manilla Road's untraditional take on traditional metal. Mainman Shelton, to the delight of Manilla Road fans everywhere (Germany, Greece and Italy, mainly, and maybe now Scandinavia and Mexico!), gives it his all, whether it be via wild extended guitar soloing or his eccentric vocal crooning (with some instances of more extreme, death metal like guttural rasping). Acoustic guitars, synthesizers, and a cathedral organ are also woven into the mix. There's melodic mellow lamentations here, full of serious, sheer emotion (which will make you forget the cheeky way we described the story above), along with thrashier fare featuring raw choppy riffs and drum beats, like waves rocking a Viking longboat.
In the end the surviving Vikings sail onward, keeping it true, much like this band... whom by now must be assured of their own place in Valhalla.
MPEG Stream: "Frost And Fire"
MPEG Stream: "Return Of The Serpent King"

MANINKARI Art Des Poussieres (Conspiracy) lp 30.00

MANINKARI Le Diable Avec Ses Chevaux (Conspiracy) 2cd 22.00
Just a few months ago this French post/chamber/drone rock (rock? no, not rock...) duo successfully piqued our interest with their two song debut ep, rounded out by Justin Broadrick (Jesu) and Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) remixes. Now they've followed it up with a sprawling double cd (11 tracks, 110 minutes)... when they said a "full-length" was upcoming, they meant it! And it's magnificent. Maninkari's music, made with viola, piano, drums, cymbalom, santour, synth, and samples, is exceedingly textural, almost classically eerie. Like Thuja scoring a thriller or horror film soundtrack, perhaps. There's droning and groaning strings, mumbled, whispered voices, the rattle of bells and percussion, rumbling electronics, a drifting wash of sound usually underpinned with repeating, precise piano parts, compelling rhythmic figures, or some other driving sonic element emerging from the moody murk. Each track is carefully composed and undoubtedly effective, simmering along with slowly unfolding suspense, showing quiet restraint, allowing the minor key melancholic melodies and repetitive motifs to go to work on your nervous system! Hypnotically lovely yet ever so creepy, a bit like The Necks gone goth... ambient "dronejazz" soundscapery, abstract industrial chamber music, whatever you want to call it, we like it!
MPEG Stream: "Vol De Nuit"
MPEG Stream: "Crossing The Echo"
MPEG Stream: "Ota"

MANINKARI Psychoide / Participation Mystic (Conspiracy) cd 10.98
Mysterious, quaking, hissing, clattering instrumental post-rock soundscapery, a murky improv, weird and warm, full of shimmering strings slightly dissonant, like something processed from the sounds of a symphony tuning up, building to bombastic dense, droning nirvana. Very cool... What is this? Well, we're always interested in what Belgium's Conspiracy label decides to release (just look 'em up on our website and you'll find a slew of AQ faves, from a bunch of Boris to the recent Sunburned Circle album). Never heard of Paris' Maninkari before, but this debut release of theirs being on Conspiracy gets our attention -- as does the fact that Jesu's Justin Broadrick contributes a remix (as does Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner). That's right, as the title suggests, this disc is just two songs, plus two remixes... it's 42 minutes total, though, so if it's not a full-length album, it's not exactly just an ep either.
Maninkari construct a gorgeous soft cacophony of epic post-rock drift and minimal jazzy shuffle on 8:21 opener "Pyschoide". Dense drumming, frenzied strings, wound into tense soundscapes of slow burning shimmer. Godspeed plays the Dirty Three, or maybe Angus Maclise jamming with Chris Corsano, dark and druggy, some sort of glorious mantra-like minimalist dronejazz, with a super cinematic Phillip Glass like coda... That's followed by "Participation Mystic", a 16 minute track of lilting pizzicato strings, underpinned by deep soft swells of shimmering warmth and distant bits of industrial clatter, a slow burning ambient drift that is eventually joined by a simple motorik rhythm, transforming the pulsing ambience into something jazzy and minimal, propulsive and hypnotic, channeling the spirit of Finnish hypnorockers Circle and minimal dronejazz combo the Necks... and again near the end, everything enveloped by intense swarms of frenetic strings...
The two remixes are different enough from the originals to be quite worthwhile, and stand by themselves, not surprisingly being more "electronic music" sounding, and in the case of Broadrick's remix, more "extreme"!
Limited to 1000 copies. Full-length to follow soon...
MPEG Stream: "Psychoide"
MPEG Stream: "Participation Mystic Remix"

MANISHEVITZ Grammar Bell And The All Fall Down (Jagjaguwar) cd 13.98
Lush & beautiful, wry & too clever, stumbling pop songs from an ex-member of the Curious Digit. Great!

MANITATSU Reason For Travel (Rhythm Tracks) cd 15.98
Yoshida from Ruins and Mani from Guru Guru!

MANITOBA Up In Flames (Domino / Leaf) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The dreamy pop-tronica second album from this unassuming artist who was formerly known as Manitoba, and is now Caribou! FYI: His early releases such as this one have been reissued with tons of extras. You can find 'em under 'Caribou'!

MANN, AIMEE Bachelor #2, or, the last remains of the dodo (SuperEgo) cd 15.98
Forget all your preconceived notions about Aimee Mann's middle-of-the-road Lilith Fair brand of singer slash songwriter. Yeah, okay, that's what she is, but like Elvis Costello in his prime, she elevates the genre head and shoulders above her peers. This album is so hook-filled and so lovely and Mann's voice is so exceptionally entrancing that even this listener's jaded ears are enamored. Highly recommended! (All the songs, including one co-written with Elvis Costello, are new, with only one repeated from the "Magnolia" soundtrack.)

MANN, AIMEE Lost In Space (SuperEgo) cd 17.98
The highly anticipated follow-up to Ms Mann's marvelous Bachelor #2 album has arrived. Now, first things first, the title: Lost In Space? Surely she's not referring to herself 'cause on this album, she's sounding more grounded and self-assured than ever. The intimacy, emotion, and integrity she conveys through each song reminded me a lot of Lucinda Williams and Tom Waits. While their music is nothing alike, each artist straddles that fence between the mainstream and for lack of a better word the 'indie'. They've each retained their own sound and unique voice within the 'industry', although unlike Williams, Mann's music hasn't been overly glossified in production. Her wonderful, distinct voice is in top form, and the songwriting's super-solid with some immediately hummable melodies, full warm instrumentation and nerve-touching lyrics. Features a comic book insert illustrated by Seth.
RealAudio clip: "Pavlov's Bell"
RealAudio clip: "Humpty Dumpty"
RealAudio clip: "Lost In Space"

MANN, AIMEE Lost In Space Special Edition (Super Ego) 2cd + book 19.98
Re-released as a double cd set encased in a deluxe hardcover edition resembling an old style children's board-cover book. The comic book by the artist known as Seth which came as an insert in the original pressing has been integrated into the package. It bookends the alternating pages of lyrics and full page Seth illustrations. The second 'bonus' disc contains a bunch of quality Aimee stuff: live recordings, previously unreleased songs (including "Observatory" cowritten by Glenn Tilbrook) and a video for "Pavlov's Bell" to boot!
Here's what we said last year about the album on its own:
The highly anticipated follow-up to Ms Mann's marvelous Bachelor #2 album has arrived. Now, first things first, the title: Lost In Space? Surely she's not referring to herself 'cause on this album, she's sounding more grounded and self-assured than ever. The intimacy, emotion, and integrity she conveys through each song reminded me a lot of Lucinda Williams and Tom Waits. While their music is nothing alike, each artist straddles that fence between the mainstream and for lack of a better word the 'indie'. They've each retained their own sound and unique voice within the 'industry', although unlike Williams, Mann's music hasn't been overly glossified in production. Her wonderful, distinct voice is in top form, and the songwriting's super-solid with some immediately hummable melodies, full warm instrumentation and nerve-touching lyrics.
MPEG Stream: "Observatory"
MPEG Stream: "The Scientist (live)"

MANN, AIMEE One More Drifter In The Snow (Super Ego) cd 15.98
Ms Aimee bestows her warm holiday wishes a little earlier than the rest of the crowd with this, her Christmas album! In her unmistakable dulcet voice, she sweetly sings eight traditional numbers such as "I'll Be Home For Christmas", White Christmas", "Winter Wonderland", "The Christmas Song" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", but also adds one of her own titled "Calling On Mary" as well as "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch"!
MPEG Stream: "Calling On Mary"
MPEG Stream: "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch"

MANN, AIMEE The Forgotten Arm (SuperEgo Records) cd 16.98
Mann fanns (tee hee, sorry!), here's another gem to add to your garland of Aimee. Never anything fancy nor flashy, but what she does, she does exceptionally well. Adored by critics and fans alike, she just quietly goes about her business of making wonderful, heartrending albums. She's such a fine storyteller with an unmistakable calm (and calming) voice, few can articulates the empty ache of loss and neglect with the eloquence that she does. The only criticisms that really arise with regard to her work is that there can be a sameyness to it all. While some might call it 'predictable', just as many others surely call it 'reliable'. Her latest album certainly takes not drastic detours, but it's different in that its lyrics are linked thematically. The twelve songs follow a bleak narrative string about the fictional life a substance addicted boxer. Perhaps one of her most heady and heavy works to date -- somehow both dark and luminous at the same time. She makes listening to tales of absolutely heartbreaking hopelessness an enjoyable experience. How does she do it?? Produced by Joe Henry.
MPEG Stream: "Going Through The Motions"
MPEG Stream: "I Can't Help You Anymore"

MANN, JAKE Daytime Ghost (Crossbill Records) cd 10.98
Here's the debut solo album by singer/songwriter Jake Mann formerly of Bay Area band The Zim-Zims (you might recall he stepped out on his own for the cdr release Solo Electric EP). If you dig indie rock'n'pop, this gent's your ears' new best buddy! The super fuzzed out guitar lines on songs like "Satellite In Bloomington" could easily be mistaken for something comin' from Sam Coombes and Quasi. Mann keeps his pop tunes' buoyancy weighted down by minor chords and charming hushed vocals. Later in the album, "Mudflat" perks things up a bit, offering sounds akin to the bright, slightly tweaked pop of Olivia Tremor Control. Nicely varied, low-key popcraft.
MPEG Stream: "Satellite In Bloomington"
MPEG Stream: "Mudflat"

MANN, JAKE Daytime Ghost: Out-takes & Remixes (Crossbill) cd ep 5.98

MANN, JAKE Solo Electric EP (self-released) cd-r 5.98
Jake Mann is a member of Bay Area indie rock band Zim-Zims, but occasionally he's been known to step out on his own to do a little solo action... just him and his trusty electric guitar. His mellow croon is pretty darn reminiscent of Pat Fish from the late 80s/early 90s awesome Brits The Jazz Butcher. This six-song cd-r gives the shut-ins and out-of-towners a chance to hear him all by his lonesome, and preps our ears for his forthcoming full length later this summer. To end your listening experience on an up-note, we might recommend you press 'stop' after the fifth song 'cause right after that Mann does what we wish no one would do... he covers "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz.
MPEG Stream: "Sleeping In The Dawn"
MPEG Stream: "Go Where You Are"

MANNING, BARBARA 1212 (Matador) cd 12.98
Another winner from Babs, this time accompanied by John Covertino and Joey Burns of Giant Sand and Calexico. The first four tracks comprise a sublime song-suite wherein she plays with homonyms "arson" and "our son," to stunning effect. Covers include songs by Richard Thompson, Bevis Frond, and the Deviants. The last song is an extended, fun Neu! ripoff. Highly recommended!

MANNING, BARBARA 1212 (Matador) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another winner from Babs, this time accompanied by John Convertino and Joey Burns of Giant Sand and Calexico. The first four tracks comprise a sublime song-suite wherein she plays with homonyms "arson" and "our son," to stunning effect. Covers include songs by Richard Thompson, Bevis Frond, and the Deviants. The last song is an extended, fun Neu! ripoff. Highly recommended!

MANNING, BARBARA In New Zealand (Communion) cd 12.98
While touring with cohorts John Convertino and Joey Burns (both of Calexico), Barbara Manning spent some time recording with New Zealand luminaries, David Kilgour of the Clean, David Mitchell and Denise Roughan of the 3D's, Chris Knox, Graeme Roughan of the Verlaines, and the Renderers. The resulting album is a brooding yet gentle collection of tales of fatalistic love.

MANNING, BARBARA In New Zealand (Communion) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While touring with cohorts John Convertino and Joey Burns (both of Calexico), Barbara Manning spent some time recording with New Zealand luminaries, David Kilgour of the Clean, David Mitchell and Denise Roughan of the 3D's, Chris Knox, Graeme Roughan of the Verlaines, and the Renderers. The resulting album is a brooding yet gentle collection of tales of fatalistic love.

MANNING, BARBARA Super Scissors (Rainfall Records) 3cd 23.00
Lately I Keep Scissors... One Perfect Green Blanket... do these phrases conjure warm fuzzies in your pop luvvin' heart? They do? Then you know that they're the titles of two early albums by the lovely one-time Bay Area songstress Barbara Manning. The former was her debut album originally released in 1988 and the latter was a collection of compilation and flexidisc tracks which came out in 1991 (both on the Heyday indie record label). And you might also like to know that today's a happy day 'cause they've been remastered and reissued along with a third cd of previously unreleased material.
They simply don't make indie pop like this any more. Unassuming, sweet and smart poignant songs in league with those of singer/songwriters Grant McLennan, David Kilgour, Lois Maffeo, and Lida Husik.
The three discs are packaged together in a box with a booklet filled with snapshots, reviews and personal accounts from a bunch of her friends. Snuggle up.
MPEG Stream: "Talk All Night"
MPEG Stream: "Sympathy Wreath"

MANNING, BARBARA Under One Roof Singles and Oddities (Innerstate) cd 14.98
Collection of 4-track demos, compilation contributions, 7"s and otherwise rare tracks dating back to 1986 and extending up to 2000.

MANNING, BARBARA & THE GO-LUCKYS You Should Know By Now (Innerstate) cd 14.98
The prolific pop mistress Barbara Manning is back for another go-round with the Go-Luckys. Ten tunes of jangling guitars, her ever-young and sprightly voice and a ghostly flight here and there of musical saw. All the low-key prettiness we've come to expect from Ms Manning but with a bit more bounce this time out. Very much along the lines of fellow wonderful singer/songwriters Lida Husik, Rose Melberg, and Lois.

MANNING, BARBARA & THE GO-LUCKYS! Homeless is Where the Heart is (Naive) cdep 14.98
Ms. Manning may have left the Bay Area and now sings songs about homelessness, but her heart is still in the right place and she's still writing lovely, emotional songs with her new (Italian?) bandmates. Nice import ep (six songs) in slipcase with foldout artwork.

MANOLO Y RAMON El Duo Dinámico en Londres : El Album De 1970 (Rama Lama) cd 24.00

MANOWAR Battle Hymns (Silver Edition) (Metal Blade) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the very first attack (circa 1982) from these ultra-campy (but great!) he-man metallers, now remastered and reissued in time for their 20th anniversary. There's many classic tracks to be found here, including theme song "Manowar", "Fast Taker", "Dark Avenger" (with Orson Welles narration!), and a solo-bass-only cover of Rossini's "William Tell Overture". The 20-page booklet's got the lyrics, photos (of naked chicks, lots of amps, and the band with Orson Welles, that sort of thing) and extensive liner notes too, giving the whole early history of the band. In the beginning Manowar (featuring ex-Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss) was heavily influenced by KISS, you'll hear that here. Essential, over the top, hyperbolic metal (other, even more crucial Manowar recommendations: "Hail To England" and "Sign Of The Hammer", hopefully both getting "Silver Edition" treatment someday too)! Hyperbolic? Let us quote the note from Manowar found on the back of the cd booklet: "Beware: It is quite possible that this CD may cause your sound system to blow up. Let it die with honor. Fuck the World, Hail And Kill."
RealAudio clip: "Manowar"

MANOWAR Warriors Of The World (Metal Blade) cd 16.98
It's really hard to tell if Manowar are in on their own joke or not. These four guys have spent the last two decades trying to live out a Conan the Barbarian meets Spinal Tap fantasy, and are probably the most self-referential metal band ever -- most of their songs are essentially about metal and/or Manowar and/or their fans!. Really, they have more lyrics about themselves than your most braggadocious rap MC! In addition to their over the top metal rhetoric, they boast string-snapping piccolo bass solos, muscles, loincloths, cheesy symphonic ballads, and their very own arms-clasped overhead "sign of the hammer" symbol for fans to make at shows. None more metal, none more silly. But, they certainly know what they're doing. While they might be considered a novelty at best, has-beens at worst in their native USA, they're a big deal in Europe, South America, and elsewhere. An arena-sized big deal. And even here, they have their fans -- they've played twice in San Francisco in recent years, the last time with Immortal a few weeks back, and boy do they get a rabid response! People come out of the woodwork to raise the sign of the hammer, let me tell you. And Manowar's relative lack of success stateside doesn't stop them from doing a bizarre, if patriotic, "American Trilogy" on this release, a medley of "Dixie", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and a traditional prayer for the war dead. Apparently this is intended as a tribute to Elvis Presley, who performed the same Civil War themed medley at his live shows! How ridiculous is that? They MUST know it. But they do it anyway, which is what's so great about these campy metal masters. All hail Joey Demaio & Co.! And, more serious-minded metal fans will find that there's actually some awesomely punishing stuff on here (hard-charging battle hymns like "Hand Of Doom", "House Of Death" and "Fight Until We Die"), and Eric Adam's voice rules whatever you think of the absurd lyrics (which you'd better like!). They'll never let on if it's all tongue in cheek, and that's the way it should be. Otherwise how could you get the tingle of "metal patrotism" that anthems like "Warriors of the World United" somehow generate? This is their first studio album in six years, at least as good as the last one...and while I can't really think of a compelling reason for someone to buy this who doesn't already have a few other Manowar discs, I'd certainly recommend it to fans, 'cause they do it for you and have never let you down. But if you've yet to be convinced of Manowar's might, you certainly could start here and work your way back through their catalog (which will be good for a few laughs at least) or go get their 1984 masterpiece "Hail To England".
RealAudio clip: "House Of Death"
RealAudio clip: "Warriors Of The World United"

MANSBESTFRIEND (SOLE) Poly.Sci.187 (Anticon) cd 14.98
Poly.Sci.187? Hmmm, instead of political science, we get the impression that the lesson Mansbestfriend (aka Sole) is teachin' on this cd is that this is what DJ Shadow's album after Endtroducing -should- have sounded like. It's a lush, but somewhat lo-fi, sample laden instrumental doom hop collage. Alternately bleary and bracing. Pretty fucking great...
MPEG Stream: "High Noon And Sobered"
MPEG Stream: "Allieverwanted"

MANSET, GERARD La Mort D'Orion (World Psychedelia Ltd.) cd 17.98
Last year one of our favorite reissues came in the form of the strong and passionate voice of Gerard Manset. A French mastermind musician who has been crafting iconoclastic and lush sounds since the late '60s. The release we first heard last year titled 1968 quickly became an AQ favorite and made us think of Manset as a French incarnation of Caetano Veloso. We went from barely knowing anything about Manset to wanting to try to find out as much as we could about him, as that release reeled us in so strongly with its elegant and charged melodies.
La Mort D'Orion was recorded a couple years after that release in 1970 and finds Manset in a much more avant setting, but with equally stunning results. Created as one multi-part suite, the record is filled with strings, the music moving from small scale moments to sweeping epics, beautiful melodies everywhere, all colored with rich instrumentation and of course there's Manset's elegant voice.
This is the perfect antidote to fluffy ye-ye pop. With La Mort D'Orion, Manset created a piece of challenging and brooding symphonic pop akin to the best work created by the likes of Robert Wyatt, Scott Walker and Franco Battiato. Accented with shots of prog, psychedelia and modern classical, Manset displays his amazing ability to pull together a wide range of elements in creating such a monumental and rewarding piece of music. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "La mort d'Orion: 2. La mort d'Orion"
MPEG Stream: "Ils"
MPEG Stream: "La mort d'Orion: 3. Oů l'horizon prend fin"

MANSET, GERARD 1968 (Xenon) cd 11.98
Gerard Manset is an underground French treasure, recording records since the late '60s but always avoiding the public spotlight, refusing to do interviews, appear on TV or play any of the other silly games often required to attain mainstream success. With a totally seductive voice, and lush arrangements that are as powerful as they are beautiful, this album recorded during the student riots in Paris in 1968 has become one of those discs we can't stop listening to! There is an urgency and passion in these songs rarely heard in modern music. Manset has the same kind of presence and elegance as folks like Serge Gainsbourg, Caetano Veloso, Michel Polnareff and Scott Walker. This is not ye-ye fluffy French pop. Don't get us wrong we love that stuff, but what makes Manset so damn great is how his songs are so melodic and catchy while also being so sensual and impassioned. Totally smart arrangements that will appeal to both psych and pop lovers. We recently learned that Manset has an extensive back-catalog and we can't wait to start getting our hands on as much of it as possible, but until then let's all get swept up in 1968!
MPEG Stream: "Animal On Est Mal"
MPEG Stream: "L'Arc En Ciel"

MANSON, CHARLES Sings (ESP-Disk) cd 14.98
Back in print and back in stock!
Poor misunderstood Charlie Manson. Visionary, musician, troubadour, murderer. Wait, one of those things he is not. Murderer. That's right, let's not forget that Manson committed no murders himself, it was his 'Family' that did 'em. Which of course insured that these recordings would be both way more infamous than they would be otherwise, but at the same time would be poison to any one who agreed to release them. Recorded a couple years before the Tate-LaBianca murders, these recordings have a rich convoluted history: it was rumored that the intended victim of the murders was in fact a record producer that rejected this record, and every producer approached to release them later recieved death threats, and it was later proven that much more succesful musicians than Manson had been targeted for assasination! Phew. You'd never know it listening to this album. In fact, in a blind listening test, you'd be hard pressed to pick this out as the work of a soon to be incarcerated cult leader / mass murderer. Reverb drenched beatniky psychedelic freekfolk, sort of hippy and trippy but really pretty great. And Manson's voice is really nice, a little rough, a little raw, but warm and rich. The tracks range from gorgeous lilting dream folk to tripped out beatnik jams, to sixties psych rock, complete with bongos, acoustic guitar, strange clattery percussion, noodly electric leads, all with lots of delay and reverb giving the whole thing a rich shimmery vibe. Not all that surprising as Manson was BIG into music. Read any of the Brian Wilson / Beach Boys bios, and you'll find the Boys spending a great deal of time hanging with Manson, who seemed to always be a fixture at big Beach Boys bashes, and threw wild parties at his desert hideaway Spahn Ranch. And indie rockers have been obsessed with Manson Sings for years, always talking it up as a lost folk gem and sometimes even covering Manson's songs (the Lemonheads do a killer (sorry) version of "Home Is Where You're Happy").
Fans of the current crop of indie hippy forest folk, like Devendra, Feathers, Wooden Wand, Fursaxa and the like should realize, if they don't already, and whether they like it or not, that they have a freak folk father figure in the form of one Charles Manson...
MPEG Stream: "Look At Your Game Girl"
MPEG Stream: "Mechanical Man"
MPEG Stream: "Home Is Where You're Happy"

MANSON, CHARLES The Summer Of Hate - The '67 Sessions (Arte Lupo) cd 15.98
We reviewed the Charles Manson Sings disc on ESP a while back, and everyone kinda freaked out. We couldn't keep 'em in stock. Cuz beyond being a psycho, and a cult leader, and the mastermind behind a handful of gruesome killings, he was also some sort of musical visionary, a damaged folk troubador, obsessed with music, and with becoming an actual musician like his pals in the Beach Boys, his songs were dark and brooding, but strangely beautiful, haunting, intimate and personal. He had a really unique voice to, throaty and velvety smooth, like a raspier Nick Drake. 
This set of songs was recorded after just getting out of a prison stretch in the '60s, almost a year before he recorded his first and only proper album, and another year before the Tate / Labianca murders that would seal his place in history forever. 
The sound is rough and raw and lo-fi, but only adds to the strange power of these songs and performances. We described the recordings on Sings as "reverb drenched beatniky psychedelic freekfolk" and while there is some of that here, the sound here is much more stripped down and traditional sounding. Barebones and simple, it's all about Manson's voice and the guitar, and both sound divine. Moody and melancholy, slightly hippy, dark and thoughtful and really intense and pretty. Sure serial killer obsessives will be all over this, especially because most of the tracks have Manson going off on weird little rants after or before each song, stories, jokes, philosophies, usually delivered with a self conscious giggle, snippets of conversation with the guy recording these sessions or whoever else happens to be in the room. There's even a three minute interview included. It's definitely a bit creepy, especially knowing how everything would end up. 
But the music, taken on its own, is still super powerful, some gorgeously raw chunks of raw acoustic folk. Fans of classic stuff like Nick Drake, Townes Van Zandt, Bill Fay, as well as folks into Banhart, Vetiver, Espers, Fursaxa, Wooden Wand and any of the more song oriented modern freakfolks will definitely dig this like crazy, and probably oughta pick up the ESP disc as well...
MPEG Stream: "Devil Man"
MPEG Stream: "True Love You Will Find"
MPEG Stream: "She Done Turned Me In"

MANSON, JEFFREY Dozing in The Abandoned Gunnery (Recolote Music) 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.
Jeffrey Manson is a new indie folk troubadour from right here in SF. This lo-fi home recorded album is filled with rootsy, rough hewn tunes which seems very much inspired by the earnest heart baring voice of Jeff Mangum. Best listened to in the great outdoors, far from the roar of the city. Dozing In The Abandoned Gunnery was released on the new indie label Recolote Music whose roster already includes a number of other likeminded homespun Bay Area artists such as Chinatown Bakeries, Ryan Stively & His Poison Band, and Port O'Brien. They release mostly limited run cdrs in lovingly handmade packaging.
MPEG Stream: "Commanding Eye"
MPEG Stream: "Corn Husk Head"

MANSON, MARILYN Holywood (Nothing) cd 16.98
Like it or not, Marilyn Manson has become a prophet for the white teenage disenfranchised, preaching all sorts of ill-conceived / anti-establishment messages against the existence of God, the authority of family, school, or state, and anything that the right wing of mainstream America would qualify as morally upstanding. It would be another thing if Marilyn Manson the prophet could actually incite revolutionary thought or action, rather than highly theatrical shock tactics, but he doesn't. Marilyn Manson is pure entertainment, and there's no way that he could deny that.
I think it's a stretch to discuss Manson within the discourse of the Gothic, simply because in my opinion, he fails to invoke terror or horror (except in the minds of the right wing -- but what doesn't startle them?). It would be far more repulsive, abject, and grotesque if all of the things which Manson professes to worship were done within a belief system which attempted to understand the nature of God and of divine punishment. Then the damnation which he has already put upon his head would actually mean something.
Without any guiding belief system or agenda of existential questioning, Marilyn Manson is nothing but a run of the mill Relativist, which -- while antithetical to Christianity -- does not make Manson a Satanist or the Anti-Christ.
Musically is where Manson has the better chance of success -- and yeah, it's pretty catchy -- sorta like a pop grindcore version of Adam Ant. Lead single "Disposable Teens" is a carbon copy of "Beautiful People". But no, it's certainly not scary.

MANSON, MARILYN Mechanical Animals (Nothing) cd 15.98
I really wonder how much the goth subculture will be altered by this album, as very little of the doom & gloom found on previous Marilyn Manson releases is present. Nonetheless, his / their new visual aesthetics of anthropomorphic plasticity (which is not too far from a Photoshop version of Matthew Barney's weird prosthetic fusions with goats, sheep, fish, etc...) recall the electro glam posturing of Gary Numan and are matched by the new wave electro on the album.

MANTECA Ritmo Y Sabor (EM) lp 24.00
Our hands down favorite reissue label for far-flung exotica, Japan's EM Records, not only has a new amazing release, but has also finally made the big leap to vinyl!! (Actually, they'd done a few lps before, but this release is vinyl ONLY). And what better choice for a vinyl reissue than this rare mid-'70s slab of Afro-Cuban percussive funk madness by Cuban master "bongosero", Lazaro Pla, or as he was better known to the world, Manteca! Eight relentlessly heavy bass-driven grooves featuring Manteca's organic percussive excursions that range from almost modernist compositions of repetitively shifting layers of driving rhythms to deep salsa jams and afro-cuban FUNK. Imagine Tussle with a Cuban rhythm section or Konono No. 1 with a limber funky bass player, or even one of the best Beastie Boys instrumentals from back in the day. Having performed with many legendary Cuban combos including Ernesto Lecuona's Cuban Boys, Manteca's recorded output as leader and featured soloist have been quite rare. Beautiful and dazzling with a no-frills production that acknowledges the traditional roots of Cuban music but with a forward thinking progressive edge. So Awesome! And DJs, get on it, you've got your new secret weapon right here.
MPEG Stream: "Afro Funky"
MPEG Stream: "Abacua"
MPEG Stream: "Gozando El Timbal"

MANTERA Same Here (Invisible) cd 14.98
The prolific Mick Harris (Scorn, Painkiller) and an Italian guy (different from the Overload Lady one) as a collaborator...

MANTLES s/t (Siltbreeze) lp 14.98
Long awaited full length debut from these local purveyors of druggy jangly psych pop after two super limited and now out of print ep jams, this new one though is by far the best sounding and most fully realized of the three. Falling somewhere beteen the current crop of lo-fi garage pop weirdos, and more classic space jammers, the Mantles create blissed out grooves, wrapped in tons of hazy reverb, the drums are a simple pound, the vocals a weary shadow, the guitars though, they drive these songs, they're thick, and crunchy, sometimes angular and jagged, sometimes shimmery and melodic, there's some warm whirring organ here and there, a classic rock vibe infuses the whole thing, the Velvets of course, the Doors (in the way the Shjips channel the Doors), as well as eighties New Zealand pop, nineties college rock slouch and jangle a la Sebadoh, catchy and groovy and psychedelic, not fucked up or far out, just propuslive and intense, and as the record progresses, the songs seem to get more and more ragged, often erupting into full on garage psych jams. These guys play all the time with bands like Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall and those sorts of cats, so odds are if you dig that stuff, you'll dig these guys too.
Comes with a printed lyric sheet and a digital download card.