NORTHAUNT Horizons (Cyclic Law) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

MPEG Stream: "Until Dawn Do Us Part"
MPEG Stream: "Night Came To Us"

NORTHERN VALENTINE The Distance Brings Us Closer (Silber) cd 14.98
So this is one of those records where the cover totally gives away what's hiding inside. These Philadelphia drift-heads sent us this disc a few weeks ago, and we were totally blown away. The music so nicely reflects the cover photograph: beautiful, expansive oceanic horizons, almost glowing with a looming grayness. With keyboards, violin, three electric guitars and a bass, this five piece really hone in on a super liquidity, an organic, fluid type of drone composition. Their third album out of four, The Distance Brings Us Closer resonates with long, lush tones and delicate melodies that seem to blend and form chords in mid air. Always moving and turning like fog creeping along the forest floor, Northern Valentine has a distinct sound that kinda reminds us of a more darkened and coastal Windy and Carl playing with Rameses III in some giant cathedral. Very dark and mysterious, the record travels through blissed out walls of trance inducing drones and into more textural noisy Fennesz-like atmospheres. Though they call themselves a post-rock band, the guitars and instruments used are so dripping with reverb and delay that it might be more accurate to describe Northern Valentine as a dark and drifting ambient group. At least that's how they sound on this particular record, as word on the street is their other albums have drums and are more propulsive and less drifty. Either way we dig what they're doing A LOT, and couldn't wait to share it with all of you! If you like anything Type records related or that recently reviewed Elegi, you'll love this too! Completely and utterly recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "Born Yesterday"
MPEG Stream: "Escaping Light"

NORTHSTREAM Time Of Triumphal Cleanliness (Total Holocaust Records) cd 8.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
Did some cleaning in the back of the store, found a stash of these that we reviewed back on list #187. So, last ever copies, marked down, get 'em while you can...
Once again, another soul chilling blast of frosty grimness from Sweden's Total Holocaust Records (who were responsible for recent AQ black metal faves Blodulv and The One!). Northstream are from Russia and are just about as raw and primitive as it gets. Guitars buzz and hiss sounding alternately like a vacuum cleaner or a blender, only occasionally like an actual guitar, but those six shrieking strings wrapped in white noise evoke ambience of the darkest and grimmest sort. The buzzing blazing black metal is balanced by stretches of mid tempo 'doom', where you can almost hear the sounds of the frozen wastelands from whence Northstream come. But it's not your typical doom, it's 'doom' only in comparison to the Merzbowian blacknoise surrounding it, a blackened doom that's all brittle ear piercing guitars, primitively programmed beats and skull piercing shrieks.
Interesting album title, by the way, did they just take a particularly refreshing shower?
MPEG Stream: "When The Forest Crying"
MPEG Stream: "Rise Of Your War"

NORTHWINDS Chimeres (Black Widow) cd + dvd 14.98
Lastest from these psychedelic French doomster weirdos.

NORTHWINDS Great God Pan (Black Widow) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Back in stock!
Doom/psych fans: a few of you might remember this eccentric, underground French band from their second album entitled Masters of Magic that we reviewed a few years back. And anyone intrigued by the rather weird and melodic psychedelic-doom-metal-folk hybrid crafted by 'em on that disc ought to be interested in hearing their out-of-print first album Great God Pan from 1998, which we intimated was the superior record. Well, maybe it got repressed or someone found a stash of 'em in a closet or crypt or somewhere, but lo and behold, we've managed to get our hands on, like, ten copies of Northwinds' debut! So, if you're both a fan of Sabbathy doom metal and '60s/'70s styled heavy progressive psychedelia, you might want to grab this now. Assuredly not to everyone's taste, as Allan (who loves 'em) will freely admit and Andee (who can't deal with the French accented vocals) will attest...as we've said previously, Northwinds might be one of the most "twee" heavy bands ever what with the folky flutes, acoustic guitars, and those French vocals...yet the unique blend of proggy Paganism, soft '60s sike-pop balladry, and of course massive Iommi-worthy doom metal guitar riffage that intermix in these looong songs could also really make this a favorite find for a freaky few of you out there! With so much feeling, solid songwriting, and unexpected elements (wiggy studio effects and tape manipulations) they truly capture the spirit of pre-metal, pro-prog Black Sabbath (in fact, they cover the Sabs "A National Acrobat" on here) and others in that vein, not far from a warped version of early Cathedral, obsessed with Sabbath *and* Comus... If you dug the two other Sabbathy bands we reviewed recently, Witchcraft and Dragonauta, there's definitely a chance you could be a Northwinds fan too!
MPEG Stream: "Great God Pan"
MPEG Stream: "The Pain"

NORTHWINDS Masters of Magic (Black Widow) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Northwinds did a record a few years ago called "Great God Pan" that came out of nowhere (well, France, actually!) to become one of Allan's all-time favorite heavy-psych-doom-metal discs. It might be out of print now but the band is back with a new, not quite as good but still cool effort entitled "Masters of Magic". Again they blend doom metal (Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Cathedral) with '60s heavy psych and '70s prog-folk, for a unique sound truly all their own. It's almost pop in places, with majestic refrains. The metal content is definitely only one element here (maybe 40 percent?). Northwinds are probably the most "twee" heavy band ever...so beware if your tolerance for flutes, French vocals/people, and trippy psych/prog is low. I guess you could say that they're one of the few modern "doom" bands whose Sabbath influence goes beyond the vocals of Ozzy and the riffs of Tony to include all the tripped-out pretty parts found on Sabbath LPs like "Sabotage" and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", the ones where Rick Wakeman of Yes was playing keyboards.
For some reason, cult Italian metallers Death SS provide the intro and outro tracks.
RealAudio clip: "Lost Paradise"
RealAudio clip: "Entre Chien et Loup"

NORTT Galgenfrist (Avantgarde) cd 15.98
If we had to pick the ultimate doom outfit, the band that most embodies ultra depressive sonic misery, who is able to weave vast expanses of utter blackness, able to create vast soundscapes of both brutality and beauty, glacial waves of slow motion heaviness, it would be a tough call. There are the pure dronedoom outfits like SUNNO))) who create black energy with long stretches of static buzz, or the more sort of true doom combos, who wield riffs and write songs, and then there are the black metal bands, who play slooooooow and instead of buzzing maniacally instead crawl and slither, and then there are the ultra doom outfits, the ones we use many multiples of 'o's to describe, and somewhere in amongst all of those, but not quite fitting in any particular one, is the mighty Nortt. This one man band from Denmark, is a long time aQ fave, melding the black buzz of Burzum, with the regal abstract slow motion doom of Skepticism, the result, some otherworldy demonic trudge through barren landscape and moonlit skies. Nortt have always employed a deft hand in crafting their doomscapes, generously peppering record with as much tranquil blackened drift as lurching doomic pummel, but on this latest disc, Nortt have embraced the moodier more ambient side of their sound, with looooong stretches of drift and shimmer, sometimes almost whole songs, and while the heavy parts remain heavy, they seem to grind slowly to a halt, leaving just shadows and ghosts, soft traces and outlines of what came before, which are allowed to hover and float amongst black smears of sound, interrupted by rhythms spread out into occasional bursts of lugubrious slow motion.
The disc begins with some dark delicate shimmer, that is downright dreamlike, deep resonant chimes, the washed out whir of softly struck bells, which quickly gives way to the disembodied doom of the second track, the riffs crumbling and stretched waaay out, the drums, an abstract plod, and in the background, warm streaks of high end, that drift throughout the entire record, even at it's heaviest, those keening tones, drift mournfully in the distance.
Even the longest tracks here, spend most of their time in some blackened dronestate, rumbles and whirs, ghostly moans, flurries of low end piano, disembodied melodies, all blurred into grey sonic snowdrifts, occasionally, the guitars roar back in, but it's more like a passing storm, as it soon drifts off, leaving just the lilting black minimalism that came before.
We joked in past reviews that Nortt played a minimal black doom that Bohren & Der Club Of Gore would like, but on Galgenfrist, it sounds more like a minimal black doom Bohren would PLAY! A similar sort of impossibly brooding blackness, a gorgeous lush creep, abstract and ambient, not as jazzy, but just as moody and minimal, murky and mysterious.
As we mentioned in the past, this is the sort of black doom band that could totally appeal to non-metalheads, and might just be the gateway band so beware, but fear not, this is plenty grim and heavy and black for all the rest of you.
MPEG Stream: "Galgenfrist"
MPEG Stream: "Til Gravens Vi"
MPEG Stream: "Af Dode"

NORTT Graven (Total Holocaust Records) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Our doomiest customer, "Rick from Thrasher", came in the other day to ask about an album he saw on www.doom-metal.com, some band called Nortt who were supposed to be amazing; so good in fact that according to that website, Nortt's label was almost justified in charging about thirty euros for their cd (an astronomical amount, like US$40)! We didn't of course have that absurdly-expensive opus, but we actually did have this, Nortt's previous album released for a much more reasonable price on a different label. And it is pretty darn good, if you're in the mood for some "Pure Depressive Black Funeral Doom Metal" as it says on the back cover. Nortt are a one-man band from Denmark in the black metal tradition (complete with corpse paint and everything), but their fuzzing, buzzing music is sloooowww and full of despairing piano intonations and distorted minor-key laments. The vocals and the guitars both sound like last breaths, dying gasps, exhalant spirits... It's a drone-hiss of massive, gothic proportions. Nortt definitely inhabit the same gloomy petrified forest as AQ-faves Skepticism!! Perhaps if you get this and it succeeds in bringing your most suicidal thoughts to the fore, you can make it through life a little longer by trying to search out that other incredibly expensive Nortt album... (By the way, that www.doom-metal.com website is pretty cool one, for doom-fans only of course, with info on hundreds of doom acts!)
MPEG Stream: "Gravfred"
MPEG Stream: "Sorgesalmen"

NORTT Graven (Red Stream) cd 14.98
Finally available again, one of our favorite slabs of doomy black buzz. Remastered, reissued and on a new label! Here's the review from when we first got this in:
Our doomiest customer, "Rick from Thrasher", came in the other day to ask about an album he saw on www.doom-metal.com, some band called Nortt who were supposed to be amazing; so good in fact that according to that website, Nortt's label was almost justified in charging about thirty euros for their cd (an astronomical amount, like US$40)! We didn't of course have that absurdly-expensive opus, but we actually did have this, Nortt's previous album released for a much more reasonable price on a different label. And it is pretty darn good, if you're in the mood for some "Pure Depressive Black Funeral Doom Metal" as it says on the back cover. Nortt are a one-man band from Denmark in the black metal tradition (complete with corpse paint and everything), but their fuzzing, buzzing music is sloooowww and full of despairing piano intonations and distorted minor-key laments. The vocals and the guitars both sound like last breaths, dying gasps, exhalant spirits... It's a drone-hiss of massive, gothic proportions. Nortt definitely inhabit the same gloomy petrified forest as AQ-faves Skepticism!! Perhaps if you get this and it succeeds in bringing your most suicidal thoughts to the fore, you can make it through life a little longer by trying to search out that other incredibly expensive Nortt album... (By the way, that www.doom-metal.com website is pretty cool one, for doom-fans only of course, with info on hundreds of doom acts!)
MPEG Stream: "Gravfred"
MPEG Stream: "Sorgesalmen"

NORTT Ligfaerd (Total Holocaust) cd 14.98
Fresh off their killer split release with Xasthur last year, Danish black metal funereal doom lords (or lord, really, since it's just one guy) Nortt offer up a full length for your pleasure...if you can deal with the depression!! If you haven't heard Nortt before, they're a bit like Skepticism meets Burzum. SOOOO doomy and atmospheric. Ligfaerd is a sinister expanse of spooky soundtrack ambience bombarded (at relaxed intervals) with boulders... No, not boulders -- fuzz-distortion depth charges, dropped deep and echoing in the abyss, wherein dwell the cave-blind creatures that make Nortt's music... or so it would seem from this disc's raspy, weary vocal exhalations and monstrous awakenings. The thudding percussion could be gigantic footfalls amidst the droning, morose melodies, that insinuate themselves slowly into your consciousness, as there are lots of quiet passages on this depressive, lethargic record. We bet Bohren and Der Club Of Gore would love this band! We sure do. Definitely one of the exclusive several doom and/or black metal acts that we think non-habitual listeners to such musics might appreciate, if such extremes of feeling and weirdness as described above are more than tolerated.
MPEG Stream: "Ligpraedike"
MPEG Stream: "Tilforn Tid"

NORTT Ligfaerd (Viva Hate) lp 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available on vinyl as a super deluxe, super grim and of course ridiculously limited (500 copies) PICTURE DISC!!
Fresh off their killer split release with Xasthur last year, Danish black metal funereal doom lords (or lord, really, since it's just one guy) Nortt offer up a full length for your pleasure...if you can deal with the depression!! If you haven't heard Nortt before, they're a bit like Skepticism meets Burzum. SOOOO doomy and atmospheric. Ligfaerd is a sinister expanse of spooky soundtrack ambience bombarded (at relaxed intervals) with boulders... No, not boulders -- fuzz-distortion depth charges, dropped deep and echoing in the abyss, wherein dwell the cave-blind creatures that make Nortt's music... or so it would seem from this disc's raspy, weary vocal exhalations and monstrous awakenings. The thudding percussion could be gigantic footfalls amidst the droning, morose melodies, that insinuate themselves slowly into your consciousness, as there are lots of quiet passages on this depressive, lethargic record. We bet Bohren and Der Club Of Gore would love this band! We sure do. Definitely one of the exclusive several doom and/or black metal acts that we think non-habitual listeners to such musics might appreciate, if such extremes of feeling and weirdness as described above are more than tolerated.
MPEG Stream: "Ligpraedike"
MPEG Stream: "Tilforn Tid"

NORTT / XASTHUR A Curse For The Lifeless (Southern Lord) 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 went out of print almost as soon as we got the original Total Holocaust import version in four or five months ago but has now been resurrected and re-pressed domestically thanks to the dark souls at Southern Lord, who apparently like this stuff as much as we do. Here's what we had to say about it first time around:
We barely even have to review this. Just the names of the two artists should be enough. Nortt, whose "Pure Depressive Black Funeral Doom Metal" was a massive favorite around here, and of course Xasthur, who rivals Leviathan as perhaps the most brilliant and important of the modern USBM hordes. Nortt offer up four tracks of miserable drone dirge, with mournful piano over a swirling abyss of black riffs and simple drumming, each chord slowly dissipating into nothingness before the next chord hits. Depressingly gorgeous and wrist slittingly sorrowful. Reminiscent of Corrupted's Llenandose, albeit way more grim and dismal!
Xasthur gives us three tracks, equally depressive, but here, instead of tarpit tempos and drone-like dirges, the depression and misery is communicated through creepy minor key riffing, mournful melodies and what sounds like clean chant-like singing, almost choral, but buried so low in the mix it almost sounds like just another instrument. Xasthur has totally perfected the swaying seasickly black metal waltz, with relentless double kicks, anguished vocals struggling to communicate from beyond, and warm and woozy, arpeggiated guitars. So good.
MPEG Stream: NORTT "Glemt"
MPEG Stream: XASTHUR "A Curse For The Lifeless"

NORTT / XASTHUR Hedengang / A Curse For the Lifeless (Southern Lord) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
You're probably getting as tired of hearing this as we are saying it, but it has to be done. THIS IS SUPER LIMITED!! IN FACT, IT'S ALREADY OUT OF PRINT!! (Arghhh. Why lablels just don't press more when they know they can sell them still makes no sense to us...) SO, ONCE THESE ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE FOR GOOD!! SO ACT FAST!
Here's what we had to say about the cd version a while back:
We barely even have to review this. Just the names of the two artists should be enough. Nortt, whose "Pure Depressive Black Funeral Doom Metal" was a massive favorite around here, and of course Xasthur, who rivals Leviathan as perhaps the most brilliant and important of the modern USBM hordes. Nortt offer up four tracks of miserable drone dirge, with mournful piano over a swirling abyss of black riffs and simple drumming, each chord slowly dissipating into nothingness before the next chord hits. Depressingly gorgeous and wrist slittingly sorrowful. Reminiscent of Corrupted's Llenandose, albeit way more grim and dismal!
Xasthur gives us three tracks, equally depressive, but here, instead of tarpit tempos and drone-like dirges, the depression and misery is communicated through creepy minor key riffing, mournful melodies and what sounds like clean chant-like singing, almost choral, but buried so low in the mix it almost sounds like just another instrument. Xasthur has totally perfected the swaying seasickly black metal waltz, with relentless double kicks, anguished vocals struggling to communicate from beyond, and warm and woozy, arpeggiated guitars. So good.
MPEG Stream: NORTT "Glemt"
MPEG Stream: XASTHUR "A Curse For The Lifeless"

NOS PHILLIPE s/t (Black Atlas) 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 twenty minute and change teaser that Nos Phillipe offered through Confront last year, definitely piqued our interest for another offering from their dark, organic drone experiments. This album opens with a hauntological set of ghostly piano melodies whispering behind an aerated hiss, broken with tactile events. A thick swarm of doom-guitar drones and square waves blackens the sky, and the horror-film mood is furthered with a delirious sequence of Bernard Hermann-esque screeching violins. Bowed gongs, reversed bell-tones, and quiet metal scrabblings follow, amassing into a tense drone alluding to shadowy esoteric ritualism with black clad minions lurking about subterranean spaces lit only by candles. Certainly creepy stuff that Nos Phillipe are exploring here. Coarse, gritty loops and deep swelling frequencies seem to come from the Philip Jeck school of turntable manipulation, although this London duo embraces much more of a Gothic sensibility than you'd find in Jeck's antiquated warblings. The album's finale cut is an extract from a live session captured at Cafe OTO in London. In this live performance, bowed metals and cymbals shimmer with an eternal glow of those Organum recordings from way back when. A really fine set of motorized vibration, psychoacoustic phase-shifting, and synthetic ambience envelopes the acoustic dronescraping, building upto an exceptionally dramatic crescendo. References abound to irr. app. (ext.), Nurse With Wound, and some of Christoph Heemann's dada expressionism. Recommended for sure!
MPEG Stream: "Deacons: Control Of The Candidate"
MPEG Stream: "Deana"
MPEG Stream: "Live At Cafe Oto"

NOS PHILLIPE Shh... Camille (Confront) cd 11.98
Short and sweet. This 24 minute piece from London's obscurant drone duo Nos Phillipe (aka Jonathan Webb and Robert Hopps) is pretty damn good, having been culled from field recordings, guitar, turntable, and lots of electronics. Elongated tones brightly shine with the sheen of a chrome surface being struck by rakish streaks from the sun, countered by a fluctuating low-end rumble, locating the work somewhere near the early constructions of Jonathan Coleclough. Aerated rotations, which could be field recordings of wind billowing over a pipe or maybe that's the sound of the turntable heavily compressed, transitions these earlier drones into a bending chorus somewhere between Tibetan horn bleats, an Amazonian insect chorus, and the blurred distortion of Birchville Cat Motel. These sounds buzz, hum, swarm, and shift into a time-stretched growl of low-end drones which leads the piece to a gradual conclusion. Pretty damn good...
MPEG Stream: "Shh... Camille"

NOSTALGIA 77 Everything Under The Sun (Ubiquity) cd 16.98
If we ever get a bigger store, perhaps we can have a resturant-friendly section that will have titles like this. Nostalgia 77 is a female-fronted nu-soul / jazz combo from England that has a progressive forward thinking lounge sound that avoids the cheesiness that befalls similar acts of the genre. It's quite nice actually!

NOSTALGIE The Early Years (Misanthropic Art Productions) cd 13.98

NOSTRADAMOS s/t (World Psychedelia) cd 17.98
While we wish we could boast about having a large section of Greek '70s psychedelia, this one and only full length by Nostradamos, recorded in 1972, will now be the very high standard by which we will judge any other Greek acid-folk-psych-pop we are lucky enough to get our ears on. And that's kind of unfair for any of those records because this is truly an amazing and unique record.
As intricate and eclectic as they were poppy and infectious, Nostradamos utilized the regular rock band instrumentation but added elements like violin, flute, horns and harp which gave their songs a rich and colorful luster. Hints of more traditional Greek folk are infused into their psychedelic pop, giving an incredible range to the album and even within the songs themselves, thus making for an incredibly exciting and pleasurable listening experience. We definitely hear a kinship between this and some of the more earthy Tropicalia happening at the same time in a totally different place on the globe. Nostradamos still sounds so alive and relevant today. So many moments on this record would be at home on something by an Elephant 6 band, and we could see lots of today's indie folk stars like Beirut, Coco Rosie, Rio En Medio and even Dungen totally digging on this, we sure are!
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 11"

NOT BREATHING Carrion Sounds (Kimosciotic) cd 11.98
The looming electronic fragments on this new album from Not Breathing (aka Dave Wright) gave us twinges of nostalgia for the sounds of... oh, about six years ago! Really, as we listened to this disc, it struck us that this particular vein of shadowy jagged circuit bending sort of fell off the map for a few years. Actually it's been that long since the last Not Breathing release Itchy Tingles. Now he's 'back' so to speak with the finely crafted Carrion Sounds. A densely packed assemblage of manipulated rumblings and disfigured utterances wrested and coaxed from yesteryear's synths, drum machines and toys, Carrion Sounds aggressively immerses the listener in its dank, slippery, arachnid-infested atmospheres.
MPEG Stream: "Worlock Radar"
MPEG Stream: "Garmonbozia"

NOTARO, MARCONI No Sub Reino Dos Metazoarios (Time-Lag) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We are big fans of the Brazilian pastoral psych of Lula Cortes, whether it be the phenomenal Satwa record or his later legendary mid-'70s masterpiece with Ze Ramalho, Paebiru, So you can imagine how our hearts went all aflutter when we got this latest Time-Lag reissue of the sole release by Marconi Notaro, a revolutionary Brazilian poet who recorded this album with both Cortes and Ramalho in 1973, the same year the Satwa record was released. Almost reading like a second Satwa album while at the same time predicting the later ecstatic fuzz experimental rock of Paebiru, the sunbaked exuberance and joy of these recordings belie their political spirit. Miraculously recorded and independently released amongst the harsh authority of the 1970's Brazilian government, Notaro, Cortes and Ramalho and others in the small and previously little-known Recife music scene were somehow able to bypass restrictions on music that was viewed as vehemently anti-state. Using acidy tape loop effects, electric and acoustic guitars, trancy folk percussion and the tricordio, a sitar/dulcimer hybrid that Cortes built himself, the songs here are mind-meltingly beautiful. Sadly Notaro passed away in 2000 of Hepatitis C leaving behind this record and seven published books of poetry. But with the authorization of Notaro's daughter and Lula Cortes himself, this classic masterpiece of protest is finally unearthed for us all. Totally Recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "Ah Vida Avida"
MPEG Stream: "Made in PB"
MPEG Stream: "Simphonia em Re"

NOTARO, MARCONI No Sub Reino Dos Metazoarios (Time-Lag) lp 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We are big fans of the Brazilian pastoral psych of Lula Cortes, whether it be the phenomenal Satwa record or his later legendary mid-'70s masterpiece with Ze Ramalho, Paebiru, So you can imagine how our hearts went all aflutter when we got this latest Time-Lag reissue of the sole release by Marconi Notaro, a revolutionary Brazilian poet who recorded this album with both Cortes and Ramalho in 1973, the same year the Satwa record was released. Almost reading like a second Satwa album while at the same time predicting the later ecstatic fuzz experimental rock of Paebiru, the sunbaked exuberance and joy of these recordings belie their political spirit. Miraculously recorded and independently released amongst the harsh authority of the 1970's Brazilian government, Notaro, Cortes and Ramalho and others in the small and previously little-known Recife music scene were somehow able to bypass restrictions on music that was viewed as vehemently anti-state. Using acidy tape loop effects, electric and acoustic guitars, trancy folk percussion and the tricordio, a sitar/dulcimer hybrid that Cortes built himself, the songs here are mind-meltingly beautiful. Sadly Notaro passed away in 2000 of Hepatitis C leaving behind this record and seven published books of poetry. But with the authorization of Notaro's daughter and Lula Cortes himself, this classic masterpiece of protest is finally unearthed for us all. Totally Recommended!!
MPEG Stream: "Ah Vida Avida"
MPEG Stream: "Made in PB"
MPEG Stream: "Simphonia em Re"

NOTEKILLERS (1977-1981) (Ecstatic Peace) cd 14.98
Thank you, Thurston! This cd of material by an obscure late '70s no-wave instrumental punk ouftit from Philly called the Notekillers comes to us via Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace label, and it was Thurston's enthusiasm for the lone 1978 7" single by the band, specifically its A-side, "The Zipper", that eventually resulted in this compact disc release, and now that we've heard it too we can understand why he's such a fan! You'll find the "The Zipper" and its B-side "Clock Wise" and 13 more unreleased tracks from the band's reel-to-reel and cassette archives here, two of 'em studio tracks intended for their aborted second 7" release and the rest live/rehearsal/demo material. All of them have an aggro, alienated, avant-punk energy that reminds us of elements of a host of different bands from Pavement to Polvo to Stinking Lizaveta to Simply Saucer... The Notekillers were definitely forging their own sonic path and it's cool that finally the world gets to hear some of what they put down on tape. The liner notes from guitarist David First/Hirsch talk about how the band was all about pushing the limits -- *their* limits anyways -- and as difficult as that may have been for them back then, that struggle is what kept a bunch of musical weirdos in a Philadelphia basement going. Yet "only if we failed would we succeed" he thought. Well, now they've sort of done both and I hope they feel good about it, 'cause they should. This Notekillers record is one of those lost, buried "historical" releases that has been disinterred with a still-beating heart.
MPEG Stream: "The Zipper"
MPEG Stream: "Ricochet"

NOTHING PAINTED BLUE The Future of Communications (Scat) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Down south in LA, this band makes some of the most elegant, challenging, and pretty pop music we have ever heard. Franklin Bruno's got the cheek to rhyme "cherubic" with "seraphic;" he can turn a phrase like no other.

NOTHING PAINTED BLUE The Monte Carlo Method (Scat) cd 10.98
This is Franklin Bruno and co.'s super smart power pop.

NOTHING PAINTED BLUE The Monte Carlo Method (Scat) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is Franklin Bruno and co.'s super smart power pop.

NOTHING PEOPLE Enemy With An Invitation (Permanent) 7" 8.98
Straight out of Orland, California it's another slab of hot wax psych rock scorchers from Nothing People. With Doug Pearson of Monoshock fame now a part of the band, these two songs find NP in fine form. Continuing their driving explorations in punchy and dirty rock that reminds us a lot of Chrome, Moon Duo, Hawkwind, Mission Of Burma, Naked Raygun, Wire, A Place To Bury Strangers, Oneida, and MX-80. What makes Nothing People so cool is that while so many other psych minded bands seem to really just narrow their focus on a very specific era of psych rock, Nothing People have found a way to bring together multiple elements from the last several decades into a punk spirited reverberation that doesn't come off like a simple imitation, but instead rings loudly with stripped down sincerity. The 7" comes in classy packaging with gold foil stamping and there were only 500 pressed so grab one fast!

NOTHING PEOPLE Late Night (S.S.) cd 13.98
Full length number two from these California drugged out psychedelic dirge rockers, who now count a member of late great Monoshock among their membership, which makes sense, as these guys whip up a similarly murky moody protopunk psychrock sound, but where NP's debut was a more noisy garage-kraut sci-fi psych rock blowout, Late Night does seem to sonically fulfill its monicker, crafting a darker dirgier moodier minimalism, the songs sprawling dark brooders, all whirring organs, pulsing processed guitars, swirling FX and reverb drenched vocals, that slip from hushed croon to almost soulful falsetto, all set amidst streaks and swirls, smears and blurs, a druggy late night sonic comedown, the record occasionally exploding into some propulsive crunch, or distorted pound, but spending most of it's time oozing and creeping, electronic rhythms wound around fluttery effected melodies, some sci-fi synths remain, adding a haunting cinematic vibe to the proceedings, pop songs melting and oozing from the speakers, for a super obscure reference, think the organ driven dour pop of the Velvet Monkeys, the same sort of moody meandery moonlit minimalism, dirgey ballads crossed with slo-mo garage rock, indie rock jangle slowed way down and transformed into something more twangy and maudlin, reminding us of times of Aussie post punkers Naked On The Vague.
We loved the first NP record, but we're digging this one even more, a killer collection of murk pop gems, hooks everywhere, but wreathed in gauzy creep and wheezy shimmer, blurred shimmery buzz and hazy spaced out psychedelia. A new favorite for sure!
MPEG Stream: "When I Drink"
MPEG Stream: "It's Not Your Speakers"
MPEG Stream: "Stick In The Mud"
MPEG Stream: "Pushing Buttons"

NOTHING PEOPLE Soft Crash (S.S.) lp 14.98
What a kick ass slab of fucked up driving and dark yet totally rocking and catchy post-punk sounds! Nothing People offer up one of the most addictive full lengths in recent memory, chock full of pummeling, paranoid and no-wave tilted garage burners! Taking cues from the likes of The Birthday Party and Chrome, these songs have a hint of danger and dystopia without feeling forced or contrived. We also think a lot of bands like A Frames, Simply Saucer and a more seductive and melodic Mayyors. In fact Nothing People are like this awesome blend of a lot of the fucked up warped garage sounds that have come out on labels like Captured Tracks and Sacred Bones, but with a much heavier and meaty old school Amphetamine Reptile vibe that really fuels the fire of these smoking songs.

NOTHING, CHARLIE Outside / Inside (De Stjil) lp 17.98

NOTHING, CHARLIE The Psychedelic Saxophone (No Label) lp 17.98

NOTHING, JOSEPH Dummy Variations (Planet Mu) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Joseph Nothing is the pseudonym for Japanese electronica artist Tatsuya Yoshida, who is half of the excellent Aphex-ish collaborative project Rom=Pari (and happens to have the same name as the ringleader of the Ruins, but isn't him). While Joseph Nothing's "Dummy Variations" isn't as blatantly infantile as the pacifier-suckling rave anthem "Sesame's Treat" back in the early '90s, this is a whimsical electronica album that feels as if it were made by an over-intellectualized imagination trying to dumb down to create something really gimmicky and shiny happy... Think Squarepusher at his Big Loada apex trying to score for the Teletubbies. Accordion driven drum & bass, silly 8-bit Nintendo game scores, butt shaking IDM techno to squeeze toy rubber duckies, and glossalalic sighs of baby talk. My teeth hurt from all the sugar, cutie-pie-faces, and starry eyed happiness. Make sure to have a balanced diet when consuming Dummy Variations -- mix it up with something like Lustmord or Burzum.

NOTIC NASTIC It's Dark But It's Okay (Shitkatapult) cd 16.98
Some of us around here have become a little obsessed with Ke$ha, and that song "Tik Tok". The song is crazy addictive, and the fact that she's kind of a babe and has that whole haughty trampy rockstar thing going on, what can we say? But if we were gonna be totally honest, THIS is what we really wish Ke$sha sounded like, it's still sexy and slutty and a little bit filthy, but musically, it's way more dark and fractured and fucked up. A sort of Missy Elliot meets Glass Candy electro thing, but with plenty of T. Raumschmiere or Motor mixed in. Big stuttery beats, squelchy synths, woozy loops, twisted and tweaked effects, thick buzzy bass, and some sultry vocals that here and there are definitely a dead ringer for Ke$ha, but again, it's so much darker and more sinister, less singing, than sort of mewled and whispered and spoken, a sex kitten sort of croon, but the vocals often doused in effects or weirdly sped up, and screwed with in some way, which perfectly mashes with the constantly shifting sonic mashup in the background, all woozy and washed out and Portishead-y one second, deconstructed sliced and diced Art Of Noise the next, synthy Daft Punk euro groove the next, but always groovy, funky, and sexy, and yeah, this is the sort of shit they should be playing on the radio, even though it's probably way more suited to some dark and dingy danceclub in Berlin, way on the wrong side of the tracks.
MPEG Stream: "Let Go"
MPEG Stream: "Stupid Happy"
MPEG Stream: "Secret Life"
MPEG Stream: "Swifty"

NOTO 20' to 2000: September (Raster-Noton) 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 September release in the 20' to 2000 series of experimental/minimalist/electronica is from Noto. What has been so surprising of this series is the exceptional quality... I mean is there going to be a dud in the lot? Not yet! Carsten Nicolai - aka Noto and label boss for Noton/Rastermusic - presents perhaps his best best work of minimalist clicks and electronic pops emerging rather unassumingly at first, but later structuring themselves against slow moving rhythmic bass pulses.

NOTO Empty Garden (Watari-Um Museum Tokyo) cdep 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Using the same sort of cdep format as the 20' to 2000 series (with 3" of data housed within the clear confines of a normal 5" disc), "Empty Garden" was designed as a soundtrack to an installation of the same name. Noto uses his oscillators, laptop glitchery, and other gizmos to mimic the insect buzz / cricket chirp disrupting the silence of an empty garden. After establishing the metaphor of these sounds, Noto forces the erratic chirp / buzz into his trademarked patterns of repeating rhythms and signatures. Unfortunately short at 20 minutes in length, but nicely presented.

NOTO Endless Loop (e, f, g, h) (Raster Noton) 2x10" 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Carsten Nicolai -- one of the most adept and original artists in the microsound aesthetic -- returns to his Noto moniker (after a number of releases as Alva Noto) for this double 10" of locked grooves. Each side contains a number of mathematically precise locked grooves that incrementally increase in frequency as one skips towards the center of the record, with each side breaking down as follows:
e:very pure sine tones
f:solitary bleeps
g:mulitple clicks
h: "arithmetic division of loops through clippings" which is sort of a combination of the other three.
Noto has also drilled an off-set hole, so these elements can be played with a sea-sick warble. Word of caution, the lower frequencies may cause some damage to your speakers at high volume.

NOTO Endless Loop Edition (Raster-Noton) 10" 15.98

NOTO Kerne (Plate Lunch) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Supernice packaging (three die cut holes in the booklet cover so you can see the three dots on the cd) and minimal electronics.

NOTO Telefunken (Raster-Noton) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Musically, Noto's "Telefunken" is merely an oscilloscope modulating a headache inducing buzz for 16 minutes and test-tones for 3 minutes. To give Noto credit, "Telefunken" is cool in one respect, that it was designed to be hooked up to your TV through a VCR for a primitive multimedia experience! We haven't watched it yet (no such capabilites in the store), so perhaps the visuals, made from the same electronic signals as the audio, make up for what's lacking in the "music". But if you want to hear some really really great work by Noto (who just won top honors at this year's Prix Ars Electronica festival) definitely check out Alva Noto (one of Allan's favorites of the year) or Noto's 20' to 2000 contribution.

NOTRE DAME Abattoir, Abattoir du Noir (Osmose) cdep 8.98
As if two simultaneous full-length releases were not enough, our favorite horror-show "black metal" band spits out this two-track ep. As always, with as much humor as horror. "Give Blood...Save Lives."

NOTRE DAME Nightmare Before Christmas (Osmose) cd 14.98
One of two recent, simultaneous releases by this amazing theatrical "black metal" band...
"When you wish upon a star your wish is granted here they are..." The concept here? An end-of-the world Xmas record, combining holiday cheer with apocalyptic Y2K doom, somehow referencing both Nostradmus and Scrooge.
Notre Dame is ridiculous twisted genius, there's no denying it.

NOTRE DAME Vol. 1: Le Theatre Du Vampire (Osmose) cd 14.98
Absolutely one of our new favorite "black metal" bands! One of two recent full-length releases (the other being a Xmas album!). Masterminded by Snowy Shaw (ex-King Diamond, Memento Mori, etc.) with female vocalist/dancer "Vampirella" as well as the De Sade brothers (Jean Pierre and Mannequin). Yes, it's silly. But it's also weird, surprising, catchy, and really well-executed, right down to the horror comix artwork and clever graphic design. The music is best likened to an even more over the top, operatic Cradle of Filth, with influences from '70s Italian prog-horror bands like Devil Doll and Goblin. And, I suppose, a touch of White Zombie. If the Addams Family were a metal band, they'd be Notre Dame! We're not usually a fan of metal that's so obviously tongue in cheek, but this is so genuinely great we can't help but love it.

NOTTA LOTTA LOVE (Evil Twin Publications) zine 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Notta Lotta Love is the title of the fourth My Evil Twin Sister publication, Evil Twin being the joint project of identical twins Amber Gayle (writing) and Stacy Wakefield (design / bookmaking). Notta Lotta Love is my favorite of the series (I'm Windy). Due to Amber's unpretentious, down-to-earth writing style, it reads like a novel even thought it's just 44 pages and is simply a series of remembrances, told in chronological order, of Amber's lovers. She observes hippies, flirts with fellow Green Tortoise passengers, dates a German who wears designer underwear, falls in love with naturalists and raw foodies... Something about the way Amber writes, her sweet, genuine, brutally honest tone, makes me love this. While I can't speak for the guys on our list, I suspect some of you ladies may really find a lot to identify with here. Lovely.

NOTWIST, THE Boneless (Domino) 7" 5.98

NOTWIST, THE Different Cars And Trains (Domino) cd ep 10.98
For those of you hungry for more of The Notwist, here's a half hour long ep of three remixes, a 'version' and one soothing new instrumental song called "Red Room". Starting things off are two remixes of "Neon Golden" and "Pilot" by band member Martin Gretschmann (aka Console). Disappointingly they're somewhat watered-down versions of the original songs that don't really bring much more to the already groovy Notwist picture. In the remix process, they've lost a lot of the Notwist charm and distinction. The basis for the "Different Cars And Trains" version by Loopspool (a member of Notwist brethren the Tied & Tickled Trio) is actually a pleasingly stretched out and dubbed out song segment you might recognize from "Pilot". Of the five tracks, the strongest is definitely the stuttering remix of "This Room" by Four Tet and Manitoba. Certainly not essential unless you're a diehard fan.
MPEG Stream: "This Room (Four Tet and Manitoba Remix)"

NOTWIST, THE Music For Storm (OST) (Alien Transistor) lp+cd+book 24.00
The Notwist have displayed quite a range of sounds and styles over their lengthy career, morphing from a more experimental outfit into a powerhouse band crafting some of the most scrumptious and infectious songs that have been in heavy rotation around these parts going on years now.
In so many ways their range and breadth of sound position them as true kindred spirits to Radiohead. The same sort of pop / experimental music hybrid. While they have definitely demonstrated that they can really get to the heart of melodic avant-pop, we're sure this opportunity to score a film by Hans-Christian Schmid was an exciting prospect, allowing the band to once again zero in more on ambience and texture. Their score for Music For Storm is moody and brooding and could easily sound right at home on a record by The Necks, Sylvain Chaveau, Arve Henriksen, or any of our favorite hypnotic mood peddlers on labels like Miasma, Root Strata, Rune Grammofon and Type. Utilizing bowed xylophone, effects laden glockenspiel, minimal electronics and accordion, The Notwist have proven once again they are group who understand how to evoke and create strong moods and suspenseful sounds. This LP comes in a striking silk-screen print cover, with a 24-page photo booklet and a cd version to boot!
MPEG Stream: "Sarajevo 1"
MPEG Stream: "Storm 1"
MPEG Stream: "Prayer"

NOTWIST, THE Neon Golden (City Slang) cd 14.98
Finally available domestically, at a lower price and with three bonus tracks!! If you're a regular AQ customer you already know that we're all huge fans of Village of Savoonga, the darkest and most dramatically experimental of the many musical outfits hailing from the loose collective of musicians based in Bavaria, Germany. Another group from this incredibly fertile scene, The Notwist started out as a punk band but have gotten better and more different with each release (reflecting the Acher brothers' growing musical smarts and proficiency), culminating in this nice rock album. But not just any indie rock, this music is wistful, lyrical, softly flowing music that's *extremely* well executed, no filler, and brings in all kinds of non-rock elements -- in sort of the same way that the Beta Band does -- *casually*, not making a big deal out of it. Cos electronic keyboards and programming and stuff (courtesy Martin Gretschmann of the solo electronic act Console) are merely one facet of The Notwist's sound, which also includes very catchy minor key hooks, attractively textural cracklings and wooden clop clops, plucked strings (cello?), machine made gurgles and squishies, even out-of-place (-but-not-really) breakbeats that actually work.
In addition to the guy from Console, The Notwist personnel includes the abovementioned Acher brothers Micha (Village of Savoonga, Tied+Tickled Trio) and Markus (VoS, T+TT, Lali Puna).
Highly recommended! This is a grower.
RealAudio clip: "One Step Inside Doesn't Mean You Understand"
RealAudio clip: "Consequence"

NOTWIST, THE The Devil You + Me (Domino) cd 14.98
Hurrah! The Notwist's long awaited follow-up to aQ fave album Neon Golden has arrived! That 2002 album set the bar pretty high for modern German electronic pop/rock and its wistful forlorn songs really resonated with many of us. Needless to say, the over five year wait may have elevated our expectations to unrealistically lofty heights. So we're approaching with care, and we'll be totally honest The Devil You + Me hasn't quite knocked up on our butts and tickled our heartstrings the way that Neon Golden did. The exacting and seamless pop blend of programmed and organic instrumentation that left us aghast. All right, we said it, and we won't belabor the point. Devil's appeal is certainly not as immediate, but it does sink in slowly, and Markus Acher's hushed yearning vocal delivery is as charming and affecting as ever. Songs such as the title track are sweetly engaging in a surprisingly Belle & Sebastian way. Meanwhile others such as "Sleep" draw easy comparisons to the lovely pop-tronic tunes of Canada's Caribou. Overall, it's a much darker, less catchy, less pop structured collection of songs. A bit more brooding, a bit less dreaming, and perhaps drawing in a bit more of some of their other bands: both Village Of Savoogna's sprawling sonic explorations and Lali Puna's breezy, melancholic ruminations. Indeed, it instead favors more grand and sweeping journeys particularly with the gracious presence of The Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra. Ask yourself, when doesn't the presence of a bassoon and a harp add epic sorrow and fantasy panache (respectively)? We're sure this one's going to continue to lay down its roots long into autumn. If you're new to this band, Neon Golden's the place to start, but you definitely shouldn't overlook the charms of the Devil.
MPEG Stream: "Good Lies"
MPEG Stream: "Gloomy Planet"

NOTWIST, THE The Devil You and Me (Domino) lp 22.00
NOW ON VINYL!
Hurrah! The Notwist's long awaited follow-up to aQ fave album Neon Golden has arrived! That 2002 album set the bar pretty high for modern German electronic pop/rock and its wistful forlorn songs really resonated with many of us. Needless to say, the over five year wait may have elevated our expectations to unrealistically lofty heights. So we're approaching with care, and we'll be totally honest The Devil You + Me hasn't quite knocked up on our butts and tickled our heartstrings the way that Neon Golden did. The exacting and seamless pop blend of programmed and organic instrumentation that left us aghast. All right, we said it, and we won't belabor the point. Devil's appeal is certainly not as immediate, but it does sink in slowly, and Markus Acher's hushed yearning vocal delivery is as charming and affecting as ever. Songs such as the title track are sweetly engaging in a surprisingly Belle & Sebastian way. Meanwhile others such as "Sleep" draw easy comparisons to the lovely pop-tronic tunes of Canada's Caribou. Overall, it's a much darker, less catchy, less pop structured collection of songs. A bit more brooding, a bit less dreaming, and perhaps drawing in a bit more of some of their other bands: both Village Of Savoogna's sprawling sonic explorations and Lali Puna's breezy, melancholic ruminations. Indeed, it instead favors more grand and sweeping journeys particularly with the gracious presence of The Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra. Ask yourself, when doesn't the presence of a bassoon and a harp add epic sorrow and fantasy panache (respectively)? We're sure this one's going to continue to lay down its roots long into autumn. If you're new to this band, Neon Golden's the place to start, but you definitely shouldn't overlook the charms of the Devil.
MPEG Stream: "Good Lies"
MPEG Stream: "Gloomy Planet"

NOUGHT s/t (Shifty Disco) cd 11.98
Prog from this Guapo related band.

NOUS NON PLUS s/t (Aeronaut) cd 15.98
Kick up your kitten heels and smooth out your voluptuous coif to the groovy sounds of Nous Non Plus! Driven primarily by snappy electric guitars and woozy keyboards, their songs run the gamut from pretty lounge fare to '60s Ye Ye Girl pep to the downright punchy garage pop. The fact that they sing mostly in French helps these New Yorkers slip right in step with the likes of April March and Stereo Total. Super saucy, coy'n'playful! If you're looking for a summertime combo this goes quite swimmingly well alongside the new album from Brazil's CSS!
MPEG Stream: "L'Amant"
MPEG Stream: "Fille Atomique"