OH SEES, THEE Peanut Butter Oven EP (Awesome Vistas) 12" 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We'll not get too in depth in this review because this puppy is super limited, and they'll most likely be gone before you know it, but this ep from the ever prolific Thee Oh Sees is another solid release on Chris Johanson's Aw

ove their full lengths, Thee Oh Sees really kick out the jams on their shorter format releases. Four songs, all really killer (and they sound really awesome at both speeds!, as we accidentally found out), full of that sixties big beat cavernous murky wall of feedback pop that we love. "Kingsmeat" is all melancholy Farfisa over upbeat rhythms and ringing feedback tones before turning up the Bo Diddley pace for "The Freak Was Clean". "Quadrospazzed" speaks for itself as the real hard-hitting burner here before the almost shoe-gazy "Kids In Cars" winds us down quite nicely. Remember, these are super limited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH SEES, THEE Quadrospazzed (Castle Face) 12" 13.98
This one might just be for superfans only, but then again, maybe not...
It's one song, one sided, costs $15, and is a live version of a previously released track (from the Peanut Butter Oven ep), but hell we know how Oh Sees fans are, OBSESSIVE, and this is a pretty sweet object. Besides the music, it's pressed on super thick 180 gram vinyl, comes in an eye popping black and red heavy duty jacket, and the B-side features an incredible etching, all patterns and pumpkins and shapes and leering mouths, super sweet.
The original track, already a bit sprawling and jammy, gets the full on live workout, recorded at a house show in SF, the song sounds pretty much like the original at first, all shuffling drums, reverb drenched guitar jangle, yelpy echoed vox, repetitive and kinetic, but then the song stretches waaaaaay out, breaks down, sounds a little like the parts in old songs where the band gets introduced, but instead, there's a drum solo, and the track spaces out and gets all sixties shimmery and dubbed out, to the point that is seems like enough of a new jam that you'd probably want it even if you already had the Peanut Butter Oven version. Cool stuff. And LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.

OH SEES, THEE Thee Hounds Of Foggy Notion (Tomlab / Castle Face) cd + dvd 19.98
Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion may be a live cd / dvd set of this venerable SF outfit, but it also serves as a "best of" of sorts as well. Pulled mostly from the last four records, the point the band changed their name from OCS to its many incarnations of "Ohsees", "The Oh sees", or "Thee Ohsees", and the record titles went from numbers to quasi-absurdist phrases. Those who may shy away from live albums over fidelity issues should not fret here, as Dwyer and his cohorts are seasoned and energetic live players and hi-fidelity has never been a major concern on their studio records anyway; so there's really not a discernible distinction between live and studio sound quality. In fact, this may be just as good as a starting point into the band as any one of their studio records, which just keep getting better and better. Got to love a band that can move so effortlessly from southern garage to one of the best Shirley Collins interpretations ("Highland Wife's Lament") we've heard in awhile. Plus the dvd showcases the band's wild and wooly performances.
MPEG Stream: "Guilded Cunt"
MPEG Stream: "Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion"
MPEG Stream: "Highland Wife's Lament"

OH SEES, THEE Tidal Wave (Woodsist) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When you're on...you're on...and if you are The Oh Sees these days, you ARE ON FUCKING FIRE!!! Seriously we haven't seen a band hit a sizzling stride like Thee Oh Sees are currently experiencing in AGES. So we welcome the tidal wave (yes, we went there) of releases from them in the last year with totally open and eager ears. Their newest album Help, an aQ Record Of The Week recently, will most likely find it's way on to many of our year end favorites list, we can't stop listening to it! So it should come as little surprise that these two new non-album tracks are also totally perfect, ultra catchy blasts of pure garage pop genius! It's actually such a perfect time for Thee Oh Sees to be cutting singles as they seem able to continually whip up memorable, endearing and super kick ass songs, which will hopefully mean more singles to come!
Makes perfect sense that Tidal Wave was released on Woodsist and the full length came out on In The Red, as both of those labels sounds lately, perhaps owe a sonic debt to the blown out magic Jon Dwyer has been blasting out for the last decade. Get one while you can!

OH SEES, THEE Warm Slime (In The Red) cd 13.98
More awesome fuzzy distorted sixties style garage rock from Mr. John Dwyer and his Oh Sees, the first full length, full band effort after Dog Poison, the record on which Dwyer played all the instruments himself. It's easy to forget just how great Thee Oh Sees are, and what a great songwriter Dwyer really is, after all the sweaty chaotic live shows, non stop touring, record after record, but holy shit are these tracks killer. Especially the 13+ minute title track that opens up the record, beginning with two minutes of classic super catchy Oh Sees, super distorted guitars, a cool stuttery rhythm, reverb all over the place, howled echoed vox, and lots and lots of 'ooooooh's, surely plenty for a song, but "Warm Slime" has way more to offer with its next 10 or so minutes, a cool extended breakdown with a loping drum beat, some sixties girl group sounding vocals, jagged bursts of vocal / guitar crunch, super trancey and hypnotic, in the style of classic sixties funk and soul breakdowns, where live, probably the band is introduced, or there's some interaction with the crowd, but on the record, it's just a chance for the band to spread out and lock into a super minimal groove, and see just what they can do with it.
The other six tracks are mostly just what we've come to expect (and want) from Dwyer and company. Fuzzy echo drenched sweat soaked garage pop, loads of buzz and howl and crunch, kick ass drumming, lots of hooks, more oooh's and aaah's, but there are a couple surprises, most notably the fuzzed out, super distorted drone rock dirge of "Flash Bats", a hazy sprawling motorik druggy groove that finds the Oh Sees getting all Shjips style, which most definitely suits them, big time. As always awesome. And if like us, you're STILL hankering for more, it's always good to know that it probably won't be all that long before the next record drops. We'll be ready.
MPEG Stream: "Warm Slime"
MPEG Stream: "I Was Denied"
MPEG Stream: "Everything Went Black"

OH SEES, THEE Warm Slime (In The Red) lp 13.98
More awesome fuzzy distorted sixties style garage rock from Mr. John Dwyer and his Oh Sees, the first full length, full band effort after Dog Poison, the record on which Dwyer played all the instruments himself. It's easy to forget just how great Thee Oh Sees are, and what a great songwriter Dwyer really is, after all the sweaty chaotic live shows, non stop touring, record after record, but holy shit are these tracks killer. Especially the 13+ minute title track that opens up the record, beginning with two minutes of classic super catchy Oh Sees, super distorted guitars, a cool stuttery rhythm, reverb all over the place, howled echoed vox, and lots and lots of 'ooooooh's, surely plenty for a song, but "Warm Slime" has way more to offer with its next 10 or so minutes, a cool extended breakdown with a loping drum beat, some sixties girl group sounding vocals, jagged bursts of vocal / guitar crunch, super trancey and hypnotic, in the style of classic sixties funk and soul breakdowns, where live, probably the band is introduced, or there's some interaction with the crowd, but on the record, it's just a chance for the band to spread out and lock into a super minimal groove, and see just what they can do with it.
The other six tracks are mostly just what we've come to expect (and want) from Dwyer and company. Fuzzy echo drenched sweat soaked garage pop, loads of buzz and howl and crunch, kick ass drumming, lots of hooks, more oooh's and aaah's, but there are a couple surprises, most notably the fuzzed out, super distorted drone rock dirge of "Flash Bats", a hazy sprawling motorik druggy groove that finds the Oh Sees getting all Shjips style, which most definitely suits them, big time. As always awesome. And if like us, you're STILL hankering for more, it's always good to know that it probably won't be all that long before the next record drops. We'll be ready.
MPEG Stream: "Warm Slime"
MPEG Stream: "I Was Denied"
MPEG Stream: "Everything Went Black"

OH SEES, THEE Zork's Tape Bruise (Kill Shaman) lp+cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's been raining Oh Sees around here lately, culminating in their most recent record Help being an aQ Record Of The Week. And here we are a couple weeks later, and whattayaknow, another new Oh Sees, although this is not quite a new record, instead it's a collection of odds and ends, home recorded experiments and unused songs, demos and that sort of stuff. We were warned that it was harsh and noisy and it sort of is, but some of these songs RULE, in fact, the more we listen to this, the more it might begin to give Help a run for its money as our favorite Oh Sees record.
A constantly shifting swirl of super lo-fi effects, dubbed out rhythms, pounding in the red garage rock jams, falsetto vocals, everything delayed, reverbed and blown the fuck out, feedback, warped buzz, clatter and clang, processed alien vox, angular riffage, flutes, jazzy grooves, all tangled up into a constantly shifting hodge podge of sonic lo-fi garage pop detritus, but, and it is indeed a big BUT, within all that wild freaking out and experimentation, are some seriously catchy tunes, only made all the cooler by all the noise and chaos, a bit like the old Iran records, total pure pop, doused in sonic chaos. Needless to say, if you're a fan, this is another essential release. And we have the last 20 copies, though it is being repressed sometime soon, so when we run out, it won't be long before we get more.
PLUS, this lp only release comes with a cd too, a compilation of singles, songs from splits and compilations as well as some unreleased stuff as well, so all the Peanut Butter Oven songs, the songs from the split with the Intelligence and more more more!

OH SEES, THEE / THE INTELLIGENCE s/t (Mt. St. Mtn.) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Sounds like our buddy, Thee Ohsees mastermind and man about town Jon Dwyer, has fallen in love all over again with the sound of raw garage rock. The last Ohsees album was way more punchy and rocking than previous releases, and now this split finds Dwyer sounding almost as fierce as he did in his Coachwhips days! Yet, he's still managed to find awesome ways to add a little something extra n' arty to that Ohsees sound.
The two Ohsees songs end before you know it but they're so good and infectious that we've just been playing them over and over and over.
Meanwhile, The Intelligence make a great foil for Thee Ohsees as they know a thing or two about how much more rad garage rock sounds when it's doused in reverb, crumbling keyboards and lo-fi vocals. Lars Finberg, the mastermind of The Intelligence (and a former member of the A-Frames) has had a bunch of records on In The Red which makes perfect sense as they have become THE label for bands with true raw garage spirit. Their three songs on this split, including a Vulvettes cover are such perfect blasts of haunting and infectious lo-fi garage rock ass kickery.
Features awesome artwork by Jay Howell and Joe Roberts and is already out of print at the label so you better act fast if you want one of these.

OH SEES, THEE / TY SEGALL split (Castle Face) 7" 5.98
Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall cover each other on this brand new smokin' seven inch. We really don't need to say anything more. Anyone who's been listening to the current wave of charged, blown out garage pop these days knows that these are two of the most potent forces in the game. Thee Oh Sees are coming off what we think may be one of the best records of the year, Help, and Ty Segall's debut was one of our favorites of '08. So rad to hear them tackle each other's songs. Thee Oh Sees do "The Drag" with a deep-in-the-void reverb filled flair that suits the song so well. Ty does "Maria Stacks" from The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In, a song which might just be Andee's favorite Oh Sees jam, not just cuz it's hooky and catchy, but it also immortalizes AQ pal and amazing artist/zine-maker Maria Forde. Ty finds a way to make the song a bit more lo-fi and fucked up sounding while still holding on to the great melody that makes the original stick like it does. Pretty much a no-brainer, best grab one of these while you can!

OH-OK The Complete Recordings (Collector's Choice) cd 16.98
First appearance on cd, methinks, for this winsome Athens, GA quartet who made music between '81 and '84. Led by Lynda Stipe (yep, Michael's sister), Oh-OK employed singsong two-girl vocals, minimal yet interesting drumming, Lynda's rubbery, super catchy bass lines bouncing along at a cheerful pace, and a simple, off-the-cuff stripped down sound. Way ahead of their time, they should properly be mentioned in the same breath as their contemporaries The Pastels, Young Marble Giants, The Raincoats, etc. (They were quite a bit sweeter than YMG and Raincoats, mind you.) Features their entire recorded output -- a mere two EPs -- plus a whopping 13 extra live tracks of songs they never got around to recording (including Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", which they remake in their own 'girls in the garage' style). All in all a nice, overdue package, with liner notes by Christgau, clippings 'n reviews, and produced by AQ fave customer and Perfect Sound Forever editor Jason Gross.
RealAudio clip: "Such N Such"
RealAudio clip: "Lilting"

OHARU/GUAPO (Pandemonium) 7" 3.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
G: Proggy post rock.
O: Dazzling Killmen style precision math metal.

OHGR SunnyPsyOp (Spitfire) cd 16.98
Although the opening track "HiLO" seems to start things out in a similar fashion, as a whole SunnyPsyOp is definitely not as Numanesque and pop-oriented as Ohgr's previous album Welt. So if you were craving more of the same, unfortunately you'll just have to keep spinning the former 'cause this takes a somewhat different path. However, it's not completely off the map of Ohgr. If you're seeking more of a bridge between Skinny Puppy (the project that Ohgr is best know for, where he recorded as Nivek Ogre) and the abovementioned album - something somewhat more somber and abstract, more skin-crawling and mind-bending - this might be for you. Whereas Welt might've made you want to get up and move about, SunnyPsyOp might make you want to settle down into brood mode with a sturdy set of headphones. Shades of Nivek Ogre's Skinny Puppy roots surface here - perhaps as a result of the recent reunion of said group (that's right, we can expect a new album from Cevin Key, Ogre and co. very shortly! - listen... are those celebratory cheers coming up from the catacombs?). Of course it sounds great. Much like his SP bandmate, sonic craftsman / mad genius Key, Ogre's gained another well-suited, producer / multi-instrumentalist in Mark Walk (Pigface, Ruby). He skillfully fills your ears with rich synthesizer textures, sharply puncturing beats and intricate details and captures Ogre's deeply emotive and affected voice in fine form. With cover art by Camille Rose Garcia. Includes a video for the track "Majik".
MPEG Stream: "HiLO"
MPEG Stream: "Chemtale"

OHGR Welt (Spitfire) cd 16.98
Throughout the '80's/90's, Vancouver surrealists Skinny Puppy were a group ahead of their time. Laced with film dialogue samples (one of the first and best, if you ask me) and seething emotion, their highly visceral and visual music seemed to reverberate from the future much like that of Throbbing Gristle, Suicide, and Cabaret Voltaire before them. Much more experimental and sonically out-there than Ministry and bands they were eventually lumped in with, SP undeniably cut a deep and indelible mark in the pages of music history - in the years since, countless bands have shamelessly plundered their trunk of aural pleasures (Trent Reznor,etc) and macabre visuals (Marilyn Manson,etc). When they disbanded following the death of member Dwayne Goettel in 1995, multi-instrumentalist Cevin Key paused but a moment before immersing himself in a rash of other projects - Tear Garden and Download to name but two - and launching his own studio and label in LA. Frontman Nivek Ogre, on the other hand (with the exception of his 1998 collaborative effort with Martin Atkins entitled Rx), seemed to simply vanish into the shadows. until now. This album was completed and ready for release in the mid-late '90s under the moniker W.E.L.T., however the legal shackles of American Recordings kept it in limbo until Ogre's contract expired in 1999. Reworked, refreshed, and actually re-recorded, the album now finds its home on Spitfire Records, with the moniker changed to 'OHGR' and the album itself called 'WELT'. Heavy synth grooves and hooks reminiscent of early SP material ('Bites'), or even recent Gary Numan. with Ogre actually SINGING (as opposed to screeching under racks of effects), most of these songs are downright catchy synth-industro-pop(!) with a lot of current electronic music sounding more and more like old Skinny Puppy, this just might be Ogre's time. Surprisingly contemporary. Hey everyone (and especially all you kids that are going to the Ozz-fest this year): recommended listening!
RealAudio clip: "cracker"
RealAudio clip: "water"

OHIOAN & NATIVE KIN Being Of The Good River (Casanova Temptations) lp 11.98

OHKAMI NO JIKAN Mort Nuit (Fractal) cd 17.98
Dark feedback frenzies, primitive plodding drums crashing away, reverby Reynolsian vocals: this is some *intense* electric guitar heavy improv psych, a lot like Keiji Haino's Fushitsusha. It's the brainchild of Nanjo Asahito, who shares Haino's prediliction for wearing all-black clothing and sunglasses at all times (and for wrangling from his guitar loud clouds of post-Neil Young blackness). Never one of the most prolific of modern Japanese underground psychedelic bands, Nanjo's Ohkami No Jikan here present what's basically their debut album, though they've been around for quite some time, making only some rare compilation appearances previously. But, the members of the band, in particular leader Nanjo, keep busy in other projects -- in Nanjo's case, the legendary High Rise, Toho Sara, Musica Transonic, Mainliner, etc. Actually it doesn't say anywhere on here who's on this besides Nanjo, though unless he's overdubbing everthing he's got at least a drummer and another guitarist in the band. Three tracks (one of 'em over 30 minutes long) of timelost, slow-moving, heavy rock drone, brutally beautiful and moving. Of the three new Japanese releases on Fractal, this one *doesn't* necessarily feature Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makoto (although maybe he is on here), but in comparison to the colorful krautrock worship of the AMT disc, or the hard driving proto-metal of the Musica Transonic one (which features both Nanjo and Kawabata), this is the deepest, most primal of the three.
RealAudio clip: "Israel"

OHM Live At The Crown (Last Visible Dog) cd-r 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
More spaced out free noise racket from the amazing Last Visible Dog. OHM are a New Zealand free rock outfit treading similar territory as the Dead C, but the sound is more sparse and spread out. Sputtering drums and droning guitars, warm feedback and dreamy peals of high end squeal. Warble guitars and shuffly jazzy drums, played in the middle of a huge empty hall while sharp bolts of guitar hum and amp buzz are deflected by gentle strumming and whispery melodies and multiplied into occasional walls of bzzzzzbrrrrrghhhhh. This single 40 minute track basically documents the entire existence of the band OHM. Gorgeous and spare. Campbell Kneale (Mr. Birchville Cat Motel) guests. Features a hilarious cover spoof of the Who's maximum R+B logo!
RealAudio clip: "Live At The Crown"

OHNE 1 (Ohne) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Full on noise attack from this international "supergroup" of sorts. Featuring ex-members of To Live And Shave In LA, Fear Of God, Sudden Infant and Schimpfluch-Gruppe (who, along with Runzlestirn & Gurgelstock, collaborated with noise giant Masonna a while back on the "Arschloch-onna" disc on Japan Overseas), the group utilizes the human voice as the main source of sound, employing a multitude of electronic manipulations guaranteed to destroy eardrums as well as irritate the fuck out of your neighbors. Totally retarded and highly recommended to fans of the above or those needing a fix for what was once the consistent output of the dearly missed RRRecords of Massachussets. On the newly established Ohne label, a subsidiary of the acclaimed Viennese power electronics tastemakers Mego.
RealAudio clip: "17"

OHR MUSIC Friction Burns (Captain Trip) cd 17.98
Captain Trip presents Ohr's retro 60's cosmic grooves with faux mellotron samples, stoned thud rock basslines, ample wah-wah guitar phasing, and hypno-rock structures. If Circle wore paisleys.

OIL 10 In/Out (Noise Museum) cd 16.98
While Noise Museum has predominantly been a bleak isolationist/noise label, Oil 10 may seem to be an anomalie to their catalogue with the black lung rhythms chugging along like Pan Sonic's 'complex rhythm generator'... for fans of Autechre or Matmos.

OIL TASTERS s/t (Lexicon Devil) cd 16.98

OJM Under The Thunder (Go Down Records) cd 23.00
Italian desert-style stoner rock, produced by Michael Davis from the MC5!

OK GO Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky (Capital) cd 12.98

MPEG Stream: "WTF?"
MPEG Stream: "This Too Shall Pass"
MPEG Stream: "White Knuckles"

OK GO Oh No (Capitol) cd 17.98

OKAY High Road (Absolutely Kosher) cd 14.98
Now thanks to Okay's two new albums, you can choose to take the High Road AND the Low Road... Haha! Ahem, this is the new project of Mr. Marty Anderson (also of Dilute). Both albums are filled with bright slightly eccentric folk pop songs a la Donovan, or more recently Destroyer's Dan Bejar, Devendra Banhart or Frog Eyes' Casey Mercer. Vocally this also sounds a lot like a younger sibling of Marianne Faithfull or Nico (i.e, the gravelly warble of a lifelong smoker). The backdrops to Anderson's off-kilter vocals are breezily swaying, ultra pretty arrangements. So nice and gentle! If we had to choose one to start with, it'd really be a hard choice to make -- they're pretty evenly matched -- but we'd probably go with the High Road 'cause it might just be our imagination, but it seems to be just a little bit more lush and fully realized (particularly the third and fourth songs "Have" and "Compass").
MPEG Stream: "Have"
MPEG Stream: "Compass"

OKAY Low Road (Absolutely Kosher) cd 14.98
Now thanks to Okay's two new albums, you can choose to take the High Road AND the Low Road... Haha! Ahem, this is the new project of Mr. Marty Anderson (also of Dilute). Both albums are filled with bright slightly eccentric folk pop songs a la Donovan, or more recently Destroyer's Dan Bejar, Devendra Banhart or Frog Eyes' Casey Mercer. Vocally this also sounds a lot like a younger sibling of Marianne Faithfull or Nico (i.e, the gravelly warble of a lifelong smoker). The backdrops to Anderson's off-kilter vocals are breezily swaying, ultra pretty arrangements. So nice and gentle! If we had to choose one to start with, it'd really be a hard choice to make -- they're pretty evenly matched -- but we'd probably go with the High Road 'cause it might just be our imagination, but it seems to be just a little bit more lush and fully realized (particularly the third and fourth songs "Have" and "Compass").
MPEG Stream: "Bloody"
MPEG Stream: "Devil"

OKKERVIL RIVER Black Sheep Boy (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Hmmm, don't recall Okkervil River sounding quite like they do on a number of these new songs. Imagine an older Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) filling in as the frontman for slick alt-rock bands such as Counting Crows or Gin Blossoms. Maybe they're seeking a broader more mainstream audience? Dunno, just not sure it really works for them, at least not on Black Sheep Boy (fyi: the album is named after a Tim Hardin song which Okkervil River also chose to be the album's opening song, and a fine version it is!). Lead singer Will Sheff is known to be a empassioned, angstful vocalist, but the band's feverish performance on the more rockin' tunes still comes across a little forced. To boot, the mix seems off balance between the vocals and the too-loud bursts of electric guitar. You can get a sense of the dynamic that they were trying to capture, but again it's not quite 'there'. That said, the album's high point -- and also the point where things take a general shift for the better -- is the fifth song "Get Big" on which Sheff duets in beautiful world-weary fashion with Amy Annelle (of The Places). It's downright heartbreaking! After that the band mellows down and allows the melancholia to extinguish the rock flames in a flood of whiskey and tears. These slower, moodier numbers' arrangements are tastefully fleshed out with pump organ, mandolin, lap steel, wurlitzer, vibraphone, synthesizers, horns, strings, samples and field recordings. This is where Sheff (also the band's main songwriter) truly shines. Composing and performing songs of lush somber beauty are his forte. Indeed, since they insist on mixing their two very different personalities on each album, if you prefer one better that the other (as we do), it can make for a somewhat exasperatingly jarring listening experience. That said, the album's highlights are well worth the frustration.
MPEG Stream: "Get Big"
MPEG Stream: "So Come Back, I Am Waiting"

OKKERVIL RIVER Black Sheep Boy - Definitive Double-Disc Set) (Jagjaguwar) 2cd 14.98
Hmmmm, it might seem a bit strange to have a so-called "definitive" version of such a relatively young release, (heck, we weren't so sure of the original full length - see below) but after hearing this in its entirety, it doesn't seem odd at all. Y'see, Okkervil River's 2005 album was only one piece of their ambitious Black Sheep Boy concept puzzle. This double disc brings it all together -- the original album, the companion cdep Appendix, and the song "The Next Four Months" (previously available on their "For Real" single). Also included are videos for that song and an alternate version of "No Key, No Plan".
Here's what we said about the original 2005 version:
Hmmm, don't recall Okkervil River sounding quite like they do on a number of these new songs. Imagine an older Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) filling in as the frontman for slick alt-rock bands such as Counting Crows or Gin Blossoms. Maybe they're seeking a broader more mainstream audience? Dunno, just not sure it really works for them, at least not on Black Sheep Boy (fyi: the album is named after a Tim Hardin song which Okkervil River also chose to be the album's opening song, and a fine version it is!). Lead singer Will Sheff is known to be a impassioned, angstful vocalist, but the band's feverish performance on the more rockin' tunes still comes across a little forced. To boot, the mix seems off balance between the vocals and the too-loud bursts of electric guitar. You can get a sense of the dynamic that they were trying to capture, but again it's not quite 'there'. That said, the album's high point -- and also the point where things take a general shift for the better -- is the fifth song "Get Big" on which Sheff duets in beautiful world-weary fashion with Amy Annelle (of The Places). It's downright heartbreaking! After that the band mellows down and allows the melancholia to extinguish the rock flames in a flood of whiskey and tears. These slower, moodier numbers' arrangements are tastefully fleshed out with pump organ, mandolin, lap steel, Wurlitzer, vibraphone, synthesizers, horns, strings, samples and field recordings. This is where Sheff (also the band's main songwriter) truly shines. Composing and performing songs of lush somber beauty are his forte. Indeed, since they insist on mixing their two very different personalities on each album, if you prefer one better that the other (as we do), it can make for a somewhat exasperatingly jarring listening experience. That said, the album's highlights are well worth the frustration.
MPEG Stream: "Get Big"
MPEG Stream: "So Come Back, I Am Waiting"

OKKERVIL RIVER Down the River of Golden Dreams (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Hot on the heels of their split cd with the lovely Ms Julie Doiron, Okkervil River offer up their third full length. The title is Down The River Of Golden Dreams, but it just as well could be Down The Country Road To Downerville. This is the earthy music of despairing hearts and troubled minds. In-store play has drawn divergent vocal comparisons to Ray Davies and Jarvis Cocker, although it must be noted that neither of those two fine chanteurs would be tarnishing the tuning fork quite as much as Okkervil River do. I'm sure they're shooting for the I-can-barely contain-myself kind of expressiveness, but sometimes it drew winces. Still, when you're practically singing into the wrong end of a shotgun, who's gonna do multiple takes to get in key?
MPEG Stream: "It Ends With A Fall "
MPEG Stream: "Blanket And Crib"

OKKERVIL RIVER President's Dead (Jagjaguwar) 12" 9.98
It's perfectly understandable that those dear lads in Okkervil River would need to take a bit of a breather after their densely packed 2005 album Black Sheep Boy, but their silence didn't last too long. They hit the road for a spell and then swiftly released this limited edition vinyl 12" in the waning days of 2006. The title track might be familiar to some eagle-eared fans as it also appeared on an Australian tour only release, and has been performed live in concert by the band. The flipside is an equally dark, distressed song titled "The Room I'm Hiding In". Heartrending poetic twang.

OKKERVIL RIVER The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) cd 14.98
Now that Mr. Bright Eyes is all grown up, can we still describe another band's music as sounding like "an older Conor Oberst"? Well, we are and they do. The swagger of Okkervil River's latest album is also very reminiscent of Pulp and U2. That said, we stress that although it is a little odd that this Austin, TX band really does sound quite a bit like a few of their contemporaries, their music is pretty darn great in its own right. Will Sheff and Co. make fine rock'n'twang, and on this their follow-up to their monumental Black Sheep Boy album they've fortunately stepped back from the precipice of the mainstream modern rock slickness. There are a few departures from their tried and true too. On songs such as "You Can't Hold The Hand Of A Rock And Roll Man" they churn up the late night glam rock ghost of T. Rex.
MPEG Stream: "Savannah Smiles"
MPEG Stream: "You Can't Hold The Hand Of A Rock And Roll Man"

OKLAND, NILS Bris (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
Norwegian fiddler on Rune G, nice stuff as always.

OKLAND, NILS Straum (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
Another nice addition to the Rune Grammofon label, the music of Nils Okland is reminiscent of the soundtrack efforts of Carter Burwell (Fargo, etc.) Playing a hardanger fiddle, violin and accompanied by harmonium, piano, organ, trumpet and double bass plus occasonal vocals the music of Nils Okland sounds almost like an abstracted and drawn out Appalachian string band with Eastern European prog leanings.

OKROS ENSEMBLE I Left My Sweet Homeland (Rounder Select) cd 14.98
The Okros Ensemble is a group (violins, double bass and viola) dedicated to the preservation of Transylvanian folk music. "I Left My Sweet Homeland" features three important guest musicians in the world of Transylvanian folk music. Most important is violinist Aladar Csiszar, one of the single greatest living repositories of Hungarian, Gypsy, and Romanian folk musics. Also featured on this recording are Hungarian cymbalom player Kalman Balogh and Agnes Herczku, an up and coming vocalist. Definitely a must have for fans of Taraf De Haidouks.
RealAudio clip: "Csiszar Aladar Notai"
RealAudio clip: "Cigany Csingeralasok"

OKURA, MASAHIKO / UTAH KAWASAKI / TETUZI AKIYAMA bject (Hibari Music) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

OL' DIRTY BASTARD The Definitive Story (Atlantic) cd 17.98

OLAN, COLIN s/t (Listen) cd ep 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This little 3" cd, a wonderfully crackling, hissing soundscape simply documenting the sound of ice melting, makes for a neat companion to another recent 3" cd we recommended, Jean-Francois Laporte's "Mantra" (a 20-minute drone piece derived from the sound of ice cooling and/or Zamboni machinery at a skating rink, you'll recall). To examine, in microscopic detail, rather the reverse of that process, recordist Collin Olan (sorry, we don't know much about him other than that he's someone with an idea and a couple of microphones) froze his waterproofed contact mics in a 10" x 10" block of ice, and submerged it in water, allowing us to listen in as the ice block slowly thaws and melts for over 17 minutes. This unprocessed recording turns out to be quite active and varied, full of sizzling, fat-frying kinds of sounds (to our ears, not unlike the atmospheric VLF radiation recordings of Stephen McGreevy) punctuated by some quite loud popping noises, ending with a stretch of near silence when the ice is, presumably, almost entirely melted away. That Olan utilized two microphones adds a lot of sonic interest to the proceedings, with different goings-on in each stereo speaker. Turn it up, and the 10" x 10" block becomes an immense glacier or berg that the listener is entombed within -- imagine yourself an unlucky prehistoric Ice Man frozen for millenia until freed and revived by modern science, like in that Timothy Hutton movie from the '80s! Certainly a sucessful experiment (we've known others with the same idea who've tried this, only to ruin their mics to little result), and quite a "carbonated" -sounding treat for the ear, especially for fans of the recordings of John Duncan, Loren Chasse, Marc Behrens, Stephen McGreevy -- and also of course for all our customers who we know are already into ice-themed 3" cds!
RealAudio clip: "untitled"

OLAUSSON, JAKOB Moonlight Farm (De Stijl) cd 13.98
Meandering hazy four-track psych-folk here from a Swedish sugar-beet farmer (so we're told) by the name of Jakob Olausson, whose deep voice and acoustic guitar wooze wends through these gently-hewn tracks like a wannabe Kiss The Anus Of The Black Cat (that's a weird thing to say), but as though he's bringing his songs along to the farmer's market to offer 'em up honestly along with his equally earthy, dirt-covered root vegetables, which is to say, that this is nice and muddy sounding.
MPEG Stream: "What Will Tomorrow Bring"
MPEG Stream: "Silhouette V"

OLD Down With The Nails (Peaceville) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Black Jewel Throne"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Skull"

OLD 97'S Alive & Wired (New West) 2cd 24.00
Those Old 97s have always kicked butt live -- ever on the verge of losing control of their musical pickup truck careening down those rural roads, narrowly missin' a chicken, clippin' a roadside mailbox, topplin' some jugs o' moonshine along the way (not that they nor we are condoning drinkin'n'drivin'!). And here's a great document of the band in all their unbound Texan glory! A whopping thirty songs! A rambunctious country rock delight! For fans of Uncle Tupelo, Bottle Rockets, the country moments of Mekons, and maybe even ol' Lynyrd Skynyrd too.
MPEG Stream: "Melt Show"
MPEG Stream: "The New Kid"

OLD 97'S Blame it on Gravity (New West) cd 15.98

OLD 97'S Drag It Up (New West) cd 16.98
The Old 97's Too Far To Care was one of our favorite records ever. When that came out in 1997 there was a good chance that no matter when you came into the store, it would be blasting on the stereo. And why the hell not?! It was a perfect rollicking rambunctious blast of super hooky, super catchy No Depression pop. Every song on that record was a classic. But much to our horror, the band plunged into vapid MTV fodder before our very eyes. Putting out a handful of totally lame, faceless records, including an awful solo record from 97's frontman Rhett Miller. We kept waiting, and hoping, that they would bounce back and kick our asses again. Well, after years of waiting, they finally have. Pretty much. Drag It Up while not quite as good as Too Far To Care, is a vast improvement and a darn good record. Catchy and twangy, with wry lyrics and some wicked playing. We knew they had it in them. Our only complaints this time around are the recycled melodies, lots of these songs sound remarkable like old Old 97's tunes (which is maybe why suddenly they sound so good) and the weirdly muddy production. That said though, this is still a pretty darn good record, if only they hadn't set the bar so high.
MPEG Stream: "Won't Be Home"
MPEG Stream: "Moonlight"

OLD 97'S Early Tracks (Bloodshot) cd 12.98
For those of you, like some of us, that were slightly disappointed with the Old 97's last release, here's something to whet those partched lips. Containing four tracks from two long out of print from 1995 & 1996, plus four never before released tracks. More catchy than "Hitchhike To Rhome," and less polished than "Too Far To Care," this album is sure to please.

OLD 97'S Fight Songs (Elektra) cd 12.98
Long awaited record from the country rockers that brought us the much loved Too Far To Care (yes, a year is a long wait for a follow-up to that great record, believe you me!). Perhaps not as immediate as Too Far, but still delightful, Fight Songs again shows the Old 97's making some of the best twang pop around!!

OLD 97'S Hitchhike To Rhome (Big Iron) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Alt-country faves' first full-length, a sometimes hard-to-find release on an small indie label. Fans of their more recent albums should pick this up, as you'll be treated to some of the Old 97's best songs (including some re-recorded for later albums, along with others exclusive to this). If you saw them play on their last tour, a bunch of live faves are culled from this record, like "If My Heart Was A Car".

OLD 97'S Satellite Rides (Elektra) 2cd 17.98
With baited breath, er, ears, we cracked open the new Old 97's. Would it live up to the brilliance of "Too Far To Care", or follow in the mediocrity of "Fight Songs"? Sadly, the verdict falls to the latter. No amount of re-attempts to listen to this album brings our opinion any higher as well. It seems as if the boys have just lost the ability to write smart and catchy songs, country pop or no country pop. As a further disappointment, they've included a bonus cd with one unreleased studio track and 5 live tracks recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley in 1999 which absolutely suck. This is pretty surprising considering how great Old 97's are as a live band. Sigh... Oh well, maybe next time?

OLD 97'S Too Far Too Care (Elektra) cd 15.98
When this came out in 1997 Andee and Byram played this at least three times a day. With hook laden, lyrically shrewd song-writing, the Old 97's are the only band of the "no depression" movement to capture the intensity of early Uncle Tupelo without losing the earnestness or twang. The first song alone, "Timebomb," will get stuck in your head forever. Plus, the final track on the album, a singularly kick-ass number, features a duet with Exene from X.

OLD 97'S Wreck Your Life (Bloodshot) cd 12.98

OLD BOMBS Audios (Soft Abuse) cd 13.98
A beautifully chaotic, spastic slab of plunderphonia from our pal Chris' Soft Abuse label. Old Bombs are one of those bands that all live in different cities and therefore compose and collaborate through the mail. An ideal working method for a music so inherently fractured and schizophrenic. Chopped and reassembled, reappropriated and reimagined, this is a complicated rhythmic sound collage that hints at IDM, abstract sound art, wacked out noise rock and all stops in between. Stuttery rhythms are constructed from old radio clips and ambient backdrops are woven from found sounds and bursts of instrumental chatter. Glitched out electronics collide with random instrument buzz and tape drop out while melodies deftly weave between the wildly careening sounds, trying desperately not to be noticed. Fucked up and awesome. Equal parts Wolf Eyes, People Like Us, Autechre, Merzbow, Lesser but somehow nothing like any of them, Old Bombs make a truly damaged and beautiful noise.
MPEG Stream: "Audio 1"
MPEG Stream: "Audia 1"

OLD DIRTY BASTARD The Trials And Tribulations Of Russell Jones (D3) cd 17.98
God, I love Ol' Dirty Bastard. Remember on that awards show, where he was so messed up he nearly walked into a fountain of flames? Or remember that other awards show where ODB ran on stage and started rambling incoherently about the Wu-Tang while some poor shlub was trying to thank their mother or father or God or something. And remember recently when ODB was wanted by the cops? Breaking and entering or assault or something. Well, while 'on the lam' (seriously) Ol' Dirty found time to record a brand new album that is only just now seeing the light of day (whereas ODB is not -- since he is still currently incarcerated). And it's pretty great. Everything we've come to expect, wacky falsetto choruses, soul singing back up singers, crazy production and ODB rapping all over it, all ridiculous rambling raps about sex, gangstas, money, and, well, sex. Lots of guests: Sunz Of Man, Mack 10, C-Murder, Too Short, E-40, and even Insane Clown Posse, who somehow manage to be kinda funny. Check it out!
RealAudio clip: "Caught Up"
RealAudio clip: "Dirty And Stinkin'"

OLD FOREST Into The Old Forest (Grimmlight) cd 14.98
One of Andee and Allan's favorite black metal records ever. So grim and buzzy, but so completely and utterly baffling and beautiful.