ONIKI, YUJI Orange (Future Farmer) cd 13.98
Boasting members of Beulah and Guided By Voices (obviously not *the* members), Yuji Oniki's debut album is a... well, if you like Bread, East River Pipe and The High Llamas then this is for you.

ONNA-KODOMO Syuuka (Charnel Music) cd 12.98
Japanese female dream-rock trio, of violin and bass and voice, as last heard on the Tokyo Flashback Vol. 4 and Land of the Rising Noise Vol. 2 compilations. Ethereal atmosphere from a group who, as Jim puts it: "drifts in and out of aural existence with a haunting array of delicate tonalities."

ONO, YOKO Blueprint for a Sunrise (Capital) cd 16.98
Well, Yoko Ono's always generated love-her or hate-her responses, and this new disc sure is no letdown in that department! For the Yoko Ono lovers at AQ (Allan, for instance), it offers some prime '70s style Yoko screech, proving that even at 68 years old she's still capable of stirring up a storm -- she's still got it. And for the folks here in the anti-Yoko camp (Andee, for one) she still has "it" as well (he's begging me to turn this off as I write this...) So, let's address this review to the Yoko fans, since the unconverted aren't going to be convinced. Ok, there's some cringe-worthy moments (too-simple moon/june style rhymes, the almost-always-a-bad-move reggae beat used on one track) but overall it's a great sounding, emotionally intense, catchy, eclectic disc, ranging from Talking Heads-ish funky pop to psycho-dramatic avant electronica. Her trademark primal scream vocals are still in full effect -- there's a lengthy live version of "Mulberry" that's fucking brutal! She sings "nice" too, on the disc's more pop moments. (Ok, Andee, I'll turn it off now...)
RealAudio clip: "I Want You To Remember Me "B""
RealAudio clip: "Soul Got Out Of The Box"
RealAudio clip: "I Remember Everything"

ONO, YOKO Open Your Box (Astralwerks) cd 14.98
What's this? Another collection of remixes from Yoko Ono already?! You're darn tootin' right! But whereas Yes I Am A Witch (released February 2007) enlisted the very varied and very 'now' cool cats (i.e, Peaches, Antony and the Johnsons, Flaming Lips, Le Tigre, Polyphonic Spree, and Cat Power) to do new remixes and reworkings of Ono's music, Open Your Box (released April 2007) compiles her previously released dancefloor smash remix 12"s. In case you're unacquainted, these remixes are far more NYC house, techno and disco scene oriented (a scene that has celebrated and embraced Ono and her music over the years), and feature the likes of Orange Factory, Basement Jaxx, Danny Tenaglia, Felix Da Housecat, DJ Dan and Pet Shop Boys. Sure some of them are pretty dated, but it's terrific to have and hear all of these tracks together. Throughout the two releases, much love and reverence and fun flow freely, and in the case of Open Your Box also much giddy clubland nostalgia. Yes.
MPEG Stream: "Walking On Thin Ice (Pet Shop Boys Electro Mix)"
MPEG Stream: "Open Your Box (Orange Factory Club Mix)"

ONO, YOKO Plastic Ono Band (Ryko) cd 15.98

ONO, YOKO Yes I'm A Witch (Astralwerks) cd 15.98
We can't help but love Yoko Ono. I mean c'mon, who else at her age could rock those face-blocking shades and look so incomparably awesome? Plus, apart from some really schmaltzy songs (i.e. "Children Power") she has recorded, arguably more often then not, some pretty damn amazing music (Plastic Ono Band, Fly, Feeling the Space, Season of Glass). Here, she enlists the help of a wide array of indie-music collaborators including Peaches, Antony and the Johnsons, Flaming Lips, Le Tigre, Polyphonic Spree, and Cat Power, who each chose a song from her back catalog and were given access to the multi-track masters to rework them how they wished. Most of the songs come from Ono's more songwriter-ly albums (Double Fantasy, Season of Glass, It's Alright, and Approximately Infinite Universe), with most of the artists keeping Ono's vocal tracks intact. Only Flaming Lips ventured further back and used vocals from "Cambridge 1969" one of John and Yoko's first performative collaborations of screeching shrieks and distorted feedback. Personally, we wished there were more songs selected from that period, better yet being done by artists of our choosing (c'mon, Circle re-doing "Mind Train"? You know you want to hear that!!). At first scan, this seemed like the type of hip remix compilation we dread, the kind which inevitably takes both artist and re-mixer down a notch by needlessly updating old songs through dated trip-hop, trance, or house idioms (she's done it before, more than once, even -- hence our wariness). Thankfully that isn't the case here. Most of the artists breathe new life into the songs through restraint rather than bombast, coming to a halfway point that is neither entirely Ono's nor her collaborators. Cat Power creates a duet with piano on "Revelations". Porcupine Tree deemphasizes the slow burn of "Death of Samantha" with acoustic guitar and atmospheric washes. Jason Pierce from Spiritualized takes the disco out of "Walking On Thin Ice" and gives it something more majestic and much colder. Even the electro and dance-ier tracks submitted by Peaches, Le Tigre, Shitake Monkey and Blow-up don't disappoint as you would expect but contribute a nice flow to the more subdued moments. All in all a surprising listen, and according to the Astralwerks website, this is not the end of it. Another Ono remix album is on the way later this year! Now, if they'd only reissue Fly (hint, hint).
MPEG Stream: "Revelations (w/Cat Power)"
MPEG Stream: "Walking On Thin Ice (w/ Spiritualized)"
MPEG Stream: "Cambridge 1969/2007 (w/ Flaming Lips)"

ONO, YOKO / IMA Rising Remixes (Capitol) cdep 11.98
Remixers make each song sound like themselves: Cibo Matto, the ABA Allstars (Adam Yauch aka MCA, Mario Caldato Jr, Cibo Matto and Sean Ono Lennon), Ween, Tricky, and Thurston Moore, who features in his remix Masonna, Incapacitants, CCCC, Hanatarash, Aube, Monde Bruits, Gerogerigegege, Keiji Haino. There are also some cd-rom-able additional trax.

ONO, YOKO / JOHN LENNON Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (Ryko) cd 15.98

ONODERA, YUI Suisei (And/OAR) cd 13.98
Not much information to present about who Yui Onodera is. Nor is there anything in the way of a conceptual framework to guide one through this album beyond its sources from "environmental sound and pump organ." Not that it really matters anyway, as Suisei is a gorgeous album of darkly textured drones with parallels to Thomas Koner's isolationist compositions or Keith Berry's precious deconstructions. Wind, rain, and water all make themselves known in the collection of field recordings, as does the pump organ, which reveals itself in harmonic sustained tones with a spectral timbre (e.g. Niblock, Radigue, Chalk, etc.). During a particular enigmatic episode, wooden creaks and sodden groans duet with a motorized persistant soft-grind, giving the impression that some unscrupulous machine is quietly compacting sinews, meat, and bone. Strangely, it never sounds macabre or unsettlingly grotesque; rather, these crunching textures situate humbly next to a hypnotic wash of compressed static and melancholic shadowy drone, which sublimely shift into a slippery crescendo of grey massed sound. Very, very well done!
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "Excerpt 2"

ONRA Chinoiseries (Baked Goods) cd 17.98
Every crate digger worth their salt has come upon the Asian record dilemma. Records (often Chinese) that look so awesome and full of promise with their mysterious photography, strange graphics and humorous English misspellings, only to be underwhelmed by the most boring, pedestrian and oft-times sickly sweet music contained within. But what's a cratedigger to do when they are actually IN Asia and have to wade through stacks upon stacks of such records knowing they can only bring home a tiny batch? That's the dilemma the French-Vietnamese producer Onra found himself in on a trip to Vietnam where scouring through various flea markets, he picked up a stack of promising but highly worn records. Like the best of recent instrumental hip-hop records by J Dilla, Madlib (especially his Beat Konducta Indian series), and Oh No processed through the radio collage filters of Sublime Frequencies, Onra was able to mine pure gold from the scratchy sounds he collected abroad. Bits of operatic theater, odd sixties easy-listening covers, traditional flute and string ensembles, love songs and obscure soundtracks chopped into loops and grooves with all the rough crackle and sheen kept in tact. Soooo Awesome!!!!
MPEG Stream: "I Wanna Go Back"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Here Come The Flutes"
MPEG Stream: "The Vallee of Love"

OOIOO (Time Bomb) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We had the lp version ($7.98) on our last list, but here's the expensive (but amazingly beautiful) import debut cd of Yoshimi P-We's new all-girl band, a fun combo of Boredoms-punk chaos and more DJ-oriented groove.

OOIOO (Kill Rock Stars) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While the Boredoms weirdly and wonderfully work out their new psychedelic rock (rock?) jams-kick, Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms drummer/vocalist/trumpeter) takes her all-girl ensemble OOIOO down similiar paths as previous Boredoms records with this groove-infused avant-vaudvillian punk, with a slant towards the poppier electronica-era rock of Buffalo Daughter and even some hints of Devo. Updates the sound of her stranger-than-Boredoms solo singles.

OOIOO (Time Bomb) lp 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms/UFO or Die/Free Kitten) has a side-project, the all female rock group with a name that's apparently pronounced "oh oh eye oh oh." Kind of a development from her crazy solo singles on Ecstatic Peace. Julie Cafritz and Eye Yamantaka put in guest appearances.

OOIOO Eye Remix (Thrill Jockey) cd ep 5.98
We have always loved Yoshimi, whether she's bashing the skins in the Boredoms, hanging out with Kim Gordon in Free Kitten or kicking up a serious ruckus in OOIOO, her main love these days. Hot of the heels of their latest outing Taiga comes this scorching remix e.p. courtesy of Yoshimi's Boredoms cohort Eye Yamatsuka. He takes the Roberto De Simone inspired standout tracks Uma and Umo and turns them into hot flashes of an African influenced late night rave that we wish we could be at. The other two tracks are the original versions from Taiga.
MPEG Stream: "Eye Mix 1"
MPEG Stream: "Eye Mix 2"

OOIOO Eye Remix (Thrill Jockey) lp 6.98
Also on vinyl. We have always loved Yoshimi, whether she's bashing the skins in the Boredoms, hanging out with Kim Gordon in Free Kitten or kicking up a serious ruckus in OOIOO, her main love these days. Hot of the heels of their latest outing Taiga comes this scorching remix e.p. courtesy of Yoshimi's Boredoms cohort Eye Yamatsuka. He takes the Roberto De Simone inspired standout tracks Uma and Umo and turns them into hot flashes of an African influenced late night rave that we wish we could be at. The other two tracks are the original versions from Taiga.
MPEG Stream: "Eye Mix 1"
MPEG Stream: "Eye Mix 2"

OOIOO Feather Float (Birdman) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the second album from Osaka's OOIOO (say it with us: "oh-oh-eye-oh-oh"), an all female quartet led by Yoshimi (of the Boredoms, UFO or Die, Free Kitten, etc.) More melodic than their first outing, while heavier than last year's Green and Gold, Feather Float recalls early Rough Trade bands like the Raincoats and the Slits as well as Kraut pioneers Neu! Imagine all of this fused with the heavy percussiveness and electronic sensibilities of recent Boredoms recordings -- OOIOO are very aware of their influences, yet sound immensely fresh and original. Lisa Frank style cover art wonderfully rendered by Yoshimi, herself (a prolific textile and print artist as well!) Originally released in 1999 on Shock City in Japan, it is now finally available to us at a reasonable price, thanks to the fine folks at Birdman! If you liked their 2000 release, "Green & Gold" (still only an import release, although Birdman will get around to that one eventually), then you should get this one too.
RealAudio clip: "Ah Yeah / Switch On"
RealAudio clip: "Asozan"

OOIOO Gold & Green (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
This came out about five years ago as an expensive Japanese import -- now at last it's been released domestically at a much more affordable price. Thanks Thrill Jockey! Here's what we said about it before:
This is the third album from OOIOO (say "oh oh eye oh oh"), the Osaka based, all-female quartet masterminded by Yoshimi P-We (drummer/trumpeter/vocalist for the Boredoms, et al.) At times playful and childlike, Gold and Green abandons the grating, no-wave dissonance of earlier albums for a more textural, atmospheric and melodic experience. "Mountain Book" (which seems to be the musical accompaniment to the lovely artwork for this record) is the beautiful standout track on which they are joined by many guests including Seiichi Yamamoto (Boredoms), Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) and even Sean Lennon: epic, hypnotic, dreamy psychedelia with piano, dulcimer, and tabla.
This Thrill Jockey version lovingly re-creates the original release's stunning packaging, a gatefold complete with a booklet of children's psychedelic fantasy artwork by Yoshimi herself!
MPEG Stream: "Mountain Book"
MPEG Stream: "Grow Sound Tree"

OOIOO Gold and Green (Shock City/Polystar) cd 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
This is the third album from OOIOO (say "oh oh eye oh oh"), the Osaka based, all-female quartet masterminded by Yoshimi P-We (drummer/trumpeter/vocalist for the Boredoms, et al.) At times playful and childlike, "Gold and Green" abandons the grating, no-wave dissonance of earlier albums for a more textural, atmospheric and melodic experience. "Mountain Book" (which seems to be the musical accompaniment to the lovely artwork for this record) is the beautiful standout track on which they are joined by many guests including Seiichi Yamamoto (Boredoms), Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) and even Sean Lennon: epic, hypnotic, dreamy psychedelia with piano, dulcimer, and tabla. As expected with any Shock City release, this comes in a stunning package, a gatefold complete with a booklet of children's psychedelic fantasy artwork by Yoshimi herself! You can expect a domestic release of this (sans the amazing packaging) someday in 2001 or 2002, perhaps...
RealAudio clip: "Mountain Book"
RealAudio clip: "Grow Sound Tree"

OOIOO Kila Kila Kila (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98

OOIOO Taiga (Thrill Jockey) cd 15.98
There's a palpable aura of giddy excitement whenever Yoshimi from The Boredoms unleashes a new OOIOO record. We've loved Yoshimi as long as we can remember. Ever since we first heard the Boredoms. OOIOO's last album "Gold & Green" is a perennial store favorite. And Taiga finds Yoshima and company reconnecting to that same primal spazzy sound while building all sorts of wild and chaotic momentum. Scrappy, peppy, unrelenting. Like being in some insane Japanese pep rally! Off kilter melodies, unique rhythms, pulsating percussion and so much blindingly brilliant musical color. Yoshimi talks a lot in interviews about how much color plays a role in her music making, and that usually when she makes a record she will tell her band about the kind of colors she is trying to create. This time out the beautiful and curious cover gives the listener a clue as to the sounds and colors contained within. Intriguing splashes of silver, black, red and pink all over the place. Yu can almost feel your ears filling up with all those different colors. While far away from San Francisco their kinship in sound to Deerhoof is uncanny, especially on this outing. Yoshimi sounds as feisty as ever even recalling Brigitte Fontaine at her most wild and free. Another wonderful, playful and creative gem from OOIOO.
MPEG Stream: "UJA"
MPEG Stream: "UMA"

OP8 Slush (Thirsty Ear) cd 15.98
Attention all Calexico, Giant Sand, and Lisa Germano fans! In case you missed it the first time around, the collaboration between those fine artists has been re-issued. Yessiree, and those jubilant cheers you may be hearing are undoubtably coming from our Cup. Why? Well, 'cause it's one of her absolute most favorite albums ever. Not just another Giant Sand side project. No! It's a magical one-time combination of John Convertino, Joey Burns, Howe Gelb AND Lisa Germano. The beautiful rich twang we've grown to know and love from the gents' main projects (Calexico and Giant Sand) is most definitely in full glorious bloom here. Combine it with Ms Germano's off-kilter, melancholic vocal delivery and you've got yourself one very special album. Odd textures and noises creep in to keep the slow bittersweet melodies company. Originally released in 1997, these eleven moody, heartswelling 'n' handwringing songs never ever fail to break Cup's heart (especially tracks #3 and #5). Beautiful downer music. Includes a breathy, slow-winding world-weary duet between Germano and Gelb covering Lee Hazlewood's "Sand". Damn fine listening. Sooo very very recommended.
RealAudio clip: "If I Think Of Love"
RealAudio clip: "It's A Rainbow"

OPAQUE Crude Energy And Then Dinner Scenes (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) cd-r 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A new name in the Celebrate Psi Phenomenon stable, this Scottish outfit manage to take the low tuned, tectonic guitar rumble of Earth / Sunn 0))) / etc., rev it up a little, add some melody and make it sort of rock, in a seasick, lurching through six inches of tar, being crushed beneath a black sky sort of way. And that's only the first track. Track two is a dizzying expanse of creaking machinery, dubby guitars, reverb and echo all over the place, some seriously overblown, guitar soaked dark ambience. Track three manages to mix the two together. The guitars are still there, fuzzing and buzzing and squriming like downed electrical wires, but they're spitting sparks from beneath a warm ocean of thick chords and muted feedback, melodic and drifting dreamily, a bit like Sunroof! or Vibracathedral Orchestra. Really nice. Fans of the Earth / Sunn 0))) / Corrupted / dirgedronedoom axis will NEED this for track one, but drone freeks will find the whole thing essential listening. SUPER LIMITED AS ALWAYS!! NOT SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET MORE WHEN THESE ARE GONE!
MPEG Stream: "What Monsters Continue Their Lives In My Depths"

OPEN CITY Birth Of Cruel (Thin Wrist) cd 14.98
Three extended tracks of improvised free-form avant-noise drone from this LA outfit. Imagine the Dead C, slowly crumbling from the inside out, all vestiges of 'rock' and 'composition' are now a viscous puddle in front of your speakers, leaving just a splattery, skeletal clattery clank of a record. A huge cavernous space, a player in each corner, sending pipes and guitars and drum sticks and plectrums careening across the floor, raising an unholy, but pretty damn pleasing racket.
MPEG Stream: "One"

OPEN CITY Birth Of Cruel (Thin Wrist) lp 14.98
Three extended tracks of improvised free-form avant-noise drone from this LA outfit. Imagine the Dead C, slowly crumbling from the inside out, all vestiges of 'rock' and 'composition' are now a viscous puddle in front of your speakers, leaving just a splattery, skeletal clattery clank of a record. A huge cavernous space, a player in each corner, sending pipes and guitars and drum sticks and plectrums careening across the floor, raising an unholy, but pretty damn pleasing racket.
MPEG Stream: "One"

OPEN CITY L.A. We Revise Your Neglect (Thin Wrist) lp 9.98
The Los Angeles duo of Doug Russell and Peter Kolovos has expanded their lineup as well as sonic capacities with newcomer Andrew Maxwell, formerly of SF's Caroliner. With this second lp, Open City has abandoned the haze of a pure sonic assault for a more rigid and dynamic "free" approach. Audiophile vinyl housed in a beautiful heavy duty gatefold sleeve and limited to 500 copies.

OPEN CITY s/t (Thin Wrist) lp 9.98
The debut lp from Los Angeles-based duo of Doug Russell and Peter Kolovos (they have since expanded into a trio). Two sidelong pieces of Branca informed sonic dissolution, both recorded live in 1997. Handsomely packaged in a heavy duty gatefold sleeve in an edition of 500.

OPEN HAND The Dream (Trustkill) cd 14.98

OPEN HAND You And Me (Trustkill) cd 14.98
The first thing you notice is the amazing die-cut artwork. Orange and red overlapping circles each with target like concentric inner circles, cut to resemble a fuzzy washed out mountainscape of orbs and spheres, with the tray card cut so the cd nestles perfectly into one of the valleys. So nice. The second thing you notice, or the first thing you notice once you throw this in the player, is how compltely KICK ASS this record is. This is literally all we've been listening to the last few weeks! We always talk about Queens Of The Stone Age as being this guilty pleasure we all seem to have. But what's so guilty about liking them? They rock, have great catchy songs, the remnants of that huge sun baked Kyuss fuzz guitar. What's not to love? Well, it could be our aversion to the whole MTV / VH1, dating or not dating Brody Dalle?, People Magazine / US Magazine, Dave Grohl killing time, supergroup, more crooning than rocking, not really about the music anymore?, corporate rock element. Yeah, could be.
So what if there was a band of young guys, who put out a record on punk / metalcore label Trustkill, and who took all of the stuff that made QOTSA so great, but turned that stuff inside out, and added all sorts of other disparate elements, turning what could have been just a decent QOTSA rip off into one of the coolest, catchiest rock records of the year?! Well, we'd probably make it record of the week and gush like giddy music nerds. So let us commence gushing, shall we?
Imagine huge fuzz guitars, unfurling super rocking Kyuss / Rocket From The Crypt / Burning Brides sort of stoner garage pop riffs, sometimes langorous and lysergic, sometimes so heavy and intense it's almost impossible to not air guitar! One track in particular, "The Kaleidoscope" has perhaps one of the best riffs EVER (sez Andee and Jason) an impossibly God-like Kyuss / Sabbath fusion, that gets everyone in the store nodding along like Wayne And Garth in Wayne's World. So we've got the riffs, now we go to the vocals, which go from breathy falsetto, to growly indie whine, to howled rock wail, with plenty of occasional female vocals, sometimes employed in surprisingly unorthadox ways giving a couple of the songs a really bizarre edge. Hard to describe, you just have to hear it.
But this is not just about rocking, as much as we wouldn't mind that at all. No, there's lots of weird wonderful pop experimentation all over, from loping bass driven Pinback-ish lullabies, droning brooding minor key dirges reminiscent of the Deftones or maybe Tool, some Sonic Youth-y skree and textural weirdness, even some moody electronic miserablism that has Depeche Mode worship written all over it. It all works so well together somehow, heavy and head banging, dreamy and blissed out. Can't believe this band isn't HUGE. But we're secretly a little glad they aren't. For now at least. The sticker on the front insists that You And Me "obliterates the boundaries between indie rock, stoner rock, metal, emo and garage." Before we heard it we were pretty sure that was some serious label hyperbole, but now we're not so sure. Open Hand take all that stuff and more, wrapping everything around some of the best pop songs we've heard in ages and comes up with a record that hasn't stopped kicking our ass since we got it. Record of the week is always a tricky proposition, we try to make it something out of the ordinary, something mysterious and weird, maybe something hard to find or impossible to get or maybe just overlooked, but once in a while, those things don't seem to matter as much as the simple fact that a record gets played over and over and over over, every day, all day, here AND at home, on our computers, in our iPod's, with no end in sight, that speaks volumes. And sure, maybe you can catch their video on MTV once in a while, or maybe hear them on the radio, but that's not a bad thing at all. If only everything on the radio or on MTV was this good. The world would be a much better (and most likely much stranger) place!
MPEG Stream: "Pure Concentrated Evil"
MPEG Stream: "Her Song"
MPEG Stream: "Tough Girl"
MPEG Stream: "The Kaleidoscope"

OPEN MIND, THE s/t (Sunbeam) cd 16.98
In their vigilant unearthing of one-off psych and folk obscurities, the Sunbeam label has been one of our favorite reissue labels even if their catalog can sometimes be hit and miss. Their vision, however is remarkably consistent, never reissuing a rare record just for the sake of it being rare, and making a practice of working with the original artists whenever possible to put together these reissues, like this one, a 1969 British psych rock rarity by The Open Mind, who were a mop-topped gang of guys from the paisley era. They liked to stroll on the harder, rockier side of the '60s psych-pop street, and this album contains a few gems for sure, *especially* the first of the four bonus tracks included, their truly great single "Magic Potion". That's the one for which they'll really be remembered (and it can be found on the Speaking My Mind: New Rubble Volume 2 compilation as well). It was also later covered by '90s space rock band Sundial. In additition, this reish includes the full complement of liner notes and vintage photos.
MPEG Stream: "Horses And Chariots"
MPEG Stream: "Cast A Spell"
MPEG Stream: "Magic Potion"

OPERATOR: GENERATOR Polar Fleet (Man's Ruin) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New on Man's Ruin. Operator: Generator are the Bay Area's answer to Kyuss. Groovy doomy swinging stoner rock. Not quite as heavy though, O:G sit somewhere right between Kyuss and Queens of the Stoneage. Warm fuzzy guitars, reverb drenched vocals, and a rhythm section that spits out prime chunks of seventies groove.
RealAudio clip: "Equinox Planetarium"

OPETH Blackwater Park (Koch) cd 16.98
Forgive the disgusting image, but a huge puddle of drool began spreading across the world when fans found out that a new Opeth opus was soon to be released. As anyone who witnessed the band's amazing performance at last year's Milwaukee Metal fest knows (what, you weren't there? Andee and Allan were, and Opeth was half the reason they flew to Milwaukee!) Opeth fans are a dedicated lot, and deservedly so: Opeth are GODS. The Swedish gods of progressive death/black metal, that is. And by progessive, yes, we mean full on '70s style prog-rock, mixed with the heaviest, most crushing metal attack you can imagine. The many many local SF fans of Weakling should be aware: this band was one of the big influences on Weakling's trance-inducing compositions. Opeth's songs can be equally epic and hypnotic, but of course incorporate a wider, dare we say lovlier array of musical elements. In Opeth's arsenal, there's vocals both growled and clean, acoustic guitar, an incredible sense of dynamics, and inspired melodicism. Blackwater Park (inexplicably named after an obscure krautrock boogie band? we can't figure it out) follows their awesome Still Life album, making for the fifth entry in the Opeth pantheon. While it would be hard to be much better than that album (and that's what we thought about Still Life's predecessor, My Arms Your Hearse too), Opeth continue to perfect perfection, I guess. While the nine-minute plus song lengths found here don't push past earlier excesses, Blackwater Park does see Opeth progressing into even more, uh, progressive areas. Being Pink Floyd fans, they even got Steve Wilson of UK young Floyd proggers Porcupine Tree to produce! So, the mellow parts are mellower, the metal parts cleaner and more precise. If you've never heard them before, we might suggest starting with their more psychedelically murky masterpiece My Arms Your Hearse, but Blackwater Park should also be on your list. Pure art from the masters. All that drool was justified.
RealAudio clip: "The Leper Affinity"
RealAudio clip: "Harvest"
RealAudio clip: "The Funeral Portrait"

OPETH Blackwater Park (Koch) 2cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Reissued yet again! This time with an extra disc, featuring 2 previously unreleased tracks and a video! Not sure if it's worth buying again (although it probably is for Allan and Andee) but if you haven't got this yet (WHY NOT?!?!?) then now's the time. And you can also get yourself all psyched up for the fall release of not one, but TWO brand new Opeth albums (Use Your Illusion style!). The bonus tracks are cool, but we're not sure they're essential, both are gorgeous and simple, finger picked acoustic guitar workouts with plaintive vocals. Really nice but definitely NOT HEAVY. The video is cool though, lots of Opeth-in-the-studio footage. But here's what we had to say about the disc last time:
Opeth are GODS. The Swedish gods of progressive death/black metal, that is. And by progessive, yes, we mean full on '70s style prog-rock, mixed with the heaviest, most crushing metal attack you can imagine. The many many local SF fans of Weakling should be aware: this band was one of the big influences on Weakling's trance-inducing compositions. Opeth's songs can be equally epic and hypnotic, but of course incorporate a wider, dare we say lovlier array of musical elements. In Opeth's arsenal, there's vocals both growled and clean, acoustic guitar, an incredible sense of dynamics, and inspired melodicism. Blackwater Park (inexplicably named after an obscure krautrock boogie band? we can't figure it out) follows their awesome Still Life album, making for the fifth entry in the Opeth pantheon. While it would be hard to be much better than that album (and that's what we thought about Still Life's predecessor, My Arms Your Hearse too), Opeth continue to perfect perfection, I guess. While the nine-minute plus song lengths found here don't push past earlier excesses, Blackwater Park does see Opeth progressing into even more, uh, progressive areas. Being Pink Floyd fans, they even got Steve Wilson of UK young Floyd proggers Porcupine Tree to produce! So, the mellow parts are mellower, the metal parts cleaner and more precise. If you've never heard them before, we might suggest starting with their more psychedelically murky masterpiece My Arms Your Hearse, but Blackwater Park should also be on your list. Pure art from the masters. All that drool was justified.
RealAudio clip: "The Leper Affinity"
RealAudio clip: "Harvest"
RealAudio clip: "The Funeral Portrait"

OPETH Damnation (Music For Nations) cd 15.98
Here it is, the "mellow" album from Swedish death/prog metal masters Opeth. Originally, this was to be the second disc in a heavy vs. light two disc set, but they chose to release 'em separately, with the heavy one, "Deliverance" coming out last year. "Deliverance" pretty much sounded like an ordinary Opeth record (that is, amazing) and had its share of acoustic bits like they all do, though it was darn heavy overall. But this one is ALL mellow, so it certainly stands out as an anomaly in the grand Opeth catalog. Basically, if you like those quiet, melodic, cleanly sung, pretty, psychedelic parts of Opeth's albums (always an important part of their unique formula) you'll undoubtedly enjoy this record, 'cause that's all it is. We thought maybe that they'd get all retro and folky and '70s on this (since we know that long-lost Scandiavian psych prog stuff is their inspiration), but despite the lack of "metal" here, this still has a modern, almost slick sound. We found ourselves digging it, but also unavoidably (and futilely) waiting for the heaviness to suddenly, satisfyingly kick in. You just expect it -- that's their schtick, those dynamics. One solution would be to put this in a multi-disc changer with four other Opeth albums, and play it on 'shuffle' mode!
We wonder what someone who's not already into Opeth (or metal!) would think of this. Maybe for a lot of prog heads this would be their favorite Opeth opus, for there rest of us it's an interesting addition to their canon but we do look forward to the next, light AND heavy Opeth album!!
MPEG Stream: "Death Whispered A Lullaby"

OPETH Deliverance (Koch) cd 16.98
I'm going to make this a short review -- only because mere words cannot adequately express the godliness of this band. And because, chances are, you know that already. This new release (their sixth album) will sell itself. Formerly a totally underground cult act, Sweden's Opeth are now extreme metal superstars, and deservedly so. Taking modern brutal, technical death/black metal and melding it with the '70s progressive, psychedelic rock aesthetic that they love so much, Opeth have forged a new style of super heavy, epic & melodic metal of which they are, simply, the masters. Dynamics -- extreme shades of light and dark -- are an important element of their sound, and "Deliverance", um, delivers as you'd expect: you get both thrashing, heavy riffing with Voivod-like twists and gargled death metal vocals, AND pretty, Pink Floydian space-rock with tuneful, folkish singing and acoustic guitars, all in the same song. But, as you may know, "Deliverance" does intentionally lean towards the "heavy" side of the Opeth equation, as they've recorded another album called "Damnation" for release in March with which to explore their more gentle side. This one certainly sounds like an Opeth album (i.e. amazing), we'll see if that one does too.
RealAudio clip: "Deliverance"

OPETH Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner) cd 17.98
One of our very favorite metal bands returns with a new album, a domestic release for big-league metal label Roadrunner, which made us wonder if they'd somehow gone all nu-metal on us. Opeth as an Ozzfest band? Well, this is the slickest Opeth record yet, surely. And there's clean singing on here that does seem like it might be geared for (gasp) radio airplay...but, that singing is in the same song with total death metal growling. So it's really the same ol' Opeth we know and love. A well produced, super dynamic and atmospheric blend of death metal and progressive rock, with epic-length songs, ripping technical playing, and sensitive acoustic interludes. And a healthy dose of Mellotron and other keys, moreso even than in the past, as they've now made their keyboardist an official, permanent band member. It could be we're hearing a hint of nu-metal in some of the bouncier, stop start bits...but put that in the context of proggy baroque keyboards, and this is definitely not Slipknot or Korn, that's for sure. And if Opeth can turn what they do into "pop" music and get away with it, more power to 'em. Not that that's likely...
Is this eighth Opeth opus destined to be considered a classic like several of their earlier albums? Well, c'mon, it's undeniably tough for 'em to top what they've done in the past, regardless of how good this is! We are glad to have all the shades of Opeth back together on one album after the heavy disc/light disc dichotomy of their twin previous releases Deliverance and Damnation. And anyway, at this point we can't imagine any Opeth fan daring to not purchase, listen to, and (out of love or awe) worship this!
MPEG Stream: "The Ghost Of Perdition"
MPEG Stream: "The Baying Of Hounds"

OPETH Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner) 2lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl! One of our very favorite metal bands returns with a new album, a domestic release for big-league metal label Roadrunner, which made us wonder if they'd somehow gone all nu-metal on us. Opeth as an Ozzfest band? Well, this is the slickest Opeth record yet, surely. And there's clean singing on here that does seem like it might be geared for (gasp) radio airplay...but, that singing is in the same song with total death metal growling. So it's really the same ol' Opeth we know and love. A well produced, super dynamic and atmospheric blend of death metal and progressive rock, with epic-length songs, ripping technical playing, and sensitive acoustic interludes. And a healthy dose of Mellotron and other keys, moreso even than in the past, as they've now made their keyboardist an official, permanent band member. It could be we're hearing a hint of nu-metal in some of the bouncier, stop start bits...but put that in the context of proggy baroque keyboards, and this is definitely not Slipknot or Korn, that's for sure. And if Opeth can turn what they do into "pop" music and get away with it, more power to 'em. Not that that's likely...
Is this eighth Opeth opus destined to be considered a classic like several of their earlier albums? Well, c'mon, it's undeniably tough for 'em to top what they've done in the past, regardless of how good this is! We are glad to have all the shades of Opeth back together on one album after the heavy disc/light disc dichotomy of their twin previous releases Deliverance and Damnation. And anyway, at this point we can't imagine any Opeth fan daring to not purchase, listen to, and (out of love or awe) worship this!
MPEG Stream: "The Ghost Of Perdition"
MPEG Stream: "The Baying Of Hounds"

OPETH Lamentations: Live At Shepherd's Bush Empire 2003 (Music For Nations) dvd 14.98

OPETH Morningrise (Century Black) cd 14.98

OPETH My Arms Your Hearse (Displeased) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl. Third & perhaps best (yet) album from this Swedish band worshipped the world over for its combination of heavy death/black metal and epic progrock (i.e. they're no strangers to ten-minute plus song lengths). Note title derived from a Comus lyric!

OPETH My Arms, Your Hearse (Century Black) cd 14.98
Third & perhaps best (yet) album from this Swedish band worshipped the world over for its combination of heavy death/black metal and epic progrock (i.e. they're no strangers to ten-minute plus song lengths). Note title derived from a Comus lyric!

OPETH Orchid (Century Black) cd 14.98

OPETH Still Life (Peaceville) cd 16.98
People have been waiting for this record like it was the new Star Wars movie or something. And, why not? After all, their last record, 'My Arms, Your Hearse', was a masterpiece. Probably the best mix of black metal, '70s progrock, and just plain awesome songwriting; riffs, melodies, power, that record had it all. Now the new album is finally here, and it too seems destined for similar acclaim. The basic formula remains, a complex, oh-so-skilled mixture of might and beauty. Like all Opeth releases to date, this one will take a little time to digest! Impressive. And, needless to say, definitely better than that lame Star Wars movie!

OPHIUCUS s/t (Lion Productions) cd 16.98
Lion Productions brings us another super obscure psych/prog reish that's pretty darn cool. France, 1972: the dawning of Ophicus, an astrologically inclined band staffed by some serious musicians from the French rock/pop scene, including a former member of Zoo. They certainly had a lot of promise, this debut album of theirs being a gorgeous and eclectic (and sometimes experimental) stylistic mix, encompassing everything from lilting acoustic folk to lush symphonic pop to raw backporch blues to heavy fuzz acid rockin' grooviness (Francais Metal de Proto ooh la la!). Sublime string orchestration, lovely vocal arrangements, and memorable melodies contribute to the wonderful moody atmosphere that pervades this album despite its diversity.
There's a lot to like here. This disc's 20 tracks include eight bonus cuts taken from a unreleased second album, among them several English language versions of songs from the debut meant for international release. And Lion (as is typical of them) provides a fairly hefty cd booklet into the bargain, full of photos, lyrics, and brand new liner notes from the band themselves, including commentaries on each track (for example: "'Darbouka' was meant to silently convey the feeling of oppression and the impossibility of expressing where it comes from"). If you liked the previous Lion reissues from France (Classical M, Ilous & Decuyper) you definitely should check out Ophicus, likewise if you've been digging that Pop Made In France comp we highlighted recently.
MPEG Stream: "Prenez, Donnez"
MPEG Stream: "Darbouka"
MPEG Stream: "Ne Cherche Plus"

OPIATE Possible (Vertical F) 12" 9.98
During the past four or five years, the Raster Noton label has developed a very precise aesthetic or language of the electronic glitch within in a post-techno context. While artists like Goem and Taylor Deupree have taken the Raster Noton vocabulary of utopian purity and clinical sterility as an endgame of overly conceptualized minimalism, Raster Noton has recognized the folly of completely dehumanizing art, and has been returning to the elemental musical systems of harmonies and melodies, albeit with incredibly subtle applications. While examples of such are easy to find in the latest work from Raster bossman Carsten Nicolai (aka Noto and Alva Noto), the reconnection with melody is most pronounced in the work of Raster's newest associate Opiate, the solo project of Danish glitch-dub artist Thomas Knack. "Possible" -- released through the increasingly interesting Vertical Form label -- quietly bristles with a digital clickery that Opiate filters into delicate electro-glitch grooves, complete with whirring textural filters and a profoundly delicate use of ghostly melodies which correspond nicely to the work that Opiate did for Bjork's "Vespertine" album.

OPIATE Sometimes (Morr Music) cd ep 13.98
Well versed in the spatial relations of digi-dub techniques and a whimsical approach to IDM melody & rhythm, the Danish electronica artist Opiate (aka Thomas Knak) has nestled himself right in between Boards Of Canada and Pole. Released on the label Morr specializes in the electronica-pop hybrids of Lali Puna, Ms. John Soda, and other Notwist related projects, "Sometimes" politely follows the productions that Knak offered on a couple of the tracks on Bjork's "Vespertine." These 6 concise tracks of subtle programming skitter and fragmented melodies strike the balance between opposites (space vs. density, slow vs. fast, harmony vs. dissonance, etc.) with a mathematical precision. Nice.
MPEG Stream: "Amstel"

OPIATE While You Were Sleeping (April) cd 14.98
With pretty little electronic bells, pretty little electronic melodies, and pretty little electronic rhythms, Opiate has crafted a pretty little record in "While You Were Sleeping." Denmark's Thomas Knak (aka Opiate) has had the good fortune to work with such electronica luminaries as Bjork and Carsten Nicolai, with his own work falling squarely in between those two distinct aesthetics, bringing a wide-eyed and wondrous sense of melody to the clinical sterility of the Raster glitch 'n' pulse. "While You Were Sleeping" appears to be a collection of oddities, collaborations, and compilation tracks that Opiate produced during the past couple of years. If you never read the liner notes, you would probably never know that this was a compilation as Opiate's sound is so uniformly solid that an album of ephemera even sounds pretty good all the way through. Opiate's success hinges upon the interplay between stuttering, often oddly timed electronica rhythms and the perpetually minor-key melodies. For the most part, the album pulls off a moodiness similar to Boards of Canada's "Music Has The Right To Children" or Autechre's "Amber;" although Opiate's child-like lego-beats and melodic plinkiness can be a little overly cute. But that's never stopped the legions of Boards of Canada fans.
RealAudio clip: "Srain"
RealAudio clip: "Dromte Mig En Drom"

OPIUM JUKEBOX Bhangra Bloody Bhangra: A Tribute To Black Sabbath (Underground Inc.) cd 15.98
What hath the popularity of The Osbournes wrought? Music for the weirdest nightclub you've never been to, apparently. Opium Jukebox is actually Martin Atkins of Killing Joke -- Opium Jukebox seems to be his project for doing trancey techno cover versions of rock music. He's already done a Sex Pistols tribute, an alt-rock one with Nirvana and Jane's Addiction tunes, and has a Rolling Stones tribute in the pipeline. None of which much interest us...but THIS does. He's roped in a sitar player and dug up some vocal samples ("courtesy some dodgy market place in the Far East") to do a "Bhangra" style album of Black Sabbath covers!! Yep, a blend of traditional Indian instrumentation and modern electronic synth and beats making essentially instrumental and 'exotic' (but mostly recognizable, if you know your Sabbath) versions of the likes of "Iron Man" and "War Pigs". For some reason they've neglected "Sweet Leaf", which seems odd 'cause this has a definite hookah-suckin' vibe -- most of the synth effects sound like bong hits, even. It's super-cheesy, but how can you resist? We couldn't. While we would certainly recommend the artistry and atmosphere of Rondellus' Latinized early music style Sabbath-chants above "Bhangra Bloody Bhangra", there's still a place on our shelves next to that AQ-fave Rondellus "Sabbatum" disc for this. It's a worthwhile novelty for sure. Wonder why it exists, but listen and enjoy (or at least, confuse your friends). Track list: Supernaut, Iron Man, Heaven & Hell, N.I.B., Paranoid, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Snowblind, Embryo, War Pigs, Suicide Solution (hey that's a solo Ozzy song, not a Sabbath one!), and Supernaut again.
And as we later discovered, if you dig this, check out the Opium Jukebox Sex Pistols record which is done in a similar style, sitars and all.
RealAudio clip: "Iron Man"
RealAudio clip: "N.I.B."

OPTHALAMIA A Long Journey (Necropolis) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now, it's difficult to believe that the same guys responsible for the absurd Vondur are also involved with the much more serious, epic, doomy black metal of Opthalamia, but they are. A Long Journey" is a re-recording of the band's debut from several years back, original titled A Journey In Darkness... improved production and more capable band members being the main differences.
The Vondur and Opthalamia albums also represent It's last efforts in black metal, as he recently quit all his bands (these two plus War and Abruptum), sold all his black metal paraphernalia (midget-sized chainmail anyone?) and moved away from Sweden...

OPTICAL*8 Gender (God Mountain) cd 19.98
We just did an order directly with Japanese avant-garde rock/jazz label God Mountain and picked up some old favorites, this being one of 'em. Optical*8 is (was?) the project of keyboardist/producer (and God Mountain head honcho) Hoppy Kamiyama, doing material ranging from downtown NPC avant-jazz to rock/funk fusion. But this disc from 1994 is a bit different than their others, and is our favorite by far. Here Hoppy is joined by the great Otomo Yoshihide on turntables and guitar, Friction's Reck on bass, and drummer Masafumi Minato. Together they create four thick slabs (tracks) of flangey distorted drone-rock with ethnic touches, unlike anything else. Praxis meets Skullflower?? It's a super heavy, psychedelic 'free-rock' exercise that makes it into Allan's personal top five of Otomo Yoshihide related-releases. ('High Fidelity' style, I, Allan, am compelled to list the other four: Ground Zero's first one, Ground Zero "Plays Standards", Ground Zero "Consume Red", I.S.O. "Gravity Clock", and, um, and the first Peril disc. Shoot, that's five. Arghh...) Anyway, this is a good one, seven years old but still great.
RealAudio clip: "Dispossable Heroes Do 'Lunch'"
RealAudio clip: "Dare To Be 'Uncool'"

OPTIGANALLY YOURS Exclusively Talentmaker! (Absolutely Kosher) cd 14.98
Optiganally Yours is the duo of Rob Crow (Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, Pinback) and Pea Hicks (the curator of the ludicrous Lucas & Friends album). Rob Crow's quirky and complex popcore vocal harmonies dreamily float behind Hicks' exotica devices; the Chilton Talentmaker, the Vako Orchetrston, and the Knickerbocker Bell Organ. No Optigans were used or destroyed in the making of this album.