PIANO MAGIC I Came To Your Party Dressed As A Shadow (Acuarela) cd ep 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Moments on this ep hint at the lovely wonder that was Piano Magic's "Low Birth Weight" album but falls just a bit short of reaching the sparkling splendour of that release. However, if you loved "LBW" but were sadly disappointing by their most recent full length ("Artists Rifles"), you just might want to check this out. Perhaps this is a sign of a return to form for Piano Magic? Our fingers are very crossed.

PIANO MAGIC Incurable (Important) cd 10.98
For the first song on this new Piano Magic cdep, the British group takes a turn into more of a Euro-pop direction. Imagine a more sullen Saint Etienne. Much to our delight, Angele David-Guillou's charmingly soft, wistful vocals are presented front and center for the first two numbers.
They're followed by one gorgeous instrumental and one sung by mainman Glen Johnson. That adds up to four sumptuous moody beauties! Aaaah, in terms of the Piano Magic of yesteryear (well, 1999 to be exact) that we hold so near and dear to our hearts (namely their very out-of-print Low Birth Weight album), it seems like they've found their way back to that enchanting/enchated place. More please!
MPEG Stream: "Incurable"
MPEG Stream: "Giant Mirror To Light Up Village"

PIANO MAGIC Low Birth Weight (Rocket Girl) cd 14.98
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With such a visual grasp on the surreal puppets of Jan Svankmajer, Piano Magic invokes the musical equal to a Victorian cabinet of curios - carefully arranged avant-pop songs filled with macabre nursery rhymes that shimmer & sparkle in spite of the dust, dimly lit spaces, and eerie moodiness. Quite similar to the early incarnations of His Name Is Alive or the later days of Tear Garden. Quite possibly Piano Magic's best, most focused work. Stunning!

PIANO MAGIC Opencast Heart (Important) cd 11.98
The Important Records sticker that's plastered to the shrinkwrap of this album plainly states that "this is the most purely electronic record Piano Magic has ever made." Yes, that is certainly true; although the mood and atmosphere of Opencast Heart is no different hear than on previous Piano Magic records, as Glen Johnson (who's Piano Magic's chief songwriter / producer and only returning member of each incarnation for the band) continues to spin delicate, precious songs whose fragility hint at something slightly dark and wintery. With the icy electronic whirrs and naked vocals from both Johnson and chanteuse Angele David-Guillou, Opencast Heart has more in common with the Mark Van Hoen / Locust recordings than with the archetypal 4AD sound that Johnson had reified on the Piano Magic classic album Low Birth Weight.
MPEG Stream: "Echoes On The Ice"
MPEG Stream: "This Heart Machinery"

PIANO MAGIC Panic Amigo - Piano Magic Remixed (Morr Music) 12" 9.98
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The British outfit Piano Magic have always walked the fine line between post-rock and electronica. With this 4-track 12", they receive the remix treatment courtesy Isan, Future 3, Ensemble, and Opiate, thus demonstrating how PM might sound if they went full steam in that e-music direction. It's burbly, delicate and serene like a Boards Of Canada or To Rococo Rot record.

PIANO MAGIC Part Monster (Important) cd 14.98
Some may exclaim, "Alas!" upon a first listen to Piano Magic's seventh album Part Monster... For the band seems to have shed their beloved persona as being the darkly whimsical aural equivalent of a Quay Brothers film. Where there once were feathery filigrees and antique gilt melodies are now rushes of sleek modern rockisms. Admittedly the heftier '80s/'90s Brit rock guitars and an overall aggressive edge initially rubbed a few of us the wrong way a bit. The album's third track "Incurable" actually sits comfortably next to the latest album by Blonde Redhead, while the fifth "The King Cannot Be Found" straddles the dissonant rock fence between Sonic Youth and The Cure. Yes, this is a bigger, bolder Piano Magic. Part Monster was produced by Guy Fixsen (member of Laika and producer/engineer for the likes of My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, Stereolab, The Breeders, and Lush) no less, which might explain the degree to which the deeply effected guitars take centerstage. This new Piano Magic might takes some getting used to, but after the initial shock dissipates Part Monster retracts its claws briefly, revealing the still present sumptuous chamberly charms of the Piano Magic of old. You need only listen to the slower, velvety fourth number "Soldier Song" to be mesmerized once again by their, ahem, magic.
MPEG Stream: "Incurable (reprise)"
MPEG Stream: "Soldier Song"
MPEG Stream: "The King Cannot Be Found"

PIANO MAGIC Saint Marie EP (Green UFOs) cd ep 12.98
You never know quite what to expect from each new Piano Magic release. There's sure been some highs and loooows in past few years. Granted, Piano Magic standards were set pretty high by their enchanting 1999 album Low Birth Weight (sadly now out of print). That was truly something special, and unfortunately Glen Johnson and co. just haven't quite hit that mark with subsequent releases. But this ep certainly has its hight points, among them the presence of Low's Alan Sparhawk, Cornershop's Ben Ayres and wonderful '70s UK vocalist Vashti Bunyan (who previously appeared on their 2002 Writers Without Homes album). The music of Piano Magic is ever shadowy, somber, fragile and richly poetic, and these six songs are no exception filled with stuttering rhythms, fluttering tremoloed guitars, haunting strings and glistening synth washes. That said, the three instrumentals and three vocal songs here are perhaps their darkest and most intense work to date.
MPEG Stream: "Wrong Turn"
MPEG Stream: "Fantasia On Old English Airs"

PIANO MAGIC Seasonally Affective 1996-2000 (Rocket Girl) 2cd 21.00
Falling somewhere between a best of and a rarities collection, "Seasonally Affective" is a diverse sampling of the Piano Magic back catalogue, capturing both the gems (i.e. their magnifciently Victorian "Low Birth Weight" album) and duds (i.e. their hopelessly pretentious "Artists' Rifles") from this melodramatically inclined outfit that specializes in an '80s ethereal revivalism hybridized with contemporary post-rock. Certainly worthwhile to get if you missed all of those super limited split singles and vinyl only releases, but if you're looking for a great Piano Magic album, "Low Birth Weight" is still their strongest release to date.
RealAudio clip: "French Mittens"
RealAudio clip: "Fun Of The Century"
RealAudio clip: "I Am The Sub-Librarian"
RealAudio clip: "Winter Sport"

PIANO MAGIC Son de Mar (4AD) cd 17.98
Glen Johnson - Piano Magic's ringleader and only consistent member on all of the albums - has admittedly never left the dark baroque sounds of the '80s behind, especially those of early Dead Can Dance, The Wolfgang Press, and Tones on Tail. Thus, for him to sign to 4AD and record with producer John Rivers (Dead Can Dance, Love and Rockets, Felt, This Mortal Coil, etc.) must have been a wet dream come true. "Son de Mar" is Piano Magic's first outing on 4AD, composed as a soundtrack for the Spanish film maker Bigas Luna. With elements originally found on the Darla album "The Trick Of The Sea," Piano Magic has created a dreamy album that moves through haunting glide guitar passages, looping bells, delicate violins, and mildly Gothic overtures, punctuated by the all too obvious sound of waves crashing against the rocks. While "Son de Mar" is not as good as their masterpiece "Low Birth Weight," this is a nice return to Piano Magic's brittle darkness, which had previously collapsed under the overbearing pretention of their "I Came To Your Party Dressed As A Shadows" e.p.

PIANO MAGIC The Fun of the Ocean (Piao!) 12" ep 9.99
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Unanimous AQ-favorite! The next best thing to the Young Marble Giants, and that is saying a lot. Delicate, bittersweet electronica-pop that updates the aforementioned Giants with subtle dinginess reminiscent of Third Eye Foundation. This is one of the groups that beautifully bridges the ever-closing gap between indierock and electronica. We highly recommend you give this taster, or their full length, a try.

PIANO MAGIC The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic (Green UFOs) cd 17.98
The teaming up of Piano Magic and 4AD would have been such a good match had Piano Magic existed 15 years earlier, as their dreamy songs of Victorian miserablism would fit perfectly alongside the early recordings of Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Wolfgang Press, and Modern English. However, 4AD has moved well into singer-songwriter territory during the past decade releasing work by the likes of the Mountain Goats and Red House Painters, and cast away many of the bands and sounds which formed their early history. Oh well. This discussion of 4AD is neither here nor there anyway, as with The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic, the band (which is pretty much just chief songwriter Glen Johnson and whoever else happens to be around) turns from their stint on 4AD to the tiny Spanish label Green UFOs. With a references to Durutti Column-esque guitar patter, Disco Inferno's underappreciated songs, and Godspeed You Black Emperor's soaring glide guitars, Piano Magic sets an overcast mood of theatrically languid expressions and perfectly follows up all of their earlier records. With all of the emphasis upon death disco as the current retro obsession from the '80s, it's nice to hear a well-executed twist on the desperate romanticism that was also quite prominent in the '80s underground.
MPEG Stream: "Saint Marie"
MPEG Stream: "Speed The Road, Rush The Lights"
MPEG Stream: "I Am The Teacher's Son"

PIANO MAGIC Writers Without Homes (4AD) cd 22.00
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Like the Ivo Watts-Russell / John Fryer productions as This Mortal Coil, Glen Johnson supports his endeavors in Piano Magic by surrounding himself with a constantly rotating crowd of talented guests. Where This Mortal Coil tipped the balance in their favor in covering pre-existing material (Syd Barrett, Alex Chilton, Tim Buckley, as well as other 4AD outfits like Modern English and Rema Rema), Piano Magic is firmly based upon the Johnson's ability to delegate and collaborate in order to compose new material. At his strongest on the Victorian-tinged album "Low Birth Weight," Johnson shaped his various collaborations into a cohesive, yet multi-faceted album dominated by an atmosphere of aristocratic sadness and dignified decay. Such moods have been the goal for Johnson ever since, but without the same success. This isn't to say that "Writers Without Homes" is a bad album, in fact it's quite good. But in comparison to its predecessor, this falls a little short.
With a few exceptions of bombastic percussion and theatrical vocalizations, Johnson crafts his bittersweet pop miniatures out of simple and quiet elements: a gently lulling piano, an unassuming acoustic guitar, and hushed / whispered vocals shrouded in the classic 4AD production of glistening bohemian miserablism. Johnson has rounded up an impressive roster of collaborators including '60s folk maven Vashti Bunyan, Simon Raymonde (ex-Cocteau Twins), Robert Lippok & Bernd Jestram of Tarwater, Robert Johnstone (Life Without Buildings), and plenty more.
RealAudio clip: "Crown of the Lost"
RealAudio clip: "Modern Jupiter"
RealAudio clip: "Already Ghosts"

PIANO OVERLORD Singles Collection 03-05 (Money Studies) cd 13.98
Piano Overlord is a Prefuse 73 "low key 'side-project'" originally formulated by Mr. Herren as a means to pay back the Money Studies label for losing the pieces of a Diplo 7" he was intending to remix. This may be going out on a limb, but "Singles Collection" sounds a bit like Prefuse 73 done with a piano, also incorporating the more mellow elements of Savath & Savalas. Pleasant stuff. Cool milky beats, no rough edges. Womby and insular listening techno.
MPEG Stream: "Spring's Arrival"
MPEG Stream: "Recuerdas?"

PIAZZOLLA, ASTOR Essential Tango (Manteca) 2cd 15.98
Essential, indeed! But not only for tango aficionados! And you don't even need to dance, but really who isn't moved by this music? This is simply stunning. This Argentina-born tango music master's impassioned compositions can make time seem like its standing still. Even by today's standards, Astor Piazzolla's works tear down the genre's boundaries venturing far into unchartered territory. Challenging, complex and downright experimental at times, and yet never alienating nor impermeable. His rebellious streak is evident in the spritely dissonant whips and slashes in "Muerte Del Angel" which make for a marked contrast next to the slow, sobering languidity of "Resurreccion Del Angel". His fingers step nimbly across his bandaleon keys creating intricate melodies that dance about the gloriously grand sweeping flourishes. This generous 24-track double disc set compiles many of his most renowned works along with some live and rare recordings. Absolutely captivating.
MPEG Stream: "Los Suenos"
MPEG Stream: "Vuelvo Al Sur"

PICA PICA PICA, DJ Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999 (Comma) cd 29.00
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Huzzah! This hard to find import from '99 has now gotten somewhat better US distribution, and we're happy to have it. Osaka-based bizarre-beat DJ Pika Pika Pika is actually Eye Yamantaka, mastermind of the Boredoms. This mix cd comes housed in a translucent green jewel case overprinted with an abstract pink and orange design. The case's innards are nice too, with more of Eye's trademark colorful crazy collage art Eye's interest in both collage and sampling has been evident for a long time, from his involvement in the hiphop project Audio Sports, to his cut-up shennanigans on his noise band Hanatarash's 4 album, to the various recent heavily-studio-manipulated Boredoms releases, but here is his first ever recorded DJ set. And, unlike Hanatarash 4, on this one all samples are cleared, and clearly credited...so it's with full authority (no guessing games) that I can tell you you're gonna hear everything from minimalist composer Philip Glass to Bay Area turntablist DJ Disk to British electronica artist Twisted Science to the water drums of the Baka Forest People on Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999! What ties it all together and makes it flow is the quirkiness of Eye's selections -- his deftness as a DJ notwithstanding, the segues are rather more playful than beat-driven. But there are plenty of beats, bubbly ones at that, it's just that they're accompanied by such weirdness that your typical club-going dancer probably couldn't deal with it. Eye is as likely to make use of the funky jazz breaks of Japanese artist Woodman as he is to throw in the sounds of the Wedell Seals from the AQ-fave Antarctica cd recorded by naturalist Douglas Quin (yay!). This weird and wonderful disc gives some interesting insight into the contents of Eye's eclectic record collection, for sure, and thus somehow can also increase our understanding of (or possibly heighten our confusion about) his work in the Boredoms, for those inclined to puzzle about such things.
RealAudio clip: "03"
RealAudio clip: "13"

PICADUB Picatone Vol. 1 (Beta Lounge Record Club) cd-r 9.98
What I (Jim) remember so strongly about my experience a few years back selling dance singles for one of San Francisco's now defunct distributors was the emphasis upon (nay, necessity of) newness, novelty, and freshness. Yet, with the basic structure of techno having remained the same for 15 years -- the steadfast whump of a basskick countered by the taut simplicity of a sampled hi-hat with some melody and / or atmosphere thrown in for variety -- I have to wonder if it would be possible to tell the difference (and I mean not just trainspot, but critically differentiate) between the relatively underground cuts of, say, Dan Bell back in 1992 or a really early Ian Pooley single with the polite post-Detroit trax from current artists like Akufen or Jetone. While it's probably not his intention to pose such questions, this debut mix disc from Philip Sherburne -- San Francisco's answer to Simon Reynolds in many ways, intelligently discussing the successes and failures of dance music through his essays and articles for various magazines -- has at least sparked those questions for me. Could those Baby Ford or Robert Hood tracks been produced in 1993 instead of 2003? Well, maybe.
Fortunately, for those who don't care for any such musicological investigations of electronica (which should be most of you!), Sherburne's Picadub mix project works very well as an example of an elegantly composed blend of minimal techno, with cuts from the aforementioned Baby Ford, Robert Hood, and Akufen, plus Thomas Brinkmann, Pantytec, DJ Abstract, Tipper, Seiji, Quizz, Pan/tone, Villalobos, Iz & Diz, Lucien N. Luciano, and Dinky. Nothing fancy, just a nice steady beat... and that's all you can ask for minimal techno.
MPEG Stream: BABY FORD "Messenger"
MPEG Stream: MASSIVE ATTACK "Special Cases (Akufen Remix)"

PICASTRO Metal Cares (Polyvinyl) cd 13.98
There's a somber heaviness to the music of Canadian ensemble Picastro. Its ebb and flow creeps from your stereo speakers like molasses -- smooth, dark, and bitter-bittersweet. Each song takes its time, moving at its own pace like the ocean's tide or the slow rise and fall of a sleeping person's chest. Much like their previous album 2002's Red Your Blues, this is very soundtrack-y in the Godspeed You Black Emperor / Mogwai sort of way, but with increasingly potent, hand-wringing female vocals along the lines of Shannon Wright or PJ Harvey. You might also liken them to Black Heart Procession with a female singer -- oh such intoxicating melancholia. Will you let Picastro brings you dowwwwwwn?
MPEG Stream: "Dramaman"
MPEG Stream: "Teeth And No Eyes"

PICASTRO Red Your Blues (Pehr) cd 13.98
Picastro are a quintet from Toronto, ON who've actually been around for many years, but have waited until now to present their debut album. A lovely collection of shadowy melancholia, this would be very much at home on either Thrill Jockey or Godspeed You Black Emperor's headquarters Constellation Records, but no, instead it graces the roster of Los Angeles' Pehr Records. Red Your Blues begins with some gentle guitar, a minimal snare drum beat and slowly gliding cello that leads to the slightly drowsy, slightly brittle female voice of Liz Hysen, quite akin to that of Trailer Bride's Melissa Swingle, Cat Power's Chan Marshall or fellow Canadian Julie Doiron. Highly emotive and intimate. The instrumentation moves smoothly from bare bones acoustic guitar to more complex, lush full band arrangements with creeping strings, warm piano, additional guitars, washes of feedback and plenty of toms in the percussion section. At times quite haunting and atmospheric. Fans of the above-mentioned labels and groups as well as Rachel's, Shipping News, Dirty Three, take note!
RealAudio clip: "Winter Notes"
RealAudio clip: "The Sea Will Kill You"

PICASTRO Whore Luck (Polyvinyl) cd 14.98
The third full length from this Toronto band is a haunting, handwringing journey. They sound drugged out, but the listening experience is sobering. Pretty much every song reels with a chilling plod of despair, and the ones that don't (such as "Stair Keeper") still possess an unsettling whimsy, and seem to be inspired by the spare melancholic folk of Sybille Baier. As always, they're very akin to the dissonance laced soundscaping school of Godspeed You Black Emperor -- shifting through unstructured percussion, whinnying strings and distortion swells, settling into a melodic passage for brief soul-searching spells -- but this time a little more of an indie rock slouch infiltrates their sound. Whore Luck features guests Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett and Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart. The latter appears on their cover of The Fall's "An Older Lover, Etc". They also do a rendition of Roky Erickson's "If You Have Ghosts". For your most dour days.
MPEG Stream: "Hortur"
MPEG Stream: "Stair Keeper"

PICCHIO DAL POZZO s/t (Vinyl Magic) cd 26.00
Perhaps you're familiar with that kick ass Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word compilation on Delay 68? It's sure been a big seller hereabouts. One of the bands that compiler Andy Votel introduced us to via that collection was an Italian group by the name of Picchio Dal Pozzo. Their track "La Merta", in all its gently gorgeous glory of tinkling, buzzing, and wordless vocal "aaaah-aaaahhing", made us curious to hear more by them! Turns out "La Merta" was taken from this, their self-titled debut originally released in 1976 on the Grog label. And indeed it was indicative of the mellow and mysterious delights of this album, a work of cosmically spacey, jazz-inflected, psychedelic chamber-prog inspired by the Canterbury sounds of Robert Wyatt era Soft Machine (indeed, it bears a dedication to "Roberto Viatti" aka Robert Wyatt). They were probably into Terry Riley too. Yet nothing prepared us for track three, this record's ten-minute masterpiece, the suite entitled "Seppia" that freakin' blew our minds with its droning, throbbing, Magmoid, synth-sizzling heaviness. Wow! Have the Boredoms heard this?? So, a very nice record indeed, with at least one track that just takes things to another level entirely. Seriously, if you're like us you'll being playing that one over and over again. Instantly a new Italian prog fave here -- half the AQ staff bought copies for themselves!
MPEG Stream: "La Merta"
MPEG Stream: "Seppia"
MPEG Stream: "La Bolla"

PICCIONI, PIERO The Seduction Of Piero Piccioni (Cherry Red) cd 16.98

PICKPOCKET ENSEMBLE A Streetcar Too Far (Pickpocket Productions) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On the second outing of San Francisco's own pickPocket Ensemble, the group makes an adjustment to its lineup, replacing percussionist / trumpet player Eric Wayne with a full-time violinist, Lila Sklar. Lineups aside, the repertoire is much the same: exceedingly well written and executed Eastern European flavored instrumentals, with maybe a tad more klezmer spicing this time round, but still almost impossible to lump into any particular genre.

PICKPOCKET ENSEMBLE Fingerpainting In Red Wine (Odd Shaped Case) cd 14.98
Now on their fourth full length release, the pickPocket Ensemble continue to pursue the Middle Eastern direction that they had begun to explore in their last outing If I Were A Highway (2003). The core lineup remains the same with frontman Rick Corrigan on accordion, Marguerite Ostrovski on violin, Tim Fox on guitar and assisted on a couple tracks by some additional clarinet and cello. Along with the increased concentration on pan-Mediterranean strains of music, the group has picked up a lot more confidence in their playing, taking more time to fully flesh out songs, with Corrigan, Ostrovski and Fox each taking turns with solos and building their counterpoint as they do. Further, more and more complex and interesting time signatures seem to be the order of the day on Fingerpainting In Red Wine. Interesting developments from an always interesting group.
MPEG Stream: "Disarray Of Roses"
MPEG Stream: "Renee At Ocean Beach"

PICKPOCKET ENSEMBLE If I Were A Highway (New World Cafe) cd 14.98
After much too long an absence from the recording studio, San Francisco's own pickPocket Ensemble returns with their third album and an apparently expanded line up. Listening to them on disc I still lament the loss of our beloved Radio Valencia where (how spoiled we were then) one could catch them live for free on regular basis. For those unfamiliar, the pickPocket Ensemble play a wonderfully unselfconscious amalgamation of, for lack of a better term, folk music from around the world. The group is led by accordionist Rick Corrigan, who also writes the bulk of their material and filled out by violin, double bass, guitar and percussion. Along with both the Parisian and Eastern European influences that form the bedrock of the pickPocket Ensemble, Corrigan has been further embracing the sounds of Klezmer music and in addition he seems to be delving into the realms of both Spanish and Nubian music. But parsing out specific influences with the pickPocket Ensemble is a tricky thing as Corrigan's superb arrangements are knit so tightly it becomes difficult to separate the musical threads. The reason I suppose is because Corrigan and company choose to use their alembic to reinforce the commonalities of such diverse elements as much as they do to punctuate the differences. The result of course is just plain fine music that can only come from the pickPocket Ensemble. Corrigan, an excellent accordion player, has always surrounded himself with great musicians and the recent additions of Marguerite Ostrovski on violin, Tim Fox on guitar and Will High on double bass are certainly no exceptions. Highly recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Prague"
RealAudio clip: "The Gift of Water"
RealAudio clip: "Remember the Moon"

PICKPOCKET ENSEMBLE International House Of Dreams (Pickpocket Productions) cd 11.98
Great local group that plays original numbers with an authentic Eastern European flavor. Accordion, trumpet, stand-up bass, snare drum & the occasional violin -- that's it.

PICKPOCKET ENSEMBLE, THE Soul Cafe (self-released) cd ep 9.98
SF's pickPocket Ensemble follow up their fine fourth album Fingerpainting In Red Wine with Soul Cafe, an ep of seven songs drawn from an intimate live performance at a venue called Strings. As always Rick Corrigan and co. conjure somber, slinky atmospheres from their ensemble of violin, double bass, guitar, accordion, and percussion. Although we file their cds in the jazz section of aQ, their sound is far-reaching, stretching across genre and regional borders to incorporate elements of Klezmer, swing jazz, Balkan gypsy folk, classical chamber, Asian and African rhythms. Terrific!
MPEG Stream: "Nowhere Else"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Roads"

PIDGEON From Gutter w/ Love (Absolutely Kosher) cd 12.98
These new members of the Absolutely Kosher family (which also includes Wrens, Pinback, Xiu Xiu, Eltro, Jim Yoshii Pileup) are a puzzling blend of twee jangle pop and angular Sonic Youth-y art rock. Some songs are strictly one or the other, but every so often they come together... and it somehow works! Made us wonder: Is there a songwriting competition goin' on? Their sound is most characterized by the alternating sweetie-pie female vocals (quite akin to Juliana Hatfield and Rose Melberg) and considerably more aggressive, screamo boy vocals (a blend of Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo). Quite cool.
MPEG Stream: "The Second One"
MPEG Stream: "Down"

PIECES I need 5 minutes alone (Avant) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Buckethead and DJ Disk of the Invisbl Skratch Piklz.

PIECES OF PEACE s/t (Cali-Tex) cd 15.98
Some more great classic Chicago soul from the early '70s (check out the awesome Dells disc we're listing this time around was well). Pieces Of Peace have been getting a much deserved second life in this great era of soul reissues. They were recently featured on the Numero Group's Eccentric Soul series on the collection featuring the Twinight label. It's no surprise we hadn't heard Pieces of Peace till recently as this one and only full length from the band was never released by their label after it was recorded in '72 because of the bands breakup shortly after finishing the album. Thankfully it's getting its time of day 35 years later and what a great artifact of that special musical moment of the Chicago scene in the late '60s and early '70s. As informed by spirituals and free jazz as it is funk and soul. Long instrumental stretches of horn fueled deep hitting soul and tasteful vocals never take away from the amazing musicianship that truly shapes these songs. Fans of The Pharaohs (who add their chops to this record) will for sure be in love with this. A great lost discovery brought to life by an exciting new soul/funk reissue label run by DJ Shadow.
MPEG Stream: "Pollution"
MPEG Stream: "Flunky For Your Love"

PIENZA ETHNORKESTRA Indiens D'Europe (12 Productions) cd 22.00
Prog rock and/or Magma fans, pay attention: what we've got here is a smokin' live album from a three-piece instrumental group featuring current Magma guitarist James MacGaw. He's on electric bass here, joined by drummer Daniel Jeand'heur and Thierry Bruneau on "vielle a roue". What's that? Some sort of traditional French hurdy-gurdy type of instrument, apparently. And that's what gives the Pienza Ethnorkestra their special flavor. MacGaw's burbling, burping basslines and Jeand'heur's propulsive, peppery battery are exciting enough, but add to that the wild fiddle-ish flights of melody and stretches of melancholic drone from Bruneau's ancient instrument and you've got an amazing hybrid of a Magmoid rhythm section and a Balkan gypsy wedding band. Indeed, several of the tracks here are traditional Bulgarian and Hungarian folk tunes, fitting in perfectly with the originals written by this "ethnorkestra".
To reference two AQ faves with Eastern European influences, we'd say that the frenzied energy with which Pienza Ethnorkestra approach this material (and the occasional electric-guitar like distortion applied to the vielle a roue) make this sound more like Tatsuya Yoshida's Koenjihyakkei (with strings) than it does like Steven R. Smith's Hala Strana. That this is a live recording only increases our amazement at how much these three kick ass. And the audience whoops it up appropriately. You might too, listening to his at home.
MPEG Stream: "Ali Lennti"
MPEG Stream: "Gengis Khan"

PIERCE, GARRETT Like A Moth (Crossbill) cd 10.98
Like A Moth, the follow-up to SF singer/songwriter Garret Pierce's debut, reveals fresh development and depth. He's made good on the promising-ness of his self-titled cd-r, honing his songcraft into something considerably more focused, as well as fleshing out his palette of instruments. Simply check out the easygoing confidence in "Northern Stare" and "The Fireworks Were Fish Exploding". It definitely makes for a lusher, more fully realized overall picture. Warm and comfortingly familiar.
MPEG Stream: "Northern Stare"
MPEG Stream: "The Fireworks Were Fish Exploding"

PIERCE, GARRETT s/t (self-released) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On his self-titled first album SF singer/songwriter Garrett Pierce treads the well-worn path previously and currently trodden by such fine earthy pop gents as Mark Eitzel, Will Oldham, Mark Kozelek, and Jason Molina... and he more than holds his own among these vets. An impressive debut.
MPEG Stream: "River"
MPEG Stream: "Fresno"

PIERRE HENRY Messe Pour Les Temps Present (Mercury France) cd 25.00
Recently remixed by the likes of Coldcut, Fatboy Slim, William Orbit and a bunch of French people, this is the ORIGINAL ballet soundtrack that Pierre Henry scored in the late 60s, a truly bizarre mixture of psych rock and musique concrete. Rare import, hence the price.

PIERRE, L. Touchpool (Melodic) cd 14.98
L.Pierre... haven't we seen your face before? Hmmm, you kinda look like that Scottish lad Aidan Moffat, but you're French, right? Besides, your new instrumental album sounds nothing like his band Arab Strap. So you couldn't be one and the same, could you? Ah, but you are!
Each track on Touchpool is composed primarily from processed loops and programmed rhythms (although his fellow Arab Strapper Malcolm Middleton does step in to contribute some guitar on the fourth track "Baby Breeze"), and each evokes a different hazy atmosphere which could easily be put to good use on a film soundtrack. One odd moment on the album though is the sixth song "Velbon" on which Moffat, err, Pierre (formerly Lucky Pierre by the way) seems to be solemnly prodding at the melody to "Ave Maria" but never fully launches into it (and just as strangely brings it to a rather abrupt end). Likewise, there's not a great deal of development in the course of each of the other tracks neither. They tend to gradually come into view, linger in one place for a spell, and then fades away. Some folks may find this to be haunting and hypnotic, while others might find themselves seeking more stimuli after a few minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Jim Dodge Dines At The Penguin Cafe"
MPEG Stream: "Velbon"

PIERRE, L. Touchpool (Melodic) lp 14.98
L.Pierre... haven't we seen your face before? Hmmm, you kinda look like that Scottish lad Aidan Moffat, but you're French, right? Besides, your new instrumental album sounds nothing like his band Arab Strap. So you couldn't be one and the same, could you? Ah, but you are!
Each track on Touchpool is composed primarily from processed loops and programmed rhythms (although his fellow Arab Strapper Malcolm Middleton does step in to contribute some guitar on the fourth track "Baby Breeze"), and each evokes a different hazy atmosphere which could easily be put to good use on a film soundtrack. One odd moment on the album though is the sixth song "Velbon" on which Moffat, err, Pierre (formerly Lucky Pierre by the way) seems to be solemnly prodding at the melody to "Ave Maria" but never fully launches into it (and just as strangely brings it to a rather abrupt end). Likewise, there's not a great deal of development in the course of each of the other tracks neither. They tend to gradually come into view, linger in one place for a spell, and then fades away. Some folks may find this to be haunting and hypnotic, while others might find themselves seeking more stimuli after a few minutes.
MPEG Stream: "Jim Dodge Dines At The Penguin Cafe"
MPEG Stream: "Velbon"

PIG DESTROYER 38 Counts of Battery (Relapse) cd 14.98
Pig Destroyer is the raging grind band lead by Scott Hull (Agoraphobic Nosebleed, ex-Anal Cunt), and this 38-track collection is documents the band's progress to date, featuring 18 tracks (including their Melvins cover) from their debut album "Explosion In Ward 6" (here remastered), two Carcass covers from a split 7" with Isis, a Dark Angel cover from an as yet-unreleased thrash tribute comp, and other stuff from a 7" and demo tape... So, even if you already have "Ward 6", it might be time to trade that in for this disc...

PIG DESTROYER Painter Of Dead Girls (Robotic Empire) cd 11.98
For some reason the blurb on the cover of Painter Of Dead Girls trys to pass this off as new material although in all other ways it's touted as a stopgap release collecting material from long out of print splits. Regardless, this is some seriously punishing brutality. Pig Destoyer, for those of you new to this stuff, is the 'other' band of Agoraphobic Nosebleed mainman and ex-Anal Cunt axeman Scott Hull, and like AN, Pig Destroyer traffic in brutally heavy, spastic, crushing, ultra complex and pummeling metallic grind. Unlike Agoraphobic Nosebleed however, PxDx employ a real live drummer. Which is pretty unbeleivable when you hear how ridiculously fast and complex some of this stuff is. 17 tracks, 20 minutes total, of some of the most intense, furiously destructive grinding metal you will ever hear. Adding to the what-the-fuck factor is the fact that PxDx have no bass player, which seems completely impossible with shit this heavy! Included are some amazing covers, the Stooges' "Down In The Street", with vocalist J.R. Hayes doing a pitch-perfect Iggy, but with all the swaggery strut of the original sucked out in favor of a much more rigid, metallic bulldoze, a pretty straight up verison of the Dwarves' classic "Fuck You Up And Get High", and an awesome cover of Helmet's "In The Meantime". The liner notes include credits for a final track that seems to be missing. Also includes three videos recorded in 2000 live at CBGB's, one of which features a microphone shattered into pieces while Hayes howls away, somehow managing to be heard over the deafening tumult of his bandmates.
MPEG Stream: "Taskmaster"
MPEG Stream: "Painter of Dead Girls"
MPEG Stream: "Down In The Streets"

PIG DESTROYER Phantom Limb (Relapse) cd 14.98
Who would have thought a band with name like Pig Destroyer, and heck, a band that -sounded- like Pig Destroyer, would be super popular, but just check out the sticker on the front of the new Pig Destroyer record Phantom Limb: "For fans of Slayer, Mastodon, Lamb Of God, Melvins, Black Dahlia Murder, Cephallic Carnage." Huh? Cephallic Carnage makes sense but the rest? It seems like maybe they're just saying, "If you like heavy music, this is heavy too, so you'll probably like it." Which is certainly true, but Pig Destroyer are way heavier and weirder and more extreme than most of those bands, but then again who are we to complain if the Alternative Press youth of today are digging shit like Pig Destroyer along with their Slipknot, way better than A.F.I. of Aiden.
But as much as we dig PD, we're still surprised at how popular they've become. They're definitely great, but not -that- great. Maybe if you have a limited exposure to grind, we can see how they might blow your mind. But personally we tend toward Pig Destroyer's drum machine drive alter ego Agoraphobic Nosebleed, who take the metallic grind of PD, and speed it up, twist it all around, and chop it into short sharp blasts of furious impossibly technical fury.
But fuck it, we're nitpicking, sure we like AnB more, but this is some seriously heavy and brutal metalgrind insanity. These guys totally destroy, and totally shred, super convoluted arrangements, confusional mathiness and superhuman tempos, all wrapped in super downtuned chug and blown out distortion, howled vocals and buzzing bass, lots of the tracks slip into a more straight ahead thrashing punk which we're not so into, but the blasting parts are face meltingly intense and so awesome, and PD do kick out some damaged sea sick doomy jams here and there that are pretty kick ass. And hell there are plenty of super catchy killer riffs dotting Pig Destroyers hyperspeed grindscapes.
So yeah, maybe we love Agoraphobic Nosebleed a bit more than PD, and this is definitely not our favorite Pig Destroyer disc (that would probably be the Painter Of Dead Girls comp, or maybe their debut full length Explosions In Ward 6), but fuck it, this is still severed heads and hacked-off shoulders above most grind, and definitely heavy enough to please most metalheads and grindfreaks alikeŠ
MPEG Stream: "Rotten Yellow"
MPEG Stream: "Jupiter's Eye"
MPEG Stream: "Deathtripper"
MPEG Stream: "Girl In The Slayer Jacket"

PIG DESTROYER Prowler In The Yard (Relapse) cd 14.98
When we first heard what the title of the new disc from East Coast grindmetal kings Pig Destroyer was called, we were making fun of it like, "oooh, scary, a prowler --- in the yard!" Somehow prowlers don't seem as scary as what most other death/black metal bands use for imagery. But, upon examining the lyrics and the obsessed-boyfriend-with-gun vignette in the cd booklet, we realized that Pig Destroyer's prowler concept is more realistic and thus a lot more disturbing than some bunk about demons and Satan. Their music backs up that idea with some of the most vicious grind we've heard in a while, with Pig Destroyer mainman Scott Hull (also of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, ex-Anal Cunt) putting his axe through some seriously metallic exercises. Brutal and ultra complex. Definite contender for grind record of the year.
RealAudio clip: "Scatology Homework"
RealAudio clip: "Strangled With A Halo"
RealAudio clip: "Hyperviolet"

PIG DESTROYER Terrifyer (Relapse) cd 14.98
Pig Destroyer's 2002 album "Prowler in the Yard" was called by some the best grindcore album since Brutal Truth's '94 masterpiece "Need to Control" and anyone who heard it knew that honor was not undeserved. Thus having some big gore-soaked rubber boots to fill for their follow-up, Pig Destroyer has still somehow managed to not only meet but surpass their own vaunted standards. I don't know if it's the blood-red album art, creating the same sinister synesthetic effect as Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss, but everything about Terrifyer is just grander, heavier, darker, more deadly. The production on this is positively devastating -- it's unimaginable that just three individuals, with NO bass guitar could make music this crushingly heavy, but anyone who's seen them live knows this is no mere studio trickery. Scott Hull, undisputed king of grindcore guitar has pushed his playing and song-writing abilities to new peaks of riffing alchemy -- it's busier, more complex, catchier, and yes, somehow EVEN FASTER, occasionally adopting tornado-like Discordance Axis-style cyclical riffs for maximum effect. It goes without saying that the drumming is simply inhuman, but it's the guitars that make Pig Destroyer such a standout band, especially in the realm of grind. Most bands these days have supersonic blast beats, but it's often a criticism of grind that the guitars are too simplistic and tune-less, and this presumption Pig Destroyer positively blows apart.
And then there's "Natasha", the single 32-minute doom track that comprises disc 2 (oddly on an audio-only DVD, available in stereo or surround-sound). Rumored to have originally been intended for a two-part split with the similarly godlike Creation is Crucifixion which never materialized, "Natasha" is possibly the single strangest and greatest effort yet from these psychopaths. Extrapolating on the previous love-scorned dementia lyrical themes from "Prowler", "Natasha" is a hallucinogenic half-hour nightmare of epic proportions. Heavy, plodding sonorous drums (and finally a bass guitar!) crash like thunder as ominous feedback echoes off the graven landscape of lyricist JR Hayes's surreal acid-trip of uncomfortable adolescent obsession gone horribly awry, complete with an accompanying 6-page short story in the booklet. The piece metamorphoses through several states, from long quiet ambient passages to keyboard dirges to full-on metallic surges before finally dissolving into the audio equivalent of the gnashing jaws of the song's eponymous protagonist. Absolutely stunningly majestically heavy and downright, dare I say, beautiful -- like a psylocybin-striated amalgam of Corrupted, Boris, Godflesh, Buried at Sea, Old Man Gloom and Neurosis. This song is a must-hear and together with the unbridled aggression of disc 1, makes Terrifyer a very difficult release to beat for heavy album of the year and places Pig Destroyer at the very fore of extreme music innovation.
MPEG Stream: "Pretty In Casts"
MPEG Stream: "Boy Constrictor"
MPEG Stream: "Scarlet Hourglass"
MPEG Stream: "Thumbsucker"

PIG DESTROYER Terrifyer (Relapse) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now here on vinyl!
Pig Destroyer's 2002 album "Prowler in the Yard" was called by some the best grindcore album since Brutal Truth's '94 masterpiece "Need to Control" and anyone who heard it knew that honor was not undeserved. Thus having some big gore-soaked rubber boots to fill for their follow-up, Pig Destroyer has still somehow managed to not only meet but surpass their own vaunted standards. I don't know if it's the blood-red album art, creating the same sinister synesthetic effect as Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss, but everything about Terrifyer is just grander, heavier, darker, more deadly. The production on this is positively devastating -- it's unimaginable that just three individuals, with NO bass guitar could make music this crushingly heavy, but anyone who's seen them live knows this is no mere studio trickery. Scott Hull, undisputed king of grindcore guitar has pushed his playing and song-writing abilities to new peaks of riffing alchemy -- it's busier, more complex, catchier, and yes, somehow EVEN FASTER, occasionally adopting tornado-like Discordance Axis-style cyclical riffs for maximum effect. It goes without saying that the drumming is simply inhuman, but it's the guitars that make Pig Destroyer such a standout band, especially in the realm of grind. Most bands these days have supersonic blast beats, but it's often a criticism of grind that the guitars are too simplistic and tune-less, and this presumption Pig Destroyer positively blows apart.
And then there's "Natasha", the single 32-minute doom track that on the cd version comprises disc 2 as an audio-only DVD, but here takes up all of sides 3 and 4. Rumored to have originally been intended for a two-part split with the similarly godlike Creation is Crucifixion which never materialized, "Natasha" is possibly the single strangest and greatest effort yet from these psychopaths. Extrapolating on the previous love-scorned dementia lyrical themes from "Prowler", "Natasha" is a hallucinogenic half-hour nightmare of epic proportions. Heavy, plodding sonorous drums (and finally a bass guitar!) crash like thunder as ominous feedback echoes off the graven landscape of lyricist JR Hayes's surreal acid-trip of uncomfortable adolescent obsession gone horribly awry, complete with an accompanying 6-page short story in the booklet. The piece metamorphoses through several states, from long quiet ambient passages to keyboard dirges to full-on metallic surges before finally dissolving into the audio equivalent of the gnashing jaws of the song's eponymous protagonist. Absolutely stunningly majestically heavy and downright, dare I say, beautiful -- like a psylocybin-striated amalgam of Corrupted, Boris, Godflesh, Buried at Sea, Old Man Gloom and Neurosis. This song is a must-hear and together with the unbridled aggression of sides 1 and 2, makes Terrifyer a very difficult release to beat for heavy album of the year and places Pig Destroyer at the very fore of extreme music innovation.
MPEG Stream: "Pretty In Casts"
MPEG Stream: "Boy Constrictor"
MPEG Stream: "Scarlet Hourglass"
MPEG Stream: "Thumbsucker"

PIG DESTROYER/GNOB Split cd (Robodog) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Nine more tracks from the totally amazing Pig Destroyer. Scott Hull, also of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and formerly of Anal Cunt, takes grind even farther, making the riffs faster, the songs more fucked, and the drumming even more inhuman and machine-like (we were convinced it was a drum machine for a while). The GNOB side (bong backwards, get it?) is kind of jokey and stupid and pretty much pointless, but definitely get it for the Pig Destroyer tracks.

PIGEON FUNK Proptronix Presents... (Oni-Tor) cd 17.98

PIGEON JOHN Is Dating Your Sister (Basement) cd 14.98

PIIRI GPU (Revised) (Vertical Form) cd 16.98
Outside of the impressive techno-minimalism of their group Pan Sonic, Mika Vainio and Ilpo Vaisanen have been developing very distinctive styles that veer considerably from their partnered work. Where Vainio has taken to the laptop generation of fractured ambience, Vaisanen has been experimenting with an interesting recombination of electronic dub built around variations of rigid rhythms which sound very much like looped samples from a '60s jazz drummer shuffling a brush suggestively across a snare head. As Piiri, Vaisanen has released a couple of brilliant 10"s on Raster Noton, but not enough material to warrant a full-length. Thus, Vertical Form has flushed out this Piiri album with a bunch of remixes by Farben, Pan American, Smyglyssna, Dual Excitor, and Phonem. As with the majority of remix albums, "GPU (Revised)" is a mixed (ha) affair, with the original Piiri track standing out easily as the best work. Pan American is probably the only remix artist who doesn't retard Ilpo's shuffling rhythms by turning them into microhouse grooves (Farben) or stupid post-irony clunkiness (Smyglyssna). Rather Pan American offers an effervescent dub with all of those rhythms processed into a glassine wash akin to Vladislav Delay.
If you're really interested in the Piiri sound, you might be better served by those hard to find Raster Noton 10"s...but they *are* hard to find.
RealAudio clip: PIIRI "Original"
RealAudio clip: PAN AMERICAN "Pan American Mix"

PIIRI GPU (Revised) (Vertical F) 2lp 16.98
Outside of the impressive techno-minimalism of their group Pan Sonic, Mika Vainio and Ilpo Vaisanen have been developing very distinctive styles that veer considerably far from their collective work. Where Vainio has taken to the laptop generation of fractured ambience, Vaisanen has been experimenting with an interesting recombination of electronic dub built around variations of rigid rhythms which sound very much like looped samples from a '60s jazz drummer shuffling a brush suggestively across a snare head. As Piiri, Vaisanen has released a couple of brilliant 10"s on Raster Noton, but not enough material to warrant a full-length. Thus, Vertical Form has flushed out this Piiri album with a bunch of remixes by Farben, Pan American, Smyglyssna, Dual Excitor, and Phonem. As with the majority of remix albums, "GPU (Revised)" is a mixed (ha) affair, with the original Piiri track standing out easily as the best work. Pan American is probably the only remix artist who doesn't retard Ilpo's shuffling rhythms by turning them into microhouse grooves (Farben) or stupid post-irony clunkiness (Smyglyssna). Rather Pan American offers an effervescent dub with all of those rhythms processed into a glassine wash akin to Vladislav Delay.
If you're really interested in the Piiri sound, you might be better served by those hard to find Raster Noton 10"s...but they *are* hard to find.

PIL Plastic Box (Virgin) 4cd 52.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
No, not a reissue of Metal Box but rather a brutally immense four cd collection spanning Public Image Limited's career from the beginning into the early 90's as pop media saboteurs. This band still has no equal. Aside from being a sort of giant best-of, it contains BBC and Peel Sessions and some remixes (no, not drum 'n' bass versions). In a big grey jewel case embossed with silver and filled with great liner notes. Consume.

PILIA, STEFANO Healing Memories and Other Scattering Times (Last Visible Dog) cd 12.98
An extremely pretty, moody, mellow droney solo album from Italian electric guitarist Stefano Pilia... we neglected to list this when it came out some months ago but realized a) it's great and b) he's a member of recent AQ Record Of The Week scoring group 3/4hadbeeneliminated, so some of you just might want to know about this! Healing Memories was previously released a few years ago as a cd-r by Last Visible Dog, but now LVD have updated it with extra tracks and issued it as a real cd. As it should be, since it's quite nice indeed. Constructed mostly with tones and textures from an electric guitar, with some synth and electronics, tape loops and turntable. Slowly unfolding instrumental soundscapes that shiver with sensitive beauty. Restrained, relaxed, gorgeous. For fans of the likes of James Blackshaw, Steven R. Smith, and Giuseppe Ielasi.
MPEG Stream: "The Holy Sailor"
MPEG Stream: "...Present Tension"

PILLARS OF SILENCE s/t (s/r) cd-r 5.98
What a stunning debut! Pillars of Silence are a San Francisco band featuring members of Conspiracy of Beards and Brilliant Colors with an ensemble of talented friends who add nice touches throughout including Sean Smith, Jeffrey Luck Lucas and engineer Jesse Parsons, who worked the boards on other great San Francisco debuts by folks like Tussle, Pale Hoarse and Vetiver. But truth be told none of that matters so much, as it's the songs and music that Pillars of Silence have crafted on this debut that stand out so dramatically. These songs melt with such a satisfying and lasting warmth. Lush reverb, textured but never too busy instrumentation and such gorgeous vocals that come together to create songs that have that rare ability to feel both familiar and so totally new and refreshing. There are lots of comparisons to throw around, we hear the smoke and haziness of Mazzy Star and Opal, the crisp and truthful delivery of Smog and the lush and melancholic delivery of Moon Pix-era Cat Power. There are so many songs from this record that we already know will become staples of mixes we make for friends, crushes and true loves. Pillars Of Silence have earned themselves a place near Citay and Vetiver as another of San Francisco's finest songsmiths. Highly recommended! You best act fast on this one as they didn't press too many of them.
MPEG Stream: "Please Call Me"
MPEG Stream: "Ode"
MPEG Stream: "Guilty Hands"

PILOTE Antenna (Certificate 18) cd 17.98
I seem to recall Pilote hailing from the German pseudo-collective which includes labels like Kitty-Yo, Kollaps, and Hausmusik, with Pilote keeping on the electronica side of things. This album for Certificate 18 wouldn't do anything to dissuade such a train of thought. With an atmosphere matching Boards of Canada's bedroom melancholia, Pilote fashions a precious sound of downtempo funky (sometimes jungly) breaks and bittersweet melodies.