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"

PIAZZOLLA, ASTOR Pulsacion (Circular Moves) cd 16.98

PICA PICA PICA, DJ Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999 (Comma) cd 29.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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"

PICASTRO & NADJA Fool, Redeemer (Alien8) cd 14.98
NOW ALSO ON CD! Here's what we had to say about the recent vinyl version:
We haven't heard from Canadian outfit Picastro in ages, in fact, we sort of assumed they might be no more. In past reviews we described their music as having a "somber heaviness" which makes them a pretty good match for doomgaze duo Nadja, and indeed the two groups team up for this lp collaboration, and from the sound of it, the A side seems to be more of a Picastro record, with Nadja guesting, and the B side a Nadja record with help from Picastro. But both sides are pretty great.
Picastro's 'side' is a series of shorter tracks, a woozy sort of post rock, detuned twang, male and female vocals, plenty of weird distortion, there's a Tom Waits sort of junkyard vibe to a lot of the sounds here, which also reminds us of the late great Reeks And The Wrecks (whose lost first lp is reviewed elsewhere on this week's list). The sound shifts from creeping slowcore to a sort of jazzy drift, all shimmering strings and muted percussion, all wreathed in a folky ambience, the whole thing like some abstract dirgey drone folk slowcore, and the sort of thing that reminds us of Codeine and post Phleg Camp weirdo country combo the Reveries.
The flipside is a single sidelong track, which should be the first hint that Nadja are in the driver's seat. The second would of course be the thick swirling buzz, rife with acoustic guitar (Picastro?), the sound muted and washed out, before blossoming into full on distorted shoegazey dirge, blown out, heavy and hazy, but still melodic and darkly pretty, the two groups a perfect match, conjuring up a sweet bit of dreamy sorta folky doom bliss!
MPEG Stream: "Skullduggery"
MPEG Stream: "Venom"

PICASTRO & NADJA Fool, Redeemer (Broken Spine) lp 15.98
We haven't heard from Canadian outfit Picastro in ages, in fact, we sort of assumed they might be no more. In past reviews we described their music as having a "somber heaviness" which makes them a pretty good match for doomgaze duo Nadja, and indeed the two groups team up for this lp collaboration, and from the sound of it, the A side seems to be more of a Picastro record, with Nadja guesting, and the B side a Nadja record with help from Picastro. But both sides are pretty great.
Picastro's 'side' is a series of shorter tracks, a woozy sort of post rock, detuned twang, male and female vocals, plenty of weird distortion, there's a Tom Waits sort of junkyard vibe to a lot of the sounds here, which also reminds us of the late great Reeks And The Wrecks (whose lost first lp is reviewed elsewhere on this week's list). The sound shifts from creeping slowcore to a sort of jazzy drift, all shimmering strings and muted percussion, all wreathed in a folky ambience, the whole thing like some abstract dirgey drone folk slowcore, and the sort of thing that reminds us of Codeine and post Phleg Camp weirdo country combo the Reveries.
The flipside is a single sidelong track, which should be the first hint that Nadja are in the driver's seat. The second would of course be the thick swirling buzz, rife with acoustic guitar (Picastro?), the sound muted and washed out, before blossoming into full on distorted shoegazey dirge, blown out, heavy and hazy, but still melodic and darkly pretty, the two groups a perfect match, conjuring up a sweet bit of dreamy sorta folky doom bliss!
Includes a download coupon!
MPEG Stream: "Skullduggery"
MPEG Stream: "Venom"

PICCHIO DAL POZZO s/t (Vinyl Magic) cd 26.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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"

PICCHIO DAL POZZO s/t (Goodfellas) cd 28.00
The prog-fiends at AQ (and everyone at AQ is a prog-fiend when it comes to Picchio Dal Pozzo) were stoked to find a new reissue had just come out of this awesome Italian prog album, and on vinyl now, too!!!
Here's what we said a while back about the previous, cd only reish:
Perhaps you're familiar with that kick ass Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word compilation? 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"

PICCHIO DAL POZZO s/t (Goodfellas) lp 30.00
The prog-fiends at AQ (and everyone at AQ is a prog-fiend when it comes to Picchio Dal Pozzo) were stoked to find a new reissue had just come out of this awesome Italian prog album, and on vinyl now, too!!!
Here's what we said a while back about the previous, cd only reish:
Perhaps you're familiar with that kick ass Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word compilation? 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 Memory (self-released) cd 14.98
We've long known that the veteran San Francisco acoustic group Pickpocket Ensemble never fail to deliver the goods, and their sixth cd reaffirms this. Those of you outside the Bay Area might already be familiar with them and this album from their airplay on NPR. It's sure to please old fans as well as attract plenty of new ones. Always rich in mood and atmosphere, they deftly meld inspirations and instrumentation from around the globe. Some are fleeting like single threads in their lustrous tapestry, while others (such as the Appalachian folk and Balkan gypsy influences) appear more solidly, forming artfully arranged patches of the PPE musical quilt. Along the mesmerizing way, they visit and revisit the twist and turns of jazz, flamenco, tango and chamber music. Equally at home in a sunny sidewalk cafe or a vivacious cabaret, Memory is a dark and sultry album that captures the flair and charm of a bygone era.
MPEG Stream: "Bird In A Web"
MPEG Stream: "Memory"

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"

PIEL DE PUEBLO Rock De Las Herdas (Record Runner) cd 15.98
1972, Argentina: hard rockin', heavy bloozin', proto-metal political protest band Piel de Pueblo ("Village Skin") record and release their one and only album, which we recently discovered via this reissue, being intrigued by its cover painting featuring a blood-dripping Earth whirling through space, orbiting a bummed-out Sun that's crying a single tear...
Piel de Pueblo make some prog moves here - there's electric violin on a couple of the tracks (reminding us of early UK heavies High Tide) - but mostly it's all about the wailing wah-wah guitar solos, and distorted fuzzed-out riffage (also reminding us of High Tide, for that matter).
"La Tierra En 998 Pedazos" is the psychedelic epic here, at 9 minutes plus (thus finding time for some gentle melodiousness amidst the riff-rock), but most of the other songs are right around 3 minutes or so, rockin' out for the duration. Fans of Mexico's Los Dug Dugs at their most "Loco" should investigate, likewise if you're into Piel de Pueblo's fellow countrymen Pappo's Blues...
Booklet includes Spanish-language lyrics, band photo, and a brief note about the history of the band in both Spanish and English.
MPEG Stream: "Silencio Para Un Pueblo Dormido"
MPEG Stream: "La Tierra En 998 Pedazos"
MPEG Stream: "Sexo Galactico"

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 All Masks (Crossbill) cd 11.98
Wow! Bay Area troubadour Mr. Garrett Pierce has continued to nurture and refine his songcraft in a big big way. All Masks blossoms and flourishes onwards from his previous two releases (a now out of print self-titled cdr from 2004 and the full length beauty Like A Moth which was released on Crossbill Records in 2006). Some of the songs on his latest album verge on the epic yet still maintain his intimate earthy heart. The core of his composed, yet at ease music is solidly rooted in the traditions of good ol' Americana, but this time he's incorporated some '60s pop styled gently rockin' sway (check out "Tonight"!) and gorgeous orchestral embellishments (as heard on the opening track "Your Feet In Wet Cement") to very tasteful good effect. He's fine lyricist too. From his pen flows richly evocative poetic phrases and fully realized story telling. Wonderful! Actually if you dug his fellow singer/songwriter friend Matt Bauer's last album The Island Moved In The Storm which also had a similar 'coming into one's own' feel this is very much for you (psst, Mr. Bauer makes a banjo and vocal guest appearance on one song)! Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Your Feet In Wet Cement"
MPEG Stream: "Tonight"

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"

PIERCED ARROWS Descending Shadows (Vice) cd 13.98
The sudden breakup of garage punk legends Dead Moon caught more than a few people off guard, but we safely assumed Fred and Toody Cole, rock n' roll lifers by definition, wouldn't sit still for too long. Now Fred and Toody are back at it with new drummer Kelly Halliburton, and fans of the Coles' vast musical history will surely rejoice. The sound is not too far removed from Dead Moon - in fact, we might go as far as to say that it isn't in any way removed - so if you dig scuzzy, no frills rock free of all bullshit, this will be right up your alley. Descending Shadows cuts right to the point with production that is upfront and immediate, not at all over the top, working perfectly for these impassioned tunes. Vocals are split pretty evenly between the Coles and there is plenty of great husband and wife punk harmonizing. The songs are full of classic Pacific Northwest fuzz and grit, with Toody's simple driving basslines and Halliburton's steady pound working right alongside Fred's melodic riffing. For fans of Dead Moon, this one is a no brainer, while Descending Shadows is also a highly worthy place to start for the uninitiated. Really awesome stuff, not surprisingly.
MPEG Stream: "This Is The Day"
MPEG Stream: "Paranoia"
MPEG Stream: "On The Move"

PIERCED ARROWS Descending Shadows (Vice) lp 15.98
Now available on vinyl!
The sudden breakup of garage punk legends Dead Moon caught more than a few people off guard, but we safely assumed Fred and Toody Cole, rock n' roll lifers by definition, wouldn't sit still for too long. Now Fred and Toody are back at it with new drummer Kelly Halliburton, and fans of the Coles' vast musical history will surely rejoice. The sound is not too far removed from Dead Moon - in fact, we might go as far as to say that it isn't in any way removed - so if you dig scuzzy, no frills rock free of all bullshit, this will be right up your alley. Descending Shadows cuts right to the point with production that is upfront and immediate, not at all over the top, working perfectly for these impassioned tunes. Vocals are split pretty evenly between the Coles and there is plenty of great husband and wife punk harmonizing. The songs are full of classic Pacific Northwest fuzz and grit, with Toody's simple driving basslines and Halliburton's steady pound working right alongside Fred's melodic riffing. For fans of Dead Moon, this one is a no brainer, while Descending Shadows is also a highly worthy place to start for the uninitiated. Really awesome stuff, not surprisingly.
MPEG Stream: "This Is The Day"
MPEG Stream: "Paranoia"
MPEG Stream: "On The Move"

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"

PIERSON, DAX AND ROBERT HORTON Pablo Feldman Sun Riley (AA / Nosordo) cd 14.98
Two local Bay Area luminaries team up to may tribute to their dub / drone / minimal idols, Augustus Pablo, Terry Riley, Morton Feldman, and Sun Ra, a pretty tall order, but these two are well up to the task. Dax Pierson, you might know from playing in Subtle and 13&God, Robert Horton, for his many drone-y and drifty cd-r releases (a bunch we've reviewed here) and tons of mind blowing collaborations with all sorts of fellow sonic travellers. A chance meeting and a discovered shared love of the above mentioned musical visionaries led these two to collaborate on this disc right here. A score written by Horton, Pierson on the melodica (shades of Pablo) some cello, some vocals, all blurred and stretched out into some minimal abstract dronedub, heavier on the drone, that manages to be haunting and mysterious, spacious and spare, warm and emotional.
The dub element is subtle, here and there the cello switches from long bowed notes to rubbery pizzicato melodies, Piersons wheezing chordal clusters spiral off into sweet major key figures, but they always slip back into a swirling shimmering miasma of warm washed out whir and buzz. The first half of the record sounds more like a Sunroof! record than a dub record, all keening high end and warm metallic reverberations. The record slips into some weird dubbed out field recordings part way through, sort of like Jewelled Antler remixed by King Tubby, before once again slipping into another sun dappled dreamy ur-drone.
Not knowing the roots of this collaboration, or perhaps if the record had a different title, one might not necessarily hear as much of the various elements and influences, but they are most definitely there, deftly employed within a sound that on the surface might at first sound like a more 'traditional' abstract ambient drone cd, but even then, there seems to be something just a little different going on, something strange, and mysterious, a sound or a vibe that transforms this into a sonic experience much more distinctive and unique, a 'something' you don't need to recognize or understand or even really hear consciously to enjoy. Beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Winterlong"
MPEG Stream: "When A Stone Speaks"

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 Natasha (Relapse) cd 14.98
Originally available as a bonus DVD audio disc with the first pressing of Pig Destroyer's Terrifyer album, the half hour plus track "Natasha" functions almost better as its own record (which it now is), seeing as it was pretty sonically removed from the rest of the grinding mayhem found on Terrifyer.
Rumored to have originally been intended for a two-part split with the similarly godlike (and sadly defunct) Creation Is Crucifixion, which never materialized, "Natasha" is possibly the single strangest and greatest effort yet from these Pig Destroying psychopaths. Extrapolating on the previous love-scorned dementia lyrical themes of their Prowler In The Yard opus, "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. 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 we say, beautiful - like a psylocybin-striated amalgam of Corrupted, Boris, Godflesh, Buried at Sea, Old Man Gloom and Neurosis. Includes the same disturbing short story liner notes as before, but with some gorgeously garish new artwork. Natasha is an absolute must-hear and definitely proves once again that Pig Destroyer remain at the very fore of extreme music innovation.
MPEG Stream: "Natasha (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Natasha (excerpt 2)"

PIG DESTROYER Natasha (Relapse) lp 16.98
Now also in stock on vinyl... Originally available as a bonus DVD audio disc with the first pressing of Pig Destroyer's Terrifyer album, the half hour plus track "Natasha" functions almost better as its own record (which it now is), seeing as it was pretty sonically removed from the rest of the grinding mayhem found on Terrifyer.
Rumored to have originally been intended for a two-part split with the similarly godlike (and sadly defunct) Creation Is Crucifixion, which never materialized, "Natasha" is possibly the single strangest and greatest effort yet from these Pig Destroying psychopaths. Extrapolating on the previous love-scorned dementia lyrical themes of their Prowler In The Yard opus, "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. 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 we say, beautiful - like a psylocybin-striated amalgam of Corrupted, Boris, Godflesh, Buried at Sea, Old Man Gloom and Neurosis. Includes the same disturbing short story liner notes as before, but with some gorgeously garish new artwork. Natasha is an absolute must-hear and definitely proves once again that Pig Destroyer remain at the very fore of extreme music innovation.
MPEG Stream: "Natasha (excerpt 1)"
MPEG Stream: "Natasha (excerpt 2)"

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 alikeÉ
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.
Abd still, record after record, Pig Destroyer remain 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 Terrifyer (Relapse) cd + dvd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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 / GNOB split (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.

PIG HEART TRANSPLANT Hope You Enjoy Heaven (Sweatlung) cd 10.98
What might you expect from a band called Pig Heart Transplant? With a record called Hope You Enjoy Heaven? And song titles like "Prison / Fortress", "Crawling Through Hell", "Abject. Debased. Diseased" and "I Video Tape Your Diet"? What if the band featured members of Spazz, Silentist, Iron Lung, Despise You, Artimus Pyle, Gob, Brainoil and more? What if we told you they shared some splits with dirgedoomnoise duo Blue Sabbath Black Cheer? Yeah, you'd probably come up with something like THIS.
A punishing slab of slow motion power violence, crushing downtuned guitars, pounding drums, harsh hellish vokills, everything dripping with filth and murk, total Man Is The Bastard worship for sure. Low end all over the place. Some tracks the guitars are burning hot, the production way in the red, others are super creeped out murkscapes of industrial pound and processed vox, while still others are sludge-doom trawls through all manner of crusty low slung dirgemetal, and a couple are long buzzing drones, with howled vocals over the top, sounding a bit like a low end deathmetal Whitehouse. Maybe our favorite track though, is "Feeding From Your Trough", reminding us a bit of Geronimo, a fucked up mechanical sprawl of pounding crunch and hissing static, dripping with distortion and noise, locked into a stumbling lurching rhythm, with some chunks of grinding heaviness that sound like they could blow out your speakers, slipping from clipped robotic trudge, to hateful blacknoise dirge and back again. Some seriously harrowing shit for sure. Which as you probably know by now, means WAY recommended. At least for those in the mood for some murky and menacing musical punishment!
MPEG Stream: "Prison / Fortress"
MPEG Stream: "Conquering The Flesh"
MPEG Stream: "I Video Tape Your Diet"

PIG HEART TRANSPLANT Hope You Enjoy Heaven (What We Do Is Secret) lp + 7" 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We reviewed the cd version of this filthy sonic gem a while back, we managed to get our hands on a VERY few of the super limited and already OUT OF PRINT, ultra deluxe vinyl version. Not only is the cover gorgeous and thick and hand silkscreened and super striking, but it comes with an extra song not on the cd, and includes a bonus 7" with tracks from some old out of print tape. So act fast, these will be gone quick...
What might you expect from a band called Pig Heart Transplant? With a record called Hope You Enjoy Heaven? And song titles like "Prison / Fortress", "Crawling Through Hell", "Abject. Debased. Diseased" and "I Video Tape Your Diet"? What if the band featured members of Spazz, Silentist, Iron Lung, Despise You, Artimus Pyle, Gob, Brainoil and more? What if we told you they shared some splits with dirgedoomnoise duo Blue Sabbath Black Cheer? Yeah, you'd probably come up with something like THIS.
A punishing slab of slow motion power violence, crushing downtuned guitars, pounding drums, harsh hellish vokills, everything dripping with filth and murk, total Man Is The Bastard worship for sure. Low end all over the place. Some tracks the guitars are burning hot, the production way in the red, others are super creeped out murkscapes of industrial pound and processed vox, while still others are sludge-doom trawls through all manner of crusty low slung dirgemetal, and a couple are long buzzing drones, with howled vocals over the top, sounding a bit like a low end deathmetal Whitehouse. Maybe our favorite track though, is "Feeding From Your Trough", reminding us a bit of Geronimo, a fucked up mechanical sprawl of pounding crunch and hissing static, dripping with distortion and noise, locked into a stumbling lurching rhythm, with some chunks of grinding heaviness that sound like they could blow out your speakers, slipping from clipped robotic trudge, to hateful blacknoise dirge and back again. Some seriously harrowing shit for sure. Which as you probably know by now, means WAY recommended. At least for those in the mood for some murky and menacing musical punishment.
MPEG Stream: "Prison / Fortress"
MPEG Stream: "Conquering The Flesh"
MPEG Stream: "I Video Tape Your Diet"

PIG HEART TRANSPLANT Nature b/w Nurture (Deer Healer) 7" 4.50
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Folks went nuts for the PHT full length we reviewed a few weeks back, so here we have two new slabs of murky, muddy, downtuned sludge drenched power violence. Both tracks are gloriously crusty and filthy and so so so heavy, and would have fit perfectly on the full length.
One side features a massive lurching riff over machinelike drumming and howled vokills, pounding and relentless but strangely hypnotic almost like a sludgier Geronimo. The flip side is even doomier and more spaced out, with crushing low end, squiggly streaks of feedback, all wound into a lumbering grinding slow motion behemoth, with glass gargling vocals all beneath a thick layer of buzzy grit.
The weird part about this 7" is that both tracks, each side, features essentially an entirely different lineup! There's only one guy who plays on both sides and on one he plays drums, while on the other he plays bass. We knew they were a sort of collective and this seems to prove it. Especially considering that both sides definitely and distinctly reek of that filthy blackness that could only be Pig Heart Transplant.
LIMITED TO 400 COPIES. Packaged in hand stamped plain red sleeves with a printed red bottom obi.

PIG HEART TRANSPLANT / JUHYO split (Hear More!) 7" 8.98
Latest chunk of blackened heaviness from aQ faves, Pig Heart Transplant, who we just discovered are now aQ neighbors! Not sure most folks would be all that thrilled to discover these guys were your new neighbors, not once they feasted their ears on this stuff. Downtuned pounding sludge, Godflesh style, or maybe Swans, metal laced with industrial pummel, massive grinding guitars, monstrous drumming, harsh vox that slip into deep bellowed croons, some sort of churning, chugging avant noise rock doom, like some impossible hybrid of Swans/Wolf Eyes/Godflesh/Eyehategod, or something. The track has a rad outro of abstract buzz, laced with strange bursts of metallic clatter, washed out and eerily hypnotic.
PHT are up against Juhyo, who we've never heard before, but after hearing this are way into checking out more. A glitched out electronic buzz gives way to something much more haunting and droney, deep sonic swells beneath processed reverbed samples, the vibe super cinematic, the track drifts and drifts until it's swallowed up by a wall of SuUNNO)))-like thrum, pelted with streaks of sine wave high end, before melting down into a droney creepy sample heavy drift. So good.
LIMITED TO 300 COPIES. Housed in super swank silk screened silver on black sleeves with similarly printed and #'d inserts.

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

PIGEON JOHN Is Dating Your Sister (Basement) cd 14.98

PIGEONS Hearts (Olde English Spelling Bee) 7" 8.98
Second of two new seven inches from the Olde English Spelling Bee label (the other by Ducktails, reviewed elsewhere on this list), two new tracks from husband and wife psych folk duo Pigeons, whose sound is like a modern take on that classic seventies Wickerman acid psych folk sound, but a bit more twisted, flecked with bits of electronics, effects, not to mention fairly unorthodox arrangements, which is no doubt aided by the involvement of various guests including some No Neck Blues Band-ers.
The A side starts out all softly psychedelic and folky, sweetly strummed acoustic guitars, lush vocal harmonies, subtle slippery lap steel, but then all of sudden in swoops some weirdly almost funky bass, along with swirls of effected melodies and distorted psychedelic guitar leads making it sound almost like some strange psych folk / Portishead / no wave hybrid, but all the disparate elements woven into something dark and lovely.
The B side begins with brittle, skeletal old school style drum machine, horns and tendrils of distorted guitar, an odd assortment, but again Pigeons are able to fuse those bits and bobbles into a gorgeously off kilter hazy seventies sounding bit of lo-fi folk pop, laced with angular guitars, buried vox, and other bits of sonic weirdness, managing to sound strange and mysterious but still lush and lovely.