EIGHTEEN VISIONS s/t (Epic / Trustkill) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Our Darkest Days"
MPEG Stream: "Victim"
MPEG Stream: "Truth Or Consequence"

EIH, A.L.K. AND BROTHER CLARK, DAMIN Never Mind (Nero's Neptune) cd 14.98
This one pretty much floored us when we first put it on. Track one, "Tourniquet", begins quietly, with a droning sound swelling up slowly, so we didn't expect the shocking outburst of sick fuzz that then erupts, the rest of the song alternating between distorted, disjointed riffs and gentler melodic parts. Its unhinged freakiness immediately made us think of Michael Yonkers' similarly crazed Microminiature Love album, a total genius AQ fave. So what the heck is this? The mysterious trio of Damin Eih, A.L.K. and Brother Clark (from Minneapolis, just like Yonkers) made this wonderfully twisted psychedelic rock record in 1973, privately releasing it into almost total obscurity and eventual psych-rock collector dreams. But thank the reissue gods, it's been deservedly rescued from oblivion and boy howdy is it ever something that we're happy to hear and we think you'll be happy about it too.
The eleven tracks feature fragile vocal melodies, delicate 12-string strum, weird trippy lyrics (telling you to "take off your eyes, lie down in your head" or chanting "world is ridiculous" over and over), and a few further doses of that aforementioned totally sick fuzz guitar (which doesn't really return in full force until the final track). Most of the album is fairly spaced out, the many mellower songs all delightfully druggy, dreamy, drifty... there's really some quite lovely stuff on here, in keeping with the trio's obvious interest in Eastern mysticism and inner mind trips. Furthermore, for an apparently underground DIY production, it's actually rather ambitious and accomplished, with effective vocal harmonies, electronic embellishments, ethnic instruments, and other interesting orchestration. Stuff like the Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" sounds like an influence... as does that song's obvious inspiration too.
Along with Yonkers, another AQ fave we could compare this to would be the Alice Cooper Band's psychedelic debut Pretties For You... but more surreal and subversive. Alice, even in his later shock-rock showman guise, would have shied away from lyrics like "rape and kill your parents or the blacks, and if you're one of those you can rape and kill the others back", a line found here in the deviant blues rocker "Return Naked" that ends this album with tour-de-force of really warped hippie-punk attitude and ultra-distorted, rubbery megafuzz riffage (the idea behind the song, we think, being about how the war is over in Vietnam, so now what?).
Never Mind is an album that's also possessed of the same lost and lysgeric vibe we got from another early '70s private press rarity reissued a while back, Stone Harbour's Emerges. And '80s psych savant Bobb Trimble could be another good comparison in parts ("Thundermice" in particular). Oh, and if you're gonna get the Dwarr reissue we made record of the week, this would make a good companion purchase, though despite some heavy moments it's not in any way metal, it still seems to share some of the same outsider DNA, this is possibly what Dwarr would have sounded like in '73 instead of '86...
Sadly, this digipack contains no liner notes to speak of, just recording credits, too bad 'cause we're sure there's quite a story behind and beyond this album, from what we've been able to glean from other sources about main member Damin Eih vanishing to India not long after this was originally released.
MPEG Stream: "Tourniquet"
MPEG Stream: "Thundermice"
MPEG Stream: "Marching Together"

EIH, A.L.K. AND BROTHER CLARK, DAMIN Never Mind (Nero's Neptune) lp 37.00
This obscure reissue now available on vinyl!!!
This one pretty much floored us when we first put it on. Track one, "Tourniquet", begins quietly, with a droning sound swelling up slowly, so we didn't expect the shocking outburst of sick fuzz that then erupts, the rest of the song alternating between distorted, disjointed riffs and gentler melodic parts. Its unhinged freakiness immediately made us think of Michael Yonkers' similarly crazed Microminiature Love album, a total genius AQ fave. So what the heck is this? The mysterious trio of Damin Eih, A.L.K. and Brother Clark (from Minneapolis, just like Yonkers) made this wonderfully twisted psychedelic rock record in 1973, privately releasing it into almost total obscurity and eventual psych-rock collector dreams. But thank the reissue gods, it's been deservedly rescued from oblivion and boy howdy is it ever something that we're happy to hear and we think you'll be happy about it too.
The eleven tracks feature fragile vocal melodies, delicate 12-string strum, weird trippy lyrics (telling you to "take off your eyes, lie down in your head" or chanting "world is ridiculous" over and over), and a few further doses of that aforementioned totally sick fuzz guitar (which doesn't really return in full force until the final track). Most of the album is fairly spaced out, the many mellower songs all delightfully druggy, dreamy, drifty... there's really some quite lovely stuff on here, in keeping with the trio's obvious interest in Eastern mysticism and inner mind trips. Furthermore, for an apparently underground DIY production, it's actually rather ambitious and accomplished, with effective vocal harmonies, electronic embellishments, ethnic instruments, and other interesting orchestration. Stuff like the Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" sounds like an influence... as does that song's obvious inspiration too.
Along with Yonkers, another AQ fave we could compare this to would be the Alice Cooper Band's psychedelic debut Pretties For You... but more surreal and subversive. Alice, even in his later shock-rock showman guise, would have shied away from lyrics like "rape and kill your parents or the blacks, and if you're one of those you can rape and kill the others back", a line found here in the deviant blues rocker "Return Naked" that ends this album with tour-de-force of really warped hippie-punk attitude and ultra-distorted, rubbery megafuzz riffage (the idea behind the song, we think, being about how the war is over in Vietnam, so now what?).
Never Mind is an album that's also possessed of the same lost and lysgeric vibe we got from another early '70s private press rarity reissued a while back, Stone Harbour's Emerges. And '80s psych savant Bobb Trimble could be another good comparison in parts ("Thundermice" in particular). Oh, and if you're gonna get the Dwarr reissue we made record of the week, this would make a good companion purchase, though despite some heavy moments it's not in any way metal, it still seems to share some of the same outsider DNA, this is possibly what Dwarr would have sounded like in '73 instead of '86...
MPEG Stream: "Tourniquet"
MPEG Stream: "Thundermice"
MPEG Stream: "Marching Together"

EIKO, ISHIBASHI & TATSUYA YOSHIDA Slip Beneath The Distant Tree (Rhythm Tracks) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, if you're a fan of the Japanese prog-core duo Ruins and their amazing drummer and musical mastermind Tatsuya Yoshida, you already know he's a big fan of '70s progressive rock. Of course. It's pretty obvious, even if you've never experienced the Ruins' infamous "Prog Rock Medley". Ruins wouldn't be Ruins without the influence of classic '70s bands like Magma, Area, and Henry Cow. Here, Yoshida -really- gets proggy, though, paying tribute to some of his inspirations in that genre (and, classical music too) with both a batch of worthy originals and several exquisite cover versions as well.
At home in yet another duo situation, Tatsuya Yoshida (vocals, drums, programming, keys, acoustic guitar) teams up with Eiko Ishibashi (vocals, piano, keys, flute), to turn in 14 tracks of utter prog nirvana, stuff that's gorgeously melodic and mathematically mindboggling, both.
Fans of Ruins, Koenjihyakkei, Tairikuotoko vs. Sanmaykuonna, and other manifestations of Yoshida's prog-obsession will be drooling, from the sweet female vocals and quirky hectic changes of "Festival Of Teeth" to the amusing, impressive ADD-antics of the quite clever "Classic Medley" (all 1 minute, 21 seconds of it), from the dizzying "The Invention Of A Parachute" to the thickly synth-buzzed, heavy and haunting "Planet Of Reverberation" which ends the disc... Wow.
While that "Classic Medley" has a tongue-in-cheek, showoffish element we're sure, this duo also respectfully give props to a few of their influences with some other covers, including songs by This Heat ("Twilight Furniture"), Soft Machine ("As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still"), Genesis ("Time Table"), and Debussy ("Doctor Gradus Ad Pernassum")! You know what? Even if you've never ever heard Ruins before, we would still recommend this to the curious, who could just as easily as any old school prog diehard be thrilled by this elegant, intricate music. Especially since, with both the covers and originals, these two manage to strike a stellar balance between the technical, excitingly indulgent side of prog, and truly lovely, uh, songishness. So nice!
And now we're curious to hear more from Ms. Eiko...
MPEG Stream: "Sanctuary"
MPEG Stream: "The Invention Of A Parachute"
MPEG Stream: "Classic Medley"
MPEG Stream: "Planet Of Reverberation"

EIN HEIT The Lightning And The Sun (Temporary Freedom) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Silkworm hooks back up with ex-member and solo star Joel Phelps, changing the band name back to what they were called before they were Silkworm, and record a brand-new disc. Who woulda thunk it etc.

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN 1/2 Mensch (Potomak) cd 16.98
Halber Mensch ('half man' in German) originally came out in 1985, at the height of the apex of punk self-immolation, pure German expressionism, and industrial theatricality. The infernal vocal chorale of the title track is about as intense as a vocal piece could ever be, without resorting to pure guttural howling. Here is it a searing repetition of an atonal plainsong, buttressed by the always unique snarl of frontman Blixa Bargeld. The repurposed metals from junkyards and constructions site which have become synonymous with Neubauten immediately appear afterwards on their anthemic single "Yu-Gung (Fuetter Mein Ego)," whose insistent rhythm works almost Gamelan-like as the principal melody to this amazing tune. It should also be pointed out that Pussy Galore, who were already heavily indebted to EN, covered this on their Sugar Shit Sharp ep! later As a grand climax to the album, Neubauten again returns to hellish imagery through the symphony of bowed metals on "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy," where these cacophonic scrapes amass into a dramatic arc of acoustic noise that easily parallels those same constructions that David Jackman built in Organum.
This is one of those seminal records that should always be in print, and one of those records that you should already have. But if not, you shouldn't pass this up!
MPEG Stream: "Halber Mensch"
MPEG Stream: "Yu-Gung "
MPEG Stream: "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN 1/2 Mensch (Potomak) lp 16.98
A vinyl reissue of one of the best Einsturzende Neubauten recordings! Halber Mensch ('half man' in German) originally came out in 1985, at the height of the apex of punk self-immolation, pure German expressionism, and industrial theatricality. The infernal vocal chorale of the title track is about as intense as a vocal piece could ever be, without resorting to pure guttural howling. Here is it a searing repetition of an atonal plainsong, buttressed by the always unique snarl of frontman Blixa Bargeld. The repurposed metals from junkyards and constructions site which have become synonymous with Neubauten immediately appear afterwards on their anthemic single "Yu-Gung (Fuetter Mein Ego)," whose insistent rhythm works almost Gamelan-like as the principal melody to this amazing tune. It should also be pointed out that Pussy Galore, who were already heavily indebted to EN, covered this on their Sugar Shit Sharp ep! later As a grand climax to the album, Neubauten again returns to hellish imagery through the symphony of bowed metals on "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy," where these cacophonic scrapes amass into a dramatic arc of acoustic noise that easily parallels those same constructions that David Jackman built through Organum. This is one of those seminal records that should always be in print, and one of those records that you should already have. But if not, you shouldn't pass this up!

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN 1991-2001: Strategies Against Architecture III (Mute) 2cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On September 12, Blixa Bargeld wandered into Aquarius after hearing that his US tour with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds had been cancelled. While I had never met the man before, his demeanor was certainly curt and somewhat cold, muttering his disapproval that we didn't have any of his records in stock. He bought a copy of The Wire and the new Bjork record (if you must know) and was off. I'll admit to being a little shaken to have encountered one of my teen heroes (and thus stumbled through a clumsy introduction), yet the timing of his visit to the States was even more unsettling; for here was a man whose main project has been imploring the metaphors of collapsed architecture as a means for personal and communal exorcisms. Due to my social blunder, I never got to ask for his thoughts on the destruction of the World Trade Center. It may be impossible to set the tragedy and horror of the 9/11 events aside to posit the question to leftist artists, commentators, and organizations: "Isn't the destruction of a symbol as weighty as the World Trade Center what you wanted all along?" Of course the answer predictably will be, "You asshole, how dare you ask that question!" But at sometime, every punk, anarchist, anti-WTO activist, and leftist thinker is gonna have to stop being in shock and answer that question. No, I haven't an answer myself, but I think it will scare me.
If I had been able to muster the courage to ask Bargeld for his thoughts, I could imagine that his answer would be something poetic but vaguely haunting, and maybe something a little bit more allegorical than Stockhausen's recent social gaffes. Or maybe, those are the attributes that I'd like his words to have, and he would just shrug it off as another stupid question from another stupid American. Yet, Bargeld and his stalwart project Einsturzende Neubauten have been engaged in presenting multiple possibilities for the end of the world within evolving musical theatres, ranging from their early brutalism of hammering infernal music out of metal and flesh to their more recent offerings of staged melodramas around Bargeld's lyrical complexities and restrained vocalizations. Thus, I would hope that Bargeld may have something intelligent and insightful to say about the WTC attacks.
"Strategies Against Architecture III," subtitled "A Comedy of Errors" was obviously never intended to be Bargeld's specific answer; but within the current cultural climate, it does address the general themes. Over the last decade, Neubauten has calmed their industrial clamour and embraced the tasteful palette of a chamber ensemble, with strings and horns fleshing out their recent sound. It is obvious that Neubauten has changed with age, looking back at their early work through eyes that no longer seek expression through self-destruction. Rather, Neubauten stands in the ashes of their attempts at self-destruction seeing that the epistomological forces of life may in fact be stronger than the will to destroy. The gleefully abject explosions that made up their earliest work now quietly smolder within the pleasant, strangely cabaret-like, and almost holistically beneficial music found within "Strategies III."
In essence, Neubauten's third compilation of rarities, alternate takes and 'greatest hits' finds their existential angst getting all warm and fuzzy. While I've been wholly disappointed by their work over the past decade, "Strategies III" makes for an nice condensed history for a time period in which existential answers were sought in lieu of taking aesthetic adventures.
RealAudio clip: "Three Thoughts (Devils Sect)"
RealAudio clip: "Wurst (Ballet Version)"
RealAudio clip: "Open Fire"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Alles Wieder Offen (Potomak) cd 16.98
Admittedly, we approached this new Einsturzende Neubauten album with a little bit of apprehension. In our humble opinion, their recordings from the last decade and a half have fallen so far short of what you'd expect from a group that were absolute music groundbreakers (literally!). Seriously can Silence Is Sexy or Perpetuum Mobile hold a candle (or blowtorch) to Halber Mensch or Drawings Of Patient O.T.? We think not. So Alles Wieder Offen comes as something of a pleasant (hmmm, that's sort of a weird word to use with regards to this band, isn't it?) surprise. It's almost like Blixa Bargeld and co. had a wake up call (albeit a not so aggressive one) that shook them out of their velvet draped parlor and back into the rubble-strewn dank warehouse... at least for a brief spell. For one thing Bargeld is alternating his vocal croon with his former urgent bark. While there still isn't any of the early brutal thunder of heavy machinery, there are atmospheres filled with icy Germanic scowls and white knuckles. Hypnotic male chants, buzzing electronics, blunt object thuds, and metallic clatter too. At long last, Einsturzende Neubauten may have struck an affecting integration of what has long seemed disconcertingly at odds -- their early defiant dissonance and newer refined elegance.
MPEG Stream: "Nagorny Karabach"
MPEG Stream: "Weil Weil Weil"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Faustmusik (Mute) cd 15.98

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Halber Mensch (Thirsty Ear) cd 14.98

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Kalte Sterne - Early Recordings (Mute) cd 16.98
Do you like early Einsturzende Neubauten (Kollaps, Strategies Against Architecture)? Yeah? Great; then you don't want to miss Kalte Sterne, the new collection of Einsturzende Neubauten's early 7"s, surrounded by many previously unreleased recordings. Most of these were impossible to find the first time around, and represent the beginning of the brilliant German group's (literally) metallic, Dadaist anti-music. Thirteen tracks of scraping atonal genius by the group arguably most responsible for connecting the ideas of 20th century avant-garde composers and '-isms' with the underground art-rock audience. Kalte Sterne reveals a dub sense not readily apparent on the first full length albums, as well as surprisingly well formed looks at their trademark post-Faust, homemade musique concrete. Early Einsturzende Neubauten is iconclastic, ubiquitous and absolutely unique. If you've ever wished for more early-style Einsturzende Neubauten, before they mellowed considerably and became more like 'regular music', here it is. Kalte Sterne is 'noise' in the truest and best sense, for every adventurous ear.
MPEG Stream: "Kalte Sterne"
MPEG Stream: "Tan-Ze-Dub"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Kollaps (Potomak) cd 16.98
Kollaps. The first album from Einsturzende Neubauten, released back in 1981, found the band as a trio with the wild-throated frontman Blixa Bargeld buttressed by the anarcho-rhythmicists N.U. Unruh and F.M. Einheit. The band photo of Neubauten on Kollaps is quite telling, as a it parodies Pink Floyd's grand collection of instruments that emblazoned the back cover of Ummagumma. Instead of the marching band sized collection of drums and mallets, there's an assortment of hammers, pipes, a couple of drills, a cheap looking synth, an ax (yeah, there is a guitar, but there's also an ax!), and sheet metal twisted in the shape of drumheads. These are the instruments that Neubauten uses in the hyper-primitive, industrial-punk tracks found on Kollaps. Neubauten's amplified junkyard was a clearly a bold statement of DIY primitivism, this trio was not without their structural prowess, crafting anthemic blasts out of their rhythmic churns, bristling with sparkplug noise and rabid distortion. "Tanz Debil" is curiously catchy in its amplified shopping cart bashing which Unruh & Einheit hammer out to accompany the demon-then-zombie vocal delivery from Blixa Bargeld. The title track is a 8 minute monochord mantra, and the band actually pulls off an instrumental cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'Aime." Very rough around the edges, but there is a serious-minded, infernal poetry of pain, anger, and rage focused through these scrap metal arrangements. It's great to have this in stock, as Kollaps is a tremendous record.
MPEG Stream: "Tanz Debil"
MPEG Stream: "Kollaps"
MPEG Stream: "Negativ Nein"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Listen With Pain: 20 Years Of Einsturzende Neubauten (Cherry Red Films) dvd 30.00

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Perpetuum Mobile (Mute) cd 16.98
It appears that as Einsturzende Neubauten near a quarter century of existence, they've set aside their cognac glasses and smoking jackets for the time being -- a good thing! Of course, that's not to say that they've returned to their early 80's groundbreaking visceral fury (see: Drawing Of Patient O.T. and Halber Mensch). No, sadly this is not the case. Like its predecessor, 2000's Silence Is Sexy, Perpetuum Mobile's focus is on subdued refinement and somber reflection with often quite beautiful percussive results. There is an overriding sense of heavy fatigue and mournfulness that resonates throughout the album, however, a particular low point of this despairing tone is Blixa Bargeld's tedious, uninspired chant in the fourth track "Selbstportrait Mit Kater" of "Life on other planets is difficult... so difficult". Had to hit the 'skip' button after his first few rounds.
MPEG Stream: "Ich Gehe Jetzt"
MPEG Stream: "Selbstportrait Mit Kater"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Silence Is Sexy (Mute) 2cd 22.00
After Marc Chung and FM Einheit left Einsturzende Neubauten, Blixa ended up getting fat...and boring.

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Strategies Against Architecture IV: 2002- 2010 (Mute) 2cd 21.00

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Strategies Against Architecture IV: 2002- 2010 (Mute) 2cd 21.00

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Tabula Rasa (Mute ) 2cd 21.00
The differences between the Einsturzende Neubauten of the '80s and the Einsturzende Neubauten of the '90s are like night and day. The band's early days were spent mucking around junkyards and cold warehouses which proved to be the perfect setting for their spectacular investigations into 'the abject' through the physical abrasion of metal percussion, discordant guitars, and the pained yelp of Blixa Bargeld. These were the days of their best material, as found on such masterpieces of industrialized angst as Drawings of OT and Halber Menche. Much had been made about the fall of the Berlin Wall and Neubauten's aesthetic shift. Political allusions aside, it's quite clear that the Neubauten that produced Tabula Rasa had undergone a profound shift from their early days of blood, grit, and steel. Donning the finest Italian suits and moving with a theatrical swagger, Neubauten merely threatens to physically confront you with rhythmic intensity or the powers of horror. They've actually managed to stretch out their fading career with this strategy. If only we could all be that lucky. When they do launch into a big jackhammer rhythm as found on Tabula Rasa's "Headcleaner," their creaking joints and tired sinews don't really have it in them anymore.
This reissue features a bonus disc with all of the material from the Interim and Malediction singles which came out around the same time as Tabula Rasa.
MPEG Stream: "Die Interimsliebenden"
MPEG Stream: "Headcleaner"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN The Jewels (Potomak) cd + book 16.98
Much will be made of the strategies that Einsturzende Neubauten used in making The Jewels. Frontman Blixa Bargeld devised a series of Tarot-like cards which represented the vast collection of materials which are at Neubauten's disposal - steel, tin, zinc, wood, plastic, glass, ceramics. The entire band would then draw cards, and the compositional process would begin. The tracks tend be a bit shorter than the typical Neubauten opus, and the songs follow the recent aesthetic shifts towards quieter, controlled orchestration for their unusual materials. On a few tracks, there are hints of their formerly infernal selves, glancing back to one of the last true masterpieces Funf Auf Der Nach Oben Offenen Richterskala. Originally released as a subscription only download through their website; now available with a 40 minute film as a Quicktime movie and large book with lyrics and Blixa's insight into the process.
MPEG Stream: "Robert Fuzzo"
MPEG Stream: "Die Ebenen Werden Nicht Vermischt"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Zeichnungen Das Patienten O.T. (Drawings Of Patient O.T.) (Potomak) cd 16.98
A brilliant reissue from the seminal German industrial ensemble Einsturzende Neubauten. This album represented the first full realization of the Neubauten project, with F.M. Einheit and Marc Chung (both hailing from the underappreciated post-punk ensemble Abwarts) joining the trio of Blixa Bargeld, Alexander Hacke, and N.U. Unruh. The O.T. from the title of this record references Oswald Tschirtner, a resident of psychiatric hospital for artists, where the patient created these compulsive drawings out of the unkempt visions in his head. Such is the way the Neubauten seeks to employ sound on this record: cracked, naive, and dangerous. Found objects, stolen radio transmissions, repurposed machinery, and lots of metal bashing appear in this album, inspired as much by musique concrete juxtaposition as by punk fury. The desolate drone-centric piece "Armenia" and the propulsive "Vandium I-Ching" represent two of the extremes found on this ever-impressive album.
MPEG Stream: "Vanadium-I-Ching"
MPEG Stream: "Abfackeln!"
MPEG Stream: "Armenia"
MPEG Stream: "DNS Wasserturm"

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN Zeichnungen Das Patienten O.T. (Drawings Of Patient O.T.) (Potomak) lp 16.98
A brilliant reissue from the seminal German industrial ensemble Einsturzende Neubauten. This album represented the first full realization of the Neubauten project, with F.M. Einheit and Marc Chung (both hailing from the underappreciated post-punk ensemble Abwarts) joining the trio of Blixa Bargeld, Alexander Hacke, and N.U. Unruh. The O.T. from the title of this record references Oswald Tschirtner, a resident of psychiatric hospital for artists, where the patient created these compulsive drawings out of the unkempt visions in his head. Such is the way the Neubauten seeks to employ sound on this record: cracked, naive, and dangerous. Found objects, stolen radio transmissions, repurposed machinery, and lots of metal bashing appear in this album, inspired as much by musique concrete juxtaposition as by punk fury. The desolate drone-centric piece "Armenia" and the propulsive "Vandium I-Ching" represent two of the extremes found on this ever-impressive album.
MPEG Stream: "Vanadium-I-Ching"
MPEG Stream: "Abfackeln!"
MPEG Stream: "Armenia"
MPEG Stream: "DNS Wasserturm"

EISENBERG, JEWLIA Trilectic (Tzadik) cd 15.98
It's Jewlia Eisenberg from the local Idiot-Flesh-related group Charming Hostess! Along with a few similarly angel-voiced men and women, Jewlia has constructed an album of intricate harmonies -- all of it a capella and just bell clear. Elements of Bulgarian women's choir, songs sung in German, etc. Really deft vocal work, although somehow a little geeky.
RealAudio clip: "Meister of Kultur"

EITZEL, MARK Candy Ass (Cooking Vinyl) cd 17.98
Mark Eitzel presents two of his very distinct musical personalities on his latest solo outing (which goes by the odd, somewhat ill-fitting title Candy Ass) -- his trademark somber Americana sound of his full band American Music Club and his less familiar, but just as moody, Radiohead-ish atmospheric electronic tracks. Really, it's a bit boggling that he chose to combine the two when he could easily have released two separate totally cohesive solid albums. When played in the store, it had folks asking, "Is this still the Mark Eitzel?!" Each song unto itself is pretty darn gorgeous, but mixing 'em up like this only makes it difficult for the listener to immerse him/herself in either. Of course, maybe that's what Eitzel intended (i.e, to journey through various different 'places'), but his chosen running order just leads you in one direction only to leave you hangin'. Perhaps, you won't find this detail as distracting as we did.
MPEG Stream: "My Pet Rat St Michael"
MPEG Stream: "A Loving Tribute To My City"

EITZEL, MARK Caught In A Trap And I Can't Back 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby (Matador) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New album from former singer of American Music Club who now lives in New York.

EITZEL, MARK Caught In A Trap And I Can't Back 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby (Matador) lp 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
New album from former singer of American Music Club who now lives in New York.

EITZEL, MARK It Is Important Throughout Your Life to Proclaim Your Joy (Matador) cd ep 8.98
Long awaited new single from local troubadour of the downtrodden, Mark Eitzel. The title track is certainly Eitzel's most upbeat song EVER, with barely a hint of the abject depression that marked his solo work and long tenure with American Music Club. It features a rapidfire monologue delivery sort of like Bob Dylan, and has a neo-folk-pop vibe to it, like John Wesley Harding or Billy Bragg. Comes with 2 non-album tracks, one a downer that old fans of Eitzel will like, and one "swing" version of the title track. Also has some backward-masking embellishments that hint at the electronics he's decided to experiment with on his upcoming new record. We wait in fear.
RealAudio clip: "It Is Important Throughout Your Life to Proclaim Your Joy"

EITZEL, MARK Music For Courage And Confidence (New West) cd 16.98
Mon dieu! Do my ears deceive me? Alas, the worst is true: Mark Eitzel has made a covers album. That's right. The amazing Mark Eitzel, formerly of American Music Club, who were local but had cultishly loyal fans the world over, has made an album of songs like "Snowbird", "Ain't No Sunshine", "More More More" (y'know, that old disco ditty "how do you like it how do you like it..."), "I Only Have Eyes for You", and even "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me". Argh! Mark, don't listen to the people who're putting these awful ideas into your head! Johan Kugelberg, who takes *full credit* for the project in the liner notes, apparently [1] came up with the idea, [2] picked the songs, and [3] assembled the musicians (including AQ-pal / super keyboardist Marc Capelle). Did Eitzel have anything to do with it besides lending his voice? Doesn't sound like it.
I'm a huge AMC and Eitzel fan, but dang this record is dismal. Here's why: Eitzel's voice and lyrics -- which once had meaning and depth for AMC/Eitzel fans, which once came from his heart -- has been reduced to nothing but a 'style'. Weak loungejazz singing might work for Harry Connick Jr, but how dare anyone try to superficialize (is that a word?) Mark Eitzel. His voice hasn't got the range nor the appropriate bland sappiness to carry off the tunes they way they "should" be covered. He sounds really muted and only half-caring, as if he knows how wrong the whole idea was. The band is similarly hesitant (except on the Curtis Mayfield song where they funk it up tolerably well.) Mark's voice is far more suited to the angst-ridden catharsis AMC records trafficked in.
Yes, I'm biased in favor of his older music but this... this isn't even his *new* material -- they're not his songs! (And yes, if the covers were truly well done I would totally applaud the project... but they are bad bad bad.) A sad thumbs-down for the many fans including myself who've been patiently waiting for new Eitzel songs.
RealAudio clip: "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
RealAudio clip: "More, More, More"

EITZEL, MARK The Invisible Man (Matador) cd 14.98
Mark Eitzel has long been an AQ-favorite, the local troubadour of the downtrodden whose work with American Music Club and thru three+ solo albums was so stellar that there was a time I would never ever miss one of his shows. Eitzel's newest solo album was completed mostly on his own using ProTools and a guitar in his living room. You wouldn't know it from the sound, though, as it is as full and lush as anything he's ever done. The thing is, he's started experimenting with electronica on some of the songs, and personally I have to say it isn't working for me. No matter how hushed and backgrounded the electronica bits are, they tend to overtake his voice. And that's a pity, as it is Eitzel's voice that should always be foregrounded. And the electronica bits tend to rush along without pause, when much of what sent chills down Eitzel's fans spines are when the music stops and he wails unaccompanied. I'm all for artists expanding their musical horizons, but in this case I just don't think it works. I think organic guitar and non-programmed drums are way more suited to his style. However, you should decide for yourself by listening to the soundclips. Maybe I'm just an old fart.
RealAudio clip: "The Boy with the Hammer"
RealAudio clip: "Proclaim Your Joy"

EITZEL, MARK Ugly American, The (Thirsty Ear) cd 16.98
Hot on the heels of the exciting news that American Music Club are re-forming for a long awaited live show (Aug 21 at Makeout), here comes this leftfield project from Mark Eitzel. He was invited to play a live show in Greece, and ended up making a whole album with traditional Greek musicians as backup band. That's right, you'll hear mandolin, bouzouki, and tzouras right there along with the simple string section of violin, viola, etc. And the best news is... it's good! So reserve that pre-judgement tendency (ahem, I had to) and just listen. It's quite good. It doesn't "rock", mind you -- it isn't supposed to. This is more Eitzel than AMC. The unusual instrumentation adds a layer of pathos and real urgency to Eitzel's already stirring, deeply poignant tales of depression.
Song choices include two new pieces, and the remainder cover the gamut of Eitzel's career, with a healthy dose of older material such as "Western Sky", "Nightwatchman", "Last Harbor". A highlight is an almost sprightly version of that classic Eitzel downer "Take Courage". Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Here They Roll Down"
MPEG Stream: "Take Courage"

EKTROVERDE Futuro - A New Stance For Tomorrow (Ektro) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

EKTROVERDE Integral (Snowdownia / Mizmaze) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
What a breath of fresh air! As if a new Circle album wasn't enough (see "Prospekt" elsewhere on this list), there's also a new release from this Circle side-project. A side project staffed *entirely* by members of Circle, we might add. Hence, there's an unavoidable but definitely welcome similarity between the two bands.
Ektroverde are kind of like Circle's alter-ego -- less intense (and yet, still really intense!), sometimes jazz, sometimes fucked up hi-NRG pop. The trademark Circle rhythmic hypnosis remains, but the sometimes austere riff-mongering and prog-rock precision is mostly superseded by a generally more playful and groovier approach, certainly nothing as heavy or "rockin'" as what's found on "Prospekt". Gorgeous, psychedelic instrumental explorations, even venturing into the realms of primitive techno electronics at points (Ektro-house?)... There's actually many moods to this record, some parts silly and some downright spooky. To get a sense of the album's range, please listen to all three soundclips. We are especially enamoured of the track "Gradient" with its baa-ing sheep (this must be heard to be believed!) and Pansonic-like pulsations, and equally in love with the following track of creepy drone-effects, more like an Organum piece. In fact, this disc at moments reminds us of everything from Goblin soundtracks (creepy keyboards) to Van Halen's "Jump" (well, that only briefly). Very highly recommended!!
RealAudio clip: "Orange"
RealAudio clip: "Gradient"
RealAudio clip: "Therefore"

EKTROVERDE Music For Supermarkets (Bad Vugum) cd 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A one-off projekt from the mastermind of Circle (J. Lehtisalo) and his casio, whose factory jazz-rhythm presets are played far faster than they were intended, forming a tinny techno structure for theramin, guitar, sax, and other weird noises.

EKTROVERDE Pingvin (Ektro) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Loose "hypno-groove-prog-ambient- jazz" from Jussi Lehtisalo, leader of AQ favourites Circle. Jim emphasizes the jazz portion of that meta-genre description, in that the cyclical repetitions appear as spliced constructions of what could have been throw-away tracks from Squarepusher's attempts at aping '70s Miles Davis. But instead of sounding exactly like Miles Davis, Lehtisalo forces the sounds (which would prefer otherwise) into tight sequences of looping pulsations, resembling the clinical approach of sampling in techno.

EKTROVERDE Ukkossalama (Ektro) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Lazy hippie jazz jamming that noodles and percolates along. Ektroverde has always been the 'jazzy' cousin of AQ Finnish faves Circle, a side project consisting entirely or almost entirely of members of Circle, often operating in much the same mode of hypnotic repetition, but with definite jazzier leanings. Well, this new Ektroverde disc is jazzier, and funkier, than ever -- saxes, as well as synths, to the fore! You've gotta dig some jazz sax to get into this, which otherwise could be a spaced-out, effects-laden Acid Mothers Temple improv. There's also the question of the vocals, not formerly a significant element of Ektroverde's sound. The CAN-like vocal mantras sometimes work, sometimes don't, while Mika Ratto's occasional cod-operatics can simply make this seem like a mellowed-out, jazzed-up version of recent Circle. At its best, like on the lengthy track three, this is darkly moody and mesmerizing, but at its worst it's indulgent and kinda cheesy. Maybe this is one of those "if it wasn't Circle (or close to) would I want one?" conundrums. I don't know the answer to that, but I did like it enough to buy one. And it does boast awesome photos of extreme Finnish weather phenomena, along with the URL for a Finnish storm-chasers website. Storm-chasing is maybe a good analogy for what Ektroverde are doing here, merely getting damp in a drizzle as the album opens, then eventually catching up to the big storm as the second half of the disc gets more stretched-out and heavy. Maybe there's a rainbow in it for you...
MPEG Stream: "Paholaispiirtaja"
MPEG Stream: "Kaski"

EL ELLE s/t (self-released) cd 10.98

MPEG Stream: "Heartbeat"
MPEG Stream: "What's The Rush"
MPEG Stream: "Peace Of Mine"

EL ELLE s/t (self-released) lp 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Heartbeat"
MPEG Stream: "What's The Rush"
MPEG Stream: "Peace Of Mine"

EL GUINCHO Alegranza (XL) cd 13.98
We were given a heads up about El Guincho months ago by a customer who was in the store while we were playing Panda Bear. He asked us if we knew El Guincho, when we said no, he told how we had to hear it and it would blow us away and how he was like the Spanish version of Panda Bear. So now several months later El Guincho is finally seeing his record released in North America on XL, and we have to say once again, that sometimes our customers are often way more hip and in the know then we are, because this is proving to be a total store favorite! There is a huge Panda Bear influence at play but with a much more full on party sensation. This isn't headphone music, this is a record meant to come blasting out of speakers. We hear such a wide range of influences, especially the surging sonic sensations heard in Congotronics, all riled up for full pleasure.
If Panda Bear ever got to be captain of a party cruise we're pretty sure this is what it would sound like to be on that ship. Sign us up!
MPEG Stream: "Antillas"
MPEG Stream: "Kalise"
MPEG Stream: "Prez Lagarto"

EL GUINCHO Alegranza (XL) lp 13.98
We were given a heads up about El Guincho months ago by a customer who was in the store while we were playing Panda Bear. He asked us if we knew El Guincho, when we said no, he told how we had to hear it and it would blow us away and how he was like the Spanish version of Panda Bear. So now several months later El Guincho is finally seeing his record released in North America on XL, and we have to say once again, that sometimes our customers are often way more hip and in the know then we are, because this is proving to be a total store favorite! There is a huge Panda Bear influence at play but with a much more full on party sensation. This isn't headphone music, this is a record meant to come blasting out of speakers. We hear such a wide range of influences, especially the surging sonic sensations heard in Congotronics, all riled up for full pleasure.
If Panda Bear ever got to be captain of a party cruise we're pretty sure this is what it would sound like to be on that ship. Sign us up!
MPEG Stream: "Antillas"
MPEG Stream: "Kalise"
MPEG Stream: "Prez Lagarto"

EL GUINCHO Pop Negro (Young Turks) cd 13.98
Summer in San Francisco is a funny thing. It doesn't really happen, most of July and even August is chilly, grey, and windy. We know we have no room to really complain about the weather here, but it can get you down. Luckily we do usually get this small blast of Indian Summer that hits late in September and we all run to the park, the beach, a lake, anywhere to soak it all up as much as we can, as we know it will be gone before we know it. So in these times of packing in as much summer as we can in just a handful of days we really need and relish when an end of the summer jam shows up just in time to blast as we play in the sunshine.
El Guincho has given us the perfect bright, bouncy and colorful soundtrack that's beyond perfect for tapping into the carefree vibe of running through waves and playing in sand, the fleeting summer state of mind that is already on its way out. Picking up perfectly where his 2008 debut left off, and even upping he quality of songcraft and irresistibility. While El Guincho is from Spain, his music really sounds like someone so in touch with so many great sounds being made across the globe. It's a universal kind of super smart and catchy dance minded pop, filled with so many cascading melodies, catchy rhythms and such impeccable taste.
One of those perfect records that seamlessly mixes synths, samples, and live instruments along with warm and welcoming vocals to create songs that are made for letting down your guard and soaking up some much needed joy and sunshine. So damn good!
MPEG Stream: "Bombay"
MPEG Stream: "FM Tan Sexy"
MPEG Stream: "Lycra Mistral"

EL GUINCHO Pop Negro (Young Turks) lp 15.98
Now on vinyl! Summer in San Francisco is a funny thing. It doesn't really happen, most of July and even August is chilly, grey, and windy. We know we have no room to really complain about the weather here, but it can get you down. Luckily we do usually get this small blast of Indian Summer that hits late in September and we all run to the park, the beach, a lake, anywhere to soak it all up as much as we can, as we know it will be gone before we know it. So in these times of packing in as much summer as we can in just a handful of days we really need and relish when an end of the summer jam shows up just in time to blast as we play in the sunshine.
El Guincho has given us the perfect bright, bouncy and colorful soundtrack that's beyond perfect for tapping into the carefree vibe of running through waves and playing in sand, the fleeting summer state of mind that is already on its way out. Picking up perfectly where his 2008 debut left off, and even upping he quality of songcraft and irresistibility. While El Guincho is from Spain, his music really sounds like someone so in touch with so many great sounds being made across the globe. It's a universal kind of super smart and catchy dance minded pop, filled with so many cascading melodies, catchy rhythms and such impeccable taste.
One of those perfect records that seamlessly mixes synths, samples, and live instruments along with warm and welcoming vocals to create songs that are made for letting down your guard and soaking up some much needed joy and sunshine. So damn good!
MPEG Stream: "Bombay"
MPEG Stream: "FM Tan Sexy"
MPEG Stream: "Lycra Mistral"

EL PERRO DEL MAR From The Valley To The Stars (Control Group) cd 15.98
Want some honey with your tea? Want a little bitter with the oh so sweet? El Perro Del Mar follows up her debut with a record of songs that glow in that open space somewhere between sadness and hope. With a sound and voice as breezy as a lazy afternoon drive, when you just have to get away so you can figure some things out, El Perro Del Mar has made a record that we'll be listening to on long drives as well as long nights inside our bedrooms for years to come. From The Valley To The Stars comes across like a collection of heart melting pop-hymnals that fall somewhere between Beach House, The Concretes, Camera Obscura and Spiritualized. We love the sparse quality of so many of the songs on this record and even when she is backed by the Gothenberg Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Choir it always feels so tasteful and never overdone. This Swedish chanteuse is makes perfect moody pop that has her sitting comfortably at the same sonic table as Francoise Hardy, Isobell Campbell and Victoria Bergsman.
So elegant, tasteful and tasty!
MPEG Stream: "Inner Island"
MPEG Stream: "Do Not Despair"

EL PERRO DEL MAR Love Is Not Pop (The Control Group) cd 14.98
We've been smitten with El Perro Del Mar ever since her enchanting debut a few years ago, and with each release it feels like we fall in love all over again. Last year's outing, From The Valley To The Stars, was one of the most underrated releases of the year in our opinion, with its completely elegant and bittersweet pop crafted and delivered with such subtle and satisfying results.
The latest from this dazzling Swedish chanteuse finds her in absolute top form with swirling pop melodies, haunting and sultry vocal delivery and songs that are so immaculately crafted yet still flow with such perfect ease. With every EPDM (not to be confused with EPMD!) record, she manages to create a sound that is very much her own while mixing it up enough so that every record really has its own identity. On Love Is Not Pop we are hearing the first hints of a Kate Bush influence on her songs as some of the tracks here, especially "L Is For Love" sound like they could be the perfect B-side to a track on Hounds Of Love. With a few of us here in aQ land way beyond obsessed with the sounds of Kate Bush it's been making us love El Perro Del Mar all the more! She continues to make records that are beautiful and darkly melodic and moody yet don't pander to the lowest common denominator. It would be all to easy for EPDM to keep her songs so simple and straight forward to cash in on the coffee house crowd, but there is a deeper integrity and range of emotions conveyed in El Perro Del Mar's songs which is what makes her one of our favorite songstresses of today. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Gotta Get Smart"
MPEG Stream: "L Is for Love"
MPEG Stream: "It Is Something (To Have Wept)"

EL PERRO DEL MAR Love Is Not Pop (The Control Group) lp 15.98
We've been smitten with El Perro Del Mar ever since her enchanting debut a few years ago, and with each release it feels like we fall in love all over again. Last year's outing, From The Valley To The Stars, was one of the most underrated releases of the year in our opinion, with its completely elegant and bittersweet pop crafted and delivered with such subtle and satisfying results.
The latest from this dazzling Swedish chanteuse finds her in absolute top form with swirling pop melodies, haunting and sultry vocal delivery and songs that are so immaculately crafted yet still flow with such perfect ease. With every EPDM (not to be confused with EPMD!) record, she manages to create a sound that is very much her own while mixing it up enough so that every record really has its own identity. On Love Is Not Pop we are hearing the first hints of a Kate Bush influence on her songs as some of the tracks here, especially "L Is For Love" sound like they could be the perfect B-side to a track on Hounds Of Love. With a few of us here in aQ land way beyond obsessed with the sounds of Kate Bush it's been making us love El Perro Del Mar all the more! She continues to make records that are beautiful and darkly melodic and moody yet don't pander to the lowest common denominator. It would be all to easy for EPDM to keep her songs so simple and straight forward to cash in on the coffee house crowd, but there is a deeper integrity and range of emotions conveyed in El Perro Del Mar's songs which is what makes her one of our favorite songstresses of today. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Gotta Get Smart"
MPEG Stream: "L Is for Love"
MPEG Stream: "It Is Something (To Have Wept)"

EL PERRO DEL MAR s/t (Memphis Industries) cd 10.98
The Swedish pop gems keep coming and we are super glad to finally welcome to aQ the debut cd of Sarah Assbring or as she is known musically, El Perro Del Mar (The Sea Dog). We had the import of this a while ago and have been waiting patiently for this domestic version. Imagine the aural equivalent of a vintage Margaret Keane painting... y'know, those saucer-eyed, forlorn ragamuffins who sort of resemble Hope Sandoval. Quite girlish and just a little bit tweaked, she combines Brill Building pop with the voice of a kittenish Kate Bush or Jane Birken. The songs here are sweet confections of love's seemingly cruel humor, heavily influenced by the doo-wop arrangements of Bacharach and Phil Spector. Catchy and occasionally melancholy, El Perro Del Mar's debut is one of the best sensitive pop records of last year.
MPEG Stream: "Candy "
MPEG Stream: "Party"

EL RELOJ Second Album (Record Runner) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Seventies Latin American prog-rock action, courtesy of Buenos Aires' El Reloj. This album is from '76 (with two singles tracks from '75 as a bonus) and showcases their powerful and complex "symphonic hard rock" sound. Argentina's answer to Deep Purple, apparently, with Hammond organ and wailing vocals. On the whole this band is a lot more freaky and twisted than Purple, with plenty of extended instrumental passages. Pretty great! "Without music life would be mistake." --part of a quote from Nietzsche found in the El Reloj booklet.

EL-G Tout Ploie ((K-RAA-K)3) lp 15.98
We didn't know a whole lot about El-G, aka French pop weirdo Laurent Gerard, other than he was supposed to be sort of like a twisted modern day Serge Gainsbourg, and hearing this now, that's really not that far off the mark, he even has a female foil to further cement the Gainsbourg comparison. Mix in some Animal Collective weirdness, some Kemialliset foresty folk, and you'd be getting close.
French ballady folk is definitely the core of Gerard's sound, but the tracks here vary wildly, compiled as they are from a handful of super limited previous releases. But a quick sampling reveals laid back French pop, breezy and dreamy, brushed snares, subtle electronics drifting over finger picked guitars, fractured blues drenched in wheezing organ and random percussion, peppered with deep bassy throbs and grunted garbled vocals, Abstract fractured folk, soft female vocals over shimmery organs, rubbery basslines and howled male background vox, the final track of the A side builds from a folky whisper to a soaring layered drone, all buzzing tones and warbly organ, strangled guitar leads and lurching low end melodies. The rest of the record hovers close-ish to French folk and pop, but tweaks them just enough to keep it interesting, at one point converting the main riff from the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now" into a backdrop for some ethereal crooning. Cool stuff. Definitely recommended for fans of any of the above mentioned bands, as well as the softer side of freak folk and the weirder side of French pop.

ELA ORLEANS / DIRTY BEACHES Double Feature (La Station Radar / Atelier Ciseaux / Night People) lp 16.98
Another clutch of lo-fi rockabilly R&B grime jams from Dirty Beaches, a handful of tracks recorded at the same time as Badlands, his recent full length, here presented as one half of a split with previously-unknown-to-us Ela Orleans. The Dirty Beaches tracks, do in fact sound like they could have been included on Badlands, although according to Mr. DB himself they just didn't fit the flow of the album, but they work pretty well here, the opener being about the most rocking track we've heard from DB, still swirly and washed out, the vocals a snarly reverby Elvis-y croon, but more propulsive, the rest of the record more moody and murky and slithery, with woozy spidery melodies, the vibe hazy and druggy, like Badlands, a sort of experimental avant take on classic fifties rock and RnB, until the final track, which like the opener is another odd sonic duck, a cool shuffling, skittery psychedelic groove, that sounds downright krautrocky!
Not sure if Ela Orleans is a person or a group, but he/they are a pretty good match for Dirty Beaches, beginning with a brooding bit of echo drenched piano, the sound quickly shifts into a more swirly reverby exotica, a distinctly Ducktails vibe, a sort of dreamy easy listening, but a bit darker and more FX drenched, the vocals dreamy and passionate, feeling a little Animal Collective here and there. As the record progresses, the sound grows wilder and more psychedelic, the sound collaged and blurry and a bit dizzyingly tripped out, while somehow remaining surprisingly catchy.
Both sides of the split sound like lost documents of groups out of time, as if each set of songs was some skewed glance back at an alternate sonic past, the sounds here both modern and timeless. Cool stuff for sure.
Like other releases on Night People, striking one panel, two colored silkscreened jacket/insert, which along with the record is housed in a plastic outer sleeve.

ELANORS Movements (Parasol) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you can't wait for a new Rufus Wainwright or Antony & The Johnsons album or are simply a big fan of lush elegant pop music, you might want to welcome Elanors's new one in a warm embrace. While this Chicago band's second full length Movements is not quite on the grand scale of Rufus or Antony's epic productions, the Elanors' eight finely crafted arrangements of piano, guitar, bass, synthesizer, drums and velvety vocals caress and charm in their own sumptuous ways. Darkly captivating.
MPEG Stream: "The Lion"
MPEG Stream: "She Had A Dream"

ELDER Dead Roots Stirring (MeteorCity) cd 11.98
Despite being called Elder, the guys in this stoner/doom trio look pretty young! Nevertheless, this is their 2nd full length for the quite reliable MeteorCity label. We actually never listed Elder's first, self-titled album, from back in 2008, that one somehow slipped by, for whatever reason, but hope to make up for that by highlighting this new one, which we do dig big time, particularly 'cause of how it possesses a blissful lightness within its considerable heaviness.
And it's worth pointing out that, like a lot of things we list, it's by choice, we didn't have to list it y'know, there's lots of other things we could have listed instead, but it's something we liked enough to go to the trouble of ordering in and writing up to share with you 'cause we think you'd really like it too - well in this case, especially if you're into the stoner/doom sounds like we are.
They traffic in extended bouts of churning, blown-out heaviness, sludgey and psychedelic, with lumbering riffs, wailing guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and some nice, almost folky melodies (the 12 minute title track has some bits in it that remind us of early Wishbone Ash!). Theirs is not exactly a groundbreaking style, but boy do they bring it all together and do it right. And even though they're from Massachusetts, they've got the desert-y vibe down (these kids obviously having consumed much Kyuss), heavied up further to swing with the likes of Electric Wizard, Yob, Sleep, UFOmammut, and Boris (note the similar Roger Dean inspired logo). The vocals here are mostly an echoed afterthought, with the urgent instrumental unfurling of that desert-y doom being their main mode of mesmerization.
While the whole disc delivers those goods, they perhaps save the best for last, "Knot", another epic at 11:56 (well, all their songs are pretty darn long), which somehow seems to channel the essence of some of Elders' elders - ye olde '70s proto-metallers that is - into its bulldozing rifferama.
MPEG Stream: "Gemini"
MPEG Stream: "Dead Roots Stirring"
MPEG Stream: "Knot"